Alright, onto the next chapter of Intention's Eye. Just as a warning, this chapter contains a fair amount of exposition.
I do not own Halo, Mass Effect or Star Wars.
D'ranna roared as she unleashed a biotic shockwave into the energy shield of her cell, attempting to break through the Covenant barrier. She may as well have been throwing rocks for all the good it did.
Feeling fatigued, she nevertheless tried a warp next, to only find the exact same result. She got ready to try again, only to hear sarcastic clapping coming from another cell across from her.
A female human clad in merc armor was leaning against the side of her cell, with the faux applause echoing through the detention block.
"Good effort. And here I thought you asari would just talk to the guards and try to convince them to turn the barriers off."
"It's better than sitting around doing nothing." D'ranna snarled back. "But I guess you'd rather do something dirty and underhanded to get out. Me, I'm going to break out while the guards are gone."
"Guess again, you stupid bitch." The human retorted. "The guards have active camo. They're watching us right now." She gestured to a patch of air that seemed slightly distorted.
D'ranna frowned. These Covenant were smarter than they looked, especially when it came to security. That was obvious by looking around. The invisible guards, the energy barriers as doors that were obviously powered by the carrier's reactor, and more.
The ex-Spectre took a look around her cell and those nearby. The rooms were clearly capable of holding twenty individuals of asari or human dimensions if they were crammed in and yet, each cell was occupied by no more than four soldiers at one room, while the especially powerful biotics like herself and her human counterpart were the sole occupants of their rooms.
Of course, the Covenant had let them the Athame Sisters and CAT6 keep their armor, but that was hardly an advantage without weapons, helmets, omni-tools or kinetic barrier generators. It seemed like they had to play the waiting game.
So, D'ranna calmed down and mirrored the posture of her counterpart, all while silently fuming internally. This was supposed to have been an easy mission: salvage the ship and kill any survivors or rivals. And yet, not once did she ever assume that this was a trap. Her former colleagues in the Spectres would be laughing themselves silly if they knew how badly she had screwed up.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sounds of approaching footsteps. Multiple Brutes came into view seconds later, being led by a massive red and black armoured Chieftain. The ship's commander, who this could only be, walked towards the center of the cell block while the rest of his guards took up position around the room.
When the Chieftain was at the center of the room, he looked around at everyone in the cells.
"I'm guessing you're wondering why we've kept you all alive."
There was a moment of silence as the Chieftain's booming voice seemed to linger in the air.
"Yeah, that would be nice to know, jackass!" This came from one of the CAT6 Specialists, before one of his buddies elbowed him in the gut to get him to stop talking.
Aside from a brief smirk, the Brute gave no sign that he heard that little interruption.
"I was considering just executing all of you, or just feeding you to my forces," There was a collective shudder from the captives at thought. "But, as a reward for freeing us from that planet, I've decided to offer you all a position on my crew."
There was a moment of silence as they took a moment to digest that. Then the CAT6 leader broke the silence.
"You lead us into a trap, slaughter hundreds of our people, and now you just expect us to join with you?!"
"The choice is entirely up to you." The Brute replied. "Of course, if you refuse, then we'll find... other ways of using you."
At that, the Brute guards opened two cell doors and grabbed four individuals, two human and two asari. The massive aliens started dragging the struggling soldiers away, while the Chieftain looked back.
"I'll give you twelve hours to decide."
With that, the Brutes left the room, leaving a brief silence behind. Seconds later, a new sound emerged from outside the cell block: blood-curdling screams followed by the sounds of eating and Brutes laughing.
Eyes widened, the humans and the asari felt sick upon realizing what that was, with some even throwing up. Meanwhile, D'ranna felt sick to her core as she realized this was the fate she was looking forward to if she didn't agree to the Chieftain's ultimatum.
The screaming lasted for a long time, but mercifully cut out after four hours. The sounds of eating persisted long afterwards, before that eventually vanished after the seven hour mark.
And through all that, D'ranna just sat quietly, with her head in her hands. Two of her own people had been turned into food, and the rest would almost certainly suffer the same fate if she didn't agree to the Brute's demands.
