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Hidden Truths by Oscar Velez
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Hidden Truths (Temporary Title)
Date: 22 October 2005, 2:06 am
Reformation
Ze-sán placed the pure white helmet upon his head. He stepped out into the main hall and laid eyes upon his troops. The Geminis sector of High Charity was not easy to obtain. Before him stood the remaining survivors of the battle, twelve Elites (Sangheili) and four Grunts (Unngoy). Four of the Elites were Underground Lightweight Terror Reconnaissance Alpha Spec Ops or ULTRAS. These Elites were part of a secret project in which a handful of highly experienced Special Operation Elites were bio-genetically enhanced and trained to their limits for every combat situation. There were very few Elites that matched these ULTRAS in speed, strength, or skill. Dressed in silvery white and black armor they stood out from the rest.
A door on the left opened and a majestic being walked in flanked by two Hunters (Lekgolo). The Grunts trembled in fear at the sight of the Elite. It was a High Honor Councilor, a rank only held by six Elites in the entire Covenant. This grizzled warrior bared the scars of countless wars, and his eyes glowed a fiery orange. His lower left jaw was missing and a scar ran down from the missing mandible to his left shoulder, a frequent injury from the Taming of the Hunters, an injury that no one could of possibly survived. During that period the Hunters were an unknown, untamed species. They roamed about their planet wildly and had no way of life. During Quarantine, some Hunters often went into a fury of being contained. They would grab patrolling Elites by the jaws and tear them off, usually taking part of the neck with it. This High Honor Councilor must of undergone years of recovery. It was obvious that most of his shoulder had been taken also. These Elites were THE strongest of them all. They weren't enhanced at all and were still twice as strong as the ULTRAS. They were the best of the best, and better.
The HHC walked past the group of survivors, observing each one of them. His large, white helmet had unique markings on it, specifically made for the Elite to wear it. The light shone off of his armor, giving him a sort of god like glow. These Elites truly were gods. He stopped in front of Ze-Sán and greeted him. The commander (Ze-Sán) bowed down immediately.
"Rise young Commander." the High Honor Councilor said "No need for formalities"
"High Councilor, what brings you to the Geminis Sector?" Ze-Sán said, rising.
"I received word of your stunning victory over a thousand Jiralhanae (Brutes) guarding this facility."
"I'm sure there wasn't that many," he smiled "but these men did fight quite a battle"
The HHC chuckled, but then his face grew stern, "I need your help on a
mission"
"I will aid you in any way High Councilor."
"I need you to lead a group of our forces to the Human home world to search for the Ark."
"I am not worthy of a mission such as this, surely you could lead our
forces,..."
"No,... I have to fight of the Prophet's incoming forces. We must find the Ark before they do. The fate of the Universe lies in your hands
Commander."
Ze-Sán paused but then spoke, "How large is the force that I will lead?"
"Thirty of our best warriors."
"What ranks?"
"You will find out when you receive them Commander."
"Where will we be landing?"
"On what the Humans call 'South America', one of their land masses on the lower division of their small world. The exact drop zone has yet to be determined."
"When do we depart?"
"In 12 hours, get some rest Commander." the HHC begins to walk away,...
"High Councilor," the High Councilor turns around to face Ze-Sán once again, "May I some of these men with me?" the Commander gestured towards the survivors.
"You can bring your ULTRAS, leave the rest."
The HHC walked out and Ze-Sán began to think about his mission.
Emergency Landing
The power system of the Phantoms came to life and the doors slid open. Ze-Sán's group was split up into two. Half on each Phantom. Once they were all aboard, the ship took off. The normally roomy Phantom was crowded with thirteen of the finest Spec Ops Elites the HHC could find send, and the Commander's four ULTRAS. The Spec Ops Elites admired the Ze-Sán and his ULTRAS. They stared at the metallic armor and dreamed of having their strength, but they would never admit it. The Commander passed through the bay and entered the cockpit to speak to the pilot.
"How long until there is dirt beneath my hooves pilot?"
"We are entering the atmosphere right now Commander. We should be at the destination in fifteen..." the pilot was cut off by an explosion on the side of the ship. "Taking fire, right power generator is failing!" the pilot yelled into the radio, "Emergency landing necessary!"
Ze-Sán looked at the right sight screen. The other phantom was falling behind, it had been hit bad. Smoke, sparks, and blue plasma trailed from the front of the ship. Then another shell hit the side of the Commander's Phantom and an explosion ripped into the cockpit. Ze-Sán jumped into the holding bay while the pilot, still in standing in place, was incinerated. The Phantom tumbled out of control and was speeding towards the blue planet's surface.
"Everyone grab an emergency drop pack and hold on!" Ze-Sán yelled.
