A/N
So now that some sappy stuff (an attempt, at least) is out of the way, the story is going to pick back up in a way. To me it feels slow, but slow is necessary sometimes. Action towards the end you don't want to miss.
This chapter is extremely long to make up for the others, so I hope you all can stomach it.
But the climax of this chapter is pretty sweet. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present Cloak and Dagger
'Rho Barutamee sat in the captain's chair, overlooking the flurry of activity as the bridge was bustling with activity. A monitor sat in front of him, replaying footage of the slaughter on the planet below as captured by the landing pods, his mandibles chewing in frustration. Not in anger, no, the hunters had done their job well, 'Rho couldn't help but feel slight empathy for the inhabitants as he watched the decked-out war machines pummel and grind the population of the coliseum out of existence; no, the hunters were not frustrating 'Rho, the appearance of a demon was. Although this demon working alongside the inhabitants only solidified in 'Rho's mind reasons they should pay, his curiosity was toward the inhabitants themselves.
Analysis had showed them to be extremely humanoid, however, they were not human. First, the warriors had a form of very powerful form of natural energy shielding. Secondly, directing his attention towards the warrior dressed in a white dress, she had summoned powers to hold a Hunter in the air before a man took it out, although the hunter's dead man switch had eliminated him. Finally, he paid attention to the arrival of these warriors themselves. One had jumped from the lip of the coliseum before landing on a hunter, a process that would kill any normal human, or sangheili for that matter. The other two literally fell out of a drop ship before landing. Although these abilities were impressive, they couldn't be purely natural. For as effective as the demons were for example, they relied on years of training and powerful armor to be fully operational.
Because they were not human, 'Rho did not have the mandate to exterminate them… completely, not until a major prophet approved of such things. In fact, with natural abilities like that, the induction of these creatures could prove a pivotal role in the covenant's defeat of the real humans. Alas, 'Rho would kill as many things as it took for him to find Ardent Prayer and the artifact it held.
Swiping the monitor away, 'Rho, in his golden armor, an ornate status symbol, rose from his chair.
"Fetch me 'Ark Teramee, Jeg-jeg, and clear the bridge. You may remain but I wish to have this conversation in relative privacy"
Minutes later, 'Ark, a Field Marshall in his maroon combat armor walked onto the bridge, sporting several energy swords attached to his hip, garnered from winning duels.
"What's an Unggoy doing here?" 'Ark asked.
"He has earned his spot on the bridge, never mind him"
Ignoring Jeg-jeg, the elite continued.
"If it was not heresy, I would challenge you to a duel. Sending that Ultra to confront me was pure cowardice." 'Ark's tone was dangerous, but it seemed surprisingly inside its bounds.
"Don't take it so personally, I figured you might as well add another sword to your collection, the others are getting dusty."
'Ark starred at 'Rho before bursting out into a deep hearty laugh, 'Rho joining in.
"Ah, it seems that just yesterday we were working side by side on Fumirole, you would have had your ship if it wasn't for the interference of the demon's self-sacrifice." 'Rho spoke
"Although losing the title of Ship Admiral was a dishonor, I still find honor as a Field Marshall, I lead better by example anyways"
They both laughed together. Their friendship runs deep.
"Your path on the Great Journey is sealed in brother, there is still much honor within you, besides, I have a mission for you. If completed, I'll see to it that your honor is restored"
"It is my duty to accept." 'Ark swore solemnly.
"The inhabitants of this world, they are extremely powerful, rivaling that of the human demon's we encounter from time to time. Yet, even here, marooned in a different galaxy, a demon is present. You are to lead a mission to the surface with three objectives. Find the source of the inhabitant's powers, capture one of the warriors alive, and kill the demon. Execute each order in a manner you see fit, but only in this manner will your honor be restored."
"I accept, but I ask, why do I not search for Ardent Prayer as well?"
"I have already seen to it, that task is underway" 'Rho said with a split-jaw smile.
"I see..." With that, 'Ark spun on his heel and begun to walk away.
"Wait!"
'Ark turned to attention, facing 'Rho.
'Rho handed him an energy sword with a strange hilt rapped in thorn beast leather, very ornate and exotic.
Without a second thought, 'Ark backed up before springing his blade to life. He was surprised when a blood red blade cracked to life, tinted with golden energy.
"Flick the switch on the hilt" 'Rho said.
'Ark obeyed, the blade now turning invisible, before becoming visible to 'Ark once again.
