Author's Notes: I'M ALIIIIIIIIIIVE! Now that I got that out of my chest (and my asshole), I'm extremely happy to say I'm finally done with this chapter and it is ready for all to read! Now, before I get to the story, I need to say something quick. Last chapter I only received around 7 reviews, which compared to the average 20 or so per chapter is not very good. I don't know if I was being shunned (or still am) for taking so long to post, but if it is, then I truly am sorry for taking so long. So, although this goes against my morality, I would like to ask you all to review this chapter as you've done before. Speaking as a writer open to critics and an attention whore, I need people to review this in order to see where I went wrong so I can improve as time passes. I feel like a dick for doing this, but I really would like to have people tell me how they are liking my story (or not). After all, it's pretty pointless if it's got no audience. Okay, now that you've read my apology/poor excuse for a favor to ask, here's the next chapter.
PART 2- THE GREAT WAR
The Devil's Apprentice
March 8th, 2531: The Bloody Dagger, along with part of the ships belonging to The Fleet of Deserved Vindication, were sent to Covenant Jiralhanae colony Molae Sarus. The ground troops consisting of a mixed platoon of 50 ODSTs, Jiralhanae Majors and Sangheili Spec Ops, lead by Chieftain Captain Taurus and First Lieutenant Avery Junior Johnson, were sent to the planet to retrieve a captured ex-ONI operative. Though the mission proved to be a relieving success, most of the platoon was killed in action due to the VIP being used as the bait of a trap created by Jiralhanae Chieftain General Maccabeus. The trap would have destroyed the fleet were it not for the platoon's skill and speed on their mission, having earned time that would allow the small fleet of 15 to escape. Out of the 50, only 11 plus the VIP came back, having abandoned the rest for the sake of their survival, not having to be able to do anything about their deaths.
March 11th, 2531: The fleet arrives near the Unyielding Hierophant, Chieftain Captain Taurus himself reporting to the rest of the SA leaders about the failed ambush. Though nothing is known about their thoughts on sending high ranking SA Commanders to lead the fields, it is not unlikely that most will oppose the idea of losing anyone that could leave a large gap in their military, such as the Chieftain Captain.
May 20th, 2531: A team of SPARTANs are to be sent to abandoned Forerunner colony Refuge, where there has been a large amount of Covenant activity recently. It is in the highest interests of the SA leaders to know what the Covenant may have found on the world, considering the fact that they would use any discovery the could to their advantage. The team is to be accompanied by Special Operations Commander Rtas 'Vadum. They will be taken by the Commander's Shadow of Intent, along with several ships of the Fleet of Retribution. The ships, however, will be cloaked and hidden from sight, seeing as to how the mission is one of stealth and speed, yet they will be on the ready should the operation turn south.
13:11 – May 22nd, 2531 – Unyielding Hierophant
["So, my dear Carol, is it possible that there may still be a chance on open-mindedness on the terms of our beautiful marriage and just how we may make it just a little bit more exciting?" Dave asked, his visor moving to look at the ODST he questioned.
"So, my charming Dave, how would you like to have my SMG right up your ass?" The figure in the camera answered. Plenty of ODSTs and Jiralhanae laughed at the remark. Phantoms were descending for their pickup.
"Honey, why do you have to be so- INCOMING PHANTOMS!" Dave shouted, raising his Sniper Rifle to aim at the Covenant troop carriers destroying their escorts. Dave shot at one of the turrets, damaging it, only to be shot by another one. His shields flickered as he was sent back from the strength of the mortars, not taking any real damage himself. He looked to find the enemy Phantoms dropping enemies, including a pair of Mgalekgolo. The view moved and he began to shoot at one coming closer to the ODST he addressed before, who was now on the ground, while shouting with rage, "COME AND FIGHT ME, YOU FUCKER!"
The Hunter ignored him and immediately brought its arm up and crashed it down on the ODST, murdering her in a second. The ODST watching could only scream, "NOOOOO!"
The shock trooper ran, heading for the Mgalekgolo that killed his wife. He dodged its swing and plunged a live frag grenade in its back, killing it within seconds of its placement. He turned around only to see the arm of the other Hunter swinging sideways, hitting the ODST square across the chest. The shields had died, and his vitals were heading towards similar conditions. The body flew, visor still facing the battlefield, and crashed back-first into a boulder. The soldier's visor, cracked from the impact, could only look straight as the dying ODST looked forward in a sitting position, likely far too weak to even move his head.
Through the cracked visor, the Mgalekgolo was seen murdered by the Brute Major Mactus, and soon all other Covenant forces nearby were eliminated by the platoon. Only five once live and friendly corpses could be seen sprawled atop the battlefield, not including Dave. The Phantoms above were being hit by heavy weaponry, including Rocket Launchers and Fuel Rod Guns, destroying the enemy carriers. Only one more could be seen coming down, dropping off a Jiralhanae covered from head to toe with golden coated armor. All SA troops stopped to look at the Covenant warrior simply staring at them from a distance before Mactus could roar, "IT'S CHIEFTAIN GENERAL MACCABEUS! FIRE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE AT THE BASTARD!"
