Chapter Fifteen: A Mysterious Message

Thocela IV, December 19th, 2552...

I sat in space thinking, my body angled towards the dark, barren world before me. My swords hung from my belt, and the object 'Zehirae had given me tethered to my arm. It had been forty-five minutes with no sign of the enemy warships, but the mission was still a go -- so said Mizume -- for another two hours. The air tank in my armor was running steadily at eighty-nine percent, and the space around me was calm, almost… tranquil. It had only been four days I had been allianced with the Swords of Sanghelios, but with all of the fast-paced experiences I had had with D'Suvai on the multiple missions I had been on, I'd already become attached to the Sangheili soldier. He was a friend. Unlike Aor 'Tarqi, who had rebelled just as badly as 'Vucorik, 'Vucorik had drawn the last straw. 'Vucorik killed my friend, and one of my few allies within the Sword ranks. Suddenly, ripping me from my thoughts, the communications line crackled to life, filling my helmet with static for a brief moment.

"You okay, Zachary?" Cynthia asked timidly, her face appearing on the side of my HUD as she spoke.

"Yeah, fine. How's the Xerxi doing?" The Sword Frigate in question was over a million miles away, tucked around the dark side of Thocela IV's moon with its unneeded systems powered down.

"Well… from what I can interpret out of the Covenant systems, the fuel levels are well and the shields are holding. We're good for another forty days in space."

"If it were up to me, I'd be sitting back in a beach house on New Adelaide, but it's only a wish." Of course, I had never been to New Adelaide, nor been in a beach house, but what a SPARTAN did not experience was their greatest want, beyond combat and beyond Earth. Cynthia sighed and the metal joints on her chair creaked as she scooted forward.

"It would be nice, wouldn't it." She stated, her voice drawn out and tired. After the sudden deaths of 'Vucorik and D'Suvai, the three remaining personnel aboard The Pride of Xerxi were completely out of the original cheeriness they had held. I flexed my hand out in front of me, and a small fleck of the shiny, red metallic paint on the outside of my armor came off, shimmering in the light of the nearby star as it drifted off. Suddenly, an orange light blinked on my HUD.

"What was that?" I asked, suddenly ready for combat. Cynthia let out a breathy laugh.

"Just your suit needing to level off the power supply. Here, just deactivate your heaters and it should stabilize." She explained. Using my eye to activate the buttons on my display, the constant heat I had been getting from the armor membrane on my back diminished, and all I had was my body heat.

"How long do I need to have them off? It's bloody cold in here." Indeed, in mere seconds frost had begun nipping at the edge of my blue glass visor.

"Uh, I don't know. Field Marshal, do you?"

"Keep them off for ten minutes. The suit interior will only allow the temperature to drop to twenty degrees before the solar heat absorbers kick in."

"Good." I replied. Something caught my attention from the corner of my eye, moving across my vision quickly -- a Covenant long-range slipspace probe. "Cynthia, get ready for my data."

"Copy that. We're powering off the comms to shut down the radio channels. Stand by." Rivers replied, before her voice fizzled out to nothing. From the same portal the probe came out of, two gargantuan dreadnoughts appeared, emerging into real space from the slipspace dimension. They blocked out Thocela IV's star, and I was shrouded in shadow as the three ships made their way across the night. I pressed the button on the device, and it scanned the area around me. It beeped, and I set it back on my belt, watching the ships closely.

My communications broke into static as it reactivated. Thinking it was The Pride of Xerxi, I called out for them to turn off the radio, but instead I was met with a very alien voice.

"Heretic. SPARTAN. Reclaimer. Three names given to you. Three paths you could choose. Your kind has brought our peoples war and poverty. Our leaders suffer to understand your logic. We have come to eliminate you, soon. But we won't. Not yet. We will wait to see which path you will choose." The voice explained in a calm, almost melodic, fashion. I didn't dare turn on my return comms, and after about a minute, the opposite end closed the channel, leaving me in silence as the ships turned around and left as soon as they had come.

'Zehirae pulled me into the ventral hangar and tore off my helmet, letting in the fresher and warmer air into my suit. Taking a few moments to breathe, I looked up at Mizume and smiled thinly.

"Did you get the scan?"

"No. They jammed the signal just as I was downloading it. They knew the Xerxi was there."

"That's… unlikely. We were in full cloak"

"As I said before, the San'Shyuum have made many technical advances since the war first started." 'Zehirae leaned against the wall behind him and sighed, letting his mandibles droop as he relaxed them. "As of this moment they are ahead of the Sangheili in every way possible except their own physical strength."

"Without the model of the dreadnoughts we have no way of knowing how to attack them. And if what you say is true, they knew our ship was here even though it was in tactical stealth mode."

"We need to contact Fleetmaster 'Varlemai and the Imperial Admiral and tell them about this."

"Not yet. Can you trace their slipspace track?"

"I can. What are you planning?" He queried, looking at me questioningly. "If it involves going head-on with those dreadnoughts the answer is no."

