SGTLEGENDKILLEЯ
Fate Continuum
Act VI
"Appeal to Reason"
Chapter V
"Colossus"
H.D.
November 1st, 2552
M'riana strode casually towards the lower parts of the station. Not much had changed over the last day or two, other than the fact that Sesa had briefly relieved her from security over watch so that she could rest. It took several drinks of alcohol, that she enjoyed by her lonesome, until she was relaxed and intoxicated enough for her to be able to ignore the feelings and anxiety that had plagued her since that day. But once she had, she soon passed out heavily in her bed still in her armor. While she tried her best to catch up on sleep, she would only wake up with a headache.
Now that she had gotten some sleep, she was free to return to her assignment, however she needed to make a brief stop to see just what Yuta needed to show her. After passing through the many halls of the station and down a lengthy elevator, she was soon in what appeared to be some sort of large laboratory. She received salutes from the warriors guarding the door before they directed her towards where Yuta was located.
He was found using his data pad to tap into one of the many nearby Forerunner terminals. "I am glad to see you made it down here!" Yuta looked up and smiled. "Maybe now you will not judge me for my work."
"Unlikely." M'riana sighed as she stopped before him. "What is it, Yuta? We are on alert now. The Covenant could break down the front door at any moment and I need to get upstairs to my post."
"Listen." Yuta held up his hands "A day or two ago something began scanning our equipment. Our data pads, armor, and even our weapons seemed to be sluggish as if someone was draining energy off of them."
"Alright… Besides wasting resources, what does this mean?" M'riana nodded as she crossed her arms, listening.
"We looked into what was causing it. Some of us theorized it was from the Covenant's Battlenet, but we soon found out that the source was from the planet." He spoke, obviously intrigued by his own line of thought. "It was by some ancient Construct by the name of Prey'Teir."
"Like the Oracle?" M'riana asked, shifting her arms again as she listened.
"No. Older… Much older than the Oracle. He says he is from eons prior of the construction of the Halo rings. He, as he says, had watched the Forerunners for quite some time as they lived through their rise, fall, and how they handled the parasite."
"The very parasite you're studying?"
"Yes. However, the only reason we have been studying the parasite is to figure out the best way to kill it."
"I doubt that." M'riana prodded.
"Excuse me?"
"You speak so highly of them. Why are you now telling me you only want to destroy them?"
Yuta grumbled in distaste and he turned to a screen on the wall. "M'riana. I may be a scientist but I am no fool… The parasite is a marvel in its complexity, but we have all seen what they have done to the Covenant on the Ring."
"Yeah… We all have…" M'riana had seen the footage from what the Flood had been doing to the Covenant Armada. "It is disgusting."
"Agreed; Repulsive."
"What does this Prey'Teir have to do with anything?" M'riana asked.
Yuta paused for a second to think, as if he was arguing with himself. "He says that he has a way to fix and correct all of the issues with the Halo array and the Flood."
"How?"
"He says that he spoke with Science Major Cimutee right before the parasite got free. He has mentioned he just need someone with hands to make 'one final piece.'"
M'riana clicked her mandibles together. "Have you told Sesa?"
"I have not because I feel like he would not appreciate such a discovery at this time. He would claim it as a distraction."
"I would too."
"Listen." Yuta started to argue "All we need to do is wait for him to get here. Once he is here we can-"
Yuta was cut off as alarms overhead started ringing out. M'riana jumped slightly and turned away from Yuta to listen to her earpiece. One of her Majors on security detail informed her that there was a Covenant strike team infiltrating the facility.
"What is it?" Yuta asked seriously, gone was the interest and wonder in his voice.
"They are here. We need to leave."
Ten minutes earlier.
"When we joined the Covenant, we took an oath!" Rtas' voice spoke proudly through the comms speaker in the Phantoms.
"According to our station! All without exception!" The Warriors answered back.
This was how an operation was supposed to be; focused, calculated, with everyone on the same page. It was different from the quiet or idle K'an conversations then D'rok was used too, however he was glad to be a part of it. In the eyes of being proper, he was less of a by-the-book operative than Rtas was. But that was probably for good reason. Even though D'rok's lance was on an entirely different Phantom than Rtas, he could feel the connection of everyone as if they were in the same transport.
"On the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons...we swore to uphold the Covenant!" Rtas continued.
"Even to our dying breath!" The Warriors called back.
D'rok's Lance was with another group lead by a Lance Commander Gyotinee. Sesa, the leader of these Heretics, had been traced to a facility hanging above the planet Threshold. The facility was constructed around a center structure suspended by a larger structure above with four arms branching off into different sections. Sesa had been traced to one of the structures armed off the center section. Rtas would take the Arbiter and two Lances after him, and then the other two Lances, D'rok's included, were going to be landing on the structure arm opposite of Sesa's in order to send the Heretics into confusion.
