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The Story of an Elite by HK
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The Story of an Elite: Part I Escape
Date: 5 October 2004, 3:43 AM
Sixth Cycle, 78 Units (Covenant Battle Calendar)/
HALO Installation 04 subsystem section TB-106, near the Control Room
As the heavy snow continued to fall and the light dimming, a Covenant Elite stood on top of the pyramidal structure that housed the control room of HALO Installation 04. There were many things on Squad Master Seka `Xenomee's mind, but only one stood out. The Flood.
As the squad master stood and pondered the situation, he stared down at the snowy ground in front of the pyramid. It was strew with bodies that belonged to both the Flood and the Covenant. As for now, the squad master has a higher priority: to hold the control room for as long as it takes for the reinforcements or evacuations to come. Words had come down that the cruiser Truth and Reconciliation is now under siege by the Flood and the Council of Masters had made the decision of evacuating the installation and leave the system.
`Xenomee's squad had been holding the control room for five full units now. He has only five Grunts, three Jackals, four Elites, and a pair of Hunters remaining under his command. The rest of his squad had been slaughtered as they fell back to their current position.
Suddenly, a Grunt on lookout duty squealed with terror - he had spotted a fresh wave of the disgusting filth sweeping toward them. `Xenomee roared with anger and gave commands to his team.
"Get ready! The filths are attacking again! Wazaw, man the stationary gun. Everyone else get into position and fire on my command!" He shouted as the wave got closer. "Plasma grenades on the count of three!" He waved his plasma rifle and readied a grenade, "Three, two, now!" he yelled as he hurled his grenade at the combat form that was leading the charge.
The results were satisfactory - at least a dozen of the combat forms fell as the blue-white explosions ate them alive. A string of infection forms also popped as a grenade went off in their formation. Now, the Flood returned fire. A storm of bullets and plasma washed over the Covenant warriors. Three Grunts and a Jackal who were at the corner of the line fell, smoldering from multiple hits.
"Hold your positions!" `Xenomee screamed as some of his soldiers backed away from their positions. "Stay close together! The filths will eat us alive if we break apart! Pick your target and fire at will!"
What happened next was a nightmare. The Flood washed right over them. Grunts squealed and spun, firing in all directions. Jackals screeched as scores of infection forms managed to grab hold of them and pulled them down. Elites pulled themselves together, fighting back to back, but also started to fall as thousands of infection forms swallowed their formation.
Up to this point, only the Hunters are faring well. The bond brothers stayed close, fighting with both their fuel rod cannons and their massive shield. `Xenomee slipped near them and helped to cover their backs, where them are the most vulnerable. He was immensely satisfied with a sense of revenge as one of the Hunters used his shield as a club and erased an entire file of combat forms while his bond brother blew a cluster of carrier forms to hell with his fuel rod cannon.
But number does have its advantage. Even the mighty Hunters were finally overwhelmed as a swarm of infection forms finally rolled them under. `Xenomee jumped away just in time as the bond brothers fell in unison, never to stand up again. There was no time for emotions, however, as `Xenomee joined the last survivor of the squad - a blue-armored Elite named Lega `Unapramee. `Xenomee grabbed a fallen plasma rifle, saw his brethren do the same, and started to fire both plasma rifles at once. They managed to push the infection forms back from them with their constant stream of fire, and finally managed to kill all of the Flood forms.
When it was all over, the air was thick with the stench of both blood and plasma-fried flesh. At least fifty flood combat forms lay at `Xenomee's feet, as well as the bodies of nearly every member of his former squad.
"Excellency, I think our ride is finally here," `Unapramee said in a horse voice from behind `Xenomee. "I can see a Phantom and three Apparition transports coming in fast." The Elite finished.
"Tell the Flight Master to sent only one ship down," `Xenomee snapped his eyes from his fallen soldiers and looked at the transports. "I don't think that there are anyone but us left to evacuate."
`Unapramee did as he was told. A moment later, the Phantom touched down. A squad of heavily armed Elites jumped down and secured the landing site as `Xenomee and `Unapramee, both of them looked as if they've been to hell and back, boarded the ship and were finally out of this hell.
Second Cycle, 82 Units (Covenant Battle Calendar)/
On board Covenant Phantom troop transport, upper atmosphere of HALO Installation 04, near Covenant super carrier Noble Promise
`Xenomee looked through the window next to him and saw the massive warship in orbit around the installation. The super cruiser Noble Promise is now a de facto search and rescue station for the Covenant forces in this system. Dropships carried rescue teams to the surface of the construct and brought survivors back.
`Xenomee looked around him. A squad of black-armored Elites sat near him. The same ones who rescued him and `Unapramee from the top of the pyramid. `Unapramee leaned against the side of the transport as one of the black-armored Elites dressed the gashes on his right side. He was in extreme pain, but he didn't show it.
