PART I
August 13, 2552, Reach, aboard Long Night of Solace
A Lion's Heart, chapter 1-2
All was normal, peacefully, militaristically normal. Sangheili brothers of various ranks sitting in their field chairs, pressing buttons, moving levers and operating within their jobs. Out the mighty observation window in front, stars, and magnificent constellation begging for the Covenants holy exploration. The planet before them, blue with ocean and luscious in forest, a once pure planet belonging to the Old Ones. Now it is in the clutches of the flighty, vile humans.
With this in mind, there was a Sangheili overlord in front, standing arms folded behind his back looking out the glass into the stars beholden. He seemed contemptuous, in his gold reflective commander armor. A cape slightly drug from his shoulders down to the back of his knees, telling of his importance.
As he stood, his eyes dim and faint. Normally, most Sangheili had their eyes reflect almost everything, everywhere they go, but not this one. His eyes faded and tired, he cared not about such things.
The purple Covenant bridge was perfect.
Another Sangheili, shorter in stature ambled up to the Supreme Commander. As he did, he held a light blue tablet-like item, with triangles, shapes, and other strange symbols on them. His armor, dark crimson, that of a Field marshal with all the smooth purple textures upon his plates. It was very shiny and new, telling possibly of recency of his preemption.
"Shipmaster," said the Field Marshal, "the Corvette has not communicated in for refueling."
The commander chuckled, "Marshal, you worry too much. The luminaries are finding what we seek, we just need to be patient."
"My apologies for the paranoia, but they have not communicated in almost an hour."
"We can investigate this later… see, the Ardent Prayer arrives."
Outside through the void of space, the Corvette floated out about a mile out towards their direction. It slowed approaching, and yet something was off. On top of its purple landing bay, strange crafts that were definitely not Covenant were there. They were dark grey, having a very boxy shape. As they stared, the Marshal stepped forward a bit, "humans!"
Purple static and energy came out of the Ardent Prayer, like it was being electrocuted. These sparks continued quickly, and before anyone else could react, the loud flash of light that was ear-splitting. They would raise their hands to block the light, but it took over before anything else. Following, this light faded, and darkness insured. There were no screams, no sound, no light, and no existence, only darkness. An entire Supercarrier ripped in two by the flash of light.
A gasp of air from a deep Sangheili's throat.
Sitting up quickly, he took in the surroundings around him. A deep green swamp, lucious with the grimy trees and foggy bogs. He sat upon what seemed to be wreckage. Looking around quickly, he put his hand on his hilt, taking a sigh of relief to see his sword was still there. This field marshal's armor was no longer bright, fresh and new. Now, musky and covered with the swamps grime a bit, he kicked off a strange green swamp leaf.
Standing up, he balanced his weight so the pad he was standing on did not sink under. Taking a look around, he shook out his left leg. Groaning just a tiny bit, he flexed his foot a couple times.
All Sangheili have only two large toes, which he did. But his left large toe on his left foot was a little smaller, a birth defect. Taking another inspection, he saw that it was alright.
Going through this strange swamp, the Marshal was the proper size, standing at almost eight feet tall, he would normally be an easy sight to see from any distance. But not here, the fog was thick, and anything could be lurking around in here.
Hearing groans from behind, he turned to face the noise. Recognizing the sound, he rushed over all the strange bog water and mounds for about fifty feet. The haze was thick, but clearer views came as he approached.
Another Zealot, trapped and locked by a huge wreckage, groaned and struggled against the weight of the wreck on top of him. The Marshal knew him immediately, it was his son, his own flesh and blood. "Son!" he said.
The elite turned and saw his Field Marshal, who rushed over to help. Reaching forward, he spoke, "help! I am stuck!"
The two elites worked together. The Marshal pulled on the large debris, and the other one pushed. It moved slowly, metal cracking and smearing into the mud below as they did. Freeing his legs, the younger zealot in his now stained crimson armor stuck them upwards. He rolled to the side, taking a gasp of free unrestrained breath before looking up to his father, he stood and loomed above him.
Holding up his arm, the father grabbed his son, pulling him to his feet. It was clear even with the fathers deformity he was still taller by a head or two. This son was young, and barely and somewhat awkwardly fit into the Zealot's crimson helm.
After taking another breath and recovering, the younger elite spoke, "what happened?"
The father grunted, fully taking the surroundings of the swamp, "I do not know."
Parts of trees where on fire, huge, smaller, and medium wreckage peices were scattered all around. He looked directly upwards, through the bog and haze above. Then back to his son, he clearly still seems distrot.
"Come, we need to keep moving," he said.
They would trample through and around the bog, at a slight speed walk. Not really in any sort of direction, without cause or way. That was, until they heard loud and rippling blaster shots. Quite clear through the thick fog, they could faintly hear the general direction it was.
