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

You keep out doing youself Sarge. Great story so far and I am dying to read the next chapter and I enjoyed the longer chapter this time.

Happy Holidays
Mittens

  • 12.24.2008 1:17 PM PDT

I'm in it 4 teh lulz.

awesome whos the new elite sols dad maybe or some new character it did say he was undead

  • 12.24.2008 11:19 PM PDT

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

“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.

ha. frankenstein spoof, nice.

  • 12.25.2008 8:11 PM PDT
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I just read the first story tonight, and all of the second one that is out so far... and all I can say is...


OMFG

these are the absolute best stories I have read that aren't official books. When you get older you need to have these published.

  • 12.27.2008 7:06 PM PDT

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

Just got round to reading this, great work Murph you've done it again. I'll be on the lookout for the next chapter.
Remember guys, if you wanna write a Fan Fiction then join FanFicFactor. The community is great and you can m33tz famus p33pl.

  • 12.30.2008 8:28 AM PDT
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Murph, I bet we're all getting impatient here. And I know it's the holidays... but you need to post the next chapter!!!

  • 12.30.2008 10:33 AM 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

Interesting chapter.

  • 12.30.2008 10:49 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!

Posted by: AltoWarrior
Murph, I bet we're all getting impatient here. And I know it's the holidays... but you need to post the next chapter!!!


I'll get my next chapter out ASAP, but my computer has a virus right now. I started writing it, though.

"Stay sharp, Marines."

Sorry for the inconvenience.

  • 12.31.2008 3:21 PM PDT
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great story, i read part one and two, i love elites, you have some great talant Sergeant Murph, you should look at pubblishing this story. I have read all the halo novels and beaten all three games. Your story is great keep up the good work, i look forewd to more Chapters.

  • 12.31.2008 6:22 PM PDT
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Posted by: Sergeant Murph
"Stay sharp, Marines."


Might this be a hint as the what is included in the next chapter? Rawr people waiting.

[Edited on 01.01.2009 5:07 PM PST]

  • 01.01.2009 5:07 PM PDT
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great story cant what intell next chaptor

  • 01.03.2009 11:45 AM PDT

Wort wort wort!

Here is a thing I made: Linkage

Here is a Leet I made: Link BLARGH

I R SAY TEH HIS ASWELL

Thread Saved. Amazing story!

  • 01.04.2009 9:14 PM PDT

Bungie Pentathlon - who actually cares ?

Great read, keep it up!

  • 01.05.2009 12:50 AM PDT
Subject: The Sangheili Chronicles------- New Thread; Please lock this one!

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

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

IMPORTANT!!! This story is being completely redone here
-------------none of the characters or places in my story that are mentioned in the Halo story belong to me, save for the ones I have created myself-----------------


This story revolves around an Elite Honor Guard that was ignored by all others. Protecting the Prophet of Regret was the only job he knew, that is until his master's incident with the Master Chief. The last thing he expected was to go from guarding a demon in a chair, to becoming the hero he never imagined possible.


Contents: (Now easy to navigate!)

Prologue
Adrift
Frontline
I'll Stay in the Car
Hide & Seek
We're not that Sneaky Anyway
Since You Been Gone
Sweet Dreams (Same page)
We Must Protect this House...Better
Reunion
Please Refrain from Touching the Bomb
Fashionably Late
Finale: Please Die faster
Fair Fight... Sorta
Conclusion: The Honor Guard
After Word


--------------Prologue--------------

I Regret Nothing


I admit to myself now that I was a coward, afraid to face the greatest warrior alive. My mind was seemingly frozen. All I did in that tower was watch as the noble Prophet of Regret was being massacred by the Demon. What could I do? Stand and fight as all others of my kind had tried,

and failed?


No. Any attempt to stop the Demon would ruin everything. Things were hard enough as it was for myself. Dying was out of the question. My intent was no longer to protect Regret, but to flee, to save my own life from a painful death.

