FSE

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Chapter 3 - Insurrection

A full scale assaulted had commended over the course of ten minutes. Taking refuge behind the walls of the fortress like building, Commander Harwegh led his group of ten men to the south wall and detonated part of it. The first set of explosions were minimal at best, allowing them a proper ingress into the compound while Evans, and his team, proceeded to scale the back wall a hundred yards around the side. They engaged in the battle on foot immediately, and Evans, followed by his fifteen others, led them-selves to a large stone bridge that connected the upper levels to the top of the wall. A great hill was ahead of them, marking that the entrance was fifty feet off the ground, followed by the descent below. The wind had subsided enough for their snipers to position them-selves in the distance.

To the left the other fight had begun, and the sounds of bullets, and shouting drowned out the music that Evans had been listening to, but did not pause. He slammed him-self hard against the long, slanted beam that extended to the ground from the upper floor. The snow near him melted as bright purple beams of carbine rounds were fired at the ground, and he was nearly hit by one when he had tripped over a rock covered by the snow. Taking shelter now he held his BR55 close to his chest; when the barrage had paused for only a second, he spun off the wall, and aimed up to the second floor, taking five shots. He landed three of them in the chest of one of the Elites, sending him backwards, and nailed one of them in the shoulder, which sent him back into the building.

The Elites began to flood out from the base and returned fire at such a velocity was unprecedented, and Commander Harwegh called to Central for reinforcements. He heard no response and growled out, assuming they could not hear him because of a transmission blocking device the Elites must have prepared.

"Can the rest of you hear me?!" Commander Harwegh shouted, and when his men returned a yes sir, he threw out immediate commands. "Snipers, Take your shots when you have them! We need access to the south door! Evans, Stephen, Rico, follow me! Mathew, Janelle, and Ashley, I want you to keep suppressing fire!"

Evans scaled over the triangular slanted pillar, falling hard into the snow, and was greeted by Rico and Stephen, who waved to him from across the grounds.

"I thought Central said there were only fifty!" Stephen shouted, "If there are jackals, I am going to be hella pissed!"

"Shut up, and keep moving!" Evans yelled over the noise with al augh, "We'll talk about your wet diaper later!"

Before Stephen could find a retort, a sudden booming explosion from overhead bright lit the sky past the thick layer of grey clouds. They looked up to see a hot, yellow light and balls of fire that spiraled away, with a line of thick white smoke. All of a sudden, a dozen heavy, dark orbs began to descent from the clouds, and it was immediately recognized as a Covenant Fleet. The ship in question destroyed was the Hypethral of Heaven, and Commander Harwegh was in silence as he watched the several kiloton mass of burning metal descent over them.

"They shot it down!" He roared out, "They shot down the Hyp-103! God dammit--why weren't we warned about the Covenant! Shit! FUCK!"

"What do we do now sir!" Evans shouted back over the intercom, "We're not getting anywhere out here, we need to find a safe passage inside!"

Commander Harwegh instructed them to spread out and look for a tunnel that would lead them to the sub section where the vehicles were stored, whilst desperately trying to contact Central. He was met with radio silence, and he felt a dread sweep over him, and quickly ushered his men away from the fight, as the scarab fleet descended closer over the compound. The Hyp-103 crashed half a mile away with a thunderous boom that was like a lightning storm of legendary proportions; the ground trembled, and the mountains that were above them became a sign of immediate danger.

"Get inside, get inside now!" He screamed at his men as they traced along the inner wall to search for a route inside; along the way three Spartans had been gunned down, and one Scarab missile launched at the snow, obliterating the powdery white sheet.

"Wait, sir!" Evans began, "We need to get them to destroy the front of the compound, where the elites were! If they're the covenant--they're after the heretics, not us!"

"He is right! We're in the middle of their fight, like before, at the temple!"

"Except this time, they got the upper hand!" Commander Harwegh growled, but conceded that they were correct. "All right, let's give the sibling rivalry a chance to fight it out! Find another route inside, descend through only the lower levels; I don't want my men being crushed under the mountain, when an avalanche happens!"

