Warning: If you copy/plagiarize any part of my story, you will be prosecuted to the maximum legal extent. If I can't really do anything to you legally, I'll just flame you and/or report you, unless it was honestly a coincidence. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: None of the characters from Halo, Halo 2, or the Halo books are mine. Klasz Hakamamee (the name) belongs to Mr. Xiran and the character itself belongs to Bungie and Microsoft. Yes, he let me use the character, so don't flame me.
A/N: Thank you all so very much, I know that I have been updating slower lately, but my writing skills continue to advance as it goes (at least I hope so ). I really have been doing my best to get this fic up, through rain, snow, and school I have been thinking up on the plot as well getting through the tiresome writers blocks I get if I don't plan out the story ahead of time. Not only that, but I've been glued to my T.V. set with my early Christmas present, the glorious Xbox 360 D. I also saw the new Halo 3 trailer, VERY beautiful. Along with all that, an online game called "Maple Story" has had me hooked (I am now a lvl 30 fire/Poison wizard if anyone wants to know) for a while here. All that aside though, I dearly love my reviewers, your advice helps me very much, and motivates me to write faster! Now, please enjoy my latest chapter….The Price of Arrogance.


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Rtas' Vadumee: Rise of a Recruit

Chapter 8

The Price of Arrogance

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It was dawn now. Multiple Covenant drop ships and Banshee's circled over the human city, and Wraiths moved in to the ensuring chaos. The city had been under attack for the past seven hours, and the streets were paved with both human and Covenant blood. Warthogs and Scorpion tanks lay dismantled, pieces strewn across the land and mixed in with the bloody gore that would make even the hardest man puke. Fires had started, and they still burned and caused smoke over the perimeter, signifying a great struggle. But that struggle had only just begun.

Rtas could see the smoke even before he was within a miles radius of the city that the panicking humans had been holding up in. With their cannons and teams set up across the planet now destroyed, they were being beaten back deeper to their main base, holding out hope for a miracle. Rtas snorted and knew they had no chance to stand up to the might of the Covenant. The only time he had ever known fear for them, was with the Demon. And now, it was gone, leaving him honored and contempt.

The U shaped drop ship slowed now, coming up to their destination. Rtas held tightly to a bar, looking down at the ruined city. The amount of carnage was, simply put, immense. The humans had surprisingly held the area for a long while, using effective tactics and strategies that amused and amazed Rtas at the same time. They had various guard towers set up, with wide streets that would permit them to use their vehicles to the fullest extent, as well as many easily securable buildings. Rtas glanced to the side and saw three other drop ships along side of him, pulling in to drop of the other teams that had managed to survive the drop.

The young Major looked back to see his squad of units were all there and ready for the task that laid ahead of them. His team now held Dai', Zekunee with his younger sibling, Rtas's right hand man Kusovai; and the newest addition Naqua along with many Unggoy who all appeared anxious and nervous at the same time. Dawn was here, which meant

now was the time to strike the final blow and crush the humans here and now, without wasting any more time.

As the drop ship came to a near halt in the air, Rtas briefly wondered how the inferior aliens had managed to hold of the Covenant for so long? This brought him to think about why the Covenant simply did not offer the humans to join the Covenant. He shook his head and reminded himself of what the Prophets had told him. These creatures halt us on are Great Journey, and are the Forerunners enemy's. They must be dealt with properly if the Covenant is to gain the great divine!

This made little sense to Rtas, but he knew that his unshakable faith would lead him through. Now the shuttle lowered, its awkward door's opening to reveal the burnt city to the Covenant soldiers. Roza'k's voice was heard from inside the ship, static only slightly interfering with the message.

"Alright guys, here we are. You know your mission CRACKLE Be sure to inform us the moment you spot human forces, the Shipmaster plans on inspecting this situation himself."

Rtas checked his carbine, and felt the sword that rested on his belt before hopping out of the ship and landing on the hard, concrete ground below. His knees felt the surge when he landed, taking away most of the shock as his team followed him. Once the Sangheili and Unggoy were unloaded, Roza'k dropped the Wraith tank off before them. Naqua' quickly went inside the behemoth and piloted it. Scanning the area some more, Rtas saw that the other dropships had left their units and were beginning to take off, with several Ghost vehicles now parked below and their crew prepared for combat.

Rtas stopped for a split second to see four Kig-Yar foot soldiers under the command of a Sangheili major, just as Rtas was. The other team to his side held a single Lekgolo, obviously saddened for the apparent lost of its partner. The species shared a deep bound with their partners, and one never saw one without the other, unless of course it had been slaughtered. Rtas spared some pity and regret over the large creatures fallen comrade, but he stuck to his duties and looked on to see it accompanied by six Unggoy and another Sangheili Major, who held an energy sword. Each team was fitted with specific duties, and Rtas's relied mostly on the strength of his fellow brothers, the Sangheili.

Along with the six Sangheili he knew by heart now, he also counted a total of four Unggoy that were fitted with needlers and plasma pistols a single Unggoy held the almighty fuel rod cannon in his possession. Their squeaking revealed irritation in dealing with humans, but slight satisfaction was also apparent in the thought of blasting some more human marines. Rtas looked down on them with his dark green eyes, silencing them. The Wraith tank behind him immediately made its way up to his left, the cannons on the side now activated. Rtas nodded but waved the signal for it to be motionless, Naqua' inside, without delay stopped the vehicle as ordered. Rtas noted that now two Sangheili piloted the Ghosts besides him, apparently waiting for their leader's approval to move upwards.

