ODSS Chapter 47

Kathleen watched the cruiser on the forward screen, a bit surprised. It was a CAS-class Assault Carrier, and she wondered how it was that it hadn't been noticed. Then again, she didn't understand how anyone could miss something that big. There didn't seem to be any traffic around it either. Their Phantom was currently stationary - keeping its distance while they decided how they wanted to attack the carrier. Kathleen moved to the back of the ship to join Blade in the troop compartment. Their soldiers were going over their armor and ammunition. Blade was watching his Shadows check their armor for any damage, but he turned to her when she joined him.

"It's a CAS- class Assault Carrier. Not much activity around it, but we can't tell how many troops there might already be on board," Kathleen informed him. "It's possible that there are many if Purg was planning on making his attack right away."

"Unlikely," Blade advised. "He would have needed time to convince the people of his Keep that he was their savior and that they should follow him. Killing a Kaidon doesn't automatically make you leader. It would be pointless to fully arm his ship before he had the support. It is possible he was going to bring the ship out to assert that he had the power to lead. I don't know if he'd need a full crew for that."

"So basically we need to be ready for anything; from a ghost crew to a legion armed to the teeth. I've done more with less information." Kathleen considered their options. "I guess our best option is to head to the hangars and just take it from there. It should give us a bit of a gauge for what sort of staff he has on board."

"I'm sure we can trick them into believing this is Purg's Phantom," Iceri spoke up. "As they should be expecting him."

"Good, then we have our way in." Kathleen turned to their soldiers and raised her voice. "All right, soldiers, prepare for drop. Purg's people think that their bastard leader is coming in to take command of the ship. We're going to give them a surprise, followed by a blade to the face. Then we're going to take their ship and deliver it to the Kaidon as a trophy of our final success." A few of the Sangheili let out short laughs at the idea of delivering the ship as a prize. "We don't know how many enemies there are aboard, so either there will be more than enough for all of you to sink your swords into, or if we'll be fighting over the few scraps Purg left us. We'll clear the hangar then make our way to the bridge." Kathleen took a step toward the soldiers. "By the end of the day, I want to be sitting in that captain's chair!" The ODSS stood up a bit taller, along with a few Shadows. "Luke, take us in."

The Phantom shifted and Kathleen could feel the ship start to cruise forward. Kathleen moved to one of the side compartments and grabbed her energy sword, taking deep breaths. She couldn't help the stiffness that had settled across her chest so she'd just have to deal with it, but she could feel the strain. Her body wanted to rest and she was sure she was still losing blood in some way, as she could tell that she was becoming a bit dizzy. The Phantom came to a stop and a hush fell over the soldiers. Kathleen tensed and stared at the purple metal wall in front of her, waiting. The doors finally opened, and on the platform beside the Phantom stood five Sangheili. They all had their heads bowed, obviously expecting to be faced with Purg, not enemies.

The Sangheili in the center lifted his head and Kathleen flung herself forward. She landed on the platform just as the Sangheili uttered the word "Demon" and started to stand. Kathleen closed the space and her energy sword stabbed through the alien's chest. She pulled her blade free and pushed the Sangheili back, off the platform. Blade landed beside her and his blade cut through one of the Snagheili to her left. She watched as Emily, Tobias, Patrick, and Matthew tackled the last Sangheili to her left, all trying to sink their blades into the alien's flesh. To her right, two Swords had taken down one of their enemies while three Shadows were all standing over the last.

"Looks like it's going to be slim pickings," Peter said from where he was scanning the area below with his beam rifle. "So who wants to place bets on who kills the most enemies?"

"Don't think a scoring system will work with ten people piling on one enemy. Who would get the kill?" James asked. "Is it who stabs first, or who gets the final blow?"

"This Sangheili alone has four stab marks, how do when know which one was the one that killed him?" Matthew asked.

"No games," Kathleen snapped. The ODSS turned to her, surprised. "There are too few enemies and we can't stop every time to fight over who got the kill. I'm sure Purg had more allies, and if they find out we're here they might see this as a chance to kill us and take Purg's place. Now stop wasting time and move." The marines moved along the platform to secure the area. Kathleen moved to a terminal and plugged her AI in. "What can you give me?"

"Very little really," Iceri responded, sounding disappointed. "This terminal is too limited, but we may be able to find others."

"The closer we get to the bridge the more useful the terminals should be," Alduin added. "Though we'll need to be plugged directly into the main console if we're going to take control of the ship. You can split us up in the two systems, but we'd prefer you didn't."