"Scared, Demon? Are you afraid of me? Afraid that I will wipe you and your cursed race from existence?" Bellowed the Prophet, a blinding smile spreading across his face. Suddenly, there was a loud crunch, followed by an irritating groan from Regret. The Demon had landed his fist upon the holy Prophet's face! I saw him wince in pain, surprised by the Demon's quick assault.

"Guards!" he croacked, "Kill the Demon!"

As he said this, two Honor Guards, who shared the same image as me, red armored with gold attachments on their heads and arms, hurdled over dead bodies, swinging their swords at their Prophet's assassin.

Both were viciously slaughtered by the Demon, shot to death with a powerful human weapon. They bled uncontrollably on the surface.


I couldn't watch anymore

I crept out from behind the pillar I had been hiding behind, very slowly, so as not to draw attention to myself. Screams from dying Elites could be heard throughout the giant room. Grunts ran around in fear of being slaughtered, Regret and the Demon were battling it out down on the ground floor, and I was watching it all from the top. Watching my religion being defeated. My options were shattered. What was I supposed to do?

I ran.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, across the room, ignoring other Honor Guards who sprinted past me, giving me a suspicious look. I ventured past the Prophet and Demon, and up the stairs to the exit.

"Coward! Coward!" bellowed a grunt, bleeding all over. I saw the sadness in his face, that look that said 'I'm going to die. It's over'

I shoved my lesser aside, not even thinking about his emotions, or anyone elses, for that matter.

I continued running for only a moment until I felt something I hadn't felt for a long time. Something that really got my attention. Something that made me stop and breath.

I felt the Holy Prophet of Regret's eyes on my back. I could feel his helpless glare as the Demon delivered his final fatal blows. It was like the second he gazed upon my red and gold armor, leaving him in his time of need, he knew that all was lost. I couldn't gather up enough strength to look my master in the eyes.

They never respected me. I won't respect them.

"Fool," I muttered under my breath. I cast aside my gold attachments and left the room, with Regrets last scream echoing behind me.



Chapter 1

Adrift


For days it haunted me, the death of the Prophet. Would I take the blame for his death, simply because I was the last Elite alive that was in that tower? Would the Prophet of Truth have me executed for betrayal against a Covenant Hierarch? What was worse, the only place I could thnk about this was in a lone Banshee, Soaring just above the ring world.

My escape had been out of pure luck, just as the temple was about to be destroyed, I escaped in a Banshee docked on the backside of the building. For the first time something had actually gone my way.

I sighed. What had I gotten myself into?

Unlike most others, I didn't want to join the Covenant. Of course, I never told anyone this, in fear of what others would think. It was not my choice, but the choice of the Hierarchs, who had come to our planet, demanding another loading of Sangheili warriors. Our race had been a part of Covenant Hierarchy for some time then, while I was only young. Soon after I was told I would experience the war up close, my father was killed as a result of rebelling against the Prophets about loading the young Sangheili. That was when I lost everything, and was sentenced to serve Regret.

I soon approached High Charity after flying in circles for 3 days. I could already feel the sting of Truth's gaze as I landed in the hanger.

There was much confusion , with several Phantoms taking off, infantry scurrying around, and Truth broadcasting a message over the entire station. Some were listening, many were upset and screaming.

" A covenant hierarch was recently attacked by the demon. The Prophet of Regret was indeed...


"You. Major," interupted a SpecOps Officer, "come with me,"

I gazed around for a moment, looking for the red armored Elite Major that the officer was talking about. I then realized that he was talking to me, simply because without the gold attachments, I looked like a normal red armored Elite Major. I acted normally, avoiding the fact that I wasn't actually a major.

"Yes sir,"

The Sangheili take full responsiblity for the assassination. Any remaining members of the battle will be punish...

"I cannot stand the ignorance of that creature. Always blaming our race for everything!" The officer said in a voice that only I could hear.

I nodded, trying to be as polite and agreeing as possible. Who knew what would happen if he found out?

