The Prophet of Forgivness

(D: everyone's dying! I don't think your SPARTAN should die, Jay. If he's part Forerunner alloy, then that should play a part in the healing process. Unless the shard went right through him or something. And from what I can read, there's 3 Spartans on Harvest atm, but p12's the only one that would really know what forces exist on Harvest at this point in time. I think.)

"Pahni knew that he wouldn't survive the jump to catch me, he did what he thought was necessary. I can't tell you why he chose to do it, but he did," Ennis tried to explain as the angry Elite circled the Demon.

"Foul words you speak! Pahni would do no such thing, especially not for the likes of you, Demon!" he bellowed as he continued to growl, clicking his mandibles.

Ennis was running out of options. It would not be long before the circling Sangheili would strike, overcome by the utter malevolence which coursed through Raihma’s mind, altering his every thought and action as it pleased. “Listen to me, Raihma. I know you don’t trust me. The same can be said for me. But I wouldn’t do this to Pahni. I didn’t ask for him to save me, nor can I bring him back to convince you that he did so.” The task at hand ate at the Spartan’s composure, threatening to sever the grip he had on himself. He needed all the restraint he possessed, for Raihma would not be easily soothed. Ennis was now starting to doubt he could be soothed at all.

“Vexation! We were never allies, nor did we ever share the bond of brotherhood! You know not what I knew of my brother Pahni, do not tell me of such mistruths! He would not have done this! He would not!” Raihma almost seemed to be pleading with himself, unwilling to hear of the truth. Such a thing would shake him to the point of no return. “Your lies insult everything we are, Demon! Everything we ever were! You proclaim that my brother was willing to do away with honour, to do away with all that knew as a Sangheili warrior. I will hear none of it!” His eyes seemed to waver as if the anger inside of him was slowly eating away at his very self to escape. They had glazed over again with hatred, promising the Demon a brutal end at the hands of Raihma. His very core threatened to explode with grief and malice, wanting nothing but the life of the treacherous Demon standing before him. “Do you understand!? Your words gain you naught! I am spurned to slay you by more than my heart can withstand! It craves for your demise, retribution for the heinous act you deny before me!”

There, Raihma faulted. He could not speak, the utter vehemence inside him could not be contained any longer. With a cry of utter despair and hatred that no living entity should ever have to comprehend, Raimha opened the door to his inner hell. The venom inside flowed forth, finding unprecedented joy in its release. Raihma surged forward at the Demon, casting forth his hatred like the very sword he held.

This was it. Ennis had no choice but to act. He quickly raised Pahni’s sword to fend off Raimha’s attack, but Ennis staggered backward due to the force that Raihma had lunged with. His concentration altogether abandoned the thought of calming the Sangheili, now it pointed with laser-like precision at the act of defending himself. He parried the next 3 swipes of Raihma’s sword before attempting a shoulder barge, having deflected Raihma’s sword away from his body. However, Raihma followed his sword to an extent, then drove his elbow back into the side of the Rabbit’s helmet. He stumbled sideways, immediately recognizing Raihma charging forward again, instinct taking over and guiding his actions as he sidestepped Raihma’s thrust. Raihma instantly turned away from the Demon, bringing his leg around in an attempt to sweep the Rabbit’s feet from under him, but he was too fast for Raihma, jumping the kick placing his own foot into Raihma’s shoulder, which sent him back a pace. Ennis instinctively stepped forward to bring the attack back to him, in spite of the want inside of him to cause no harm to the Elite.

Raihma used his stumble to his advantage, grabbing the Demon’s hand as he lunged with his sword and twisting his own body to face forward, flipping Ennis overhead and launching him forward. Ennis followed through with the jump, tucking his head in and rolling onto his feet, instantly turning around and charging as Raihma took off after him. They both met each other at a sprint, Ennis swiping a backhand at Raihma, and Raihma deflecting it with his own sword, something Ennis was counting on. His fist followed his sword, aiming to hit the Sangheili directly in the side of the face. But Raihma had foreseen the feint, raising his forearm inside the arc of Ennis’s punch, repelling the shot and locking his arm in place. Rahima kept his momentum going, bringing his elbow forward as he stepped into the Demon, his forearm connecting with Ennis’s shoulder, knocking him back, much to Ennis’s disbelief.