The assault from the Covenant Fleet was met with equal violence from the oppressive fire of the Heretic Fleet, who had seamlessly appeared with a massive assembly of Banshees, and presumably pirated Scarabs! It was impressive to note how they had acquired the ships, and Evans realized that this clan may in fact be the very one he had overheard John-117 had mentioned. They were the largest organization that defected from the Covenant Military, equivocal to a small army of a Human Country.

"Sir, sir!" Evans began quickly, "We're up against E.S!"

"E.S?" Commander Harwegh began, "Eternity?"

"Yes!" Evans shouted, "We were warned about them a few months ago! They're the one who wanted to us this ring!"

"Well they're in for it now, fucking bastards! We'll let your own military snuff you out! Come on men, move in!"

As the Spartans had engaged, in the compound Eyth 'Kha had led his men into battle courageously, standing in the front lines surprisingly, as he viciously fought to gun down the Spartans. With their o fleet assembled and preparing for battle against Fleet Master Zoate Nar 'Yuvanee, who had recently been christened by High Charity to lead the Winds of Denouement fleet. Eyth 'Kha wasted no time in calling out orders for their destruction. It would not take but minutes for this battle to become fierce, staining the snow below with mountains of burning metal, fuel rod canon chambers and the smell of flesh, as smaller Banshee ships were set ablaze. The main front of the USNC ships had been destroyed by the Covenant led by Zoate; he suffered at the loss of three Ships before annihilating the Hyp-103, as they had done to the previous USNC ship that intercepted their transmissions. Leaving five of his best behind, they had carefully circled from behind one of the moons of the nearby planet Elysium.

With only a few seconds of notice, four ships had been almost immediately atomized, and their remnants scattered down into the planet, burning through the atmosphere and vanishing into the snow. This triggered now a great Catalystof avalanches miles away, but it was ostensible that soon it would cover even the outside of the fortress in the heavy prison of snow.

"Commander Eyth 'Kha!" One of the men called out to him from his right, "When will we fire upon then! Zoate is far more armed with his fleet than we are! We should all be out there, with the others!"

Eyth 'Kha chuckled calmly, "Do not worry, and give it but just a few more minutes. We need them to be closer--I want to see them melt before my eyes!" Eyth 'Kha laughed wildly as he turned back out the window and continued to fire with maddening fury at the Covenant Soldiers who had taken by foot to invade! He savored the flavor of shooting down the soldiers now, had it been so long since he had killed one of their own, he forgot the thrill. It felt cathartic, a cerebral stimulating tremor of ecstasy that enveloped his senses, as he waited for the fleet to near.

"When they're half a kilometer from us--then you'll see. You will ALL see!"

Several explosions had resounded to the right of the compound as Zoate instructed his fleet to destroy the bridges that connected to the compound, and simultaneously eradicate the western walls and structure. A voice boomed out from Winds of Denouement, and Zoate called over the system to Eyth 'Kha, and by accident, the Spartans below had heard this as well.

"Send me Ze'ev 'Ardos! Present to us your commander, and we will give you the most honorable death! But not before you deliver unto our Prophets that murderous insect!"

Zoate's command was met with uproarious laughter by Eyth 'Kha, who stood at the Window's edge and proclaimed him-self the leader of Eternity's Sunrise, remarking on the destruction of Ze'ev.

"If he is deceased, then the Covenant thanks you for your work." Zoate smugly chuckled, "However, we will not be satisfied until you sinners have made proper expiation! Your death will be honorable, I assure you!"

"I do not need your petty thanks, and your bastard leaders will know nothing but defeat my hands!" Eyth 'Kha roared out as he flung his arms back, grinning widely in his savoring of this moment. "I only aspire to murder your false prophets, and your fake gods! You will regret ever coming here!"

"You cannot hope to use this ring against us," Zoate taunted with a sneer at his voice. "We are not foolish enough to give you the satisfaction, heretic! It will destroy you too!"

Eyth 'Kha grinned and looked up to the fleet that loomed above, "You are more ignorant that the biblical bile that your prophets spill! The Ring--haha! It is nothing but a guise for the true horrible powers that I hold!"

"Well then show me this power!" Zoate demanded with a furious roar, "Go on then, heretic! Impress me!"