He hit a switch to his left and opened the bay doors. He then turned to his troops. "Jump!"
One by one each Elite threw themselves out of the open door. Last was the Commander and his ULTRAS. They all regrouped in the air around Ze-Sán.
"On my mark turn feet first and hit the thrusters! Understand!?"
"Yes Commander!" the Elites spoke in unison.
The Commander looked down towards the ground. It was covered with a dense blanket of trees, and it was coming fast. As the fine details came into view the Commander began to count to himself.
"1...2...3...Now!"
The Elites flipped up immediately and hit their thrusters. The packs threw out propelling gravity waves downwards with enough force that the branches of the trees beneath them splintered and snapped beneath them. Their fall slowed dramatically and for a second they floated in the mid-air. Then the power lowered and they hovered to the ground. They splashed as they sunk into the low water. While most of the Elites were shaking off the unexpected drop an ULTRA spotted the second Phantom barreling towards the rainforest.
"Look Commander." the ULTRA said pointing out the doomed craft.
Ze-Sán watched as the Phantom disappeared behind the tree tops. The Commander turned away and took in his surroundings. They stood in a flooded rainforest. Brown murky water came short of their waists. The forest had an abundance of tall trees and large brush.
"Commander, doesn't it remind you of our home world?" a Spec Ops Elite said.
"Secure the area! Make sure there are no enemy forces within a 2 mile radius!" the Commander barked.
The Elites immediately split up to search the area. Ze-Sán gazed at the rainforest. It did remind him of home, before he joined the Covenant, when he was young. When everyone called him by his name. Soon enough the Commander's memories were broken by the voice of one of his ULTRAS.
"Commander, there is a Jiralhanae encampment just east of our position. They have not sent out patrols yet, but I suspect they are preparing to. There is no doubt they saw the Phantoms."
"Good job De-Lôk, we will head towards the encampment by nightfall. When the rest of the Sangheili come back, take five Spec Ops and go out to gather any supplies that might of survived the crash."
"Understood Commander."
At nightfall it began to rain. A thick mist hung above the water and the moon shone bright through the rainforest's canopy. Water dripped off of
Ze-Sàn's helmet. The Elites moved silently, crouching, from tree to tree. Only the light slosh of water could be heard and only the quick glimmer of the Commander's armor could be seen through the fog. As Ze-Sàn approached another tree he heard the sloshing of water. Lifting his head only slightly out of the mist, he saw a pair of Jackals (Kig-Yar) and a brute scout about a hundred yards forward.
"Enemies ahead, keep your heads down." the Commander whispered to his Elites.
Back pressed against the tree, the Commander waited for the Jackals to pass. Soon enough, a Jackal ran forward through the fog. Its head barely reached over the mist. Slowly, Ze-San crept behind the creature, and in one swift movement, he swept the Jackal's feet out from under it and took it underwater by the throat. He then pressed down on its neck until he felt the bones break. The other Jackal, hearing the loud splash of water and then silence, came forward to investigate. The Commander observed the creature.
These Jackals were extremely bird like. Their arms were always bent like wings and their snouts resembled beaks. Feather like hair lined the top of their head and the back of their limbs. They ran, jutting each foot out quickly then thrusting it back. They were very agile. Their necks craned and snapped side to side when they look around. They also had the best eyesight and hearing out of any member of The Covenant. Not only were they walking chickens, but they were also savages. They feasted on any meat they could find, whether it be a fallen human, a dead grunt, or even a fellow Jackal, they would tear the flesh with their razor sharp teeth. They disgusted the Commander.
As the Jackal began to walk forward, it bumped into the dead body of the other. Alarmed, it stumbled and fell into the water. The creature jumped back out of the water immediately. Disoriented, it hissed at the event. Quickly, the Jackal began to run back towards the Brute to tell him of his findings. It did not get far before Ze-Sàn grabbed it by the throat and slammed it into the water, holding it there until it drowned. Knowing something was wrong, the Brute Scout sniffed the air, and growled. The gorilla like beast began to walk towards the nearest Spec Ops Elite. He began to sniff again, then raised his red glowing plasma rifle towards the Elite. The Elite readied itself to take down the Brute and remained still. When the Brute came close enough and saw the Spec Ops black armor, it immediately opened fire, but not for long. Just as the Elite went to engage the Brute an ULTRA burst out of the water behind it. The water around the ULTRA flew upwards and sparkled in the moonlight as the Elite Warrior came down on the Brute with force. The ULTRA grabbed the Brute by the jaw and brought it down into the water. Silence followed, but in seconds the Elite emerged without a scratch, and the body of the Brute in hand. The Spec Ops Elite snarled.
"You stole my kill..."
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