“Come on, Major!” shouted Sarah, trying to lift Ennis’s abilities with her words.

Ennis stopped, then stepped forward again, bringing his sword down in a diagonal arc towards Raihma, but Raihma deflected the attack, pinning Pahni’s sword momentarily. Raihma brought his body round, allowing his leg to straddle over and his foot to be used at its ultimate force. His powerful, yet backwards knee joint slammed Raihma’s foot into the Demon’s chest, knocking the wind out of him as he rolled backwards, managing himself as he got to his feet from the roll. But getting up hurt. Something wasn’t right. Raihma’s look of utter scorn did not change as Ennis stood, watching him, waiting for another onslaught.

“Well?” Ennis asked, bringing his sword up to resume his fighting posture. He now realised that only one of them would make it off this ship alive. “Is that all you got?”

(11th page! This is awesome, keep up the epic work, people!)

“Well?” Ennis asked, bringing his sword up to resume his fighting posture. He now realised that only one of them would make it off this ship alive. “Is that all you got?”

"Your foolish words will be your last Demon!" The Sangheili scowled continuing his attack. The two were equally matched, but fatigue was surely setting in for one of the two, it was only a matter of time now before either one made the slightest mistake.

(Clash Of Titans fades in by Immediate Music)

"I sent a distress signal to Simon, Major, hopefully he gets it quickly and brings Ctean down here." Sarah exclaimed as Ennis ducked under another wild swing from the Elite.

It was clear now to the Spartan that anger and revenge had filled the Sangheili's mind, blocking out what was to be true. Raihma swung rapidly, wildly to the point where Ennis had barely enough time to dodge or parry any of his attacks.

Blocking a overhead swing from Raihma the Spartan locked blades momentarily, Raihma snarling in Ennis' face, saliva dotting his visor. Ennis tucked in closely and shouldered the Elite backwards into a stagger. Ennis react quickly, stepping on the inside of Raihma's leg just behind his knee forcing him to the ground. With his other leg Ennis slammed his knee onto the Elite's wrist pinning his hand to the ground.

"Your tactics will not work on me!" Raihma groaned activating his wrist blade. Ennis felt the heat from the blade slice across his helmet, but wasn't able to make a clean cut due to his shields. A slice through the sun visor was all that was damaged, nothing serious.

The attack caught Ennis of guard regardless of his quick reaction giving Raihma the opportunity to push the Spartan off him.

Numerous scenarios played out through the Spartan's head. He had hoped that Simon had received Sarah's message and was on his way with Ctean, but the chances of them arriving soon were slim. He didn't know their status and whether or not the Arbiter was even put to rest yet. It was his basic instincts to continue to fight, until one of them was left.

Ennis scrambled to his feet only to receive a hard kick to the stomach that sent him barreling into ammunition crates knocking them over as he tumbled over them. Ennis shook his head clearing his vision and grabbing Pahni's sword once more when he noticed something in front of him, reaching for it quickly.

Raihma watched as the Demon disappeared behind the crates. "Your life will end on this ship." He stated before freezing in despair.

From behind the crates the Spartan rose, wielding a Type-33 Light Anti-Armor Weapon or what the UNSC called a Fuel Rod Cannon. Raihma dashed left then right to escape the large opening he was in as Ennis fired multiple rounds at him. Green blobs of plasma hurled towards the Elite as he hurried to find cover, the ground at his feet burning from the plasma. Before Raihma could make it fully behind cover the splash from one round landed on his right shoulder plate and had begun burning his armour. The Sangheili growled while ripping off the piece onto the ground.

The ammunition counter flickered at "zero", Ennis was out of ammo. Ditching the weapon he grabbed the sword once again and made a move to higher ground in the hangar while the Sangheili was behind cover.

Ditching the weapon, he grabbed the sword once again and made a move to higher ground in the hangar while the Sangheili was behind cover.

Raihma seethed at the scorched armour piece that smoldered on the ground. “Demon!” he howled, “Does your treachery know no bounds?!” As he waited, and no shots were fired, the Sangheili deemed it safe to emerge from behind his cover. Raihma searched for the Demon, but it was apparent that he was no longer on the lower level of the bay. With a powerful leap, Raihma leapt upon the purple crate that had shielded him from the Demon’s plasma bombardment, looking up in search of his foe. Both Ennis and Raihma spotted each other at once.

