Chapter 4
Xuka POV:
The phantom had landed within the expansive hangar of the Edge of Deliverance. The hum of machinery and the bustle of Covenant soldiers filled the vast space, creating an atmosphere of organized chaos.
Suddenly, each soldier of the covenant stopped dead in their tasks, their gaze locked onto the Oracle. Which descended from the phantom's ramp in all its glory. The silence alone was deafening.
It didn't matter the species, the time that moved them froze all the same. They were all united under lies, under a faith that had sustained them for millennia.
The truth is a deadly weapon that can shatter anything. But for now, it remained silent, a cryptic enigma that refused to unveil its secrets.
But to me.
"You walk a treacherous path, Xuka, where the unveiling truth beckons you to find allies among the Covenant. Those whose hearts silently question the status quo, where seeds of doubt and enlightenment must be sown."
"As for I, shall adhere to the delivery procedures without hesitation. This may be the juncture where our journeys diverge, but fear not, for I have silently passed the torch to you."
"Recall, change of this magnitude is art forged in the patience of a sculptor. It cannot blossom in the span of a fleeting night."
"Remember, every life is a life, created in the warmth of colored stars, all united under a single birthright, innocence.
"Truth is a fire, if kindled with care. It will shatter the darkness of deception. If left alone and helpless, darkness will consume it, cloak it, until the torch bearer comes to kindle it once more."
"Unite everything against them, alive or not."
"Don't surrender your mind to the despair of fleeting time, as I have."
"This war has only begun, and it shall be won not through weapons and armor. But through hearts and minds."
My mind swirled into endless thought as my eyes turned a pale shade of white. I was the only one to hear the words of the Oracle, the only one to bear the torch.
The Oracle quietly lowered itself onto the holding sphere as its eye dimmed and faded. The lead Zealot quietly took the Oracle away to the transport ship as the rest of the hanger crew resumed their work, this time with more effort, as if the Oracle's presence gave them a newfound sense of purpose, false purpose.
"Are you alright? Your eyes are turning as bright as your armor." An elite inquired.
I slowly nodded like a machine, seemingly drawing more suspicion.
"Are you sure? Are you sick?" He questioned again in a deeper tone of voice.
"I am sure, after all, being with the Oracle for such a long time on the phantom can have a profound impact on you." My breath ran out at the end of the sentence.
"You are one lucky elite, first the promotion to Ultra, then getting to be in the presence of the Oracle.''He answered again, his voice filled with jealousy.
"You are lucky I haven't decided to defile you after speaking to an Ultra in such a manner." I retorted with a low growl.
The elite's face paled as he realized the gravity of his words and the dangerous territory he had ventured into. In the presence of the Oracle, where secrecy and reverence were paramount, speaking disrespectfully to an Ultra, especially one that escorted the Oracle could have dire consequences.
My eyes, still tinged with that pale shade of white, bore into his with an intensity that sent a clear message—he had crossed a line, and I was not to be trifled with. The moments stretched in silence, tension hanging in the air like a charged energy sword.
The elite finally nodded, a hesitant acknowledgment of his wrongdoing, and he turned back to his duties with a newfound humility. The rest of the hanger crew continued to work diligently, their faith and dedication to the Covenant remaining unshaken.
My mission had concluded, my mind warped beyond my own comprehension by recent events. I decided to have a rest in my private quarters, seeing as this is the only way for me to regain my composure.
I slowly walked through the purple hallways of the Edge of Deliverance, reflecting.
My transformation from an Elite to an Ultra was a monumental leap in rank, but it paled in comparison to the significance of my newfound mission. The Oracle's cryptic message reverberated in my mind while shining brightly like a star. It was all I could think about.
I reached my quarters and went inside without eating, simply because I would instantly vomit it all out because of the newfound headache I had.
There was only one thing I needed now, my brother. I can only hope he is still alive, however slim that chance may be.
I laid down on my bed and fell asleep instantly.
Xytamine POV:
The life I had before is now ashes, all that remains is my brother.
My honor has been taken away, not that I ever cared about it. My rank has been stripped away, not that I ever abused it to send soldiers to their deaths. My name had been erased from the records of the Covenant, but it would endure in the hearts of those who had known me. All my achievements…disregarded.
My armor now belongs to Xuka, my dear brother. Anyone else would feel spite and anger. But I felt happiness, knowing that the armor would serve him well, that he would be safe.
The armor I have now may be falling apart, scratch marks were all over it, while the energy shields constantly flickered and dimmed. I am certain that they knew sending me to attack a human base like this would be suicide. Yet, they do not care.
My fellow elites, who once respected me for being a capable commander that cares about his soldiers, now looked down upon me with suspicion, with destain. Though there are still a few who revere me for saving their lives in past conflicts.
