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  • Subject: Halo: Heretic or Hero?----------------- (Chapter 9)
Subject: Halo: Heretic or Hero?----------------- (Chapter 9)

Sarge, you have one messed up imagination... and I'm still waiting for MOAR!!! Great book/story... cheered me up today, thankyou.

  • 12.06.2008 3:10 PM PDT

Halo: Heretic or Hero---An Elite's Story
Choose your own destiny

FanFicFactor
Forged in the Flames of Passion, go forth and represent!

Chapter Ten

City of the Dead

Haven’t you ever felt that way, that you just can’t trust somebody? That no matter what they do to prove their innocence, you don’t change your mind, no matter what the circumstance. It’s the pained feeling inside your head, a mixture of guilt and exasperation. I’ve been to hell and back more than I could ever count; I’ve seen hundreds of lives taken away. You’d think I’d get used to something like this, wouldn’t you?

You’re wrong.

I hate him. I hate him more than Janerus; more than Kovalee. More than anyone I’ve ever come in contact with. He’s a liar and a traitor. Just when I thought he was on my side, he had crushed me. I haven’t been the same since.

Reth led us across the hills to his Phantom. I took a quick head count: Anderson, Hunter, Burns, Kate, Cholahee, Sikanoy, Troy, Martin, Sanchez, and Reth’s nine Elites. The whole crew was here.

Or almost the whole crew.

Kari had escaped while we were fighting, and something told me we hadn’t seen the last of him. Just another traitor that could fit into my sanctum.

“We’ll regroup with Lord Hood and his men in Voi, assuming we don’t hit traffic on the way,” Anderson instructed. His ODST Sergeant armor had been broken on the right shoulder and his left knee, and his face was scratched across with the marks of Jackal claws.

“Damn, they’ve sent the whole lot of them down here!” Hunter exclaimed. “They’ve sent an armada of ships to earth in the last few days. What’s going on?”

Reth looked up, eyes flickering to life. “They’re looking for it here,” he said mysteriously, stopping dead in his tracks.

He found nineteen faces tilting their heads in confusion.

“The Portal,” he concluded. “The portal to Installation 00. They’ve found it. Here, on earth.”

************************************************************* ************************

The team hustled through the alleyway, walls blood splattered from dried wounds. One by one, they ran in single file, ducking down to the size of coffee tables, guns outstretched and ready to fire if a roach were to pass by. Each of them had received at least one burn from hot plasma. Their faces were painted with blood and perspiration.

“Proceeding to battle ground, West side,” the leader bellowed into his radio system.

“Roger Omega, they’re coming in North side, by the city center,” a voice replied. “We’re taking a quick recon, we will back you up. Over.”

The leader held a finger to his lips and slowly inched his way toward the wall of a large building. He peeked out a bit into the street; the area had been taken. At least ten Brute majors and minors, as well as four jump-packs. Two Banshees looped around each other, manipulating each other’s movements with great ease. Grunts set up deployable covers, shining purple against the sunrise.

“I sure hope he was serious about backing us up on this one,” the leader, Staff Sergeant Fernandez whispered grimly, looking astonished at the mass of Covenant forces in the middle of the street. Omega team looked at one another, at each other’s blood stained jackets and black eyes, bruises swelling on their bear skin. Was it about to get ten times worse?

“Be ready on my count,” Fernandez ordered, putting his back against the building wall. His team nodded gravely, knowing that they’re lives were in jeopardy right now. That was why they’d joined the service, to be in these situations.

“One,” the Sergeant counted, shutting his eyes tight. He could hear and feel the difficult, short breaths of his squad.

“Two.” Each of them raised their weapons and clenched their teeth, their hearts turning from hurting thoughts to raw ice.

Fernandez slung his Assault Rifle from around his back.

“Three!”

Seven Marines rolled out from behind the building, sidestepping across while firing their rifles. In an instant, sharp plasma fire returned the favor, just missing Fernandez’s face. The jump-pack Brutes took flight, rocketing toward the human foot soldiers. One Marine fired a perfect bullet from his Battle Rifle, sending the projectile through the Brute’s forehead and out the other side. He collapsed in a pool of his own purple blood.

The battle raged on as the Marines surprisingly took the upper hand.

But only before a Chieftain slowly stepped out from behind the crowd, two bodyguards standing at his side. He waved them off and approached the humans, stopping about ten yards away.

“You were foolish to come here. The city is ours.”

  • 12.06.2008 6:12 PM PDT

Halo: Heretic or Hero---An Elite's Story
Choose your own destiny

FanFicFactor
Forged in the Flames of Passion, go forth and represent!

“Is it?” Fernandez challenged, taking a brave step toward the Chieftain. “We’ve taken the entire east half of the city. They’ll be here soon—and they’ll slaughter you and your friends without hesitation.”

Janerus grinned menacingly. “Stupid human scum. I will crumble you to dust.”

Fernandez gave a loud battle cry and held down the trigger on his Assault Rifle, unleashing a volley of bullets at the Brute leader. He unloaded the entire magazine while Janerus stood where he was, unmoving, seeming untouched. The bullets ricocheted away from him; he was indestructible, unstoppable. As Fernandez cast his gaze downward for a split second while reloading the rifle, Janerus was on him, whipping the gun out of his pathetic hands and knocking him to the ground, stomping on his chest. Fernandez winced as the air was torn from his lungs in a whoosh. The Chieftain was too strong!

His team rushed over to him, firing wildly at the leader of the Brutes. The bodyguards, accompanied by four minors, let loose a everything they had to protect their Chieftain. The Marines were driven backward, two of them struck with spikes lodged into them.

