Chapter 8: Raku
The mountains of Zezar were perilous, but the Sangheili were more than strong enough to traverse them. Even the Jiralhanae's advances through the freezing rocks were surprising. They wouldn't need to travel much further, but Axus called for a break anyway.
"We're wasting time," Nos complained as the three Sangheili gathered around a fire. The Jiralhanae had made their own. There had always been tension between the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae, and it was still felt as they segregated themselves.
"We are not," Sen responded. He huddled next to Raku while Nos sat across from them. "All of us must be ready to fight before the fight begins."
"I concur," Raku said, keeping his voice low. "Besides, the humans do not know we're coming."
"Which is why we should strike quickly," Nos said. He wasn't keeping his voice low. "We need to take them out before they can learn that we're here."
"They won't learn we're here if you keep your voice down," Sen said. Raku heard the edge of anger in his voice that no one else could've heard.
Nos growled, but he stopped retorting. He had lost the argument. Ever since Nos joined the group there had been argument after argument. Raku and Sen always knew their duty, they never complained or challenged their superiors. They had never even verbally fought. Nos's addition to the group had changed things a lot for them.
Raku and Sen called themselves the Hidden Blades. It wasn't the most inspired name of all time, but it was an accurate description of what they were. Nos was everything but hidden. He was only there because the Minister of Animosity wanted him there, and Raku would never go against his superiors.
Raku had been able to build up enough trust with Nos to consider him a brother, but he doubted his abilities to listen and do things quietly. And the two fought as if they were true siblings.
"I am interested to see how the Jiralhanae fight," Sen said, making more conversation to help pass the time.
"As am I," Raku replied with a sigh. "Though I doubt they will work well with us."
Sen nodded in agreement. Nos didn't join in the conversation, losing a pointless argument was enough to silence him for a while. Raku looked to the sky above them. It was obscured by clouds the way it always was, but the growing darkness made it clear that the sun was setting.
"We've been here for a while," Sen said, joining Raku in watching the sky. "But I don't think I've ever seen this planet's sky."
Raku wished he could see through the clouds, to watch the glorious fleet sit above the planet as it sent more soldiers down. If Nos could see them he would only complain that the Song of Unity was not among them.
"We don't need to," Raku said plainly. He pushed himself to his feet and stretched his arms and legs. "We will move at nightfall."
Sen and Nos responded with a nod. Nos left to speak with the Jiralhanae, leaving Raku and Sen alone. The two Sangheili turned to look at the land below the mountains. Endless stretches of frozen plains extended out to the horizon, as far as they could see. The two Sangheili enjoyed the landscape in silence for a moment. No matter how harsh or frigid, it was always beautiful.
"When this war is over, do you think we will still be warriors?" Raku eventually asked, breaking the silence.
"You ask that as if the war will ever end," Sen replied with a sigh. "But there is nothing stopping us. The Sangheili have always been warriors, we do not need a great war to continue being that."
"I know," Raku sighed. "But this war has given me purpose. Every day I have fought for something, I do not know what will happen when it ends."
"If it does end, it won't happen in our lifetimes. Humanity may be on the edge of extinction, but we will never truly win until the only human left draws its final breath. A genocide is a very long process, and we don't even know how many of them are left."
"That is true."
Raku sat down on the rocky floor. It was cold, but he felt like he needed to rest his legs. Sen sat beside him. Throughout their whole lives, the two of them had rarely been separated. Even if they didn't share the same blood, they were still brothers. Their bond could never be broken. But Raku began to feel that the Minister of Animosity was somehow trying to sabotage that bond.
Though they were stronger with Nos 'Attrumai at their side, they ultimately didn't need him. Raku and Sen had accomplished incredible things just by themselves. And one day the Minister of Animosity decided to put the Blademaster on their team. And another day the Minister decided to have them lead a pack of Jiralhanae. That was far from what they did, and the Minister knew that. Nothing seemed right. But as usual, Raku wouldn't challenge his superiors. At least not until he knew more.
"What are you thinking about?" Sen asked, breaking another moment of silence that had fallen between them.
"Nothing important," Raku lied. He knew Sen would be able to see right through it, but he didn't say anything.
The silence fell once more. The two watched as the night fell over Zezar.
Raku made his way to the Jiralhanae camp as it became too dark to see with naked eyes, Sen followed close behind. They used the night vision built into their helmets to navigate the rocks, and they deactivated it once they saw the light from a fire.
