Chapter 8 NAME "Shit Happens" Part 4

(Jason)
Dammit.
=the ship shook a little from the impact, but our shields held. However, two of our frigates had been destroyed=

All ships, move to attack. Launch all our fighters, and have them engage the enemy. Silver, move the Forerunner warships to encircle our fleet's dorsal and ventral areas. Have them fire on the Covenant fleet upon formation.


=the Forerunner warships, reserved at the poles, moved around the Inheritors fleet, encircling them in a ring. At the same time, the fleet launched all their fighters, while the Covenant launched theirs=

launch the fighters

crewmen yes sir

=the dorsal and ventral fighter hangar bays open and thousands of small yet deadly drones drop and after a few seconds accelarate and enter the foray=

(Dormii)
=i run towards a group of Grunts and jump onto one of them, using my weight to break it's skull. I spin the staff and smash the flail end into the mask of another one, breaking it's jaw and knocking it's mask off. It falls to the ground suffocating. I turn and take an overcharged Plasma pistol the the chest. My shields drain, and I quickly stab the offending Grunt in the chest. I take cover behind a crate from the others, as my squad opens fire on them, dropping them quickly=

(Fatet)

=Our transport lands and I and the rest of the squad dash out, each firing our weapons, I take down a brute then finish his squad with a nicely placed frag.=

"FUEL RODS!"

= I look up at the SpecOps grunt team as they fire, I dive into cover, dragging the nearest man down with me.=

Shit, the doorways crashed down,

=I check my VISR map, we werent far from the engines so I could continue =

Guard: You... Saved me? Your not... Your UNSC.

= I nod =
" You coming or not?

Guard: Where to sir?

sir? Holy crap this guys thankful...

"The bridge. Im going after the shipmaster, but when we leave you have to get to the hanger."

=The Prophet of Humility sat in his chair within the bridge, watching the battle play out. The planet's fleet moved to attack, and lances of energy shot forth, striking his fleet, and destroying several more of his ships. They mattered little. However, the Forerunner vessels, encircling the enemy fleet, were proving to be a greater threat. They fired multiple lances of plasma, and they cut through many of his ships. One of his underlings, a Brute Chieftan, came to him=

*Chieftan*
My lord, we must use Vera's weapon. We could win this fight!

*Humility*
And risk damaging the planet? No. Have Vera and his ship continue to fire, but they must not use that weapon. This world is my--our, prize. It shall not come to harm.

(Molly)
=My Squad leader guided us into a swarm of Seraphs, and we opened fire, we dodged, we fought. At this time, I ended up having to use my secret weapon, a precious tutor that I smuggled with me. I plugged him into the computer=
Alright Argo, time to fly.

(Argo)
My word, I was wondering how long you'd keep me hidden. Ah, we are fighting. You need assistance I take it?

(Molly)
Just enough to survive. I'll handle the flying, you just handle the weapons.

(Argo)
Understood.

=The Wrath and the other 10 ships under Zantomee's command moved to the front of the covenant fleet, turning sideways to form a line. They opened up on Haven's fleet in one giant broadside. Vera watched happily as the barrage took its toll. Another Elite walked onto the bridge, wearing armor similar to Vera's. This one was taller and much older. He removed his helmet and stood next to Vera. He placed his hand on Vera's shoulder, and they stood together in silence=

(Fatet)

=I walk through the corridors shooting any covvies in my path, my guard taking out any I miss=

"Theres the bridge, get to the hangar ASAP and get the others ready to leave ten minutes."

=He hesitates before nodding and running back=

= I throw a frag through the door and run in, taking cover behind a console=

=the battle was not going well. A group of Covenant ships had concentrated their fire, and they took out five of Haven's ships: two destroyers and three frigates. However, in response, the Forerunner ships opened fire on the same ships, plasma beams impacting their shields, and cutting through other sections=

(Jason)
Have our ships move into the Covenant fleet. Maybe we can have them shoot eachother. Silver, have the two of the Forerunner warships fire on the big super-carrier. We take that out, they'll lose their best weapon.