As Janerus picked up his head with one palm and jammed it into the concrete, Fernandez heard only a distant voice in his COM system.

“We’re making out approach, repeat, we’re making our approach, North side.”

No! The Sergeant desperately wanted to shout, but he felt delirious, as if the world was slowly drifting farther and farther away with every hit to the ground. If they approached from the North, they would easily be taken out by the Banshees on foot.

Janerus lifted him by his throat, hoisting him into the air, then proceeding to pin him up to the wall, feet dangling. Slowly, the image of the killer in front of him grew blurrier, darker…

“Requesting Longsword assault on my position. Repeat… requesting…bombers...” Fernandez finished his final order before his face lost all of its Hispanic color. He died In Janerus’s grip, eyes still open.

The Chieftain screamed in fury, throwing the body as far away as he could in frustration. In a matter of minutes, air crafts would be sent to his position to take out everything, everyone. How would he ever receive his role of honor when he had completely failed to take the city center?

Janerus growled in fury, shouting something in his native tongue to one of his bodyguards. He backed away from his heated battle with the Marines and rustled through a weapons casket for something. He produced the Chieftain’s gravity hammer, and tossed it over to him. Janerus swiped at it angrily. He would slay all of them at once.

A loud buzzing noise drowned out the sound of his growling. Soon after was the sound of a cannon blowing off.

An SP42, a human vehicle that hadn’t been used for years, rounded the corner and turned into the dense street locked in combat. The beast like vehicle was massive, twice the size of a Warthog. Two rail cannons fired repeatedly, sending debris and long idle cars into the air in great balls of flame. Six wheels rotated furiously, propelling the Cobra directly into the crowd of Brutes, flattening them all except Janerus, who was knocked through a window and into an office building. The beast skidded to a halt and a human stuck his head out.

“A little late, but it was worth it.”

Janerus clambered back to the broken window, holding on to a wall for support. The Cobra was much too strong for him; he couldn’t take it out with any extent of skill and strength. One blast from the rail cannon and he would be a raining pile of limbs.

No matter. They had lost this street, but the city center had yet to be taken. This city was going to be under Covenant control, soon enough. Janerus used the butt of his hammer as a makeshift cane to guide him out of the building, away from the battle. He clicked on his own COM system, a radio static answering him.

  • 12.06.2008 6:13 PM PDT

Halo: Heretic or Hero---An Elite's Story
Choose your own destiny

FanFicFactor
Forged in the Flames of Passion, go forth and represent!

“Send in the prisoners. My coordinates shall soon be wiped away by human bombers,” Janerus explained, remembering how Fernandez had made his last request to bomb the area.

“Yes, Chieftain,” a Brute answered him. In the background, he heard him yell “Send in the prisoners!’

The Chieftain gathered himself and set down an alleyway, remaining inconspicuous in the city of the dead.

************************************************************* ************************

“Portal?” Sanchez asked. “Like in the science fiction films?”

Reth started running, looking flabbergasted. “The Portal! The Portal to the Ark!” he explained, sliding down a ravine and taking off down a dirt road.

Everyone yelled to him at once, but he didn’t answer. We chased him all the way back to his Phantom, where he hastily threw open the door and rushed into the cockpit.

“I’ll explain later. Right now, we have to ally with the rest of you; we need to hold them off before they find it.” He looked tense, more tense than I had ever seen anyone in my life (and that’s definitely saying something big, mind you).

I must say, I thought it had been crammed and difficult to breathe with my own team, but that in addition to another ten Sangheili was brutal. If we were attacked, what would we do? There wasn’t even room to stand! We had to crouch down for all of us to fit.

“I’m not sure I trust this guy,” Martin whispered after a few minutes. “He seems a little… um, how do I put it? Shaky?” Martin’s words fogged his ODST helmet. It suddenly occurred to me that I had never seen his face, and, honestly, if someone keeps their helmet on for an entire week, they’re not wanting you to see their face.

“Reth may come across a bit weird, but he’s always been trustworthy,” Hunter explained. Quickly, his eyes widened and he started talking about something else, making believe no one had heard what he had said.

How did he know that?

It was the same feeling I had gotten last night, when Anderson had somehow known my father was dead without me ever mentioning him. Were they traitors? What did they know that I didn’t? It was almost as if the pieces to the puzzle were slowly coming together, but I was missing a piece; the biggest piece of all.

  • 12.06.2008 6:13 PM PDT

Halo: Heretic or Hero---An Elite's Story
Choose your own destiny

FanFicFactor
Forged in the Flames of Passion, go forth and represent!

Reth’s voice daggered through my thoughts.

“Incoming Covenant Flyers, three of them!” he called. In an instant, he tugged the Phantom to the side, unleashing a cry of “Whoa’s!” from all of us as we were thrown off balance and into the right wall, piling on top of each other.
“We have to land in the city,” he stated. “We’re under heavy fire!”

The Phantom dipped down, throwing us all into the opposite wall. Burns groaned loudly.

“I honestly think I’d rather be bombed.”

“Hold on!” Reth called, his voice hanging on a thread. I grasped on to a handle as my legs slowly rose off the ground; the Phantom was tilting to a ninety degree angle!

My mandibles flailed backward as we plummeted toward the ground, the hiss of Covenant bombers drifting farther away. Had Reth actually lost it?

Your normal feeling may be happiness, sadness, excitement.

Mine is usually the feeling that I’m going to splat into the ground; my stomach churns, my head throbs. Strange, or not strange at all?

I sucked in a long breath, once more, taking into consideration that it could very well be my last. The Phantom’s propulsion drive had been switched off. We were free falling, letting the will of the gods take us now.

