Chapter 5 – The Blade of the Sangheili
1200 Units/ Ninth Age of Reclamation (Covenant Military Calendar)
Human Planet: Darathos/ Human Inner System: Unknown Classification/ Assault on Human Ground-to-Air Magnetic Accelerator Cannon/ Spirit Dropship
The assault force's vehicles consisted of ten Wraith mortar tanks, twenty Shadow ground transports, twenty-five Spectres, thirty Banshee scout fliers, and fifty Ghost scout vehicles. There were also five Spirit-class scout transports, and ten Phantom-class assault transports.
The infantry involved was no less numerous as there were over five-hundred Unggoy, two hundred-fifty Kig-yar, one-hundred Sangheili, and twenty-five pairs of Lekgolo.
Thirteen of the one-hundred Sangheili were currently seated in a Spirit-class transport and were currently heading towards the 'back door' of a Human Ground-to-Air Magnetic Accelerator Cannon. It was stationed on top of a heavily reinforced building made of duracreet, EMP hardened solid titanium alloy, and other Human substances. Surrounding three-fourths of the building was a large wall that was strung with Human defenses: turrets, tanks, barbed wire, and infantry. But the last side was facing directly off a cliff with only a low lying wall armed with automatic-turrets to hold off any invaders.
A Sangheili War Councilor named Ando Mormoslee sat onboard the dropship and went over the plan. First, the Spirit-class dropship will land over the wall and in the base. Its stealth plating would successfully make the turrets oblivious to the dropship. Then, all the Sangheili warriors but the pilot will be dropped off to disable the turrets for any future reinforcements and fight off any Human opposition inside the base. To make things even, since there would no doubt be Human vehicles in the five-kilometer long base, four Phantom-class dropships will arrive with a complement of Lekgolo and Wraith tanks. All of them would die, but for the Covenant cause.
Meanwhile, four of the Sangheili would infiltrate the compound to do three things: open the main gate so the force would be able to rush in the compound and destroy any defenses, disable the G-t-A MAC so the Covenant fleet above will have less to deal with, and capture any Human data that was worth noting… particularly the schematics of a Human orbital MAC gun.
Engagements in outer space with Human fleets that were reinforced with the orbital MAC guns were devastating to the seemingly unstoppable Covenant. Many good warriors died each time a ship was destroyed, so a way to sabotage the stations before the battle would save countless lives.
Ando's team sat by him:
Bordo Lignaraa, a hardened Sangheili veteran who fought countless battles alongside Ando was one of the best warriors the Covenant had. His best friend, Osama Binladen, was killed after a Human ship shot him with its MAC gun, and Bordo swore to avenge his death.
Just left to Ando sat Ordo Ignorslee, an honored Sangheili Minor. Ordo had saved the life of one of the High Prophets when a Kig-yar assassin tried to kill him. For Ordo's services, he was deemed an Elite Honor Warrior, and he was given a permanent overshield for his armor.
Lastly was Igna Orgnosla, a minor Zealot who had participated in the 'Taming of the Lekgolo' and managed to bring most of the Lekgolo race into the Covenant caste. The remainder of the Lekgolo who refused to join the Covenant was each personally killed by Igna. The Covenant Lekgolo still remembered the bloodshed caused by the Sangheili, so in order to prevent another war with the Lekgolo; he was demoted from Honorary Zealot to a minor Zealot.
Ando Mormoslee himself was a War Councilor, and he even wore the ceremonial Councilor armor as well. It was silver with a large plate-headdress. Ando even commanded his own Covenant Carrier: the Fabled Prophecy.
"We are about to make landing, brace yourselves!" The pilot warned. The Spirit dropship landed, and the Sangheili exited. While Ando, Bordo, Ordo, and Igna activated their cloaking devices and ran to the base's entrance, the rest of the Sangheili fought. All of them were red-armored veterans, and in seconds the automatic turrets were disabled. Several units later, four dropships landed and each dropped off a Wraith and a pair of Lekgolo.
The small force was soon attacked by a pair of Human tanks and a group of Marines, but the view of the battle was obscured as the door close behind the four Sangheili. Ando checked a small holo-map of the building, and soon they'd be coming up on a large control room… filled with Human Marines.
Ando had a single plasma rifle, a plasma pistol, and an energy sword. He kept the plasma rifle out and held it single handedly. His other hand rested upon his grenade pouch.
Bordo Lignaraa held a Covenant carbine at ready, and his needler wasn't far from reach. On his back was a portable plasma turret. Strapped on his belt was an energy sword.
