The temple came into sight as they crept out of the tree-line. The sight took Zu'ronee's breath away.
Tall and straight amidst the diminutive trees dotting the landscape around it, the temple seemed to stretch out towards the sky as if grasping for the far sun. The scale of the building surprised even the more learned Sangheili in the unit. It was nothing short of remarkable.
The sights at the base of the temple robbed them of the temple's beauty though. Hundreds of infidel soldiers ran back and forth below the temple, carrying weapons and equipment. Four tanks were placed at strategic intervals along the perimeter of the infidel positions and a dozen infidel vehicles drove back and forth across the area carrying soldiers and ammunition. Many of the soldiers were in the trenches around the building but, curiously, the majority of the soldiers were lounging around a cleared patch of grass by the temple. The reason for this became clear when twenty infidel aircraft crested a hill. The aircraft touched down and the soldiers piled into the aircraft. In seconds the aircraft were heading back up, and out, to the surviving ships in orbit.
"Commander Jul'yaree, send your troops around to the left. Hit them through their tank unit near the copse of trees. I will lead the rest along the hill and attack from the opposite side between their other tanks. With luck we can take down three of them before the battle erupts in earnest.
"Once you have eliminated your tank, drive a wedge between the final tank and the main lines. Hopefully the tank will not shoot with friendlies in the area. I will lead my force in behind it and will disable it with our fuel rod cannon.
"We will meet before the temple and clear out any hostile forces inside while a contingent from my force will eliminate any remaining troops outside."
Commander Jul'yaree stared impassively at the temple as he digested the plan. It could work. He nodded slowly and allowed a grin to spread across his face.
"We will enjoy this day, Commander Zu'ronee. I will meet you at the door of the temple."
"May the Prophets bless your aim and speed, Commander. Now be gone, lead your forces to victory."
Fully half an hour later Zu'ronee was ready and eager to initiate the attack. He scanned the length of the field with his monocular, cataloguing the positions of heavy weapons emplacements and firepits into his mind. His sub-commanders and other squad leaders crouched five steps behind him, taking note of the positions as he growled out the respective responsibilities to each commander.
When all was ready Zu'ronee turned to the nervous Unggoy standing at attention behind his squad leaders. It was understandable that the cowardly Unggoy was nervous, after all, it was carrying a fuel rod cannon on its shoulders. While relatively stable compared to the previous versions of the weapon, the fuel rod cannon would still probably explode if it was dropped. Hopefully they would not have to find out.
"Hand over the cannon, Unggoy." Zu'ronee growled menacingly at the trooper. The trooper obeyed immediately, chattering its acknowledgement. "Now go join your squad." The creature left as quickly as its little legs could take it.
Zu'ronee keyed his comm and let out a short bark. Commander Jul'yaree's response came a moment later, indicating that they were all in position. Smiling grimly, Zu'ronee shouldered the fuel rod cannon and took aim at the nearest infidel tank. The infidel driver was sitting on his tank, not in it as any wise warrior would. That made it all easier. Zu'ronee punched his sub-commander lightly in the arm and pointed to the tank. The Sangheili, armed with a beam rifle, grinned and settled his sights on the infidel's head.
Zu'ronee ran a quick check with his squad leaders of their responsibilities, more to reassure himself than to make sure they knew their orders. His troops were will trained and hardly needed the check. They noticed this and gave him a concerned look. He shook it off with a growl and focused back on the temple. His eyes scanned the area one last time for the presence of demons, but found none.
Without taking his eyes off of the near tank, he keyed his comm and whispered order. "Commence the assault."
The far side of the clearing erupted as lines of blue and green shot out from Commander Jul'yaree's position. Infidels fell in droves as they were caught in the open without cover. Zu'ronee aimed at the turret of the far tank and pumped the trigger twice. The recoil shook him and he could not see the results of the shots, but he knew instinctively that they would his. Shifting his sights, he fired one shot at the near tank. The driver's corpse, already riddled with energy rounds, flew through the air as the round his and landed awkwardly against the temple.
Then the rush began. Forty soldiers roes as one and began the mad dash to their objectives. The infidels returned fire from their trenches and many warriors fell. Two of the Unggoy running by Zu'ronee's side exploded as a mine erupted beneath their feet. The blow merely lifted Zu'ronee and hurled him down the slope. A moment of fear crossed Zu'ronee as the fuel rod cannon bounced along with him, but it's unstable core did not explode. Gingerly, he picked it up and waited for his soldiers to catch up. The remaining tank was in sight so he took aim at it. Ignoring all the rounds snapping past his head, he dropped the sights below the driver's head and steadied his aim. Then there was a massive cracking noise and his vision blurred. Two more quickly followed and his shields flared, then died. Caught off balance, he fell to the side and unholstered his plasma rifle. Three infidel soldiers were crouched in a half-dug trench, one reloading a sniper rifle.
