Hopestar : Cp 4, Taking Control
Posted By: sam_fisha<sam_fisha@yahoo.com>
Date: 28 January 2005, 7:58 PM
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When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kind of dogmas or goals, it's always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt.
-Robert M. Pirsig
The Prophet of Fury sat indignantly on the formfitting gel cushion, watching the viewscreen show the planet he had earlier been defending sink into the distance amongst the other stars. He glanced around the room at the elegant blankets and plants that decorated the room. How trivial. He thought to himself as he examined a fine red blanket that adorned the floor.
Honor, who sat across the room from Fury, shook his head slowly. "How could this happen? Another of our worlds." His gaze drifted to the floor.
"You know very well how this happened, you refused to destroy their hive!" Hindering yelled.
"Destroy High Charity? Such an act would be above heresy! And there were still plenty of our citizens alive!" Honor yelled back at him, moving his head so violently that his headdress nearly falling off.
"The survivors were killing each other! There was nothing more we could do!" Hindering began to scream, his pale grey skin turning an angry yellow.
"You would admit defeat at the hands of the parasite? We should never abandon a world with a fighting chance! Including this one!" Honor stated, returning to an edgy calm. "Why are we running from a planet which still has its fleet intact?" Honor asked Fury, his eyes burning into Fury like a laser.
Fury felt there was no right answer so he took the only way out he knew, faith. "I have renewed my trust in the prophecy that the parasite will pose little hindrance to the Great Journey, and that an un-infested Halo will be found." Fury said calmly, a smile edging at his mouth.
And what do you say to the extreme amount of people who have lost faith in the Great Journey?" Honor asked as he motioned for one of his servants. The Jiralhanae walked to him and listened as Honor whispered into his ear.
"Their sins have overwhelmed them and when we enter the Great Beyond they will be left behind, their heresy will drive them mad." Fury answered as he watched the Jiralhanae servant suspiciously. It turned and barked, summoning four more to enter and stand in between Fury and Honor. "What are you doing?" Fury asked, motioning for his own guards to enter.
Without answering Honor spoke to the Jiralhanae in their tongue, two of them walked to Hindering and lifted him out of his chair. "Put me down you heretic! Stop them!" Hindering screamed as one of the giant soldier flung him over his shoulder and carried him away. Fury knew what this was, a coup.
Five of his loyal Kig-yar ran into the room and stood in front of Fury in a defensive semicircle, overlapping their shields and charging their plasma pistols. The Kig-yar screeched and opened fire on the Jiralhanae, the bright green light danced across Fury's vision. One Jiralhanae heretic went down as the plasma converged on him; his partner dropped his plasma rifle and yelled. He charged into the Kig-yar, flattening one and killing two more as they were flung into the bulkheads, their weak necks cracking like stale flatbread. Before he knew what had happened, Fury was knocked unconscious by the vengeful Jiralhanae.
Corporal Trudy raised his pistol and aimed at the approaching sound, ready to fire. Suddenly the thing stepped into the globe of light given off by Trudy's lighter and he saw it was an alive and well Marine. "Holy crap, I thought you were one of them." Trudy said happily as he holstered his pistol.
"Same here." The Marine said, letting his SMG fall loosely by his side. "What's all this stuff on the ground? And why does it smell so bad?"
"You don't want to know. I'm Corporal Trudy, first drop." He replied.
"Private Kells, second drop." The Marine said, saluting. "And glad to see another Marine." He said as he holstered his SMG and sat on the small raised platform.
"How'd you make it here alive?" Trudy asked as he took a seat beside him.
"I'm not sure." Kells said as he opened energy bar. "I woke up in a pile of bodies and ran like hell." He took a bite out of the bar, chewing the thick granola happily.
"Lucky." Trudy said as he cleaned the bandage on his shin. "But I guess if we were really lucky we'd be on the Hopestar. Eh? Eh?" Trudy turned to Kells. "Are you okay?" He asked, looking at Kells lying face up on the platform. "Jesus!" Trudy yelled and ran to him, pulling a med kit from his pocket.
Kells was lying with his mouth open, barely breathing and his face turning white. "Can you hear me?" Trudy asked as he ripped open the med pack. Suddenly Kells leapt up, turned and flailed his fists at Trudy. "What are you doing!?" Trudy yelled as he defended himself.
Kells yelled, "Kill me!" Before the Flood which had infested his body took complete control.
Hillers watched as the Marines guarding his civilian block turned and left. He listened to the conversation between two people behind him. "I heard a Pelican is returning from the mission but won't respond to hails." One of them said.
"Yeah, I heard the same thing, they say it'll land in a few minutes in bay one. I wonder why the Marines are running around." The other responded. Hillers clutched his concealed pistol tightly, working the slide as quietly as he could. Something was about to happen.
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