Sniffing the air, Rtas stepped several feet forward, his massive hoofs crushing several small pebbles beneath them as he looked ahead at the city's military base. Up ahead no doubt held many humans trained to shoot the first thing that came in site with their sniper rifles and assault rifles. Other then that, Rtas decided that the heavy forces were most likely inside the large, rectangular base ahead. Around every corner lurked danger, but Rtas believed his team along with his other comrades would easily trek through it and deal with the threat accordingly. He still hated the smell of Kig-Yar though.

Banshees flew high above him, waiting for his orders to move up and assault whatever lay ahead. Rtas admired the respect and loyalty his many troops gave him, how they would sacrifice even themselves to assure the Covenant victory. The red clad soldier felt a pang in his heart, the losses he had encountered had been bad. Shaking off his thoughts, Rtas walked forward, his troops following him in a basic squad motion, the Wraith tank creeping up from behind. Motioning the Sangheili Major's, Rtas turned on his COM channels.

"This is Rtas 'Vadumee, my squad is in position to move ahead and take out any human scum ahead. We suspect slight resistance on our way to the military base, but it's best to be prepared."

The Inter-com was silent for only a moment, as a gruff voice came on the other line.

"Klasz 'Hakamamee, it is good to hear from you. Your father has said much of your tactical skills; those shall be much valued here. As for your idea, it's agreed. These pathetic scoundrels shall be stroke down by our holy might."

Rtas knew of his title, Klasz 'Hakamamee which was known throughout this region of the Covenant. It was quite an honor, and the Sangheili sensed a shock of glee from hearing it.

"Indeed, let us move our Ghosts out first, to scout right ahead of us. Depending on what they see, we will either move up in full force or pick them off one by one, whatever the situation calls for. Rtas out."

Forming a silent prayer for victory, Rtas told Naqua' the plan. She would be the bulk of the heavy assault force, backed up by Ghosts as well as Banshees and foot soldiers. Moving up in a crouched position, Rtas took out a pair of binocular like objects, the Tzoku armor of the Sangheili shining as the Ghosts departed and made their way deeper into the city past burning car's and rotting corpses. Rtas kept on the Inter-COM, prepared to move up and attack if necessary.

The Ghosts rounded the corner, and what they saw beyond it shocked them and caused Rtas to sweat. Guarding the entrance to the base, laid at least seven ODST Marines, clad in black armor and armed to the teeth with Snipers, MA5B's, and various other assorted weapons of death. Along with that held two machine gun turrets aimed by the entrance. But, worst of all was a fully armed, fully functional Scorpion Tank. And now the two Ghost pilots were face to face with the muzzle of the giant tank. The Scorpion tank fired.

Rtas saw the first ghost shredded to pieces by the blast, the vehicle torn to pieces now had pieces flung off to the side, the poor Sangheilis body ripped and tattered. The other Ghost driver was fortunately spread out from his comrade, his shields absorbing the damage as pieces of wreckage flew towards him. The tank turned slightly, aiming its large "gun" at the Sangheili piloting the Ghost. Soon after the shock, the Sangheili veered the Ghost around, narrowly avoiding one of the ODST's sniper shots that pinged off his Ghost.

Rtas roared orders to his comrades, having everyone getting into place and now talking specifically to the lone Ghost driver.

"Brother, quickly lure the enemy's Tank this way around the coroner!"

The Sangheili was smart, and did not waste his time or energy asking why. He moved and went full speed in his ghost as the Tank peppered him with machine gun fire and slowly advanced forward. His Ghost now being ripped apart, the Sangheili did his best to avoid the assault as best as he could, bullets penetrated his shields and sunk deep into his flesh, purple blue blood squirted out. Putting the pedal to the metal, the Ghost pushed past dead bodies and went around the corner, the tank close behind him and ready to finish the job.

Rtas glared, not at the Sangheili driving the Ghost, but rather past him at the end of the street. Holding his hand up, a bead of sweat rolled off his face and he concentrated deeply on his view. What felt like hours which was probably only about fifteen seconds, the sight of the tanks gun was viewed by the Covenant. Rtas practically flung his arm down and roared in his language. The Wraith behind him that was piloted by Naqua' moved slightly forward, and shot off a single large plasma bomb, which seemed to shine from the dawn and was fired at that exact spot were the tank was coming around. It made it around the corner in time to see the large plasma shot hit it.

The Covenant soldier's unleashed plasma barrages on it before it knew what had happened, and it soon exploded in a hellish blue and orange colored flame. Rtas told his followers to move up, and all three teams simultaneously moved up and secured the position that led up to the human base. They waited and listened for the sign of any Marines following the tank. None came. Rtas turned to see his fellow Covenant, and decided it was time to strike while the iron was hot.

Stopping and having his team look out to see if any humans came, Rtas explained his idea to Kusovai, and the other Sangheili Majors who had gathered there before him. After around short fifty seconds, they came to an agreement and got themselves posed for what await them. The Kig-Yar squawked in their own filthy language, moving up quickly to the very edge of the corner. A bead of sweat dripped from the young warriors head, the Tzoku armor of a veteran made him nervous, the thought of failure was not an option in itself. Rtas checked his binoculars one last time to the south of them, a blood red color covered the sky.

Peering through, it didn't take long for him to spot a banshee circling far off over in another part of the city. It was looking for any other human reinforcements or survivors. Rtas doubted it would find any, but he knew it was for the best that it searched, for if there was even the tiniest chance fleeing humans could have taken anything as precious as an artifact it could mean outright failure. He tried harder not to think about every possibility of failure, and the veteran Sangheili raised his hand high into the air once more, making quick, silent gestures.