The Phantom whined as the thrusters came back online. It whipped upward, rolling us like cargo back into the other wall. Sometimes I just don’t see the fun in these rides, but maybe I’m just paranoid.

“We’re coming in too fast!” Hunter yelled as we slowly lost altitude, angling into the streets of Voi.

I tightened my grip around the handle as the Phantom slid heavily across the street, shrieking from metal on pavement. Slowly, we came to an uneasy stop. Everyone gasped in unison, recovering from the questionable entry.

The hand that I had been gripping the handle with felt like it was about to explode.

“Report?” Reth called back to us. His answer was a series of groans and a few of Anderson’s kind words. I shook off the horror that had washed over me.

“I swear, that is the last time we let him drive,” Hunter claimed.

“We must move. I fear the Covenant will have the advantage by nightfall; we have to take the city,” Reth ordered. “We must split up. Sol, Anderson, Burns and I will go together. The rest of you will travel the opposite way. We’ll keep in touch with these.” He held out several purple earpieces. We each took one and hooked it around our ears. I caught Burns gaze over at Kate, who gave him a sorry look, knowing that they would be separated again. I grimaced at the thought of fighting alongside Reth.

Because he hadn’t helped much the first time.

The time when my father was killed.

************************************************************* ************************

A growl escaped the Chieftain’s mouth. Oh, how he wanted to crumble Sol in his fist! No, he would choke him; watch him slowly lose the light in his eyes, the color in his face. Yes. Yes, that’s what would happen.

Janerus squinted when he saw the heretic along with another Sangheili with blazing silver armor and orange shoulder and knee spikes. An Honor Guard Ultra? He was undoubtedly one of the few that hadn’t yet been eliminated.

But Janerus would see to that soon enough.

He peered through a partially shattered window, eyes seduced to small slits hidden just above the sharp tips of the glass. Sol stopped for a moment, whirling toward him. Janerus immediately dropped to the ground and stopped breathing.

“What is it?” a human with black leather and body armor asked.

“I swear I saw… nothing. Never mind,” he replied, still looking concerned.

If only he knew what was yet to come.

End Transmission

  • 12.06.2008 6:14 PM PDT

DIUTYAUSDPOI

340083 Coagulated Derelict

"Zombies.Gentlemen at times like these our capacity to retaliate must be and has to be massive,to deter all forms of aggression."-JFK

Uh Oh

  • 12.06.2008 7:55 PM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

“We’re coming in too fast!” Hunter yelled as we slowly lost altitude, angling into the streets of Voi.

I sense a Halo CE reference here.
Great chapter, its got me begging for more!

  • 12.07.2008 11:09 AM PDT

some ask for recon, some ask to be unbanhammered, i on the other hand, just play.

I was grounded this weekend, this made me feel alot better. thanks sarg.

  • 12.08.2008 3:15 PM PDT
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another good chapter....but this one felt a little short.

maybe its just me, again good job

  • 12.10.2008 9:53 PM PDT
Subject: Halo: Heretic or Hero?----------------- An elite story----- Finale ...

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

Wow, either crawl up is leg and into his ass or stay where you are.
Great story and looking forwards to the sequel.

  • 12.11.2008 8:30 AM PDT

ROFL:ROFL:ROFL:ROFL
_ ^____
L __/ [] \
LOL=== _ \
L \_________]
I I
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _/

short chapter, but good none the less. i'm running out of things to say... this is a really awesome story and that's that. as always, well done :)

  • 12.13.2008 3:58 PM PDT

Halo: Heretic or Hero---An Elite's Story
Choose your own destiny

FanFicFactor
Forged in the Flames of Passion, go forth and represent!

Chapter Eleven

Anointment of the Reborn

Covenant Battle Cruiser, Hammer of Faith.
Council of New Fathers


“Please sit, my brothers. We’ve important matters to discuss, I suppose?” The Prophet of Truth asked, shifting in his golden throne and gesturing with his bony arms for the Brutes to take their seats. The Prophet folded his hands on his lap, forcing to look as patient as he could, even though he despised being in the same room with the savage Brutes. What seemed like years had passed since his Sangheili council had been slaughtered, each representative hunted down and torn apart. Besides, this was the most important time in the history of the galaxy. The everlasting hunt for the Great Journey was coming to an end.

“Noble Prophet of Truth,” a Brute in the new white and gold councilor armor bowed his head, soon mimicked by the rest of his Brutes. Truth concealed a grunt of annoyance and had to bite his lip to prevent from shouting at them to hurry up.

“Are these urgent matters you have, Darralus? We mustn’t waste time with unimportant talk,” Truth said sharply, his eyes burning into the leader for wasting his time.

The councilor called Darralus nodded grimly. “I’m afraid these circumstances are not positive, your majesty. Throughout the last week or so there has been a… disturbance.” Darralus sat down in the purple chair, once again followed by the rest of his lesser councilors.

“A disturbance? What kind of disturbance?” Truth asked, cocking his head to the side.

Darralus gulped. “The Sangheili, noble hierarch. Their resistance is unimaginable, unthinkable! They’re breaking through everything we throw their way. They are what is bringing down the Covenant in these dark times. One individual singlehandedly took on Janerus and beat him.”

Truth raised his eyebrows at the mention of his best and favorite Jiralhanae Chieftain. Long had his family served and praised the Covenant, especially having the coincidence of his Uncle being the previous Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, Tartarus.

“Janerus is dead?” Truth asked, startled by the news.

Darralus shook his head. “He was only defeated in battle, but was not slain. He led troops into the human city, and they prevailed before reinforcements were sent in. We heard from him fifteen minutes ago, warning us to only send our prisoners into the battlefield, due to human bombers on their way to his recent coordinates.”