"Those who would break this oath are Heretics, worthy of neither pity, nor mercy!" Rtas pushed on, getting louder. "Even now they use our lords' creations to broadcast their lies!"
"We shall grind them into dust!" The Warriors replied.
Either way, D'rok's main goal was more personal; he was after M'riana in the end.
"And continue our march to glorious salvation!" Rtas shouted, ending the oath.
D'rok grimaced as he kept his legs steady on the buckling transport; the weather was less than desirable for travel. While the Phantoms sometimes came with stasis fields that would help steady a warrior, they were not entirely strong enough to fully support someone.
"Do you have a gut feeling about this mission as well, leader?" Noma asked suddenly.
"Well…" D'rok sighed. "While I am not worried, I have to deal with the fact that my wife helps lead these Heretics we are about to clash with… It is somewhat unsettling for me."
"I can only imagine." Noma too, sighed. "What are you going to do when you find her?"
D'rok paused. "Hopefully muster the strength to kill her."
Before Noma can reply, W'aht comes over and interrupts. "Does it surprise either of you that they made the great Thel Vadamee into an Arbiter?" He shook his head. "Why would he not wish for death?"
Noma shot W'aht a confused look for a moment before forcing out a response. "Honestly? I have no idea."
"I feel the same way." D'rok admitted, thankful for something else to think about. "Vadamee is legendary and he knows it. He knows he is of great use for them and he hold regret for what happened even though it was not his fault." He explained thoughtfully. "He made a great sacrifice in bearing the blame. I only hope that I can see him in combat first hand."
"No surprise, Commander." W'aht shrugged. "It must only be a rarity for you to be able to witness someone with more notoriety within the Covenant."
"Don't be fooled…" D'rok nodded slightly. "I would be lying if I said it was not the case."
Noma smirked slightly. "Well sir, you have been displaced as number one I believe."
D'rok chuckled softly. "You make it seem like I wanted that position to begin with."
"Leader," The Pilot of their Phantom suddenly called out to Rtas. "There is no doubt! The storm will strike the facility!"
"We'll be long gone before it arrives." Rtas answered. "Warriors, prepare for combat!"
Soon the trio of Phantoms were swiftly coming to a stop over one of the arm structures of the facility. D'rok watched the two other Phantoms quickly letting several Warriors off onto the landing pad on the top of the structure. Once the first Lance of warriors had dropped, the Arbiter followed, Energy Sword in hand.
"We are the arm of the Prophets, Arbiter, and you are the blade." Rtas spoke over the coms as the Phantoms began to quickly travel from the facility once more. "Be silent and swift, and we shall quell this heresy without incident." He paused. "The storm has masked our approach, and it should have their local Battle-net in disarray. We have the element of surprise... for now."
The Phantoms were nearly out of sight of the facility. It was time for the second phase of the mission to begin. The Phantom D'rok's Lance was on took a hard bank before speeding off towards the other side of the Facility.
"Gyotinee." Rtas called through the coms. "Be swift in your actions, Make your landing on the side of the facility. Hopefully we shall meet you in the center of the facility."
"Yes sir!" Gyotinee answered back.
The Phantom lowered to the landing pad on the top of the arm structure. As it did, the other Lance quickly dropped out of the bottom of the craft for the structure below. The sounds of combat rang out as the last of the Lance exited the craft as quickly as they had arrived, the Phantom took off once more for some distance from the Facility.
"I hope there isn't too many of them in that place…" Zaranha expressed concern softly at he watched the screen on the Phantom's wall
"We will be fine, Youth." D'rok assured him with a slight pat on the shoulder. "It's what we do in the Special Operations."
"We will be setting your Lance down within a few moments, Commander Tallaham!" The Pilot informed D'rok.
"Alright, Warriors. Ready your weapons and prepare for combat!" D'rok ordered the Lance before poking his head into the cabin to watch the Pilot's screen. "Where is our entry point?"
The Pilot glanced over at a map read out of the facility then back to the forward camera. "The first Lance is currently fighting in a large room… It looks to be a freight bay of some sorts. They will need to open the doors for our entry."
D'rok looked at the forward camera at the doors he was speaking off. While they were framed in metal, most of the door seemed to be made of glass. "Why wait? Make your own entry point."
The Pilot blinked then grinned. "Fair suggestion."
D'rok turned back into the troop bay towards his now ready Lance. "Officer Vallumee! Take the Unggoy and a few others on the left side to fill in with the first Lance. I will take the rest on the right to drop in amongst the Heretic forces!"
"On your mark, Commander!" Noma shouted back as he readied himself.
"Brace yourselves!" The Pilot called back as he fired both of the forward Plasma Cannons on the front of the craft.
