ODSS Chapter 46

The room seemed to burst into chaos in an instant, the Sangheili around them closing in and the marines and Swords moving to meet them. Kathleen turned to her left as an energy sword swiped at her. She stepped out of reach and readied her own weapon, preparing for the next attack. The hostile Sangheili moved forward, swinging his sword down to try to slice her down the middle. Kathleen turned sideways and the blade cut through thin air. She turned again and slashed at her attacker. The Sangheili tried to move out of the way but she faster, slicing her foe's shoulder. The body of a second Sangheili suddenly slammed into the back of the one Kathleen was facing, knocking him to the ground. The Sangheili tried to get up but Kathleen took the chance to strike down with her blade, lopping his head clean off. Kathleen looked over to see Emily and Edward moving away to a new enemy. They were using a technique that she'd seen them practice while they were stuck in Vadam Keep. Emily had her sword in her right hand while Edward had his in the left, and they were acting as one warrior that was dual-wielding the energy blades.

Kathleen turned her attention to Purg, who was currently crossing swords with Blade; the rest of the warriors in the room giving them a wide berth. It didn't surprise her that her troops were staying away, but it seemed an unusually honorable thing for Purg's soldiers to do. Kathleen moved toward the fight, ducking and dodging the swings of Sangheili as they fought with the Swords and the ODSS. If they had been fighting in an open field the way would have already been clear, with the ODSS and Swords having easily cut down Purg's soldiers. But the furniture in the room and extremely close quarters made it harder to finish them off quickly. Kathleen only gave passing glances toward the other soldiers, staying focused on the rebel's leader. Judging from his movements she could tell Purg was a particularly skilled fighter, keeping up with every one of Blade's attacks and striking back at the best points. He wasn't expecting Kathleen, though, and she used the moment of surprise to slash at his unguarded side. The Swordmaster dodged the strike, but Kathleen's energy blade still sliced into his upper arm. He growled, but seemed to otherwise ignore the injury.

Purg then suddenly turned and charged toward Kathleen and she readied her sword to defend. He was faster than she thought he'd be, as his blade swung at her and she parried each strike. Her enemy was relentless, not leaving a single opening for her to get in a hit. However he was now too focused on Kathleen, something Blade was happy to exploit. Kathleen shifted to the side as the Shadow leader swung and Purg was forced to duck down under the strike. Purg moved toward Blade and Kathleen put her weight on one foot, kicking out toward her enemy's legs. Her foot connected with his forward-bending knee and Purg fell. Unfortunately he didn't stay down for long, rolling right back onto his feet and snarling at the pair.

Blade moved first, maneuvering around toward Purg's side. Without even thinking Kathleen snapped into action, positioning herself on Purg's other side. Blade swung high and Kathleen swung low, trying to catch Purg between their two energy swords. They were not so lucky. Purg leapt to the side, rolling away quickly before he snapped back to his feet again. Kathleen turned to face him, but spotted an oncoming blade in her peripheral vision. Kathleen dodged, but it was too late to avoid the blade completely. The energy sword sliced near Kathleen's left elbow and her arm shot with pain, causing her own blade to fall from her hand. She wheeled on the new foe as he was trying to retract his sword in order to hit her again. She stopped the blade from rising, gripping the Sangheili's wrist tight. She swung her right arm, slamming her fist into the alien's face. The blow sent the enemy staggering, but with a quick tug on the wrist caught in Kathleen's vice-like grip he was back within striking range. She grabbed one of the Sangheili's mandibles and wrenched his head close before slamming her helmet into his head. The alien recoiled and Kathleen released his wrist, letting him stumble back. She spun, kicking her foe's chest as she had learned from Blade and from experiences with other Sangheili during the war. The alien fell back against a table and Kathleen moved to finish him off. She stopped as a body fell to the ground before her, blocking her path. The enemy that she had been focused on righted himself and snarled but was cut short as Dawn moved up behind him, and as smooth as water, her blade cut right through his flesh. Kathleen watched the body fall and turned to the female Sangheili. Her armor was covered in blood and Kathleen could see at least one minor wound, but Dawn seemed to pay no attention to any of it.