Immediately, the large Lekgolo leaped out around the corner, taking precise aim with its mighty fuel rod cannon and shooting it into the marines, sniper rifle fire pinged harmlessly off its armor. The green glob of plasma traveled true, striking the first chain gun and obliterating it into a thousand little pieces along with the marine. Many marines looked to see the explosion, covering their eyes. This gave the single Unggoy the few precious seconds it needed to get into position.

The Unggoy fired a clean tow shots, the recoil nearly knocking it off its short, stubby legs. The plasma destroyed the other turret, taking two marines with it, including the operator of the turret. As this happened, the Sangheili and Kig-Yar moved up, the Sangheili who had carbines switched to them and opened fire with a barrage of death down on the marines, who were still trying to track down the Lekgolo and take it out.

Rtas fired a burst of carbine ammo into one of the marine snipers before he could get a shot at him, while the veteran nearest to him pelted two more of the marines, who fell under the combined barrage. As the last marines fell, Rtas felt pride in how his plan had shattered the human marines. Unfortunately, no plan is completely perfect.

As one of the marines died, he fiercely gripped his rocket launcher just as he gripped onto his fading life. His chest had been shot, legs dead and blood spewing out. He clung for a few precious seconds, and thought of his family back home. Young Larry his son and the older daughter Julie. His beautiful wife, Beatrice. With the last of his strength, he fired the rocket, it flew and struck a weakened building, which collapsed and fell to the ground as Covenant soldiers gazed up, the Sangheili rolling out of the way. Parts of the building fell down upon the Covenant soldiers, crushing beneath it two of the bird like creatures, and one of the single "Grunts". The Marine collapsed to the ground a grin on his face.

Rtas growled deeply, letting out a cry of anguish. That had been his Unggoy, and now thanks to one petty human they had lost three of their own. Sprinting to the side, he shot down the last human marine who was trying to flee inside the building. He made it to the entrance before a carbine nailed him in the back of the head. The results of the battle were heavily leading to Rtas, with three casualties, all lesser Covenant soldiers. But that didn't; make much of a difference to him; he cared for nearly all his warriors. Other then Kig-Yar of course, which disgusted him to no end.

Scouting the area, Rtas made hand signals, alerting his men and telling all to move up to the sides of him. Crouching low to the ground, they surveyed the area until coming upon the entrance. Rtas felt as though someone would take a shot at him at any second, but surprisingly the area was barren and empty. Many dead Covenant Sangheili and other soldiers laid dead around here, more marines that had apparently died in earlier sieges had been moved off to the side were they'd be safe. Rtas said a prayer for the Sangheili, and instructed the Unggoy and Jackals to carefully carry them to a safe spot as well.

As they completed the task, Rtas radioed Naqua to come up, now that it was fairly safe to move onward. With that out of the way, Rtas moved to meet the other veterans. One, who had been leading the Lekgolo, had a large scar in the shape of an "X" that slide down from his eye across his face, a battle scar from long ago.

"Rtas, the humans here have been eradicated. It would be best suggested that we radio in the Ship Master to let him know of our success before moving into the structure."

The older Sangheili spoke almost as though Rtas was of a higher rank, most likely because of his recent promotion.

"Agreed, there is no telling what may wait in the shadows, it is possible that our radio frequency's will not work in there."

Nodding, Rtas quickly called in the Ship Master via radio, going through one of the Ship Masters assistants.

"I must speak with the Ship Master now, our information is important to the mission."

The Sangheili on the other line was obviously stressed, so he managed to get Rtas in as quick as possible, and within a total of seven minutes he had a direct link with his father.

"Holy Ship Master, we have eliminated the human threat directly in front of the human structure, which we believe is the military base that holds the knowledge of their homeworld, as well as what might be an artifact. We await your superior leadership your Excellency."

Rtas truly loved and honored his father, and only whished to continue proving himself to him. His father spoke again with a voice that would give off the impression to any as though he knew all the answers, a calm and confident voice.

"Excellent work, I am personally coming down to assure our victory."

Rtas felt a shock of surprise in his spine that moment. His father was a Ship Master, a grand strategist for the Covenant military. A general usually did not go up with the infantry, after all. But of course, Ship Masters were required to be excellent in combat, and their skills exceeded those of normal Sangheili.

"Your Excellency, there is no need to humble us with your grace. Why is it that you wish to come down, if you don't mind me asking?"

Rtas knew the mistake he had made as he said it; a veteran could not question the orders of a Ship Master under any circumstances. A lesser Sangheili could be put to death, depending on situation. Rtas wished he had thought before speaking, but it was difficult enough to keep his cool while soldiers lay around him dead.

"Rtas 'Vadumee, Klasz 'Hakamamee, one of the Banshees sent off found a human battalion coming to relive the strained forces, so I will personally come along to add assistance."

The older Sangheili seemed to chuckle, but Rtas had trouble telling over the inter COM. Looking out to the south, Rtas noticed smoke rising far off past the city. Human reinforcements, which was what the humans here were calling for. Rtas clenched his mandibled mouth together tightly, wondering how much longer they had until the reinforcements arrived.

"Yes, you're Excellency. Thank you and we await your arrival."

Clicking the COM off, Rtas walked further down, crushing small pebbles of rubble beneath his feet as he strode down to the main entrance. It had a few windows in the front, most smashed and others cracked. Both bullet and plasma bolts had left their mark on the military building; leaving it with scars that had embedded themselves deep into the material from which the human base was constructed of.