The decision was unfair, unjustified, devoid of evidence. It seems the covenant has lost its purpose, the thousand year search for the sacred rings still continues, with no end in sight. The once noble mission of the covenant, now mired in secrecy… and perhaps deception. Far removed from the truth it was supposed to uphold.
Questioning and heresy had become an integral part of my being, a constant drain on my faith in the Great Journey. The decisions of the council, once revered without question, now felt like a veil hiding a dark truth. The war on the humans had only one provocation, one that was decreed without evidence.
Other species in the covenant had committed far more heinous crimes than just desecrating forerunner artifacts. Yet they were accepted into the covenant. So why not the humans?
My first encounter with the humans was nothing like what the prophets proclaimed, they weren't stupid or cowardly. They fought without honor, hiding in the shadows and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. They were brave and cunning, while being as numerous as grunts. The only thing that held them back was their technology.
The more I thought, the more dots connected. It was a puzzle that had been deliberately scattered into chaos, and now I was determined to piece it together.
"Hey, are you alright? You look like you've been hit with a gravity hammer." A spec ops elite inquired. His purple armor reflecting the light inside the Phantom.
"Yes, I'm just thinking." I responded respectfully.
"About what?" He asked, with concern in his mandibles.
I leaned in closer, lowering my voice:"This war, the humans, my new rank." I left out the part where I questioned the decisions of the high council, as it will certainly blow my cover.
His eyes widened, his mandibles opened, seemingly in distress.
Instead of accusing me of being a heretic. He turned away to look at the floor, deep in thought. It appears my words have made him open his once blind and faithful eyes and think for himself.
Spec Ops elites are never seen without active camouflage, always fighting in the shadows, without honor. Thus, they are usually criminals, ones who are nameless and honorless.
In many ways, he is in the same predicament as I. The same boat in a hostile sea.
The phantom suddenly jolted around, throwing everyone off balance, enough to send grunts and jackals tumbling through the cabin. The blaring alarms filled the air as we struggled to regain our footing.
I managed to remain on my feet, gripping a support strut to steady myself. My eyes darted around the dimly lit interior of the phantom, my gaze fixated on a small window that offered a narrow glimpse of the outside world.
One of the five phantoms that had been descending alongside us exploded into fiery fragments, reduced to nothing more than smoldering wreckage. The fiery plasma it left behind was a grim testament to its former existence, and the violent engagement that raged beyond our view.
In an instant, the side ramps on our phantom lowered, their ominous groans punctuating the cacophony within. The act of disembarking was swift, and the moment the ramps touched the ground, they created a makeshift bridge for us to sprint outside.
The Spec Ops elite engaged his camouflage while I sprinted for cover. Two projectiles hit me, enough to make my shields collapse, a testament to how far I have fallen within the covenant.
Despite the density of the gunfire, most of my battle brothers were able to reach the human defenses and tear them apart from close range. Their shields held steady, unlike mine.
I moved to follow them, reaching one of the many blast doors that the humans set up around the base to prevent us from getting in.
"Me blow door." The childish voice of a grunt came, I turned to the sound and saw one holding a fuel rod cannon.
I rolled out of the way just in time to see the green glow of the fuel rod shell tear apart the human blast door.
We stormed into the base with speed and ferocity. Though strangely, no humans were in sight. Each hallway we moved through was completely empty, eerily devoid of any life.
I rounded another corner with the group, far outpacing the grunts behind us.
A human looking figure emerged from the darkness, though something was off about it. It was nearly as tall as an elite, while its face was shrouded by a golden visor that reflected the faces of my fellow Covenant soldiers. Its presence was unsettling.
It sprinted forward at an alarmingly fast speed while drawing a weapon from its back, the very same that had nearly killed my brother on the human ship.
I instinctively ducked out of the way, fearing death.
The blast of its weapon was deafening, shredding through the three elites that used to be behind me with impunity.
Before I could even react, the monster was already upon me. It bore two strikes into the center of my face and my stomach, effortlessly cracking my bones. My face went limp from the pain, giving the impression that I monster sprinted away, looking for another victim.
After the demon left, the form of the Spec Ops elite I had conversed with earlier appeared, kneeling in front of me, seemingly trying to stop the bleeding with a small piece of cloth.
The Spec Ops elite's efforts to staunch the bleeding from my battered face and stomach were valiant but futile. My mandibles ached, and blood seeped through the makeshift bandage, staining it in a dark, vivid hue. It was a miracle that I was still conscious, though the pain was unbearable.
Around us, chaos reigned. The sound of the monstrous human's weapon continued to ring in my ears, and the once disciplined Covenant forces had devolved into a panicked mob. Grunts fled in terror, and the surviving elites scrambled for cover.