Truth nodded slowly. Janerus had always been among the wisest Brutes he’d known. He was extremely powerful, but not reckless like most of his kind. Suddenly, the prime question entered his mind. “Who was the individual that defeated him?”

Darralus looked to his brothers. “Our monitors received one image of the Sangheili that we suspect to be the victor. He lacks strength and precision, but there is something about this young one that has helped him elude us, no matter how hard we strike. You will also notice his unlikely distinction in this image.”

One of the Brutes had carried a small projector into the council meeting. He set a vase-like machine on the table and punched a button. An image shot up out of it.

The Elite wore golden plated armor, that of a Zealot, although he looked like no Zealot Truth had ever seen. His shoulder blades were red trimmed, matching the red painted eagle across his chest. Truth scowled at the initials UNSC written under the eagle’s outstretched wings. In his right hand he held an Energy Sword, but no model Truth had ever come across. It was a red Energy Sword! The Elite’s teeth were clenched and it stood in its standard defensive position: knees bent and firmly planted on the ground, sword at side. Seemingly real eyes burned back into the Prophet’s, as if the image knew who it was staring at.

“What is its name?”

“Solonee, noble Prophet. This is Solonee’s offspring,” Darralus answered gravely. Truth could see perspiration running down his cheeks.

“The Honor Guard? The Honor Guardsmen that we recruited when his father betrayed us?” Truth asked, studying the image again. Those eyes—Truth had seen them before. He had seen them last eight years ago, only last time the lust and fury had been replaced by tears of pain. The little rat! The stupid, ungrateful little rat! The council had allowed him to live in his father’s shadow, and this was how they were repaid?

“The very same. Are you familiar with him?” Darralus asked, then added “your majesty?”

Truth thought back to about a month ago, just before the Great Schism had occurred. Hadn’t he been informed of a new heretic that had betrayed Regret? An Honor Guardsman? It was all adding up; it had been Solonee from the very beginning! Solonee, who singlehandedly tricked the devious minds of the Covenant into thinking he was a loyal servant, when he had really been nothing but a coward and a traitor all along.

On the other hand, it was by Solonee’s doing that the Prophet of Regret had been slain. Had it not been for Solonee’s cowering fear of the Demon, Truth may not be in full control of the Covenant right now. Truth considered this, nodding and muttering to himself.

“Do we have any lead on his whereabouts?” Truth asked, scratching his chin with long, overgrown and razor sharp fingernails.

Darralus nodded. “Around the same time that Janerus reported back to us, a Separatist Phantom was sighted by our bombing squad. The ship made it through the attack and crash landed in the city. We believe it’s occupants are Solonee and the other humans.”

“I see,” Truth said slowly. He closed his eyes for a moment and stopped breathing, and for a split second Darralus wondered if the Prophet was dead by the lifeless look on his face. When his giant eyelids flapped open again, red pupils fixed upon the image of the Elite warrior. His grotesque face slowly made its way into a smirk. He rested his hands on the arms of his golden throne and leaned over toward his council.

“We shall use this to our greatest advantage; make use of the one weapon that could lead the Covenant down the holy path to our Great Journey. Solonee shall serve us once more,” Truth said, his voice dancing with delight.

“This Sangheili is loyal to his allies,” Darralus said regretfully. “With all due respect, noble Prophet, I do not think he will be swayed so easily. He may be a coward; a dirty traitor, but his heart will never give in to what he believes in.”

Truth snorted. “Darralus, I have no intention of persuading him to return to his rightful place here. Persuasion will accomplish nothing on such a hero. He shall be corrupted. We shall take everything dear to him away; kill his blasted human friends and let him watch as we burn their corpses! Before long, we will have driven him insane; brought him to the ends of his world. That is when I shall hold out my hand and willfully take him back, by my shear generosity.” Truth’s face burned with madness, and his hands clenched around the chair’s arms with an incredibly firm grip. “He will betray them, mark my word. Sangheili and humans don't work together. You’ll see, in time.”

Darralus was at a loss of words. He looked to his council, but they only shrugged. He folded his hands, deliberately coughed once, and spoke. “Your majesty, I meant not to question your better judgment. I apologize if my words came off in the wrong manner. Please forgive me.” He paused, expecting a comment from Truth, but received nothing but silence and stares. “Is there any way in particular that we can establish this corruption?”

  • 12.15.2008 5:04 PM PDT

Halo: Heretic or Hero---An Elite's Story
Choose your own destiny

FanFicFactor
Forged in the Flames of Passion, go forth and represent!

Truth’s eyes wandered the room, as if searching for an answer. There was a minute or two of complete silence, in which Darralus was frightened out of his mind that the Prophet was furious with him for his incompetence.

Finally, he snapped his fingers and leaned forward again. “We use something that Solonee is familiar with, something that will bring horror to him when he sees it. I think I have a brilliant idea.” He leaned over and whispered something in Darralus’ ear. The Brute council member nodded slowly and grinned smugly at the Prophet’s devious mind.

“If you would be so patient as to wait for us to send in the experiment, your majesty, it would be greatly appreciated. We shall fetch the android at once.” Darralus stood up and snapped at his council members, and they were out the automatic purple door in a moment. Truth sat alone with the image of the Elite that would serve as the Covenant’s greatest warrior in short time.

“We’re coming for you, Solonee,” Truth muttered toward the inanimate projection, his pleased smirk quickly turning into an acid glare. “We’ll hunt you down; slaughter your friends before your eyes. You’ll have nothing left by the time we’re finished with you.”

