Fallen Star (IC) - FLASHBACK

[Huka]

Opening his eyes after playing dead, H'da watched the phantom speeding off. With some effort, the officer accessed his comlink, reporting to Zqai, "Brother, the heretics have the painting and is heading your way to retrieve their ally. Be ready."

On the other side, he could hear fierce fighting before Zqai breathed out, "I will be. They will not escape with that lie in their hands." "Good." H'da said before ending transmission.

Breathing hard, he looked at his wound...He have lost a lot of blood despite the plasma sword's burning. He have failed this objective and gotten wounded for it.

There is only one option.

"May the Inquisitors complete their holy mission and preserve the honor of the Covenant and all who praise the holy structure of the Forerunners." He prayed as he grabbed his plasma rifle, aimed it under its jaw, and fired as the last words left his mandibles.

On the other side, Zqai jumped off the roaring moonbeast, leaving behind a deep wound in its leg. "Accursed beast, perpare to fall to our holy blades!" He roared, his comrades surrounding the Heretic and his beast, a few of their own killed by either the beast's fangs, talons, and poisonous spikes or the Heretic's explosive Jiralhanae gun.

Then the whine of a phantom came in his ear, so the Heretics have come to die.

[z]

The Moonbeast roared and bucked, tearing into the body of a Special Operator. Rakath growled and twisted the blade, and the east groaned and took a step back, snapping to the left and right trying to reach Rakath, only receiving another twist of the blade.

Rakath continued to use both his Revolver and the Moonbeast to tear through the Covenant, his eyes blank and his mind only focused on killing, nothing else. the painting was nothing to him as he was, the lives of the others mattered not when Adrenaline hit Rakath's veins, his hearts pumping faster as the beast tore in to his enemies, his Revolver taking out the stranglers.

The beast roared at a cut in its leg and growled at the Special Operator who had done i, slashing at him swiftly before turning his head for a moment and looking at the Phantom, roaring up at it. Rakath looked up to it for a moment before back to the enemy, lifting his revolver and emptying the last rotation he had, the eight explosive bullets ramming into the enemies and the ground around them.

Letting his arm hang, his Revolvers tip smoking Rakah spoke into his comm.

"Yes, Legra it is... And I am under control of it. But just in case... Don't pull us up all the way, let me poke through the hole and keep the beat held up by the lift."

Rakath turned his head, sheathed his Revolver, and drew his Energy Staff, "The Covenant are pathetic against it.. .Imagine it armored and weaponized and under our control. Now, get me out of here and I say leave them to rot here on this Island... OR blow them to hell... Either way, get me the hell out of here."

Slashing a brave Special Operator cross the chest, Rakath pressed the button to his comm. "Roma... Roma can you hear me?" Rkath called into the Heretic channels.

"Fath-... Cov-... Ca-... No help-... Phantom-... .Dad! Dad! DAD!-..." The sound of a loud grunt and a thunk was heard on the other end.

"Roma? ROMA?!" Rakath called.

Nothing greeted him but static.

Rakath pressed his comm and called the Faith's bridge crew immediately. "Phma, Faith, can someone track Roma's signal?!"

Rakath roared in anger and tried to lunge at the Covenant with his mount, only to find himself lifted into the air along with his beast, the beasts quills and his own firing form his plasma rifle and plasma grenades flew down at them as he was pulled in to the Phantom, the beast awkwardly hanging in the bottom, held by the beam while Rakath stood on its back, pulling his curveblade form the monsters back and looking back at his comrades.

"The Covenant... Have Roma..." Rakath said blandly before walking to the side and sitting on the side of the Phantom, cleaning blood from his armor without another word.

[Huka]

Special Operations Officer Zqai

Having lost several warriors to the Heretic and his mount, Zqai was nearly killed himself, but luckily his reflexes were keen enough to evade and camouflage before the phantom moved to take both of them.

Acting fast, he jumped in the beam's gravital pull. Carefully manuever around the beast and into the phantom, he nearly made a misstep as he used the Heretic's rants to move to a safe corner of the phantom, away from everyone else.

Crounching low to remain hidden under his cloak, Zqai saw two of the Inquisitors' enemies inside as well, and there in one of their hands was the painting that H'Da spoke about.

How to destroy it?

[kartoffelfogel]

Huntsmaster Legra 'Adantee

"Rakath...had anyone else pulled that stunt, I would have called them foolish. Instead, I call you the most courageous Sangheili I have ever met."

The Phantom hurtled down now, swinging toward Rakath.

"That beast isn't going to be comfortable...but here goes!"

The Grav Lift swept over Rakath, plucking him off his moonbeast. The beast itself moved slowly, gradually lifted into the air, as it bucked and twisted, firing quills every which way.

Legra ducked as a quill flew over his head. He grimaced. He'd had bad experiences with such things.

Rakath came swirling into the Phantom. Legra grabbed him in a bear hug, arms around the larger Sangheili, and lifted him clear away from the Grav Lift before--

--the moonbeast slammed, tail first, into the Phantom. The impact jarred the vehicle, and the moonbeast's tail started whipping back and forth like an irritated cat. Roars could be heard beneath it.

"Get us out of here!" Legra bellowed. The pilot complied, throwing switches and grasping at holo-glyphs madly, eager to be away from the hellhole the Temple had become.

"Well, Rakath." Legra said. "Where to?"

[kartoffelfogel]

OVERALL FINISH

Following the climactic battle at the Forbidden Temple, the Heretics swiftly took over the entirety of Templar's Rest. The Inquisitors were unable to stop the Heretic Huntsmaster, Legra 'Adantee, from escaping with a valuable Forerunner painting depicting their true appearance--proof of the Prophet's lies.

The Inquisition's agents managed to recoup from their debacle, and escaped Templar's Rest with their lives...and one Roma--the daughter of Rakath 'Vkeelaii, leader of the Heretic Special Operations division.

The Heretics won an outstanding victory--they are now in possession of their own world, with factories, farms, and ships. They now control two ships, with which they drove off their Covenant enemies--the Shadow of Faith and the Rising Hope.

However, it would be wrong to say that the Covenant suffered a complete loss. The Inquisition made off with a valuable target, and while the Reticent lance may be gone...darker operatives have infiltrated Templar's Rest.