All ODSTs, Majors and Sangheili Spec Ops alive and there formed a wall, all quickly shooting at the solitary Brute. The first shots to have arrived being the explosive ones brought smoke and dust to cover the presumably dead warrior, only to run out of a Bubble Shield seconds after all exhausted their magazines. Unholstering a large war hammer on his back, in a stroke not even a Neurnlekgolo could pull off, he killed nine SA soldiers. The next second, those who reloaded fastest began to shoot at his shields which did not even flicker before he threw three Spike Grenades at the same time, all of which stuck to the head of three separate soldiers before detonating. The combined explosion and spike fragments released in the blast killed twelve more, dropping the corpses like freshly swatted flies. The surviving Majors, which composed the majority of the twelve survivors of the platoon, ran at the General, raising their fists in an attempt to engage the Chieftain in close quarters combat. The hammer stopped anything from happening to the golden armored Brute, striking them aside as if they were no better than rag dolls. Mactus came from behind and stuck a single plasma grenade to the General's back before rolling away from the blast. The smoke cleared to an unfazed Maccabeus, his shields only now glowing a bit more before quickly regenerating. The Brute came close to Mactus slowly, prompting the Major to strike only for the Chieftain to dodge and strike his legs with his hammer. Agonizing, Mactus roared as he fell to the ground, an act cut short as the General raised his hammer and crushed it against the SA warrior's head. Lifting the hammer, only a reddish pulp with bent blue metal could be seen left of the Majors head, something long since gone. The General made his way closer to the ODST sitting down, before static appeared in the man's helmet to the point of the scene no longer being visible.]
Faith sighed as the video ended with the words 'CONNECTION LOST'. This wasn't her first time seeing the clip, nor was it her first time seeing just how brutally powerful the General of the Jiralhanae Chieftains was. Her room, not unlike the one she resided in High Charity, had been undisturbed for a while for what little time she had for herself. Even then, her mind was plagued by the war she was leading. It was hard to remember a night where she had not questioned her decisions and just how many people she may have killed because of a choice she made. Though she had to admit that nothing would have been comparable to the amount of guilt and self-hatred she would have had if she didn't make those choices. A knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts, motioning her to turn her head and say softly, "Come in."
The door opened in several different directions before no longer being there for her protection. On the other side was the elder Chieftain Captain Lydus in his armor befitted to his rank, nearly camouflaging him with his violet surroundings. The old veteran stepped inside, surprisingly quietly given his size and weight, including that of his armor. The doors closed behind him as he tilted his head to see the screen which displayed a scene not unfamiliar to him. "Your Honor, I can see that my cousin has been disrupting whatever peace you may have from the war."
Faith turned her head to look back at the monitor, the same two words formed after the static took over the screen still there. She moved her finger to one of its holographic controls, turning the machine off. The video had come with a portrait of the soldier 'David Winchester' on the top right of the screen, showing her from who's camera it was taken from. It truly was cruel to only be able to see just how much the soldier suffered in mere minutes, all the way up to his death. "I don't think I'm ready for this, Lydus."
"Your Honor, speaking as one of the Jiralhanae's oldest and highest ranking representatives, one that has fought wars before we were inducted into the Covenant, I do not think any of us could have been ready for this Hells-damned bloodshed."
It was one thing to hear Thel 'Vadam, honorable and considerate as he was, to say these words in consolation. It was something else entirely to hear something like that coming from a high ranking warrior of a warmongering species like Lydus's. She knew that him being one of the oldest Jiralhanae alive gave him a certain level of wisdom and empathy, something to be rare to hear from his race. But even then, the thought of a master at war being humble enough to say that he was not ready for such a strife filled her with dread. She looked at him as soon as he started speaking again.
"What is fortunate is that when I say any of us, I mean everyone. The Covenant is no exception. Maccabeus and his crew of prestigious Chieftain Lieutenants may have impeccable records on the battlefield, earning a victory as soon as they step on our soil, but so do we. I may be old, but for the weariness of my bones, I still fight quite well. There are also the pair of siblings we know to be Tartarus and Taurus, perhaps some of the youngest and therefore greatest Chieftain Captains we have. In turn, we also have our own group of Chieftain Lieutenants, all of which are equally skilled in combat as their opposing counterparts.
"For every time either group of Jiralhanae enters a field, the battle is won, so neither side has an advantage. As for the Sangheili, they have their Arbiter 'Moramee, their new Special Operations Commander Sesa 'Refumee, and their Supreme Commander Jul 'Mdamee. For their adversaries, we have Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinra, Special Operations Commander Rtas 'Vadum and Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadam. They, just as us, have proven to be invictus when it comes to fulfilling their given, or rather self-crafted missions.