"It is visible only to you in this state, it's an heirloom of my keep I now bestow upon you. Use this on your mission"
"Thank you, brother"
'Ark clicked his sword off and walked off the bridge, he had a squad to organize.
"Jorge, wake up!"
The Spartan was on his feet instantly, his armor re-donned.
"What's the situation, Ruby?" Jorge fumbled for his DMR on the floor, attaching it to the hard box on his thigh.
"Our AA's shot down one of their ships, it was chock full of supplies!"
Ruby's grin was huge.
"They need you to come help us to figure out what to make of it"
Jorge followed Ruby out the door, and found a bullhead waiting for them, boarding it with Ruby, the VTOL took off.
In the dawn of early morning, Jorge barely made out the sleek purple through the red trees of the forever fall that made up the downed Phantom. The bullhead came to a landing next to two other bullheads.
The pilot waved them out, pulling put his scroll to play 'Flappy Nevermore', telling them he was going to also tow the equipment once Jorge was done recording it for Intel uses.
Walking towards the crash-sight he was greeted by Nora, Yang, and Blake, having already arrived.
"Blake? Aren't you doing your ambassador stuff for the other kingdoms?" Ruby asked.
"The events at… the coliseum, there's no one left to convince, all four kingdoms are ready to assist in any way possible. So, I get to take up more important matters, fighting for my friends."
The three huntresses stood around the downed Phantom, Yang gestured to Jorge, then a pile of devices and weapons recovered from the ship. Four elite bodies sat next to the cache of supplies.
"So… what do we got here?"
"Well, to start with, these are sangheili, more commonly known as elites. They make up the heart of the Covenant military, and they are a true opponent in battle. See this armor, its white, with the large shoulder pieces and the sleek headpiece, this signifies that this is a Stealth Elite, your assassins and spies. However, I'm more interested in what's attached to their backs…"
Flipping one of the dead elite's over, he detached a purple capsule from its lower back. He found only one other on a second elite.
"This" Jorge said as he removed the armor lock from his back, replacing it with the purple capsule, promptly turning invisible, "Is a Covenant Active Camouflage"
"That's… holy shit" Nora exclaimed, clearly impressed.
Jorge re-appeared, now next to the weapons pile.
"Now these…" he sifted through the pile. He began organizing the gear into piles, some with certain distinguishing features.
"First off", he gestured towards a pile of bulbous guns. "These are plasma repeaters, they have a high rate of fire, but are very inaccurate. These on the other hand, are plasma rifles, more accurate and deadly per shot then the plasma repeaters, but with a slower rate of fire.
After demonstrating each, Jorge moved over to a pile with two purple back-pack looking apparatus's.
"These are jump packs, essentially a jet pack, but with less distance per charge than a real jet pack"
Jorge clipped off the active camouflage, and attached the jump pack to his back. With a quick jump, he ascended into the air, rising a solid 50 feet before falling back to Remnant. De-attaching it, he continued. He rolled over the other two dead elites revealing a small purple triangle.
"Ah, here, we have what I have, armor lock."
He clipped it into MLJOLNER before activating it, going into a deep kneel with the covenant adaption of armor lock. His since then invisible shields now glowed a powerful white.
"Nora, take a shot at me"
"What?"
"You heard me"
Without further question, Nora unholstered Magnhild. Aiming him she took a shot, the explosion having no effect on the armor locked Spartan.
"C'mon, you can do better than that"
She began rapid firing grenades into the Spartan, creating a huge ruckus, explosive echoes ricocheting through the forest. When the smoke finally cleared the Spartan remained.
"Basic invulnerability, but it only lasts so long. MLJOLNER has a reactor built in, so it lasts longer for me than it ever will for an elite"
Jorge exited armor lock, a huge EMP burst sounding off, and the covenant equipment next to him briefly powered down.
Covenant technology whirring back to life, Jorge continued with his impromptu presentation.
"Finally, this covenant…"
Jorge starred long and hard at the Ultra Heavy Assault cannon, used for excavation, or more commonly, for demolishing anything with its beam. Yes, an Ultra Heavy assault cannon only belonged to one covenant vehicle, more of an assault platform.
"…Excavation equipment"
"This was more than a stealth mission, there's something bigger going on here, isn't there" Blake questioned, asserting herself.
Without warning, a large roar sounded off as an Ursa Major burst through the bushes.
"Hostile!" Jorge spun on his heel leveling his DMR for the bear-thing that lumbered towards him.
Before he could even let off a single shot, Nora, Yang, and Ruby had discharged their weapons in unison. A high powered sniper, a high power pistol, and grenade round hitting it square in the temple, killing it instantly. This was reflex to them. The Ursa fell over, very much a dead Ursa.