Kathleen pulled the chip from the terminal and slipped it into her helmet. "Odd, because from how often I can feel you two arguing, I'd think you'd like some time apart." Kathleen turned and moved down the platform. Edward took point, Emily to his left and Tobias to his right, as they moved deeper into the ship.

"Look behind you and tell me that arguing means we aren't a team," Alduin countered. Kathleen glanced behind her to Blade, who was on her heels, head swinging back and forward as he looked around the hangar. Kathleen silently cursed, knowing that she couldn't argue against the AI's point. "Ha," Alduin's laugh was deep, like one might imagine how the devil's laugh sounded. "Have you decided yet if you want to kill him or mate with him?"

"I can still split you two up," Kathleen reminded the more aggressive AI. The group moved along the platform along the wall toward the closest door. "Do you have schematics for the ship?"

"I have known schematics of other ships but none of them match up perfectly," Alduin responded. Kathleen was pleased that he seemed begrudgingly submissive. "If you find a terminal on the direct system we can give you an exact map, but until then I cannot even begin to direct you."

"If you see a terminal call it out," Kathleen ordered over the team com. "Do you know the layout of a ship like this?" she asked, switching to a private channel with Blade.

"I have only been on one of these ships before," Blade answered. "I do not remember where things are, so a map would be helpful. We will need to spread out if we want to secure the ship." Kathleen looked to the Sangheili and frowned behind her visor. "If we are found out, then there are places that might be sabotaged in order to stop us. The reactors, the armory, and the hangars need to be secured."

"Then a map would be very helpful," Kathleen agreed. She looked along the wall, searching for anything they could use. Kathleen had only been on Covenant ships a few times, but this one looked the same as every other one she had been on. She knew they weren't all exactly alike, but the purple walls and sliding doors were identical to what she remembered seeing. She would have to stick close to Blade to be sure she didn't get lost.

The group moved through the closest door and set off down the hallways. Kathleen was aware that they likely would be easily found if they came across anyone. The only thing that might save them is that Emily was out front and could quickly dispatch any enemy. For now they were just to take turns that would lead them to the bridge, or at the very least a terminal, but they found nothing. What they did come across after a few minutes was a large room with small alcoves along the wall. There was a platform in the center with some controls, but Kathleen didn't recognize the location. "Where are we?"

"A detention center," Blade answered. He moved past her to one of the alcoves that had a force-field wall closing it off. Kathleen motioned for her soldiers to check the other alcoves before she moved over to join Blade. On the other side of the transparent shield stood a Sangheili that was obviously female. "Demon, this is Kana, Naro's wife," Blade informed her.

The female Sangheili stood tall in her cell. "And what exactly is Naro's wife doing in a cell on Purg's ship?" Kathleen asked.

"This is not Purg's ship," Kana corrected, "it was Naro's. With the attacks on the Keep I felt uneasy, and thought I was safer on board. Then the crew turned on me, and threw me in here. And from you believing this is Purg's ship, I assume that he is the traitor behind this. Though I suppose that you intend to make this ship your own as well." The female Sangheili looked over to Kathleen and sized her up.

"We do plan on adding this to the ships under Vadam control," Kathleen admitted. "That's not a problem for you, is it?"

"I'd prefer that Purg didn't have it," Kana answered. "But who knows what wrath Vadam would bring down on us if he went through with his foolish ideas." Kana looked to Blade. "Did you really need to burn our fields?"

"It was necessary, and can be a building block for future pacts between our Keeps. Purg and Naro are both dead, so chose who you marry wisely. Vadam may be able to build bridges by offering aid. We've recently gained the service of more Unggoy who can work farms."

"I have several eligible males that are open-minded enough that they may be good choices. At least they are young enough that they may end up leaning on my council which should allow me to steer the Keep from war." Kana glanced toward Kathleen. "Does your pet understand anything that we are talking about?"

Kathleen crossed her arms. "You're obviously from the most honorable bloodline in the Keep; meaning that whoever you marry is being given the vote of confidence to mix their genetics with yours, thereby giving them a leg-up in terms of status and making them the top choice for the next Kaidon."

Kana looked to Blade. "You've been teaching our politics to your pet," the female Sangheili growled. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that she is someone I trust. Who, despite me having almost killed her in the past, stands at my side." Blade glanced over his shoulder where Dawn was searching a cell. "I'm thinking that she sees the future that we can have, and she wants to help create it."