Suddenly, we both stopped. He turned his head slwoly until he was facing me. "Where did you just come from anyway?" He asked, a look of suspicion in his eyes. What was I to tell him? If i told him I was in the tower, I would surely be executed. It had to be kept secret.

"The other side of the station," I said without thinking, hoping he would believe me. I could feel my heart racing as he squinted for a moment, looking hard into my eyes as I did the same to his.

to my relief, he nodded, and continued walking. I followed.


I followed him down a series of hallways, accompanied by many other Elites, Brutes, Grunts, and Jackals. All of them carried weapons, tightened their armor. We then turned left, as all others turned right, and walked down one blank hall. Finally we arrived at the Armory.

I looked at him, baffled. What was this all about?

"The Humans have taken several outposts on our ring. Grab your weapons, get ready for combat," said the officer, then he left the room swift and quick, leaving only me with my mouth wide open, staring at the weapons in awe. I lifted my head to the heavens.

"Ugggghhhhhhhh," I groaned "After all of what I've just been through, he wants me to fight?"

I looked carefully at the weapon choices. Plasma Rifles and Pistols, Needlers, Carbines, and many other weapons. Just the thought of firing a shot at the enemy made me cringe. The only times I had ever actually fired were in training. I took a Plasma Rifle and a Needler anyway, putting them both on my belt as I left the room.

Retracing my footsteps, I made my way back to the hangar, and climbed on board one of the docked Phantoms, already accompanied by many others.

I eyed one Ultra, decked out in shining silver armor. I watched him shove an Unggoy aside as he took it's spot. The Grunt didn't think to rebel for a moment, as the Ultra had an intimidating, frightening look in his eyes.

He looked over at me for a moment. I nearly tripped and fell when our eyes met.


It was going to be quite a ride.

End Transmission

[Edited on 06.24.2009 1:52 PM PDT]

  • 07.29.2008 12:20 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

Murph i COMMAND you to post the next chapter.

"And thats an order solder*

  • 01.05.2009 12:45 PM PDT
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Wow, they made you move it. Ill still read it but it will be hard as hell to get some more fans on.

  • 01.05.2009 3:40 PM PDT
Subject: Halo: Heretic or Hero?----------------- An elite story----- Finale ...

Posted by: Dropship dude
No, acnboy. Spartain Ken 15 is a lesser being. Much like the bacteria that lives in your shi­t.
Posted by: mike120593
My shi­t bacteria takes offense to that comparison.

Don't make me lel. You won't like me when I lel.

It is a wonder that this has not been pinned like MaxRealFlugel's story

  • 01.06.2009 5:08 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!

Chapter Thirteen

Winner Take All

It’s strange how fury can blind one; can toss away good will and replace it with dangerous hatred. Time seemed to go frame by frame as I drew closer to the angered Brute Chieftain who I had known eight years too long. His gravity-defying hammer glowed in anticipation for the moment that it would smack me to the stars.

No—better to concentrate. If I was going to survive this first jump, I’d need to react now, before Janerus brought the hammer around. I had to react in advance to evade the blow.
I waited until the two of us were practically face to face before I suddenly reared to the side, twisting my whole body in midair and watching the arc of the hammer slide past where my face had been. Janerus soared past me as I landed hard on the ground, my breath whooshing out.

“Coward!” he jeered, whirling angrily to face me, only about seven feet away. “Come and fight me, Sangheili runt!”

Battle Blade still in hand, my senses rekindled and I struggled to my feet. I wasn’t badly injured, just slightly bruised from the hard fall down. I tried my best to remember everything I had been taught about hand-to-hand combat. There was Zanakee—who was dead now—who had taught me the art of sword fighting, and I had learned very little from my brief training when I had been enslaved for the Honor Guard.

“Use your attackers’ arrogance against him. Let them carry out their attacks until their anger gets the best of them. You will then have the upper hand.”I vaguely remembered someone teaching me something in that order, but couldn’t quite place who.

I dug my feet into the ground and glared at Janerus, who was panting heavily and shot a disgusted glance at me. “You say you are the Covenant’s greatest warrior,” I sneered. “Prove yourself.”

