ODSS chapter 45
The main part of the Keep was not as large as Kathleen had expected. True, Keep Vadam was fairly large by Sangheili standards, but this one was simply tiny by comparison. It looked like just a collection of buildings, without much protection. When she'd checked the map it had appeared as though it was going to be much harder to infiltrate; but it certainly didn't look that way in person. Her biggest concern at the moment however was the growing agitation of her Sangheili counterpart. The closer they got to the Keep, the more annoyed he became. She had hoped he'd be able to keep himself under control, but he seemed to be failing at the task.
Blade was leading the way, taking them around the Keep so they would have the shortest distance to cross in order to get into the main building. Kathleen looked through the trees at the simple homes that made up the settlement. She hoped that they'd be able to kill the Kiadon without having to fight off the entire Keep, as there was a fair number of houses and she didn't know how many Sangheili were in each home. Kathleen could also see that there were a lot of children or young walking about in the open areas. There was no need for them to die, and she certainly saw no honor in killing youngsters.
Blade stopped them at the edge of the forest around the back of the Keep's main buliding. "There is a door into the kitchens," he informed her. He pointed to a doorway that was visible on the side wall of the large structure. It was about twenty meters away, with a few houses in between the forest and the Keep. Still, that was less of a distance between them and any other door she'd seen so far.
Kathleen nodded and turned back to their soldiers. "All right, once we get into the Keep be ready to kill anyone who stands in our way. Except for the young. Knock them out and then leave them be, let them live to remember the strength of Vadam." She hoped that would go over well - it seemed like a proper Sangheili sentiment.
"Don't kill the females either, unless they attack you," Blade added. "Most likely they will step to the side. And we don't need vengeful young looking for the killers of their mothers." Blade grabbed his sword. "Now, let us end the Kiadon's life, for the honor of Vadam." Blade moved, crossing the opening between them and the doorway swiftly. Kathleen was on his heels, carbine at the ready. The rest of the group followed behind just as quickly and quietly.
Blade burst through the door into the kitchen, or at least what Kathleen guessed was a kitchen. There was a group of Unggoy doing various tasks that all stopped and looked toward the door, startled by the noise. Kathleen moved into the room, allowing the others to enter behind her. She fired on the Unggoy before they could react, methodically hitting each one in the head. By the time they were all inside the walls were painted a bright shade of blue. There seemed to be no other activity, no alert sounded, not even any curious listeners. Kathleen felt uneasy about it, finding it very unlikely that no one would have heard them.
Blade moved over to one of the doorways and opened it, abandoning any attempt at stealth - much to Kathleen's annoyance. They moved out into a long plain hallway with a high ceiling, large enough that a pair of ghosts could go down it. She looked both ways but couldn't hear any sounds and there were no hostile markers on her motion detector. "Blades, from this point on," Blade turned toward Kathleen and the others, "the energy sword is a sign of our strength as warriors, and it is the most honorable way to kill an enemy. We will kill them up close, not from a cowardly distance."
Kathleen nodded, deciding not to argue the stupidity of such a choice. After all, she was the alien here; and if this was how wars between Keeps went, then she'd do it their way. She put away her carbine and activated her energy sword. "We should split up. We've got too large of a group for killing just one enemy," Kathleen reasoned. "Tobias, take Red Team and find us a ride out of here. We'll need an escape once this bastard is dead. Green Team, see if you can get us any additional information, find a terminal you can hack into. If we can get more leads as to who the enemies of Vadam are, it would be a plus." Kathleen pulled the data chip from her helmet. "Take Alduin and Iceri. You'll need them to get into the systems." Patrick hesitated for a second before he reached out and took the chip. Kathleen opened a channel just between herself and Patrick. "You know what you're looking for." The tech specialist nodded and tucked the chip away. He knew that they needed answers for the tags on the weapons, and any intel they could get off this Keep would help. And if Naro was as cocky as Blade had said, he might have left some hint as to where the weapons came from.
"We must move. Staying still for too long is a great danger." Blade turned to his own soldiers. "Swords are with me. Claw, take the Shadows and secure the main entrance. Barricade it to slow reinforcements." The Shadows nodded and moved away. "Are you ready?" He asked Kathleen.