"I could go on about how both sides are equal and how it would end in the destruction of both forces, but the case is different for us. We have allied ourselves with the Humans, what I would call a wild card race, namely because they are characteristically jacks-of-all-trades. They are useful for using brute strength, devising strategies, providing back-up, handling stealth with ease and several other traits. They are meek physically in comparison to a Sangheili or Jiralhanae, or practically blind when put next to a Kig-Yar, but they are a bit of everything. That is why their Spartans are so dangerous. They are basically what Humans are but enhanced in every aspect. Having them as allies are what will give us the edge on this war, Your Honor. I won't ask you to have faith, for it is traitorous and will not give you anything near the assurance you need, but know that we will be the ones standing while the graves of our enemies shall be engulfed in their corpses."
Though his way of stating the facts was crude, Faith did feel reassurance at his words. The old Jiralhanae gave a short bow, leaving with only a 'Your Honor' as a parting goodbye. At his absence, her thoughts soured again when she thought of her enemies' countless tombstones. Perhaps he is right, but at the cost of how many of our own will our victory be absolute?
13:29 – May 22nd, 2531 – Shadow of Intent
John-117 walked through the violet corridors, his helmet reading the strength of his shields and counting his ammo. Unlike the Mark IV.2, the brand new MJOLNIR Mark V was lighter, even more maneuverable, and had a hybrid of the plasma shields high ranking SA leaders would have mixed with a purely human one powered by a miniature nuclear reactor. In the reports, the shield was still just as strong as the others' shields, but in truth, it had a good 1.25x the resistance. With a shield that strong, the extra 25% was a tide changer without a doubt. John remembered how Samuel was hyped when he saw the Mark IV for the first time, and though he hadn't been as exhilarated as his brother in arms, he very well understood the giant's reasoning. The Mark V, however, caused the same effect Sam had had on all of the Spartans. Even Halsey was especially proud of her work, stating that with the help of funds saved by SA support and the technology given by the ex-Covies she was able to forge the armor that could have taken her at least another twenty years to create.
The unofficial leader of the Spartans kept walking, holding his more than trustworthy Assault Rifle in his hands. After passing several Sangheili walking the other way, he came across a relatively large gate to his right. It was probably tall and wide enough to fit three Neurnlekgolo side by side at the gate. The gate's security sensors recognized his armor and parted into several segments to let him through. A very short, dimly lit hall awaited on the other side, only object of interest being another gate like the first at its end. Only walking just a few short steps, the gate behind him closed and the next opened to a large, wide room. In it resided a group of his Spartans in complete suit of armors save for their helmets, all of which were talking in a circle. The room was basically a big lounge befitted to the group of Super Soldiers, having their own given ratios of food and drinks there, a couple of couches made for Sangheili, amongst other relaxing additions.
In truth, during their two-day long trip, the Spartans rarely used it, sticking mainly with the training halls where they could spar with Sangheili on the ship and with each other. Only about a good half hour ago did the team decide to spend their last moments there to relax before heading down to Refuge for their stealth operation. On separate pieces of furniture, John could see his whole team in an uneven circle, all talking in a single group. They turned their heads at the sound of the arrival, smiling at their brother and leader. Closest to him, Sam-034 and Kelly-087 were the first to stand up to greet him, soon followed by Jamie-005, Anton-044, Li-008, Grace-093, William-043, Kurt-051, Linda-058, Frederic-104 and Serin-019.
Blue Team was whole, gathered for yet another mission to cripple the Covenant's forces or morale, in this case the second was to be done. John didn't say a word and only took off his helmet to show the smile the golden visor had been hiding. No one said hello or any other type of greetings. Spartans communicated well through their eyes, something perfectly visible in plain sight only to others of their own kind. John finally said, "We'll be arriving in a couple of minutes. We're going to get down there and follow Commander 'Vadum's orders."
Kelly quickly picked up on how John's eyes quickly turned stern. She knew he was going to say something and promptly asked, "What is it?"
"We are going to follow his instructions when he requests them and how he requests them. As your Lieutenant, I'm ordering everyone of you to keep an eye on him. He may have his Active Camouflage and excellent combat skills, but that may not be enough for where we're going. I want you to watch his six at all times. We can't and won't afford another Shipmaster's death at times like these." He spoke, his raspy voice interrupting the silence in the room. Though he didn't speak much of it, all Spartans, especially those in Blue Team knew just how hard he was on himself with 'Lortell's death. Knowing that the sniper had been aiming at him and he didn't notice it in time made the man feel responsible for the Field Marshall's demise. Everyone in the room nodded their heads at him, having every intention to follow their leader's orders. It also helped that they would be aiding a Sangheili, perhaps the aliens that the group of Super Humans admired the most. John relaxed a bit and tilted his head to the gate. "Let's go."
