Hey guys. Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I've just been really busy with exams, work, summer and honestly a bit of writer's block. Hopefully I can get more stuff out sooner, rather than later, but I wouldn't get your hopes up.
Anyway, this next chapter is a bit of filler, but it also sets up events that will come in later chapters. Nevertheless, I hope everyone enjoys this one.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, Halo, Mass Effect, Metroid, yadayadayada, you know the drill.
Chapter 6
Two days later, there was a flurry of activity from the Covenant forces. The army began splitting up into several divisions, the largest of which began making its way towards the crash sites from the Battle of Endor.
While most of the vehicular forces made their way into the plains and deserts, Halmat was to lead six fully loaded Covenant Phantoms to the nearby forest, in the hope of finding a variety of foodstuffs.
The Spec Ops commander had volunteered for this assignment, on the basis that any possible offworld threats would choose the forest as a landing zone, due to the abundance of leftover Imperial Military hardware.
Halmat's Elites would recon the forest, while the Jiralhanae-led ground teams would scavenge and hunt down some of the indigenous inhabitants of this world. That's not to say that Halmat's Phantoms were loaded solely with infantry.
Four of the Phantoms were carrying two Brute Choppers each, with a total of eight of the Brute war machines carving a path through the dense undergrowth. The sub-commanders had initially requested a few Ghosts instead, but relented when they realized that the Boosted-gravity drives would be hard pressed to deal with the forested terrain.
In contrast, the Type-25 Rapid Assault Vehicle was perfect for this type of work, easily capable of tearing through vegetation using its massive front wheels, while the 35mm autocannons would make short work of any animal that crossed their path. That is if they weren't eviscerated by the massive front wheels.
Soon, the convoy of Phantoms had reached the edge of the forest, deploying their lances as they hovered over the ground. Halmat was the first to exit, leaping out of the side hatch of the lead Phantom. Once the rest of the scouting group had been deployed, he gave them their orders.
"Jiral'han, move up ahead. Clear a path through the forest." No sooner had he said that, then the Jiralhanae bikers sprung ahead, several Unggoy leaping out of the way of the reckless charge.
Shaking his head in both annoyance and amusement, Halmat continued. "Phantoms, remain within communication range. We may need air cover and fast extraction. Everyone else, with me. Let's get this done."
The Lances and Files began their sweep, moving through the undergrowth while the Choppers carved their paths through. There was a brief incident where a Grunt got bitten by some strange creature hiding in the tree, but that was taken care of when the Unggoy put an overcharged plasma bolt into the opening of trunk. For a while, the tedious work was beginning to get to the pride of the Sangheili and many began questioning why Spec Ops were necessary for this role.
The silence and any dissenting thoughts were shattered by a loud crack and the squawks and screams of the Covenant forces rising in the air.
A lance of Unggoy and Kig-Yar were suspended in midair by a rope net. Some of the new Unggoy had seen a bunch of meat sitting on a stick and had rushed toward it. The Kig-Yar attempted to stop them (or claim it for themselves) when they set off the trap. Growling in exasperation, the Minor Elite squad leader unsheathed his energy dagger and cut the line, sending the forces back to the ground.
"Ignorant fools!" The Elite roared. "Test my patience again and I shall scatter your blood all over the forest floor!"
"Enough!" Halmat shouted. "Stay on guard. There may be more."
The group resumed their trek through the forest, now alert for more traps and tense at any sound. In the distance, the roar of the Choppers provided an ambient background noise, occasionally interrupted by the squeaking of some animal as the massive war machines tore them apart.
The ambience was shattered once again by a strange hoot followed by the howl of a Jiralhanae and the high-pitched whine of a plasma rifle. Everyone tensed at the sound which a Brute Minor reported as the appearance of a strange furry biped even smaller than the Unggoy.
"An Ewok." Halmat said as he looked over the corpse. "One of the predominant species that inhabits this moon."
"Ha ha." One Elite snorted, looking at the clothing and weaponry. "These must breed faster than the Unggoy to stay alive."
