-1The 'Flames of Glory' flew in the depths of slip-space. Hiding inside a hanger bay, a field master Elite and a veteran Elite looked around for any enemies. "Strange" the veteran said "the ship left Dogma after we got here, but there doesn't seem to be anybody around." "Something tells me we're not in safety yet" the field master said activating his plasma sword "come." The two walked in the dark and eerie corridors of the carrier ship. They saw no one as they walked around, but they had a feeling something was watching them. After a couple of minutes of undisturbed walking, they reached the ship's bridge.
The red-armored Elite smelled something coming from the other side of the door leading to the bridge, and when it opened up the Elites were in shock. Right in the center of the control area was a giant blob made of mutated bodies. It also had large tentacles that were connected to the holographic control system of the carrier. "I…..can't believe this" the golden-armored Elite said "those things…..they can also control ships?" The veteran was too stunned to speak, he just looked at one Elite head that was on the blob which looked like the ship master of the 'Flames of Glory.'
"Unidentified carrier!" a static voice of an Elite spoke "stat your identity, or prepare to be destroyed!" The two Elites wondered who that was and saw the main screen that showed the view outside the carrier. Their ship appeared to have gotten out of slip-space and was now facing towards the holy city of High Charity. The voice of the ship master, in a rather unemotional tone, replied "This is the 'Flames of Glory', we have came back from Dogma with something wonderful to bring." The Elites stood wide-eyed and heard the other Elite answer "The 'Flames of Glory?' S-sorry to delay the High Prophets, shall we send a Seraph to pick up the Prophets?" "No need" said the ship master's voice, which seemed to come from the large blob "the Prophets wish to be welcomed with no security forces as it will ruin their surprise." "Yes sir" responded a confused-sounding Elite who then ended the communication signal.
"No!" shouted the veteran as he ran to the controls. He tried to send another signal to warn High Charity, but the blob had just blocked the signals. "Damn it!" he shouted "we should had stop this damn thing while had the chance, now those parasites are going to infect High Charity and with the advantage of no security!" "There is still time" the field master comforted the other soldier "in case of a take over, the 'Flames of Glory' has a emergency detonation system which we can use. But the detonation is delayed, so that gives us enough time to find the Prophets and escape." The veteran thought about it, and said "so be it." The golden-armored Elite then hacked off the blob's tentacles and was starting the detonation, while the red-armored Elite was looking at the ship's map hoping to find the High Prophets with a tracking device. As soon as the field master activated the detonation, a loud beeping noise confirmed the activation and a sound of unnatural roaring confirmed that mutants were coming after them. "I found the Prophets" the veteran quickly said "they are in the holding cell a few corridors from here, let's go!"
As they ran outside the bridge, two mutated Elites and one mutated Grunt was coming from down the corridor. The golden-armored Elite sliced his infected brethren with his sword while the lesser Elite fired his plasma rifle at the Grunt. The two monsters fell quickly and the bloated Grunt fell, only to explode and send out a couple of parasites out of it's body. The Elites didn't have time for this and simply charged right through the vermin, letting their energy shields take care of the pests. Soon dozens of the parasites and their mutated hosts came to end the lives of their prey. Once again, the field master cut down the Elite mutants and the veteran fired plasma and threw grenades at the mutant Grunts and bugs. One plasma grenade's explosion knocked a Grunt carrier to next to his bloated siblings and creating a chain reaction, also getting many creepy crawlers too. The Elites though continued running, passing through a fog of spores and bug guts.
At last, after managing to get past the countless monsters, the Elites entered the holding cell area and closed and deactivated the door behind them. With no time to lose, they freed the surprised Prophets from their prison. "Honorable High Prophets" the gold-armored field master spoke as he and the veteran bowed before the three leaders "we come to rescue you from this dreaded place. Now let us leave before we all are eaten by the parasites!" The veteran, thinking for a moment, speaks "but how will we escape? The way to the hanger is filled with parasites and the 'Flames of Glory' is about to detonate!" The field master blinked, then groaned at his stupidity. "I've failed you, great Prophets" he sorrowfully said "may the Forerunner have mercy on us all!"
The High Prophet of Truth looked at the depressed Elite and spoke "do not give up now, noble Elite. We have been suspicious of the trip to Dogma and we haven't come unprepared." The Prophet pressed a button on his hover chair and a secret door opened at the end of the holding cells, leading to an escape pod. Surprised by their luck, the Elites escorted the Prophets to the pod. As they got near the entrance to the pod, they heard multiple loud bangs and saw that the deactivated door was being dented from the mutants on the other side.
"The parasites will be upon us!" shouted the field master "warrior, you get the Prophets out of here while I hold the vermin off." The golden-armored Elite then tossed his plasma sword to the red-armored Elite. "And by the way" the field master said "you proved yourself to wield an honorary weapon, now go!" The veteran looked at his new sword, then activated the escape pod which he and the High Prophets were already in. The pod's door sealed just as the monsters got into the holding cells. The veteran could hear an Elite war cry along with mutants screeching before the pod detached off the 'Flames of Glory.' As the pod went to High Charity, the remaining Elite watched the carrier explode while the Prophets remained silent.
The escape pod soon stopped on a landing zone in High Charity. The veteran got out first, and was in front of a large angry Covenant army! "Freeze!" shouted an Elite officer "you are under arrest for the destruction of the 'Flames of Glory' and the High Prophets! "We are alive" said the Prophet of Mercy as he and the other Prophets got out of the pod, relieving the Covenant forces "this warrior has helped escape from a deadly enemy!" "And what deadly enemy is that?" asked the Elite officer. He soon got his answer when a yellowish green blur came off the top of the escape pod and sliced the officer in two. The blur soon ran towards the Prophets, but the veteran quickly tackled the blur and both fell off the landing zone.
The veteran landed back-first on hard metal. He groaned a bit and stood up. The Elite noticed he was at an unfinished area of High Charity, with Engineers flying around and working. A snarl caught the veteran's attention and turned to see something horrifying. It was another mutant, but one was the Prophet of Ponder connected to an Elite, and judging by the glowing pieces on it's torso it might have an honor guard. The mutant roared and sent a flying kick to the veteran's face. The Elite grabbed the mutant's rotten leg and ripped it off, then started swinging it at the monster. It blocked it's leg with some tentacles, and the mutant and the Elite were parrying each other's attack like a sword fight. As they fought, Engineers just continued working as if nothing is happening.
After three minutes of parrying, the mutant got the upper hand and disarmed the veteran. With no ripped-off leg to defend himself, the Elite was hit with many tentacles and was knocked down by a wall. The mutant killed a nearby Engineer and took a heavy metal object it was carrying. Exhausted and beaten, the veteran watched as the monster came closer and closer. He was ready to give up, but then he remembered the field master, and his sword he gave to the veteran. Remembering he still has it, he slowly moves his hand to his side. The mutant was now in front of the Elite, raising the metal object then sending it right to the red-armored Elite's skull. Suddenly, the veteran instantly moves out of the way, activates the plasma sword, and impales the mutant.
With pure energy flowing through it's veins, the mutant explodes in pieces. The veteran wiped off the slime from his face and deactivated his sword, satisfied with his victory. He was about to leave when he noticed the Prophet of Ponder's head, still breathing. The Elite picked up the head and looked at it, seeing the head look at him. "H-how did you…..get there powers?" asked Ponder's head. The Elite was confused and was about to speak, but multiple plasma projectiles came and obliterated the head to nothing. The veteran turned to see an Elite ranger with two overheated plasma rifles. "The Prophets wish to see you" said the ranger.
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To be continued.