CHAPTER 25
Minister of the Sufficient Record inhaled another waft of a batch of inexpensive herbs as he tried to calm his newfound anxiety. He stared at the two red armoured honor guardsmen who stood either side of the door to his chamber, he suddenly felt strongly he may have needed more.
The high Prophet of Truth had placed Record in charge of overseeing the unearthing of a grand relic beneath the rock of the moon ever since he had received his own. A grand, important task to one such as himself, a mere scribe. Record's charge was his name-sake, to record and study the forerunners their Covenant looked up to as divine beings, but he also had another: to study and document the adversaries of the Covenant, such as humanity, and then the sangheili or "elites" as the humans called them long before and what had lead to the founding of the Covenant. He studied their enemies with disturbing accuracy towards their culture, history and tradition, while others within the Covenant, notably the Hierarchs made haste with their ruthless searches of human ships, to pluck their navigation charts in order to discover more human worlds, humanity was an affront to the Covenant's beliefs, and their termination was ordered by Truth as his first act as a Hierarch.
Record inspected the console in front and activated it. a holographic projection of an alien structure appeared. A large cylindrical room that held a vast cartographer. A device key to the Covenant's age old promise and prophecies, and the fulfilment of the Covenant Warrior charge: destroy humanity.
Four of what the Covenant had referred to as demons, clad in strange black armour adapted to their humanoid forms had been a severe setback to the excavation effort, and he had personally tasked his guard to deal with them before any further harm to his work, he ordered his guard, the silent shadow, to eliminate them and prevent them from compromising his mission. The Shadow consisted of some of the most ruthless, cunning and deadly warriors in the entire Covenant, but here they were completely failing in their task.
he sighed, the two guardsmen stood aside to let him through the curvature-shaped door, elegantly splitting apart into multiple fragments before aligning back up, the door seal "eye" glowed from neon green to blood red.
passing two elites as they stood to attention in the presence of a Prophet's missionary, Record merely noticed and acknowledged them and moved on through the chamber tunnel towards the viewing balcony.
The view was quite grand, and served as an homage to the Covenant's technological might, vast tanks which protruded from the rocky surface, the vast lake flowing between the conduits, cooling the powerful plasma drills which ripped through the rock below. Huragok charging nests bristled the rocks like flowers on a pulun tree. Most of all, a large spire which bristled from the ground up to the sky, and covered the city of fueling tanks and plasma drills in a teal, translucent energy shield.
Record always appreciated the grand design of the Covenant, more so the mystical remains of the Forerunners.
He activated a holographic projector, Blademaster 'Sramai's stature formed. The saurian warrior, with a hinged spine which gave it an imposing and strong, yet sleek and stealthily posture. He appreciated the lethality of the elites, but he feared the demons more if they could best them, especially the Silent Shadow.
"Update me on your progress, Blademaster" he said
"Our Phantoms have found nothing, Holy One" it gave a low growl.
"Most unappetising, Blademaster" he frowned
"Our progress would be faster if we had more aircraft to spare around the outer perimeter"
"All other craft have been tasked towards the excavation of the relic, as someone of as high status as yourself, I find you capable enough with what you have."
The projection of the powerful red armoured sanghelili suddenly looked imposing over him, and somewhat bitterly angry with his posture, but his words concealed this.
"Of course, Holy One" the Blademaster bowed.
OUTSIDE PERIMETER:
Margaret 053 etched towards a guarding Jackal, and withdrew her combat knife. her other hand went for the creatures enlongated beak and pinched it shut with the entire hand, before sending the blade gracefully into it's throat, the creature struggled but eventually slumped, she dropped the bird-reptile like alien and procured it's Plasma Pistol.
from around the camp came the muffled coughs and hushed yelps of the grunt and jackals guarding around the outer perimeter, Otto and Roma emerged from the left side, holding onto newly procured Plasma Pistols and Plasma Grenades, like she had ordered them to.
"Nice, all good so far" Margaret whispered.
Otto frowned at the C shaped sidearm. "Huh, it doesn't stop looking like a toy."
Roma scoffed "you mean your toys that go boom?"
Otto retorted back "yeah, I've got enough of 'em as it is, Two.
Margaret looked around, scanning until she was satisfied with the plasma batteries and the fuel emplacements, she toggled TEAMCOM and began giving orders:
"Black Three, get explosive charges on anything near that's at least combustible, Four, on Overwatch, Two, get a tapper on the shield door.
They each flashed a green light in TEAMCOM and went about their orders, Otto inspecting the various explosive potential around him, Four standing silently with his Submachine Gun pointing ominously to the far end of the perimeter.
Two slapped a tapper on the shield door unit, pressing two digits onto the keypad and suddenly the entire energy unit collapsed.
"Charges set, boss" Otto said behind her
"Copy that, Black Three"
She made a fist and held it into the air, made a swirling motion with her index and middle finger, Black Team fell in.
"Four, take point" she said as she stared into the curved unit tunnel. Victor nodded, and marched through the gateway, weapon raised Roma and Otto followed him in, Margaret scanned behind satisfied, she lowered her weapon and melted into the darkness of the entryway.