Kana still seemed agitated but Kathleen ignored them both. She turned away from them and moved toward the platform. "Can you use this thing?" she asked the AI in her helmet.

"Look for a port and we'll see," was Alduin's response. Kathleen looked over the controls, not really sure what any of them meant. "I do not see anything."

"Then we'll find somewhere else. Now, which button opens up Kana's cell?" Kathleen looked over the set of buttons and tried to figure out if any of them looked different. One symbol looked a bit different from the others and Kathleen tapped it. One of the cells to her right snapped on and she tapped it off.

"Don't just hit random buttons," Alduin scolded her. "Just give me a second." Kathleen scowled, not liking the AI's tone. She hadn't done any damage and she didn't like being told what to do by lines of programming. "Hit the one that's three from the left on the bottom." Kathleen moved her finger to hover over the button. "Yes, that one." Kathleen tapped the button and the cell holding Kana opened.

The female Sangheili Stepped out of her cell and looked to Kathleen. "Are you sure that that was the move you wanted to make? For all you know I could run off and warn the crew of this ship."

"Usually I'm a fan of blowing things up, or slaughtering those that aren't part of my team, but in this situation that wouldn't do us any good, so I'll refrain. We're taking the carrier, but there are Phantoms in the hangar that you can use to get back to the Keep." Kathleen crouched down and searched the controls for anywhere she might be able to slip a data chip in.

"So you're just going to let me go?" Kana seemed genuinely surprised. "Not going to take me back to Vadam as another prize?"

"That would be the most ineffective course of action," Kathleen informed her. "You're already planning to marry someone that wants peace, which is all we want from you. Besides, if we took you to Vadam it would likely only weaken your power in your own Keep - as they'd think we forced you to marry who Vadam wanted, rather than who's right for your Keep for your people's freedom."

Kana Moved across the room to stand before the platform. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for a terminal," Kathleen informed her. "I want to get a map of the ship, but there's no real port on this console." Kathleen stood up, concluding there was nothing that would help her.

"If you head out that door it should lead to the quarters of the officers. I am sure there is a terminal there," Kana informed her. "What exactly is your plan?" Kathleen noted that the Sangheili was looking to her rather than Blade.

"We plan on securing the most open areas on the ship, and then taking the bridge," Blade answered. "What do you plan on doing?"

"Peter, Luke, you'll see the lady to the hangar, get her set in a Phantom." Kathleen looked to Kana. "When we have the ship we'll let you know and you can leave, safe. We'll just fly this baby away and you can find yourself a new husband. Tell of the Shadows that killed your husband and Purg, and how we then stole your prized cruiser. Us doing that much damage should help sway the Keep away from war." Peter and Luke moved over to stand beside Kana. "This is Peter," she motioned to the sniper. "And that's Luke." Luke nodded to Kana politely. "They'll protect you. Luke, I want you to ready one Phantom for Kana and one for us. If Purg's bastards cause some sort of ship-wide system failure, I want to be sure everyone can get off it if it's going to go down. Peter, watch his ass and keep an eye on the doors. If you see anyone you contact me and report in." The two ODSS nodded. "The rest of us will head to the quarters and find a terminal, secure the ship and take control, get a new paint job for it - maybe a gray with some black highlights - and then we'll head home while our new friend here goes and gets her Keep in order."

Kana looked to Blade. "Are all humans like this one?"

"Only the ones worth knowing," Blade answered, moving up to the platform with Kathleen. "We should move. It is possible they are watching this room and may be preparing for us."

"Well then let's get moving," Kathleen turned and moved toward the door Kana had indicated. She heard Blade jump down after her and take up his place behind her. She only glanced over her shoulder once to see Luke and Peter arguing over who would take point as they led Kana out the other door.

The large group of Shadows moved down the hallway and Kathleen was feeling uneasy about how few enemies they were meeting. She wished she'd asked Kana about what kind of troops were on the ship, but it was too late now. Blade only brought them to a stop when he recognized a pathway ahead. He identified it as possible barracks that split off from the main hallway. Kathleen motioned to Dawn and to the left hallway before she turned and moved down the right. Each side of the hallway had ten doors but the group stopped at each door, clearing every room. Kathleen's group had cleared eleven of the rooms when they finally found a terminal.

"We have control over most of the ship's systems from here," Alduin informed her. A map appeared on Kathleen's HUD and the AI continued. "I can give directions to anyone on the team to whatever location you want. You can take out our chip and we'll stay in the system."