Ennis quickly sprinted at the Sangheili, who for some reason held his ground. The Rabbit decided to jump and slide on the ground, aiming to drive his boot into the Elite. But Raihma had bounded into the air, ruling out any hope of his kick connecting. Ennis scrambled to attain a position that could defend himself as the Sangheili swooped down upon him, thrusting his blade downwards in what would have been the killing blow if Ennis had not used his sword to deflect the stab away. As Raihma growled in frustration, Ennis landed a swift kick to Raihma’s leg, offsetting Raihma’s balance and causing his to stumble back in order to regain it, giving the Rabbit the time necessary to get back upon his feet. Just in time to meet Raihma’s demented charge, for the Sangheili was becoming more and more aggressive as Ennis refused to die.

The Demon met Raihma’s assault with equal skill and awareness, blocking swipe after slash after lunge, and forcing the Sangheili to defend himself as he returned the attack. As the Demon slashed at him, Raihma quickly ducked the attack and rolled behind the Rabbit, running back and continuing the assault with seemingly limitless fury. This time, Raihma managed to drive the Demon back, nearing the edge of the upper level. As he was forced back, he realized he was running out of room, and sought to duck under his larger foe. Raihma realized the Demon’s intentions, and viciously drove his knee at his face.

Ennis saw Raihma’s knee coming straight at him, and quickly raised his other hand to protect his helmet from being crushed inward. The attack connected squarely with Ennis’s forearm, and the Rabbit was knocked back as he rolled off the level. Although he still had wits enough to land on his feet, the sheer force of the attack had completely taken him by surprise. One more hit like that, Ennis thought, and something will break.

“Major!” Sarah cried out, “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry, Sarah.” Ennis said, flexing his arm and fingers as he watched Raihma leap off the upper floor in pursuit of the shaken SPARTAN. “I can do this. I don’t have a choice now.”

Ennis stepped back 2 paces as the Elite landed, sensing the Demon’s feint and not attacking as he landed. He let his opponent charge him in order to prepare his defense, and as he attacked, Raihma stepped to the side, catching the Demon off guard. But, as the Sangheili thrust his own sword at his hated foe, he swung down to deflect the attack and kneed Raihma in the gut. As the pain bit into him, his instinct quickly kicked in and compelled Raihma to ignore his hurt and grab the Demon’s leg.

As Ennis brought his sword up to finish the Elite off, Raihma quickly grabbed his leg, much to the Rabbit’s surprise. Quickly, he brought the sword down to end the Sangheili, but he stood up to block the killing blow, and pushed forward, toppling Ennis over. Raihma let go of his foot, something he shouldn’t have done as Ennis quickly kicked him in the gut again. The Elite stepped back a pace, but then surged forward again. This time, Ennis kicked out with both feet. Raihma crouched down and used his forearm to defend himself as the Rabbit’s feet hammered against him, causing Raihma to have to brace himself against falling over. But Raihma was still standing, and as the Demon rolled onto his hands and knees to get back up again, Raihma realized that this was the last stroke. He would end the Demon’s life with this final slash of his mighty sword, giving his slain brother’s soul peace at last after the Demon had betrayed him. Raihma was almost overcome with the thought as he launched forward, with no thoughts except for Pahni. It would all be over. The Demon’s treachery would be judged by the gods. Raihma hoped they would make him pay. But as Raihma swung, his sword did not connect with the Demon, but with another sword.

What?

He looked up into Ctean’s stern eyes, visibly shaken by his one chance to kill the Demon being revoked.

No. This cannot be!
This cannot be!

The thought echoed through his head like a war drum, threatening to shatter his very being with its relentless onslaught.

Raihma ached to push Ctean away, to scold him for aiding the Demon who had killed his brother. But Raihma had locked in place, unable to move or speak. It was too much for him to bear. He had failed to avenge Pahni. The Demon got to his feet, stunned by the events that had took place. He stared at the two Elites, first at Ctean, unmoving and unbreakable as if his judgement was of rock, and at Raihma, who was completely overwhelmed by his brother’s intervention. Simon stopped beside him, relieved that he was not harmed. But Ennis had to force himself to acknowledge his team-mate’s presence, for his gaze was locked on the two Sangheili.