“If I were in your position, I would not mock my opponent at this time,” he retorted.

“You’re not in my position,” I snorted. “You’re still just a pawn for that animal Truth; you still haven’t seen through his lies.”

“Shut up!”

“I was like you once,” I noted miserably. “I wasn’t looking hard enough for the truth, when it was always right under my nose. They told us we were heir to the Forerunners, Janerus! They had us all under a deadly spell. Sangheili were never the true heirs. Our so called enemies were destined for greatness, and what were we?”

Janerus shook his head. “Your knowledge of our Great Journey is little. It is you who never truly grasped our ways. The gods look down on your kind in shame.”

“Do they?” I asked, eyes narrowing. “Or do they shamefully look down on their terribly mislead followers?”

The words must have struck him hard, because he howled to the sky and rushed at me with newfound anger. Readying my first attack, I bent low and put my weight on my back foot, ready to spring at the raging Brute Chieftain.

Three…

Two…

I leapt forward, tucking my feet into my chest and swiping the customized Energy Sword at my enemy’s head, and it would have made a clean cut in Janerus’ throat had the blow been on target.

Instead, I felt nothing but air rush by. I had missed!

I only caught a short glimpse of a red armored hand lashing out and gripping around my neck. The hand snagged me downward and dipped me down into the pavement. For a moment, there was nothing. Just the silence of a dead city and the heavy breaths of Janerus. But only for a moment, because in another moment my bones were rattling in excruciating pain; it was as if I was being torn apart, inch by inch until there was nothing left but ash.

I peeled open my eyes to see ugly yellow teeth grinning back. The Brute’s bad breath was so familiar. Too familiar. There was a split second in which I was back eight years ago. Tortured; mourning.

“Those who cannot carry their own weight,” a low voice snarled. “Will be left behind.”

The monster sighed grotesque smelling breath into my face, then chuckled. “You’re just like your father: weak and worthless,” he went on. “I see much of his stupidity in you.”

  • 01.06.2009 7:32 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!

“Muh fahuh wahunt weak,” I gurgled, though my response came out in incoherent murmurs.

“What was that?”

“Muh…fahuh…wahunt…”

He jabbed me sharply in the ribs, and I spat blood. “Out with it!”

“My…”—my eyes shot open, beaming in determination. “Father…”—my right hand curled into a firm fist. “Wasn’t…”—my left hand came next. “WEAK!”

I surged upward with my right knee and hit powerfully into Janerus’ stomach, who yelped and buckled over in surprise. In one movement, I pushed off my elbows and landed on my feet, kicked the handle of my Battle Blade up to me, activated it again, and charged at the fallen Brute.

As I jabbed down with my sword, the surprisingly quick Brute rolled over backwards and sprang to his feet, madder than ever.

“Clever boy, are you?” he barked. “Your creativity will not save your head again!”

I expected him to tear across the street at me again, but instead he turned around to face a longtime idle human vehicle, or ‘car’ as it was referred to as.

“What are you doing?” I shouted, tensing. He was going to pull something; Janerus always had another trick up his sleeve.

He gave a loud, stressed groan, and lifted the car to his shoulders!

“Think of it as a gift from your human friends!” he sneered, and turned around. His arms were quivering with the weight, but his grin was purposeful.

He howled once, then heaved the car toward me.

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

“I don’t like it down here,” Sikanoy remarked. “It stinks of Brute.”

Hunter chuckled. “Man, you must be new here. It always stinks of Brute.”

The four of them—Hunter, Kate, Cholahee and Sikanoy—slowly waded through the dark tunnel with only the illumination of Cholahee’s Energy Sword to show their path and to drive off the spiders that lurked silently within the cave.

“You know,” Kate said thoughtfully, “you sure are very talkative for your kind, much unlike Reth.”

Cholahee snorted, and then Sikanoy broke out laughing. “Zanakee told us once that communication was key during operations,” Sikanoy explained.