"You just don't want to split from Iceri," Kathleen accused. She switched over to the team channel. "All right, Tobias, take a team and hit the armory. Claw, take the other Shadows and go to the engines to secure them. Tym you've got the medical bay team. Blade, Dawn, and myself will take the bridge and secure the controls."

"Stay alert. If there are enemies lurking around here, they know this ship better than we do and likely to be able sneak up on you. Keep your blades ready and strike to kill." Blade looked to his left where Dawn was watching the door. "Are we going to wait for them to secure the other locations before we take the bridge?" Blade asked.

"No, we'll assault it at the same time. If they are trying to sabotage anything, waiting isn't going to make it easier on us. The quicker we get the bridge the sooner we'll have full control, and the sooner we can check systems to give direction to our teams." Kathleen pulled the empty chip from the computer. It felt odd to slide it into her helmet and not feel the cold sensation wash over her brain. She turned to see that Emily and Edward had joined them in the room and she guessed they would be coming with them to take the bridge. She hadn't really assigned them to any of the already established teams, and she trusted her soldiers to know where they belonged.

Edward took point, Emily right behind him with Dawn watching their rear. Blade watched their left while Kathleen took the right, keeping an eye on the map on her HUD. The lack of enemies was still making her nervous, the same as it had in the Keep. They checked each room as they passed them, but they were quickly approaching the bridge and there were absolutely no obstacles. What made it worse was the growing pain across her chest. It was causing her senses to heighten and made her more paranoid.

Kathleen was almost relieved when Peter radioed in. "Ma'am, got a couple contacts. Two Minors but they didn't seem to know what was going on. Their blood did make a cool blue blot on the wall. Looks like a horse."

"He's an idiot, Commander. It is quite clearly a cat," Luke cut in. "Oh, and we completed our escort mission. How much gold do we get?"

"One hundred gold," Kathleen responded, humoring him. "Keep an eye on the door. We're almost to the bridge so be ready to either crack open the alcohol or flee as quickly as possible."

"Well I forgot my corkscrew, so hopefully the Covenant have some kind of bottle opener," Peter responded. "We'll hold our position for now then. Over and out."

"Is something wrong?" Blade asked, pulling Kathleen's attention to him. The group had turned down a long hallway which should lead to the bridge.

"A couple Minors were in the hangar, they've been taken care of," Kathleen informed him. "Apparently they seemed unaware, so either they thought we wouldn't be in the hangar or they didn't know we were here at all."

"That is not what I'm referring to," Blade corrected. "You are tense and you seem to be rushing us getting to the bridge. Now is the time for caution, not haste."

"I'm never relaxed when things are easy. I'm used to a challenge; I was expecting a challenge from Purg." Kathleen shook her head. "I'd feel better if we were facing waves of enemies rather than just walking up to the bridge."

"Have you forgotten the wound on your chest?" Blade reached over and his fingers gently tapped her armor near the slash. He looked down at his finger, a displeased look on his face. "I would call that a challenge."

"At the risk of complementing you, he didn't hurt me as much as you did on Reach." Kathleen pushed his hand away. "I just thought he'd have more soldiers here."

"Purg might have overestimated himself. He thought there was no way for us to find this ship and didn't think we'd kill him. He might have only put a few soldiers here because that was all he needed to keep the ship in place until he was ready to take command." Blade slowed as they reached the door. "Not everything has to be difficult."

"But very few things are so easy; and I intend to trust my instincts when they say something is too simple." Edward moved to one side of the door and Emily moved to the other. Dawn, Blade, and Kathleen all crouched, preparing to charge the bridge. Edward hit the controls and the door slid open silently. Kathleen moved forward but stopped as they were met with an empty room. Blade and Dawn relaxed, but Kathleen felt more on edge than ever before.

"The ship isn't moving," Dawn observed. "No reason to have a bridge crew." She moved forward to one of the stations. "It is possible that the soldier working the comms was one of the ones that met us. Or that was the entire bridge crew."

"Possible," Blade agreed. "There's a terminal near the door where you can retrieve your AI." Blade motioned to wall beside the door. "I will check the weapons systems."

Kathleen moved over to the terminal and pulled the chip from her helmet. She glanced around the room, for some reason feeling like they were being watched. She moved back to the main console and slipped the chip into the first slot she found. It was odd to see Iceri and Alduin's avatars at the same time as they appeared over the controls. "Give me our status."

"There's slight protection around the ships controls, but nothing I can't break through," Alduin informed her. "I'll have this thing flying in no time."