Kathleen took a quick look around the room and wasn't surprised to see that there wasn't a single enemy left standing. "Take any weapons you can from them that might help. I also want a group to check the halls for reinforcements." Dawn nodded at her and moved away to do as she was ordered. Kathleen turned back to Blade to see if he had finished off his enemy as well, just in time to see Purg's foot impact with Blade's chest.

Purg pulled back his arm to stab forward and Kathleen charged. She moved up behind Purg and grabbed his arm to stop him. The rebel leader looked back and was rewarded with Kathleen's elbow slamming into the side of his head. He suddenly launched himself toward her, sending them both tumbling. Kathleen came to a stop a quarter of the way across the room. By the time she got to her feet Purg was charging once more. Kathleen stepped back to try to avoid the strike but as the light of the energy sword flashed past her eyes she knew something was wrong. The blade was too close, and although the pain hadn't hit her yet she knew that she'd been sliced. Kathleen braced herself and tried to stay upright, but the moment the pain burst across her torso she fell to one knee. She gripped at the chest plate of her armor and could feel the gap that been cut across it. Her armor itself sounded almost every alarm it had, all screaming in her ears: shields down, armor breached, extreme vital signs, and a dozen others that she didn't understand. Her hand shifted slightly and it moved smoothly over the metal plating, sliding over the blood seeping from the wound.

The world around her slowed to an almost painful crawl. Her gaze went to Blade who was watching the scene. Purg was moving to stand over her and finish the job, but Kathleen ignored him - only watching the Shadow leader. Kathleen saw Blade's features turn from surprise, to a level of anger she'd never seen in him before. His mandibles spread wide and his roar cut through the blaring alarms in her helmet. Blade charged and Purg turned toward him too late. The full weight of the Shadow crashed into the traitorous Sangheili and brought them crashing down to the ground. Purg tried to get up but he was held down by Blade's hands wrapped tightly around his throat. A force pulled on Kathleen and dragged her away from the fight. She didn't want that, she wanted to have her hands join Blade's and put an end to Purg. But with her injury and armor systems in the red she could do nothing to keep her soldier from pulling her away, or stop Max from seeing to her wound. She paid the medic no mind as he started to examine her, still caught up in the two male Sangheili across the room.

Purg thrashed, trying to get free or grab for his blade, which he'd dropped when they'd fallen. She could see the fear in his eyes, and it was clear he knew that no force in the universe would make the grip around his throat loosen. Blade on the other hand, looked to be in a state of fury that Kathleen had never seen any other Sangheili exhibit. His eyes were dilated, his mandibles twitching, and his muscles coiled and tense. She'd seen Sangheili fly into a range when they were out of ammunition and would charge toward her without anything but their hands as weapons, but this seemed completely different.

Purg's movements slowed and finally stopped, limbs falling limp to the ground. Still Blade did not release his hold on the other alien's throat. Kathleen tried to get up, to go to him and make him release the body, but someone was holding her down. She looked to her left where Dawn was standing, holding her still so that Max could work. She couldn't exactly see what he was doing as he leaned in closely, trying to patch up where the blade had cut through her armor. Not that her seeing really mattered - she hardly ever understood what Max did anyway, she wasn't big on first aid. The only thing she knew for sure was that it didn't involve bio-foam. She knew what that felt like, and this wasn't it. However the pain still seemed to be receding somehow. She made a note to be more lenient on Max the next time he screwed up…Just a little lenient.

"How bad is it?" Kathleen asked.

"I can patch you up," Max answered. "It's bleeding, but I can at least fix up your suit so that it should keep the blood inside you. Your bio-foam injectors didn't activate, so there must not be any internal injuries. It's a fairly big cut, but it's not as bad as when Stiff-Upper-Lip over there got you on Reach."

"We cannot stay here much longer. We don't know how many warriors Purg may still have in the Keep. If they do not hear from him they may come to check on what is happening." Dawn lifted her hands from Kathleen's shoulder. "Can you move?"

Dawn was suddenly pushed to the side as Blade joined them. "Of course she can." He held out his hand and Kathleen took it, letting him yank her up. Pain shot through her chest and she felt stiff, but she wasn't about to show any weakness. "The Kiadon is dead, as is Purg. The job is done. Now our only task is to return home."