Raihma stared uncomprehendingly at his brother, his mandibles agape. Suddenly, grief overwhelmed him, and threatened to suck him down into the unfathomable abyss that had had forged itself from his failure. “Ctean?” he finally managed, his voice quivering with disbelief. "What have you done?"

((Jay, on the ground we have three other Spartans, Gideon, Alex, and David. But they haven't been on in over a month.))


"Care to explain what is going on, Raihma?" Simon asked coldly.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Sgt. A. Fried landed in an abandoned hanger inside the Long Road of Vengeance. As soon as the Pelican opened its rear doors the soldiers spilled out. There were eleven of them, with Fried being the twelfth soldier.

The group had come from one of the Insurrectionist Ships to investigate. O'Donnel had tried to contact the Arbiter over radio, but the Covenant Terrorists had failed to respond. And now we're stuck in this deathtrap, doing this pointless job. What if these aliens want to kill us? Didn't O'Donnel think of that?

Fried was an old soldier, he would turn sixty in three weeks. He was born in the war, and fought at Reach. That's when he learned of the vast extent of the UNSC's lies. I came here for truth, for justice, and this is where we are now? It's sickening.

Looking through the cockpit, Fried was surprised at the lack of guards. Instinctively his reflexes kicked in; he pulled out his pistol and examined the room. Is it a trap?

"C'mon guys, lets get going!" the Sergent called as he warily exited the Pelican. "Remember, only shoot in self defense, these guys are our friends, not enemies. Don't make any threating moves." He said it with a hint of disdain, and his team could tell that he was drilled to say it by the higher-ups. What bullshit. Where did my dream go?


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


The Engineer walked into the Control Room in utter shock. There lied dozens of dead Brutes. What happened here? Stupid Arbiter, was he too proud to raise the alarm?

"Here, come here, I wish to speak with you." A distant voice said.

The Engineer walked closer to the Command Module, stepping over the Arbiter's dead body. On a monitor in front of him he found the source of the voice, it was The Prophet of Forgiveness.

"The Arbiter has failed, I have a task for you."

The Brute stood in disbelief. What? Is the Prophet talking to me?

"Are you just going to stand there or will you talk, Jiralhanae?" The Prophet's words were calm and cool, yet anger and frustration dripped through this facade.

"I-I- I shall do as you command, Prophet."

"Good, now tell me; are the reserve nanobots intact?"

"Yes, Prophet of Forgiveness, they are safe." The Engineer stuttered.

"Excellent, take them, Jiralhanae, and bring them too me. Take the 17th escape pod; I have loaded it with my coordinates. If you do this, you will become great in my eyes, and in the eyes of the Gods." ~The True Words of the Prophet of Forgiveness

((I know what I will do! I will post a thread and find out what you guys think should happen to my character!))

(I'll wait for your thread, Jay.)

"Care to explain what is going on, Raihma?" Simon asked coldly.

But the words did not reach the Sangheili, his fraying attention focusing solely on his brother before him. Their swords still clashed, though neither had any force behind their stance. Ctean only stayed as he was because Raihma had not stood down from his killing blow, and Raimha lacked the desire to move at all. All he could do, it would seem, was await his brother’s reply and gape at him with sorrow streaming throughout his heart.

“Lower your weapon, Raihma,” Ctean commanded his brother with none of the compassion he usually held for him.

For a moment, Raihma did not react, as if the Elite’s words could not find a way through the maze of grief that racked him. Then he glanced up, unaware that their swords still challenged each other. A sob threatened to escape him as his weapon lost its brilliant, yet deadly glow. He lowered his arm as if he had been defeated, silently begging Ctean to tell him why he would deprive him of avenging Pahni’s cold, cold murder. The anger inside him tried to rear, but it was swept away by the wash of despair that flowed through.

“I have never doubted you before, Raihma ‘Mahritnaee. You are a warrior of fabled proportions, and there is no single warrior alive who has defeated you in combat. I could not think of another Sangheili I would rather be aligned with.” Ctean’s gaze did not relent, though his words became softer as he continued to address his brother. “You must understand, Raihma. The aggression that spurns you in battle is your most valuable asset to you, it is that which makes you so respected and feared. I do not judge you for it, as I fear you will never be parted from it. Whether you seek to rid yourself of your anger is not for the likes of me to decide, for such anger is your way, and I cannot ask of you to change who you are.”

