Chapter 6
The fall of the hunters
Yes, this is the final chapter. Be sure to check out my upcoming fanfic, "The Grunt Arbiter". Thanks for all you support!
Ototo
The field of battle had fallen silent. Dead littered the place, Sanghelli and Lekgolo alike. A scavenger team of Lekgolo scoured the field, looking for those who were still living and recording those who were not. Saru, who was helping with the cleanup, heard a low moan. He wandered over to where he had heard it, and found what he was searching for.
"Over here! We've got another wounded." Saru called out to the medic team. A medic inspected the hurt Lekgolo.
"He's too badly hurt to move. His body organisms are mostly dead. Bring a Sa'klec."
Saru had never seen an operation done with a Sa'klec, and was anxious to see. His medical tool looked like a small jar, but the glass was tinted, perhaps to protect its contents from light. The medic took the container and set it down near the head of the patient. Next, he rolled the wounded Lekgolo over and undid the helmet clasps. What happened next shocked Saru. The medic plunged his head into the exposed part of the head, and carefully withdrew the Talgru- the brain organism, responsible for the growth of the Ret'au- body and flesh organisms. The medic carefully placed the Talgru inside the Sa'klec and closed the top.
"He will eventually return to his full size. It will take much time, however." The medic smiled, happy to save another life. He loaded it onto his assistant's cart and continued on. "That makes 79 Talgru collected total on the field, and 167 confirmed dead."
Saru stared up at the sky.
"Why did they come? To wage war and then leave, nobody gains from that."
ABOARD COVENANT FLAGSHIP IN ORBIT ABOVE LEKGOLO PLANET
UNIT 7556
78 CYCLES
"This is an outrage! Why weren't our forces victorious!" The angry yell of the Prophet of Regret III echoed through the chamber.
"We had no Intel on their weapons, or technology. It seems our spies had failed us. Rest assured, they will meet punishment." The Commanding Sanghelli explained patiently. Another Commander raised his voice.
"There are other ways to take a planet. We have technology they do not. Our air fleet. I propose we take them by threat. Tell them we have superior technology, that our majestic space fleets could rind them into the ground."
"And if they do not accept?" shouted a Prophet.
"We shall destroy them from the atmosphere. Set ablaze to their planet, in the name of the Covenant!" The four prophets (yes, four) talked among themselves for a second. Then they turned.
"The Prophets support your decision."
"As do the Sanghelli!" yelled their representative.
"It is settled. Let us hope they have the wisdom to agree." Said the Prophet of Courage. "And let nothing stand in our way…..
TRANSMISSION TO THE CHIEF OF THE LEKGOLO
"Highest Chief," Said Rolu, bowing. "We've detected another ship from the invaders entering our atmosphere. Shortly after our radar picked up their signal, we received this."
Rolu pulled out a recording tape and played the message.
"Attention to the inhabitants of this planet. We wish to strike a bargain with you. Destroy our ship and you will face destruction like you have never seen."
The Chief Lekgolo, Karu' deruto considered this.
"Prepare a vehicle. We are going to have a little talk with these intruders."
The messengers of the covenant stepped out of their ship, where the Lekgolo chief and his guards stood. A prophet, clearly the representative of the covenant, stepped forward and addressed them.
"We congratulate you on your victory. However, you will not win this war. Our races far outstrip your own. Observe." The prophet reached into his cloak and pulled out a clear orb. He handed it to the Lekgolo chief. It suddenly glowed blue, and images began to swirl around inside it. A Covenant Cruiser, sleek and elegant, effortlessly sailing through the depths of space. The beautiful gardens contained inside the flagships of the covenant.
"See? There is beauty within the covenant." The prophet said. "But there is also great strength."
The image changed again, this time showing a vicious sanghelli on the field of battle, fighting a foreign race. A covenant destroyer ship, bristling with weapons lined on the hull. The mighty honor guards of the covenant, standing tall and proud with weapons in hand. Then the ball became transparent once again.
"Join us, and become a part of this incredible majesty. Fight along side the fiercest warriors ever to live. Or refuse."
The ball displayed its images again. A planet, ravaged with battle. An alien warrior, cut down by a fearless sanghelli. And finally, a planet, its atmosphere burned away and its surface alive with fire and destruction.
The ball snapped back into its clear state.
"Which path will you choose?" asked the prophet.
The chief of the Lekgolo smashed the orb into the ground. It shattered into a thousand fragments. Then he looked up wearily.
"We will join your covenant."
And The Lekgolo left their home planet, never to return. Eventually those who remembered life in a place they truly called home passed away. The Lekgolo forgot their own name, they forgot where their race had once prospered, and they even forgot their own language. They had left their once proud past behind. And as more races joined he covenant, they forgot who they were. And all that was left was….
Lekgolo.