Turning her head, she looked towards her human counterpart, who was sitting on the floor, looking away from the door and shivering slightly. She was clearly terrified at what she heard from the Brutes.
Unfortunately, they were both in the same boat. Now all they could do was rest and wait until the Chieftain returned. They were left with silence and the memories of the sound of the Brutes feasting on their comrades as the seconds ticked by.
Laccabeus sat cross legged in the center of his training room, silently appreciating the peace and quiet. He could finally relax after his crew's constant pestering of his choice to offer their prisoners a deal to fight alongside them.
Truthfully, Laccabeus wasn't thrilled with the idea either, but their forces were a little short on manpower, and they would also be rather conspicous if they went near any rather populated worlds. They needed agents who wouldn't attract as much attention, and they could serve that purpose well. Besides, they could always be used as cannon fodder in combat.
As Laccabeus thought about this, his mind drifted back to how he had come to this: from a proud Shipmaster in the Covenant to what could only be described as a pirate/warlord of a single carrier, forgotten by the multiverse at large.
When the multiverse was discovered and the foundations of the InterDimensional Alliance were in their early stages, he had been ecstatic at the prospect. It was an opportunity to find new foes, to challenge himself in new ways. Oh, the governments of the IDA had attempted to stop him, the UNSC and Swords of Sangheilios being the most adamant among them, but he always evaded their pursuit.
Then, Laccabeus encountered him: the young human with the strange power beyond anything ever imagined. Of course, no one realized that at the time. He initially seemed like a rather foolish child who got his hands on some rather powerful technology.
Oh, he had initially drawn in other, seemingly more powerful warriors, such as one of the most skilled of the Yautja Enforcers, and the armored Hunter, a being who's great abilities and power armor could put even the Demons to shame, but most of the IDA thought of this child as nothing more than a nobody.
Laccabeus had thought differently, having recognized the child's strength even at that early time period. Of course, even the Jiralhanae Shipmaster had no idea who he would become when he began hunting him down.
But the boy's strength had begun to show during one of their last duels, more than four decades ago...
Flashback
Laccabeus slammed his hammer against the ground, sending his opponent flying. The ancient stone ruins around seemed to ripple in anticipation as if the environment itself had a vested interest in the fight's outcome.
The child slammed into the ground on the other side of the room, apparently winded from the blow. Chuckling to himself, Laccabeus made a brisk walk with his hammer at the ready, in anticipation of ending this conflict once and for all.
That's not to say Laccabeus had no respect for his opposition; far from it. He was a worthy opponent for the last two years, fighting more impressively than even the Demons could. Still, as fun as this was, Laccabeus knew that it would have to come to an end sooner or later.
As he approached, the child rose up from the ground, one knee on the ground with his right arm supporting him. The human was no more than 6 feet tall at full height and was clad in all black armor that resembled an older model of Spartan armor. And yet, he had earned respect in the eyes of many of the Shipmaster's warriors.
Of course, the child had never stood a chance against the might of the Jiralhanae Chieftain and had always been forced to flee after their previous bouts, but even then, he had often survived an impressive amount of damage that would've killed most other humans.
Still, there had been something different about him in this current duel: he had seemed to have gained an increased amount of strength and speed, yet acted more unfocused, as if he was still getting accustomed to something new about him.
Ultimately, it wouldn't matter any longer. He had been bested, and this time, none of his powerful allies were close enough to save him. But he deserved some parting words, from one warrior to another, before the killing blow sent him on his way to the next world.
"You have fought admirably, young one." He said, standing over the kneeling human. "Better than most warriors have. Take comfort in the fact that you have been a most worthy foe to me. You have always resisted stubbornly in the face of true power and for that, you have my respect."
The human belted out a small, grim laugh, not even bothering to look up. "You have no idea what true power is, do you?"
Laccabeus frowned. It appeared that the respect was only one-way. Shrugging internally, Laccbeus raised his favourite hammer over his head and with a massive grunt he brought it down on the child's head.
It never made it.
Laccabeus' eyes widened at the sight: somehow, he was holding the hilt of the hammer with one hand, rivaling the Chieftain's strength in his off hand! This was certainly new. The young human finally looked up, toward the hammer.
