Welcome to Gaia! ::

:/{ Hand of Perdition, Special Operations Officer; Zhar Vak 'Kuvamee
:/{ Flagship; Exalted Deliverance, Assault Carrier
:/{ The Bridge

Standing behind their commanding SpecOps Officer on board, Kuz and Vako stood more rigidly than anyone could have expected from the two Sangheili polar opposites. Like statuesque bodyguards on either side of Zhar Vak 'Kuvamee, the two elite SpecOps comrades refused to budge even an inch unless their leader commanded it. With a forward position on the observation deck of the bridge, Zhar stood and stared at the massive construct of the Ancients. At first, he was in disbelief that the humans had led them here. In a wild thought, he believed for a moment that the humans had every intention of coming to this Holy Relic as some sort of defensive strategy. Then the blunt reality fell in upon him - the humans had no hopes of a defensive maneuver against a fleet this size, but as all things revolve around luck in this galaxy, he considered the possibility that the humans would use the Relic as a sort of untouchable safety zone. No Covenant ship would dare to damage a Holy Relic, and doing so could comdemn them to death, or worse if deemed necessary by the Hierarchs.

'Kuvamee held the Relic in a certain light within his thoughts but turned suddenly to address the situation at hand. Like a god pulling stars apart, the two sangheili SpecOps instantly side-stepped to let him pass while he was closely followed and made his way up to the main deck of the bridge. There waiting for him was the Supreme Commander, and many unanswered questions. The human vessel was in sight, why not pursue it? The humans would obviously try to stain the Holy Relic, why not stop them, or land and extinguish the threat before the disease known as humanity could spread across the Relic? Upset could have been one way to describe his feelings at the moment, but like every SpecOps sangheili warrior, he never once let his feelings ever surface, not even anger. This made him dangerous, but what unnerved him so was the fact that the Supreme Commander had no response to his sudden explanations and blithe disregard for the obviously higher-rank officer. Either the sangheili was stunned or apalled. Calling to the commander before reaching his side, he once again spoke out of turn but showed very little care as he continued, "Supreme Commander Naun 'Var Nnaolee. I am inclined to come to understand your most recent inaction against the humans. They begin their descent upon the Holy Relic, and you know the Prophets will show no mercy to you or this fleet if they succeed in landing." More a threat than a warning, though his tone suggested that he no longer cared how he spoke to the sangheili.

Kumar, Whitney // E-5
> UNSC Iron Sunrise
>> Drop Deck.

She cringe when Compton hugged her. But what really pissed her off was the last line. She was defiantly ready to make him into a it. She did like him, but that was just asking to be shot. She carried on making sure her pod was ready to go, restraining herself. But she did notice that Compton got a message from Mitchell. She then watched at the table lit up brightly. Her eyes widened under her visor. She walked over.

Upon the helmet visor, was reflected this glowing space flower. Whitney thought it was beautiful. But it is also our battlefield. She was focused, so she called up the areas the covenant had already started to occupy. They seemed to be taking the place over quite quickly in a lot of places.
"Well, that complicate things."
She then got it pulled it back out to full view, and just stared a lot more.

Uhttonu Hasu Illu
Ninth Age of Reclamation
Mgalekgolo Major
>> Exalted Deliverance

Uhttonu was among the few in Mgalekgolo in the history of his species to survive the loss of a Bond Brother. Despite not being a bonded one, he had been allowed to keep his shoulder spines, as a way of declaring his past achievements and the strength of his character. Having gone into deep depression he had tried to commit ritual suicide several times, but his Sangheili masters would not allow this. He was too useful on the battleground. In time, Uhttonu had come to accept the teachings of the Lekgolo’s ancient traditions. He took the lessons of inner peace and meditating on ones self to heart, and with them, he was able to overcome the loss. Now something unique among the Lekgolo, he was a prized member of the Fleet of Continual Light. Not only had he recovered from the loss of a Bond-Brother, but he had slain a Demon; an achievement that not many in the Covenant had accomplished. Perhaps that alone was the reason he had been given to this disgraced fleet. He was charismatic and influential among the Lekgolo. He was old and well learned, followed the ancient ways, and he was one of the only remaining Mgalekgolo from before the subjugation of his species. For these reasons he was a potential source of trouble for the Covenant Masters. While it was perhaps mere paranoia that guided the Prophets more than rational thought, he could not argue their decision. It was best to place a threat under constant supervision in a group seeking to prove itself. Such a threat would be reformed or destroyed in the process. Of course, the Lekgolo would never leave the Covenant. They were too closely tied to the Sangheili now, for both species shared many cultural similarities. The Lekgolo respected the Sangheili for their warrior mentality and their efficiency in the field. It was only due to the unique nature of Mgalekgolo anatomy that made them nearly unstoppable in battle. They were colonies of individual Lekgolo, united to create a single mind and body. Of all the species of the Covenant and that had been encountered, the Lekgolo were unique. Alien. Uhttonu liked it that way. He did not care for the Covenant’s worship of ancient relics and technology.