With a bit of ordinance being laid down on the door, the material was greatly weakened. Within seconds, the door was clearly damaged enough to barely remain intact. The Pilot fired again just before thrusting the craft through a newly formed hole. As the craft breached into the freight bay, the Pilot engaged the plasma auto turrets to throw down fire on the Heretics who were in a heavy firefight with the first Lance. The side doors of the Phantoms opened quickly with a hiss of compressed air.
"You are clear!" The Pilot called to D'rok.
"Warriors! Depart!" D'rok yelled as he readied his weapon and briskly looked out the right bay of the Phantom.
With a quick nod, D'rok, as he always did, lead the jump from the side of the Phantom. Using his thruster pack, he picked a spot on the several levels of platforms and conveyors littered with enemy forces to place his feet. He landed at the end of one of the conveyors to see a pair of Heretic Sangheili taking cover from the first Lance on the edge of the conveyor platform, and so he leveled his Assault Carbine and held the trigger to fire as many rounds as it took to down them.
After he downed the two, D'rok turned to see another Heretic Sangheili charging at him, sword in hand, ready to strike. He barely had the time to dodge back away from the Sangheili as he swung his sword at chest level. Angered by the miss, the Sangheili desperately swiped again, this time taking quite the full swing. After the second swipe had passed D'rok, he jolted forward as he activated his wrist blade to throw an armored fist into the neck behind the Sangheili's jaws, effectively dispatching the Heretic.
Once the sword wielder fell to the ground, D'rok replaced his shoulder into the end of the conveyer housing and leveled his weapon up to the nearest outcropping room at several Unggoy who were seemingly fleeing the area. By the time that he had finished them off, the rest of the Heretic forces in the immediate area had been taken out.
"That is how it's done!" Noma exclaimed happily over the comms.
"Indeed. Daphakee! 'Nulkamee! Watch the exits for more Heretics while I regroup with the first Lance." D'rok ordered as he briskly made his way to the center of the freight bay.
"Sub-commander Tallaham!" Sub Commander Gyotinee greeted as he paced towards the center of the room with his Lance. "That was an exceptional entrance!"
"It is the least we could do." D'rok nodded.
"Sub Commanders!" The Pilot of the Phantom called out. "I must give support to the Arbiter! Farewell." The Pilot said as he backed the craft out and sped away.
"How many casualties have you suffered, Gyotinee?" D'rok asked.
"But only three, two being Unggoy." Gyotinee answered.
"Any update on the situation? Or shall we continue our charge to the center of this facility?"
"There has been; while Commander Vadumee and the Arbiter are following Sesa Refumee, the other leadership has been located on another nearby sector of this place."
"Then what do you suppose we do then?" D'rok gave Gyontinee the chance to keep the lead on the situation.
"We push forth. And if we find the others leading these Heretics then I will have you take them on directly. I figure your skillset shall do just fine to finish off what needs to be done; we will continue at our discretion."
"Very well, let us continue."
"Alright! Lances! We shall continue to the center! Push on! Quitonmee and Wartanee, take the lead!" Gyotinee barked at two of his Warriors as everyone began to move.
"Vallumee." D'rok spoke as he loaded two fresh magazines into his Carbine. "Take charge of the Kig'Yar and Unggoy. I will handle the rest of our Lance."
"As you wish, Commander." Noma nodded and tended to his new duty.
Gyotinee began to lead his Lance forward out of the room. With D'rok's and Noma's partition of forces, they quickly followed behind to cover the rear. The main door leaving the room lead to a large elevator. Unfortunately, as the door opened, they were surprised to see a mess on the elevator platform. There were the gored and disassembled corpses of a Sangheili and several Unggoy, along with blood spatter all over the platform. On top of that, there was a certain stench mixed in with the gore.
"By the gods…" Gyotinee grimaced as they all came to a stop.
D'rok quickly made his way up to the front to look at what he was gawking at. He stopped right by the other Sub Commander and saw what had halted everyone. Even at a glance he could see that it wasn't quite right and after a moment of standing there, he could smell the stench of rotting flesh. It was the Parasite.
"Well come on." D'rok stated firmly with forced confidence. "There is only one way forward." He motioned forward to the group "You may wish to scavenge better weaponry if you can."
Everyone looked around briefly before nervously stepping onto the bloody elevator platform. As everyone followed suit. If the elevator had such a mess on it, the parasite most likely expect an arrival of more victims. He was not intending to be a casualty.
Gyotinee stepped forward with his lance. "What happened here?" He wondered aloud.
"The parasite did this." D'rok answered.
"The Parasite?" He questioned. "The ones encountered on the Sacred Ring?"
"Yes." D'rok nodded softly.
Gyotinee grew quiet for a moment. "Carry on then, Tallaham."
D'rok nodded in affirmation. "Warriors!" He spoke loudly as he turned to the two Lances. "What we are about to face will be a test of your resolve. Keep your cool and your weapons ready. Do not let your shields fail or it will be the end of you. Protect the Kig'Yar and Unggoy as their guns will make a difference. The more hands with weaponry the better." He ordered. "On that note I would also recommend trying to find better weapons if possible."