"Agreed," Kathleen said before activatin her radio. "Red Team, Green Team, report."

"Red Leader here. We've met heavy resistance in a vehicle bay," Tobias informed her. "We found a nice Phantom, but there's a collection of split-faces between it and us."

"Green Leader, reporting," Tym cut in. "Patrick is grabbing some files from a terminal. We've got reports, communications, and we found something about a ship called Eternal Light."

"As soon as you've got everything from the terminal, head to Red Team's position. Red Team, we're heading to you now. Try not to damage the Phantom. We're going to need it for what I have planned." She turned toward Blade, who was watching her closely. There was something odd in how he was looking at her but she tried to ignore it. "Red's in a vehicle bay trying to get to a Phantom, but there are hostiles between them and the vehicle. We need to assist them."

Blade leaned in a bit closer and spoke quietly. "Can you still fight?"

Kathleen glared through her visor at her partner. "Don't make me tear off another mandible to keep you from ever again questioning if I can fight." Emotions that Kathleen couldn't identify shifted over the Sangheili's features. His mandibles moved slowly, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his head pulled back a bit. Once again it made her uneasy that she couldn't identify what he seemed to be feeling. She wondered if he ever felt that way when she wore her armor. "We should get moving. The longer we wait the more likely it is we'll meet opposition on our way to the Phantom."

Blade relented and simply nodded, moving across the room to pick up Kathleen's fallen sword. He switched it off and handed it back to her. "Then let us not waste any more time, Love." Kathleen took the weapon and followed Blade as he exited the room. Kathleen's chest burned slightly as they set off at a jog, but it wasn't bad enough that she was worried about it hindering her ability to fight. They passed two female Sangheili, who simply slipped into rooms at their approach to get out of the way. Kathleen stayed focused on moving and trying to figure out which way they were going.

The group moved through hallways, past many windows, and made a few turns before Kathleen heard the sound of fighting. She could hear the low growls of Sangheili growing closer and the sounds of plasma fire at random intervals. When they finally reached the hangar it was not as large as Kathleen had expected. It was obviously only big enough to handle the single Phantom that hung in the center. The rest of the place was a mess, the space around the craft littered with crates and equipment. There was a ring of crates that had been moved around the base of the Phantom as a defensive structure. She looked over the area and spotted Tobias, crouched behind another crate. A quick scan around the room and she spotted Patrick, James, Luke, and David as well, all spread out. They were down low against the crates to stay out of the view of their opponents. Kathleen moved over behind the scattered crates to ensure she was out of sight.

"Want to let me in on the plan?" Kathleen asked over the radio. She couldn't see Peter or Tym, and she wondered what idea her soldiers had come up with in her absence.

"You really just need to be ready to run," Tym replied. Kathleen looked around but couldn't spot the Green Leader. Though knowing him it would involve a lot of things catching on fire.

Kathleen didn't have to wait long for the marines to reach their assigned positions, and the plan to be put into action. Small objects arched through the sky, moving to land behind the boxes that made up their enemy's defensive wall. Before they landed there were four quick shots from a beam rifle and the incendiary grenades burst open, sending fire raining down on the huddled Sangheili. They climbed up over the crates in a panic, trying to escape the flames. Kathleen saw Tobias stand up and start to move forward, so she took that as the cue to go. She moved out of cover and through the crates toward the enemies. In the thrill of the battle the pain from her wound completely disappeared, and she was only focused on the fleeing opponents. One passed her and Kathleen swiped with her blade, cutting him down. She moved past the body and between the stacked crates, weaving her way toward the Phantom.

Kathleen turned a corner in time to see Fang cutting down an enemy and motioning to another Shadow warrior to follow him. Kathleen took off in another direction around the crates to better spread out their web of destruction. She rounded a box and found a pair of hostile Sangheili, no longer panicking as they had escaped the flames. They turned toward her and Kathleen moved forward. The aliens fired with plasma rifles and Kathleen ducked down under the shots. The one out front turned as the second was pulled back and a combat knife was stabbed several times into his chest and neck. The body fell and Edward stood over the dead alien, flipping the blade in his hand. The second growled and Kathleen reached it, swinging her energy blade and cutting through the opponent's chest. Emily, David, and Luke passed behind Edward and he stepped back before turning and following the others. Kathleen moved to trail behind them as they tried to find their way through the maze of crates.