“And he regretted it till the day he died,” Cholahee put in. Although he was still troubled by the death of his tutor at the hands of a crazed Sangheili, it was hard to bring the two SpecOps partners down. It was one of the many qualities that made them so unique and so much more human than they knew.

Hunter sighed. “I wonder how the ODST’s are doing. I feel a little guilty, letting them go.”

Kate scowled. “What? Now you care? Couldn’t you have said this before we climbed down here?” she asked angrily.

“I didn’t want to hold him back, and I didn’t want him to hold us back,” he defended himself. “This is war. We can’t go scavenging for every soldier that goes missing.”

“You’re sick!” Kate screeched, her voice booming through the caves.

“You’re just saying that ‘cause you like me,” he joked. It may not have been the right time for humor, because Kate brought her hand around and slapped him clean across the face, then fired back with a vicious backhand across his other cheek.

“Okay, okay!” he begged. “I was only joking!”

Kate muttered something but said nothing more. It hadn’t been worth splitting up; taking back the city would be a lot of work, and they needed to work together. Alone, they stood as nothing. It was the squad’s combined skills that would win them battles.

Not long after, the group came to an abrupt halt at a web-spun wall (Cholahee yelped and slashed at it with his sword).

Hunter sighed. “There’s no way through.”

Kate shook her head. “Look again.”

There was, in fact, a narrow passageway just visible in the dim light, hidden under the ceiling. The passage was probably a result of a long abandoned construction project, because it was manmade.

“We can’t fit in that,” Sikanoy obviously stated.

  • 01.06.2009 7:33 PM PDT
Subject: Halo: Heretic or Hero?----------------- (Chapter 9)

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

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

Sikanoy looked to Cholahee, Cholahee to Hunter, and Hunter to Kate. The Lieutenant smiled smugly and nodded at the opening.

“You have got to be kidding me!” Kate protested.

Hunter shrugged. “You’re the only one that fits, aren’t you?”

Kate looked to the Elites and put on her best sad face, but the partners wouldn’t be so easily persuaded. “Fine,” she answered nonchalantly. “Lift me.”

Hunter boosted her up to the crawlspace. Hunter instructed her to keep in contact through her earpiece, and to call them if there was any trouble.

Kate disappeared into the dark crawlspace.

The tunnel was coated in spider-webs and gave Kate an awful sense of claustrophobia. It was especially aggravating when her hair got snagged on a pointed rock or she accidently knocked her head on the low ceiling. She army crawled for some time, thinking about the war, her worried sick family, Burns. Although she desperately wanted to blow through this hellhole, there was a strange sense of serenity and peace down here.

That is, until she came to the end of the passageway. Peering through the tunnel and out into the torch-lit room, there were at least fifty Brutes, led by a War Chieftain, gathered around an enormous generator shaped like an hourglass. The substance inside the glass glowed purple, and was steaming and bubbling at the near top. Panels were lined all around it, and all of the Brutes—save for their guards—were working incredibly hard on each panel, their furry fingers flying across keypads.

Kate’s eyes widened, and she struggled to twist her hand all the way to her ear to press the button on her earpiece. “Brutes! They’re gathered around some machine.”

“What kind of machine?” Hunter’s radio voice responded.

“I can’t tell,” Kate explained. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Hunter sighed on the other side of the line. “I think that thing may be what caused that giant crater,” Lieutenant Hunter guessed. “We have to bring it down before it strikes where it hurts.”

“We have no idea what it is, so how can we possibly bring it down?”

“We’ll call in Reth’s nine other Elites,” he suggested. “Maybe they know something about it, and they can help us fight if we need to.”

“Sounds good,” Kate agreed, nodding and bumping her head again. She cursed under her breath, but it was enough for one of the guards to swing around, beady red eyes beaming around the room.

He’d soon barked orders to the other guards. “Human scent is in the air! Find them! Rip them limb from limb!”

Kate’s eyes widened as the guards scattered about the cavern, looking eagerly for her. She stopped breathing and tucked her head into her arms.