Kathleen nodded. "Let's go kill a Kiadon and head home." Kathleen looked down the hallways at the doors. "Which way?"
Blade motioned down the hallway before them. "Any vehicles or terminals would likely be that way." He motioned another way to direct the group in charge of securing their escape. Blade then turned and moved in the first direction he had indicated.
Kathleen adjusted her radio to the ODSS channel only. "Use any weapon you want. We may have to fight with honor, but if you fuel-rod cannon a few Grunts no one is going to care." She cut off the radio and moved to follow Blade as he started toward their destination. Kathleen looked to Blade as she followed him, noting the way he looked around them like a hawk searching for a mouse to snatch up. She was becoming even more concerned about his mental state, but she just kept reminding herself that she trusted him.
She found herself tensing after every time they passed a door, expecting someone to leap out and attack them. This was too easy; they were just walking right in. Kathleen stopped and Blade paused as well a moment later. "What is it?" the Shadow leader asked.
"Where is everyone? There's no one here." Kathleen frowned as she looked at the doors around them.
"Was that not the plan? Most of our opposition should be at the last farm we attacked, trying to protect it," Blade cocked his head to the side. "Do you not think that they fell for it?"
"I'm not talking about fighters. Where are all the common people? There are no local guards, no females or young walking around, or even ducking into doors for cover. Not even any servant Unggoy are here." Kathleen moved to the closest door and looked back to their soldiers. "Start checking the rooms. I'm not going to be caught from behind once we get to this target." Kathleen flexed her empty hand in anticipation of something going wrong.
Blade moved to her side and watched the soldiers as they started to check the rooms. "It is possible that there simply are few here. If forces were moved to the farm, most of the males would have gone; maybe all of them. The females may have been smart enough to know what was likely coming and cleared themselves and their young out of the building, and are staying home or visiting family." The Swords and ODSS searched all the surrounding rooms one by one, but each one was clear. "We are wasting time doing this."
"We are deep in enemy territory, with possibly no way out, and we have to insure we complete the mission. We can't afford to have Naro get the drop on us before we can kill him." Kathleen started to move down the hallway as they cleared the rooms behind them. She moved over to a door and opened it, sword at the ready. The room seemed to be personal quarters that reminded her of the simple rooms in Vadam Keep, but these were even more modest, with just a bed and table. She closed the door, sure the room was clear. "It almost looks like no one lives here."
Blade moved away from a room he had gone to check. "This is odd, I will admit. None of these rooms look like anybody has lived in them for a while." The Commander growled deeply. "I do not like this."
"We need to be prepared for an ambush. We can't back down now; only see this mission through to the end." Kathleen continued down the hallway, stopping at random doors to be sure things were still empty. Each empty room only made her more uneasy about the situation. Blade was now following her closely, watching her back. Kathleen was starting to get irritated by his hovering, but she ignored it as they worked their way through the Keep. The sound of their steps echoing on the stone floor didn't help to calm her feeling of dread.
They finally reached a room that Blade identified as the Kiadon's office. Kathleen couldn't help the apprehension she felt. She moved to one side of the door and Blade took the other. Kathleen checked to be sure their soldiers were ready before she nodded to the Sangheili, signaling him to make his move. Blade hit the controls on the door and Kathleen moved into the room, her eyes automatically focusing on a single figure standing in the center of the space. The Sangheili stood over the dead body another Sangheili, energy blade in hand. There was blood still freshly flowing onto the floor from the corpse. The living alien turned toward them but Kathleen's attention was pulled to the side as she caught sight of a shimmer near her. She activated her VISR system, which revealed over a dozen cloaked forms that had surrounded them. The door to the room shut, blocking off the exit. One of the cloaked Sangheili moved to stand between the door and her soldiers. Edward looked to the figure, staring it directly in the eye. She wondered if they knew the ODSS could see them, of if they just thought he was looking at thin air.
"Purg," Blade growled. He slightly turned toward Kathleen. "I hate you," he grumbled to her.
"I'll do my victory dance later, on this asshole's dead body." Kathleen looked around the room and didn't like the situation. There was so little space, and they were surrounded, but she wasn't about to admit to her enemy that she was at a disadvantage. "You can tell them to drop their cloaks, we can see them."