=two of the Forerunner ships broke off, and fired on the Super-Carrier=

(Dormii)
=my shields recharged, and my squad had to shift fire as they came under attack. I faulted over the crate and killed the remaining Grunts quickly, before they could hit me again. A Brute with a brute shot fired and charged at me. Thankfully, he was a horrible shot, so all of the grenades missed, but he still got me to stand still as he closed into melee range. I put the staff away and drew my knife ring. He scoffed at me, or the closest you could get to scoffing in Brute speak, and swung the humongous weapon at me. I ducked under it and spun the ring at him. THe blades hit, and bounced off his armor, but managed to drain the shields enough for my foot to hit and knock it completely off. He roared and tried to tackle me. I jumped backwards and to the side and swung the ring again. The tiny blades sliced through his neck, leaving a glittering red-purple arc in the air. Time seemed to slow down for a second as the droplets flew through the air. His body hit the ground and time went back to normal. I ran, the blades jingling, towards another group of aliens=

=the drones fire on several covie ships using up all their ammo but doing massive damage to them then their reacor engines and proceed toram the enemy ships=

breal away from the haven fleet see if we can't do some damage

=the troph breaks away from the main fleet and opens fire on the covenent ships=

=the Super-Carrier shuddered as it was struck by those lances of plasma. The prophet had enough=

*Humility*
Very well, have Vera move his ship to their sides, and fire his weapon. Target the Forerunner warships, they are our greatest threat.

=Vera got a comm on his console, telling him to use the Uberglasser against the Haven fleet. He smiled for a moment and looked up at the elite next to him=

Father.

"Vera."

=Vera sent a reply comm to the Prophet's ship=

I regret to inform you, Prophet, that there has been a slight change in my arrangements. You see, Since the great Schism, i have dedicated myself to destroying the Brutes, wherever they are. The 808th built me a ship just for that cause. Now i must ask that you die in a giant glob of molten slag and burn in hell for all eternity. Good day.

=Two of Vera's personal guards walked onto the bridge, dragging behind them the dead body of the minor prophet who was aboard the Wrath. They held it high, and loud cheering filled the bridge, as well as the other sections of the ship as the image was broadcasted throughout it. Vera typed a few commands into his console, and the orders went out. Zantomee's fleet ceased fire on the Haven fleet, and began targeting Covenant ships. The Uberglasser was almost ready to fire=

We shall wipe the brute mark from the face of the galaxy! Now is our chance to take them!

(Jason)
What the hell?
=I couldn't believe what I was seeing: a group of Covenant warships had ceased firing, and they had turned their attentions to the other Covenant ships=

Looks like we may have a chance after all.
=I contacted Zeru=

Zeru, fire the Haddron cannon!

(Fatet)


=I stand up and open fire with my SMGs taking down most things in the crossfire. I throw my last frag in and walk through the wreckage up to the injured shipmaster.=

Shipmaster: Your Planets will burn like those before!

= I stab him in the left eye and draw my magnum and blow his brains out.

I sprint to the methane tanks and begin to set a bomb and set a timer for four minutes and run to the hangar screaming:

"Start the shuttle!!"

I stagger at an explosion somewhere and hunters run in=

shit!

=I dive into a seraph and frantically try and work it.

As it takes off I realize one flaw in my plan

No one will recognize me as a friendly=

=Vera clicked his lower jaws together as his placed his hand on the Glasser's controls. There was a huge buildup of blinding light as the superweapon fired. A massive beam of color and energy came shoorting out of the cannon, and began shredding Covenant ships to bits of hot metal goo. The other ships continued firing into the covenant fleet, but they saved one ship for last. The Prophet's ship=

(Dormii)
=i jumped into/tackled a group of Jackals, just as they were raising their shields. I stomped the shields off and then swung the knife ring at them until all of them stopped moving. I turned and ducked under a Hunter's arm shield, the force of it causing the air to move and almost knock me over. I managed to turn it into a roll and I extended my arm blade, separating the two smaller ones as well. The Hunter lifted it's arm and I stabbed it in the "stomach," causing it to roar in pain and fall over. I looked for a second one, but saw it's corpse a ways back with burn marks all over it. I ran up the ramp leading to the higher levels and saw my squad waiting, panting=

"1-1, you are one hell of a crazy sumbitch, you know that?"

=i chuckle=
Yea, I know, 1-2. Thanks for reminding me. Anyone need a break?

*Prophet of Humility*
Traitor! Heretic!
=the prophet watched as his fleet was cut down. What was 250 ships, was reduced to to only 10-- scratch that, 75 ships. His Super-Carrier, and a mix of destroyers and battle-cruisers remained=

Continue to engage their ships! Fire at the Sin of Wrath!
=he saw on the view screen, a smaller ship, as large as an Assault Carrier, come about on his side=

(Jason)
Hail that super-carrier!

*Comm Officer*
Aye aye sir!

