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To Capture a Prophet by Covie_Lover
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To Capture a Prophet Chapter 1- Mission Briefing
Date: 18 July 2004, 3:18 AM
To Capture A Prophet Chapter 1- Mission Briefing
* * * * *
There was a great deal of tension in the mission briefing room of the Column of Spring. The two new Spartans, Sally and Jonathan (not to be confused with a certain, more well known John), were getting their first mission that was not merely fighting in a battle. They anxiously watched the door to the room, which had a light that was glowing a dull red. Neither of them were willing to break the silence. After several tense minutes, the light on the door suddenly turned green, and with a small 'ding' the door opened, and the ship's captain walked in, carrying a box of some kind. His name was John Lockes, and he was most famous for single-handedly outsmarting (and killing) one of the infamous gold-clad Covenant Elites-with its own plasma sword. Aside from that, he had been instrumental in the success of several major space battles. As he walked into the room, both Spartans got up and greeted him (perhaps a little too fervently). "Settle down, settle down, we've got some very important business to do discuss," he said with a small laugh. He put down the box, and all three of them took a seat. "We have recently learned from one of our covenant prisoner, a light-blue class elite that we found sneaking around our base, cloaked, that be managed to apprehend by one of our new tranquilizer guns. Perhaps you've heard of them? They fire high-powered, fast-acting darts filled with 50ccs of specially formulated Valium derivative. They can knock out a Hunter in ten seconds flat, provided you can hit under their armor. As for an elite, it works almost instantly. Anyway, we decided to try something new during his interrogation session. As you may know, we have tried many ways of getting information out of elites, including 53 different kinds of torture, ranging from smacking them repeatedly upside the head to using low powered laser pulse beams, bribery, promises, threats, weird stuff like sticking hands of odd places (that guy was arrested by the way), and even a little kindness. Nothing has worked, until now. This time, we literally got it loaded, as the saying goes. We filled it with so many drugs, it didn't even know its own name, and we think that he believed we were also Covenant. However, he did start talking about something called a 'prophet', and how he was afraid of them, and that one of its guards nearly killed him for something he did, and things like that. We managed to get the location that one of these 'prophets' is going to be picked of in '8 cycles or something'. As I said, he was rather out of it at the time. We think that this might mean eight days, but we're not sure, so we need to hurry. You're mission is to go to this location, and capture a prophet. We currently know nothing about them or the mysterious "guards" it has, but at the worst we can assume that they are some large beast. We are equipping you with the new tranquilizer guns, along with standard issue M6D pistols. In addition, we managed to apprehend 11 of these." He reached behind him and picked up the box and sets it on his lap. He opens it, revealing a number of strange, pyramid-shaped objects that John and Sally immediately recognize as Covenant portable cloaking devices.
"As you know, you can interface these with your MJOLNIR armor to create a cloaking field around you. Unfortunately, earlier tests revealed that your suit causes it to short out after a time, so while Covenant can stay cloaked with one of these for several days-even up to a week-, they will only last about 30 minutes when attached to your armor. Since the elite we captured was carrying so many of these devices, we assume that it was planning an extended visit." said Captain Locke
Well, gather whatever you feel you will need for this mission, and head onto dropship Echo 914 at 1200 hours
* * * * *
I hope to get some good responses from this story. If not, then I will have to start a new one. So, people, the continuation and length of this story depends on your reception of it. Also, true to my name (for those of who did not check, it's Covie_Lover), I do indeed find the Covenant endlessly fascinating, and plan to include parts form their viewpoint. I hope you enjoy this story, because I have many plans for it!!!
To Capture a Prophet Chapter 2- Dropoff
Date: 21 July 2004, 5:24 AM
To Catch a Prophet Chapter 2- Drop-off
Note: Since as of yet, the Covenant names for the different species in their religious order have not been officially released, I will use their human terms (Elite, Jackal, Grunt, etc.)