"Don't underestimate them." The Spec Ops commander sternly warned. "Historical records indicate that they are more dangerous than they seem."
Halmat's words were prophetic. Less than an hour later, a large explosion echoed through the forest as one of the Choppers was consumed in a large fireball. Apparently, the Ewoks had set a trap using leftover Imperial explosives.
This was just the start, as dozens of Ewoks rose from their hiding place and attacked. The arrows, spears and rocks of the natives did little to slow the Covenant advance, but some of them had still functioning blasters from previous conflicts and were putting them to good use.
"Return fire!"
Bolts of plasma, needle shards, spiker rounds and plasma, spike and flame grenades lit up the jungle as the Covenant forces retaliated in force. Though the blasters were sufficient enough to kill some of the Grunts, the shield gauntlets of the Kig-Yar and the personal shields of the Elites and Brutes weathered the storm, with the more primitive weapons barely worth noticing.
Soon, the Ewoks retreated as the relentless march of the Covenant continued. Eventually, they had found the Ewok home; a village mounted in the treetops. The height gave the furry creatures an advantage, but that was about to change.
"Jiral'ja engage!"
A pair of Phantoms emerged and hovered over the trees, the nose-mounted cannon and side mounted turrets spraying plasma at the Ewoks below. This was just a distraction, as several squads of Jiralhanae Jumpers emerged from the side hatches and landed on the wooden paths of the village, some even crushing houses as they landed.
The Jump pack-equipped Brutes leapt from platform to platform, mercilessly gunning down Ewoks with barely restrained delight. Spike rounds and Brute shot explosives tore through the wooden dwellings with ludicrous ease, as flames consumed all that remained.
Through all that, Halmat and his forces on the ground had little more to do other than mop up any stragglers.
"Bah," One of Halmat's Elites grunted. "This is a waste of our time. These primitives are no threat in the face of our power."
"Don't be so sure of that." Another Elite replied. "After all, did we not use to think the same about the humans?"
"At least the humans fought with more effective weapons." The first Elite retorted. "These creatures have no hope against us."
"Yet they continue to resist." All eyes briefly flicked to Halmat as he entered the conversation. "These Ewoks do not have our technological advantages, yet they still fight on. A warrior must admire their tenacity, if nothing else. Their courage could put many Unggoy to shame."
The dissenting Sangheili was silent after that. And after a very short time, all the attacking Ewoks were either dead, dying or had fled into the woods. Having faced live combat, the Covenant forces advanced with renewed zeal, eager for another challenge.
That was when a Spec Ops Sangheili shimmered into view in front of Halmat, bowing his head in respect and deference.
"Report."
"Commander, I've located something unusual." The scout reported. "Humanoid tracks, mixed with signs of anti-gravity technology and walker usage. I don't think we're alone on this world."
Halmat frowned at the potential complication. "This could be a problem." He muttered. "Show me where you found these tracks." He gestured to a nearby Jiralhanae. "You, come with me. The rest of you, continue with your tasks."
A force of Prowlers and Ghosts made their way over the plains when the gunner on the lead Prowler spotted a strange rock jutting out from the ground. Calling for the convoy to stop, they investigated this marking and realized that other sentients may be nearby.
"Onwards, brothers!" A Jiralhanae Captain Ultra shouted. "Let us see if these next beings will provide us with a good feast!"
The Covenant made their way over the hills and it wasn't long before they came across a large stone building. The legion made their way to the front of this strange castle, and found that they caught these strange humanoids off guard.
And drunk.
"Halt!" One of the gate guards shouted in badly accented Basic. "You are trespassing on Marauder grounds. Explain your purpose here."
The leading Jiralhanae Captain looked at his troops and shrugged.
"We desire an audience with your leader. To discuss... an alliance."
The drunk guard paused and then nodded, to the surprise of the Sangheili and Jiralhanae: they hadn't actually expected these Sanyassans to acquiesce to this request so easily. But if they could get inside this castle without a fight, then crippling this potential threat would be easy. Eventually, it was decided that a small group from this Covenant legion would meet with the Marauder leader.