There was a long silence in which Kate was overwhelmed with anxiety. She’d rather them find and kill her than have to wait like this, not knowing. She couldn’t go back through the same crawlspace again, so she was isolated.

“Kate? What’s going on? What happened?”

No! She had forgotten to turn off her ear piece! Hunter could have just doomed her, and everyone else.

Only seconds after the accidental transmission, several snickers arose from around her. Lifting her head up, her eyes fixed upon a menace-eyed Brute, grinning evilly back at her.

“Hello, my dear.”

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

The car flipped twice, making a deafening sound as it screeched across the road at a speed fast enough to break me in two pieces. I couldn’t jump to either side—the roaring vehicle was too close—and I couldn’t get high enough to jump over it. On stupid instinct, I dove under the car!

I sank to the ground and lay on my belly. The sun-played ground was swallowed by a large shadow, and I felt the wind of the vehicle passing over my head. I didn’t dare look up in fear of the massive blue beast taking my skull along with it.

As quickly as it had come, the new threat was finished. The car had soared over me and screamed into a tall building behind me.

Relieved, I regrouped myself and slowly stood up.

And there was the Brute, standing before me, hammer in hand again. I raised my right hand with the Battle Blade and got ready, but I soon realized that there was nothing I could do that he couldn’t counter with the Gravity Hammer’s concussion blast.

“Why haven’t you killed me?”

His eyes narrowed, looking over me in distaste. “I told you I wasn’t here to fight you. I knew you’d survive everything I’d throw your way. It was all part of the plan.”

“Liar!” I countered. “You tried to kill me, back in the desert. You came here to finish what you’d started.”

“No—.”

“You threw a car at me!” I interrupted. “You proposed a death match!”

He took a step forward, and I did the same so that we were face to face. “I was given strict orders from the Prophet himself not to kill you,” he explained. “You do not realize what you are…”

“I’m a proud Sangheili who’s found his true purpose,” I growled, clenching my teeth and fists. “And not a toy for the Prophets, like you are.”

“You’re father wouldn’t like to hear that,” Janerus muttered.

“Stop it!” I snapped. “Stop talking about my father! This is between you and me.”

But he ignorantly went on. “He would hate to see you like this, Sol. He wanted you to be an Honor Guardsmen, which is why he suggested it before he died.”

It was as if someone had switched off something in my mind. My insides churned with hatred, and I exploded. “That’s a lie! The Prophets gave me the position as a punishment. I had never seen combat before, and my father knew that! He would never have volunteered me for it.”

The Chieftain snickered and looked at me sympathetically. “You really are horridly unaware, aren’t you? Of course it was a punishment! Your father wanted to punish you. He despised you. Your feelings for non-violence destroyed his reputation.”

Something in my soul had just dropped. I didn’t believe him. I couldn’t believe him! My father had loved me.

Hadn’t he?

“You’re wrong,” I said absently, for my mind was bursting wild with anxiety to know the truth.

“I would not lie to you,” said my former torturer.

There was an awful dizziness spreading over me. Memories, slowly piecing themselves together. I stared hard at the Brute only inches from me. “What did you come here for?”

“To make you an offer,” he said softly, lowering his massive hammer and nodding at my blade, which was at his chest. Cautiously, I drew it back. No matter what word they gave, I would never trust Jiralhanae.

“What kind of offer?”

He looked at me with those unforgettable horrible eyes. “To rejoin the Covenant before they kill you.”

“Before who kills me?”

He sighed. “The humans, Sol. They wish to eliminate all Sangheili forces once they are finished using you as soldiers.”

“What are you talking about?” I stared at him inquisitively. There was something in his voice that was so mesmerizing it almost made me believe he was telling the truth.

  • 01.06.2009 7:33 PM PDT
Subject: Halo: Heretic or Hero?----------------- An elite story----- Finale ...