Mira 'Zoyomee looked worriedly at the time schedule. The Prophet Falomee had been in this facility for far too long. The standing security protocol was that an important figurehead, such as Prophet, should be moved after at least 12 cycles, in order to prevent anything bad from happening to them, because as of late there had been a significant increase in the number of assassinations within the Covenant High Command.
'Zoyomee sighed as massaged the back of his neck thoughtfully. Normally, the Prophets were all too happy to move around every 20 cycles, because they are in general very concerned with not dying, unlike the braver Elites such as 'Zayomee. He had managed not to die however, and his current golden armor portrayed his exalted rank. In most cases, this would mean he was a Fleet Master, but he had been temporarily elevated to the rank of Secondary Prophet Guardian. Normally, this would be considered a great honor, to be this close to a Prophet, but Falomee was somewhat more....eccentric than other prophets. He was even rumored to think humans less despicable than most thought. But to say such a thing about a Prophet was heresy, and warranted a slow death. Still... 'Zayomee shook his head tiredly. The Prophet just kept using his authority to push the removal date farther and farther ahead. If anything happened, the blame would fall squarely on him, and he would be executed, or worse demoted to the lowest rank possible-a civilian. 'Zayomee shuddered at the thought of the ridicule he would face if that happened. Little did he know that his worst nightmare was swiftly approaching in a Pelican dropship.
"We're dropping you of half a mile from your destination!" yelled the pilot of the Pelican over the roar of its engines as it descended.
"Prepare for touchdown for drop-off people" she continued, "And...Touchdown, good luck, boys and girls!" Sally and John grabbed their supplies and hopped off the Pelican, then watched it fly off into the distance.
Well, we better get going," began John, "and scout out the covenant base. Here, take your share of the cloaking field projectors and a sniper rifle, and we can both rendezvous at a spot we determine after 1 hour, then we will proceed to-"
"Dude, stop acting so acting so technical, you don't need to use all these fancy words, 'cause as far as I can see, there ain't no nobody around to kiss up to." interrupted Sally.
"Excuse me, Sal, but I am simply speaking in accordance to standard military protocol, and there is nothing wrong with using-"
"John, you're doing it again!" Sally broke in once again, "Look, just meet me in one hour, and I'll pick the spot, okay? No, wait, don't answer that. I don't want to hear another of your long-winded responses." Behind his visor John rolled his eyes.
John shook his head in disgust, pick up his sniper rifle, and walked away toward the high cliffs overlooking the Covenant base.
Zeka 'Mehnomee was stood in his high lookout post, bored beyond belief. He hated watch duty. His abilities deserved far more attention than simply standing at his post all day long, watching the desert while absolutely nothing happened, except of course for rolling tumbleweeds passing by, and small dust storms stirring up in the distance. He knew that his job was pointless, as no one would ever come to this god-forsaken wasteland planet anyway. But he knew that, just because the rank portrayed in this blue armor, to go argue with a superior about changing his job would be akin to suicide. Or if they were a nicer commander, they would say something like "I know it's dull, but someone's got to do it, and you're the lowest ranking soldier in this compound, so blah blah..." and so on. Some day, when he got out of this stupid, undignified lookout post, he would go into battle and kill so many humans that he would be elevated to a high rank like Fleet Master, skipping the red armor completely, maybe even going straight to the holy black armor...
And so 'Mehnomee was so absorbed in his visions of grandeur that he took no notice to the two strange shapes, resembling heat waves coming off the ground, that passed within ten feet of his post 30 minutes later.
TO BE CONTINED...
Well, I hope you like the second installment in this story. As you can see, I have expanded the characters a bit, and am including Covenant viewpoints. Hope you enjoyed it!
To Capture a Prophet Chapter 3- We're Inside
Date: 21 July 2004, 5:26 AM
To Capture a Prophet Chapter 3: We're Inside
"Ok, we're inside," whispered Sally though the private line that was standard with MJOLNIR armor suits
"I know Sal, and there's no need to whisper. No one can hear us." John said. . Since their helmets were insulated and air tight, no one else could hear what they said.