As the Spartans had quickly descended, Evans felt a grave sense of disappointment in Central, for incorrect information, and for sending in such a small regiment. Below the compound Ze'ev had heard the battle with extreme anxiety, no longer hearing contact over the intercom, he endured every moment of it with tenterhooks. He did not know what to expect, which fleet master must have sprung upon them, or when--or if, Eyth 'Kha would come to kill him. He banged the back of his head against the wall as his chest filled with the dread of hearing his brothers above him. The explosions shook the walls and he felt stone and dust crumble down over his arms; he questioned the integrity of the compound, not knowing if it could withstand the damage done.

Ze'ev fought with the chains, grunting loudly and pulling as hard as he could at them! He thrashed and roared in fury as he desperately tried to free him-self, but resided to stress induced laughter, as he found it feeble. He felt a heat wave over his body and aggravation that dulled his senses; he closed his mouth and focused on his breathing immediately, to try and edge away his growing hostility.

BOOOM!

Another fierce explosion rocked the walls and he felt the reverberation to his bones, and was swayed to his left. There was a massive amount of screaming overhead, and suddenly Ze'ev heard something that was utterly unnatural; a metallic wailing had begun to build up. It was like iron had been given a voice as it was smelted, it was a horrifying piercing tone that rose in decibel and pitch, and he screamed as he tried to cover his ears. Suddenly it stopped, then there was a crumbling sound and then another devastating explosion sounded off, and he heard the catastrophe of presumably a small nuclear bomb going off! The following noises that occurred could only be described as a tempest of lunacy, as screams and cries of panic arose beyond the noises of vociferous cries of war and declarations of power! It felt like the truest form of madness had emerged, its face bright and gleaming, and kissed the hearts of the men above him.

"This madness will never end--Eyth 'Kha will not stop until he has killed off as any as he needs!"

The door to Ze'ev's room opened up suddenly, and rushing in was a solitary Sangheili soldier, drenched in blood and panting. He looked at Ze'ev through his visor and flung his helmet to the ground, the panic in his eyes was beyond description; he looked as if he had seen death. He was stained in ashes and blood, and he paced frantically around the room, looking over his shoulders, his hands trembling violently. Ze'ev had never before seen a soldier of his own kind in the hands of fear to the point he did not hold a weapon of his own; whatever it was he had beheld in his vision, Ze'ev too felt it must have been truly maddening.

"He--h-he is mad! Ze'ev, you must get out of here!" The Sangheili fumbled at his words, "T-t-the heavens! The great journey is just a chasm of solitude! He--he murdered them all! Theyallturnedoneachotherlikeanimals!" The frantic male's words began to spill out of his mouth so face that Ze'ev could not understanding him, and he pleaded for him to relax.

"Slow down, brother, please!" Ze'ev demanded as the frantic soldier held his face and paced about, his eyes darting rapidly. "What is going on!"

The soldier looked over to Ze'ev and then withdrew a long metallic blade from his gauntlet and brought it down across the chains that bind Ze'ev's legs and arms. Ze'ev exhaustedly takes his first step in months, breathing a sigh of relief, and looked up to his delirious brother. He forced him-self to immediately adjust to the freedom of his limbs, and demanded to be taken to where Eyth 'Kha was, to which the soldier more calmly obliged.

Ze'ev followed him from the room and was led down the long haul for which he had not seen illuminated in some time, and the sudden exposure to light greeted his eyes with harshness. The soldier led him into a room where Ze'ev found weapons, where in Ze'ev retrieved his Energy Sword, Type-51, and Carbine. He felt a rush in his insides as the unbelievable had occurred, though he had no time to relish his freedom as another massive explosion occurred, and part of the roof overhead the corridor began to collapse.

He now, at full velocity, had heard the symphony of the battle from above the living quarters. He rushed through the lower sector before arriving to the main floor, and he could see snow and feel the wind blowing through. He feared what he was about to encounter, that the main hulk of the temple had been destroyed; when he arrived to the hanger he found it leveled, and forced him-self through the debris. The outside greeted him, and he saw to his horror that the burning remains of his brothers had been scattered all around, snow quickly moving in to reclaim its territory. Some were still moderately alive, barely moving across the ground as they bled to death; none seemed to see him, none but Eyth 'Kha.