Nor did he care for the words given by the Special Operations Officer speaking with the Fleet Master. Uhttonu had sworn loyalty to the Covenant during the 23rd Age of Doubt. He had served his Fleet Masters without hesitation from the first day till this day. His loyalty was absolute. He would not fail his masters. But he would not allow them to be bullied and insulted by those of lesser standing. This interloper sent by the Council was… annoying. The Fleet Master’s will was absolute. But even his will was tempered by that of the Prophets with the Fleet. Either this Officer did not know of them or did not care. Regardless, his tone of voice was enough to convey a threat. And a threat to the Fleet Master would not be tolerated. The bonded Mgalekgolo pair that composed the Ship Master’s most dedicated guardians rumbled a challenge and shook their spines in anger. This manner of behavior was unacceptable, even for a representative of the Hierarchs. Uhttonu did not follow exactly in the course of action that his fellow Mgalekgolo had chosen. Instead he pushed his way to stand behind the Special Operations Commander and rumbled a deep growl that was felt more than heard. Uhttonu was tall, even for Mgalekgolo standards. He stood one inch below thirteen feet, and unlike the other species of the Covenant, the Mgalekgolo never removed their armor unless it was undergoing repairs. The Assault Cannon mounted on his right forearm and the massive shield mounted on his left, combined with the spikes on his shoulders created a very intimidating picture. Rather than vocalize a threat, as the two guardians had done, Uhttonu merely vocalized his disapproval of the lesser Sangheili’s behavior. Technically the Sangheili held a higher rank than Uhttonu, but the disrespect being shown was a tremendous breach of Sangheili, and Covenant social protocol. The Supreme Commander was the Master of all things in this Fleet. And the Mgalekgolo would ensure that this remained the case.

Commander Andrew Poole
>1005 Hours
>> UNSC Iron Sunrise
>>>Bridge

Poole's entire body was stone cold, his hands trembled furiously--which he fought back as best as he could. This couldn't be happening. This could not be happening. There was an entire fleet waiting for them. A God damned fleet. Were they ever going to get a break? It didn't look like anything of the sort would happen soon. As white as snow, the Commander desperately tried to keep himself at least sounding strong, for his crews sake. Even in odds like these, he couldn't look weak.

But despite his best efforts to be strong, Poole was still frozen in his seat. His crew nervously waited orders, but dared not look at him in case he was indeed as terrified as they thought. He continued to stare at the screen, watching the fleet that awaited them, but something finally ripped him from his shocked state. They were sending Seraphs. Immediately he brought up the COM to the hangars and barked out his orders.
"Attention, all Longsword pilots, get to your birds. We've got some trouble heading our way."
Shutting that off, he turned his attention to his crew.
"Send our...guest up here ASAP. I need him."
"Protocol, sir?" Aquinas asked softly, a hint of fear in her voice.

What a strange AI. Out of all the ones Poole had ever encountered, none were as...human as she was. He only thought emotions such as sarcasm were a part of an AIs personality, because most seemed to be like that. But that wasn't the case for her. Anger and sarcasm were very rare. Fear, and concern were more prominent though, especially now, because she had never left the ship. It's what she was. She was the Sunrise. She made it feel like a home.

"Yes, Aquinas, Protocol. There's no other choice. "
"I understand."