"What? No, nonononono. All we're going to do is drop a stealth probe in their slipspace channel and watch them."

"Fine. I'll contact Rivers and get it prepped. I don't want them tracking the probe back to us, though."

"If they do, then I have a plan for it. But for now, we should get back to the fleet."

"Agreed."

Deep Space, Sword Assault Carrier Servant of Recompense, December 20th, 2552…

With a loud thud, the metal clamps above the Xerxi grabbed the hull, locking the frigate down in a stationary position along the four kilometer long ventral hangar of the Recompense. As 'Zehirae, Cynthia, and I walked over to the extending ramp to the elongated catwalk protruding from the wall of the hangar, I noted that not only was the Fleetmaster and the Imperial Admiral present at the end of it, but also a figure cloaked in red that was just as tall if not taller than 'Te Misakan. Slowly, the three of us walked down the ramp to meet with the other trio.

"Were you successful in your mission, Zealot Major?" Fleetmaster 'Varlemai asked quickly, shifting his stance as I walked up to him and looked up at his face. Shaking my head slowly, I handed the black device to him. He pressed the button, and a warped, distorted hologram that would have been transferred to the Xerxi had it not been jammed and corrupted appeared, filling the dark hangar with a light blue light. Turning, the Fleetmaster handed it to the one clad in red, who I got a better look at as they reached out a hand to take the device.

Golden armor, plates layered above each other to cover a maroon bodysuit. A large golden headdress with intricate carvings adorning its long form. One humongous blade hilt set upon a leather belt held up by a silver loop. With a heavy breath, the enormous Elite stepped forward to me, his chest plating not hiding a branded mark on his chest above his heart.

"So you are the human I have heard so much about. Zachary… Reynards." He said slowly, in a voice deeper than I had heard in a long time. This Elite, unlike most others, had no trouble saying my name, and an air of intimidation surrounded him. I stood firm.

"I am, sir."

"Such a human term." He paused and looked down at the hologram. "I have little time. I must return to Earth soon when my ship is repaired. But, since I am here, I will say this to you. I will tell your superiors you still live, and that they should send reinforcements. But just know that in your absence, the Human-Covenant War ended, and neither side has many forces to spare. The objective of this fleet, Persistent Solidarity, is of utmost importance, and I have only had the best leading it. I am trusting you, human, as I have trusted only one other, to lead my men with honor and conviction. Do not disappoint me." He ordered me, staring down at me with a confident gaze.

"I will, but... I must know who you are?" I asked curiously. Obviously, the others held him in high regard, and the Elite in front of me smiled.

"Thel 'Vadam." He replied bluntly, before turning to the side and gesturing me forward. "We must discuss our next move before I leave for Earth again. This fleet is one of the few functional task forces I have left in our continuous war against the Jiralhanae and the San'Shyuum."

I stood looking over at Zachary, the SPARTAN, as he came down the ramp of The Pride of Xerxi, myself positioned diagonally behind the Arbiter himself, and the Imperial Admiral. When he walked up to me, I thought of what I was going to say, and simply asked a question.

"Were you successful in your mission, Zealot Major?" I had to notice that D'Suvai was not present with them, nor were the two Majors. Both Zachary and 'Zehirae's swords were deactivated, but obviously out of charge, since their hilt's intricate carvings did not glow blue -- or in Reynards' case, orange -- like when they had power. They must have had a reason to kill them, and an honorable one if they had used their blades to execute it.

Without the accurate 3D model from this mission, all we had to go by was the original picture that was fuzzy and undetailed. It would all be assumptions as to where we would be attacking. When Zachary pulled out the device and handed it to me, I was hopeful, but was quickly dismayed at the broken and distorted form the model had come in. All of this was the Prophet's faults. They were better in almost every way possible. The Sangheili were on the defensive. If we were to attack without our intel, it would surely be suicide.

We only had a few sizable warships left; The only ships larger than battleships being The Servant of Recompense, the Empress's Efflux, the Chaotic Tranquility, and the Lancer of Sunaion. Once Therisalli had fallen, we now had no other world to defend Sanghelios from, and if the Jiralhanae, the San'Shyuum, or both, found out about this, it might mark the end of our homeworld. Even with our alliance, I held doubt that the humans would send reinforcements, even though I kept telling myself they would. Zachary was a much better asset than I had anticipated. Ever since 'Zehirae had brought him aboard my ship, he has served me, his men, and his other superiors well, and… do I dare say it, I call him my friend. No. He is an ally, not a friend. Our war has lasted too long for me to enact friendship so soon.

Thel 'Vadam was only here to survey what was left of our fleet after the dreadnoughts first attacked, and was heading back to Earth to join back with his fleet once he was done. We are more vulnerable now than our ancestors were thousands of years ago when the San'Shyuum first attacked. We should have listened to Fal 'Chavam when he first spoke up. The Writ of Union should have never been signed. But I digress, it is our time to finally strike back at our… captors, so we must make the best of it.