Standing tall, Rtas looked as the Kig-Yar and Unggoy finished piling the dead and returning to the front of the base. The two Sangheili Majors stood side by side with Rtas, the Hunter stood almost motionless, looking deep into the base as though its soul had been captured and the only way to retrieve it was to journey deep into the dark perilous halls of the military structure. Rtas turned to see Naqua pop open the top of the Wraith, revealing herself to him. Off to the side, his four Sangheili squad members stayed separated, to defend if an unknown attack came. Yet they seemed united, as was he.

Dai' held his carbine tightly, looking off onto the horizon, his black colored eyes made him look lifeless at first glance, but if one looked at him long enough it was apparent he was intently thinking of something. Rtas trusted him like a brother, and in a way he was a brother. They were both in this war for the long haul.

Standing together were the two Sangheili brothers, each dueling wielding, Zekunee' with his favored plasma rifles and his younger brother with his duel needlers. They stood practically back to back, keeping keen vigilance. The two Sangheili had been with each other from the start of the war, and Rtas was glad to have them on his team. He hoped to the Forerunners that they would make it through this fight.

Rtas crooked his large head off to the side, spotting his right hand man and most trustworthy warrior, Kusovai. Kusovai had mastered the blade, and for one so young, he was awarded the right to bear the most holy of weapons. Kusovai had single handedly slaughtered over seventy-three humans with his blades. That nearly tied with Rtas's eighty-one.

Contemplating these things, Rtas thought of all the men he had lost, and his old major. No Sangheili feared death, for it only brought with it salvation, but sometimes Rtas wondered. Banishing the thought, Rtas heard the humming of a drop ship incoming. Turning, he took numerous steps forward, stopping when he saw the large, U shaped shuttle land ahead of him. Both sides opened, but only one Covenant soldier came out.

The Golden clad Sangheili stood with pride, the shine of his armor was reflected. All soldiers turned to see him and did a smile bow of the head, Alzeke' Vadumee had arrived upon the scene. He only carried a single weapon at his side, the Covenant Energy blade. Strapped in black leather with Tzoku fully clad on him, he appeared to be an angel sent from heaven. To the humans, he was an angel of death.

He strode quickly to the Covenant squads in front of the entrance hall, though it seemed as though he had all the time in the world. Rtas bowed deeply, before feeling the hand of his father that now lay on his shoulder. Looking up, Rtas saw Alzeke' looking down at him with a smile, or as much of a smile as mandible would allow him.

"Get up my son; we have much work to do."

Rtas stared into his father's green eyes, eyes just like his own, and saw the warmth. He controlled himself and rose to his feet as the drop ship pulled out, and flew back to the skies were it was required elsewhere. Now the young Major turned back to the tunnel, the Ship Master passing him and walking directly in front of the military base, gazing into it with a deep intensity. The sky formed storm clouds, ushering in the apocalypse for the military planet. Rtas looked, and sensed an omen. Whether it was an omen of victory or of defeat, he could not tell.

"Alright men, we are going to follow the halls of this structure to the very core of its center. From what our Ossoona's information has given us, the halls shall lead to several passageways, guiding us to believe that the human's have hid their most important information inside the structure. We shall take it by force, and leave nothing but ruin in our wake!"

The word "Ossoona" in the Covenants universal language was originally from the Sangheili culture, a term here meaning "Spy", or "silent thief". When the Covenant becomes one, taking in all of the other races that are established to this day, the Prophets changed the word to the meaning of "Eye of the Prophets". Personally, Rtas liked it better the way it was defined before, but the Prophets will was to go unquestioned by all but the Council.

As his father spoke, his deep voice and calm demeanor made Rtas want to follow the Ship Master to hell and back. Each and every one of the Covenant in the vicinity gazed at the shining warrior, who had killed hundreds upon hundreds of humans, casualties higher then any other warrior in that sector of Covenant space, and Rtas couldn't ever it changing. Rtas seemed awestruck by his father's words, as his speech went on, strong and deep, yet also soothing like a melody. Many Sangheili generals had long over time curried the skill to gain the trust and loyalty of all their troops, forming a strong bond with not a single squad, but hundreds of soldiers. Even the Lekgolo paused from its intent search to peer at the golden elite Sangheili. The Kig-Yar, noticed by Rtas, seemed more interested in the rotting meat of the humans, their tongues flicking in anticipation.

"Let no fear of death stop us in our holy mission, and shall you know that death is merely a stage that leads to the Great journey. For the Covenant!"

The Sangheili roared in unison, Rtas joining in. Unggoy squealed, and a deep low growl from the Lekgolo caused the ground to vibrate and pebbles jump. Alzeke' Vadumee took his blade from the tight notch in his belt, swung it out and activated it within a single swift motion, roaring into the sky. Klasz raised his fist into the air, and roared as well. He was the son of the Ship Master, and the strength of his will power had served him well in the past. His title would not be diminished.

The drop ship ahead flew through the air, two banshee' on either side of it moving through the dark clouds, and Rtas heard the crackle of thunder far off in the horizon. The shock sent a chill through his spine. Crumbled buildings burning from the fire that had spread, layered with the dead sent a stench through a powerful gust of wind over the area. Unfortunately, Sangheili tended to destroy everything in their path, leaving very little for the scientists on their ship to have much to analyze.

"Let us go, but be wary. The humans should not be underestimated, as a cornered race that is growing extinct can become more deadly then one may guess."

The Ship Master jogged forward into the building, Sangheili & Jackals following closing behind, Unggoy sprinting with their short legs with the Lekgolo shifting and following close behind. Rtas stood off to the right of his father; little did he know how true his father's words were….