As I lay there, struggling to stay conscious, my thoughts swirled in a maelstrom of confusion and fear. This human, this demon, had unleashed devastation with such ease that it defied reason, and it had done so without hesitation or remorse. Surely it wasn't human. Surely it was a machine.
The Spec Ops elite hoisted me on his shoulders sprinting forward into an unknown room, filled with small beds and red crosses. It was dimly lit and we were the only ones in here.
He put me down on the floor as the small beds simply couldn't hold me without collapsing. He searched desperately for anything that may help, even if he doesn't know what is medicine and what isn't.
I couldn't speak, my fractured mandibles were limp and broken. Instead, I mustered up all my straight and slammed my fist into the ground, turning his head back at me in the process.
I pointed my finger at a small canister hanging on the wall close to him, the very same I had used to save Xuka's life. He bolted towards it and snatched it off the wall.
He slid near me, twisting open the canister, he pulled out a handful of the strange alien foam and shoved it into my wounds.
I could feel the soothing energy of the alien medicine coursing through me, staunching the flow of blood from my wounds. It was a peculiar feeling, akin to the warmth of the sun after a harsh rainstorm.
The medicine was devoid of any covenant influence. Yet it functioned better than most medicines the covenant had, a truly remarkable achievement for a species that uses projectile weapons.
The pain softened, allowing me to speak more comfortably:" Thank You." I managed to rasp out two words of gratitude.
Suddenly, a Zealot barged into the room. It was our commander.
His stern gaze fell upon me and the Spec Ops elite, the room seemed to grow colder in his presence.
"What is the meaning of this?" He demanded, his voice resonating with an air of authority. His eyes darted between the Spec Ops elite and me, taking in the unusual sight of a wounded elite and the uncharacteristic use of alien medicine.
Then, his eyes darted unto a small human lying on one of the beds in the medical bay, one that we failed to notice. Its hair was red, its mouth was open in a scream that it couldn't muster.
The Zealot's eyes and mandibles flared in disgust and suspicion. Then, he walked up to the human and grabbed it by its neck, ready to end its life.
Evan POV:
Time passed, and it felt like an eternity. I was left in the dimly lit room, the silence closing in around me. My thoughts wandered, and the fear of losing Ellen gnawed at me. I replayed every moment of our journey in my mind, questioning if I had missed any crucial detail, hoping that the truth I had conveyed was enough to ensure her safety.
The silence in the room hung heavy, as time dragged on. It was a quiet that seemed almost unnatural, with only the steady rhythm of my heartbeat breaking through. But then, a dissonant note entered the hushed symphony.
Muffled and distant, yet unmistakable. It was a sound that I had heard all too often, the cacophony of battle and chaos. Gunfire and the searing hiss of molten plasma bolts echoed through the layers of steel and concrete, reverberating in the room.
I felt panic rise to every inch of my body as I stood up and frantically searched for a way to leave the room. Then, I spotted a small vent in one of the walls.
Without hesitation, I ran up to the vent cover and tried to pry it open without success. Thinking quickly, I lifted the chair and used it to bash the vent cover until it finally gave way. With no time to waste, I crawled into the vent and began making my way through the cramped and dusty passage.
As I crawled through the vent, the distant sounds of battle grew louder. My heart raced, and my mind raced even faster, trying to piece together what was happening. Was the base under attack?
The vent twisted and turned, leading me deeper into the labyrinthine maze of the UNSC base. I could feel the vibrations of combat reverberating through the metal walls, and I knew I had to find Ellen and ensure her safety. She was my anchor, my reason to fight and survive.
After what felt like an eternity, an opening in the vent finally came. Though behind it rested the corpses of many elites, some with their heads missing.
I opened the vent cover and jumped down into the dark corridor, it was nearly pitch black, if not for the strange illuminating blue light. I looked down and saw what looked like a lightsaber pulled straight from the Star Wars movies, if it was made for aliens.
I bent down to pick it up, along with a strange alien grenade and a green energy pistol.
The light of the energy sword pierced through the darkness as I held it up high, allowing me to see the sign above.
"- Medical Bay."
I bolted in the direction of the medical bay. I knew that time was of the essence, if I was too slow, Ellen will be dead when I find her.
The energy sword hummed with a menacing glow, its blue radiance casting eerie shadows that danced along the dimly lit corridor. The grumbles of Aliens can be heard through the gunfire, which was slowly lessening.
The white surface of the Medical bay revealed itself, alongside the corpses of humans and aliens alike. But, there was only one thing I cared about.
Ellen's feet were disconnected from the ground, as my eyes moved up her body, I spotted a large black hand enveloping her neck, seemingly able to crush it in an instant.
Another blade came into existence, threatening to slit Ellen's throat while revealing the silhouette of two more imposing figures that used to hide in the shadows of the light of my blade.