Ze'ev gazed across the destruction then to the Commander who emerged from outside, as their own battled the Covenant he left them behind. Ze'ev grasped at his Sword and narrowed his eyes, taking a step forward as Eyth 'Kha stepped forward as well. One of the men on the ground had reached up at Eyth 'Kha's leg, but in a swift movement, Eyth 'Kha had plunged his sword deep into the Soldier's chest. He then screamed out loud, a cry of triumph and bore a sinister grin as he slashed at the soldier's throat with a fury that was beyond the scope of normal impulse.

As he neared, the former Commander gripped the hilt of his weapon and stepped forward bravely into the rubble, seeing the many dead men that lay scattered, the fallen ships. The cold wind brushed at the mantle and swept it against his leg, but Ze'ev did not now feel the gelid air, only the anger in his heart at what the monster had done. Eyth 'Kha smiled back at him in silence at first, only standing rigidly still. His hands shook from rage and he could not fight back anymore the anger that had culminated within.

"You have become that which you hate--as murderous, if not more, than the Prophets!"

"That is the one thing we will agree on, brother!" Eyth 'Kha laughed loudly, as he ran his hand over his face, smearing some blood across his cheek and forehead, staining his face a dark blue. His eyes were wide and steady, focused ahead solely on the black sinned Sangheili, and he sneered in delight. "Your incompetence--your compassion, it all led to this! This is all because of you!"

"You just killed one of our own!" Ze'ev screamed out, "Who are you to judge me!"

"If you have a withered arm--would you keep it?" Eyth 'Kha replied with a smile, and motioned towards the Sangheili, "All organisms are interconnected by thought and action, Brother. And if a part of it begins to fail--you either let it die, or you fix it! And if that means severing off a few limbs from this decaying body, then I will be the one to do it!"

Ze'ev and Eyth 'Kha stepped closer to one another, and Ze'ev looked out to the fields, he could see what appeared to be black piles that resembled the vestige shape of bodies. He did not understand what he looked at, and Eyth 'Kha took this opportunity to lunge at Ze'ev, and attempt to strike him with the energy sword. Ze'ev rolled to his right, grasping his Type-51 from his hip and fired off several rounds at Eyth 'Kha, landing two hits on the shoulder.

Eyth 'Kha dashed forward, slinging the blade at Ze'ev's abdomen, Ze'ev loses his footing in the ground against the pile of rubble and takes a slice across his stomach. He groaned out in pain but as Eyth 'Kha rotated his arm back for another strike; Ze'ev slammed his massive leg forward, snapping his heel across Eyth 'Kha's jaw and he witnessed shock on his face before the strike. Eyth 'Kha snapped to the right and he fell onto his knees, holding his face and shouting. Ze'ev could feel the warm blood dripping from his abdomen and saw the dark liquid beginning to cover his thighs, and held his hand over the gash, tightly compressing into it with a hiss of pain. Eyth 'Kha charged arose and charged again; he maddeningly swung the weapon with reckless abandon, laughing and grunting with each thrust of his arm.

"Hrrargh! Haargh! Aaaah!" Eyth 'Kha grunted and cried out, his sword missing the commander's body by only an inch. Eyth 'Kha slung the blade across his front to cut Ze'ev's face which he was certain to hit; Ze'ev slid his left leg behind him, brought his right arm forward, and grasped the Sangheili's wrist. In a quick tryst he wrenched Eyth 'Kha's forward, kicked back knee forward into the gut and slammed his elbow into the back of the male's head. Eyth 'Kha gasped out in pain and slumped forward, before Ze'ev then slammed him down into the floor onto his face. Ze'ev jumped back a few feet as Eyth 'Kha lay there dazed for a moment, but arose to his feet and cleaned the blood off of his face, panting and grinning.

"I forgot--how good it felt to be challenged!" He complimented the commander, "You have not lost your edge! It will feel so good to absorb your--"

Before Eyth 'Kha could finish, the sudden blast of bullets had sent both Sangheili hurling away. Spartan warriors had appeared from the three entrances that led to the underground, ambushing the males. They focused on Eyth 'Kha as the two had separated from each other, with Ze'ev ducking to cover behind a tilted slab of the roof, damning them for intervening again. He peered from around the corner as Eyth 'Kha endured the barrage of bullets, with rapid reflexes he would lunge and roll out of their fire, and finally came close to one of the white armor clad warriors! He reared his hand back and slammed it into the gut of the soldier, who keeled over, and then his helmet was grasped by both hands.

