Chapter 9
It was the bodies of the welcoming party that were strewn all over the inside of the hangar. Their blood painted the purple deck, and gave way to an eery silence that permeated what should have been a noisy arrival. It was obvious the attack was unexpected, as half of the corpses wounds were to their backs. The damage was all plasma, signaling that it was a betrayal from one of their own.
Kia and Parkson stayed behind with Janet, and the three of them wished the others good luck as they departed the empty hangar and made their way to the center of the Destroyer to confront the Prophet of Fragility.
The signs of carnage lasted all of the way to the bridge, where the doors were sealed tight. It was a time consuming task to get them open, where the two other Spartans kept the third safe during the stressful and unusually quiet task of hacking the door.
When the door finally hissed open, their target sat in a hovering chair, plasma pistol in hand, flanked by two pairs of massive Hunters, and eight Elites in bright red armor. These aliens matched the scarce reports of the esteemed Honor Guard that followed their leaders everywhere, and were highly skilled.
It was chaos as soon as the Spartan’s entered. The Elites were the first ones to fire, followed closely by a volley of plasma cannons from the Hunters. The Spartans wheeled around the bridge and found cover behind a wall and a barricade. It was then a tense trading of fire until two of the Honor Guard charged their position with their energy staves.
Rounds grazed their shields until they dropped, yet the courageous Elites never stopped until the three Spartans were forced to face them in close combat. Jackson and Perish managed to free an Energy Stave from the hands on one Elite, and killed the other with it. The first Elite took the fallen alien’s weapon and cut Jackson’s assault rifle in half as he turned it on the surviving Honor Guard.
Charlie pounced on the alien’s back and drove his combat knife up into its jaws as it became distracted with the other two Spartans. With two of the Elites down, they still faced innumerable odds and dwindling ammunition.
Jackson turned to his companions, and they shared a knowing gaze. Spartans were good, but this time the Covenant was better. But that didn’t mean they would go quietly.
With Charlie and Jackson wielding Energy Staves, Perish covered the two’s charge with his rifle, forcing a pair of Hunters to take cover behind their shields long enough for the Spartans to reach them.
Charlie rammed his stave up into the back of one of the Hunters, and Jackson slashed at the second’s neck. He then parried an Energy sword from an Elite, and used the other side to slice the leg off of another guard.
Charlie was pushed away from Jackson on the opposite side of the bridge, paired off with one of the two Hunters, and three honor guard. Jackson gripped his captured weapon tightly against the Hunter’s surviving mate and three of his own Honor Guard.
Both Spartans were a blur of movement as they fought a losing battle. Jackson felt a sting as he missed a parry and the blades of an energy sword slashed across his calf. Charlie roared in rage as he caught a Plasma Rifle pulse across his chest, melting part of his chestplate.
Perish stepped into the fray, taking on both of the Hunters by himself. He came in close, preventing both from using their plasma cannons. They were both throwing their heavy shields around, denting the deck and missing the Spartan by inches every time. He managed to kill one by viciously ripping out chunks of worm, which sent the other into a mindless rage.
The flash of the plasma cannon was blinding, and Jackson felt his heart stop as he watched Perish get launched across the room and land in an un-moving pile.
The momentary distraction was just what the Elites needed. The Spartan never saw the fist that connected with his helmet. Stars exploded in his vision and the human fell to the floor. A boot crushed into his chest, exploding the air from his lungs. Hovering above his faceplate were the tips of an Energy Sword, poised for the final blow.
The strike never came, as there was an explosion at the front of the bridge, and the Elite’s head exploded as a flurry of pink needles lodged themselves into the alien’s body and promptly exploded.
The fight turned towards the bridge’s doors, distracting the aliens that had bore down on the humans. This allowed Jackson to get back to his feet where he saw the Captain from before now fighting the other Elites, with a force of blue armored aliens alongside him.
They tore through the remaining Honor Guard, then dispatched the raging Hunter who was seconds away from crushing Perish’s body.
The squad leader brought his weapon to his shoulder as the Captain approached, then passed him without harm. The Elite stood facing the Prophet and began to speak in a language they couldn’t understand.
The Captain then touched something on his helmet, and the English translator came to life as the Elite swept his hand towards the Spartan.
“They are no more an enemy than you,” the flat translation spoke. “The very core of what this empire is built upon has been defiled.” The Elite began projecting his voice, speaking to all of those on the bridge.
It pointed its Energy Sword at the Prophet. “This one cares not for the sacred relics of the Forerunners,” the Captain said. “He has defiled the luminary, giving it false readings in pursuit of his own greed.”
Jackson had no idea what the Elite was talking about, but it apparently was very bad, because the others on the Bridge suddenly became enraged. Their roars of dissent were deafening.
“If this one lesser Prophet does this without a second thought, then what do our leaders do high within their chambers, unwatched by others. Free to defile Forerunner relics as they wish.”
“The Prophets have lied to us, and will continue to do so. They mock our honor, and manipulate the Sangheili into willing footstools.”
The Captain strode towards the Prophet who seemed to become very afraid. The creature’s skin was lit by the blue glow of the Energy Sword as the Elite raised the weapon. He gripped the Prophet of Fragility’s neck in its four fingers, making the creature choke and gasp for air.
“No more will we be pawns to the Covenant,” the Captain finished. In one swipe, the Prophet’s head was disconnected from his shoulders, and its hovering chair clattered to the ground, spilling its deceased owner onto the deck.
Jackson wasn’t entirely sure what he just witnessed, but was sure it had just been important. His fate was still unsure, however. He stood on the bridge in confusion, gaze flicking from one Elite to the other.
The Elite Captain turned on Jackson, and the Spartan put his finger to the trigger, ready to fight. But the alien turned off his Energy Sword and returned it to his belt. When the other Elites lowered their weapons, so did Jackson.
“No one here will harm you, human,” the Elite said. “My word is my honor. We will return you to human space, and not pursue you further.”
The Spartan, still confused, said nothing. He looked over his shoulder to watch as one of the blue armored Elites helped Perish to his feet amidst the gory pile of worms from the dead Hunters.
“Your people are wounded. Fighting wounded prey would not be honorable,” the Elite said, then gestured towards the bridge’s door. “The travel will be quick. Return to the Phantom you were led in on.”
The hit from the Hunter had broken too much in Perish, and the Spartan lay in the Captain’s arms as he carried the human back to the Phantom. The alien was more gentle then Jackson thought possible as he lay the Spartan into the dropship’s carriage.
Inside the Phantom, Kia had fallen unconscious and lay against the wall. Parkson was sitting next to her, and Janet stood staring the Elite down as he deposited Perish onto the ship. It then backed away and disappeared through the far doors.
“Care to explain?” Janet asked as soon as it disappeared.
“I don’t think I can,” Jackson said.
The UNSC Tailspin picked up a Covenant beacon at 1300 hours, and arrived cautiously at the location at 1400 hours, only to find a single Phantom dropship with six critically injured Spartans on board. The shocked Captain rushed them to their medical wing where one of the Spartans had fallen into a coma, and had to have their arm amputated on the spot.
The Office of Naval Intelligence was contacted at 1500 hours, and the Spartans were gone by 1530 hours, picked up by an ONI Prowler that appeared from thin air.
At 1600 hours, the UNSC Tailspin received another ONI visitor who picked up reports from all those who came into contact with the Spartans.
Four days later, the UNSC Tailspin was found lost with all hands. UNSC investigators could only determine the attack was of Covenant origin, and closed the investigation.