Initially, the Sangheili were wary that the Sanyassans were leading them into a trap, but as they squeezed through the proportionally small hallways, the more it became obvious that these Marauders were not the most intelligent of their species, as demonstrated when one deliberately poured water on an ancient piece of equipment, which immediately short-circuited.
Eventually the small detachment reached what appeared to be a throne room, where a large group of Sanyassans had gathered. Most of them were drinking and laughing, with seemingly no reason for what they were doing. Even the appearance of aliens that they had likely never seen before barely seemed to raise a stir.
The main exception was a rather tall Sanyassan, sitting on what appeared to be a makeshift throne derived from some kind of Captain's chair. The Sanyassan sized them up, as the Brute Captain walked up towards him.
"We are emissaries of the great Covenant Shipmaster Laccabeus." The Captain said. "To whom are we speaking to?"
"I am King Zakul, son of the Great Terak." The Sanyassan responded. "And now, outsiders have come to grant us the gift of the Power."
The Sanyassan king stood up to his chair, and rose to his full height. Though the Brutes and Elites still towered over him, Zakul was either really brave or really foolish. Regardless, the Covenant had no intent of being ordered around by these upstart Marauders.
"And if we refuse to help you?" The Brute carefully asked. Zakul frowned.
"Then you and your kind will be doomed."
The Jiralhanae and Sangheili forces began laughing, and even some Unggoy and Kig-Yar joined in.
"Oh, I don't think so."
With that, a Brute backhanded the nearest Sanyassan into the wall, spine breaking on impact.
"Kill them!" Zakul ordered. "Kill them all!"
The Marauders complied, unleashing blaster fire on the Brutes and Elites first, but the only effect this had was to cause their shields to flare. The Covenant responded with bursts from their own weapons.
Needler shards flew through the air, embedding themselves in the bodies of several Marauders. They detonated seconds later, turning the Sanyassans into pink mist and cooking off the volatile blaster packs on them.
Several other Sanyassans had already been pinned to the wall by dozens of Spiker rounds, looking like grotesque pieces of artwork. Panicking, the Marauders began fleeing through the tunnels as the Covenant lay waste to the Keep.
The surviving Sanyassan Marauders made their way to the backup camps that were scattered around the Forest Moon, leaving the Covenant to level their former Stronghold and scavenge what remained.
...
In one of those camps, the surviving Sanyassans gathered, despondent at their change of fortune. Zakul himself couldn't believe how badly the Marauders had been beaten. They were the invincible masters of the stars, they should be superior to anyone who dared to challenge them. And yet, these 'Covenant' had kicked the Sanyassans out of their fortress, before turning it to glass.
On his father's name, Zakul swore he would find a way to get back at these Covenant for destroying their home. But that would come later. For now, he had to concentrate on rallying the surviving Marauders before ensuring that no one else on the moon would take their territory.
That was when his scouts returned from the forest. Apparently, there had been some landings taking place among the old structures built by the white armored invaders, though according to the scouts, it wasn't just them returning.
Curious, Zakul ordered two of his Marauders back to the forest, to report and observe on just who else had come to their world.
A force consisting of two Wraiths, a dozen Ghosts and six Choppers made their way into the Endorian Desert of Salma, specifically towards the lair of the nigh-mythical Gorax. Commander Sato and her CAT6 soldiers had been assigned to this group.
A number of Brutes wanted to take this powerful creature down, for no other reason than bragging rights. And the troops of CAT6 now had the misfortune of joining these brutal alien killers in their little quest for sport.
Sighing in annoyance, Sato could only watch from her position in one of the Mako tanks that the Covenant had bothered to scavenge from that desert planet as the Brutes and their subordinate species drove through the vast desert, occasionally bouts of sadistic laughter echoing from the large ape-like beings.