" HRRAAARGH!!" Eyth 'Kha bellowed, as he crushed the helmet inwards while the helpless human tried to peel way at his hands. He heard the desperate screams be silenced into a gurgle as the whole helm caved inwards in a sickening crush, with blood beginning to profusely drizzle down Eyth 'Kha's hands arm arms. He tossed the body to side and again brandished him-self in the blood of his enemies, turning to face the other Spartans with a sickening sneer.

"Kill him!" Rico screamed, "He just took out Stephen!"

He held up his MA5B and emptied the clip into the male's chest, stunned to find that as the bullets had penetrated into his armor, no blood, or signs of injury had occurred. The monstrous Sangheili stepped forward now, his eyes focused directly on the human and his grin widening. As the Spartan was crippled, Eyth 'Kha grasped him by the throat and plunged his sword into their abdomen. Rico shuttered and trembled in the Sangheili's hands as he bleed profusely, the Sangheili demonstrating unimaginable strength as he held up the half-ton soldier with ease. As the sword lingered in his abdomen, and Rico chocked out strangled words for help, he was silenced by a long drag of the blade across his stomach, spilling his organs out onto the snow. As it turned into a red puddle at his feet, the organs steaming grotesquely in the wind, Eyth 'Kha looked past to the other Spartans who observed.

" THIS is the power of the one in possession of The Mantle!" Eyth 'Kha cheered out to them in an arousing delight as he held the male by his throat. He dug his claws deep into the flesh and groaned low in pleasure as he watched the human suffer in his hands.

Eyth 'Kha dropped the soldier to the ground and promptly stood over his organs, crushing them with his feet as he walked by. Rico choked hot tears and sour blood from his mouth; incomprehensible was the world as death had stolen him, leaving his body to eventually collapse. Eyth 'Kha then looked to the next Spartan, the female that he had heard crying behind her. Janelle froze in place and began to tremble, and over the microphone they could hear as she began to stumble out words. She began to softly sob out incomprehensible words and Miranda ran forward to pull her, but Janelle slammed her back and shrieked for her to run. She then retrieved a grenade from her chest, popped the pin, and stood still. Commander Harwegh ordered them to retreat as seconds later, the device erupted, and most of her arm was obliterated, including part of her head. She was blown backward and lay on the ground, profusely bleeding and mildly convulsing.

"You are a pathetic species--you should have never been chosen." Eyth 'Kha muttered quietly as he looked down at the crippled body. "You were never meant to hold the Mantle! NEVER!"

Eyth 'Kha looked down at her and then pressed his foot over the remaining half of her skull, crushing it with a satisfying sick snap. When Ze'ev had witnessed this, the Spartan turning on her teammates--he had no understanding of how it happened. He emerged from behind the fallen portion of the roof, unsure of the Spartans who did not fire at him at first.

"What is this power that you control--have you truly become a demon, now?"

"I am the conduit for the greatest power, and mind to ever exist in this Galaxy. I am the Apotheosis of Agony!" Eyth 'Kha answered with declaration, "And the servant of his greatness; the Noosphere Catalyst!" Eyth 'Kha looked up to Ze'ev with intent, "You are an abomination of an unclean species! You should have been suffocated when you slipped from your mother's womb!"

"My flesh and blood may be impure!" Ze'ev roared out, "However, I would never betray my own kind! I fight for our freedom, not for bloodlust!

" BECAUSE YOU ARE WEAKNEEEEEESS!" Eyth 'Kha howled, maddened by his honor; he pointed to Ze'ev as blood dripped from his fingers "You should have been exterminated when you were born! Had you never existed, my destiny might have come into fruition more quickly!"

"There are no such things as destiny!" Ze'ev argued, saliva flinging from his mouth as he bellowed across the room. "What do you have planned? You cannot even make it off this ring with the damage you've caused to the facility!"

"My power will weaken if he is unfed--I will use this ring, and the many others, to feed them!" Eyth 'Kha laughed ebulliently in delight to see the fear in Ze'ev's eyes, remarking that he, in particular, has left them very hungry.