The moment of salvation was on the horizon, and one Elite held the power to tear it apart. It was time to take action; to stand fast and brave and strong. To burn each and every human, one by one until the gods were overly satisfied by their completed task.

“First,” Truth said smugly, “we put an end to your precious human friends.”

The Prophet smothered broken laughs, enough to scare away the bravest of men. He was slowly, one moment at a time, slipping into total insanity.

“Keep your friends close, Solonee.” Truth grinned evilly. “Keep them close, while you still can.”

End Transmission

Authors Note: I know this was a short chapter; it does not represent one of my regular chapters, it’s only a minor installment in between chapters. Thought you needed a little back story thrown in there.

  • 12.15.2008 5:05 PM PDT
Subject: Halo: Heretic or Hero?----------------- (Chapter 9)

DIUTYAUSDPOI

340083 Coagulated Derelict

"Zombies.Gentlemen at times like these our capacity to retaliate must be and has to be massive,to deter all forms of aggression."-JFK

I always hated truth...now i hate him even more.

  • 12.16.2008 1:47 PM PDT
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good chapter

the last 2 have seemed short, a long one would be really nice for this next one.

  • 12.18.2008 5:02 PM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

The length of a chapter doesn't make it good or bad, the epilogue was great! I am looking forward to this "sequel" I hear you speak of.

  • 12.19.2008 6:25 AM PDT

Halo: Heretic or Hero---An Elite's Story
Choose your own destiny

FanFicFactor
Forged in the Flames of Passion, go forth and represent!

Sequel? Epilogue? Nah, nah, this isn't the end of the book yet. I've got roughly about six chapters to go.

  • 12.19.2008 12:21 PM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

Do excuse my blargyness, I didn't mean to put in the "epilogue" bit. I was gonna put "I am looking forward to seeing the epilogue".
Sorry, I shalt not honk thy blargh.

  • 12.19.2008 3:02 PM PDT
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Posted by: ajw34307
The length of a chapter doesn't make it good or bad, the epilogue was great! I am looking forward to this "sequel" I hear you speak of.


I didnt say that any of his chapters were bad, far from it.

I just felt that, acustomed to the previous ones that they would stay relatively the same legnth .

  • 12.22.2008 5:03 PM PDT

Halo: Heretic or Hero---An Elite's Story
Choose your own destiny

FanFicFactor
Forged in the Flames of Passion, go forth and represent!

Chapter Twelve

A Fork in the Road

“Quickly now—the city center shouldn’t be far from here. We’ll not want the Brutes on our scent, now would we?” Reth led the way through the abandoned, war torn city streets while Anderson, Burns and I brought up the rear.

“Geez, they just left—all of them! They even left their cars here,” Burns remarked. There was a puzzling sense of density, as if there was life all around, when there was really only silence and distant rebellious gunshots that would soon be cleansed by the likes of the Brutes.

“Solon—Sol. Come—walk with me. I must have a word with you,” Reth said softly. He didn’t even turn around or come to a halt, but instead kept on walking down the deserted road. Anderson gave me a reassuring nod that wasn’t at all reassuring. Burns was suspicious and he showed it, shooting an odd glance at Reth’s shining silver back.

Reluctantly, I stepped forward and had to jog for a moment to keep up with the fast paced leader of the Honor Guard.

As I drew up beside him, our eyes met. His blue pupils were cold with sadness. I was taken aback by his odd emotional swing.

“You’ve grown, Sol,” he told me, keeping his voice low so that the others couldn’t eavesdrop. “You’ve changed all too much in these last eight years. Regret’s arrogance has burned a clear hole through you, I can tell. It was the same when I served the Prophet of Mercy when I joined the Guard.”

I glared at him, ignoring his statement of years passed. “Why did you come? To kill me? To kill me just like you killed—.”

“I didn’t kill him!” Reth fumed. “It..It wasn’t my fault. I was unwise then. A moment’s hesitation and I am blamed for the death of my closest friend?” He stopped in his tracks, shooting a dagger like glare at me as if it was me that was the killer.

I continued walking, determined to throw his defense back at him. “Your ‘moment’s hesitation’ is what broke me,” I murmured.

He ran up beside me, scowling. “You are still shy of the truth, Sol! You have no idea what happened that night! It was no betrayal on my part—.”

“Then what happened? What am I? I’ve lived in mystery my entire life, never to know the full truth!” I cut in. “Every day, I go back and try to find what I’ve always been missing, but it’s not there! It’s never there!”

Reth’s face glowed dark with memory for a moment as his eyes stared aimlessly into the afternoon sky. “In time, things will unfold—.”

“No!” I roared, feeling the handle on my Battle Blade. “I hate you! You should be dead, not him! You’ve taken everything from me, and now you can’t even be truthful with me? Burn in hell for all I care, you monster!”

I tore forward past him, blowing off steam. Wind whipped past me as I ran, but I didn’t stop. I wanted to run my life away if I could. Menacing feelings had swallowed me up. Tears rushed past me, and I couldn’t stop from bawling. Hate and dark memories had overwhelmed me.

I hadn’t realized how much land I had covered in five minutes and when I turned around, my team was out of sight. I was alone and lost in an ocean of identically empty, lifeless buildings.

I leaned up against a low wall and lost all of my dignity, sobbing uncontrollably until I was sure death was watching me.

Not death—but something.

“Who’s there?” I boomed. “Show yourself! I know you’re there!”

Someone snickered loudly from behind me.

