Chapter Six: A Whisper in the Night
The Covenant had taken Indicative. And of course, we were trying to reclaim it, but it was a losing battle. The barbaric Brute tactics were beating back the frail fleets of the UNSC. And I, Cynthia Haskins, was stuck on the front lines in the smallest ship in the battle. Covenant ships surrounded the Enceladus, and blasted its engines out just as we tried to head to slipspace. I had ran all the way to the bow and gotten into a cryotube when the majority of the ship depressurized. I don't know what happened next, but my frozen dreams were interrupted by something I thought I would never see again. Another person.
"Major, I can speak your language, but I can not yet understand the written form. You will have to do this." A rough voice said. I knew my cryotube was starting to defrost, because I was beginning to enter that space where I was half-asleep and could somewhat hear my surroundings.
"Stand back, they might act hostile." Another voice, more pleasant, said. I heard the taps of buttons and the sound of the thaw sequence. I felt the frosty cold around me disappear, and I opened my eyes. The door slid open, and I collapsed to the ground, weak. I looked around, first seeing a person. They were dressed… like an Elite, and held Covenant weapons.
"W-who…?" I sputtered out, not able to speak yet because my vocal cords were still half-frozen. I looked behind the person to see three Elites standing there holding Energy Swords. I jumped back - too fast for my recuperating body - and fell into unconsciousness.
Planet Therisalli, Sword Carrier The Servant of Recompense, December 15th, 2552…
The run to the secondary hangar was a short one, and we didn't encounter any Brutes along the way, a fact I tried to pass off as luck, but I still had a bad feeling about it. We were being led into a trap. The Imperial Admiral ran ahead with both his swords activated, and check the hallways as we passed them, just in case.
"The hangar is just ahead, through that door." He said, pointing to a large door at the end of the hall. I nodded and pulled out my Carbine, preparing for any enemies inside the hangar. Before we pushed through the door, we stopped to listen to the inside. From behind the door, we heard the distinct crackle of plasma fire, and the pulse of a Carbine.
"The Field Marshal." I said, pressing buttons on the control panel next to the door to get it open. Eventually, the magenta panels slid open, revealing an intense battle. Elites, led by a worn and battered Mizume 'Zehirae, were jumping across the tops of Seraphs hanging from the ceiling behind the Brute lines, dropping plasma grenades onto the infuriated barbarians. The Field Marshal, noticing the two of us running through the door, called down.
"Admiral! Major! We could use your help at the Banshee launch!" Mizume yelled.
"The Banshee launch?" I asked Tsutar over the sounds of the battle.
"The launch rails for the Banshee fighters on the far side of the hangar. That's a two kilometer run." He replied quickly, snatching up a Plasma Rifle from a dead Brute.
"We can do it, let's just get up there with the rest of them first. It will be a safer trip." I said. The Imperial Admiral nodded and began to walk to a ladder near us when we were stopped by a voice.
"You'll get killed up there, follow me." I looked behind us to see the woman we had saved from the frigate, Cynthia, standing there holding a Carbine and wearing armor identical to mine.
"Where did you come from?"
"The air ducts." The Imperial Admiral nodded in admiration.
"Smart. A Sangheili or Jiralhanae would not be able to fit through, but a human could." He paused. "I will stay here and aid Mizume in his fight. You and the human girl, go on ahead to the Banshee launch." I nodded and ran to Cynthia.
"I know that we're both technically UNSC, but I really hope you trust me." I said before pulling her along with me.
"I can't trust the Elites, and I don't know if I can trust you, but I'll follow along because I can't do anything else!" She yelled. I smiled.
"The air ducts up there?" I asked, pointing to a grate on the ceiling. She nodded, and I climbed up, replacing my Carbine with the Focus Rifle, firing on the grate. It melted, and I jumped in after it cooled. She climbed up and got in as well.
"So, we're heading to the far side of the hangar?" She asked, clambering forwards in the confined space.
"Yes."
"Well, I came from that side, so I should know the way."
"Most likely." I said, putting the Focus Rifle on my back next to the Carbine.
"Brother, do you hear something?" I heard a voice say, muffled by the layer of metal we were on.
"Yes, it sounded like a human." They sounded like Brutes.
"Impossible! On this ship?" The other one said. I was sitting on a grate, so I scooted over and lifted it up, grabbing a plasma grenade from my belt. I activated it and dropped it down on the head of one of the Brutes. I cried out in the split second before it exploded, sending blood splatters and discharged plasma everywhere.
"We must hurry. If the Brutes already are in these halls, then there may be Grunts or Jackals in the air ducts as well." Cynthia said, crawling forward.
The duct system in this part of the ship was very complex, because the hangar needed to be aired out constantly because of exhaust from the plasma engines of the Covenant ships. The air ducts were thick with a powdery, foul-smelling smoke that smelled of powdered eggs and wood fire.
"How much farther?"