The Super Soldiers quickly placed on their helmets, beginning to ready themselves for the combat that would soon come. The green armored giants stepped out to the corridor, golden visors hiding their faces from any and all watching them. They headed towards one of the elevators, the compartment descending towards the Commander's coordinates. They arrived at a small aircraft depot, not having nearly as many Phantoms and Banshees as the regular, larger vehicle storage. The hall could be around twenty-five meters by a hundred meters, them being in the middle of the right side. The place had only one floor with maybe a few platforms to help pilots climb into the anti-infantry machines. Several elongated tables were nearby, all holding weapons and special pieces of equipment marking the depot as the Spec Ops depot. At the end of the hall to their right they could see the changing waves of a misty white-purple matter past the blue plasma shields, a sign that they were still in slip-space.
An entirely white armored Sangheili walked towards them from the same direction, stopping only a couple of feet's distance away from them. The Commander hit his right fist against his left breastplate, a salute returned by the Spartans' own Human salute. To give their hearts to Sanghelios, the Alliance and their Gods, John thought. The Spartan learned that before the Sangheili discovered their second heart back in pre-technological times, they were religiously devoted to their God, Staliu. Such was the case that they would offer their only known heart to said God, dedicating themselves to fight for the Sanghelian entity. Times changed, and from giving their heart to Sanghelios, the Sangheili and Staliu; they went to giving their hearts to Sanghelios, the Alliance and their new Gods. Having allies of different races prompted the Spartans to learn of each to know them truly well, a mindset approved by Halsey.
"Spartans, you have arrived beforehand. I am glad your timing is impeccable, for it'll be needed in the operation to come. Follow me." The group holding a flurry of diverse Human weapons did as they were told. Coming across a few crates filled with one of the Sangheili's favorite weapons, they were given a sign to stop by the Commander. "Each of you grab an Energy Sword. I know that your knives are your personal weapon of choice when it comes to bullet-less close quarters combat, but I can assure you that enemies of my kind equipped with energy weapons will melt your blades. I have seen the reports from the first mission of the original members of what is now your Spartan Blue Team. It was either a miracle or an intense amount of luck that your knives lasted until the end of your confrontation with the Special Operations Squad. Despite the high resilience of the metal used to craft those blades, they were rendered useless by the time you got back to your ship. To prevent any risks of a matter like this to occur again, all of you are to be equipped with Energy Swords."
The Spartans nodded and did as they were told, taking whichever hand they had free to grab the grip of the inactive weapons. After magnetically holstering the weapons to their thighs, they continued their path led by the extraordinarily experienced warrior. He turned his head to the right to face them without fully turning his body back. "Wait here, I shall board and pilot the Stealth Phantom. I suggest you grab as many munitions as you can and ready yourselves, for there will be no reinforcements coming to help us."
"It wouldn't be a Spartan mission if we needed reinforcements, Sir." Chipped Kelly. All chuckled at the remark, the only one actually discernable being the Commander's own. "Very well then, Spartans. I shall see for myself why so many of the Alliance's warriors view you with such reverence."
The white armored reptile went to the wall and climbed the stairs placed next to it to enter the troop carrier. The engines lit up and the lights flashed on, signaling the Super Humans that the Phantom was ready. John stepped first under the cylindrical hole of the aircraft to be levitated inside, soon followed by Jaime, Kelly, William, Li and the others. It didn't take long for everyone inside to feel the miniature quake a ship would get when exiting slip-space. Though they couldn't see outside, they guessed that the Assault Carrier had activated its stealth systems and cloaked itself from the world. The Phantom they did know thanks to several different lights from the inside proving their suspicions true.
"So, how long is it that our Active Camouflage units will last?" John heard Jaime ask.
"About a minute tops. Chances are we'll only be needing them a few seconds at a time." Fred replied, serious as always.
"True enough. Li probably won't be needing her knife either." She quipped. Li looked at the other Spartan and simply shrugged. Like John, Li wasn't a Spartan of much words. She let her martial arts do the talking for her. Sam, who had been silent throughout the chat chuckled, "Wow, we're probably going to be sent to a Forerunner base filled to the brim with fortifications and hundreds of Covies. Piss poor odds for them."
The Super Soldiers laughed in silence, knowing fully well that the statement was true. It was just then that they heard through the comms, "We have arrived, Spartans."
Most were in a very small amount of shock to know that not only had the Phantom taken off in the time they were speaking, but it had also passed through the planet's gravitational field and reached groundside without them taking notice. They hopped out the sides, their armors hiding well with the wildlife around them. Tall grass and thick trees reigned in their territory around them without a single animal in sight for them to see. The top of the Phantom's front head opened, allowing the blinding white armored Commander to step out. After hopping down to join the Spartans, he pressed a few buttons on his forearm's screen, triggering the Phantom's camo once more. He looked at them again and ordered, "Follow me."