-----

She kept a small portion of herself occupied in the Drop Deck, displaying the structure on the main briefing table for the ODSTs to look over, while also trying to discover it's purpose at the same time. From what she saw, the flower shaped structure looked like a weapon. But what threw her off, was the planetary body in the center. If only she could get a better look...

Turning her attention away from the structure, she took note of the ODSTs reactions to it. Many were in shock, and didn't say anything. Others began to head towards their pods, and the higher ranked messed with the image to help build a strategy. That was good, because an unprepared CO, was a dead one.

"Be prepared to drop at any given time, troopers." She suggested. "We've got Seraphs incoming, and the Commander wants some ground forces ready to serve as scouts."

:/{ Hand of Perdition, Special Operations Officer; Zhar Vak 'Kuvamee
:/{ Flagship; Exalted Deliverance, Assault Carrier
:/{ The Bridge

Despite the odds stacked against them, Zhar and his comrades remained stoic, or at least he managed to. Kuz 'Teml Travolee seemed unsettled by the mere fact that his commanding officer had not only disrespected a higher status Sangheili, but now had the brute strength of three Mgalekgolo to deal with. Not enough so to physically show that he was nervous, but the mere size and imposing figure of the Major behind them was enough to set him on edge, and it was obvious in his body language by the way he occasionally peered back at the Mgalekgolo but never fully faced it.

Vako Ras Milormee was completely unfazed, just as Zhar stood. He was a long-time veteran of the Covenant wars and even the civil rebellions where he had faced off against a much more threatening and dangerous foe. This new ragtag group of Mgalekgolo almost made him laugh, but the fact that they had an oversized, and overzealous Major was something to draw his attention to and remain vigilant. Although it had been known for small riots to break out among the Unggoy and Kig-Yar upon war vessels, their Sangheili overseers needed to set an example by remaining disciplined and mentally prepared for battle. He was disappointed by Zhar's actions and words. In a certain perspective, the old 'graboid' as Kuz had so delicately called him considered the youngest of the three on their SpecOps team like his own child. He would never treat Zhar in such a way, but always had respect for him and was always there for his support.

Zhar Vak 'Kuvamee stood in the middle of what nearly could have been a very unsettling confrontation, had he not heard the subtle hum of disapproval that Vako seemed to emanate whenever something upset him. Though he never appeased, and never negotiated, he did hold a profound respect for the older Sangheili and if something wasn't right, according to Vako, then it wasn't right at all. He knew; more blatantly than any of the Sangheili there could afford him, that he had far overstepped his bounds and had highly disrespected a Fleet Master, and now his own reasoning seemed to be slipping out the airlock. Ever the faithful warrior and loyal servant of the Hierarchs, he knew more than he needed to and his frustration was being channeled through his actions against one of his own kin. Sworn upon a threat of death that he would never speak of the atrocities he knew of, he had to hang his head for a moment and recollect himself before turning again to Naun 'Var Nnaolee.

"Supreme Commander Naun 'Var Nnaolee. Pardon my outburst. There is much unsettling news, but I cannot speak of it at this time. Knowing it alone is clouding my judgment. I have yet to receive my next duty from the Prophets, but I feel that my presence upon this Holy Relic is unworthy of me unless deemed necessary. Is there anything which is needed at this time of me, Supreme Commander?" Zhar spoke with a certain self-loathing that seemed present throughout his entire apology, but what should have stood out was that he was obviously hiding something and though he could not tell of this secret, it tore at the very fabric of his being and he was ready to throw away his title and confront the Prophet of Supposition with his knowledge.

»»»Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Continual Light; Naun 'Var Nnaolee
»»Flagship; Exalted Deliverance, Assault Carrier
»Bridge

Naun listened to Zhar, though did not turn to face him, since he needed to be ready to command the fleet at any moment. Grunting in mild understanding, he cast a quick glance at his display. The human's were scrambling their starfighters. Good. This might be over quicker than he thought. Thinking a moment on the Officer's question, the Supreme commander eventually nodded. "Yes, I believe there is." Motioning for the mgalekgolo to stand down, he waited for the rumble of his guards before he continued.

"Over the years of fighting, the humans have been adamant in not allowing us to capture their ships for information." Stepping to the side a bit to reveal the tactical display, he pointed towards the human ship. "I have no doubt that they will attempt to prevent any information capture. If we are to preserve the ship, then their self-destruct must be disabled." Pausing, he glanced over the battlefield again, making sure that he understood what was happening at that moment. "In that light, I request that you go across to their ship on one of the boarding craft."