"Let's spread out and scout the inner perimeter of the installation." he continued, noting with relief that she did not bicker about his use of military jargon.
"All right then. I'll go left, you go right" Sally said, still whispering, and they both replaced the active camouflage projectors on their suits and separated.
Myope 'Zagenalee was full of pride. He had recently been promoted to Field Master, and enjoyed strutting around the base, flaunting his shiny (he polished it every night, and was even now polishing it) new red armor. He had also become quite accomplished at ignoring the dirty looks all the cadets in their dull blue (they probably never polish them, he thought with a sniff) armor gave him. He remembered every single human he had killed leading up to his promotion, along with how he had killed them and what they had said. Oddly enough, though he had never thought about it, he had never forgotten anything in his entire life. Unbeknownst to him, he had gone through a mutation during his fetal development that had caused his entire long-term memory to be focused completely on the front-end of his brain, as opposed to spread out randomly around. This had the unexpected affect of giving him an extraordinary memory-span. However, it was all in one spot, so if an unexpected trauma occurred to the front of his brain...
Sally walked as quietly as she could along the curving, slowly widening hallway. As she began to wonder if it would get any wider, it suddenly terminated at a doorway being guarded by two blue-armored elites, both talking like old school friends. Instinct kicked in and she almost opened fire on them, but remembered just in time that they could not see her. I need to make as little noise as possible she remembered, so that I don't draw attention to myself. She knew what she had to do.
Misa 'Solomee and Gira 'Makolee were what you could call best friends. Since their childhood they had been together. They had played together, laughed together, trained together, and had even killed their first human together. They were nearly as close as Hunter bond-brothers were. They had recently gotten armory guard duty together. At the moment, 'Solomee was listening to a joke 'Makolee had made up. "...and so he says that's not a rock, that's a grenade!!!" said 'Makolee, and they both laughed. He always was good at jokes, thought 'Solomee. But then 'Makolee suddenly stopped laughing.
"What's wrong?" asked 'Solomee
"I don't know, but I think that there's someone else here..." 'Makolee trailed off, glancing behind him. He reached for his plasma rifle, still looking behind him, when, with a loud crack, his neck suddenly rotated a full ninety degrees more than it should have been able to. 'Makolee's rifle clattered to the ground as he slid limply to the floor.
'Solomee could do nothing but stare in stunned horror at the body that had been, just moments ago, his lifelong friend. His eyes were wide and his mandibles slack as he stared into those blank eyes and neck at an impossible angle, his mind struggling with the fact that, moments ago this now lifeless corpse had been telling him a joke. Before it could sink in, however, unseen hands grabbed his head and twisted until 'Solomee felt something snap inside his neck, the ground rushed up to meet him, and he knew nothing more.
Sally tried hard to banish the look of utter horror on the other elite's face when she had snapped his friend's neck (they would have to have been friends, to have a reaction like that, she reasoned). She had been planning on interrogating him, but that look had touched a deep part of her, a part of her that had survived the Spartan emotion reduction training, and she had decided to put him out of his misery. No matter how hard she would try to forget it, that look of horror would be imprinted on her mind till the day she died.
TO BE CONTINUED...
This was one of my train of thought chapters. I do these once and a while. While it hints at future events, it also teaches a valuable lesson. The lesson of this chapter is that humans are not the only ones who can suffer a terrible loss. Think about it the next time you decide to go on a killing spree on Halo...
To Capture a Prophet Chapter 4: And Now for John
Date: 1 September 2004, 2:06 PM
I apologize for the extremely long wait, as I have been on vacation, and then my computer broke down... wait a minute. I assume you want to read the story, not listen to me prattle on, right? That's what I thought. In that case I suggest that since I have not written in a long time that you reread the series to refresh your memory (unless this is your first time with my series, at which point I recommend you read it anyway)
To Capture a Prophet Chapter 4: And Now for John
As John went to the right way, he encountered far less traffic for the first 20 minutes. About the worst he found along the way was a pair of Grunts patrolling the hallway. Since Grunts have a habit of making a lot of unnecessary noise when they are dying, he just avoided them and walked by.