John made sure to wink green on the Sangheili's HUD, something he could safely assume all the other Spartans did as well, to assure the experienced Specialist that they understood loud and clear. Rtas activated his armor's invisibility and began to walk in the general direction of the enemy location. If the Spartans still had just the MJOLNIR Mk IV.2, they would have had to follow him by seeing the slightly visible yet transparent outline of the Elite. The Mk V allowed otherwise. It came with advanced FoF tags detector and formed visible green outlines to invisible allies. Yet another of the many great perks of the brand new armor.
As they walked through the mass of giant trees, all had their weapons raised with their fingers fondling the triggers to shoot at a moment's notice. The area wasn't too bright save for small batches of sunlight around them despite the sunny, cloudless day due to the imposing flora that served as a natural rooftop. Walking in silence for several minutes, they stopped when the Commander's outline came to a halt. Making several hand gestures, the Spartans understood that there was a patrol team nearby. John holstered his Assault Rifle despite the fact that it had a silencer attachment at its end as well as the others' weapons. He as well as the rest of Blue Team believed that in a mission like this, they were better off conserving ammo even though they brought extra mags.
Unsheathing his knife and activating his own invisibility unit, he walked closer to the Sangheili's position. He noticed a six meter drop between their ground and the dirt road two Covie squads walked on. They consisted each of a Brute officer and several Jackal riflemen, together having ten troops. On his HUD, one of the Officer's body was covered with a blue outline. He winked green, understanding that she was the Sangheili's target. He quickly picked the second one, the Jiralhanae being coated by a cobalt contour on his visor as well. In a matter of seconds, all shapes had the SA team's eyes trained on them, being waited patiently to walk to where the group would hop off to assassinate the fanatics.
The moment came and Rtas made the gesture in silence. It wasn't three seconds before they impacted the ground, knives plunging into the necks, heads, or other vital portions of their opponents' bodies. Preserving time by quickly hiding the bodies, the team went to the opposite direction the patrol squads were heading through. Camo wore out for the Super Soldiers, though their olive green armors did not earn much attention from the few spots of light they stepped under, barely being reflected on the metalloid's surface.
The green flora around them began to withdraw to its natural habitat as it made way to pristine white floors native to Forerunner architecture. Taking cover behind the last few trees the forest had to give, the stealth team activated their camouflage units and observed the area ahead of them. Upon closer inspection, the Separatists could observe how it had one large round wall of at least twenty meters in height in the shape of a semicircle, probably for better defensive capabilities. John saw how it had a fair amount of Covenant concentration in and around the patio-like area giving entrance to a hundreds meters tall structure. Though likely not the main entrance, it had a large amount of protection to prevent any saboteurs from entering.
A few dozen Sangheili and Jiralhanae minors occupied small fortifications native to the place, at least five Mgalekgolo pairs standing near the entrance at the middle of the semicircle, and maybe a hundred Yanme'e stationed vertically on the protective walls. What John couldn't find was the head of the opposing troops, giving him an almost ignorable sense of paranoia. Through his helmet, he heard Linda mutter, "Heads up, we have a Raider."
It was then that John looked at the top of the semicircular construction to find a decent sized balcony. On it was a single vigilant Neurnlekgolo, watching over the warriors under its command. The word 'damn' crossed John's mind before he quickly began to formulate the best possible plan that could get them inside without anyone aware of their presence or their team taking any casualties. It was going to be difficult knowing just how destructive and intelligent a lone Raider could be, let alone one accompanied by a platoon of Covie troops. They were better than a Hunter in every way, going from height to strength to intelligence. If the fact that they were around four and a half meters tall wasn't enough, then their exoskeletons very well were.
Crafted by San'Shyuum, Sangheili and Jiralhanae engineers and weapons masters, the Neurnlekgolo' suits were fit to the amount of damage they could deal. Though the bottom half was just a larger version of a normal Mgalekgolo's armor, the upper half had the large difference of having two actual arms rather than just a shield and a cannon. Their hands had four large fingers modeled after the strong Sangheili hand, all of which could be closed to be used as a fist or retract to reveal the holes in the middle of their hands which held their cannons. The most dangerous thing about the combination of the Neurnlekgolo and the impressive suit was just how much faster the two worked together than the average Hunter. Raiders have been noted to be quick enough to dodge and block attacks from regular Hunters and also to use their speed and intelligence to counter the attacks. By all means, Raiders were deemed one-man-platoons. The Spartans had confirmed it after their first encounter with one resulted in the near-death of Kurt.