Ordo Ignorslee shouldered his favored beam rifle, and with two plasma pistols and an energy sword, he was ready for almost any opposition.
Igna Orgnosla dual-wielded needlers; and his Covenant carbine was slung on his back. His belt was filled with grenades, and amongst them was an energy sword. He guarded the team's six, but he longed to kill Humans.
Actually, all of them did. And they got what they wanted a unit later.
There were twenty-four Humans; ten of them were Marines who were armed with shotguns and MA5Bs, and the rest were technicians who had HE pistols. All of them were surprised when four Elites came into the room, and they rushed to draw their weapons.
By the time they had their weapons out and firing, eight of them were dead. Ando Mormoslee fired his plasma rifle methodically, aiming for any of the visible Marines and working his way to the technicians. The Marines posed the largest threat, but the technicians combined their fire. Bullets nearly ripped through Ando's shields, and the Sangheili took cover.
"Grenades! On my mark… NOW!" Ando shouted over the COM. Four plasma grenades flew through the air… and seven Humans died. Only nine Humans remained, and all of them were Marines.
Ando leapt onto a computer module and swept the area behind it with blue plasma fire. The two Marines hiding there burned and died. Next, Bordo fired his Covenant carbine at three more Marines who had emerged from their cover. Carbine rounds tore through the air and stabbed at the Humans, all of them died from multiple headshots.
Four were left, and Ordo activated his helmet's heat sensors. Two Human figures cowered behind a large holo generator, and the Sangheili opened fire with his beam rifle. The two beams burned through the machinery and gored the back of each Marine's heads. The last two Marines emerged from their cover and sprayed the area with bullets. Three of the Sangheili melted away to the shadows; Igna sprayed his needlers' needles at the enemy. Dual pink explosions followed as multiple needles latched on the Humans… and gore sprayed across the room.
"We can disable this wretched Human cannon from here," Ordo murmured. The Sangheili tapped some Human buttons and typed in a series of commands. Above, the MAC cannon stopped gathering energy for its next shot. Nearby, Ando tapped a few hard-learned Human symbols. A display camera showed the main gates opening… and five of the Covenant's Wraiths thundered in. The base was being stormed.
"Excellent, we shall now proceed to the base's 'Intel Storage Room', we need to do so quietly, or the Human vermin might try to erase all the files stored in it." Ando grunted. He activated his cloaking device, and the other Sangheili followed. All four Sangheili faded out of view.
Igna held his position in a Human elevator, waited for everyone to enter it, and pressed a button. The doors closed, and the lift elevated. Soon, the doors opened and revealed twelve Humans. All of them manned turrets, and between all of them was a door labeled 'ISR'. The group's destination was just beyond their grasp.
"Open fire Marines!" A sergeant yelled. The Marines fired their turrets, and a seemingly unstoppable wave of bullets knifed through the air and filled the elevator. Bullets ricocheted off the chrome innards, and some stray bullets found the Sangheili who were tucked away on either side of the door.
"Turn off your shields!" Ando whispered, "They might give us away!" The Sangheili complied, and soon the bombard ended.
"Pork! Huggins! Move up and check the lift." The Human sergeant ordered.
"Damn it sir, my name is not Pork! It's Stephen! Pork isn't even close to it!" One Marine chided. Nevertheless, the two Marines went cautiously up to the lift. The Sangheili crouched down and tried to make themselves as small as possible.
Both Marines had their weapons drawn, and Ando felt their eyes pass straight over him. They didn't shoot.
"All clear sir! Our boys downstairs must have cleared them out!" Huggins reported. All the Marines cheered, but nobody noticed Pork's and Huggins's bodies fall… nor the four energy swords floating in midair. They didn't even notice the primed plasma grenades set amongst themselves until it was too late. The grenades exploded, twelve Humans died. The Sangheili warriors were sprayed with gore and blood. Next to Ando, Igna grinned humorlessly.
Bordo tapped a button on a nearby display, and the door labeled 'ISR' slid open. Pellets fired from a Human shotgun rushed to greet them, but in one swift move Ando had leapt upon his attacker and cut the Human's neck. Ordo retrieved the needed data before the data banks exploded.
"A Human A.I.! I should have guessed." Ando rasped. "Let us leave this accursed base; we still have a battle to fight."
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Ando smiled as he stood onboard his Carrier, The Fabled Prophecy. The Covenant fleet fired, and the Human planet burned. Another death; another casualty. Enemy ships attempted to make one last stand against the fleet, they burned too. Soon, the wretched race will all burn, Ando would see to that.