"Finally," Axus said, standing up from the fire with a very exaggerated motion. He acted as if it wasn't him who called for the break.
"Can we get moving now?" another of the Jiralhanae, Volus, asked.
"Yes, it's time to move," Raku said. "Gather your weapons, and let the fire wither."
With how cold the weather became at night on Zezar, a small breeze was enough to put out a campfire. The Jiralhanae had actively been maintaining it as they waited, and the fire soon went out once they stopped.
The pack of Jiralhanae eagerly moved to collect their weapons. Nos stood behind them with his arms crossed. The only weapon he needed was his blade, which never left his side. Raku wondered if Nos was still angry, but it didn't really matter whether or not he was.
"Come on," Raku called out to them. "We must be swift, but silent. The humans cannot know we are coming."
"Yeah yeah," Axus growled, "I've heard that tons of times."
"Lead the way," Nos said, turning to Raku. "We will be close behind."
Raku nodded. He and Sen turned to the direction of the human base, and they made their way across the rocks. If they moved slowly they would be impossible to see from a distance, their black armour blended in with the dark rocks around them. The Jiralhanae weren't so stealthy in their appearance. Their pelts ranged from all different colours, the same as the pieces of armour they wore sparingly. Raku just had to hope that no one was watching them.
The rocky terrain was surprisingly easy for the Sangheili to navigate, but the Jiralhanae regularly had trouble getting over the rocks. By the time Raku and Sen had reached the ridge that overlooked the human base, they had to wait for the Jiralhanae to catch up. Nos had stayed behind with them to keep them in check.
The human base was an ugly primitive design. Blocky rooms protruded out from all of its sides. Open staircases and corridors gave Raku a view of the humans that moved around there. Most of them didn't even look like soldiers, and the base itself looked like some kind of hydroelectric plant that had been converted to host soldiers and munitions.
It was through that makeshift human base where they would find what the Minister of Animosity had sent them after. The fight wasn't going to be tough, but Raku still hoped the Lifeworker data was worth the effort. He had formed a plan when the Jiralhanae finally arrived.
"So, how will we take this?" Nos asked.
"Sen and I are going to sneak in and cause a distraction," Raku explained. "Just like we did at the outpost earlier. An explosive should do the trick. When it goes off and distracts the humans, you will launch your attack."
Raku scanned the area around the base. There was a ramp carved out of the ice that would allow them to enter the base from the ridge on the side of the mountain. He pointed to it. "That's where we will enter."
"Understood," Nos nodded.
Raku was glad that Nos was now fully focused on the mission. That was the side of the Blademaster that he liked, the one who was ready for a fight but still listened, and followed the plan. Raku nodded back.
"Remember, the explosion is your signal to attack," Raku said. "Nos, the Jiralhanae are yours to command."
Nos nodded again. When they were ready to move, Raku and Sen left them in their spot on the mountain. They cloaked before any humans had the chance to see them, and they quickly made their way down the ice ramp. There was nothing they could use there to mask the sounds of their footsteps, so they had to hope the humans wouldn't notice them too quickly. They didn't have the luxury of moving slowly.
In front of the ramp was a door that led into the base, a human guard stood there gripping a rifle in its hands. It shivered from the cold weather, and Raku almost pitied it. There was no way around it, so Raku opted to kill it as quickly as he could. He sprinted the last few steps down the ramp, and the human made an expression signalling that it noticed him. But before it could do anything more, Raku jammed a wrist-mounted energy dagger into its face, killing it instantly in a violent motion.
Sen and Raku split up, making their way across both sides of the facility. They would have little time before another human would find their dead comrade, so they made haste to the other side. Raku dodged several patrols of human soldiers, and navigated through tight spaces where he couldn't be seen.
On the other side of the facility was the perfect target: a human transport sitting on a landing pad. Six human soldiers stood around it, all conversing between one another. Rather than risk blowing his cover early by trying to get past them, Raku opted to take the transport out quickly. He lifted a plasma grenade from his belt, and tossed it onto one of the transport's missile pods. The humans noticed immediately, and they attempted to scatter. The ensuing explosion engulfed them and the landing pad, and that was when the attack had begun.