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Zim Gustavo paced nervously, his military issue boots thumping on the concrete floor. At the desks stationed in the small room, sat ONI intelligence, the workers had their eyes glued to their monitors, intently watching it as though their lives depended on it. And they did. Zim was the general of the military base stationed on the human planet, were he had recently been planning an attack on the Covenant armada, before being hit by the brunt of it himself. It hadn't been too bad, the attack. They fortunately had nearly a days notice before the Covenant would arrive, and he had used that time to evacuate as many civilians as possible underground or off planet before the end of the world came.

Regrettably, they would not have had enough time to get off the planet and escape with all their weapons of the militia, as well as valuable data. Not only that, but the Covenant had apparently been watching and would be able to follow them through slip space and strike them down faster then without the annoyance of a planet halting them. Therefore, Zim had spent his time wisely, setting up traps all over the place along with cannons to take out the ships, and with any luck he could weaken the bastards, or even stop them. The general knew of course that this was wishful thinking, but he had little else to keep him occupied at the time.

Recently, a Covenant force had taken out the force of marines and ODST's in front of the base, blowing into the city and using their own roads and lanes against them, halting retreat. Worse yet, they had bloody taken out the majority of the cannons! Now Zim could only pray for reinforcements to arrive in time, before the Covenant soldiers could get inside and tear them apart piece by piece. That, of course, was not to say that Gustavo didn't have a few nasty surprises waiting ahead for the Covenant. Oh no, he had been ready for this.

Now as he paced, he scratched his rugged beard, and halted to look at the security screens that flared on. He thought the light might blind any average person, but the ONI intelligence officers seemed unfazed, typing in, to what seemed like Zim, random buttons on their keyboard-like devices. Zim had never been one to fiddle too much with the computer; after all, he was a general not a computer geek. Looking down on the computers screen, he saw that six of the forty-two cameras placed in the base had been destroyed by the Covenant infantry on its position.

From what he could gather, the Covenant were taking the direct approach, coming north and heading as straight as possible right for the center of the base, were he was right now. They must have been coming for information on his homeworld, but for some reason the seasoned soldier felt they had come for something else. The artifact.

Now, he looked towards a sealed door down the hall, one of many that were set up to defend the main room from intruders. Of course, this one wasn't like the others; it was more of a closet to the main room. However, it held in it an artifact found by scientists during the time they had been harvesting minerals from the area several months earlier.

Zim could still remember its image; he doubted he would ever forget it. The artifact was a large, glowing crystal, s shining white almost blue rock that seemed to emit a field of energy, or something that the scientist, or him for that matter, could decipher. But how could the Covenant have found out it was here, or even want the damn thing for god's sake? These questions nearly gave the general a head ache, so he went for a glass of water. As soon as he turned, he saw the devils face.

The monitor displayed the picture of an "Elite", one of the rarer strong units of the Covenant. Not many new of them, much less seen them. He had seen some at one time, when another planet was being destroyed, but only briefly. They were tall, muscular, and intelligent. Probably the brains AND brawn of the Covenant military. The creature on the screen's face growled angrily, and stabbed a sword that looked of pure light into it, smashing the camera into small fragments of what they had once been. Zim decided to grab an ibuprofen while he was getting a drink of water.

The marines were now hurriedly moving into position, sprinting, crawling, and aiming. This would be their final stand and, by god, Zim would see them through it if it killed him.

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Rtas pushed forward, sneaking through corridors, the darkness surrounding and engulfing him. They had seen several human devices on their travels, and disposed of them as necessary before moving up ahead. Rtas crushed the human camera beneath his massive hoof as he crouched forward, plasma rifle in one hand. Now, his father had devised a method of stealth over brute force to move ahead, and they were slowly reaching the middle of the foundation from were the sacred artifact lay. His motion device detected nothing up ahead, but Rtas knew that not even the most amazing of forunner weapons could be counted on 100, so he kept his eyes open and focused. One slip up, and it was game over.

The Sangheilis attention was caught by the sudden creaking, coming from above. Rolling to his side, Rtas pointed his rifle at the ceiling, fearing that a grenade or something would fall from above and send him packing for the Great Journey. Strangely nothing happened, and many of the Unggoy and Sangheili looked to Rtas, and dismissed the noise. Rtas relaxed, easing forward and following his father. Jumping from behind the corner, the Covenant saw nothing hostile ahead of them. A long, narrow hallway lay above; the darkness seemed to eat the light that flickered from broken light bulbs that strung down.

The elder Vadumee' shrugged his head to the side, a sign for Rtas and the Unggoy to move up and take a look. Rtas's heart beat as the sound of thunder and lighting crackling outside, and the sound and wisps of the storm outside caused Rtas to nearly drop his weapon in confusion. But luckily for him, Rtas was spared the embarrassment by holding steadily to his gun and crouching up, a pair of Unggoy close behind. The Kig-Yar shields had been deactivated, so that they would be spotted immediately if the Covenant met up with human resistance, which Rtas had no doubt that they would.

Rtas felt as though the seconds were hours, crouch-walking up and expecting a marine with an assault rifle would jump out of the shadows and deliver him a face full of bullets, but nothing happened. Even Sangheili knew fear, but they all did their best to not allow it to show on the surface, especially not with troops following them. His back against the wall, Rtas got up onto his hoofed feet and motioned his father and fellow soldiers closer. The Lekgolo behind guarded them, Sangheili behind Unggoy and Kig-Yar in the front. Sangheili were known for being first into the fray, and that was mostly true. However, sometimes a mission called for the ability to avoid being shot between the eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Rtas swept from behind the corner, and was face to face with. Nothing. The storm outside blew louder. It felt as though the wind would cause the building to collapse, as it is feeling in the author's house at this very moment. I can only hope I will be able to finish Rtas's dangerous journey before my own journey here will be cut short gulp. Anyway, on with the Sangheili now.