"Huh." The child remarked as if discussing the weather. "So, I can do that."
The human seemed to take on a subtle glow, and before Laccabeus could react, he found himself flying back down the hallway, slamming into the wall. His shields were completely drained from the impact, and he felt pain all across his body.
Looking up, Laccabeus saw that the child was back on his feet, now holding a strange black sword in his right hand. Strange black and violet energy writhed all over him, and he seemed to radiate power, a far cry from his appearance only moments ago.
Two of his Jiralhanae Captains came from either side of the hallway, taking aim at the child with their weapons. The human responded by pointing the tip of sword at them. A blast of black and violet energy emerged from the sword, blasting a hole through the chest of one Captain, then a second blast went through the other.
Both Jiralhanae fell back, dead from this strange attack. Whatever it was, it wasn't biotics: they couldn't possibly affect Covenant energy shielding so easily. This was something no one had encountered before.
But whatever the child had just done to Laccabeus' Captains seemed to be having an effect on him: he had dropped his sword and was supporting himself with one hand on the wall, while the other was holding the front of his helmet.
The Shipmaster thought about trying to press his advantage and attack again, but banished that thought when the human removed his hand from his helmet, only for a blast of that same black energy erupted from the palm of his hand, partially collapsing the ceiling before he could close his fist.
"Guys, my powers are going haywire again!"
That was the last thing Laccabeus heard him say before he gathered up his hammer and made his retreat. The Jiralhanae in him hated running from a fight, but he was no fool: it was clear that this was a battle he couldn't win.
Not anymore.
That was the day when the tables had turned in their little... feud, and it would only go on for another six months until Laccabeus' carrier had caught up with him in an uninhabited solar system.
At first, it seemed like this would be the changing of the tide: when Laccabeus would win against the human, but then the star had begun collapsing and expanding at the same time. Seconds later, the star went supernova, with the Covenant forces escaping via an emergency slipspace jump nanoseconds before they were hit.
After that incident, the child disappeared from the interdimensional scene for a couple of months, while the rest of the IDA had assumed that Laccabeus and his crew had perished in the supernova.
The Shipmaster could've used that to his advantage, committing a powerful strike against the IDA governments. But that last incident had shaken him to the core. He was scared of the power that child possessed. No, not scared, more like flat out terrified.
That fear only increased when he heard the rumors after the child returned from his two month absence. According to unconfirmed reports, causing that supernova had been completely by accident!
In response, Laccabeus took his ship away from the more civilized areas of the growing multiverse. From there, he had kept track of events in the multiverse: from learning that his former opponent had created his own government and had gone from a young child to the Supreme Commander of the Republic. He had learned of their conflict with the similarily-minded and and advanced Separatists.
He witnessed the horrors of the Great Flood War.
For five years, the Parasite rampaged through the multiverse, until the Republic Supreme Commander and the Separatist Ruler used their powers combined with Ancient artifacts to wipe the Flood from existence.
It had been six years after the end of the Flood War that Laccabeus and his crew had ended up marooned on that desert planet. Despite that, they hadn't been completely cut off from the news of the multiverse.
They had heard about the rise of the Necromorphs and Reapers, and the subsequent return of the Flood. Laccabeus knew that the Republic and Separatists had a ceasefire and were working with one another to ensure that the Flood never return to their height again.
Beyond that, the Shipmaster was still in the dark about a fair amount of other events in the multiverse, which was another reason he had requested that the asari and human prisoners be offered a job, over the protests of using them as food. Besides, the crew would get more than their share of food at their next destination.
His meditation was interrupted by the sound of a chime. The twelve hours he had given the prisoners were up. Hopefully, the leaders would be a little more cooperative this time around.
Commander Lela Sato sat on the floor of her cell, waiting for the Brute Chieftain to return. Though she appeared outwardly calm, she had been shaken by the events of the previous twelve hours.
Hearing the screams of two of her men as they suffered god-knows-what punishment before being turned into- she didn't even want to think about it. The CAT6 commander had made up her mind:
She intended to join these Covenant, at least to guarantee the safety of her men. Of course, if she had the opportunity, she intended to take over the ship and throw most of the crew out the airlock.