It would be so tempting to just take a shot: to strike these Covenant while their backs were turned. But what would be the point? Even if she and her mercenaries could maintain the element of surprise and wipe them out, they'd still have to contend with an assault carrier filled with bloodthirsty aliens.
And as much as she hated Laccabeus for what he did to the Bladski brothers, she still had a duty to what remained of her soldiers, and she'd be damned if she didn't take that role seriously. She had taken it very seriously when the bulk of CAT6's naval forces were wiped out by the upgraded Normandy.
The mercenary forces of CAT6 were not overly large when compared to groups like the Blue Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse. In fact the bulk of their forces consisted of a few cruisers and frigates, barely a fraction of the type of battlefleet held by the Eclipse alone.
Yet after the Reaper war had decimated everyone else, CAT6's forces had survived with much more to spare and now they intended to put it to good use. The location of the Normandy and Commander Shepard had been offered by the Shadow Broker to the highest bidder.
And CAT6 was the lucky winner.
Sato watched as her fleet of top of the line warships converged on the location of the Normandy SR-2. According to the Broker's intel, the ship had undergone extensive refits and would be vulnerable. A vulnerability she planned to take advantage of by pouring fire from the Deliverance into the heart of the stealth frigate.
She wasn't stupid of course. She had reconnitered the area to insure that no Alliance forces were nearby. None of the other powers in the InterDimensional Alliance would care this much about Shepard's activities and according to news reports, the Republic and Separatists were still locked in a fairly vicious conflict.
Still, Sato banished those thoughts when the sensor operator reported sighting the Normandy. The ship was just sitting there, out in the open, hundreds of thousands of kilometers from the nearby asteroid field or any other planets.
That alone should have set up alarm bells in Sato's head, but she was so consumed by bloodlust and trust in the Broker's intel that she ignored the signs and had the ships converge on the Normandy.
"All weapons have target lock." The weapon's officer reported. "Firing solutions are ready."
"Then blow that ship out of the sky!" Sato shouted.
A wave of mass accelerator fire and disrupter torpedos leapt from the warships and accelerated towards the helpless frigate. Sato watched in eager anticipation as the projectiles closed in...
But they never impacted. To the utter shock of everyone, the Normandy weathered all the shots like it was a cloud of rain. The barriers didn't even seem like they were straining. And that was another thing; it seemed like the Normandy had been upgraded with some form of energy shielding.
The disrupter torpedos were having very little effect, and the rounds just shattered on impact with the shields. Enraged, Sato ordered GARDIAN lasers to engage the stealth frigate, but like everything else, they were absorbed by the barriers.
Then just when they thought things couldn't get any worse, the Normandy vanished. Not just from normal sensors but also from sight. The ship's vaunted stealth systems seemed to have been replaced with a true cloaking device, a piece of technology that only the Republic had access to in bulk.
A cold sense of dread swept over Sato as she realized just how badly CAT6 was screwed. From what she could tell, the Normandy had been upgraded with Republic technology, and not even the Shadow Broker could've known that when the intel was sold. Or so she thought, anyway.
"Everybody fall back!" Sato shouted over the comms. "Get out of here!"
But the order came too late. One by one, the CAT6 frigates and cruisers were destroyed by bolts of energy that appeared from nowhere, plus occasional missiles which gutted frigates with ease.
The fleet tried to fight back, targeting the spots where the shots had come from, but each time, the Normandy had already gone. Eventually, all that remained of CAT6's naval forces were a few damaged frigates and the Deliverance, which had been completely ignored by the cloaked frigate.
The reason was obvious: they were being merciful, but also making a point. As much as Sato wanted to take her revenge against Commander Shepard, she knew she was outclassed, and she had a duty to the surviving mercenaries to get them to safety.
Seething, Commander Sato nevertheless ordered the few surviving ships to limp away from the battle. This was the last shot she had taken at Shepard, especially since the Great Flood war broke out a few years later.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the Covenant convoy abruptly halted at the base of a fairly large mountain. Halfway up, a large stone cave could be seen, with crude carvings outside. It seemed that they had found what they were looking for.