Ze'ev's eyes widened and stomped forward, "How can you use our family like fodder! We saved you from a death you brought on your own head!" Ze'ev gripped his fists hard, "You just want revenge because of your own paltry selfishness!"

"They're condemned to a life of slavery--half of them have no will, or life of their own." Eyth 'Kha looked away from Ze'ev and stared off into the white tundra for a moment, thinking over his imprisonment. "Just as mine was stripped from me. I'll use their pathetic excuse of an existence for something more meaningful."

From behind Ze'ev Evans had been positioned on the ground, at the demise of Rico he had prepared to fire on Eyth 'Kha, until he was silenced by Commander Harwegh, who had suggested they listened. Evans did not understand what happened, but it was well enough to know that this Sangheili possessed a dangerous power. As the two Sangheili argued, it was displayed that the much taller one was apparently not evil, a Separatist, but was abhorred beyond reason by the murderous one. Ze'ev demanded information but Eyth 'Kha, as he was called, refused to explain anything to him; he instead offered to demonstrate to him, what it was.

"I've shown you before-- but I'll do it, one more time, for everyone's appreciation!"

Eyth 'Kha looked down at the floor to the bodies of the dead Sangheili, isolating one near his foot, and slammed his sword deep into its bowels. He strangled the Sangheili until he was dead, eviscerating him, and stepped away, allowing him to die moments later. Eyth 'Kha then smiled contently, as soon after, it began to animate--slowly the male had struggled to its feet, after slipping over the icy floor, and its own organs. It arose up, and then stared at its master; Eyth 'Kha smiled proudly as the Sangheili stumbled forward and groaned lowly, reaching up to them. As he neared, Eyth 'Kha waved his hand and the body dropped into a lifeless heap, the mouth frozen in a wide rictus.

"Impossible!" Commander Harwegh staggered, "He--he brought him back to life!"

"We have to leave, commander!" Joshua begged him, "We're not trained not for this! And Dr. Halsey needs to see this evidence!"

"No! Our job is to deactivate this ring, and that is what we'll do! Let these two fight it out, the rest of you, let's go!"

As the Spartans had prepared to depart from the battle to let the two Sangheili battle them-selves into the grave, Evans still lingered to observe what would occur.

Eyth 'Kha reared the Fuel Rod Canon up, and he fired off the remaining four rounds within the chamber at Ze'ev. Ze'ev ran across the room at lightning speed to avoid the blast radio, slamming his legs down across mounted debris and flung him-self through the air as far as he could! Eyth 'Kha laughed wildly as he preemptively fired at Ze'ev now to where his feet would land, almost toying with him. 'Kha stopped to reload the canon and Ze'ev lunged at him, but was grabbed suddenly by the ankles; the presumably dead Sangheili had taken hold of his leg. Ze'ev looked down at the gruesome face and he could, for a moment, see the realization in his brother's eyes as he was not allowed to die.

Suddenly he was yanked backwards by the arm and pushed out of the way of a blast from the canon, and he instinctively tucked and rolled out of the way. A soldier in white armor had saved his life and Ze'ev was stunned, momentarily, as the soldier looked back at him. They departed different directions as Eyth 'Kha roared out maddeningly and turned his attention onto the Spartans who he had seen attempted to recede back into the temple! Evans hurriedly moved up to the floor to witness Harwegh's incineration and disembowelment at the Sangheili's hands. The commander had attempted to detonate his armor before he could be murdered by the Sangheili. He was unsuccessful as Eyth 'Kha grasped his neck, holding it for a moment as Harwegh's hands clawed at them, and with a sickening crack Harwegh released a low moan of escaping breath from his lungs over the microphone.

"Get out of here!" Ze'ev screamed at the humans who remained, foolishly sacrificing their life to kill him. "He will kill all of you! You should have never come here!"

"NO!" Evans shouted back at him. He screamed into the air, as Janelle was targeted next; before he had his weapon raised from his hip, a crater was left in her sternum by Eyth 'Kha's fist. As she fell back the Sangheili smashed his fuel rod canon into her helmet incessantly; Evans screamed over the microphone as she cried out for help, and unloaded his automatic into the Sangheili's body. Eyth 'Kha continued to batter at her helmet until he had effectively crushed it inwards and then dropped the empty, blood stained weapon at his feet. He turned to look at the others with a sneer, almost taunting them to move.