Zu'ronee reholstered his rifle and grabbed one of his remaining grenades. He slammed it against his shin to arm it and lobbed it in a lazy arc towards the infidels. The grenade exploded three feet off the ground, engulfing the infidels in blue flame. Their screams rung sweetly in his ears.
Further joy was stolen as a Sangheili squad leader grabbed him and lifted him to his feet. "Commander, the last tank still stands."
Zu'ronee nodded and waved the officer off. He then picked up the fallen fuel rod cannon, checking its charge. Satisfied, he took aim at where the tank had been. It was gone. He quickly scanned the battlefield and saw it farther down the line, firing into Jul'yaree's troops as fast as it could. He grimly aimed at the tank and fired. The green missile streaked across the field and exploded on the tank's rear treads. Flames sprung up near its engine and the driver scrambled out of his canopy. A hail of plasma cut him down, blowing his body neatly in half.
Half of Zu'ronee's force was down, but the infidels were already beaten. The perimeter had collapsed, with few escaping the trenches, and the remainder huddled around the LZ, fighting desperately with whatever they had. Zu'ronee saw some throwing rocks at the Unggoy, who dodged for cover anyway. It galled him that such cowardice was shown in his troops.
A cry of alarm alerted Zu'ronee to the next problem. Over the hills came a new flight of infidel aircraft. They were troopships, but Zu'ronee knew that they were armed. The aircraft opened up on Jul'yaree's troops, spitting death at speeds that confounded him. He calmly figured out the distance to the aircraft in his head and aimed the appropriate distance ahead. A slight grin encompassed his features as he pumped the trigger three times. The rounds shot off towards a spot ahead of the nearest aircraft. For a moment Zu'ronee thought he had missed, but then the aircraft disappeared behind three consecutive clouds of green energy. The burning hulk of the aircraft emerged from the other side and careened into the temple. Zu'ronee winced as a soaring buttress crumpled from the impact. He cursed the fates for the crash, but reminded himself that he would be compensated by the death of the infidels.
A single fuel round came from Jul'yaree's position, exploding on the next aircraft's wing. The aircraft dipped and rolled from the hit, crashing into the ground upside down. Several broken bodies flew out of the craft, flying fifty meters before slamming into the temple side. The final aircraft pulled up from its strafing run and turned to head back to where it came from. Zu'ronee let it go. He redirected his troops to head for the besieged LZ, promising a promotion to whoever killed the most infidels.
They were passing the temple doors when a burst of fire cut into their ranks, slaying half of them in an instant. Zu'ronee turned to source of the fire and saw four flashes of fire coming from the doorway. Behind the flashes were four armored figures. Demons.
Zu'ronee's last grenade was in his hand before he recognized the motion and he hurled it at the center of the mass. Three of the demons dodged the grenade, but the fourth caught it in the thigh. For one horrible second the demon looked straight at Zu'ronee, as if cursing him. Then a brilliant blue flash engulfed the demon. When the light cleared, there was no sign of the demon, except for stray bits of armor and blood that clung to the walls.
His troops cheered as the death of one of the dreaded demons. They redoubled their efforts and charged the remaining three. One went down under the massive hail of plasma, but the other two struck with a fury that Zu'ronee had never seen in anything mortal. Bones snapped and armored gloves punched holes through Sangheili flesh as the demons dropped their weapons to engage in hand to hand combat. The two worked as a team, spinning and hitting from alternate angles that the Sangheili could not deflect. Zu'ronee clearly saw that his troops would lose. Even though several were armed with the sacred swords, they fought as individuals, striving against their own allies to achieve the glory of killing a demon. The demons, alternately, fought as one person, moving with a speed and power that defied explanation. Warrior after warrior fell before the amazing strikes of the demons. In three minutes, it was over. Ten Sangheili lay dead at the door of the temple. Their broken bodies were testament to the burning rage engulfing the demons.
By this time Commander Jul'yaree's unit had arrived before the temple. They charged the demons with inspired fury, firing and swinging with abandon. The demons, having grabbed their weapons, mowed them down at the doorway, slaying them faster than they could approach. Finally some broke through the rain of fire and advanced into close combat. The demons promptly blew them into pieces with their shotguns. None of the unit's troops reached them alive.
Zu'ronee and Jul'yaree stood back from the gruesome scene and eyed the demons with awe. The demons faced them, without moving, though they were obviously ready attack. Zu'ronee slowly lifted the empty fuel rod cannon from his shoulder and set it down, holding his hands up to show he was unarmed. The demons did not react.
Zu'ronee activated his translator and spoke to them.
"This is where you will die, demons. There is no escaping the Covenant. What is your choice of death?"
One of the demons took a step forward and flashed an obscene gesture at him.
"We might die, but you'll have to pay hell for it."
Zu'ronee chuckled and produced two crescent shaped handles from his belt. He tossed one to the demon and activated his own. The twin blades of his sword glistened in the sunlight. Jul'yaree did likewise.
