The New Covenant
Please note that this story takes place ten years after the end of the Halo series, where the Humans have rebuilt, and the Sangheili are now allies.
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The insectoid sat, cross legged on a traditional Egyptian style stone floor. Around him, décor of battle, ancient earth Egyptians, and scenes of the Covenant's greatest moments...and it's most horrible. It had been ten years since the breaking of the Covenant hierarchy. The prophets were dead, the remaining Jiralhanae that were loyal were either destroyed, or fled like cowards to their home worlds and the rest of the races loyal were scattered.
The insectoid, known as the Yakama' Ne were fiercely loyal to the Covenant, and it's cause as well. Early in the creation of the Covenant, they came across the Yanme'e. In that very same system, however, they found the Yakama' Ne. Hence the similar names. Oddly enough, the two insect creature's societies never met, despite being in the same system and having the technology to do so.
Unlike the Yanme'e, who were, for the most part like the Unggoy, simple troops, expendable in everyway, the Yakama' Ne were cherished warriors, just like the Sangheili. Also like the Sangheili, were their combat rituals, ethics, ethos and strength. Despite being smaller, both physically and structurally, the Yakama' Ne had a dense muscle structure that gave them the same strength as the Sangheili. Combine all that, and the fact they were just as loyal to the Covenant's cause, it would come no surprise the Yakama' Ne and the Sangheili were bonded close in combat. Fighting along side one another, even calling each other "brother".
The Yakama' Ne and the Sangheili were so entwined in the years following their discovery, the Sangheili even helped the Yakama' Ne set up their first Arbiter, along with the Sangheili version. This custom, though having it's roots in Covenant history, is still carried out in the Yakama' Ne society.
As the insectoid sat there meditating, two large doors behind him slid open silently, and in came two elites. One clad in gold, the other in blue colored armor.
"Arbiter, the ship was infiltrated, and it wasn't as expected." Said the gold armored while bowing along with the blue armored one.
"How so? In my experience...simple derelict ships don't have any "troubles" to them Zealot." The Arbiter said while his eyes still closed.
"That's it my liege. We've sent one unit of Sangheili elite rangers in, alongside the Yakama' Ne black guard via pod insertion...and well...each unit had it's casualties." The Zealot said while trialing off.
"Casualties?" The Arbiter said while opening his eyes, and getting up slowly. "Clarify what you mean by casualties..."
"Our troops, in joint operations did standard protocol Arbiter. Fearing it was possibly an infected ship, we left it alone. Then we saw it drifted into an asteroid field, take damage, and actually maneuvered it's self to the surface of the planet."
"So it's not derelict after all then Zealot. Must I define the definition?"
"No my liege...it's just the ship we've infiltrated, was actually inhabited...by a proph-"
"Blasphemy! You know never to speak that word!" The Arbiter shot out.
"Perhaps you would like to see for yourself, Arbiter." The golden elite motioned for the blue colored one to put up a helmet mounted camera feed on a large holo screen in the room.
The camera showed an Elite Ranger for the Sangheili in fierce combat with what looked to be the old units of the deceased Covenant order. Grunts, Brutes, Jackals and Hunters were all in a major combat with the Yakama' Ne and Sangheili forces on board.
Suddenly the Sangheili, who's helmet the camera was attached to, fell, shot in the chest by a grunt with active camouflage. The camera tilted a bit, to see a figure, old and frail, step off of a hovering chair of sorts, walk down a ramp from the main control bridge, and smile. The figure then lifted his arms up, stating-
"The ancients will provide, and you will be declared the true filth of the galaxy!"
Suddenly the grunt who shot the Sangheili ranger walked up, and shot it's pistol, ending the video in an emerald green blast.
The Arbiter stood there, shocked for a moment, just staring at the screen. Suddenly, after gazing at the sight of the frozen emerald bolt, the Arbiter jumped into immediate military action.
"Where is that ship?!" He growled at the Zealot.
"Intelligence states that it is still holding pos-"
"Good. Get Shadow of Intent, up and into combat alert. I will personally see that I am it's ship master. Have Glorious Battles, and Religious Retribution stand by incase battle occurs." He said while swiftly walking out of the room with the Zealot and the blue armored elite.
"We will need some time Arbiter. Glorious Battles is currently restocking, and Religious Retribution is currently under upgrading maintenance."
"Just get me those ships, Zealot!" He turned and faced the golden elite.
"It shall be done my liege!"
And with that, the golden armored elite, along with the blue armored elite, ran off to do as instructed.