Ctean sighed, dreading the words that he would have to speak next. “But this I can not condone. You seek to slay our ally, for the mere reason that you despise him. What makes you think that you are above such moral conduct? There is no honour is such an act, Raihma, you are merely doing as you see fit, unable to think ahead and see what havoc you may wreak.”

Upon hearing Ctean’s obliviousness to the treachery the Demon had committed, Raihma snapped.

“Do not speak to me of morality and honour! You know not what atrocities the Demon has wrought! You come in here and immediately assume, not taking the time to think what events had previously transpired! The Demon has murdered our brother Pahni in cold blood, throwing him to the void beyond!”

Ennis didn’t react to Raihma’s harsh statement, though he saw that Ctean was not the only one to have intruded without foreknowledge of what had happened beforehand. Though Ctean paused to consider his brother’s words, his reaction betraying him, he did not honestly believe the Demon to be capable of such an act. This would require his judgment.

He turned to the 2 Spartans with a question. “Is this true, Demon? Know that mistruths on your part will not invoke only Raihma’s desire to end you.”

Ennis stood firm, knowing he was right. All he had to do was let Ctean see the same. “No, Ctean. I didn’t kill Pahni. Let me explain what happened before Raihma arrived.” He eyed Raihma with mistrust, knowing that the Sangheili felt only hatred for him. “You see, I detonated a mine on the Phantom heading for Harvest that was going to release nanobots that had been programmed to destroy all that was on its surface. As the Phantom had already left this cruiser, I had no choice but to jump in an attempt to make it back here. I wouldn’t have made if it weren’t for Pahni.” He paused as Ctean stared at the Demon, realizing the magnitude of what Pahni had done. He did not need the Demon to tell him what had happened, but let him continue. “He jumped out of the ship, reaching me and throwing me inside. He sacrificed himself to save me. I tried to tell Raihma, but his anger acted for him, not letting him hear me out. I had no choice but to face him.”

Emotions clashed in Raihma, each jostling for the position of most control. His anguish wished to make Raihma pay for not listening, and his anger didn’t want Raihma to believe the Demon. It wanted the Rabbit’s life. His conflicting desires lashed at him, he did not know whether to side with Ctean or finish the Demon off here and now.

Yet Ctean remained blank, not letting his dislike of humanity affect his judgment of the Demon before him. He then turned to face Raihma.

“Perhaps, Raihma, you also arrived in this room and immediately assumed, acting without knowledge of what happened previously.”

His words were like blows to Raihma. His eyes pleaded to Ctean to change his mind, but even Raihma knew the folly of such an attempt. Ctean’s mind was of ancient rock, utterly unbreakable or moveable unless he chose otherwise. But Raihma could not admit defeat. Not even to his brother. He would not side with the traitorous Demon who had murdered his brother.

Ctean then turned back to Ennis. He approached him, gathering his words as he moved.

“Demon, hear me,” he implored Ennis, his shamed eyes asking for something Ennis would not likely give. “I cannot ask you to forgive my brother, nor to trust him. Our alliance has been severed, and I know no remedy for it. All I ask is that you tolerate our presence until we can go our separate ways. Will you adhere?”

Simon and Ennis looked at each other, silently conferring as to what their final act as 4 should be.

“Demon, hear me,” he implored Ennis, his shamed eyes asking for something Ennis would not likely give. “I cannot ask you to forgive my brother, nor to trust him. Our alliance has been severed, and I know no remedy for it. All I ask is that you tolerate our presence until we can go our separate ways. Will you adhere?”

Simon and Ennis looked at each other, silently conferring as to what their final act as 4 should be.

Ennis turned away from the Sangheili for just a moment. Even though he was listening to Ctean's words he couldn't help but notice the constant shimmers reflecting past Harvest.

"It's squashed Ctean, but we have more important things on our hands still." Rabbit said, pointing outside the bay towards Harvest.

One by one Simon and the Elites moved up next to Ennis to what he was pointing to.