With the exception of the Chieftain, of course. Sato had something special in mind for his role in the death of the Bladski brothers and his usage of two of her men as food. Unfortunately, that revenge would have to wait, at least for now.
Her mind snapped back to the present as she heard the loud noise of Brute footsteps. The Chieftain and his entourage had returned, taking up their previous positions from their last visit. The prisoners became even quieter as they waited for him to speak.
"Have you decided?" The Brute asked, first looking at Sato, and then the asari bitch in her cell. The latter answered first.
"The Athame Sisters... will join you." Her answer was clipped and precise, no doubt due to the fear of what the Brutes would do to her.
The Chieftain turned his gaze towards Sato, who struggled not to cower under the red-eyed gaze.
"So will CAT6." She ground out, trying to hide the trembling in her voice.
A futile effort, if the Brute's answering smirk was any indication.
"A wise decision." He simply replied, before nodding to someone out of view.
The force field doors for the cells of Sato and her asari counterpart deactivated. Before she could even consider using that as a chance to attack, two armored Brute guards entered the cell with weapons drawn, escorting her out. Sato could see that the asari was getting similar treatment.
"We'll discuss the details elsewhere." The Chieftain said as he turned to leave the cell block, followed by the two women and their escorts.
It wasn't long before they entered what Sato could only assume was a conference room of some kind, judging by the large purple table and chairs. The Brutes gestured for them to take a seat, with their escorts pointing their weapons at them.
As the CAT6 commander sat down in her designated seat, she noticed two massive Hunters, one on each side of the room, no doubt as extra security. The presence of the alien behemoths, combined with the fact that she felt like a child in one of the chairs, made her feel really small and insignificant in comparison to the other occupants.
The Chieftain took a seat on the opposite end of the table from his two... guests, clasping his hands together in an strangely human manner. After a moment of silence, the Brute began to speak.
"I believe it is the custom of most species to have... introductions in such meetings." He gestured to the two of them. "If you would be so kind: your names."
The asari bristled at the haughty tone used by the Brute, likely because her race was so used to speaking that way to everyone else. Inwardly chuckling while suppressing a smile, Sato decided to beat the blue bitch to the punch.
"I'm Commander Lela Sato." She said, before her counterpart could open her mouth to speak.
"I am Captain D'ranna Nuvara." The asari said, glaring daggers at Sato before turning to the Brute at the end of the table.
D'ranna's emphasis on the word 'captain' wasn't lost on either the human or the Jiralhanae. It seemed that she had to be superior to everyone else in the room, which seemed to be an attitude common to the more conservative asari.
"And just who the hell are you supposed to be?" D'ranna demanded, before the slight movement behind her chair reminded her of the 8 foot-tall guards with deadly weapons trained on her.
The Chieftain let out a small chuckle, though whether it was at D'ranna's haughty attitude or her reaction to remembering that she wasn't the one with the power in the room, Sato couldn't be sure. The Brute reclined slightly in his chair, his red eyes darting between both women.
"I am Shipmaster Laccabeus."
Shipmaster Laccabeus.
D'ranna's eyes narrowed for a moment as she realized that she had heard that name before. Wracking her brains, she thought back to the days just after her incarceration, when her career as a Spectre had ended.
Then her memory clicked, as she recalled all the research she had done in prison, especially on the person who had been instrumental in getting her out of the Council's good graces. Her eyes widened when she remembered the story that mentioned this Brute.
"You're supposed to be dead."
The human, Sato, looked at her in confusion, then back to the Jiralhanae when he barked out a short laugh.
"It appears my reputation proceeds me." The Chieftain seemed rather surprised about that fact. "And here I thought the rest of the multiverse had forgotten my very existence."
D'ranna responded by leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.
"They have." She said, with a hint of spite. "I doubt anyone else will remember your name."
Rather than angering the Brute, like D'ranna had expected, that statement seemed to sadden him.
"Well that's no surprise." He said in wistful melancholy. "Everyone thought I was dead for the last four years. But I believe we have other matters to attend to."