"Spartans, there are several antennae near where some of the Brutes and Elites are garrisoned, and they are not Forerunner. I suggest to make that our first target so they will not contact reinforcements or give away our position. While they are being destroyed, perhaps a barrage of missiles could reduce their strength in Drones significantly. While this would even the odds, I'd say it would take at least three of us to take the Raider down, so it'll fall into the responsibility of the other ten to eliminate the other targets. I will be amongst the three that will kill the Raider, for my expertise in handling my blades shall dispose of the whoreson's back protection to expose its weakness."
"Understood. Kelly, you and I be aiding Commander Rtas. The two of us will be using our Energy Swords against the Raider along with your speed. The rest of you will be with Fred against the rest of the Elites, Brutes and surviving Drones. When the Commander gives the word, Linda will destroy the antennas and the rest of us will kill the Drones." John looked at his HUD as everyone winked green at his orders. He waited in silence, pointing his Assault Rifle at the Yanme'e troops quietly, awaiting the veteran Separatist's order. "On my mark."
"MARK! SHOOT THEM ALL!" John heard. He raised his weapon as soon as the Sangheili gave the word and began to shoot at the airborne soldiers. The uncalled for bullet storm gave the team a serious advantage in the element of surprise. John counted a little over seventy of the insect-like troops dead by the time his magazine had been used up. He activated a couple of plasma grenades and tossed them at some of the remaining Drones. They fell near where the destroyed Covenant antennae were. After reloading to finish off the remaining Yanme'e, the soon to be battle between the stealth team and the guarding Covenant forces was interrupted by what could have been mistaken by a thunder. The Raider had rapidly hopped down to the floor to end the upcoming firefight before it could begin. In a second, the Raider went from its kneeling, landing position to one standing up and prepared for combat. Its sight was set on John's no longer invisible body, and if the Spartan was right, then the beast twice his size would immediately destroy their cover behind the trees.
He signaled the others of the trio assigned to kill the Raider to head directly for it before it did damage to the others' defense. He left the safety of the rather thick bark to sprint at the giant awaiting his arrival. Running, he saw Kelly pass him quickly and slide in between the Neurnlekgolo's legs. After passing through, from belly first she turned to her back and shot her twin SMGs at the titan's back. It didn't last long, as the Raider immediately responded to the attack on its faulty spot. Whipping around near as fast as the hare herself, it ran towards the prone soldier at a high velocity. The Spartan hopped onto her legs and ran for one of the pristine white walls, the Raider close behind.
Finally reaching the wall, she used her momentum to run up the wall five steps before kicking off at a good six meters above the ground. She was taken by surprise when rather than crash against the wall, the Raider stomped its right foot against the wall, stopping itself completely and slightly bending the metal inwards. Looking at her as high as she was, it leapt from the wall and stretched its arm, grabbing throwing her with all its might at the unforgiving floor. Kelly's reflexes kicked in after rolling at least a good fifteen meters despite the difficulty of the task. Using her muscles to stop her trajectory was as painful as it was to keep rolling after the powerful impact. Shields down and on all fours, she turned her head up to the front while still somewhat dazed by the strong attack, eyes opening in fear at the sight. By the time she had turned her head, the Raider was only a few short meters from ramming her and finishing the kill. She would have likely died were it not for another body crashing into her, leaving her out of the titan's path.
Rolling once more for what had been a painful tackle to her left ribs, she looked to find that it was her close friend that had saved her from an early grave. Like before, the Raider stopped in its tracks rather than keep at its course, defying its unnatural weight with its even more extraordinary strength. The two Spartans were now at their feet, focusing on catching the giant's weak point. The hardship was immense, for whenever one Spartan distracted it as the other reached its back, the Raider would get in a new position disadvantageous to the Super Soldiers. Juggling between hand to hand combat and using their weapons whenever they could, the pair saw no end in the fight between the three. Only after resisting long enough did they see a shimmer of refracted light. Immediately the two began pressing at the humongous cluster of worms from the front. Taking a more defensive position, the Raider blocked any attacks made by the Spartans, unaware of the invisible Commander behind him. It was when Rtas made the final step before the swing of both of his Energy Swords that the Covie heard him. The unfortunate placement of the body of one of the dead Jiralhanae gave way to enough sound for the titan to take notice of the ambush from behind. Though the white armored Elite managed to cut off the much lighter armor protecting the accumulation of orange grubs, he was not able to dodge the powerful uppercut aimed at him. His shields took the damage, but the blow of the large fist at his stomach was enough to send him flying and out of the fight once more.
Angered at the fact that it was far more exposed now, it raised its efficiency when in combat with the two Spartans. Each blow it gave left no room for them to get behind and kill it. It did not take John by surprise that eventually the Raider got the best of Kelly by outsmarting her and her speed, though it did anger and worry him much. The kick it gave to her abdomen may not have been as harmful as it could have been, but given her already weary status, it was more than enough to knock her down and out. Despite 'Spartan Time' having already kicked in much earlier in the battle, John knew that the Raider still outclassed him in every way and would eventually kill him if he didn't change his strategy. Any more thoughts he could have given the subject were knocked aside along with his entire body as the giant sucker punched him in his entire torso.