“Clever little boy, aren’t you?” I zipped around, immediately on my guard and ready to pounce. The Brute Chieftain sat casually on the wall I had been leaning against, grinning as if I posed no threat. He showed his yellow teeth and removed his oversized headdress of the Chieftain, showing me his silver colored hair and shortly cut beard.

“Janerus,” I said softly, dumbfounded that he hadn’t already blasted me to oblivion.

He nodded. “It’s like a reunion, now isn’t it?” His tone was too light for my taste.

“More like a funereal,” I snarled angrily, ripping the black handle from my belt and activating my red customized Energy Sword.

“Now, now, Sol my friend. I haven’t come to fight again.” He held up his hands for me to settle down, smiling all the while. I stood my ground; he was going to pull something, I could sense it in the pit of my gut.

Without warning, the Chieftain swooped down on me, landing with a sonic thud to the ground, damaging the sidewalk. I bent my knees and prepared to leap.

He chuckled. “Are you going to kill me, Elite?”

Infuriated by him addressing me as my former Covenant name, I lunged out with the sword, right at his chest. It would have put a clean cut in his insides had he not sidestepped away at the last moment. I ran myself right into the concrete wall, feeling agonizing pain rush through me as my shoulder slammed into it.

“C’mon now, someone will get hurt!” he sneered, leaning against the wall again with his arms folded. Shaking off the pain in my shoulder, I prepared to lunge again, but he stood his ground, not even wincing as I jumped him.

I brought the blade’s edge to his neck, preparing to slit his throat open.

“If you must kill me, do so now. I’m waiting,” he said softly into my ear. The handle of the blade twitched in my hand. Should I end him if he had only come to talk? He was a Brute, and I hated him for that, but he hadn’t shown any signs of danger yet.

No. I wouldn’t do it. I wasn’t a murderer.

“Why have you come?” I asked, lowering the blade but keeping it activated by my side. “Why didn’t you strike me down?”

“Do you want me to?”

  • 12.23.2008 1:15 PM PDT

Halo: Heretic or Hero---An Elite's Story
Choose your own destiny

FanFicFactor
Forged in the Flames of Passion, go forth and represent!

I growled angrily, but then sighed and shook my head. “No.”

“Then I shall not.” He stood where he was, perched against the wall.

“Why are you here? How did you find me?” I repeated, still suspicious.

He chuckled again. “You weren’t a difficult find for a hunter of my age. I’ve chased humans to the edges of the galaxy and come back with their head on my belt. Your idea of keeping hidden, I suppose, is crashing down into the middle of the city in a Separatist Phantom.”

“I was not keeping hidden!” I defended myself. “We were regrouping with the human military; we were on our own in the mountains.”

“So you were,” he agreed. “With the humans, I suppose?”

“Yes.”

“You trust them?”

“Why shouldn’t I?” I barked, narrowing my eyes. “They’ve proved honest from the moment I joined them.”

Janerus raised one ugly silver eyebrow. “There are many reasons why they are untrustworthy. You are young now, Sol. How old are you?” He counted on his fingers for a moment. “In their years, you are seventeen years old; a child! They don’t treat you like an equal, do they?”

“You’re wrong! I’m treated as just an equal as they are!”

Janerus snickered. “There is nothing they’ve been hiding from you? Nothing that has confused you, and they haven’t spoke up about it as though they didn’t trust you?”

I thought for a moment. He was absolutely right, because I knew there was something that was being hidden from me. Anderson’s and Hunters’ outbursts had triggered my senses, because Anderson had known that my father was dead and Hunter had known that Reth was ‘trustworthy’.

“No,” I lied.

“Don’t toy with me, old boy!” he shouted. “You’re lying through your teeth, just like they are! They don’t care about you Sol, nor do they care for any others of your kind! You are nothing to them! You are worthless!”

“No!” I roared, throwing myself at him with everything I had. I sliced through the air with the Battle Blade and felt a vibration as it caught his side. He hissed in pain and threw an iron hard fist at me that would have cracked my skull if it hit it’s mark. The fist crunched into my shoulder, rattling my bones. I stumbled backward and prepared for the next attack.

“Very well!” he growled. “You’ve left me no choice, foolish boy! I tried to help you and you threw it back in my face!”

He punched into the concrete wall, and for a moment there was a deafening rumbling noise that swallowed the originally soundless city. The concrete wall fell apart, but Janerus didn’t move as the stones fell on him. He shot out his hand and caught something, twirled it once, and pointed at me.

His gravity hammer that had been perched on the top of the wall, waiting for the right moment, was directed right at my skull.

“Now, let’s match the Covenant’s most powerful warrior against the all-powerful heretic! Battle to the death; winner takes the city!”

He leapt into the air, soaring higher than I had ever seen anyone jump. I roared and leapt up right with him.

The deathmatch had begun.

************************************************************* ************************

“Damn, I can always pick out the smell of Brute from miles away,” Hunter said irritably. Although they were most likely to outnumber any Brute pack, they were in no position to fight right now.

“Exotic, isn’t it?” Cholahee asked.

“Marvelous,” Sikanoy added. The two chuckled for a moment, realized no one else was in on the joke, and stopped.

Kate stepped up beside Hunter. “We shouldn’t have split up; it was a poor decision on that Elite’s part.”

“Maybe so,” Hunter agreed, nodding. “But we can’t go back now. We’re coming in on the city center from the south side. Something tells me the Covenant will have a wall of infantry around their top command post.”

Kate thought for a moment, looking out into the blazing African sun. “What was he talking about? The Portal? Installation 00? What does it mean?”

Hunter continued walking, studying the empty buildings as if he could find an answer there. “I don’t know,” he said darkly. “But it has to be real important if they haven’t bombed the hell out of our planet just yet. Whatever the ‘Portal’ is, they must’ve found it here.”