There was suddenly a new sense of nervousness that swiftly seemed to weigh down the air around them all. With the exception of D'rok's few members, no one else here had fought The Parasite before. They were certainly in for a fight.
Luckily for them, while there was no remains of the warriors that perished on the elevators, their weapons had been left by. Some of the Warriors grabbed some other weapons from the ground, and D'rok was pleased to see a Fuel Rod gun near him. Placing his Carbine onto his back, he picked the heavy weapon up and one sleeve of ammo for it. It wasn't much, but nearly a dozen rounds for the fight.
The elevator continued its slow decent, soon the walls of the shaft became glass panels that overlooked another large open area. Down below there were several Heretics engaged in heavy fighting with the flood. At any given moment, there were easily several dozen Parasite forms running around in the fray. As the elevator began to near the same floor as the fight, several of the forms took notice and began to turn their focus towards the elevator's doors. The Special Operations warriors would have a fight right from the gate.
"You." D'rok said, pointing at a Sangheili with a Concussion rifle and then an Unggoy "Gretoy. Front and center. We must clear a path."
The two quickly joined him in the center of the elevator before the doors.
"Remember!" D'rok spoke out, hefting the Fuel Rod gun to his shoulder. "Once these doors open we cannot let these things touch us!"
There was a slight pause after he spoke, giving a moment for all of the Lance's guns to lift up towards the door. When the door opened, the group was met with the hellish screams of numerous Parasite forms. However, as soon as the door was opened enough for a body to pass through, the three with heavy weapons began firing. The fuel rods and concussion rounds were quite effective against the forms, swiftly blowing them and anything else on the other side of the door clear beyond recognition. As soon as the doorway was clear, the Lance quickly charged out of the elevator.
Once they had entered the room, the Lances stacked up heavily behind the cover of several stacks of crates. Each set of Warriors did well to keep the supply of fire towards the Parasite forms consistent. D'rok took a moment to evaluate the situation as he slapped another rack of Fuel Rods into the Canon. He peeked his head around his cover to see about three and a half dozen Forms left, and two different groups of Heretics. Directly across the room from them were the first set of Heretics, entrenched in their own struggle with the Parasite. They were decently strong in numbers and had an advantage of a placed turret. They were receiving aid from a smaller group of Heretics up on a balcony a few meters above them to the right side of the room. While D'rok had seen that staying in one place was not the best strategy for fighting the Parasite, it was working well for them.
"Commander?" Noma called to him. "Do have any plans in mind?" He asked, reloading his Carbine as he shifted to another spot for cover while the turret had the Forms occupied.
"Focus on the parasite!" D'rok ordered loudly. "I know in decent faith we can handle the Heretics. However they are currently the lesser of the two evils."
With reinforcement on their standing order, the two Lances fiercely continued to lay down as much fire as they could from their cover, keeping the regard for what was on the other side of the room to a minimum. The amount of ordinance being thrown around in the room was nearly baffling between the two sides. Somehow it was enough to keep the Parasite sprawled out and disconnected. After several tense moments of combat, the wretched Forms had nearly been wiped out from the room.
As the last Parasite was gunned down by the hot barrel of the Heretic's turret, the room grew still. No one made any noise or attempts to fire their weapons, leading to an awkward pause in the fight. One of the Heretic leaders shook himself and spoke up to the others.
"We must keep firing! Keep them at bay for a little longer! Soon you must leave to aid the other leaders!"
D'rok grimaced and looked down at his Fuel Rod gun and saw there was one shot that remained. With a soft grunt, he swiftly leaned out of his cover with the weapon raised, and fired the last Fuel Rod precisely at the Heretic's Turret. The Rod made short work of the emplacement and rendered it and its user destroyed. This shot was the catalyst of the fight between the two sides to continue.
"Nice shot, sir!" Noma yelled across the room at him.
"Focus, Vallumee!" D'rok yelled back as he tossed the Cannon to the ground and reclaimed his Assault Carbine from his back.
Without their turret, the Heretics quickly lost the advantage in the fight. With each of them that fell, the Special Operations would take a bit more ground. And while there was one or two of the Lances that fell to the Heretic's guns, it was greatly overshadowed by the rate that their opposition was being diminished.
"By the Gods!" One of the remaining Heretics shouted from the balcony above. "We must delay them further! We will go assist Casemee and the others escape!"
D'rok's anger grew as the group up on the balcony quickly disappeared from view to go help somewhere else. He would not let the bitch get away.
"Gogramee! Talakee!" D'rok yelled. "We are going after that group with the higher ground! Noma, draw us some cover fire!"
"You two!" Gyotinee shouted at two of his Sangheili. "Assist him! Crush these Heretics!"