(Jason)
=the view screen in front of me flickered, and an image of a Prophet appeared. He seemed pissed=
What is your name?

*Humility*
How dare you speak to me, vermin! I am the Prophet of Humility.

(Jason)
Surrender, Humility. You cannot win.

*Humility*
Oh, I think I can. My fleet still outnumbers you, even if we have suffered treachery.

(Jason)
You may outnumber us, but we have more powerful weapons. You do not know the power that lies within this world.

*Humility*
That power is not yours to posses, vermin. You have no claim to the gifts of this world.

(Jason)
I am the Inheritor of this world, as told by it's caretaker.

=The Sin of Wrath pulled up close to the Prophet's ship, easily dwarfing it by 2 times. Vera went down to the Hanger with haste, accompanied by his two personal guards. They got into a transport and took off for the hanger of the Prophet's ship. They landed, and cut down what resistance they encountered. The entire time, Vera had a look of satisfaction on his face. The doors to the bridge opened, and Vera stepped inside. One of the prophet's royal guards swung at him with an energy sword. He ducked it, and caught the guard's arm in his hand. He sliced it off, and then did the same to the other. As the guard dropped to his knees, Vera decapitated him with his energy sword. Vera did not care about the comm call, only his prize. He took the prophet by the neck and raised his energy blade to his chin=

What do you have to say for yourself now, Humility?

*Humility*
Traitor. You can kill me if you wish, but I will join my brothers in paradise. You? You shall burn.
=and he spat in Vera's face=

(Jason)
=Was I going to say something? No, not really. Hey, the guy already killed many of my people. Why should I save his life?=

=Vera slammed the prophet's face into the video comms screen=

I'm not the only one who is going to enjoy this, Prophet.

=He holds the prophet off the ground. and impales him through the stomach with his energy sword=

=the haddren charged and fired=

(Dormii)
"No, we're good. Just you know, waiting for you to hurry your ass up."

=i chuckle again=
Yea, yea, well, let's kill these apes and go back home.

=they pick up their weapons and I put my knife-ring away, instead drawing my hook-cable-blade and readying it for a throw. We go into the next room to find two Brutes yelling at a squad of Grunts. We instantly open fire, well, my squad did, I just ran forward. They knew to focus their fire on the Brutes, but I decided to go after one. I would be able to deal with it quickly, and brutally, and make the Grunts even more scared. I throw the hook end of the cable and managed to get it to wrap around the neck of Brute B. He started choking, but still had enough sense to fire at me. I dodged, and slide into his leg, causing it to bend backwards and snap. He roared in pain and got me in a bear hug. I quickly stabbed him with my arm blade, and I could feel as his muscles and bones and internal organs tried to stop the blade, but failed. The blade exited out it's back, and I moved my hand up and down to increase the size of the cuts. It collapsed and I worked my way out from under it in time to see the final Brute, by this time burning in several positions collapse dead to the ground. The Grunts all ran away screaming=

(Jeremy)

=I sat back and watched the battle rage, knowing that what happened on his ship could happen here=

I'm worried. What happened to my ship could very well happen here.

The Zeus class carrier would help. But it's no match when it's by itself.

(Molly)
=the squadron maneuvered through the mix of wreckage and plasma fire, dodging the weapons fire, and making more wreckage (hey, we may have been fresh out of the academy, but we were good). Well, Argo was firing the weapons. I just flew. And I was damn good at it=

*Squad Leader*
Jesus Tie-Dye, you're a natural!

(Molly)
=Oh yeah, my squad decided to nickname me "Tie-Dye," on account of my hair. What? I liked my hair the way it was, even if it was different colors=
Thanks. Oh shit, watch out!

=A swarm of enemy Seraphs came towards us, their plasma guns firing=

(Fatet)

= I may have never flown a seraph before, but through trial and error I had worked out the basic controls. Left, right, up, down and fire, It was difficult to dodge all the ships on this battlefield at once but somehow I'd managed it.
I look at the battle and see a seraph squadron flying towards rebel ships.=

time to test this thing out for real...