The thick hot air beat down on the team as they rounded a corner together. Hunter was the first to see the other side of the skyscraper.

“Good god,” he bellowed, shaking his head.

“What is it?” Kate asked, turning the corner and coming beside him. Her mouth fell agape as well when she saw the street.

Cholahee, Sikanoy, Martin, and Troy hustled around the corner to see what was causing all the ruckus. Sikanoy yelped aloud.

  • 12.23.2008 1:16 PM PDT

Halo: Heretic or Hero---An Elite's Story
Choose your own destiny

FanFicFactor
Forged in the Flames of Passion, go forth and represent!

The road before them had been torn apart. The pavement now pointed out of the ground in all directions, as if a bomb had went off in the very center. Streetlights were either hanging limp or cracked and fallen. Smaller work buildings and apartments lay in rubble and cooling flame.

“What happened?” Hunter asked, frowning.

“It looks like something took out the whole area,” Kate supplied. “But what? No Scarab could have caused this. From what we know, no Covenant bombing run could break a clean gap into the earth.”

Hunter tilted his head to get a better look at the wreck site. The way the road had been split into four jagged edged pieces. He snapped his fingers.

“I see it now! This thing.” He gestured toward the torn apart street. “It went off from the inside. This explosion was caused underground.”

Kate narrowed her eyes and examined the wreck closer. It did look as if the road had been blown apart from underneath the pavement. But how?

“Hang on,” Troy said. “Where… where is Sanchez?”

Hunter stopped dead in his tracks. Spinning around, he counted them all: Kate, Cholahee, Sikanoy, Troy, Martin…

The third ODST wasn’t there.

“No way!” Martin hissed. “He was here before! He was trailing behind a few minutes ago!”

Hunter grimaced. “He’s not here,” he put simply, and turned away.

Fury washing over him, Troy lunged at the Lieutenant’s turned back. Martin caught hold of him at the last moment.

“Stop, Troy! It’s not worth it!”

“How could you?” Troy roared angrily. “I don’t know who the hell you think you are, storming in here and acting like our leader! My squad-mate is by himself in a Covenant controlled city, and you give up on him?”

No answer.

“You’re sick!” Troy hissed. “If you’d rather go exploring, that’s fine by me. But count me—” He nodded at Martin—“count us out of it!”

As the angry ODST turned away, Kate grabbed him by the shoulder and twirled him around. “You can’t leave! We’re short enough as it is!”

But the enraged Shock Trooper shook his head and rounded the corner with his partner. The two of them disappeared from sight, ignoring Kate’s pleas.

And then there were four.

Without even turning to stop his comrades, Hunter pressed the button on the earpiece Reth had given him. There was a moment’s static before Anderson’s voice came online.

“Yeah?”

“We’ve lost our ODST’s. They got… they got sidetracked.”

Kate scowled in disgust, but Hunter didn’t mind it. He cleared his throat and prepared for Anderson to scold him for losing his teammates.

“Oh,” Anderson replied softly. “They’ll be back, don’t worry.” There was a long pause. Hunter was about to cut the transmission when Anderson gulped and spoke again.

“We’re down a man too,” he informed Hunter. “Sol’s run off. Reth’s been tracing his path, but I don’t think he’ll have much luck. Sol was really angry, apparently.”

“What? Why?”

“Reth,” he put simply. “They were talking, and then he threw a tantrum and stormed off. Something tells me they don’t get along very well.”

“And they never will, if we don’t tell him sooner or later.”

“C’mon, James,” Anderson pleaded. “We can’t let him know now. He’s not ready yet—…”

Hunter grunted. “You’ve said that for eight years now! He’s not a child anymore, Will, so stop treating him like one and tell him the truth.”

Anderson sighed deeply over the microphone. “I’ll tell him—but not now.”

“Will—…”

“I won’t tell him now,” Anderson insisted. “Does he know about the Light at all? We’d only confuse him, James. He’s mad enough as it is right now.”

Hunter growled at the Sergeant’s feelings for the Elite. He had nothing against Sangheili (at least not anymore) but hiding his destiny wasn’t going to win the war anytime soon. They had waited eight years; watched as the disgraced Honor Guard had matured into a warrior of great power. If they didn’t take advantage soon—if the power he had not yet discovered fell into the Covenant’s hands…

“We’ll show him the files,” Hunter said as a demand rather than an offer. He was finished making offers now. “He’ll believe us when he sees them for himself.”

“Maybe…” Anderson was still uncertain. Could Sol handle the truth about himself? It was an odd question, but one that had tainted Sergeant Anderson’s mind for some time.

Hunter sighed. “All in good time, I suppose.” He paused for a brief moment, looking back over the conversation as though he could change it. “We’ve located some kind of crater in the street. It looks like the Covenant are blowing our planet apart from the interior.”

“And…?”

Hunter smothered a chuckle. “And we’re going down it.”

************************************************************* ************************

  • 12.23.2008 1:16 PM PDT

Halo: Heretic or Hero---An Elite's Story
Choose your own destiny

FanFicFactor
Forged in the Flames of Passion, go forth and represent!

Covenant Battle Cruiser, Hammer of Faith
Prison Cell Block


Darralus spat something in his native tongue at his lesser Council member. The Kig-Yar scientist approached him, looking nervous.

The Jackal cleared his throat. “We’re not certain how long he will last. What we did to him could cause him to fall apart at any moment. He’s supposed to be dead, noble Council member.”

Darralus gawked at the avian-like scientist with the purple robe and sharp canines. “That was not what you said before!”