"Now what?" One soldier asked.
"Now, we lure the creature out." A Jiralhanae voice replied, as the questioner had been unaware his radio was still on.
"And how do we do that?" Sato rhetorically asked, seconds before the answer came in the form of plasma fire.
The Wraiths began shelling the Gorax fortress, melting holes inside with the volatile plasma mortars. This was done in the hopes of drawing the massive beast out, and soon that hope was answered.
Enraged at the damage to its home, the thirty-meter tall Gorax emerged from its lair, armed with a massive club. In its mind, the creature was more than ready to destroy the outsiders that would dare to attack the mighty Gorax.
The Ghosts and Choppers fired, the plasma cannons of the former were merely annoying the massive predator, while the latter clearly had more of an effect, causing the Gorax to roar in pain.
It retaliated with a swing of its club, sending two Choppers flying and causing the remaining vehicles to take evasive maneuvers. The twin Wraiths fired a volley, but the Gorax was relatively quick for its size, avoiding the slow moving blue comets.
That was when Sato decided just to fire directly on the creature with the Mako's main gun. The explosion struck center mass, causing the giant to stumble back. Still, this only seemed to enrage it further, as the Gorax now lunged for the CAT6 vehicle.
"Shit!"
She put the tank in reverse, fighting against the legendarily poor handling of the IFV. But the Gorax was faster than any being that size had a right to be, and soon the hairy giant was upon them.
"Everyone out!" Sato screamed, leaping out the hatch right behind her men.
She just made it. The blunt club slammed into the Mako's side, sending the vehicle rolling away. Spinning around, Sato could see the giant bearing down on them, looking at the humans like they were insects.
That was when a plasma mortar impacted the Gorax's back, which drew a horrified howling from the giant before it toppled to the ground. The remaining Covenant vehicles took potshots at the monster's prone form, making sure that it was actually dead.
"Well fought, human." A Brute war chieftain walked up to the ex-N7. "Few would be brave enough to take a beast like that head on."
The Mako was still in decent shape, and with the help of several Brutes, the humans got it the right way up again. As the mercenaries drove back, they left some of their escorts behind, while a few Phantoms began towing the Gorax corpse back to the camp.
Groaning in disgust, Sato settled back to rest as her soldiers directed the Mako back alongside several Ghosts. However, it wasn't too long before she was interrupted by the gunner who reported an unusual reading on the sensors.
"Well, what is it?" The weary ex-N7 snapped.
"We're picking up mercenary IFF's on long-range scanners." The Specialist reported. "They're native to our galaxy, but as best I can tell, they're not the Athame Sisters."
Sato frowned, looking at the board. "If it's not us, and it's not them, then who else is here?"
And more importantly, she thought, how can I use them to get away from here?
D'ranna stood in the bay of the Covenant dropship, surrounded by a couple asari and several mixed Covenant squads. The asari were unconfortable with the lack of any comforting asthetics within the Phantom; there wasn't even a place for them to sit down.
Normally, the asari wouldn't mind such interaction, but the Athame Sisters weren't thrilled with being so close to the disgusting odors of the Covenant species. Nor were they really happy about what they were supposed to do:
They were supposed to join in Covenant raids among several Ewok villages built near a lake. While D'ranna wasn't averse to killing the furry bipeds, the ex-Spectre knew it was beneath her and a waste of her time.
She suspected that Laccabeus had ordered the Athame Sisters to partake in this in order to keep them away from the Intention's Eye. The Brute Shipmaster may be aware of her machinations. So be it. We asari are nothing if not patient.
Breaking out of her musings, she felt the atmosphere in the troop bay get charged as the Grunts, Jackals, Brutes and Elites tensed up in preparation. The troop doors on each side of the Phantom opened, allowing natural light to flourish in place of the previously dominant purple lighting.
They were closing in on their targets.
D'ranna watched from the door of the Phantom as a pair of Banshees strafed the wooden stilt villages. The boiling plasma and explosive fuel rods lit the weak structures on fire, several of which fell smoldering into the lake below.