=I push what I hope is the accelerator and fly to the engagement, firing the cannons into the seraph formation.=

(Dormii)
=We regrouped and pushed towards what I guessed was the bridge. We killed another squad of Grunts and Jackals, and then entered the bridge. There was an Elite fighting a Brute Chieftan. I told my squad to stand down, and wait. From what I remembered about Elites, they were very honor oriented. And, hey, anytime two species fights that isn't human, the less work for us. The rest of the aliens in the room were dead, cut down by plasma and Gravity Hammer hits. The Elite had a sword and the Chieftan naturally had a Gravity Hammer. We stayed back a ways and I readied myself to fight as soon as oe of them died=

=One of Zantomee's guards went over to the video comms panel and broadcasted the comm to all within range. Vera stood with the body of the dead prophet in his hands, still holding it by the neck. He spoke=

We stand here today on the ashes of the old Covenant! Now, with the brutes and the prophets out of the way, it shall be reforged! Together, we shall remake the Covenant!

=Loud cheering was heard all throughout Zantomee's fleet. He dropped the prophet's body and ended the stream. He then attempted to hail the Silver Hawk=

=moves in on the covie fleet while keeping an eye on the shields of the troph=

ShadowHunter wrote:

Let's see who this is...

Code:

To Matt Davis:

My employers have heard good things about you. Very good things. My employers are willing to hire for mercenary work. This will, of course, be done on your terms. Meet me on Venezia. The meeting will be planet-side. I look forward to our meeting with interest.

Again, its anonymous...

=I send the ship into slipspace=

Now, to get some well deserved sleep

=I go to my bed and drift off to sleep=

Venezia, Venezia, Venezia... it's not exactly paradise

=Dreaming=

Viktor:*Well, well. Look who decided to chat.*

@Viktor *Spare me the theatrics. Where am I?*

Viktor: *You mean you don't remember? Maybe a little noise to jog your memory.*

=I start hearing heavy gunfire and a plume of smoke on a hill=

=My eyes widen in recognition=

Viktor: *Ah...So the gunfire was the trigger, no pun intended.*

I nearly lost two people that day because of a battlefield decision...and it cost me

Viktor:*If I recall, you lost your command for a full month. And you were livid, yes?*

@Viktor *Don't remind me. Why here and now?*

Viktor: *This is the day you had the board of inquiry meeting, the day you lost command.*

@Viktor *It seems you remember that very well. Why mention it?*

Viktor: *If you let yourself slip, remember my warning.*

=He grins wickedly, and fades away=

So much for rest...

=I wake up, the planet in view=

Out of the frying pan and back into the fire...

=I get up and get ready to land=

*Comm Officer*
Sir, we're being hailed by the super-carrier!

(Jason)
Patch them through.
=I waited a moment before speaking=

This is Admiral Shepard of the Silver Hawk. Who am I speaking with?


(Molly)
=We broke through the Seraph's, though we took some hits. Whatever our fighters were made of though, it could take quite a beating=
Argo, keep an eye on those fighters. I'm going to try and get a shot!

(Argo)
Will do.

This is Vera-Revar Zantomee, Shipmaster of the Sin of Wrath and leader of the 10 off-covenant ships before you. I hailed you to declare my intentions.

=He waited for the Admiral to respond=

(Jason)
Then speak your intent, Vera-Revar.
=while I spoke, the Silver Hawk continued to fire it's weapons at the other Covenant ships, the ones that continued to fire on my fleet=

=He adjusted his stance=

I would first like to thank you for your part in this battle. Were it not for you, our plans would have never succeeded. If you will accept it, i may be able to arrange compensation for your losses during the fight. Our species have been locked in combat for nearly a generation, but that is not to be today. This world is yours, Inheritor. If you are indeed Forerunner, you have power and authority that the sum of all our races cannot challenge. We no longer wish to make war on your people. We shall focus our efforts on erasing the stain of the brutes and the old Covenant. However, with no homes to return to but our ships, we are running low on supplies and even lower on morale. I would like to request that we be allowed to land and resupply here, if you will permit us. It would be a great honor for me and my warriors to see a forerunner world, if only for a brief while.

=He pauses for a moment=

That is all i wish to say.

=He waits for the Admiral to speak=

(Jason)
=I considered his request. He had already killed the Prophet, and turned against the other Covenant ships. Perhaps, it would not hurt, to give this Vera the benefit of the doubt=
Very well. Assist me in destroying the rest of this invading fleet, and I will permit you to land on our world.

=I turned to the rest of the bridge=
Send the word to the rest of the fleet: Those ships, the ones that have turned against their own, are not to be fired upon. Continue to fire against the other Covenant ships!

(Fatet)

=I fly near a group of seraphs the rebels broke through and act as the squadron leaders wingman, waiting for the perfect opportunity to fire and reveal my true intent.=

=opens fire on the the ships not in vera's control=

Thank you, Admiral.