Ha! Humbling himself to the point of requesting Zhar Vak 'Kuvamee's cooperation. Had it not been for the fact that they were the Hand of Perdition, it would have been an order! "You have permission to have any competent warrior accompany you as an Ossoona." Ossoona were not meant for combat, and only one who has reached the rank of Major could don the armour. Their major points were information and stealth. Only they had the recording equipment needed to gain some of the more sensitive information. Only sangheili were trusted enough, or able enough in some cases, for the role. Enough time had passed now to reveal the holes in the wall of seraphs keeping the humans separated from the Holy Relic.

Contacting another of the ships, 'Var Nnaolee ordered them to reinforce the wall, evening out the defense of the ancient installation. No chances could be taken. This was the most important discovery the Covenant had made in his lifetime. Humans could not be allowed to defile it. Besides, he had enough problems with have two san 'shyuum with his fleet. The Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Continual Light could do without the pressure that the situation afforded.

: razz FC Kyle Svetly-Berg
::UNSC Iron Sunrise
::Elevator enroute to Hangar Bay 04
Kyle held his BR55 tightly, getting nervous. He survived Reach and felt that was enough to live through. He looked around as the 20 Marines on the freight elevator stood quiet, except for four Lieutenants chattering in the back.

Kyle stood there, thinking of how all three times he'd seen combat, there was a quiet, dulled calmness before the 'storm' that made everything so horrible once planet-side.

He sighed deeply, looked around again, this time trying to remember the faces of the men he may never see again as the elevator descended. The loud, impending drone of the alarm, stating the freight elevator was lowering onto the drop deck.

Kyle looked around as Marines hustled around the deck and moved about, doing work. A few longswords slid across the ceiling of the hangar, prepping to move out. Marines around him looked around nervously, seeing a Chaplain saying a prayer to men, pilots checking pre-set flight patterns, and a handful of machanics going over some gun shematics.

The Lieutenant over Kyle had pulled the Marines aside as the three other Lieutenants headed off somewhere unknown. The Lieutenant with the Marines looked to them for moment, "We have no idea what they're gonna throw at us...So, we need to take as much as we can carry. Double med-kits, frags, ammo. And remember in this type of combat, we can lose numbers fast. So, get ready for anything. Don't think; act."

Kyle gulped as he watched a clipboard come up as the names were read off it. He stepped to the side as his was called off. He watched as the men seperated and talked quietly. He stood there, wondering if he'd ever see home again; silent and motionless.
Watching the pelicans in the bay get slid across the ceiling on beams gave him a slight boost in confidence that he would survive. However, the confidence was deminished as troops to his right knelt before a Marine with a white color on his shirt, crosses on his armor; a Catholic Chaplain. This signaled those Marines wanted last rites because they felt they would not return.

::: 29th Shock Battalion
::: 105th Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Division
::: Combat Team E

3... 2... 1... Mark.

Red alarm lights flashing and sirens pounding in the ear of every Marine and civilian aboard the UNSC Iron Sunrise. Muffled by the sealed hatches of the SOEIVs as a hiss of pressurization filled the drop bay. Bay doors opening beneath their feet to reveal the massive construct they were intent on landing upon. All this happened in a matter of seconds as the small latch holding the SOEIVs inside the bay released the pods and they began their descent toward the target. Floating in dead space, minutes lasted for hours and everything seemed to slow down. From the Iron Sunrise shrinking behind them to the tiny tear-drops sitting between them and the target, growing in size quicker than any of them hoped. Everything was relative to them as they reached a marked point of 120 klicks from the Sunrise. Just then, streaming shots of plasma rained upward at their pods.

Most saw the shots coming since most of the shots missed the tiny pods anyway. Unfortunately, two of the SOEIVs didn’t engage manual evasive maneuvers in time and finally targeted by the Covenant Seraphs, the pods were splashed with plasma. Cracking and eventually shattering the reinforced glass on the pod due to the intense blast and heat, the pressurized zone instantly became a vacuum and the two pods spun wildly out of control. One of them managed to swerve and clip another SOEIV at its top, ripping off the drag chute and sending it into its own rapid spiral. Once near enough to the Seraph fighters, most of the pods somehow managed to slip through but some slammed down into the ships, taking each other out. Two of the disabled pods missed the ships completely, and left the ODST without a drag chute to drop perilously down onto the structure at a neck-breaking velocity.

