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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

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"A lead, but to where?"

February 25 2527 - Hour 1412

General Thela 'Vadamee

Covenant CCS-Class battlecruiser 'U624', Orbit over Planet of Arcadia

Thela had many questions at the moment, but she was unwilling to voice any of those as she found herself near the one that organized this expedition.

Her new assignment had been presented as an honor for someone her race to take part in, but she was slowly realizing it had been a strong lie and... perhaps the funniest way to try and have her killed. Pacing back and forth within the bridge of the ship, the Arbiter grumbled quietly over the sight of the planet. Was it anger, was it thought, or perhaps there was no thought but desire to spill blood already?

Ripa 'Moramee was one of those Sangheili no one, not even his own Kaidon, would support. Too ambitious, too ruthless- he was more endeared by the notion of killing things rather than showing his fighting skill. Not a warrior, but a butcher. He was prone to ferocious outbursts at times, especially when even a small mistake was made by his subordinates.

So, that would explain why so many, mostly her detractors, supported this move. They knew Thela was going to say or do something that would have gotten the ire of the Fleet-Master. And to make things worse, she knew this had to either be a win or a draw to even out the recent losses suffered in Alpha Aurigae and XI Boötis A. Humanity hadn't budged from these confrontations, and yet it still showed weakness when it came to what happened in Mesra and Hat Yai. They were not standing close to the Covenant's might, but the fact that a fraction of the military was still busy keeping a look over any recent revolts had severely weakened their momentum.

Ever since the news of a female Jiralhanae was spotted fighting among humans as an ally to them, many among the Brutes had started to grow restless. Some were upset by how their hierarchy worked, some wanted power, others wanted change to 'be better' and then there was the small minority of those that saw humanity as a better ally than those in the Covenant. To say that the council was growing a bit nervous about these recent circumstances was an understatement. The fact the San'Shyuum had wasted much of their reputation to cover for their supporters in the Jiralhanae spectrum of politics was a move that had many wondering how close and intimate these two factions were deep down.

But Thela was no politician, so she saw no purpose involving herself too much on the matter. What really made this situation concerning was the notion that the council had adopted some unusual changes in the administration of the military. Where once the correlation between species unfolded more on a casual manner, now there was a degree of mandatory 'missions' where mixed brigades and groups were to be formed for each operation. To promote 'cohesion' within the alliance. Sadly, this made more upset than wanted. Especially when some Sangheili saw this as unneeded and 'weakening' of their quality discipline.

Despite that, Thela had no issue accepting a mixed squad or even brigade if so commanded and saw no issue when she ended up receiving a new interesting assistant in the form of a Kig-Yar. A T'vaoan, Chol Von had served the military for just a single year. She hadn't been around to see the first contact unfolding, but joined as soon as the call to arms was issued. She worked her way through the ranks and was one or two missions away from becoming a Zealot in the eyes of the military staff. A brilliant sniper in her own right, Thela saw something else that made her a character worthy of respect: she was blunt with her opinion, and she was respectful most of the time. A bizarre clash of personalities, yet one that fit her just right.

Rtas liked her too, but only for her skills. That's where the true line between subordinate and leader became the most evident- Thela valued the quality of character where a lower officer would just accept one by their abilities in the field. There's no need to say why Chol Von preferred to speak more freely towards the General than the First Blade. Nonetheless, the Kig-Yar stood in a rigid form of distaste before what was soon going to happen.

Some would call it rebellious, especially in recent times, but it was no secret Chol Von saw humans in a honorable ways and tended to use some of their 'words' to her advantage, either to surprise people, stun detractors or, in amusing circumstances, crassly rebuke some of the insults thrown her way by other humans. Amusing, really amusing when she would just go quite strong about those foul words. Right now the upset was aimed at the Arbiter himself.

Sure, the title was revered by the Sangheili traditions, but no one would be surprised of any disdain aimed at Ripa. He was just unfit for such a holy role, and many of his subordinates were keen to speak against him when he was around. He was unloved and had plenty of disloyal troops. That, Thela could tell without hesitation, was going to be the reason for many issues in this campaign. She just had this strong feeling it was going to mess things up horribly for them.

Still, one question lingered: why Arcadia? Why was this planet so relevant to send the whole Fleet of Glorious Intent to attack the relatively insignificant human colony? The answer was tied to her last failure back in Harvest. While the memory was filled with a mixture of bitterness and thoughtfulness, Thela's mind focused on the detail that mattered in this mission: They had tracked down some of the devices the humans had taken away from the control room. And that device had been taken on the planet just two days early. There was no military research base in the colony, which meant that they had found something important. The very thing they had been looking for- an easy way to defeat humanity for good by overwhelming them.

But first, Arcadia had to fall and the military resistance was expected to be limited. Now, that would suggest a smart and well-planned hostage situation where they could use civilians as hostages to stop any sudden arrival to focus on their real goals. They would use civilians to distract the reinforcement while they took care of their secret plans without any issues. Sadly, Ripa proved to the bridge and pretty much his very fleet why he had been the most unfit individual possible to lead this operation: He ordered for the execution of all civilians.

While there was no love lost with these humans, the notion that they were slaughtering innocents was going to draw extreme retaliation from the humans. And the Covenant didn't need that with how small the fleet was at the moment. But Thela wasn't around to handle the madness within the bridge, Chol sighing behind her while Rtas fixed her Plasma Rifle as the dropship they had boarded descended on the ground. Once landed, orders were dispatched and defenses were established. Looking back at Harvest, Thela just knew what to do to create a distraction no one could lament about. Except perhaps Ripa with how irate he was.

But alas, humanity was soon to receive a nasty surprise the moment they tried to get on the planet's surface. That much she could promise.

AN

And thus Halo Wars begins!

A bit of a short update, but next one will come quicker than usual.