"We're only using the ducts to get past the Brute lines, we can kick out the grate just ahead." She whispered, pointing down at another pair of Brutes walking past. These ones didn't notice us, and we were too close to the pack to take them out safely, so we quickly went on to a grate ahead. This time, I kicked it out and jumped down back into the hallway. We were parallel to the hangar, and were near a large doorway.
"From when I came here earlier - I didn't go down here, mind you - that was an armory, I heard the Brutes talking about raiding it. We can get some extra firepower there." Cynthia said, pointing to the door. I nodded and went to the side of the door, peering in. It was open, and I could see the racks and racks of weapons and armor. A dead Elite lay against a bench in the center of the room, but the room was empty other than that.
"Come on." I said, walking quickly into the armory. I walked over to one rack and pulled down a satchel of plasma grenades, sticking three on my belt. Walking to another, I grabbed some more ammo for my Carbine and batteries for my Focus Rifle. Then, stepping over to the rack next to it, I paused. On it were four Needle Rifles, rifles that fired explosive crystals that blew up on impact with organic substances. It could be very useful against Brute armor, because Carbine rounds could bounce off easily, but the needles would instead track the exposed sections of skin on the Brutes without me even aiming. I sighed and set down my full Carbine on a bench, snatching one of the Needle Rifles. In a compartment next to the rack, there were packs of needle rounds. I grabbed four and stuck them to my belt next to the grenades, grabbing another and loading it into the rifle. Upon putting in the magazine, the Needle Rifle switched on, the holographic scope winked to life, and lights turned on along the barrel. The gun hummed lightly in my hands and was slightly warm.
"What is this?" Cynthia asked behind me. I turned around to see her examining what seemed to be a version of the Elite armor, but it was black and looked much different and much sleeker than the other armor sets around it. Next to it were two Energy Swords, which I walked over and grabbed. Turning it on, I was surprised not to see the typical blue blades, but bright red ones. I switched it off and set it on the rack again.
"Whatever it is, let's leave it alone." I said, not exactly wanting to know the person who needed such large armor. I slung the Needle Rifle over my back and walked to another rack. I grabbed a Plasma Rifle and put it on the back of my belt.
Suddenly, I heard rustling from outside the door. Cynthia heard it too, and she ran over to me quietly, both of us ducking behind one of the benches. I got my Plasma Rifle ready as something came through the door. I jumped up with my Plasma Rifle drawn. The figure jumped back in surprise.
"Zealot Major! You're alive!" Now it was my time to jump in surprise. Before me stood 'Sacleous, the Elite that saved me on Indicative.
"Major 'Sacleous?" I said, looking him over. 'Sacleous nodded and lowered the Plasma Repeater he was holding.
"We must go. We must head to the Banshee Launch. We can't lose it."
"Do you know where the Imperial Admiral is?" I asked, wanting to know his peer's status.
"The last time I saw him, he was fighting a Brute Chieftan on the top of a Seraph. I ran here to get a Fuel Rod Cannon to help him out." 'Sacleous said, running a hand along his mandibles.
"I hope he's okay…" I said, adjusting my helmet.
"He should be, he was trained since he was just a boy in hand-to-hand combat."
"Okay, but still. I need you to grab that Fuel Rod Cannon and hurry back, and we'll continue on to the Banshee Launch." I ordered, looking 'Sacleous in the eye. He nodded and ran over to one of the weapons racks, pulling down a gigantic Fuel Rod Cannon. I turned to me, nodded his head and jogged out the door.
"Best of luck to you, Zealot Major." 'Sacleous said, pausing before he sprinted down the hall back to the battle. I turned to Cynthia.
"Grab some grenades and weapons quickly. We need to get out of here. No doubt what you said earlier is true. The Brutes will try to raid this armory." I said, pointing to the walls covered with weapons. She nodded and snatched up a Plasma Repeater and a satchel of plasma grenades. She kneeled down to adjust her Sangheili-armored chestplate, and then walked out the door. She motioned for me to go to her, but held up a finger to her mouth. Quiet.
"An armory, you say? Then we must take it!" I heard a Brute yell from down the hall. I came up to Cynthia and peered around the wall slowly. Standing there were two Brute Chieftains, walking lazily with their Gravity Hammers drawn. I looked back at Cynthia and smiled, unsticking two grenades from my belt. Cynthia knew my plan already - it was a standard UNSC tactic against Brutes - and nodded, grabbing two of her own grenades from the satchel slung over her shoulder. I held up three fingers, then two, then one. I dashed out and yelled to the Brutes.
"Hey! Over here!" I yelled, hoping to catch their attention. It took them a moment to understand what was going on, because they weren't expecting to be interrupted, but the Brute Chieftains then realized and roared out. They activated their Gravity Hammers and charged. I charged as well, activating the grenades simultaneously. As the Brutes drew closer, preparing to attack, I threw the grenades at them, sticking both in the chest. I jumped between the two Brutes and rolled, bringing my hands over my neck as the grenades exploded. The roared out, but did not collapse, instead whirling around to face me. This was Cynthia's chance to run up and stick the two Brutes with more grenades and jump back as they exploded. The two stunned Brutes stumbled around for a moment before both shaking their heads and raising their Gravity Hammers again.