Kathleen stopped, looking toward the Phantom, which didn't seem to be getting any closer. She bent her knees and jumped, grabbing the box and pulling herself up. She could see flashes of green, blue, and pink around the area from enemy fire, but she could also see now that there was no real clear path to the Phantom. She decided to switch-up their strategy.
"Up and over," she ordered aloud before glancing to her left as Blade climbed up with her. The marines passed by them, jumping over the gaps between the crates. Kathleen followed after them, speeding up enough to catch up with the others. The remaining ODSS and Shadows climbed up to join them as they all charged toward the ship. Kathleen kept up her pace, ignoring the dull ache that creeping back into her chest and focusing on the dying flames on the boxes ahead of her.

They reached the end of the line of crates and were met by a little under two dozen Sangheili who had run from the fire but had not been scared enough to flee completely. Kathleen launched herself at the crowd, hoping to use the element of surprise to her advantage. She landed beside a Sangheili and her sword stabbed through his chest. One on her left moved toward her but Blade stepped between them and dispatched him with ease. On her right Dawn stepped forward, duel wielding energy blades. Her left blade cut through the closest enemy's leg and as he fell her right blade cut up and through his neck, severing the alien's head. Kathleen left the two Shadows to cover her back while she charged at the wall of crates. Her shoulder slammed into a crate and it slid across the ground and opened a gap big enough for people to get through. She saw David and Patrick pass her to clear the area while Luke jumped up onto the crate she was pushing. Kathleen didn't stop until it was near the grav-lift opening on the belly of the craft. He leapt up and grabbed onto the sides of the opening, hauling himself up into the ship. Kathleen stopped pushing and checked to be sure everyone had gathered. The only person she noted as being missing was Peter, but she could still hear the occasional beam rifle shots in the background so she knew he was still alive.

The Phantom came to life and shifted a bit as it rose up slightly and the grav-lift activated. "Into the Phantom," Blade barked. The Sangheili moved to the base of the lift while the ODSS used the crate to jump up and get in faster. Kathleen waited until everyone was onboard before she moved to the base of the lift and let it carry her up into the vehicle. As soon as she landed in the ship she stepped to the side so Blade could follow her. The Phantom moved and the side panels opened up. Peter jumped from where he'd been sniping and landed on the opened metal platform and moved into the troop area.

"Everyone's aboard," Kathleen informed Luke. "Get us out of here." The side hatches closed and she felt the Phantom maneuver and speed off. "Patrick," Kathleen said as she held out her hand. Patrick got the message and handed her the AI data chip. She slid it into her helmet and felt the familiar cold sensation of the AI entering her suit. She could also already feel the slightly annoying buzzing sensation in the back of her head that was the two AI communicating. "What do you have on the Eternal Light?"

"We are out of this suit for only a few minutes and look at what you've done to it," Iceri scolded. The flashing red lights on her HUD that Kathleen had been ignoring shut off and her view became a lot less cluttered.

"Just give me the information," Kathleen snapped, not really interested in being given a stern talking-to by an AI.

"We found several messages that talked of the ship, some basic layouts, and a location," Alduin answered. "Well, that is we have enough hints from the communications we collected that we've concluded where the location of the ship is."

"Good, send it to Luke." Kathleen turned to Max. "Check over everyone for injuries and treat them." She turned to Tym. "Do an inventory of what weapons we have."

"What exactly is the plan?" Blade asked, watching as her soldiers moved to do as they were ordered. He was standing a bit closer to her than was usual, but he didn't seem to notice he was doing it.

"Nothing fancy," Kathleen answered. "We're just going to steal ourselves a ship." Blade narrowed his eyes and sighed, accepting her choice. It wasn't like they had any other better option. Besides, Kathleen couldn't pass up the chance to steal a rebel cruiser.