"I think that I should drive," Iceri argued. "With his attitude he'd probably crash us all into a mountain." Iceri crossed the arms of her avatar.

"Excuse me, but who's the creature with wings?" The wings of Alduin 's dragon avatar stretched out and a puff of fire burst from its mouth.

"That's just your avatar," Iceri bickered, her avatar frowning at Alduin's. "It doesn't mean that you can actually fly better."

"I didn't ask you who would fly the ship," Kathleen snapped, causing both AI's avatars to look at her. "I wanted a status report."

Alduin huffed. "Medical bay reports an all clear, but scarce medical supplies to bring back to the Keep. The armory on the other hand is fully stocked, but there were no enemies." the reports didn't make Kathleen feel more secure. Seven seemed too small a crew to man a ship this size, even if the ship was stationary. It also troubled her that the highest ranking armor color she'd seen on the Sangheili they'd encountered was the red of a Major.

"The team that went to the engines found no trace of sabotage, and no enemies, but they did find a Huragok. That could be a great asset to Vadam." Iceri relaxed a bit and her avatar casually put its hands on its hips. "Seems to be clear in the surrounding areas a well, and I'm not finding any sign of enemies in the halls either."

"Good, alert me if anything changes." Kathleen looked down at the holo-controls before her but she didn't recognize anything. She tapped her finger against the metal of the station and waited for one of the AI to come back with something, anything. She wanted to pace the room, look over every inch to be sure that nothing was here - but she kept herself under control, focusing on the symbols before her as though studying for a test.

She heard the low growl first. Kathleen spun around, but it was too late. The blade stabbed through her chest and she could see the glowing blades sticking out of her armor, through the left side of her breastplate. Just from the location she could tell that something vital was injured. Everything slowed down, Kathleen's hand moving up toward the blades as she tried to turn her head and see her attacker. The blades suddenly vanished, which allowed blood to flow again and she could already feel it filling up her lungs. She turned enough to see the Elite in golden armor being pulled back by Emily and Edward. Kathleen's legs started to give out from under her, all strength having suddenly been drained from her body. Strong arms wrapped around her and she was pulled tight against something, but at least she wasn't falling.

Kathleen's gaze was still stuck on the Sangheili as he was pinned down to the ground by Edward and Emily raised a knife. The blade sunk into its neck, at the base, and she dragged it across the alien's throat. Its body spasmed as blood gushed from the wound. The death didn't even register in Kathleen's brain, the only thought she had was of how hard it was to breathe. She gripped at the base of her helmet, clutching at her throat. Kathleen felt herself lifted up off the ground and she knew there was movement. Someone shouted something but Kathleen couldn't make sense of words. Her hand finally found her helmet and she hit the release. She felt like she was suffocating inside her armor and she just needed out. Kathleen pulled her helmet off, letting it drop to the floor. She tried to suck in air but she still found it impossible to take a full breath. She was set down on something but the only thing she knew was it was hard and uncomfortable. Kathleen coughed, her body trying to remove the fluid from her lungs but it only coated her mouth in a copper taste and splattered blood across the armor that she was still pressed against.

Kathleen cursed herself for being so stupid. She should have checked the room first, then she would have spotted the enemy and she wouldn't be in this situation. She wouldn't be drowning in her own blood. Rough skin touched her cheek and the armor pulled away from her. Cold metal touched her forehead and Kathleen realized that she couldn't seem to keep her eyes open. Things were fading in and out and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She found her gaze meeting golden eyes, remembered the feel of what might have been biofoam expanding in her chest, but it couldn't remove the liquid that was already sitting in her lungs. She saw the helmets of her ODSS and for a moment she saw Dawn, but Blade crowded her vision, staying no further than an inch away from her face at all times. She tried to mock him, tell him that she told him something would go wrong, but she had no air with which to speak. Her body felt like it was becoming heavier and heavier, and her breaths were short and shallow.

This was far from how she approved of dying. Being stabbed in the back by an invisible Fieldmaster was definitely not in her top ten. It wasn't even Blade who had stabbed her, just some random Sangheili, and a dishonorable one at that. One that had turned on his Kaidon to follow an assassin for personal gain, instead the honorable Sangheili who were fighting for their species and their Keep - who were now sitting before her trying to save her, eyes locked with her own. She could see Blade's mandibles moving, but his voice was like one long continuous low sound in her ears. Kathleen felt her consciousness slipping and had only one last thought…

"This sucks."