He landed against the locked entrance of the Forerunner ruin, sitting down as his shields were depleted once more. It was all he could do to look up and find the Raider already a few meters away from him, beginning to aim one of its hand-cannons at him. He threw one of his only two plasma grenades at it, sticking to the metallic limb and exploding harmlessly. The titan grunted as the blast caused the cannon to aim elsewhere and miss the shot. Knowing that all he had left was a sole plasma grenade and it would do nothing but slow down the incoming Raider. He looked anywhere and everywhere in the short seconds he had left to try to find anything that might save him. His answer was given when he looked up at the platform where the Neurnlekgolo once stood observant. The square, half-meter thick surface was horribly bent at its tip, from where the Raider plummeted itself with all its weight to the floor the Spartan was lying on right now.
Looking back to the Covie, he found that the cannon was already aimed at his head and beginning to glow in preparation. Hoping his luck would do the rest, John threw the last grenade completely upwards, making the Raider reel its arm back to avoid another grenade blast. Upon seeing just how badly it missed, the titan gave a condescending shake of its head before raising its arm one last time to finish its hunt. It wasn't the explosion that caused it to look up, but rather the sound of metal bending and detaching from the Forerunner structure. By the time it had processed what had happened, the large chunk fell heavily on it, knocking it to the ground on its front side. Even then, the heavy platform had not managed to kill him. In its stead came Kelly with a single SMG on her right hand to go to the side of the trapped Raider, orange worms more exposed. She did not hesitate to empty out her whole clip as soon as she pulled the trigger. Finally the Raider laid dead, unable to stand and wreak havoc on the now finished firefight.
Standing up relatively more relaxed, John looked around him and found the sea of alien corpses a comforting sight. Murder wasn't something that he did out of pleasure, but watching the unmoving bodies was an indication that his team had prevailed and were keeping up with the mission. Reappearing out of thin air again, the Specops Commander half limped to the two while clutching his right ribs with his left hand and holding a Plasma Rifle in the other. Ten more olive-armored Super Soldiers followed closely behind the alien now blending in with his surroundings. They made a small circle, and in its center was Rtas. "Spartans, I am glad you were victorious in battle again, especially the two of you that went against the Raider. I see that your luck is also no myth, Lieutenant. I am sure it's what watches over you in this war preventing your demise."
The Elite now took a more composed stance as he looked at the ruins that became the antennae. "I am also glad that despite the excessive amount of noise made this continues to be a stealth operation. As far as I know, none of us have lost our Active Camouflage units yet. We best move more quickly, though. Raiders are tough as they are rare. A single loss is something to be made aware of immediately, and I don't doubt that given enough time, someone will radio it and will raise alarms when not answered. On the positive side, it is dead. Even better the news is that this was a guard to what's inside. Raiders are generally commanders, strategists, and powerful ground troops that change the tide of a fight, be it an average skirmish or a ship-filled warfare. To send one to guard a place, even a Forerunner base, is an indication of just how important what's inside is. Help me hoist its body. The door will likely open to a scan of its hand."
As soon as the reptilian finished speaking, Kurt, Will and John helped the man take the platform off of the corpse and drag it to the entrance. Putting its hand against a Covenant scanner placed next to the gate, it lit up and opened, giving way in to the place. Rtas walked through first and the rest followed. After walking through the empty, dimly lighted corridors for a while, they stopped when he did to analyze a group of ancient hieroglyphs on the wall.
"'An ode to what we've lost, this colony once ignored has become a small beacon of hope for our kind in these horrid centuries. A temporary Refuge. A mid-waypoint between our dying worlds and perhaps what may save enough of us after we wipe out the Shaping Sickness. I do believe that after this is done, we will regrow and thrive once again. I believe we will live to see the day that the Humans will return to their former state and inherit the role of The Mantle of Responsibility, as it should have been from the start. I believe. I believe and I hope. Light-of-Firstborn-Delivers-Harmony.' This is truly interesting."
The Spartans had listened as the Sangheili read the written account. With the help of Mendicant Bias, many once unknown drawings and hieroglyphs gained meaning through translation.
"What was that about 'shaping sickness'?" Serin asked.
"I am not sure. Perhaps it has something to do with the undefeated foe the Forerunners and Ancient Humans once faced. I am more interested in the fact that this is a waypoint. I am sure that the Covenant is just as interested to know to where this planet leads. Let's go, Spartans. With more reason now we must hurry."
With that, the team of thirteen jogged silently through the pristine white halls, activating their invisibility units shortly.