Turning, the Arbiter pressed a holo panel on a stone surface, causing it to silently open. Revealing under white light was the cherished Arbiter armor.
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"Attention! Arbiter on deck!" The crimson elite roared.
As the Arbiter casually walked out of the Phantom drop ship, he walked across the hanger bay of the Shadow Of Intent, passing saluting Sangheili and Yakama' Ne alike.
"Welcome aboard ship master!"
"No time, have you spun up the slipspace drive?"
"Yes Ship Master! As instructed, the entire crew has been alerted to combat status, weapons have been inspected and are operational, slipspace drive is active and the bridge awaits your personal orders, as requested."
"Good. Time is of the essence. I want that ship before it leaves that planet!"
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"Coming out of slipspace, in 5 Ship master!" Yelled the elite from the command controls.
"Immediately following reentry, I want to know everything about this ship! Weapons systems, damage, troop capacity, everything!" The Arbiter barked from his elevated position on the bridge.
"Reentry now!"
"Picking up pings from multiple objects...analyzing. Sir, we've managed to jump, just inside an asteroid field, as for the ship, I'm detecting it's position is just north of the planet's equator."
"Make a course for that ship, level off, and keep a distance of 5 kilometers from the target's bow."
"Aye sir! Plotting!"
"Sir, we're not receiving any signs from this ship of any activity. No internal energy responses pinged, no weapons systems, nothing."
"They're playing dead officer." The Arbiter said while staring at the bridge's main holo panel. "They're just waiting."
"Ship Master, course completed, leveled off from the target's bow, 5 kilometers!"
The Arbiter returned to his seat, pressed some controls, and began speaking.
"This is the Yakama' Ne ship Shadow Of Intent to unknown ship of unknown classification. You are in restricted space! Identify or we will engage."
Silence.
"Arbiter...are you su-"
"This is the Shadow Of Intent! You show the markings of a Covenant Cruiser class. Identify, or we will cut you down!"
Suddenly there was a response.
"The gods have foreseen your arrival Arbiter." The crew immediately broke into hushed whispers about how they could have known an Arbiter was on board. "You will see the light. The Sangheili are weak and blind...but your race is still strong."
Suddenly the cruiser shot something from it's bow. A slow moving projective, bulky and cylindrical.
"Report! What did they just fire upon us?"
"Unknown Arbiter! Analyzing weapon basis!"
"Arbiter! Projectile is now 2 kilometers off our bow and closing fast!" Yelled the elite at the weapons controls.
"Report!" The Arbiter yelled.
"Ship Master, it's not in any of the weapons data ba-"
"1 Kilometer and closing!"
Suddenly a loud ping came from the weapons analyst's post. "Ship Master, it's a human weapon! An EMP!"
"Cleaver bastards! Hard port!"
The ship began to move to the left to attempt to dodge the incoming projectile. But it was too close. The large bulky cylindrical device was traveling at a velocity so slow, in fact the ship's shields had no ability to deflect it. The shielding technology had a fundamental flaw in them. They could deflect high velocity projectiles like bullets, and could absorb energy based weaponry. Yet at slower velocities, like rockets, they could completely bypass the shield's abilities, therefore leaving the user (or ship in this case) completely open to attack. Once the object came in contact with the hull, the ship immediately lunged the opposite direction from the impact force.
"Ship Master! The EMP has attached it's self to our starboard hull, just off the bow!"
"Shields! Weapons! Life support! Someone give me a reading!" The Arbiter shouted while pounding his fist into the arm of the command chair.
"Shields are offline!"
"Weapons offline!"
"I'm attempting to restart life support systems all over the ship!" Barked various crew members on the bridge's command stations.
The Arbiter slumped in his chair. Thinking, he immediately stood up.
"Zealot!"
"Yes, Arbiter!" He replied.
"We're going on the offensive, summon the Yakama' Ne! All Sangheili are to stay aboard! I want them to defend against possible boarding craft!"
"It shall be done!" He said while running off.
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"Cover the flanks! The flanks!"
"Flare out!"
"Heretic scum!"
Mixed shouts of battle surrounded the hanger of the enemy cruiser. Looking behind him, the Arbiter saw the downed drop ships he and his troops had come in. What awed him wasn't the fact they were waiting for them. But was the fact that all the weaponry that was around the hanger...it was way old. Spirit drop ships instead of Phantoms, old versions of the Shade placement gun and old versions of the basic Covenant ground and air force vehicles.
"Was this particular group stocking up old weaponry from the first Halo engagement?"