“My apologies, sir. I was afraid that—…”

“Enough!” the white armored Brute with a gold stripe running down his left arm sneered, enraged. “Open the cell.”

The Jackal frowned. “I’m afraid I can’t do that for you…”

“What? Why can’t you!” Darralus was about ready to break the beak of the scientist. Not only was Darralus steaming, but his eight other council members had gathered around the scientist, isolating the old, weak and defenseless Kig-Yar.

“He is too unstable at the right moment.” His purple eyes looked grim, and he was shivering. “He could kill you.”

“Sangheili have never been match for us in hand-to-hand combat, you nasty traitor!” Darralus roared. He had promised the Prophet that the android was on its way. Upsetting Truth would result in something unfortunate…

“Well… well, alright. I’ll deactivate the cell, but you must take caution. We managed to keep him alive despite his fatal injuries, but we can’t be sure he’ll be stable.” The scientist gulped and cautiously pushed in between two Jiralhanae council members. He slowly trudged to a data pad and typed in a password on the screen, one finger at a time as if he was afraid to hit the wrong sequence. Darralus snarled at his pace.

At last, there was a loud click as a silver blast door with dozens of locks opened up, revealing the purple plasma shield underneath. Darralus could barely make out the figure sitting in the corner of the cell, muttering to himself. A triumphant grin spread across the Brute Councilor’s face.

The plasma door flickered twice before deteriorating. Darralus couldn’t help but stare at the Sangheili warrior that was meant to be dead, but had been brought back by the Covenant’s most advanced science team.

“This is subject 023; Sangheili,” the scientist said absent mindedly, looking over his marvelous creation. Darralus, ignoring the scientist’s warning, stepped into the cell and knelt down beside the Elite.

“Councilor, don’t!”

Darralus ignored him again. “You are lucky to be alive.”

The Sangheili turned his attention to the Brute religious leader, eyes flaring with distaste. Little did Darralus know that in one swift motion the warrior could have ripped off his head.

“I am Darralus, assistant of the Holy Prophet of Truth in the Council of New Fathers,” he introduced himself, still studying the Elite carefully. Although he was living, there was an odd deathly sense to him, as if he was in his own new world. The Sangheili blinked twice.

“Where…are my…people?”

The sound of his voice made Darralus raise his eyebrows. He peered over his shoulder to the scientist, who looked as if he was about to cry with anxiety. “He speaks?”

“His senses must be returning as we speak. He showed no earlier signs of development,” the Jackal stated matter-of-factly.

“Where…is…he? Where…is…the heretic?”

“He is alive,” Darralus said darkly and to the Sangheili’s shock. “He is alive, and that’s why we need you.”

There was a moment of silence. Out of nowhere, the half-dead Elite pushed hard on his hands and legs, straining all the muscles he had left. He slowly stood up, wobbled for a moment, and leaned against a nearby wall. He really looked like a revived corpse!

“Your function,” Darralus told him, “is to serve the Covenant. To do our bidding.”

“My function,” he repeated, sounding completely robotic and manipulated, “is to serve…the…Covenant and…do your bidding.”

“You just may make an adequate warrior.” Darralus smirked smugly, eyes flickering with light.

“However.”

He turned around to face the scientist, who was nervously eyeing the Elite and hadn’t yet turned his gaze to Darralus’ flaming glare. “Your skills may not be as decent as your tongue. Go on, show me what the undead can do.”

The Elite snorted and started out of the cell, walking slowly as though he would trip over his feet. Darralus nodded at the scientist. “Kill him.”

“Wha…what?” The Jackal backed away, eyes wound with confusion and the largest amount of horror Darralus had ever seen. The Elite wobbled toward him, rippling his enormous muscles and showing his razor sharp teeth beneath his mandibles.

“You..you can’t! I… I created him!” he squealed, backing up even more as the Sangheili’s pace hastened. Darralus only laughed menacingly, fascinated by the Jackal’s terror.

The scientist tripped over his long purple robe and stumbled backward over a small table. That was when the Elite growled and pounced, leaping six feet and landing beside the Kig-Yar, who screamed uncontrollably.

Although Darralus couldn’t see it, he did hear a loud ripping noise and intensifying screams from the victim. Bones were snapped; limbs were torn. It was a truly gruesome sight, but Darralus was enjoying himself, and the Elite must have been too.

When subject 023 emerged from behind the knocked over table, he was splattered from head to toe in Jackal blood. In his right hand was the remains of the gore smothered corpse of the innocent scientist that had brutally been ripped apart.

“Excellent,” Darralus exclaimed, folding his arms. “You’ve just been aside another function.” He strode over to the lunatic and whispered something in his ear. He then stepped back and asked again. “What is your function?”

The half-robotic Sangheili raised his still raspy voice so the rest of the council could hear him. “Kill the humans. Find the heretic.”

End Transmission





Authors Notes: Hope you liked the longer chapter after two pretty short ones. I do, however, wish that more than three people on Bungie.net could read and comment, so pass it around if you want to, I don't know. My pushyness had reached its max.

Happy Holidays,

∞Murph



[Edited on 12.24.2008 6:18 AM PST]

  • 12.23.2008 1:17 PM PDT

"Oh, death was never enemy of ours!
We laughed, knowing that better men would come,
And greater wars: when each proud fighter brags
He wars on death, for lives: not men, for flags"

"The Next War"
http://www.blackwaterops.net/forums/index.php?referrerid=795

anothr gr8 1:)

  • 12.24.2008 2:34 AM PDT
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  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

great story. Check your PM box and tell me if I am right.

I cant wait to see where this plays out.

HsV

  • 12.24.2008 10:43 AM PDT