As the Phantom entered a shuttle bay inside the super carrier, he heard one of the Elites in charge saying something about the super carrier moving out-system. He turned toward a window and looked toward the construct. Even as he looked, a brilliant flash lit the shuttle bay like a momentary sun.
Every soldier inside the bay stopped what they were doing and stared at the construct in space. A massive, white-hot orb of nuclear energy appeared on the inner surface of the ring. It flashed white, and then turned to orange-red, and finally winked out.
Then the ring came apart. Massive chunks of it tumbled end over end and collided with each other. In a matter of minutes, the ring was shattered. Pieces of small debris flew out into the darkness and impacted on the super carrier's shield.
"All hands aboard, we are maneuvering out of this system. Entering slipspace in 15 units." A voice blasted from the wall-mounted speakers as the Ship Master gave out his orders.
"It's over. It finally is over. We are lucky. We survived to fight another day." `Xenomee muttered to `Unapramee, who nodded his head.
The Story of an Elite: Part II The Noble Promise
Date: 7 October 2004, 4:09 AM
Ninth Cycle, 08 Units (Covenant Battle Calendar)/
On board super carrier Noble Promise, in slipspace outbound from Threshold System
The main view screen showed only the blackness and pinpricks of green light typical of slipspace. The view screen, however, is not Ship Master Inka `Oromee's biggest concern for the moment. It had been more than twenty full units after the entire crew of the super carrier witnessed the destruction of the ring-world. The Covenant fleet in the sector was scattered all over the system as they launched search-and-rescue operations after the Flood outbreak was reported. All ships in the fleet lost contact with each other when they were ordered to leave the system, and the Noble Promise happened to be the last of them.
For all he knew, the Covenant cruiser Truth and Reconciliation was taken over by humans and was destroy by some mysterious way just prior to the destruction of the ring-world. There had been no reports on casualties, but he estimated that the Covenant had lost at least thirty thousand soldiers ever since the Flood was released.
Now, however, `Oromee has something important to do first. "Attention, all squad masters report to debriefing room V-04. You are to be debriefed on the matter regarding the Flood. You are required to take all recording devices you have with you." The Ship Master said as he opened a broadcast channel within the ship.
Three hundred units aft, the Elite named Seka `Xenomee heard the announcement and rushed to join his fellow squad masters in the debriefing room. He had only a pair of mission recording devices, one is his own, while the other belonged to a Grunt observer who deceased on the ring-world.
Once inside the debriefing room, `Xenomee was filled with a sense of awe. Instead of mission debriefing officers, `Xenomee found himself face to face with none other than Ship Master Inka `Oromee. `Oromee is the commander of the entire Covenant fleet in the Threshold System. His rank is one of the highest for an Elite.
"Squad Master Seka `Xenomee reporting as ordered. Ship Master." Xenomee said as he lowered his eyes as a sign of respect.
"Seka... that name is familiar. Aren't you the leader of the squad that defended the Control Room?" The Ship Master inquired.
"Yes, Excellency. I was the leader of that squad," `Xenomee replied. "All but one of the soldiers in my squad was killed." He added.
"Well, I suppose I have something that might surprise you. You, Squad Master Seka `Xenomee, is hereby promoted, by the order of the Holy Ones, to special operations officer third class. You are now in command of a special operations squad. You will also report through their chain of command. Do you understand?" The Ship Master announce in an official tone. He held out a hand, a Grunt carried a sealed case to him.
"These are you new armor. You are now allowed only to wear these. Do you understand?"
Stunned, `Xenomee quickly found his voice. "Yes, Excellency. I understand perfectly. Thank you, Excellency." He bowed to the Ship Master.
With shaking hands he accepted his new armor. `Xenomee never thought that he will become a special operations officer. The Elites who run special operations are the very best.
The debriefing went by quickly. They were order to hand in all data regarding the Flood. When he was back inside his own compartment, his popped the seal open and opened the case.
Inside was space-black armor. `Xenomee eagerly tried them on. The armor fitted him perfectly. He then donned his helmet and activated the armor. It was beautiful. The armor was magnificent on the outside, but he could now move with even greater speed than he ever could before. He nodded with pleasure and turned back to the case.
On the bottom half of the case were his new set of weapons. A plasma rifle, a plasma pistol, half a dozen plasma grenades, and -
`Xenomee held his breath. The last item in the case was a small, handle-like device. He recognized it without any thought - it was the handle a plasma sword. It was a symbol of status as much as it was power. He immediately took it out and examined it; it was in perfect condition, brand-new.
In a few units, `Xenomee strapped his new weapons to his belt and stepped out into the corridors. There were a few Elites - pilots, by the looks of it - in the corridor. All of them stopped and looked at him. He gave a polite nod to them and continued on, leaving the awe-filled pilots to stare in his wake.
No, he shouldn't be showing off. There is no time for that. He thought. He needs to get to his new squad and establish his authority. `Xenomee smiled. He's now ready to fight again.
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