In front of Rtas was a nearly identical hallway, yet narrower and on the sides held sealed metallic doors. Rtas crouched slightly, and moved up with the group. They stayed in a SWAT formation, close but not close enough to be taken out by a single grenade or rocket. Alzeke' frowned with his mandibles, and honorably stepped in front of Rtas, ushering him back a bit.

The squads moved now, past each door, checking for traps and such before making it to the last door. It was sealed shut tightly, and would not be opened through traditional means. They would need something slightly more, brutal then pushing a few buttons on the door. After inspecting it for a few moments, the Ship Master spoke to Rtas.

"Rtas, we need to blow this door. Place a bomb and set it up to detonate on command, when those doors are blown be prepared for anything, and everything. They are bound to be waiting for us right around the crook."

Rtas nodded, raising his fist before moving to his side, were Kusovai was already preparing the bomb. The Sangheili major was prepared, but he knew being prepared would matter little in this situation. As the seconds ticked off, Rtas saw that his father seemed completely calm, but he knew that every second was precious. Kusovai looked up at Rtas, nodded and handed him a sphere shaped device, metal grey in color.

"Here, the bomb shall detonate thirty seconds after being placed on the door and activated. The blast radius shouldn't be far, just enough to decimate the door. Good fortune, Rtas 'Vadumee."

Rtas smiled, and returned the honor. Stepping on his legs, the weariness he had felt in his knees were disappearing, crouching for so long would annoy even the hardest of soldiers. Placing the bomb in the center of the door, Rtas felt instantly that it hooked on with the door. The Covenant soldiers all moved back, shielding themselves with their armor, or energy shields for that matter. Pressing three large buttons in conjunction, the alien language speeded across the small device, and a timer was activated, the thunder outside going to a hush for the few moments. Punching the bomb with his fist, Rtas sprinted back down the pathway, and rolled, covering his hands over his head. As the seconds ticked off, Rtas began to think the device would not work. But as he was getting ready to turn and check, a thunderous boom blew sheets of metal in all directions, the door had been blown to bits and the explosion caused Rtas's shields to flare for a moment before returning to normal again. The young elite warrior turned, and saw down the long corridor into the next room. Inside of it, perched over twenty-seven marines equipped with snipers, rifles, rockets, and forerunners know what else. Rtas barely had time to shout before the nearest marine screamed in his own language to "fire".

As a single rocket came increased its speed rapidly as it came for them, Rtas rolled forward, instead of the more common, "look at the big rocket heading right for-", effectively and barley dodging the rocket, and the Sangheili all followed his lead. The Kig-Yar ducked down, while the Unggoy who were crouched proved short enough to avoid the hit. The rocket however soared into the Lekgolo, but the massive creature raised its heavy shield in the nick of team to avoid a fatal blow, the explosion knocking it back into the wall while sending Unggoy flying forward.

Now out of the dark corridor, Rtas felt a piercing sniper shot hit his shields, another round nailing him in the leg and causing him to trip. Rolling into the room, Rtas desperately looked for cover, raising his plasma rifle and shooting a sustained burst at the marines, hoping to hit them, or at least distract them long enough to escape the ambush. He had hoped that the marines wouldn't have been able to set up an surprise attack, yet it appeared as though it were inevitable.

MA5B rounds pelted him, and sent him sprawling for extra cover, coming upon a stack of ammunition boxes. The Unggoy who entered were almost instantaneously shot down by the assault rifles, but a few managed to jump for cover. A Sangheili Rtas had never met was shot in the head by a sniper, his helmet being knocked far off to the side and his brain splattering across the wall. The sight made Rtas sick to his abdomen, but he held against the boxes and prayed that his shield would revive. As the rest of the Sangheili entered, the Jackals raised their shields under the order of the Ship Master, providing cover for the Sangheili who moved with as much grace as they could muster.

Kusovai ended up on the opposite side of Rtas, using an obelisk that supported the ceiling as cover from the snipers, while the two brother Sangheili had moved off to a distant corner of the large, circular room and began to retaliate, the needler sent out many needles that sought out the humans and stabbed in to their flesh while the plasma rifles peppered them from a distant. Sadly, Rtas knew now that the humans had been waiting for them, and they used the boxes and their metallic armor as shields against the plasma and needles, firing off more assault rounds that dropped another Sangheili, whilst a pair of sniper rifles wielded by ODST's brought down the Major Sangheili that led the Kig-Yar, who had raised their shields and slowly began pushing forward, Alzeke' Vadumee along with the other Sangheili Major and the last pair of Unggoy following behind and shooting back as best they could. Rtas's shields slowly began recharging again, now a quarter of the way, he pulled a plasma grenade out from his belt, turned, and chucked it as far as he could at the marines behind the boxes. The blue blob flew through the air, landing on a marine's chest which resulted in him letting out a cry of surprise.

However, instead of trying to pull off the armor, the marine nobly jumped forward and sprinted, but failed to make it to the Covenant squads before blowing up, but effectively ensuring his fellow soldiers the chance to survive. Rtas respected that, and almost stopped shooting back for the moment, but he held fast and as his shields recharged to full he fired another burst, knocking a sniper off his feet and onto his back from the shot. Rtas's hand grew hot, and he knew his weapon was nearly overheated, but he had no time to avoid a sniper to his side, the bullet going right through his shields and again through his side. The pain was excruciating.