The son took one look to the father, who just nodded, as the two began to sprint in the direction of the blasts. Grabbing his sword, the Feild Marshal ignited it with its purgeful blue light. With the younger elite, yes had a sword, much preferred his dark blue plasma rifle which he held with pride.
They would dash between grimy tree and boggy wood. Finally, they would see blue refractions of light from plasma rounds fickering from side to side.
It was quite clear very quickly of this encounter. Another Zealot, somewhat pinned behind some of the rubbish and wreckage between three trees. Six strange human looking white soliders fired upon him. Their armor was strangly different, and their weapons were looking to be plasma based, unlike their traditional projectile.
Having the flank on the humans, the Field Marshal charged ahead with a roar of justice. Over the muk and into the humans, it caught them completely off-guard.
Bones slices, muscles tearing, armor crunching, screams of agony, all were in the air as energy swords met contact with these soldiers. These six soon became four, as this sword made them look like butter met with a knife.
Clearing the way, his shields did take some hits, but not many.
The son in his hunkered spot fired his plasma weapon, hitting one of them in the back. Combined with the upward stab from the father, this soldier was annihilated from both sides.
Although, they noticed there were two Zealots behind that cover, yet only one would speak out to return fire with a needle rifle.
This peaked more interest, especially with the son.
Now, the squad of six turned to one, with the last soldier moaning and gurgling with blood in his throat. The sky-blue sword pierced straight up, his gut reflected off and up the other side.
The white human did not even respond, but just hesitated going limp. Turning off his blade, the hoisted man that was in the air fell to the floor.
All went silent for just one second, except the last few echoey ripples from the previous gunshots.
The Zealot who was hunkered down, looked up to see his saviors.
As he did, the father immediately recognized him, and he spoke out a little covered by the fog, "Kyso?"
The elite moved out of his cover, and another came with. It stood up, much taller than the others. His arm seemed weird, and he stood behind Kyso.
As the two approached the Marshal, Kyso too acknowledged them, which from the fog it was hard to, "Field Marshal? You are alive!"
The son, now seeing that they were friendly, came out to see them too. Four Zealots in crimson armor, all uniquely grimed up from the bog. The tallest one, being the Zealot with the diformed arm, gazed around to the surroundings (specifically the dead soldiers) before veering back.
"Fohas, your arm," said the Marshal.
"It was dislocated on arrival," he grunted in a flinch of pain, turning to the side, "that freefall killed most if not all of our troops."
"Freefall?"
"Yes, did you not see that we were all in it?"
"That would explain the rubbish," said the son.
Seeing the others were just as confused, he pointed up to the sky, "I did not see much, just a massive Slipspace portal, it split the sky and tore the Solace asunder."
"Hm," the Marshal shook his head, "the Ardent Prayer fizzed with strange energy before turning into a bright light… no…" he looked up too next to Fohas, "a Slipspace bomb? These humans were more dishonorable than I thought."
The other elites would only shutter hearing the thought of such a thing. But, all attention was given back to Fohas and his dislocated shoulder. The Field Marshal stepped behind him placing his long fingers against his armor where the shoulder blade should be.
"Hold still," he said.
Using his other hand as a brace in front, Fohas braced, knowing what was coming next. With the loudest press and pop anyone has ever heard, followed by a quick and sharp from Fohas. They relocated it, causing a weird sound as it rolled back into its socket.
Fohas rotated his shoulder, causing some strange rolling and popping sounds. He turned to his Marshal, and nodded, "thank you."
He would not respond, only marching forward again, he wove to them, placing his sword back on his hilt, "come, we must continue."
"Where are we going?" asked Kyso.
"To the Divine Beyond."
Well, I assume y'all want a backstory to this. In a condensed down nutshell, this story is not going to work like a traditional book. (Yea this was the original idea for this sorry for the few who actually read it first hand).
Here is what I mean.
At the top you will see numbers with the other story, this WHOLE story is just to add more flavor to the overall grand spectrum. STORIES OR LOGS WILL COME IN SETS OF THREE POSSIBLY MORE DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
Added, the chapter of which they are found in, in the main story, will be posted there too (if it follows the thread).
Anywho, like, comment, I'll post for this one as fast and as humanly possibly as I can, at the same time updating and editing it too. All my other stories' timing will not change, I have too much free time atm lol.
Nope y'all like this new idea,
Stay safe, stay healthy,
~NoXXiMillioN
OH AND ANY WHO WANT TO SUGGEST STORY OR LOG IDEAS I AM ALL EARS, I HAVE A FEW IN MIND BUT IF ANY WANT TO SPILL THEIRS ONTO ME ILL LISTEN LOL.