Purg growled, but made a motion with his hand and sixteen Sangheili became visible. "So this is the trash you've been spending your time with? I should have known the rumors about you were true, particularly with how you argued for us all to side with the Arbiter." The Sangheili snapped his mandibles in annoyance. "But worst of all, you shame your ancestors by aligning yourself with a Demon and allowing females to handle blades."
"You speak of my shame, yet you've killed your own Kiadon in cold blood," Blade countered. "You have no right to speak of shame or honor. You have no right to even touch that blade."
Purg snorted at the words. "Cold blood? I didn't kill him in cold blood. You killed him, and I'm about to kill you to avenge our fallen Kiadon." There was a look of triumph on Purg's face, at least if his emotions were represented the same as Blade's were. Though it was odd for Kathleen to try to figure out what the bottom mandibles were indicating. "And I'll have proof that Vadam has allowed humans to walk freely on our planet, and do the work that Vadam warriors are incapable of doing. All the better for getting all those whose loyalties are still unsure to side with us against the Arbiter."
"You always were bad at understanding tactics," Blade countered. "Always thought having the larger force meant that you were the winner." He looked around at the gathered Sangheili in the room. "If there's one lesson you should have learned from the War, it is that numbers are only numbers. They speak nothing of the strength of a warrior. You never were able to understand that. Just one of my Swords is worth a legion of your rabble."
"Do you think these are the only warriors I have here?" Purg sneered. "Then you know nothing of my skill. I wouldn't do something like this without having a force to take command and back me." Purg stepped forward to stand before Kathleen. "Maybe I'll kill your little human pet first." He raised his blade so it was almost touching her visor.
Kathleen just stared at the blade for a moment. "So that's it?" Purg seemed taken aback by the question. "Your big plan is to kill a weak fool so you can take power? I knew it; you're a Sangheili with no honor, and you're an idiot. Maybe we should just leave you here with your dirt Keep. It's not that much of a threat really. We blazed through those farms with ease, literally. Even now you think these weaklings will be able to stop us, but they aren't half as strong as warriors from Vadam Keep."
Purg grunted. "What would a human know of honor? You're nothing but filthy weaklings who easily fall at the hands of the Sangheili. It is beyond you to understand honor."
"I understand that getting the trust of a leader, and then stabbing them in the back isn't honorable," Kathleen countered. "At least we were going to fight him face-to-face. Hell, if I was going to kill Blade I'd fight him head on, and if he didn't have a weapon I'd either give him one or we'd fight without them. You and your Keep weren't even honorable enough to take a stand when the rebels attacked Vadam. At least Vadam is honorable enough that when we take down a Keep, we do it without hiding."
Purg seemed to take insult at her words. "If I had been Kiadon I would have joined the fight to turn the tide against Vadam. Now I will take Eternal Light, and make a stand against Vadam. They have been weakened by the assault of the others, ready to be finished off by a superior force."
Kathleen smirked behind her visor. "Superior force? You think that one ship makes you a superior force? You have no idea, do you? Vadam has chosen the winning side, or did you not hear about the new bay we put into the rebel ranks? You think your ship won't be destroyed in an instant by humanity the way the others were?"
"You think me a fool?" Purg asked. Kathleen shrugged, but she doubted he would understand she was agreeing. "That human ship is gone. It is too large to hide from our sensors."
"Wow, you really know nothing about humanity's ships. It takes weeks to get from one system to another in one of our vessels. How could we have known exactly when to show up?" Kathleen knew that Purg would assume she meant the large ship could be cloaked from their view, though Kathleen had no idea really. The ship couldn't have been cloaked, but showing up exactly in time only made her more suspicious that someone knew what was going to happen. She didn't let any of those concerns leak into her voice, though she doubted Purg would be able to identify her emotions through her speech anyway, probably not even if he could see her face.
Purg growled and pulled his sword back. "Silence, Demon! There is no human ship. You seek only to distract me. Enough time has been wasted." Purg swung the sword toward her.
Kathleen raised her blade and, thanks to the lessons from Blade and Dawn, easily blocked the blow. Purg dodged back as Blade swung his own energy sword forward. "Marines, cut 'em up!"