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

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

“Doesn’t it all make sense, Sol? Isn’t everything fitting together? There are things they are not telling you. They are plans to wipe out your race. They think you’re a threat, Sol. They think you’re evil.” He bowed his head solemnly. “But we don’t. At least not you, of course. The holy Prophet knows that you are different from them. You are loyal and brave and a cunning warrior.”

Despite my feelings to run him through with my sword, he had a point. Certain things had leaked out from Anderson and Hunter that had put our friendship in jeopardy. I concentrated hard for a moment, piecing everything together.

As I thought back, it was as if I saw all of the events from the last few months to now, starting with my torturing enslavement to the Prophet of Regret all the way to Reth’s unexpected return. I saw the faces of everyone I had met—alive and dead. Anderson, Burns, Kovalee—they were all back with me, standing at my side in the center of a ghostlike street.

“Join us,” Janerus went on, “and you shall follow us in the glorious road to everlasting life.”

All my life I had been faced with choices that would almost always come back to haunt me. This was a choice that would mean life or death. The moment I had seen the true malice of the Covenant—the war from our enemy’s standpoint—rejoining the evil religious practices had seemed like an ultimatum. But now, hearing the sincerity in Janerus’ voice—the fact that he hadn’t killed me on sight—there was something deep inside of me that was screaming. I could easily reject this choice and face uncertain death.

I finally decided on the wisest decision that anyone else in my position would make. I should give in—return to my rightful place in the world.

I nodded solemnly and looked Janerus straight in the eye. “Go to hell.”

It took him a moment to register, and I took the opportunity to jump him by surprise, landing a powerful kick square in his armored chest. He huffed and stumbled backward, showing me a clean target to stab on his heart.

As I drove the sword toward his chest, he roared in fury and waved the butt of his hammer at me, striking hard in my cheekbone. Startled, I halted my attack and backed up to regroup myself. But Janerus was too smart to let me recover. He lashed out with his mighty hammer and let loose a giant concussion blast, blowing me backward into a lamp post. An agonizing pain shot through my spine, but I gritted my teeth and prepared for the next attack all the same. This time, the Chieftain, waved his hammer like a windmill at me. Leaping upward out of the deadly blast radius, I executed a full back flip and grasped on to the top of the poll, where I hung out of reach from the raging Brute.

He howled in displeasure at my last moment clever move and snapped his sharp teeth together. I read the determination on his face and knew that I didn’t have much time to act before he brought the entire lamppost down. He lurched upward and swung at my dangling feet, but I had already used all the strain in my arms to twist myself up to the top of the poll, where I received a most needed moment’s rest.

“Come down here so I can swat you, vermin!” he boomed, twirling his hammer once then pointing it at me. “Your cowardice will have you killed all the same.”

I stifled a snicker. “You can’t reach me, can you?” I tauntingly swayed on the top of the street light, waving my gold plated feet around in circles until he was driven crazy. “I’m afraid those who cannot carry their own weight…must be left behind.”

I heard his teeth clench and unclench in uncontrolled fury. He lashed out and slammed the hammer’s head into the lamppost like a wild animal, screaming and muttering curses. My dangling legs were thrown over my head by the force of the blow, and I tumbled off the street light and on to the ground. There was an irritating screeching sound as the metal was severed and the streetlight came down in pieces. Fragments of mettle showered down on us, but still my deranged enemy ventured forth, dangerously tenacious to knock my skull out. I pushed off my hands and landed on my feet again, brushed off some of the fragments, and circled around him again.

We lunged at each other for some time, but to no great extent. Neither one of us could fix the final, lethal hit on the other. Twice I just missed a clean slash to his neck, and I dodged one of his sideways hammer blows by a split hair, bending over backwards and making a bridge, then springing back on to my feet. My agility was getting better and better with every second, and I was practically bouncing across the middle of the street, the crazed Brute Chieftain chasing after me every step of the way.

Finally, he cornered me between a rundown warehouse building and his massive hammer. I stood my ground, bending my knees and preparing to leap, but I knew no stretch of agility was going to save me this time. I had to finish this, once and for all.