After about 20 minutes of relative inactivity, he can to a T-shaped fork in the ship's halls. To the left was a long corridor with several doors along the way and a right turn at the far end. It was being patrolled by a jackal and two grunts, moving in alternating patrols, one (the two grunts) going to the far end and back, and the other (the jackal) going the other way, so that they passed each other at the middle of the hallway. To the right was a short passage that widened with a large door at the end. The door was guarded by two rigid and alert looking elites, both in blue armor, but it was clear that their mind was elsewhere at the time judging by the glazed looks in their eyes. Still, it couldn't hurt to be cautious. He quietly snuck over and thought out how to remove them without detection.
Myope 'Zagenalee was very irritated. He had a report to give his superior, Mira 'Zoyomee, but it was not one he relished. Those two obnoxious cadets, Misa 'Solomee and Gira 'Makolee, were missing. He had received this information from a Grunt who had gone to the armory to get a new weapon, as his plasma pistol was running a bit low. When he got there he found the two cadets, who were assigned armory guard duty that day, missing form their posts. The Grunt, being the nervous little vermin that he was, had rushed over to Myope and told him in a frightened voice what he had seen, or more accurately, not seen.
He arrived at the outpost's center and the door slid open for him. There the Fleet Master, who currently held the honored position of Secondary Prophet Guardian. At the moment, 'Zoyomee was making a routine check of the Prophet's security measures. When 'Zagenalee walked in, he gave him a cursory glance and barked "Report!"
After he told 'Zoyomee the news, there was a long, deadly silence. Deserting one's post is one of the most dishonorable actions a soldier could take, and the punishment was severe and often humiliating. There was absolutely no excuse, short of death or pursuing a fleeing intruder that warrant such behavior
"I want you to perform and immediate search for those two...deserters. When you find them, I want you to bring them to the interrogation chambers. I have something...special...in mind."
As soon as John reached a decision, he sprang into action. From previous experiences, he knew that Jackals and Grunt were always at each others throats looking for a way to best each other. As such, there was a lot of tension between the two groups. However, while the Grunts were often relatively docile, except when frightened (which was actually quite common), the Jackals were very temperamental, and it took very little to set them off, especially when it involved Grunts .
Which is why John's plan worked. He positioned himself about where the Jackal would pass the twos Grunt and waited. When the Grunts passed the Jackals, he waited until they where just out of each others' sight. Then he gave the Jackal a small kick in the posterior, angling it so it felt like the Grunt had hit him, and quickly moved out of the way. The reaction was immediate. The Jackal whirled around, spitting with anger, and started yelling at the Grunt in its language. The Grunt, suddenly faced with what he saw as an insane Jackal, began to flee in the usual Grunt terror stance, with his arms flailing through the air, screaming bloody murder. This, in the Jackal's eyes, was enough to prove his guilt. It tore after the Grunt, and a fight began. The elite at the other side of the hall saw what was happening, and ran over to enjoy the spectacle. It was obvious that they had been bored out of their wits until this happened. As they began to cheer and make bets on the winner, John quietly slipped by. Engrossed in the fight, the two elites did not notice the doors hey had been guarding open then close.
TO BE CONTINUED...
I hope you enjoyed it!!!!
To Capture a Prophet Chapter 5: Back to Sally
Date: 11 September 2004, 5:05 AM
Hey everybody! Due to requests for larger chapters, I have expanded the story chapters from about 750-800 words to around 1000 words. I hope you enjoy the longer stories. Also, I have noticed that many want to hear about the Prophet himself. Well, I'm actually saving him for the end, but I'll think about it. Enjoy! Also, I would like to point out that I have not read Fall of Reach or First Strike, but have gleaned bits of them form various places, so please tell me if I say something horribly wrong aside from the presence of two new Spartans!! I have already received three e-mails yelling about non-existent Spartans, so please don't bother, I will delete them!! Now that that off my chest, enjoy the story.
To Capture a Prophet Chapter 5: Back to Sally...