The furry Ewoks ran around in panic, though some chose to fight for what little good it did. Plasma bolts from the aerial fliers and Phantom chin and side turrets raked through the small creatures, leaving them screaming in pain.
A few other Brutes took potshots from the side hatches, laughing as they did so. None of them even bothered to get out of the dropships, as this village was already in ruins and most of the inhabitants were dead.
The next lake village was much more heavily defended, dozens of armed Ewoks ready for battle. Even more surprising was when catapulted rocks clipped one of the Banshees, forcing it to retreat.
"Take us down!" An Elite shouted. "We will take the fight to them!"
The Phantom hovered near the one of the small cliffs that connected the Ewok villages with the shore. As a result, most of the squads simply stepped onto the ground and made their way across the wooden bridges.
But not the Athame Sisters. No, they had been ordered to stay back, and let the Covenant handle the bulk of the killing. At this point, D'ranna was willing to bet Laccabeus was just making a point about his own power over them.
This incensed the ex-Spectre, but for now, she played along, watching as the squads of Covenant rampaged throughout the village. She saw the whole scenario with a dispassionate interest, when she noticed a small squad of Grunts and Jackals were actually having trouble outside one building.
"Pilot, take us down!" She shouted, gesturing to the conflict below.
To the pilot's credit, he saw what was happening and didn't argue, instead setting the Phantom on a course over the wooden platform. D'ranna gestured to the other asari as they closed on the position, and once they were over the fight, they made their move.
D'ranna leapt out of the dropship and onto the walkway, using her biotics to slow her fall. Beside her, one of her commandos got hit by an arrow, the primitive projectile being too slow to trigger the kinetic barrier. Unfortunately, the neurotoxin-tipped arrow found a soft spot, and she died in extreme pain.
Enraged, D'ranna unleashed a biotic shockwave which sent every Ewok on the walkway flying, their innards pulverized from the concentrated dark energy. The massive shockwave threw the bodies of the dimunitive humanoids off the platforms and into the water.
"Well done." D'ranna turned to see a Brute Major with a look of approval on his face. "You have potential."
Rather than be complimented, D'ranna felt disgusted by the Jiralhanae's approval. Fortunately for her, the Brute either didn't notice or care and turned away, leaving her to impotently flare her biotics before moving on to the next group.
Taking out her frustrations on the Ewoks, she and her commandos accounted for at least a couple dozen fatalities for the primitive creatures. Calming slightly, D'ranna was about to make her way back to the Phantoms when another asari came up to her.
"Uh, ma'am." She started. "Our sensors are picking up mercenary IFFs at long range."
"And how is that relevant?" D'ranna growled. "We know CAT6 is with another group of Covenant."
"You misunderstand." Her aide replied. "These are on the opposite direction we know CAT6 went. Furthermore, the IFFs indicate that they belong to the Blue Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse."
D'ranna froze at that statement, a new plan already forming in her mind. Soon, a wide psychotic grin split her face as an idea came to mind. But unknown to the asari, a single cloaked Sangheili had been listening to every word.
The largest Covenant force consisted of a dozen Wraith tanks, half a dozen Phantoms loaded to the brim with troopers, as well as two Deutoros Scarab walkers. The force made their way to what the Covenant recon flight had discovered.
A crashed Imperial Star Destroyer, almost completely structurally intact. Many Kig-Yar almost salivated at the thought of the riches that might be contained within. As the force grew closer, they found themselves to be disappointed;
The exterior weapons were missing, no doubt cannibalized when the ship first crashed here, and they would be lucky if the interior was any better. Nevertheless, Commander Erda 'Renad gave the order to enter the wreckage.
The Phantoms took position over the wreck, four of them deploying lances of Jackals commanded by either a Jiralhanae or Sangheili Minor. The final two Phantoms released a swarm of Yanme'e, who began scouring the wreck for salvage.
The Covenant made their way inside through the holes in the interior, looking for anything useful. Meanwhile, on the ground, Commander 'Renad and his second in command were having a discussion about the ship.