"Humans? Here? The Sangheili have sunk so low in the war that they would accept the charity of heretics? This blasphemy offends all who walk the path to the Great Journey." One Chieftain coughed out, spitting a wad of blood on the ground. I smiled, even laughing slightly, just to keep their attention as Cynthia crept up behind them with her Energy Sword drawn. They stood dumbly as the lithe woman came up and raised her sword.
"Surprise." She muttered, before swinging her blade horizontally across the heads of the two Brutes. The two monstrous aliens fell to the ground simultaneously with a great thud. I stood up and gestured for Cynthia to come to me.
"We must go, before more Brutes come." I said. I took a moment to really see who Cynthia was - this was information I had failed to take in during the adrenalin-filled battles prior. She was about average height for a regular human, about five-ten, but was significantly shorter than me. Obviously, she was not a SPARTAN. She had bright green eyes and short-cropped white-blonde hair, and stood with a confident stance.
"If we're at a flat-out sprint, we can make it to the other end of the hangar bay in about ten minutes." Cynthia said, scratching the back of her head. I nodded and turned around again. I began to run, followed closely by Cynthia.
"When we get to the Banshee Launch, don't go to the Elite side. Get behind the Brutes - we have grenades, and lot's of them, so let's use them."I said, breaking into a sprint.
It was not long before we came up to the giant door to the Banshee Launch, and I quickly opened the door. As soon as the doors slid open, though, we were met with a fierce battle. Plasma bolts flew everywhere, and the yells of Elites rang through the open hallway. I pulled out my Needle Rifle and took aim at the Brutes charging on the Elites. I fired, the needles smashing through the resilient Brute armor like a knife through warm butter. The Brutes slowed their charge and looked around for the new attacker. I was a sharpshooter, and was trained to fire on fast-moving objects. With them stopping, this just made my job easier. I fired again and again, taking out countless Brutes as they poured weapons fire over the battered Elites trying to defend the lines of dormant starfighters behind them.
"Fieldmaster! Look!" An Elite Major called out to his commander, pointing to me and Cynthia. I ran up to the Elite Major.
"We're here under orders of Field Marshal Mizume 'Zehirae." I said.
"So I've heard, human." Another Elite said, walking up. He wore bright silver armor with glowing yellow highlights, and clutched a Plasma Repeater in one hand. "If you're going to help us, now's the time." He said, pointing to another pack of Brutes charging the Elites. I brought up my Needle Rifle again and let loose another volley of glowing needles onto the Brutes. The Fieldmaster leaned down, his mandibles drooped open in surprise.
"What?" I asked.
"You're a very good shot with a Needle Rifle, human, a trait not generally seen with your species."
"You're not the only ones with marksmen, Fieldmaster. I'm a sharpshooter. So, getting on with things, why is the Banshee Launch so important? You have the Ventral Hangar as well."
"If you don't already know - look behind you, human." The Fieldmaster said, pointing behind him. I looked behind me and saw a wall with a door at an angle to the floor. But it wasn't a wall.
"What is this?" I asked, looking up. This was an object resting against the wall, not the actual wall.
"The Sword Blockade Runner Impending Truth. Built by the Sangheili against the Prophet's orders as a… personal defense of Sanghelios." He explained, firing on a Brute Major storming through the wreckage of a collapsed Seraph.
"But why is it so important?" I asked, firing bursts of Needles at a group of Jackals scaling the wall.
"Because it has the same technology as a whole San'Shyuum Cruiser all packed into a Corvette. We can't lose it." The Fieldmaster said before putting all of his attention back to the battle. I nodded and kneeled behind cover, reloading my Needle Rifle.
"What's the status on our location?" I questioned, looking at the Brutes through the openings between the barriers. The Fieldmaster crouched next to me and peeked above the cover, surveying the battle before turning to me again.
"In the last hour, the Brutes have paid more attention to the south side, at the Seraph storage where you were. But, in the past few minutes, they've been sending larger packs of Brutes over here after realizing the importance of this position." The Field Master said, firing blindly over the barrier with his Plasma Repeater. I nodded and went into a prone position, creeping around the side of the barrier just enough so I could fire on the incoming Brutes.
"Field Master! The Majordomo needs to speak with you inside the corvette!" An Elite Major yelled from the door on the corvette. The Fieldmaster nodded and ran, still crouched, over to the door, constantly firing back at the packs of Jiralhanae that were now pouring through the doors on the left side of the room opposite the hangar shield. I let loose a barrage of Needle Rifle shots on the Brute Chieftains leading the charge on the corvette