After she killed the two elites, Sally checked behind the doors they were guarding. Inside, she found the bases Armory. The place was an ONI scientist's wet dream, full of Covenant technology. At the moment, however, the only thing Sally was looking for was a place to hide the bodies. After a short search, she found a small room akin to a walk-in freezer where the Covenant kept their plasma grenades cooled. So she dragged both bodies inside and closed the door. This was probably the last place they would check for the missing cadets- if they even did. As she was walking out of the armory, her eyes caught something useful. It was a shelf full of small, cylindrical objects with a button at each end-Plasma Swords. One of these could come in handy, she thought. Even if they are a little messy.
So, with her new toy stashed away, she headed out to help John search for the Prophet. On the way, she passed a Grunt that was headed the same way she had just come. Thinking that this might be a good way to find out where the high-ranking officials were in this base, she followed it. On the way, her suit gave a small warning beep, telling her that the cloaking device was about to short out. She quietly replaced it while the grunt was walking (as they rarely look behind themselves, the Grunt did not notice). When the grunt came to the armory door it froze. A few seconds later, it squealed and ran the other way, with Sally hot on it's trail. As the grunt reported to it commander, an Elite in red armor that appeared to have been polished to a blinding gleam, she slipped by to search further into the base. After searching a bit and finding nothing more than several dead ends, she decided to observe this Elite with abnormally shiny armor.
Myope 'Zagenalee had organized the search party like he was ordered to, and sent it to search all over the base. But that was several cycles ago, and there had been no sign of the two errant guards. He told the grunt search party to try harder, as nothing disappears without a trace. After half a cycle, one of the search pairs came back with some very disturbing news. They had found both of the two Elites dead in the grenade coolant room in the armory, with their necks snapped. He had to report this, immediately. There were intruders in the base.
Sally watched as a pair of frightened looking grunts rushed into the room and launched into telling the Elite that they had found the bodies and where they were. The Elite, looking worried (or at least she thought it did. She was no expert on alien facial expressions), hurried off too report that there were intruders. After a very short hesitation, Sally followed. She could not afford to be discovered this early. However, she did not feel like killing him, because she did not want to have to have another dead body discovered. She took out her tranquilizer pistol. This would make it quick and painless, she felt. As an added bonus, it might not even know what happened, if the Valium derivative works fast enough. She took careful aim for his neck and waited few seconds, to make sure she would hit. Then she fired. Expecting the dart to embed itself in the Elites neck, she was caught completely unprepared when it bounced off of an invisible field that flared into existence. She had forgotten they had shields, and the thing had turned them on, probably worried it would be ambushed! She almost swore, but stifled it, hoping that it didn't notice the attempted attack. Fortunately, it's foot clanked on the floor the same time that the metal dart hit the floor.
Realizing that she would have to take out those shields, she resorted to extreme measures. She took out her sniper rifle, and snuck up right behind the elite and slammed it down on the front of it's head with every ounce of chemically enhanced strength she had. The shields broke immediately, and the powerful strike continued on to impact the front of his cranial area of his gleaming red faceplate. There was a sickening crack, and with a huge dent on it's helmet, the elite went to its knees. But it didn't die. Instead, it looked briefly dazed, and then looked at her with a bemused expression as her cloaking faded in again. Then, it started to try to get up, but couldn't seem to figure out how. So it gave up and just looked around with the same bemused expression. As she was about to fire the tranquilizer dart at it, it did something that puzzled her, and kind of worried her. It urinated on the floor. She could see no reason why an disciplined alien soldier would do this, so she was confused as to why it was soiling itself. She decided that she didn't want to know, and shot it with the dart. The Elite slumped to the floor almost immediately. She dragged its unconscious bulk off to an empty and unused room she had found nearby, and left it there. Shaken by what she had seen, she hurried off to find the Prophet.
TO BE CONTINUED...
I hope you enjoyed it!! And by the way, it some of this confuses anyone, you must read the previous chapters to understand why something happened. Specifically, Chapter 2
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