"I can't believe those fools would build a ship with a bridge like that." Loka, Erda's second remarked, gesturing to the command tower. "You might as well paint a massive target that says, 'shoot me!'"
"And yet, by all accounts," Erda replied. "These were, and still are, formidable machines of war."
"One wonders why." Loka snorted. "If even the Republic use these vessels, it's a wonder they're the multiversal superpower."
"They only use the frame," Erda retorted. "They've removed the design flaws, including moving the bridge from the command tower."
"How do you know this?" Loka demanded.
"Did you never bother to study our foes during our time between universes?" Erda asked.
Loka just hung his head in shame and embarassment. He hadn't actually done his homework while the crew of the Intention's Eye had been hiding in the recesses of civilized space. He'd been too busy training and dueling his fellow Sangheili swordsman on the carrier.
Before any further dialogue could be held, the two Sangeheili were interrupted by an incoming call from the squads on the Destroyer's bridge. Erda smiled. It seemed that something of interest had been found.
Answering the device, he was greeted by the sight of a Jiralhanae Major.
"Commander 'Renad," The Brute greeted. "We've arrived at the bridge and the Kig-Yar and Unggoy are scavenging what they can now."
"Did they find anything of value?" Erda asked.
"Some scattered pieces of technology, nothing overly impressive." The Major replied. "However, one of the Unggoy was able to reactivate the ship's sensors, and according to their scans, there are Imperial IFF signals on the planet."
"That's hardly surprising." Loka interrupted. "Even decades after their war, they still wouldn't have recovered all the equipment they had left behind."
"Forgive me, Sub-Commander, but you misunderstand. These signals are active and moving. Live Imperials are somewhere on the planet, though because of the damage, we can't ascertain their direct location."
"Could it be the Empire of the Hand?" Erda said, concerned not so much at the prospect of fighting those Imperials, but rather at the prospect of them summoning the Republic.
The Jiralhanae turned away from the screen for a moment and barked the question to someone off-screen. After getting a shrill reply from an Unggoy, he turned back and shook his head, to the Elite commander's relief.
"It's unlikely." The Brute clarified. "Apparently the IFFs are older signals, too defunct to be members of the Empire of the Hand."
"It still remains that we have a potential enemy here." Erda murmered, more to himself than the Brute. "I shall contact the Shipmaster and inform him of this development. In the meantime, keep scanning for those signals and salvage what you can."
The Brute nodded and closed the communication. Loka turned to Commander 'Renad, with a neutral look on his face.
"It appears we may have a new opponent." He said with a hint of eagerness.
"Indeed."
Elsewhere, near the top of Endor's coldest mountain, a lone Covenant Lich was hovering near a large cave, disgorging a large pack of Jiralhanae and a squad of Sangheili from the craft's gravity lift.
The final passenger arrived once his forces were all in defensive positions. Laccabeus touched down on the mountaintop, his feet sinking into the snow. With nary a shiver at the bitter cold, the Chieftain activated his comlink and listened to the report.
"This is the location the Luminary revealed." War Chieftain Wrackus reported from the Lich's interior. "We shall remain on station until you return, Shipmaster."
"Very good. You four!" Laccabeus pointed to four of his Jiralhanae. "Remain here and guard the entrance. Everyone else," He gestured to the cave. "With me."
The specialized Covenant force, consisting of some of Laccabeus' best troops, made their way into the interior of the cavern. They weren't walking long until they found what they were seeking: a large door made of stone, large enough to fly a Phantom through. The patterns and lights decorating the wall were of unknown make to Laccabeus, but the symbol at the bottom of the door was:
It was the Forerunner symbol for Reclaimer, previously thought by the Covenant to mean Reclamation. The Brute Chieftain frowned. He hadn't expected this to require a Reclaimer's touch to open, but then he noticed that the door was already unlocked.
"Someone's already been here." The Sangheili's report confirmed his suspicions. "We may be too late."
