Though his brother Madiba had been killed by Tartarus a few weeks prior, Mar still felt his presence with him. Something inside, something deep down told him that Madiba was watching over him. Protecting him. And although to the outsider it may have sounded a few straws short of crazy, he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that it was true. The red twins were still in play.
We shall grind them into dust.
His drop hatch flipped open to reveal a massive flood of, well, Flood. He would have been in great denial to claim he was without fear, but he didn't let it beat him into submission either. He was protected and he knew it. Mar flicked out an energy sword and slew two Human combat forms right off the bat.
The rest of his team began to emerge from their pods. First out was Falzud, who too equipped an energy sword and helped to fend off the attackers. Maltoz and Gurma were out next, both sporting plasma rifles. Mar stabbed another combat form in the chest and kicked it away as Zoza, the last of the Spec Ops Elites, broke free from his pod and joined the fight.
After a few moments the five of them had cleared a perimeter, so Mar looked around for survivors of any species. Histories aside, no one deserved to be consumed by the Flood.
He saw the Arbiter and the Demon jogging over to him. Despite having taken part in the mission that saved the galaxy from Tartarus's ignorance, his own reputation did not precede him like theirs did.
This was Mar's first time meeting the fabled Demon. Also, since he had stayed behind to guard the Scarab with an Imp and an Elite Minor while everyone else fought the former Chieftain of the Brutes, it was technically his first meeting with the Arbiter as well. However, there wasn't any time for formalities. All focus was rightly centered on stopping the planet's infestation.
"My brothers, I fear you bring bad news," the Arbiter surmised upon arrival.
"High Charity has fallen!" Mar informed him. "Become a dreaded hive!"
"And the fleet? Has quarantine been broken?"
"A single ship broke through our line, and we gave chase."
"But we had a fleet of hundreds!"
Mar nodded in agreement, but had mostly gotten over the shock of it himself by now. He nearly forgot the gravity of the situation until he found himself explaining what happened to someone who hadn't been there.
"Alas, brother. The Flood... it has evolved!"
The group followed the Demon's lead as he burned a path through the Flood with a flamethrower. Mar and the Arbiter took up positions on either side of him with energy swords, protecting him from the left and right. The Spec Ops Elites were all behind them covering the rear and tossing the occasional plasma grenade into the dense clusters of Flood up ahead.
From the drop pods, past boulders, and up a long ramp littered with large industrial crates, the team fought their way to one of the many factories in the area. At the entrance, the Demon turned to the Arbiter and shook his head, then dropped the flamethrower with a heavy clunk.
Must be out of fuel, Mar thought.
He held up a fist and knelt as he watched the duo briefly stack up outside the entrance before moving in single file. Obviously anxious to get moving, Zoza tapped Mar on the shoulder and reported, "This section seems to be cleared, Major."
"For now at least," Mar replied, standing. "Come, we must find the Oracle's relic. According to His prophecy, it is in the heart of the infestation."
"Then that is where we must go."