Shaking his head to relieve these thoughts, the Arbiter quickly rejoined in the battle. Though outnumbered, they still had the advantage. Each Yakama' Ne was heavily equipped, each carrying their own two Plasma Riles at their sides, Plasma Pistols strapped to their chest armor, Plasma Repeater Rifles or even Needlers or the Needle Rifle on their back.
The enemy however, still did know the layout of the ship and even had a decent amount of Hunters waiting for them, despite being equipped with some outdated equipment and lightly armed.
"Let us go my brothers!" The Arbiter shouted as he stood up and out of cover from some fallen Covenant crates. "The gods favor our battle! For the alliance!"
Suddenly, his hands reached behind him on his belt and retrieved two energy swords while activating them in one motion. Thrusting one towards the enemy, he began the charge across the wide open hanger, plasma of all colors flying everywhere.
Following the lead of their holy leader, the rest of the Yakama' Ne began hopping over the crates they too were using as cover. Some activating their own energy swords, while firing a Plasma Rifle with the other hand. Others stowed their weapons on their armor, and ran while pulling out what looked like a spear of sorts with a very short handle. Activating the collapsible handle, the spear's length tripled, and they began charging with spears pointed horizontal towards the wall of enemy soldiers.
Needler rounds managed to find their mark on some of the charging members of the Arbiter's race. Some managing to completely down their shielding and penetrate in deadly locations such as the skull or chest. Others succumbed to the hail of plasma bolts that managed to smash into their chest or shoulders, causing them to stumble and become a massive incapacitated target.
Finally after losing a third of his invasion force from the initial firefight and this current charge, the Arbiter could finally dish out some revenge for his fallen comrades. A Hunter stood in his way of a golden colored Brute, which if anything told him who was in command, it was this Brute's color. So he made it his priority to kill the leader first, and deal with the peons next.
He jumped as the Hunter went to swipe it's massive shield at him. Landing on the hunter's shoulders, he made quick work of shoving both energy swords in it's neck, casing it to fall backwards with him leaping off. Landing, he began an immediate sprint to the golden Brute, who now saw him coming and stood ready with a red Plasma Rifle.
The Arbiter jumped at the first sight of the red plasma, and rolled to the right. Doing this quick maneuver brought him within feet of the slow reacting Brute. He jumped for the Brute's weapon, and managed to swipe his side with his free sword. The Brute stumbled back a bit, now unarmed went furious and grabbed the Arbiter by the neck and threw him the opposite direction.
The Arbiter landed against the wall with a clank of his armor, losing his swords in the process. As the Brute roared and began it's charge, suddenly a spear flew from the battle, and impacted the side of the charging Brute, causing him to fly in the opposite direction of the spear, landing dead.
Getting up, he quickly retrieved the two energy swords he had, and looked to the Yakama' Ne who had just saved his life, and offered a nod. With the leader out of the way, the Covenant forces inside the hanger fell quickly, and retreated further into the ship.
"Report." The Arbiter said as the remaining forces fell into a group.
"Fifteen KIA, Sire."
Looking over the carnage, he was actually proud of the fallen soldiers. Each one was still in a battle pose, even in death and were surrounded by at least a dozen Covenant bodies.
"Was not expecting this much of a welcome." He said flatly, turning back the group. "Listen. We came with thirty, and are standing with half that force now. That means that this ship, though small, is packed with enemy forces."
"Then let us kill them all!" Yelled a Yakama' Ne in teal color armor.
"We shall do better than that! We shall cut the head of this organization, and set fire to them from our ship, laughing as they squirm in the heat!"
After a few minor engagements with the enemy in small passageways and corridors, they arrived to a main hallway and followed the many turns and forks. After noticing the increasing difficulty to progress, they knew they were getting close to the ship's bridge.
"Zehel! Give me a scan." The Arbiter ordered as he stood beside a large door.
The Yakama' Ne ran to the door, placed a device upon it, and began scanning. After a minute or so, they all heard the report they wanted.
"It's the bridge sire! Only a few Covenant detected."
"Good. Everyone listen up. I want every explosive you have on this door immediately!"
After loading all the explosives on or near the door, the Arbiter took on last look from around a corner of the hallway. Given the right circumstance, it would have actually been comical. The door was obviously loaded with an over excessive amount of plasma grenades and the Yakama' Ne version of C4. But nonetheless, he wanted that door blown wide open.
And blow it wide open it did. After the charges went off, the place where the door stood was now a jagged, gaping hole with smoldering metal as it's frame. Using the element of surprise from the explosion, the Arbiter and the remaining Yakama' Ne ran inside, and quickly dispatched the golden Brute guards.