I followed the Fleetmaster, 'Vadam, and the Imperial Admiral, with 'Zehirae close in tow behind me. Down the long, curved hallways of the Recompense, we finally reached the war room and bridge, the Honor Guards visibly in surprise as the group of high-ranking officials approached them. The door opened, and we stepped in, surrounding the war room holographic table as 'Varlemai turned it on. I stepped to the front and looked on as he flipped through the holograms to one of the remaining fleet -- a mere seventeen capital ships -- and sighed. 'Vadam stepped to the side of the picture and frowned.

"Our forces are less than when we first joined the Covenant. Our men are spread thin, and our resources are scarce. Time is not our ally anymore, nor is luck on our side. To win this conflict we need hope, and a miracle. Fleetmaster 'Varlemai, scramble all fighters and escort corvettes. We are to sail to Earth. The humans may be able to aid us in our conflict, as much as it pains me to say it."

One by one, the bridge officers had begun turning their seats around to listen, and as soon as 'Vadam said that, it began a steady murmuring around the expansive room.

"Your grace, are you suggesting we take aid from these kuhtahshee people? You may have made friends with them, but trust is not easily earned." The first officer interjected from the captain's chair in the center of the room. 'Vadam stood looking at him for a second.

"Nou, brother, we go to the humans because they owe us. They owe us for protecting their world, and for siding with them in the darkest hour. There is only one human I would ever trust with my life." 'Vadam looked down. "And he is dead now."

"Pilots, set fleet course for Earth. 'Zehirae," Mizume looked to 'Varlemai, "gather my advisors. We are having a meeting."

"Yes, Fleetmaster." Came the reply.

"And Shipmaster," 'Varlemai stared at the first officer, "get this ship repaired. It would be a disgrace for the humans to see us in this state."

"Of course, Fleetmaster." He agreed, pressing a button on his armrest keypad.

The door to the bridge opened, and in came six tall Elites, clad in shining silver armor and high headdresses. They gathered around the holographic table, and it became quite cramped with the tall men circled around it.

"Majordomo 'Moram, go to the Lament of Fury and ready the men, same with you, Majordomo 'Juran. I want someone to go to the Empress's Efflux and speak with the Shipmaster on their status with crew, and anyone to see about the Chaotic Tranquility. Once we drop out of slipspace, we will hold position around the planet to conduct repairs on our smaller ships while the Arbiter goes down to the planet to speak with the humans."

"What of the Lancer of Sunaion, Fleetmaster?" The advisor identified as 'Moram asked. I looked from 'Varlemai to 'Moram with great interest, as the only other time I had seen his advisors was the first time I had been brought onto the bridge.

"I already spoke with Shipmistress 'Chava last night. Her crew was largely unaffected from the first San'Shyuum attack, and is in top condition. What I am more worried about, however, is the status of our battlecruisers and escort ships. Corvettes are irrelevant to me, but what are our numbers?"

"The Recompense itself is nearly depleted on deployable escorts, barring your The Pride of Xerxi," 'Moram looked to me, "and three others. Our other ships, particularly the Lancer, as you said, are still stocked with battlecruisers and corvettes. The Efflux carries four torpedo destroyers, and several dozen corvettes, and the Tranquility has a large collection of different specialized cruisers. The only problem, though, is finding enough crew to man each one. As we all know, The Servant of Recompense's crew is largely depleted, and the other ships need their excess men for repairs and manning the guns."

"A sorry state, we're in, but we must make do." 'Varlemai turned and looked at one of the bridge officers. "Artillery Master, what is the state of our weapon systems?"

"Fleetmaster?" He paused and leaned over his console. "Primary reactors are damaged, but Auxilliary has enough power to fuel our ship-to-ship weapons for over a year. All ships are at full hull strength, but the Chaotic Tranquility's shields are down to fifty-four." The orange-clad Elite replied, standing at attention in front of a targeting computer.

"Then we can defend ourselves. Kaidon?" 'Varlemai asked, casting a glance at 'Vadam.

"I am confident you are able to protect yourselves, brother. I have changed my mind. Go back to Sanghelios and help our people. I will return with the Shadow of Intent and the rest of my fleet after I speak to the humans, and attend an… event. There is much to be learned from our new allies." He turned towards the door of the bridge. "I will leave this in your hands."

A/N

Hey guys, long time no see. This is a largely unedited chapter I wrote back in summer of 2017 that I never uploaded. I want to apologize for A. my lack of uploads and B. my overall lack of writing in general. Since I started high school this year (yay) my schedule has been more and more packed than ever before and I find myself with less and less time to crank out chapters like I used to. Just makes me wish FanFiction wasn't limited to just... well, fanfiction. I have so many projects I want to share with you all that don't involve Halo, RWBY, Destiny, or Life is Strange.

That being said, I will continue this story when I can, and will attempt a re-edit of this entire thing sometime (because to be honest the first few chapters I wrote in seventh grade, they suck major ass).-Lex