Panting slightly, Blake faced back to Jorge.
"So… what is that?" Jorge quizzically asked, gazing at the dead black bear, with strange bony red markings.
"A creature of Grimm, never mind that right now, what does that excavation equipment do?" Blake retorted, staring at the assault cannon
"It's more of an assault cannon. I've only ever seen this type of assault cannon on one device, and you're not going to like it. Seems like we both have things to explain"
Jorge took a seat, it was going to be hard to spell this out to them.
'Ark had captured the one known as 'Neptune' after a rather intense battle. In the Covenant outpost, surrounded by the Cloaking Spire, Neptune sat behind the energy barrier of a Covenant brig.
'Ark was close to completing a step of his mission, a Lich was on the way to transport Neptune safely to Long Night of Solace, as the inhabitants had shown some fighting capability by shooting down the Phantom designated for transporting the Ultra Heavy Assault Cannon.
Great, thought 'Ark, I suffer yet another delay on my quest for an Ultra Heavy Assault Platform, known more simply as a Scarab.
The scarab served dual purpose, to assault and to mine, which if he could… persuade… more information out of Neptune, would most definitively be needed for obtaining this 'dust' that made these humanoids tick.
Walking into the brig, 'Ark raised his voice.
"Neptune, I bring nutrition", speaking perfect English.
"I don't need your food, tentacle face"
Dropping the tray, 'Ark slammed the cell door button, the energy door collapsed and 'Ark stormed into the cell. Grabbing Neptune by the base of his throat he lifted him up into the air, pinning him to the wall at the same time.
"I have orders to bring an inhabitant back, nothing says I have to bring you back alive", 'Ark lied.
'Ark knew full well he couldn't kill this one, hell, capturing this one had cost him a good 40 men, discounting the numerous Unggoy he slaughtered. This warrior fought well, but was eventually subdued by overwhelming numbers. Regardless, scaring him into submission could prove invaluable.
"So I suggest you accept what little hospitality I possess when I offer it, you swine"
'Ark flared up the energy dagger on his gauntlet and stabbed into Neptune's thigh, letting the plasma sizzle before quickly pulling out, the heat of the blade instantly cauterizing the wound.
"aaaghhhhfuck!" Neptune tried his best to hold in his pain.
'Ark dropped the warrior to the floor.
"I suggest you cooperate if you want to make it out alive, call it an Intel swap. I'll tell you some Intel, and you'll tell me some of yours" 'Ark sneered.
Neptune looked upon 'Ark with resentment, 'Ark having already won.
Ark spun to walk out, the energy barrier activating once again.
"I'll send in a medical Unggoy, as a sign of my… hospitality", 'Ark laughed as the door to the brig closed.
Jorge and Yang carried the Ultra Heavy Assault Cannon over to the bullhead, which was shockingly enough, ultra heavy. Even with Yang's strength and Jorge's MLJOLNER, it was a difficult carry, but they eventually succeeded in loading it onto the bullhead, which would travel to Atlas to be deconstructed and studied.
The rest of the covenant technologies, however, would be coming back to Vale. Jorge had convinced Blake of all the uses the tech would possess.
Most of all however, the girls seems excited about the armor abilities.
Jorge had equipped a jump pack and an active camouflage armor ability to MLJOLNER, having given up his UNSC armor lock to Nora.
Yang had taken the other jump jet in a hurry.
Blake took the armor lock, saving two armor locks for Jaune and Pyrrha.
Leaving Ruby with the other active camouflage, not that she was complaining.
Only problem now was finding a way to make them run off of the Dust, instead of reactor energy. Nora insisted it was do-able, and had a man for the job, but Jorge didn't understand how their magic elemental crap could run an Armor Ability.
Let the kids dream, Jorge thought to himself.
On the ride back to Vale in the bullhead, a question struck Jorge he was surprised he hadn't asked yet.
"So how do you guys speak English, if you are isolated from the UNSC?"
"English? What's that? We speak Standard", Ruby piped up. "So you call it 'English', sounds like a dirty sex word, gross. It's called Standard here on Remnant"
Yang leaned over and smacked Ruby on the arm.
"Can't you be mature for once in your life, especially around the elderly." Yang scolded.
"Seriously, I'm only 41, I'm not that old"
"Whatever you say, gramps" Yang teased.
Jorge sighed.