Rtas gripped his side, falling over in pain and using the cover to provide protection from the merciless ODST snipers. Rtas saw to the side, and the ODST with a rocket fired the massive gun, the Ship master rolling far too the side and the other Sangheili following, but the two front Kig-Yar were blown away, bodies splattered across the walls as the human's screamed in victory and continued to hold them down, finishing off more of the poor Unggoy unfortunate enough to be close to the Kig-Yar being blow apart.

It was hard for Rtas to keep track of what happened next, but from what he collect, he saw the marine trying to reload his rocket as the still alive Lekgolo sprinted at full speed, shield extended, through the long corridor, taking hundreds of rounds of MA5B, the snipers unable to get a clear shot at him. As the rocket man panicked to reload his weapon, the massive behemoth raised its shield, bullets making their way through his orange worm body for that split second as the orange blood spilled out and went onto many of the marine's faces. The Lekgolo used the rest of its strength to bring its weapon down, crushing an ODST beneath it, and blowing the boxes across the room, ruining the human's defense and causing them to scatter.

The Ship Master roared in anger, as the Lekgolo went happily to it bond partner, collapsing to the hard ground with a "thunk". Now, the lights flashed, as the wind and storm outside grew ever worse, and the Ship Master raced across the obelisks, thunderous booms hitting across the ground, he jumped from a box, the leap three times greater then any normal Sangheili. He dodged the sniper shots from this, and many marines were still trying to mow down the Unggoy and various Sangheili in their own private struggles when Alzeke' came down on them, his shining blade burning fiercely.

Rtas rolled from under the boxes and threw his rifle to the ground, pulling out his own blade and rushing into the skirmish, as most of them did. The rocket marine squashed beneath the shield of the passed Lekgolo, Rtas took this moment to race forward, cutting down the nearest marine who began firing a burst of rounds from his assault rifle. Chopping the gun in half, Rtas delivered a fatal front kick to the man's chest, sending him flying into one of the nearby obelisks. This cracked his back and brought him down.

Marines exploded from needlers, plasma burned their faces, and now the Ship Master cut apart three marines with a deadly swing that brought more blood out. As the Covenant got closer to the battle, it was apparent that they had more casualties, and the marines still held an advantage of being further back, but Rtas didn't know that they had another trap. Side stepping a snipers shot, Rtas jumped and lunged, decapitating the marines masked head and causing the body to flop to the ground.

Rtas then felt as though he had been stabbed a million times in the back, and fire was spread across his body. A chain gun seemed to pop out of nowhere, and was now shredding through his armor, shields depleted. It moved quickly to take down another Sangheili, who collapsed on the ground after trying to aim his carbine correctly and kill the single marine in the turret. Now Rtas collapsed to his knees, an explosion emitting from the right. Land mine.

The marines had two chain guns set up, and had hid them in the shadows of the room, planting land mines near the entrance, which now went off blowing Covenant soldiers off their feet's and to their deaths. Rtas felt his body being blown to the side, and he used all his strength to try and get up, but he felt as though his legs were jell-O and he had been zapped of all his strength. His vision began to blur, and he knew that if he let himself sleep, how would never wake up. Blood now covered the floors, and there were more marines arriving from the now opening doors.

Rtas raised his head upwards, to see the chain gun aiming right for his head. He was overwhelmed by fear, and the guns muzzle began to turn, all other noise cut off in the room, and it was as if time slowed down, and his life flashed before his eyes. The bullets left the muzzle, and came for Rtas's head, helmet damaged and cracked.

He saw the younger brother of Zekunee' die, a sniper killing him. Rtas would have wept for him, but he could not even weep for himself. As the time slowed, he saw Kusovai duel wielding his blades, slicing into the other chain gun, and blowing it to pieces, his shields being hammered by two stray ODST's with assault rifles. Kusovai turned and saw Rtas, a look of shock was apparent in his eyes. Rtas could not spot Dai' anywhere, nor his father. The last Kig-Yar fell, bullets finally breaking its shield and blowing it to pieces of a stench that Rtas would not wish on anyone. And now, it was his turn.

Rtas closed his eyes, and time resumed as regular. The bullets didn't impact on him though. They had instead met with the gold Tzoku's shields, and Rtas's father was now shielding him from the hundreds of bullets that now began cutting through the over shield. Rtas felt fear, regret, sadness, and love all at the same time, and he saw his father turn his head slightly to wink at him. Rtas got up; adrenaline coursing through his veins, Rtas pushed forward, and ran at the large gun with great haste. Without the time to switch targets the large chain gun was sliced almost directly in half by Rtas's energy sword, the pieces falling off and exploding, human impaled. His eyes were glazed and lifeless now.

Thunder boomed again, and Rtas could hear heavy rains outside. He turned to see his father, the Ship Master now on his knee, bleeding externally. The blue purple blood spewed, but his raised his head to see Rtas, and smiled, blood dripping from his face. He tried getting up, but fell, Rtas grabbing him before he hit the ground. The room was still in chaos, as the remaining Covenant soldiers began backing up, almost in retreat as the human forces and traps overwhelmed them. Rtas felt tears in his eyes, for his mission, for his men, and most of all for his father.

"Rtas….."

Wind blew outside, and Alzeke' was practically choking on his on blood, gasping and holding his sons hand as he tried to speak.

"Holy Ship Master, no, father! Come, we must go!"

Rtas began lifting his father up, dragging him behind a large nearby box to shield them. He knew inside what was happening, but he refused to accept it, and he began praying to the forerunners with all of his heart, tears strewing from his eyes. A Sangheili was never supposed to cry.

"…Listen..to me…son…I love you…so very..much..remember.."