" RUN!" Ze'ev pleaded at the remaining members, " RUN NOW!"

Evans ignored the Sangheili and fired everything he had from the rifle, hoping to get at least one hit, to pierce it into his skin and make him feel pain! Eyth 'Kha had turned around, and dashed forward, jumping to the left and right to avoid the bullets; he had moved so quickly it became a blur, and Evans knew he then could not harm the Elite! When Eyth 'Kha appeared in front of him, Evans slammed his weapon into the Sangheili's body, but a sturdy hand stopped his arm, and flung the weapon away. Evans was grasped by his helmet and lifted off the ground, then smashed into the wall with such velocity that he was immediately rendered unconscious.

"Humans are much less entertaining to kill," Eyth 'Kha remarked as he held the soldier up.

Ze'ev decidedly had lunged to Eyth 'Kha's back when it was turned as it attacked the human soldier, and as he landed he plunged his hard light sword deep into the back of Eyth 'Kha's leg! He let out a scream of agony and before he could turn around, Ze'ev had thrown him to the ground; as his sword plunged into the male's leg. Ze'ev grasped him from under his nostrils, bending his neck upward, before slamming his fist into the throat three times! As the male fell to his knees, Ze'ev slammed his big leg into the male's ribs, and then slammed his elbow down into the back of his head. The Sangheili moaned outwards as he fell down onto his side, weakling trying to slash at Ze'ev.

Eyth 'Kha could not speak as the punches to his throat had left him winded, and he was further beaten by the furious slamming of Ze'ev's fist into his face! Ze'ev then grasped for Eyth 'Kha's sword, struggling to pry it out of his hands!

" HRRARGH!" Eyth 'Kha roared out, his arms shaking as he tilted the blade to face closer, and closer to Ze'ev's throat. He glared maddeningly at the male, his legs writhing and the muscles of his arms bulging out hard as he fought against Ze'ev's strength, desperate to spill his blood! Ze'ev slowly began to push the arms away from his body as the sword dangled threateningly close to him, and holding the wrists with all his might he twisted them away, and bent the arms over Eyth 'Kha's face. Losing the fight now, the male began to shriek and thrash around, speaking only in slurs and maddened gibberish!

Ze'ev succeeded after slamming his knee down into the Sangheili's abdomen, and flung the sword out of his hands in a quick movement! As a quick safety measure he removed the left gauntlet which held the Ossoona camo device. This is when Eyth 'Kha began shrilling in lurid agony; after Ze'ev had managed to grasp the gauntlet and rip it off, Eyth 'Kha exploded into a sudden rage of pain, and fear. He squirmed and flung him-self over the stone as he held onto his arm, the hand which held the sword began to decay rapidly. The fingers grew small and the skin tight and pale, as if hundreds of years of rot had began to rapidly consume his appendage. Eyth 'Kha cried out and grasped at his wrist as his hand began to dissolve, tucking it between his legs.

"What in the great hell--" Ze'ev whispered, stepping away as he held the bright red sword. Before he could act upon his thoughts, a rush of Covenant soldiers had come towards them, seemingly killing the rest of his men. Ze'ev spun around as Eyth 'Kha roared out in madness and flung him-self away from them, howling over the fracas of the battle.

"I will find you! I will devour you! ALL OF YOU!" He screamed out, staggering onto his leg.

Ze'ev had turned to flee but paused, upon seeing the Spartan laying on the ground in a heap; he did not think in that instance, as he forced the heavy soldier onto his feet, demanding him to stand up. Evans heard a voice crying out for him to move and he instinctually stood up, barely cognizant of what was going on, not having expected to be alive. As Eyth 'Kha was fired on, he immediately rushed away through the halls, shutting a door behind him. Ze'ev struggled with the human as he led him far away from the grand hall, and momentarily stopped to try and communicate with the human, before his words interrupted.

"Run you bastard!" Eyth 'Kha's voice boomed over the intercom. "You'll be incinerated soon enough! Five minutes--that is all you have."