14:53 – May 22nd, 2531 – Hammer of Reprisal
Maccabeus took a final look at Refuge before giving the order to leave for High Charity. After all, his delivery of the package would aid in the unlocking of the planet's secrets. Within seconds of his command, his Supercarrier left the defending fleet off to where the Covenant's capital had been moved. A safety measure to ensure no harm to the Prophets. He gave a few more orders to the pilots in the large bridge before leaving to return to his private quarters. Walking through the purple ship, he encountered several warriors of all kinds, every one of them saluting him. He ignored them yet kept an eye on the salutes. Most Jiralhanae looked up to him as if he were one of the Gods and were eager to prove this to him. He honestly did not care. The Sangheili did the same with resentment and perhaps a small amount of fear. The second one was likely due to the fact that the time one of the reptilian pricks chose not to salute him, he made a public example of how such an 'honorable' species should not behave. Needless to say, no one ever went by him without saluting in fear of having their throats quite literally ripped out.
He finally arrived to his Captain's Quarters, taking a look inside the big room. Despite the bed's largeness and softness, he felt no need to rest any more than he should. Instead, he looked at his personal desk facing the door he just entered. More specifically, he looked at the monitor. The giant wasted no time in turning on the holographic machine, eager to use its many functions for perhaps the most meaningful thing to him. He searched through the Synthetic Veil vast amounts of things, from messages sent to him, to electronic odes. The most important thing he searched, the thing that he searched and read every day, was of course The Emperors of the Galaxy.
He spent the next hour reading his daily dose fifteen testaments and anecdotes before closing the tab and looking at his unread letters. If there was something no person who was a part of the Covenant could deny, it was his undying devotion to the Gods. The Emperors of the Galaxy was what told their history, achievements, ascendancy to Godhood, and most importantly, their final path to The Great Journey. He memorized the passages as well as the most intelligent San'Shyuum, something not lightly said. To him, his life was given true meaning when he was made aware of the truth of the Mighty Forerunners. Where the previous Gods the Jiralhanae worshipped were nothing more than myths and lies, proof of the fact that the Forerunners existed once and had the powers only Gods could wield were everywhere. From planets built by them to retellings of how they had fertilized countless worlds with life, they were the embodiment of what true omnipotence was.
The centuries-old veteran sighed. At three hundred and seventeen years, he was the second oldest Jiralhanae alive, toppled only by Lydus, who by now reached three hundred and fifty-one. He was still in more than excellent condition to fight, for age rarely took its toll on the constantly trained muscles of the Jiralhanae. That and the fact that the average Jiralhanae was capable of living up to half a millennia, give or take a few decades. But age was not what troubled the silent warrior. The fact that most of his kind was so young and infinitely more eager to wield a weapon than to use their time to read tired him. He did not deny the pleasure of combat, but education could improve the status of his species infinitely more. Great examples of that embodiment would be his two nephews. The youngest Chieftain Captains alive at seventy-five and seventy-three were equally as powerful as the other two to two and a half century old warriors of his own kind. Damn them for denying our Gods and leaving me with a race of incompetent idiots too thirsty for blood for them to look ahead.
He sighed once more as he thought, perhaps the Gods' observation on how we've eradicated so many of their Demons will help them overlook our general ignorance. He heard on another device next to his monitor the voice of one of the Chieftain Lieutenants, Maladus. "Sir, we have a pair of captured Heretics from our attack on one of their colonies. They appear to be related. How do you suggest I interrogate them?"
It did not take long for the General to think up an answer. "Interrogate one by threatening to kill the other. If that does not work, torture the other. When the first breaks, hear everything he or she has to say. Tell him or her that if he or she says everything, the second will live. When you are done, kill the first. Then torture the second when you are done to be sure to have any and every bit of intel. When the second is no longer of use, dispose of him or her."
"At once, General." The General was about to shut down his monitor when a single message of prioritized importance was sent by Amadeus to him. First seeing the title, he opened it to read what it was about the derelict ship that could be so important. Not Forerunner, the General read. The Lieutenant Amadeus was certainly one entertained and curious for strange and queer subjects, for instance music. So as the giant read on, he asked himself what could be of such importance that the unusually smart Jiralhanae had to say that wasn't about their Gods. As he read on, he was taken by surprise by the Lieutenants findings. He looked at the device next to the monitors and pressed a single button. "When shall we arrive to High Charity?"
"It shall be a day's trip, General Maccabeus."
"Good." At times like these, perhaps the Prophets could do with something like this to ease their nerves on the war.
Author's Notes: Well, that's Maccabeus for you. I'm assuming by now you've guessed (or if not, then now you know) that the chapter's title refers to him. Other than that, I've spent a hell of a lot of time writing the fight between the Spartans and the Raider, and even more emphasizing the latters toughness. In short, if this were Borderlands, the Raider would practically be a badass Hunter. I guess it's a little touch to set apart my story from the others a bit more. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I've had writing it, and all constructive reviews and criticisms are welcome. Emphasis on the welcome.
The Almighty Afroduck,
All Hail