"You caused this to happen!" The Arbiter snarled as he pointed his Plasma Rifle at the prophet. "You shouldn't even be alive!"
"Nor should you be Arbiter." He said with a calm grace.
"You shall die here, an-"
"I think not Arbiter." The prophet said with a graceful gesture.
Suddenly, as if materializing out of nowhere, dozens of armored Brutes appeared, accompanied by Grunts and Jackals. In a matter of seconds, a once thought secure area, turned out to be a trap.
"Lower your weapons...we mean you no harm in this room." The prophet said with that same calm voice.
"Mean us no harm! You think us fools! The engagement in the han-"
"Was only brought upon because you fired first if I recall." He gestured to a video feed that showed a Phantom drop ship coming in the hanger, immediately firing upon the Covenant forces who stood at the ready.
"You are surrounded...and I need to enlighten you. Stand there if you wish with your weapons raised if you will...it will do you no good." He said, motioning to the massive amount of forces in the bridge room.
"Lower..." He growled over his shoulder to his squad.
As promised, the Covenant did nothing but stay on alert, not firing a shot.
"Good. Now we can begin."
"Begin?"
"The new Covenant of course!" He spoke with enthusiasm.
"Blasphemy! You speak a forgotten name!" The Arbiter shouted. "They were run by suicidal maniacs who had little understanding of the rings! Then even threw away their most cherished warriors like scum!"
"Yes, yes I know this...sad actually." The prophet said as he lowered his head a bit. "You see though Arbiter, I was a member of the council, and the only one to survive before the parasite took High Charity. I saw your race, even yourself. As you live for quite a while."
"You lie. Everyone on High Charity was killed."
"No Arbiter...you would say that. But I was quite young when I saw your race introduced to the Covenant. Now look...I am frail and old...but not without knowledge!" He said bowing a bit.
"Look! This will not be about the rings themselves as a whole, but as the Forerunner structures as our goal!" He said motioning to three large monitors, which showed the rings, Forerunner structures and holy temples.
"Arbiter! Look what has happened! The humans! Defiling relics as they are allowed to rebuild, destroying vital history! Surely you'd think this is true blasphemy!" He said, dramatically pointing to each of the monitors.
Each showed human bases, built upon ground which covered ancient Forerunner structures, destroyed rings and holy temples being desecrated by the humans as they blew them up, fearing they were a weapon.
"Surely Arbiter...you'd think this is blasphemy..." He repeated.
"The humans build their ignorant bases, cities and military might on the Forerunner holy ground...I want that ground preserved and cherished...and taken."
"Yet you hold the position of a prophet, and allowed this to happen, this breaking of the Covenant to happen!" The Arbiter shot out.
"I could do nothing!" He shot back, but calmed down. "Are you sympathetic Arbiter? I sense great burden upon your words when it comes to the Covenant order. If I'm not mistaken...your race owes a lot of it's existence to the Covenant in fact."
The Arbiter looked around, ashamed, but humbled by his words. It was true. The Yakama' Ne race was in danger of going extinct. Not from war, but from natural disease, and the horrible birth rates they had. For every five hundred to a thousand eggs laid inside a female, maybe only six at the most would be birthed, the rest dead. That and the fact that each male that mated with a female of his species signed their own death warrant, for the female killed the male, just as a praying mantis would.
The Covenant saw this, and wanted to preserve it's new class of warriors, and began a massive egg protecting program. Using advanced techniques in breeding, and incubation, combined with the face the Yakama' Ne males mated with Sangheili females all contributed to a massive increase of his race's numbers.
There it was then. His own thoughts laid out. He was a loyalist. Even from the death, he supported the alliance between the humans and the Sangheili. Yet, he always wondered. But now, it was all in the open, his thoughts reflected his next action and it took a second for him to register the situation.
Then came a move that would change everything.
"What would you have the Yakama' Ne do?" He said bowing before the prophet.
Seeing the Arbiter bow, the Yakama' Ne soldiers quickly did the same, as they were fiercely loyal, maybe not the prophet or even this cause, but to the Arbiter himself.
"Good...very good." He said folding his hands as the Brutes and surrounding forces lowered their weapons.
He turned and pressed a holo panel and began broadcasting a message to the Shadow Of Intent, as well as broadcasting it in all directions for everyone to hear.
"This is the Prophet of Reconcile, aboard the New Foundation. The Covenant is reborn!"
He turned to the kneeling Arbiter and with a calm voice he said, "Take care of the Shadow Of Intent."
Lifting his head, with glowing purple eyes the Arbiter replied, "It shall be done, Hierarch."