Ze'ev growled as he ran back down into the belly of the temple. He remembered he had prepared supplies in a far off sector over the course of the previous year, in the likelihood of an invasion. He flung him-self through the doorway that led them into the great Control Room at the bottom of the building and shut the door behind him, blocking off the noises from above.

He panted and shook at the hands, still holding onto the sword so tightly his fingers had gone numb. Ze'ev set the Spartan against the wall and hastily moved to the command console and slammed his fingers down over the glyphs. The lights of the room turned on and he breathed an almost sigh of relief. These commands were old ones he had learned when he originally served under the Covenant, taught to him by the commanders before him; he was thankful, at least, for that little bit of knowledge. The HUD displayed a list of sections and sub sections, and he traced his finger along to the one that he has used previously.

"You won't get out of here so easily, Ze'ev!" Eyth 'Kha screamed over the intercom, "As long as you have part of me with you--I'll always be able to find you! Go on, run! Hahaha!"

Suddenly the room was plunged into blackness as Eyth 'Kha had somehow managed to disable power to the room, and Ze'ev slammed his hand down and screamed out. He punched at the keys, praying for reclamation to Eyth 'Kha's unbearable insanity. He felt a strangling dyspnea at his throat, and as he reached up to hold his chest and panted; he steadied his mind, and thought for a solution. The Spartan held three grenades against his belt, the floor below would lead them into the icy bowels of the chamber, where they could take a Hard-light tram bridge the region Ze'ev had visited.

He grasped the grenades from the Spartan's belt and rushed over the grating of the steel floor where the pipes below carried steam, and water. He took all three and shoved them down a few feet apart, ignited one, and quickly grasped the human and ran to the other side of the room! An explosion occurred that deafened his ears partially, but before smoke could clear he dropped the human down the impromptu shaft into the metallic transportation chamber.

"Come on, come on!" Ze'ev urged the Spartan as he lifted him up off the ground as water and gases filled the room.

Ze'ev grasped the Spartan in his arms and lifted the heavy soldier off his feet, using every vestigial ounce of strength to run to the tram, which was thirty feet away. He opened the door, threw the Spartan in and immediately activated the system before Eyth 'Kha could shut it off. Ze'ev set his location four hundred miles from the current. As they departed from the temple through the Ring, the remnants of the base were obliterated by a massive nuclear explosion that extirpated thirty feet of the surface, and three kilometers of the surrounding area. He felt the reverberation of the explosion, keeping his eyes entirely focused forward; for minutes he was silent, staring out of the window.

The Tram had neared its stop, the lights of the underground compound flicked, with only few igniting in the ancient subterrestrial region. Ze'ev had taken extra caution in the likelihood of an invasion to establish a secondary base far from their original location. Pale blue lights led him through great echoing chambers where massive, metallic walls seemed to house them in the dark underground. He walked quickly, his feet clapping against the polished metal ground, passing through the silent corridors until he reached a chamber which he had renovated over the months into a livable space.

Nothing has been altered--this is good.

He set the Spartan down against a mound of bags filled with grains from his home world; the silence was unbearable, no hum of any engine, or detection of life but their own presence. Ze'ev turned to look around the two story room, glancing momentarily to the display table to his right; he walked to it, turning it on to provide enough lighting to make the room more inviting. A light, yellow glow warmed his eyes but he could not remove the fear that clung to him; and he realized now, that hundreds of his men were dead. The men he had, for years, struggled to save, to teach; all atomized, in one instance.

"They are all gone--god dammit, I have failed them--all of them." Ze'ev whispered, lowering his head to the floor. He knelt down against the table and closed his eyes tightly, slamming his fist into the metallic ground. His cries were met only with the fading echoes, and he condemned him-self and his failures, placing all the blame he could upon whatever gods that heard him.

"Why--why!" Ze'ev cried out in remorse as he put his hands over his face, rolling onto his side. "God dammit--why! Why did you let them die! You betrayed us!" He sobbed harder than he had ever before in his life, the feeling of loneliness now enveloping his heart. Exhaustion claimed him into restless sleep when he had finally resided to sleeping against a box; even then, the events that had just unfolded left him flinching and howling in distress, unable to escape the cruelty of his life.