"You're 27, meaning I'm 14 years older than you, it's not possible to be your grandfather"
"Do you take everything literally?" Yang, partially teasing and partially asking.
"Of course, everything is credible Intel aboard the UNSC Jorge" Jorge half joked, as that statement carried some truth behind it.
"Did you just refer to yourself as a sea vessel?"
'Ark had already spilled some major beans about his plan to Neptune, to make him feel like he was actually going to release him upon giving 'Ark the information he needed. Neptune in return however, had actually bought it, and had been explaining the complex world of 'Remnant' to 'Ark.
"So you are called Huntsman and Huntresses, Interesting" 'Ark continued, "So how does that natural energy shield work?"
"You mean aura, that's a manifestation of one's soul, all creatures, except the creatures of Grimm possess it. It can be used for a variety of things, to, as you put it act like an energy shield, or to activate and trigger Dust" Neptune answered.
"Final question then you can run back to your fellow pigs, what are those weapons you possess?" 'Ark asked.
"Unlike the standard equipment that armies like those of Atlas and Mistral, and yours employ; Huntsmen and Huntresses each create their own unique weapon at Signal Academy, no weapon you will ever encounter will be the same as the next, and all are powerful in the hands of those who weld it and those only. Years of training have made us very adept with our weapons, and were used to fighting large invading forces" Neptune answered.
"Those creatures of Grimm your planet still have yet to master show how primitive you really are. It's almost insulting to compare us to those simple animals"
"Oh, and one last thing I forgot to mention…"
Neptune eyed his Trident-gun resting in a Weapon holder a few dozen meters behind 'Ark, who had drawn a strange object into his hand, like the handle to something.
"Semblance. Most warriors with their auras under control unlock something called a semblance, a special ability granted through training and luck"
"What's your semblance?" 'Ark asked.
Neptune flashed quickly, appearing at his weapon.
"Short distance dashing"
Neptune grabbed his Trident and tried to jump in the air, discounting his leg injury, causing him to awkwardly stumble into 'Ark's outstretched hand.
Neptune felt something hot stab into his stomach, 'Arks energy sword now faded into view, its crimson-gold embrace buried deep into Neptune form from 'Ark's outstretched hand.
Neptune coughed up thick goblets of blood before passing out onto the floor, his goggles falling off his head.
'Ark slung the injured humanoid over his shoulder, leaving the goggles in the cell, and leaved the brig, carrying Neptune to the medical bay.
"By the prophets, I hope your will to live be a strong one, because aboard Long Night of Solace, you will be utterly at the mercy of 'Rho Barutamee.
Neptune's goggles, with recording capabilities, continued to Record. Meanwhile, it set out a geobeacon, broadcasting the location of the goggles, to HuntOps Headquarters in Vale.
Nora had held up to her end of the deal, the Armor Abilities looked slightly modified, however, they worked for the Huntresses.
To Jorge, it didn't make a lick of sense.
Although the Armor Abilities had been a pleasant surprise, Ruby's surprise had been better.
"So how you liking it?" Ruby asked.
Jorge's DMR, now with Drum magazines and lower powered bullets, with a tri-rotating barrel, with the flick of a switch, rolled into a sniping rifle with an infrared scope and silencer. Flipping the switch back, it changed back into its DMR state as a medium-powered machine gun.
Pressing down a button, Jorge watched as his DMR folded into an oversized Trench Knife with a wicked looking brass knuckle hand guard and elongated blade, cresting into a tactical tanto point at the top.
"This is pretty sweet, Ruby"
"So, what are you going to name it?"
Jorge thought long and hard.
"Thom's Retribution"
Minutes later, Weiss entered with a concerned expression on her face.
"They captured Neptune, and we know where he's at, were tracking his goggles now. Problem is, we already sent Dove and Winchester to investigate, neither have yet to return or activate their beacons"
"I fear the worst for Dove and Winchester, however, Neptune is probably still alive, and we need to get to him before he spills any information to the enemy. Better yet, his goggles have a record function, if it's rolling, the information could prove to be decisive."
She looked at Jorge and Ruby, noticing the active camouflage attached to their lower backs.
"You ever figure out how to get that silencer on Crescent Rose?" Weiss asked Ruby.
"Of course"
"Great, will you and Jorge go confirm Cardin and Dove's death and retrieve the goggles at the very least, assuming my Neptune is…"
Weiss stopped for a minute, regaining her composer, she continued
"Confirm the KIA's, get the goggles, stay alive, and… bring my Neptune home"
Jorge sat in his snowy ghillie suit, next to Ruby in a white cloak, both blending in with the snow in the snow of Mistral's mountains, overlooking the area the beacon showed Neptune to be. There sat a large dome, easily recognizable as a covenant spire, preventing any vehicles from entering, yet the inside was so highly defended that a ground operation is certain suicide.