  • 01.06.2009 7:34 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!

He snorted and started towards me, closing off any possible anger in which I could evade him. Again. His eyes had tightened and I knew that he wasn’t the only one that was ready to finish this battle.

I counted silently in my head. If I could somehow get under the hammer’s arc, I’ve have a clear shot to my choosing. The seconds seemed to go by frame by frame.

One.

Two.

Three!

I slipped. I lost my feet, and fell to the ground with a yelp of confusion. In that instant, Janerus was cackling sickly and brought the hammer down. I felt the surge at my chest; the very air being ripped out of my lungs; the startling feel of an empty stomach—an empty body. I was floating, away from the world. I could hear words coming faintly through me, but a powerful voice was booming them.

“You shall lay neither hand nor hair on him, incompetent beast!” A Sangheili voice echoed throughout the empty streets.

There was a raspy croaking noise—Janerus? He choked and spat and sputtered, but no words came from his mouth. Realizing I had yet again survived, I strained myself and looked up.

A silver armored Elite with gold-orange Honor Guard shoulder plates had the Chieftain in a chokehold, wrapping his long fingers around the Brute leader’s large neck. Slowly, Janerus’ incoherent croaks grew fainter and fainter, and his body began to sag downward.

But he regained himself just before the end and chopped down on Reth’s choking hand. The Elite cursed and stepped backward, and the Brute tore off down the street, faster than any of his race. He only turned around once—to wink at me.

The Brute Chieftain disappeared into the doors—or, rather, smashed open a large, Janerus sized hole—and was gone from sight. The blow from his Gravity Hammer hadn’t made contact with me, but had stopped close enough to knock my breath away. Reth had saved my life.

“Run back to your foul hole, monstrosity!” Reth called after him. “And may the devil make room for you in hell!”

There was a moment’s silence while both of us stared at the blown open hole in the warehouse. I felt the soft flesh of a human hand clamp on my shoulder. “Damn, you got some distance here, didn’t ya?”

Anderson half smiled, but I could tell he was aggravated with my sudden departure. My life could very easily have ended in the last few minutes.

Burns came next. He nodded at me, and I nodded back. I could tell he and Anderson had shared the same feelings.

And then, I started in on Reth. It was wrong of me to accuse him of anything after he had saved me from being chopped in half, but I could never bring myself to giving him gratitude.

“You idiot!” I boomed. “I almost had him, and you interfered!”

He gawked at me as if I had two heads. “Were it not for my sheer generosity, you’d be dead right now, stupid boy! He would have torn you to shreds and cast away your bones, but I saved you! I decided that your life was worth saving!” He huffed in displeasure. “Perhaps I was wrong.”

I registered his words and realized how stupid my argument had been. He was right; he had saved me, and I had thrown it back at him. I sighed and hung my head, but said no more.

“The city center draws near,” he grumbled, not meeting my eyes. “I fear the battle we are about to face will decide the fate of your planet.” He looked at Anderson and Burns with solemn eyes. “I’ll call for all we can get, but if the Covenant can take control of the main command post of the city…” He sighed heavily. “…they’ll take this entire region, then this entire planet with them. Hurry now, and prepare for combat.”

The sun was beginning to hand low in the sky of this never-ending day. As I looked at the pink lit clouds; the orange glare of sun streaming through the sky; the entire world above dancing with color, I thought about Janerus’ words.

They think you’re a threat, Sol. They think you’re evil.

And I couldn’t say I disagreed.

Because I was deciding whether or not to take him up on his offer.

End Transmission

  • 01.06.2009 7:35 PM PDT

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

Best chapter yet! Real great job on the fight scene and I'm getting really drawn in on Sol and Reth's history, I can only wish you the best of luck for the rest of this.

  • 01.07.2009 11:20 AM 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

And were back to the same question...

Heretic or Hero?

  • 01.07.2009 2:45 PM PDT
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  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

holey crap this is an alsome thread

  • 01.07.2009 5:30 PM PDT