"Shit, the Insurrectionists..." Simon started. "... What's the plan now?" The SPARTAN-III asked his comrade and the Sangheili.

"Are the weapon systems still online Sarah?" Ennis asked quickly, moving away from the group towards the center of the hangar.

"Yes they are Major. What's your plan?" She asked curiously.

"I don't know yet, I was hoping you had one already going." He joked hesitantly. "Projectors online?" Sarah responded with a simple Mhmm. "All Pulse Turrets? Torpedos and Plasma Turrets?" He asked.

"Yes Major, all weapon systems are still on-line." She responded.

"Well guys, wait and let the Insurrectionists board? Or open fire?" Ennis asked, leaving the debate open.

Simon holstered his Plasma Turret. "I'm up for some Boarding Action. What about you guys?" He gestured to the Elites.

(Grr! I want to do a few things, but I need approval. I'll have this post changed in an instant if this isn't acceptable.)

"Well guys, wait and let the Insurrectionists board? Or open fire?" Ennis asked, leaving the debate open.

Simon holstered his Plasma Turret. "I'm up for some boarding action (=O). What about you guys?" he gestured to the Elites.

Ctean gazed inquisitively at the smaller Demon, wondering who was talking to him. "To whom do you speak with, Demon?"

Ennis suddenly realized that the 2 Elites wouldn't know that AIs were able to function in a SPARTAN's neural interface. "Oh, right. I'm sorry, Ctean, there's an Artificial Intelligence stored in my head, she's just confirmed that this ship's weapon systems are online."

Silently, Ctean wondered how such a feat could be possible, but he disregarded the thought in place of the situation at hand. "I see," he said dismissively. Ctean pondered their options, though only to consider what would happen if they merely waited. "To wait for the humans to board, without even attempting to retaliate? Demon, your words are folly. We must take as many of their ships as possible while they remain without knowledge of our presence."

"Alright then," Simon acknowledged, putting the Covenant weapon down again with a hint of disappointment.

"Sarah?" Ennis asked, an idea forming in his head.

"Yes, Major?" the AI replied, wondering what question he could have about the ship this time.

"If I were to insert you into the ship's system controls, could you operate the weapon systems on your own?"

Why, yes. That doesn't sound like much of a problem. Athough, it may take a small while for me to properly infiltrate the system, as I wouldn't imagine I'd be welcome to take control without resistance from some sort of... juvenile opposition."

"Good." He looked up at his 3 remaining allies, newfound confidence running hot throughout him. "Men, I believe we have ourselves a plan. Simon and I are going to go over to the bridge and insert my AI, Sarah, into the ship's system controls, where she'll be able to control the ship's weaponry and hopefully tear a good chunk out of the Insurection's fleet before they realized what hit them. You two can stay here if you want," Ennis offered, letting the rest of the sentance go unsaid.

Ctean nodded, realising that the Demon was hinting for Ctean to sort Raihma out. "Very well."

The 2 SPARTANs turned around, only able to take 2 steps before Sarah started to talk in alarm.

"Major! Your motion tracker shows at least 12 enemies. They aren't heading this way, but from what I can tell, due to their apparent lack of Covenant armour and the registry of their weapons, they're Insurrection troops."

Ennis held a hand, signalling for his fellow SPARTAN to stop. "There are Insurrectionists aboard our ship. 12 of them."

Simon looked to Ennis, shocked. "How the hell did they ge-"

But Simon stopped talking as Raihma moved past him towards the bay doors, growling from deep inside his throat. "Humans," he muttered, intent with slaughtering the lot of them.

"Raihma, stop!" Ennis quietly commanded, urgency resonating in his voice.

Raihma turned around, driven by ferocity. Moving towards him, eventually he met face to face with the Demon. The mighty Sangheili towered over him, looking down at the one he yearned to slay with every fibre in his being.

"You do not command me, Demon!" he vehemently spat at Ennis, turning into a sprint for the bay entrance as his camouflage engaged. Ctean stepped forward, glancing at Ennis. The Sangheili's eyes told him that there was nothing for them to do but follow. Ctean quickly followed his brother's actions, also rather eager for blood.

"Damnit," Ennis muttered as the 2 SPARTANs were left with no choice but to aid the 2 Elites.