During Reach's invasion, Long Night of Solace had set up several Covenant Spires, like this one. Besides being used to cloak Long Night of Solace, it could actually teleport large objects from LNoS directly to Remnant's surface.
A covenant spire was an invasion platform.
Night was falling on Remnant, and Beowulfs could be heard howling in the distance. Jorge spoke into his HuntsCOMM channel, allowing Ruby, or 'Red', 'Over Watch' or Yang, and Jorge, Noble 5, to communicate.
"Over watch, this is Noble 5, Clock reads 2130, can I get a confirmation on green light to engage" Jorge spoke into MLJOLNER's interface, which connected to a scroll in his hard case, allowing him to communicate with Beacon.
"Over watch to Noble 5, you are green light for go, deploy the surveillance drone now, patching Red into the channel over" Yang's voice held a tinge of jealousy in it, Jorge could tell she wanted to be in the battle, but she also had a high level of professionalism. She was here to work, and keep them both alive.
Jorge grabbed the paper-airplane looking contraption and flicked the switch, it immediately launched off into the sky.
"Over watch to Noble 5 and Red, There's a large pack of Beowulfs, 500 or so southeast of your position, try not to make too much noise"
Jorge looked down at Thom's Retribution, its thermal scope attached along with the silencer.
"Noble 5 to Red, is your silencer functioning?"
"Red to Noble 5, silencer is optimal, no hostiles yet to leave the dome"
Jorge pulled his scroll out of his hard case, showing the location of Neptune's goggles, they were still within the confines of the spire.
Good.
"Over watch to Cloak and Dagger", Yang now opened up the HuntsCOMM to all three of them, addressing the pair as Cloak and Dagger, "Covenant patrol managed to piss off the Beowulfs from southeast. They're hauling ass back to the Spire, here's your chance to snag a way in over"
From the southeast, 9 o'clock from their position, 8 Revenants sped towards the spire, the Beowulfs quickly closing ground.
"Red, only eliminate a pilot if a Beowulf is close in proximity, we want to make this look inconspicuous. You get firsts, I'll take my shot as planned over" Jorge whispered into the mic.
A green light flashed twice in Jorge's visor, showing Ruby had acknowledged the command. Thumbing the safety off, Jorge aimed at the Revenants, now approximately two clicks from the Spire's energy dome in the vast snowy valley the Spire sat.
Jorge watched carefully, suddenly, the pilot further most back's head jerked sideways as a large arc of purple blood followed, plastering the snow. The elite's body slumped off the Revenant, hitting the snow like a ragdoll. The Revenant coasted to a stop. Two Beowulfs jumped on the dead elite, tearing into the elite.
"Red to Over Watch, activating Active Camouflage now, moving into position"
Jorge now set his sights on the new Revenant that headed the back of the pack, now 7 strong, as the other ones where not stopping for their fallen brother.
Perfect.
Aiming at his hip, Jorge let off a shot, not killing the elite as his energy shield absorbed the blast, but the impact throwing him off his Revenant. The elite, laying on the snow, saw his impending doom as the Beowulfs surrounded him.
C'mon…
The elite went into armor lock.
"Noble 5 to Over Watch, he took the bait, elite has entered Armor Lock. Beta phase is a go"
The moment that elite exited Armor Lock, which he would have to as his energy cell has very little power for sustaining Armor Lock, it would let off an EMP burst. Yang and the others had noticed that the Grimm don't like EMP bursts.
The Beowulfs surrounded the elite, hungry for him. Jorge waited patiently for his Armor Lock to expire.
Geeuuuggh!
The EMP burst pulsated through the valley, the elite pulling out an Energy Sword to fend off the Beowulfs. The Beowulfs immediately began to back up, snarling. Giving up on the kill, they scampered back towards the area of whence the came.
Jorge zoomed in on the elite, preparing for a kill shot.
Is that elite doing a victory dance? Let me give him something to smile about.
With a silent pop, Jorge put a round right through his temple, the alien fell into the snow.
"This is Over Watch, move in for phase two"
Activating his Active Camouflage, Jorge began the ½ kilo sneak to the downed Revenants.
The clock read 2230, meaning this crawl had taken at least 45 minutes, alas, Jorge and Ruby reached their respective Revenant's at around the same time.
