- soulguard
- |
- Exalted Mythic Member
Unless the hounds....
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Level 10: The Prophet of Signs
Mythic Beast \\ Jiralhanae Assault Cruiser
Abu Simbel Crater site
Abu Simbel, Egypt
November 3, 2552
Gridolee leaned into a dark corner, his active camouflage combined with the silhouetted darkness made him invisible to the naked eye. He had just spent the last few minutes tapping into the ship’s COM network, in order to monitor every order that the ship master made, to his relief he also intercepted the Prophet’s communication with another Mirratord elite.
He removed his hand from his ear and exhaled. “It must be Lieutenant Simyaldee. That changes things greatly.” The young Lieutenant was slightly nervous about attacking a full ship of Brutes all on his own, yet now his fear was completely washed away. Simyaldee was also running around the ship, and that was an advantage. He switched channels away from the Brute COM and began to signal the Mirratord private channel. “Second, do you read me?”
“It is good to hear your voice, young one.” Simyaldee replied over the channel.
“It is also good to hear yours, Second.”
“Clear your display recorder, we are on assignment for the duration of this operation.”
Gridolee twisted a small dial on his helmet, deactivating his display recorder. “Your orders, Second.”
“Meeting up is unadvised, my cloaking system is damaged. While the ships combatants chase after me, you get to the command deck and kill the Prophet of Signs. I believe you have a debt to repay him.”
Gridolee’s heart skipped a beat. “Sir, what do you mean?”
“We are the Mirratord, young Gridolee. The Commander and I were aware that Signs infiltrated a spy into our ranks. We’ve been watching you for some time. I believe you had a change of heart around the time the prophets sent the young Watchmen after us.”
“You have known all along? High Elder Vornaldea did not tell you my secret?”
“No. The Elder did not speak to me or the Commander. We have known since the beginning. But now you can prove your loyalty to your kin. Kill Signs, do it now! I have a small platoon of Brutes chasing me toward the turbo shaft in the aft of the ship. I will make as much noise as I can. Signs will never see you coming.”
“I will not fail you, master.”
“You are Mirratord, young one. If I had any doubt in your abilities, you would not be here. When this operation is over, we will have much to discuss. For the Honor of the Mirratord.”
For the last few years, Gridolee never truly understood what the phrase meant. The Honor that the Mirratord had was only amongst themselves, as no other group was aware of their existence, but in the short conversation he instantly began to understand the true meaning of the phrase.
“For the Honor… of the Mirratord.” Gridolee replied. The channel went silent, and Gridolee lowered his head in thought. His secret was not a secret after all. The Commander, even the Second, had known all along. But instead of calling him out, they used him in return. This was his honor, the opportunity to clear his name, to pull himself away from the mistakes of his youth. Signs had used him, convinced him that the Sangheili race was doomed, and lied to him about his own heritage. Gridolee found his purpose for his loyalty, his reason for saying “for the honor of the Mirratord.” He didn’t care what the real reason was anymore, he only knew that it had a personal meaning for him.
Inside the Mirratord, you were no longer a unique individual within the Covenant, you carried the weight of the entire Sangheili race. His actions were not his own, his actions were for his kin, his brothers and sisters at arms. For the honor of the Unwritten Mirratord Law. This was what it meant. This was what the phrase that each of the Mirratord warriors was taught as parting words. It was a reminder of their purpose.
Gridolee scanned the area, and stalked out of the corner. He crept quietly throughout the ship as Brutes passed him by. They often stopped, sniffing the air as if they could smell something different, but the Brutes were unaware of what their noses sensed and their eyes didn’t. To the Brutes, seeing was smelling, but smelling without seeing was totally different. Gridolee made his way to the bridge, uncontested.
Meanwhile, several decks below and at the rear of the ship, Simyaldee became a one Elite army.
A Brute roared, “Cut off his escape path. Seal him on this deck. We will overwhelm this … Sangheili.”
Simyaldee knelt to a knee as he breathed deeply. He fumed at hearing his honorable title being slurred through Jiralhanae teeth. He tossed one of his drained twin blades and watched it self detonate in its plasma discharge. He unclipped his second twin blade and smirked at the energy display; only twenty percent charge remained.