"I have paid hell for you, demon, trust me. I have. My son's blood still stains my armor."
The demon came in fast, impossibly fast. Zu'ronee was forced on his heels by the sudden flurry of horizontal sweeps. But sword fighting was something that Zu'ronee had mastered long ago in the Academy. He had not won the Grand-master championship for nothing.
His sword came up in a feinted thrust, then he spun on his back heel, launching a power swipe at his opponents feet. The demon hopped over the blow and kicked out with an armored boot. Zu'ronee caught the boot in midair and pushed it to the side. Only a lightning fast parry by the demon prevented the infidel's castration.
Slightly miffed, but not overly surprised, Zu'ronee took a step back and started circling. The demon stood in its place, turning with him and not presenting an opportunity. Or so it thought. Zu'ronee planted his forward foot hard in the ground and jumped two steps back. The demon spun to face him, but its momentum carried it too far. Quick as a flash Zu'ronee was on it, sending an angled cut at its back. The demon bent at the waist and rolled forward, dodging the blade by a hairsbreadth. Zu'ronee noted that its shield was deactivated and he deactivated his own. He wanted this fight to be fair, despite all the voices in his head screaming for an easy kill.
The demon rose from its roll with its sword arm swinging. Zu'ronee deactivated his sword and ducked under the blade, coming inside the arc of the blade. He punched the demon in the facemask and leapt over it, twisting in the air to land neatly behind it. The demon stumbled right into him and he reactivated the energy sword. A muffled scream came from inside the demon's mask and it went limp. He put his sword away and dropped it to the ground. Two neat holes through its heart were the only indication that it was dead.
A sense of pride swept through Zu'ronee as he looked at his kill. He carefully knelt down and slipped the helmet off, wanting to see the dreaded demon's face. He froze in shock as he opened the helmet. The face looked similar to the face from the captured infidel. These demons were mere infidels! How could this be?
Zu'ronee barely heard the strangled cry of Jul'yaree as twin energy beams sliced open his throat. He did not hear the thudding noise as his body hit the ground. He did hear the approaching steps of the last demon.
Zu'ronee rolled to the side as the blade came down. He brought his own sword out and lashed out at an awkward angle, catching the demon in the knee. A grunt of pain was all that escaped the helmeted figure. His next blow came in across the demon's chest, but was blocked by a slashing blow. The strength behind the blow staggered Zu'ronee. The demon was hacking away with the sword, too angry to rely on fancy maneuvering. He could deal with that.
Zu'ronee waited until its next blow came within inches of his head before bending backwards. He pressed off the ground with his feet and launched a double-footed jab under his chin. There was a horrid cracking noise and his feet were lanced with pain. His landing was awkward and he had to push hard to get off the ground. To his surprise though, the demon did not strike him. He turned around slowly to see why, expecting to see twin energy blades appear in his face every inch of the way.
The demon lay on the ground, its helmet resting on the ground several feet away. Blood covered the demon's face and it writhed on the ground like a snake. Zu'ronee watched it carefully, wary of a trick.
"Do you yield, demon?"
The demon growled and unholstered its pistol. In the blink of an eye Zu'ronee had reached down and pulled his own pistol out of the hip holster and had placed two rounds into the demon's hand. The charred remains of the pistol crumpled as they hit the ground.
Zu'ronee moved in and straddled the fallen demon, placing his pistol a few inches off of its forehead.
"Do you yield, demon?"
The demon's reply was broken and slow in coming. "You killed my friends."
"And you killed my son. From one thousand yards, without a chance to fight back." No hint of empathy or sorrow was in his voice.
"Would you have done any different?"
Yes, I would have been more vicious in my ambushes. Zu'ronee hid the thought with a scowl.
"I didn't know he was your son. I would have shot him anyway though."
The demon's head lolled to the side and Zu'ronee followed its gaze. It was looking at the one that Zu'ronee had stabbed. Zu'ronee looked back at its face and saw something familiar. Grief, mourning. I felt the same thing as Ghe'ronee died in my arms.
The demon spoke softly, almost too quietly to hear.
"It's a shame, that such lives are wasted killing each other."
Aye, it is.
A low rumbling came from overhead and Zu'ronee looked up. Five of the infidel's aircraft were overhead, steadily descending and bristling with soldiers and weapons. He counted at least a dozen weapons aimed at him.
The demon chuckled despite the pain. "This is your chance, Elite. Go down as the one who killed three Spartans on his own. I'm sure that you'd be remembered for a while by your friends."
Zu'ronee tightened the grip on the trigger reflexively as the ships touched down. He heard the troops running to form a ring around them. More guns were cocked than he cared to count.
He does not deserve so inglorious a death. He is a warrior, albeit an infidel warrior.
He abruptly holstered the weapon. Rising slowly to his feet, Zu'ronee held out his hands to show he was unarmed. To his relief, most of the soldiers lowered their weapons.
"Next time, warrior, next time."
He walked away from the demon without another word.