"Over Watch to Cloak and Dagger, move into position, once you enter the Dome I've got no more eyes on you until you exit. So stay careful, and Stay alive"
Jorge and Ruby climbed into their Revenants, each flashing green lights to show they were ready.
They began the drive towards the spire. To anyone looking on at the Revenant's it must have been comical, as it would appear they were driving themselves.
"Noble 5 to Red, prepare to roll out once we enter the Spire's dome, head left"
The Energy dome grew ever closer with each passing second as the Revenant trudged on. Covenant chatter began to pass through the Revenant's console.
"Pat, can you translate that?" Jorge asked his AI.
"Dialect unintelligible" Pat responded.
Of course, Jorge been shafted with the epitome of the word 'Dumb AI'.
Jorge knew that there'd be a small welcome party waiting for them upon entering the dome.
Jorge and Ruby could clearly make out a covenant outpost, several bulbous sections and outstretched buildings made up the outpost, with the energy spire at the center. This was drastically different from the one Jorge had encountered on Reach, this one seemed more… permanent.
That shook Ruby to the core.
The two made out large crates immediately to their left. They'd rendezvous there to go over their plan.
Jorge's HUD began beeping, meaning MLJOLNER was going to cut the power to the Active Camouflage soon. Ruby's Active Camouflage ran on her aura and dust, probably physically taking a toll on the women.
The clear-blue energy dome was about 100 meters from their approaching position.
Suddenly, they burst through, and three shade turrets opened fire on the Revenant's. Hearing Ruby let out a yelp of pain, they both dove left, taking cover behind the crates, the revenants coasting to a stop in front of the shade turrets, blocking their shots.
Distracted, Ruby's invisibility began to fail, Jorge noticed a large plasma burn on the left side of her torso. Jorge ran quickly, scooping the women up in his arms.
He could hear an elite approaching.
Ruby suddenly went limp, dropping from consciousness. Great. The Spartan slumped the injured girl over his shoulder and dashed away quickly.
Out of sight from the elite, he heard it talk in its unintelligible language.
"Deciphered as 'That was weird, Unggoy, fall back, something is amiss'", Pat droned.
Of course, now the AI can decipher sangheili speech.
Jorge looked at the injured girl on his shoulder. There, on an outcrop towards the outer edge of the dome, he saw a rocky outcrop with ample coverage, a great place to lay Ruby down, and an even better place to fall back to if something goes wrong.
They were in the belly of the beast now.
Approaching the rocks, Jorge dropped out of Active Camouflage, giving MLJOLNER a chance to rest. Laying Ruby gently on the ground like a delicate rose, he pulled out the last remaining canister of bio-foam he possessed, having given up the other to the scientist's in Atlas in hopes that they could engineer the formula. Jorge removed the nozzle and began filling the charred gape in Ruby's side. She came about consciousness slowly, looking at Jorge.
"Ruby," he spoke out loud, not through HuntsCOMM, "I need you to focus on keeping your Active Camouflage active, and it is all willpower. Once I complete the mission, I'll come back for you, I promise"
Ruby smiled weakly at Jorge, and slowly, she disappeared from view. She was a warrior.
MLJOLNER's energy allotment to his AA was recharged, activating his Active Camouflage, Jorge left the invisible women to her own devices.
He crawled up on top of one of the rocky outcroppings overlooking the front of the Covenant Outpost. Approaching the front entrance was the elite, tailed by a number of grunts that he had encountered at the crates. Now in a position of power, Jorge pulled out Thom's Retribution, taking aim at the elite, he leveled the thermal sight at the head of the alien and pulled the trigger. Pop. Collapsing in a blue heap onto the rocky snow, the grunts began to sporadically run around, both out of fear and the will to survive. Jorge slowly began placing rounds into the grunts.
Pop. Pop. Pop. With each silence pop, another grunt hit the ground, which was quickly becoming a blue snow as the grunt blood was soaked into the ground.
As the last grunt hit the ground, Jorge sprinted towards the still closed entrance to the outpost. Stepping over the many grunts that littered the door, Jorge placed his back to the side of the door, flicking Thom's Retribution into the form of the Trench Knife. With troops dying outside of their front door, someone was sure to come and investigate. Sure enough, the heavy door opened, and two hunters came lumbering out. Cannons primed, they began surveying the area, not noticing the Spartan slip into the base from behind.
Cloak active, dagger drawn, Jorge advanced down the hallway.