"Open the door." The Shipmaster ordered. "Weapons up."
The Covenant warriors did as commanded, weapons trained on the door as it slowly slid open, revealing a small pathway into a relatively large room, with a circular dias at the end. A pedastal sat in the middle of the dias, while two odd statues of strange birdlike beings sat behind it and two each side, seemingly guarding it.
Carefully, the Covenant forces walked along the pathway, weapons sweeping for any potential threats. Laccabeus was more focused on the murals in the room itself. Carved from stone, with occasionally lines of glowing light, the images depicted on the walls showed a basic representation of several humans, some unknown beings resembling birds, Reapers and larger humans, and pictograms that unmistakenly represented-
"The Parasite." Laccabeus murmered.
Indeed, several misshappen figures resembled forms of the Flood, while also showing them in conflict with these other beings. With a sneaking suspicion about what this place had contained, Laccabeus nevertheless shook himself out of his musings as he approached the pedastal.
When the Eye's Luminary had detected a Forerunner signal buried on Endor, the Shipmaster couldn't help but get a feeling of elation and curiousity. While he and his crew had given up the Covenant religion, even a small Forerunner artifact could be a significantly important find, and help galvanize his forces.
Now looking at the empty pedastal, Laccabeus knew he had gotten his hopes up. There likely had been something important here, but clearly, someone else had been here first and taken whatever artifact had been here. And judging by the heiroglyphs around them, he had very good idea as to who it was.
"My brothers," The Shipmaster's voice echoed through the chamber, with a note of resigned sadness. "It appears that the Republic has already recovered the artifact here."
There were shouts of outrage and sadness as the gathered guards took in the fact that the child was still obstructing their Shipmaster, this time without him even realizing it. Some were tempted to tear out his spine, but even they knew that was a foolish idea that would only get them killed, which only discouraged them even more: They couldn't even do anything to avenge this slight against their leader.
Enraged, one Brute angrily walked up to the pedastal and kicked it, accidently shattering the stone structure. This proved to be a grave mistake. The nearby statues shifted, the glowing blue lights in their eyes and body shifted to red.
Energy beams emerged from the red eyes, striking the offending Brute head on. The blast was powerful enough to tear apart the Jiralhanae power armor, and reduced the offending warrior to ash.
"Retreat!" Laccabeus shouted. "Back to the entrance!"
A second blast tore through another Brute as the rest retreated. Quickly, the small force made it back outside, avoiding the energy blasts emenating from the clearly Chozo-designed statues.
"Seal the cavern!" Laccabeus ordered.
The Lich turned and presented its focus cannon to the mouth of the cave. Upgraded with the same firepower as a Scarab walker, the beam of plasma tore through the rocks, collapsing the entrance and sealing the ruins.
...
It was a silent trip back to the Intention's Eye. None of the Sangheili or Jiralhanae wanted to say anything, lest they make their leader's mood worse. Laccabeus had hoped that whatever they found would give him and his crew purpose. Something to actually do.
Sure, they would be content right now with hunting the inhabitants of Endor, but that would only last for so long before they would long for something more. The fact that his crew never complained during the several decades they spent hiding from the interdimensional governments showed how loyal they were to him, and Laccabeus desperately wanted to return the favor.
Now though... he wondered whether he and his troops were just destined to fade into obscurity, forgotten by everyone in the multiverse. He snorted inwardly: D'ranna's words had affected him more than he cared to admit.
"Shipmaster!" His reverie was broken by the sound of the Lich's communications officer. "We're getting reports from Commander Erda 'Renad; they've detected Imperial signatures on the planet." There was a slight pause before he spoke again. "Also, our new allies have unintentionally revealed the presence of Terminus mercenary groups on the planet."
"Well, it appears we have a new foe." Laccabeus had a ghost of a smile on his face. "Send word to all forces. These threats will fall under the power of the Covenant!"
Alright, now this is the start of a brief crossover with my other story "Omega Chronicles." How does it relate? You'll have to read them to find out.
I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.