=Vera cuts the comm, and heads back down to the Hanger with his guards. They board thier transport and head back to the Wrath. Once there, Vera goes back to the bridge. The Uberglasser primes again, and begins firing on the remaining Covenant ships=

(Molly)
=I couldn't believe what I was seeing: a Seraph was flying next to my Squad leaders ship=
Hey, Tom! You've got a Seraph flying at your side! He doesn't seem to be moving to attack though.

=I saw as the Seraph in question fired on a group of Seraphs in front of it=
Yeah, definitely on your side.

(Dormii)
=i could almost do a play by play of the fight, almost before anything happened. I could also see the deathblow coming. The Elite was playing to his strengths, but the Brute had even more in his. A jab with the hammer knocked the Elite off balance and, before he could recover, a decapitation with the blade on the back of it. I raised my hand and jabbed it forward, the signal to open fire. Hardcase, Bullets, Bombs, and Totem Pole all instantly opened up on the Brute. While Brutes may be tough enough to stave off a few bullets, this one seemed to be able to withstand a tank shell. He walked towards us, flinching from the multitude of shots that hit him, but kept coming. I started walking forward as well, spinning the blade end of the cable. Once I got close enough, I swung it, and embedded it in his neck. He growled, as blood spurted from his wound, and fell to his knees, but refused to die. I pulled it out, yanking on the cable and tore his head off. It skipped along the floor towards me, still barely holding onto life through sheer willpower. Eventually, it died=

Well about gods damned time!

=Haven's fleet began firing, their morale renewed. Plasma fire and Gauss rounds tore into the enemy ships, shredding hulls, and slicing through sections. Sentinels began to break into the ships through both Hangar bays and openings in the hulls, burning the ships from within. However, the ship that Dormii and his team was on, was left from the worst of the attack=

=lowers the trophs shields and hovers above the remaining ships and fires a massive plasma volley directly into them before bring them online again=

=Vera's fleet tore at the covenant ships, unknowing of any boarding parties. Eventually, there were only a few ships left. The Wrath fired at one of them, striking it dead center. A crippling blow. The lights on the outside of the ship flickered and died before it began to fall. Vera opened up comms to his fleet=

Burn them all! Leave no survivors!

=The glassing beams of every ship under Zantomee's command opened up on the renaming ships=

=A seraph flies right on my tail, I try to evade but this pilot has more expierience than me.=

son of a bitch... Get outta my arse you freak...

=I pull up to a 90 degree angle to try and get behind him.

He takes the bait and follows me. I do a complete turn and fly head on firing the cannons.

As he goes down, his seraph clips the left side of mine, sending me spiralling.=

(Dormii)
=an energy beam tore through the ship, almost hitting us in the process. However it did open a way out, as I could instantly tell the ship was going to go critical. I told my squad to group up, secure their weapons, and jump, as we were currently locked down to the floor by our magnetic boots=

"That's fucking suicide!"

No it's not! Activate a waypoint on yourselves and you'll be fine!

"Hell fucking no!"

If you don't, you'll die! Do it!

=i took my own advice, activated a waypoint on myself, and jumped into the vacuum. My squad quickly following suit once they got organized. Bodies and debris flew through the air as it left the ship. Within moments, we were "outside." Now we just had to wait and not get killed=

(Molly)
Shit!
=I maneuvered my fighter back towards Tom and his new friend. From 'below,' a group of Seraphs came upwards, ready to take out their undersides=

Argo, fire at those Seraphs! Lock onto them with our missiles.

(Argo)
Got it.
=I locked on, and fired the missiles. Four missiles went flying, and impacted the Seraphs, destroying them=

(Dormii)
=i sent out a quick pulse with our location, encrypted so the enemy won't see it. I secretly hoped we had the oxygen to survive long enough to get back=

(Fatet)

Shit shit shit shit!

= I desperately try to pull up but to no avail, As the alarm blares in the cockpit,marking my demise, I feel calm, focused.=

so this is how it ends... Inside a covenant fighter defending rebels...

(Jason)
=I radioed both my teams, to check their status=
Blue Team, Orange Team, what is your status?

(Dormii)
=i radioed back=
Floating in space. Waypoints on our location. My squad and I are separated. We both of waypoints up.

(Jason)
Understood. I'll send your waypoints to the Sentinels. We still have enough remaining.
=I sent Blue Teams waypoints to the Sentinels. Within seconds, the Sentinels closest to Blue Teams location moved to pick them up=