He quickly gathered his stamina and watched as four more Brutes burst into the room. “Stupid.” He chuckled. He tossed one Plasma grenade into the door path and watched it stick to the first Brute that entered. The Brute roared as he attempted to remove the armor where the grenade had stuck him. Simyaldee fired a controlled burst of plasma from a nearby Brute plasma rifle and watched as the other three Brutes took cover behind the first screaming brute. Their aggression was their downfall. The plasma grenade detonated, killing the first two brutes and temporarily confused the last two. Simyaldee sprang forward and beheaded them.
Simyaldee looked out the door at the Brute squad leader. “You are next, cur.” He snarled.
The Brute took aim and fired while retreating from the corridor. “Chieftain, send more troops to the aft decks! My units have all been slain! The creature is a monster!”
“You imbecile, you had twenty men in your ranks!”
“Everything we throw at this Sangheili has failed, Chieftain. Its shields are impenetrable.”
“Two hundred more units are on their way to you. It is impossible to fail with that many troops.”
Simyaldee silently slid his energy sword into the Brute’s skull. The creature never saw him sneak up behind him, and merely whimpered as the sword cut into his brain. The creature felt no pain as it died. Simyaldee took the Brutes COM and examined the channel.
Simyaldee then changed the channel of his COM to match the Brutes. “This mongrel called you a Chieftain. With Tartarus’s death, it would seem that the unified Clan system has been discarded. Is there not one amongst you worthy enough to take the helm as head of all clans, the way Tartarus did?”
The Chieftain laughed over the line. “Tartarus was the last of the great nobles. We no longer have to follow his ways. Our clans have regained their status, and once we have eliminated all of you Sangheili, we will follow the Prophets into the Great Journey. Tell me, beast, who are you?”
“The angel of death.” Simyaldee turned off the Com, picked up several grenades from the fallen Brutes, as well as numerous weapons. It was time to make as much noise as he could. He looked to the end of the corridor as the main bulkhead door parted. Dozens of Brutes exited the door, their armor clinging loudly, as they leveled their weapons and fired.
Simyaldee smiled, his eyes sharpened and his heart quickened. “Blood is in the air.” He leveled the Brute shot and charged into the pack.
Gridolee, on the opposite end of the ship, was reaping the benefits of Simyaldee’s deeds. He had made it all the way to the command deck, yet the door was heavily guarded. He counted thirty Brutes and stop counting; he was sure that there were at least a hundred. If this many sat on this side of the door, then the command deck was most likely swarming with the enemy. He needed to slip inside. He needed for something to happen. But what?
A roar filled the air.
It was a deep sound, filled with the base of something otherworldly. Gridolee knew the sound, and he was not in a good position if it was coming his way. He quickly darted into a corner and hunkered down. He needed to give the beast a clear path; a wide path. The deck rumbled with the creatures footsteps as shouts filled the corridor.
“Be still, beast!” A brute wrangler shouted. “If you get too excited, there will be no meat for you this day.”
Gridolee looked down around the corner, but he could only see the wranglers and the chain that held the creature at bay. The monstrous beast that the wranglers were holding in place was still around the corner. The head wrangler dropped his chain and made his way toward the command deck door. Gridolee heard the monstrous beast whimpering and breathing in the distance.
The head wrangler walked toward the door and was greeted by one of the guard. “Tell the Chieftain that I have brought the Sharquoi. What does he want with it?”
The guard nodded and the door began to part. The Chieftain stepped out into the foyer of the command deck and sniffed the air, his nostrils burned from the strong smell of the massive beast. “Where is it?”
“Down the hall, Chieftain.”
“Its stench fills the corridor.” The Chieftain looked about and motioned toward the wrangler. “This Sangheili has killed nearly two platoons, and I have lost contact with the last group we sent down. This can not be the work of one. It is impossible.”
“We brought the Sharquoi in order to deal with the demon.” The wrangler added. “The human’s ‘Master Chief’, has done this form of boarding attempts in the past. Perhaps this will be a good test of the Sharquoi’s strength.”
“Perhaps. But we are not dealing with the Demon this time. Deploy the Sharquoi at the end of the deck near the main lift. It is the only way to get to this deck. The Sangheili is not trying to hide he is making it very clear of his objective. When he comes, unleash the Sharquoi.”
[Edited on 06.07.2007 5:01 PM PDT]