The elder Sangheili looked deep into his sons eyes, and held on to the rest of life tightly, his will keeping him alive.

"…to always..look out for your team…watch over them, and complete the mission of possible…go..now."

Rtas held his father, and tried to get him to come, but it was too late. Rtas saw death all around him, Covenant soldiers looking for approval to retreat, and he was confused, saddened, and angry for not protecting his father. The Ship Master rose to his feet, amazingly, and roared, the thunder out side simultaneous. He pushed his son back, and raced forward, bullets hitting him, but nothing stopping him. Rtas ordered immediate retreat, and the last Sangheili as well as a single Unggoy rushed down the corridor, turning and heading for the exit, frantically dodging mines and bullets. Rtas galloped as well, but he twisted to see his father before turning around the bend.

Alzeke' Vadumee went out with a bang that day. Lunging forward, the Ship Master impaled the marine with his sword, and then activated all of his plasma grenades at once with his free hand, as he died, looking back at his son one last time as the enormous explosion caused by the plasma caused a rocket launcher to explode, which led to the other grenades detonation, and the entire room was filled with a huge explosion, Rtas barely getting out of the way and crossing the corner before it was too late.\

Dismissing the pain, Rtas caught up with the rest of his units, calling in for instant evacuation from the human base, but coming up with only static. The bloody storm was now messing with the frequencies, and he had to rely on intuition. Rtas saw the very last soldiers, and was happy to see Zekunee', Dai', and Kusovai all alive, as well as a single struggling Unggoy. They all were injured, but it was plain as the nose on your face Rtas was in the most need of a medic. Excuse the lame joke please.

"Kusovai, warriors, we must get out of the base and call for Evac, we cannot assault the base from the inside and will need to-"

Rtas was interrupted by the storm, the lights continued to flicker and his adrenaline rush wouldn't last forever. He was sure however that the Covenant infantry go the message, and they speeded up through the narrow dark corridors, the sound of the marines boots coming after them was reflected off the walls. How ironic.

They made their way through, all exhausted to the brink of death, but Rtas saw them to the main entrance. They were in the first room of the base, and Rtas saw that outside was as much of a hell as inside. Hundreds of Covenant soldiers now faced off against many more marines, lighting hitting buildings nearby and rain pounding heavily against the soldiers. The wind was strong, and as he reached the room, the winds exploded and glass shattered everywhere, just like the blood on the floor.

The Sangheili gripped his blade tightly, and heard the marines coming up behind them. Grabbing his last plasma grenade from his tattered belt, he threw it at the wall, the blue ball landing on a marines face as he came through. He screamed and gripped his face, four more marines stopping in their tracks besides him, and they heard Rtas shout in his own language.

"HOLY LIGHT!"

They exploded, and died beneath Rtas's feet. Rtas limped to the entrance, and saw far off Wraith tanks shot off their blue shining bombs, and banshee's soared through the skies, doing battle with human pelicans. The human reinforcements had arrived, and the storm was an omen of defeat. For once, the Covenant had lost. Rtas leaned across the wall, his soldiers coming up behind him, hope lost in the swarm of emotions, and Rtas felt that he and everyone here were going to die. Rtas moved forward, to go into battle and die honorably.

As he rose his sword to hack a nearby marine, two banshees came by, blowing nearby marines straight to the after life, and a Covenant drop ship stopped in front of Rtas. The pilot was known other then Roza'k. The door's slid open, and Rtas was greeted by Naqua, the female Sangheili looked nearly as tired as he was, and had a bandage on her face. Rtas's men rushed up to the side, and waited for Rtas to decide what next. Rtas stared into Naqua's hazel eyes, and felt joy that they had come back to retrieve him and his soldiers.

"Rtas! Were is the Ship Master? Is this all that is left? What of the artifact??"

Rtas didn't find energy for words, and his head slumped. Naqua took this as a sign and hefted Rtas into the ship, his soldiers following and getting in along with some other strugglers nearby. The Covenant drop ship rose, guarded by the two banshees', the battle on the ground continued. Roza'k lifted them higher, and into the dark sky, lighting missing them by inches and striking the front of the marine base. Human ships were arriving as they lifted, and the danger was not yet over.

Roza'k piloted through the dark clouds, rain hitting the odd U shaped shuttle, and a Pelican flying above them. The human ship shot down on them with chain guns, but Roza'k turned the ship to its side to avoid being hit in one of its weaker areas, the banshees flying and looping up, firing their plasma bombs and blowing the pelican's wing off. It spiraled down, going through the clouds to its fate. The banshee's returned to the ship, and they lifted into space, safety of the Covenant war ships nearby.

Rtas felt himself being patched up by Naqua, the wounds on his side being stitched. His eyes drifted, seeing grief on Zekunee's face for the loss of his brother. Dai's leg had been hit by a sniper multiple teams, a miracle he could lean on it. Kusovai's blades deactivated and back on his belt, he had been hit by part of the second rocket, and a land mine. MA5B shots had also broken through his armor. Rtas thought of his father, and drifted off to darkness, afraid never to wake again………………….

TO BE COUNTINUED……………………………………………………….

A/N: Wow that was an exciting and LONG chapter, eh? A good 20 pages. I hope I dramatized it enough, a good plot twist that will lead to a time skip sometime in the future from now. Don't worry, I plan for more adventures with Rtas, you can count on it. I stayed up all night finishing this, and some inspiration is coming from the storm outside my house right now. It is pouring, lighting cracking far back, and the wind is DEADLY. My lights were flickering when I wrote this. I spent a lot of time and thought into this chapter, so please review! Thank you all so very much!-Sincerely,

Noah