The adjacent phantom hovered by itself, with zero occupants and acting as a clear and helpful vehicle in order to escape the planet and leave before the Battle Cruiser 'Red Dusk' could slip-space away from the planet. The two Spartans grabbed onto the hovering covenant stolen vehicle quickly, Gabriel clambered over to the piloting section and left Michael to sit down and relax while they flew out of the atmosphere of the planet.
The blue Spartan smiled as they started flying away from the destroyed Frigate together, finally cutting a free break in order to escape to the UNSC Battle Cruiser.
"Hey Michael, you alright back there!?" He shouted behind him, getting an affirmative groan as an answer from his team-mate and friend.
He looked down at the forerunner sight slowly that was currently surrounded by covenant soldiers and shuttles, then the Spartan started to think to himself; he knew how badly the effect could be if the Storm faction gained access to such an important forerunner dig site. Guilt started to fill the Spartan's views and thought processes; he knew what he had to do for the better cause for humanity, even if it did threaten their lives.
Gabriel looked around back at Michael, who had just stood up and flexed out his chest one last time; the former green Spartan nodded at him slowly. They both knew that what they had to do was the harder, but the greater option for both of them.
"One last time?" Gabriel asked slowly, grabbing onto his armour cell pods and jamming them into his suit's energy reserves; instantly activating his energy shields to revive again.
Michael activated his own energy shields slowly, preparing himself for the last adventure and objective he could foresee to do in the future; "Let's do this."
"Gear up!" Gabriel roared at him in happiness as he saw the assortment of weaponry stacked on the walls. The Blue Spartan IV grabbed a set of three plasma grenades, a Beam Rifle Sniper and a Fuel Rod Cannon in order to equip himself. The Green Spartan IV responded by grabbing a covenant elite Energy Sword and hitching it onto his thigh holster.
"I guess we don't have a meal to finish this one off" Michael spoke, his voice heavy with regret.
"We don't need one" Gabriel replied slowly.
They looked at each other slowly; both splattered with blood, destroyed armour pieces and plasma burns. They nodded one last time and embraced each other as brothers.
Meanwhile
Mort'ang watched over the slow extraction of the forerunner shuttle site, the "Infamous Fury" Supreme Carrier started activating its primary thruster in order to start freeing the ancient ship from the entrapment of the black un-natural earth. Nothing could stop them now, at least nothing that still lived.
The golden zealot watched over the slow transfer without judgement or attitude, instead letting the cleansing of the planet become his own religious harmony. Shrieks interrupted the Shanghalli from his own personal thoughts, letting him see the strange sight of one of his own phantoms spinning through the air and descending down straight with a collision course onto the Forerunner ship, within seconds the vehicle would crash into the holy relic and possibly end it's assistance for the Storm.
"Blast that heresy down!" Mort'ang shouted angrily, letting the Storm Anti-Air wraith's start to reload and prepare their fuel rod repeater cannons at the vehicle. He stood by the vehicles as they fired straight into the air, sending hundreds of green balls fly through the air in an interception course with the phantom.
A figure jumped out of the vehicle quickly, landing roughly on the soft black soil behind the forerunner site. The figure crouched down immediately and fired his beam rifle at the anti –air wraith's cockpit quickly; cutting through the operator's head and making the entire vehicle turn its aiming turrets and actually fire upon its own forerunner structure for a short moment.
Mort'ang roared as he saw the ship take numerous hits before the vehicle ceased to operate without a pilot; the holy relic was not to be touched!
He furiously screamed to the Storm soldiers, "His heresy reeks this holy shuttle, destroy the demon!" sending over forty Covenant soldiers to intercept Gabriel before the Spartan IV could do anymore damage.
Suddenly, the phantom smashed straight into the forerunner ship from above, crushing a central wing and section of the entire vehicle as well as sending plasma and fire all over it.
Another figure jumped out of the phantom, descending awkwardly and landing straight in front of the Golden Zealot with a thud of black soil.
Michael stepped up, his shields recovering from the long fall, and looked back to the destruction he wreaked to the forerunner site. The Spartan activated his energy sword quickly, stepping forward and cutting down a covenant Shanghalli warrior quickly before noticing the Golden Zealot in front of him.
Time froze for the Spartan IV, and suddenly everything made sense.
"Mort'ang" He growled slowly, his voice gripping the Zealot like frozen blood.
The Spartan and Elite ran towards each other aggressively, both wielding Energy swords and staring at each other with a hated passion.
And they clashed.