With that, the three of them spoke at length and bartered with each other, though Sato and D'ranna had no choice but to comply with Laccabeus' demands, else they and their remaining soldiers would become food for the Brutes, Jackals and Grunts.
In the end, the two female biotics agreed to pledge their servitude to Laccabeus' Covenant forces in exchange for their lives and the lives of their forces. Satisfied with the arrangement, the Shipmaster summoned a silver armored Elite into the room.
"Commander Erda 'Renad will oversee the release of your forces and the return of their weapons. Perhaps you'd like to return to them. To ensure that their... integration into our ranks goes smoothly."
"About damn time." Sato muttered. "My men are probably going stir-crazy in there."
The ex-N7 turned to follow the Elite, but D'ranna hung back, a thought having occured to her.
"Wait." D'ranna said. "If you're Laccabeus, does this mean we're on..."
"Yes, you are." Laccabeus replied. "Welcome to the Intention's Eye."
D'ranna was stunned. According to rumors, the Intention's Eye was one of the most powerful CAS-class assault carriers ever built. There was even a claim that it could have gone up against a Super Star Destroyer, and won.
"Don't believe every story you hear." Laccabeus cautioned, having noticed the look on her face. "The Eye is not some all powerful superweapon."
Nodding with a look of disappointment in her eyes, D'ranna followed Sato and Commander 'Renad back to the detention block. Laccabeus watched them go, knowing that he would have to be on guard for their betrayal attempts.
Returning to the bridge, he was greeted by his helmsman's report.
"Shipmaster, the coordinates are locked. The course is set."
"Good." The High-Chieftain replied, sitting in command throne.
"Get us to Endor."
TARGET PROFILE:
LACCABEUS, SHIPMASTER
COVENANT CLASS FIVE CAS-CLASS: INTENTION'S EYE
TARGET VALUE: ALPHA
REPORT COMPILED BY LT. COMMANDER JAMESON LOCKE
Pursuant to Office of ONI Retrieval and Acquisitions inquiry of 12 August, 2554, the following is a target profile of Laccabeus, Shipmaster of the Intention's Eye, compiled by Lieutenant Commander Locke.
Laccabeus' first recorded encounter with humanity was during the events of [CLASSIFIED] in 2546. During the Headhunter mission, Spartan [REDACTED] was heavily injured and the two of them were forced to retreat. This marks one of the few failed Headhunter missions since the events of [CLASSIFIED].
Agent Connor Brien reported on Laccabeus' movements from within High Charity. According to Agent Brien, despite his strategic and tactical skill, Laccabeus was looked down upon by the High Prophets and Chieftain Tartarus, and were it not for his successful track record, he would've been executed long ago.
After the fall of the Covenant, and the end of the Great war, the fracturing of the Covenant Hegemony has led to the creation of several remnant factions led by a variety of warlords. Chieftain Laccabeus is one such warlord, retaining command over the Intention's Eye.
Although he appears disinterested in direct control of the Covenant, Laccabeus is one of the few Chieftains with the cunning and strength to unite the Jiralhanae tribes into a coherent fighting force. During the war, Laccabeus and the Intention's Eye were responsible for the destruction of five isolated Outer colonies, and the deaths of over one million civilians.
This agent's recommendation: Laccabeus' termination. If the UNSC is to truly remain at peace during the post-war years, it cannot succeed while leaders like Laccabeus and Jul 'Mdama still live.
Addendum: The Intention's Eye and its commander are now classified as MIA after the destruction of the MX-783 system. Though the brass initially wanted to declare Laccabeus KIA, reports from the now Supreme Commander of the Republic requested that they remain vigilant, citing that and I quote "Unless you find a corpse, then it's likely he isn't dead." unquote.
Alright, so now you know where the title comes from: it's the name of the Covenant Assault carrier that Laccabeus commands. And as you can see at the end there, the aspects of Star Wars are going to come into play.
Anyway, in the next chapter, I plan on having a couple of ME2 squadmates making an appearance in the beginning of the next chapter. Which squadmates? Why will they show up? You'll just have to wait and see.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.