His scroll was now sync'd to his HUD, setting a waypoint for the location of the goggles. Only problem was that the waypoint showed the relative distance if Jorge were to walk in a straight line, which was not an option. Navigating this base would be a dangerous game of guess and check.
Approaching a fork in the long violet hallway, Jorge veered left. The Covenant were very good about finding a color scheme and sticking to it. The same universal purple and silver anointed every faucet of covenant-manufactured technology. Turning the corner quickly, he physically bumped into an elite.
Shit.
Before the elite could comprehend what had just happened, Jorge plunged his knife into the base of the elite's neck, purple blood gurgling out as Jorge covered the creature's mouth. Lowering the elite to the floor, an idea struck Jorge. Jorge grabbed a plasma grenade from the soldier's hilt, and primed it, sticking it to its forehead.
Running quickly away, it detonated, erasing most traces of the elite. It would look like an accident.
Good.
That had been too close, Jorge felt off his game, and that was unacceptable. A Spartan can never be off his game, especially when lives are at risk.
The Waypoint showed that he was nearing the brig, Jorge's mission was almost completed. Jorge approached the end of the hallway, looking at the door, he hit the button. The shield door slid open, standing in the doorway was a Field Marshall, distinguishable by his maroon armor and combat-oriented armor.
With a triple-beep, his Active Camouflage de-activated.
The fear that coursed through 'Ark's body was uncomprehend able. A demon had literally, just… appeared in front of his very eyes. However, 'Ark knew his place as a warrior, and he wouldn't back down now.
'Ark drew two energy swords into his hands, the demon drew one in return. 'Ark dove forward, swords extended, the Spartan parried and bought the pommel of the blade down on 'Ark's head, knocking him to the floor. The Spartan arced his sword through the air, trying to dive his sword into 'Ark's neck. 'Ark rolled over and thrust his legs into the demon's crotch, propelling him away from himself. Landing on his back, the Spartan rolled into a back roll, landing nimbly on his feet. 'Ark hooked his left energy sword around, the Spartan blocked it, allowing 'Ark to pull his right energy sword up into his stomach, shattering the Spartan's energy shields. Recognizing a chance to go for the kill, 'Ark pulled his swords inward in a scissor-like motion, trying to decapitate the demon. Unfortunately, the demon ducked, thrusting hard into 'Ark, tackling him to the ground.
'Ark felt a strong grip tear something from his belt, the Spartan then flared up another energy sword, pulling it towards 'Ark's throat. Instinctively, 'Ark brought up another sword quickly, covering his throat.
The Spartan, weighing in at nearly a ton, pushed down with all his might, yet the elite, positively bristling with muscle from years of combat, held his own. Still, with each second, Jorge pushed the sword closer to 'Ark's throat.
Until then, Jorge had been using his right hand to push into the sword over the elite's throat, and the left to hold his other sword hand in place. Jorge took a risk, removing his other hand, he applied two hands to the blade.
'Ark felt the sword enter his skin, it felt very sharp, as if it was merely pushing his throat out of the way, rather than roughly cutting into it. However, the ionized plasma burned with so much intensity, 'Ark couldn't help but let out a cry of pain. Realizing his right arm was suddenly free, he picked up his other energy sword and drove it deep into the demon's kidney, at that moment, everything for 'Ark went black.
Jorge rolled off the elite quickly, grasping at the two gaping holes in his sides. The only benefit to being stabbed by an energy sword was that you couldn't bleed out, as the sword naturally cauterized all wounds. However, the pain was still deep, but Jorge was no stranger to pain.
Ignoring the dying Field Marshall at his feet, Jorge stumbled past 'Ark, heading towards the Waypoint. Jorge's vision began to blur, but he could make out the faint shape of yellow spectacles. Grasping them, Jorge fumbled them into his hard case. Jorge only had one goal in mind now, get back to Ruby. He clumsily thumbed the door, it opened to reveal several grunts waiting idling around, suddenly bringing up their guns to confront the Spartan. Jorge weakly raised Thom's Retribution, letting off a hailstorm of bullets, Swiss cheesing the Unggoy that had stood before him. Jorge, one hand on his side, the other holding his weapon, began the stumble down the hallway.
The base was still unaware to the events in the brig, and were still investigating the first two occurrences, the dead squad outside the base, and the vaporized elite inside, when they heard gunshots go off.
Jorge watched as several elites rounded the corner, Jorge rewarded their haste with a barrage from Thom's retribution, they fell to the ground. Dead before they even knew what hit them. Jorge checked his HUD, his AA still had yet to recharge, rounding the corner, he saw the two hunter's from earlier charging Jorge, there was no way around them.