More human soldiers made their way over. One came dangerously close to Raku before its head got blown off by a shot from a spike rifle. Another explosion went off in the direction Sen had gone, and another in the direction they had come from. Raku sprinted from his cover as human soldiers rushed to the ramp. Unarmed humans ran past him, which he didn't even bother to kill. If they couldn't fight, then they weren't worth it.
A line of three humans took cover behind a makeshift barricade as fire from a plasma rifle rained down on them. Raku de-cloaked behind them, making sure that the Jiralhanae who was shooting them didn't accidentally hit him. He drew his energy sword, and ignited the blades. The humans turned immediately, each one with an expression of horror that was short lived. All three of their lives ended with a single slash from Raku's blade.
Raku felt the impacts of projectiles against his energy shield, and he dove for cover. He peeked out and got a look at two more human soldiers who were spraying his position down with bullets. Before he could do something about them, Nos came barreling in, knocking the two of them down with his shoulder. The Blademaster ignited his blade, and cut the two humans open before they could get up.
Axus and Volus ran past Nos as they made their way further into the base, and Raku quickly left his cover to follow them. He caught a glimpse of another Jiralhanae tearing the arms off one of the human noncombatants. Though Raku had killed several humans in gruesome ways, that was still not a sight he liked to see.
The humans on the platforms outside the base made their way indoors, and they quickly barricaded the them. That wasn't enough to even slow them down. Raku slammed his blades into one of the doors and cut it open with ease, a Jiralhanae ran in before Raku could clear the room. It was the one who had mutilated the unarmed human, and he quickly got a face full of bullets from a human shotgun. The Jiralhanae fell lifeless onto the floor in a pool of blood. Raku almost felt like that death was deserved.
Raku palmed another plasma grenade, and tossed it into the room before any more Jiralhanae could recklessly go in. He cloaked and sprinted inside just after it exploded. The human with the shotgun survived the explosion, and hid in a corner of the room, but its throat was swiftly open with Raku's energy dagger. Another behind it blasted him with bullets from a rifle, and it nearly took down his shields before Sen appeared behind it and stabbed it through its abdomen.
The Sangheili and Jiralhanae navigated through the steel corridors until they came upon what seemed to be some sort of vehicle bay, but there were no vehicles in it. A group of five more human soldiers huddled in the middle of a large elevator, and they began to take it down into the mountain. The data we're after must be down there.
Axus pushed past Raku and grabbed a grenade from his belt, but Raku grabbed his arm and stopped him. It took a lot of strength to hold the Jiralhanae's arm back as he pushed against him.
"What are you doing?" Axus snarled.
"Do not damage the elevator! We need to use it," Raku said.
A stream of bullets interrupted them, three of them impacted Axus's shoulder and caused him to drop the grenade. Sen drew a pistol from his hip and fired a burst of plasma at the humans, missing each shot as the elevator disappeared from sight. He never really was a good shot anyway.
"The humans are escaping!" Nos exclaimed. He ran to the edge of the shaft, but stopped himself before he could slip and fall down.
"I doubt that," Raku said, approaching Nos with Sen at his back. "If the Lifeworker archives are down there, then I believe they have only trapped themselves."
Axus and his Jiralhanae joined the group, all of them eager to chase the humans and continue the fight except for Axus himself. His expression was one of extreme anger, one that Raku was sure would fade soon. It had to, or their mission would never be complete.
"Axus," Raku said. "Have three of your Jiralhanae stay here. More humans will be on the way soon, and we need our exit covered."
Axus's response was a low growl. Raku wondered if all Jiralhanae had tempers as short as his.
"Do it," Raku ordered.
Axus growled again, and he turned to his pack. He barked orders to them, and three of the remaining five left the room to keep any human reinforcements from making their way in. Axus and Volus were left to join the three Sangheili on their chase.
Raku approached the edge of the shaft once more. It was slanted at an angle that would allow him to slide the whole way down if he kept his balance, and that was something he was good at. He turned to the group behind him before making his move.
"This may be a rough ride. Follow me, and we will reach our objective," Raku said.
He didn't wait for any responses before he jumped down the shaft, the layer of energy shielding made it easy for his feet to slide down the steel ramp. He heard the sound of Sen and Nos following him, but he didn't hear the Jiralhanae. It would be much tougher for them to make it all the way down, but they didn't have the time to wait for the elevator to come back up.
The lights toward the bottom of the shaft had been turned off, and it only got darker and darker the further they went down. It was much deeper than Raku had expected, but he knew it would lead them to their prize.