Thinking the worst was over; the ODSTs had another wave of plasma fly down at them and had to blindly outmaneuver the fighters which were now following them down to the surface of the structure. Forced apart by the Seraphs overhead, each ODST made their own way down to one of the two extended arms of the structure now in sight and availability to drop onto. Despite all this, the barrage of plasma continued to rain down upon them. First Sergeant Mitchell managed to escape the worst of the plasma rain as he, Gunnery Sergeant Compton, and Private Pindros veered far right to what looked like an expanse of ocean with hundreds of islands dotting the surface as they descended downward. Mandated for survival over everything in a drop, the ODSTs split up reluctantly but continued to their intended target.

Pushed away from their team, Sergeant Kumar, Corporal Formoe, and Lance Corporal Liengod made for the lush, thickly forested habitat upon the structure and spreading their formation to make themselves smaller targets, each of them descended into their own hell until the rain of plasma suddenly stopped. They would never know if it was a blessing or a curse, but once their heart came to a regular pace for a 200 klick drop from dead space, they focused on finding a safe place to land. That’s when everything went wrong.

The sound of metal against atmosphere became near deafening to the ODSTs, though they were used to the sound. What was most unsettling was a whining sound coming from just behind Sergeant Kumar’s seat. Unable to conjure an idea as to what the sound might have been, a half-second passed and deep inside the SOEIV, one of the back-up fuel tanks was heard crunching up. Dented from some reckless accident during maintenance and overlooked upon inspection, the tank was fiercely compressed by the atmospheric pressures forced in on it and once it crumpled to the size of a scuba tank, it exploded violently. Jarring the Sergeant within her pod, she slammed forward with enough force to snap one of the belts on her harness and smashed her head and right shoulder against the inside of the hatch. Suddenly pulled backward by the force of the pod beginning a dangerously rapid spin during its descent, she was slammed into the back of the seat and held there by the force of the spin her pod was in. Meanwhile, Corporal Formoe’s SOEIV was in no better condition.

Unknowingly glanced by a round of plasma across the top of his SOEIV, he entered the atmosphere with no problems but once the red hot burn cooled off and he was nearing a good landing zone, all hell broke loose. Reaching over and manually ejecting the drag chute, the plasma atop his pod had melted away one of the flaps and nearly welded it to the top. Opening at an angle and flipping over to stand straight upward on top of the pod for a moment, it appeared like a small metal flag, flapping in the wind. Suddenly jerked to the left by the force of the chute pulling his pod, the chute eventually snapped off the top of the pod and fully extended, but it was already too late. Swiveling pathetically above the pod, the chute was nearly at the same altitude of the pod itself as it descended the last two klicks at a sharp angle.

Sergeant Kumar could barely keep her vision focused for more than a few moments while the g-forces pulling her around nearly brought her to a state of unconsciousness. Automatically engaging the drag chute at three klicks from the surface, the SOEIV slowed its descent just enough for her to survive the fall with nothing more than a headache from the violent spinning as the altitude meter cracked and stuck at two thousand feet. Silence and mystery filled the pod just before the violent collision jarred her about the pod once again, this time smacking the back of her helmet against the seat. A dazed and dizzy Sergeant Kumar watched in futility as water began to climb up along the hatch of the pod but luckily stopped about halfway up.

Corporal Formoe was not so lucky. Shredding trees branches and breaking through a solid trunk, the pod landed at a sharp angle, almost on its side with a fierce explosion of dirt and rocks being thrown up into the air. Against all odds, the pod somehow managed to land with its hatch unhindered by the ground but dented by the impact with the thick redwood tree and malfunctioning. Having slammed his head against his seat one too many times and nearly snapping his neck from the whiplash at the angle he landed, he too found himself dizzy and trying desperately to find a focus in his vision.

][ For the ODSTs landing and not specifically mentioned in this cutscene, please feel free to make up a landing scenario for yourselves. ][