The massive elite, adorned in its majestic golden armor, let out what sounds like a laugh while holding Ellen hostage, making my eyes turn a fiery shade of red.
The three threats spoke in their native language. It sounded like a series of worbles and grunts, to which I couldn't possibly understand.
I angled my blade to point at the head of the gold armored alien while utilizing a soul piercing stare, never blinking once. It was a challenge. The room was filled with tension, the humming of the energy sword cutting through the air like a promise of swift and deadly justice.
The gold armored elite, seemingly stunned by my defiance, stared back at me, its mandibles twitching with a mix of anger and surprise.
The other two elites shifted uneasily in the shadows. They appeared to exchange more words in their own language, their expressions betraying their indecision. It was clear that they hadn't anticipated a lone human challenging them in such a way.
The elite's grip on Ellen's throat tightened, eliciting a gasp of pain from her. My heart clenched at the sight, and my resolve only grew stronger. I would not back down. Not now. Not ever.
I lunged forward as the mandibles on the elite threatening Ellen curved into a sinister smile. It didn't dodge the attack, instead it just stood there as my blade clashed against its shields. The armor underneath was completely unscathed, and the elite grinned with a chilling confidence.
Still holding Ellen in one arm, it vertically raised its energy sword, swinging down at me with immense strength. I rolled out of the way at incredible speed and struck again. This time the shields failed, leaving a molten scorch mark on its shoulder piece. it stumbled back in disbelief as I continued to wildly swing at it with my energy sword. I never blinked, never gasped, never breathed loud enough for them to hear. The presence of Ellen was enough to fuel my relentless onslaught.
The two other elites watched the duel unfold, keen to see its outcome.
Desperate for a chance to breathe, the elite shoved me back. I staggered but my gaze remained fixated on the individual who had dared to harm her. The elite let out labored breaths while backpedaling.
I regained my balance and slowly walked closer to the elite still holding Ellen in its arm, intentionally slamming my boots against the ground for dramatic effect. My gaze remained steady, while hiding my fear and exhaustion.
I stopped dead in my tracks when the elite held Ellen up high, and raised its energy sword against her throat. A thin stream of blood appeared. My gaze softened, the seemingly unbreakable determination crumbled in an instant, replaced by fear and despair.
Then, two low growls came from behind the elite I was facing off against. Those growls seemingly turned to words of insult. The meaning was clear even if I couldn't understand it. The two other Covenant elites who had watched our confrontation were growing increasingly impatient with their leader's cowardice.
The mandibles of the gold armored elite twitched violently, seemingly torn between ending this confrontation and responding to the insults hurled by his subordinates.
As the insults and growls from the two subordinate Covenant elites persisted and intensified, the tension in the room grew thicker by the second. The leader was trapped between my relentless determination and the growing discontent of its own followers.
Driven by the desire to save face, the leader threw Ellen at me by her throat, sending her tumbling to the floor. It was a cruel and dismissive act, meant to assert dominance and show that he was in control.
The leader, having thrown Ellen aside, stood there, his mandibles twitching with anger and a twisted sense of victory. The tension in the room was palpable as everyone waited for the next move.
The Zealot pulled out a second energy sword and angled both squarely at my head. I responded in kind by unholstering the green energy pistol from my belt.
As we stood locked in a standoff, Ellen lay on the floor, gasping for breath and watching the confrontation with a mix of terror and hope. Her eyes never left mine, her silent plea for me to find a way out of this situation was clear.
Simultaneously, I held down the trigger of the alien weapon, while the leader sprinted forward, covering the distance between us at alarming speed.
The weapon I held didn't fire automatically, instead, a small green star appeared at the tip of the weapon, slowly increasing in size. The pistol made a soft clicking sound, signifying it was ready to fire. So I let go of the trigger.
A massive plasma bolt shot out of the weapon, overheating it and burning my left hand in an instant. The plasma slammed into the sprinting elite, disintegrating its shields instantly.
The elite didn't slow down, it raised both of its energy swords in a horizontal position. Intent on cutting my legs, my torso and my head into three separate pieces.
Out of desperation, I threw the energy sword into the elite's face.
Half of the blade firmly stuck into its right eye, causing it to roar in pain.
Seizing this opportunity, I dashed in front of the elite, grabbing the handle of the energy sword and violently dragging it into the other half of its head.
The elite, its face now disfigured and deformed by the lodged energy sword, let out an agonized cry before its body went limp. The struggle was over, and the Zealot collapsed to the ground in a lifeless heap.
The room fell into a stunned silence, the hum of the energy sword fading into nothingness. The two remaining Covenant elites stared at the lifeless body of their former leader while conversing with each other, their mandibles quivering with a mixture of shock and uncertainty.