Jorge grabbed a plasma grenade from his pocket, measly chucking it towards the charging hunter's, he was growing weak. The grenade stuck to a hunter's faceplate. Upon detonation, the creature collapsed to the floor. Now enraged, the remaining hunter charged at Jorge. Pumping the small amount of bullets left in the drum-mag into the hunter, slowing its advance slightly. Jorge heard several small clicks, signifying he was out of ammo. Swinging Thom's Retribution over his head, it transformed into an oversized trench knife. Jorge, using his jump pack, boosted slightly into the air, barely clearing the hunter, before it could turn around, Jorge slashed hard at the exposed worms in its back, severing its spine. The second hunter collapsed, as Jorge hit the ground face first. With a quick swipe Jorge severed the assault cannon attached to the hunter's arm, stowing Thom's Retribution on his back, he grabbed the Assault Cannon.
Stumbling to his feet, Jorge's shields blaring furiously, blood and spittle plastering his cracked visor. His Active Camouflage appeared to be burned out completely, as it was accepting no charge. Yet still, through the pain, Jorge pressed on. Collapsing to his knees, he thumbed the large bay door to exit the outpost, the door opened, and he was in the clear.
Ruby sat still, the pain having subsided enough, and focused on her breathing to keep herself invisible. She had heard gunshots from inside, and not the alien kind, the kind that Jorge's weapons made. Moments later, she saw the Spartan, gripping his side, with the occasional crimson sputter jutting from his side, exit the building. He was carrying a large cannon with green tanks attached haphazardly to the side. Ruby recognized it as a Hunter's cannon. His occasional splatter left a red zigzag pattern, complimenting a blue pool of snow on the ground, no doubt from the earlier battle Ruby had been too focused to see.
From the spire, a phantom transpired into existence. Quickly pulling over Jorge's position, she watched two white clad elites with energy swords drop from the phantom, followed by a more ornate red one drop holding two swords. The phantom quickly sped away.
Ruby reached for Crescent Rose, her side flaring up again, but if Jorge could do it, so could she.
A few hundred feet from her position, she watched the elite begin to crowd the kneeled Spartan. With a sudden burst, he was lifted into the air by his jump jet, taking aim with the heavy assault cannon.
WhiiiirrrBLANG!
Two elites disintegrated with the blast, but the unexpected recoil tossed the Spartan through the air, his jump jet plowing him into the snow, dropping the assault cannon behind him. An elite jumped on him, and Ruby watched as an energy sword, the same as used by the elites, was thrust through the elite's cranium, grey matter and dark purple blood briefly jetting out. Jorge threw the elite off him as a second one mounted him. Ruby set her sight on the elite. Jorge, pinned, thrust his sword up, it was knocked sideways by the elite, who reared his sword back for the plunge.
"NO!" Shouted Ruby, letting off a silent crack through Crescent Rose.
The elite's head quickly jerked sideways as a high powered sniper round passed through his temple, falling off Jorge. The remaining three elites rushed the downed Spartan, who was stumbling to his feet.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The three elites crumpled into the snow in a heap, missing the better half of their faces.
Ruby dashes using her semblance towards the Spartan, and began trying to drag him.
Another Phantom teleported from Long Night of Solace, appearing at the Spire. Ruby handed Jorge Crescent Rose, and began dragging him. He took aim with the sniper, aiming at the occupants of the phantom, letting off several severely inaccurate shots.
"C'mon Jorge, we got to go, Now!"
Ruby pulled on MLJOLNER, barely moving the Spartan.
Two banshees came rolling down, unleashing two fuel rod blasts, hitting directly in front of and behind Cloak and Dagger.
Ruby looked quickly at her scroll, her distress beacon had been active for nearly 30 minutes now.
Jorge dropped Crescent Rose, going limp, Ruby was sure the Spartan was not dead though. Grabbing her sniper, she stood over the downed Spartan, shooting into the barrage of Jackals as they exited their drop ship, her aura flaring up hard as she sustained a sniper round every now and then.
Ruby watched as Jorge's shields began to regenerate. The banshees rolled back around, letting off another shot, this time hitting their mark.
A/N
So this is roughly 7000 words, yeah.
Cliff hanger is definitely that.
Are they dead, you'll have to find out next chapter ;)
Also, this was a bitch to write, so tell me if you like the longer wait times to bigger chapters or the shorter chapters with more frequent releases (like the past times). Look forward to your guy's feedback like always.
Cheers
-Snipars
