Setting: 1 week after the events of Chapter 12,
Date: October 2nd, 2560, 4:30 AM, ARK Local-Time.
The story resumes near the base of one of the Ark's Forerunner structures. The day is young, the air crisp with the scent of pine and fresh earth cut by something floral on the wind, chased by the dull footfalls of nearby Banished forces.
A Jiralhanae led the march through the forest, Mauler pistol in hand. Marching beside him, standing tall with their signature Okarda'phaa Plasma rifles and pistols were a squad of Elites and Unggoys.
Their voices were hushed, quiet, respectful and fearful, with one Elite addressing the incidents of the past week
"I have heard of the attack of Vindicitimus' squad, the enemy was hard to see, their bodies like the flowing curtains of light the Aurora's of Sangheilios has..."
The lead Elite said, his eyes scanning the forest treeline before glancing over to his fellow Elite.
"Hmm. I have. But did you also hear the Chieftain's report? The skirmish at the wreckage of the Enduring Conviction was.... far more unusual than I care to admit. The humans were present, they were driven back by our forces but those... things arrived and pushed both of us back effortlessly."
The Unggoys, the grunts of the Banished looked up to their Elite superiors, their methane respirators wheezing before one spoke.
"The strange beings weapons were far more advanced than we have ever seen. Poor Kipyip, he was the one who got caught."
The Unggoy lifted his head, his gaze landing on the Jiralhanae captain.
"what do you think of it Captain Nertocion?"
The Unggoy said, his 4 respirator wheezing while his voice pitched alongside his accented Unggoy language.
Captain Nertocion, the Jiralhanae of the Squad was tall for a Brute, broad shouldered and grizzled with muscles rippling beneath his armor, scars laced the frame of his face, his veterency on full display.
The Brute grunted, followed by a huff as his shoulders loosened. His focus never left what was infront of him, yet he spoke.
"I think this Ark is cursed."
He began, eyes narrowing into a glare, voice rumbling into a growl.
"First the Humans arrive, meddle in Decimus' affairs and hijack the Forerunner sentinels to take down the Enduring Conviction. The Flood escaped High Charity due to Voridus' incompetence... and now.... we face a new enemy, new mysteries upon this cursed structure."
Silence befell the squad, Nertocion continued to move forward, his footfalls muffled by the earth below. He took a breath, readying himself to speak before the a pungent floral scent teased his nose. A growl escaped before he could stop it, his nose scrunching.
"Grrrr.... this damned smell...."
The Unggoys looked up and around, chins raising.
"I don't smell anything, Nertocion, what do you- ah!"
The Unggoy's forhead was flicked by the Elite behind him.
"Silence Unggoy... Nertocion, be warned. The reports stated the arrival of the mysterious beings is accompanied by a pungent floral scent... we should be on guard."
The Jiralhanae simply huffed pointedly just as the click of his Mauler pistols safety changed.
The squad followed suit as the whirring of plasma rifles and pistols began. Nertocion rose a hand to his wrist mounted device.
"This is Nertocion at the eastern Foundry Forest, pre-check, does banished cheiftain read?"
The Elites glanced to their squad lead as the static filled the air. An Elite grumbled darkly.
"That is never good."
The other responded.
"It never is..."
Just as Nertocion was about to try again, the fog began to lighten, rising only just to reveal a dark silhouette in the distance. The squad slowed to a snails pace, their footfalls becoming even quieter. Before they knew it they had discovered a structure.
Ovaloid and round, not quite the sleek straight cuts of the Forereunners, the Elites began to spread out, their gaze landing on the silvery-white overlapping swells that seemed to gently exhale bioluminescent dust, sparking and reflecting off the early morning sunlight.
"Odd"
One Elite said, his focus never leaving the strange structure before him. He glanced to his Elite companion, another hum leaving him.
"I agree, whatever... this... is, it's very likely a structure of the enemy."
The Jiralhanae captain glanced to his squad.
"Spread out and investigate, I want the perimeter mapped and recorded."
The Elites and Unggoy gave a silent incline of the head and got to work. The Jiralhanae captain joined too, eyes maintaining it's sharp gaze on the structure with lingering suspicion.
His heavy steps echoed through the forested area, making slow strides towards the rear of the structure where a rounded pill shaped mass connected to separate structure, slightly smaller than the main building while it's shape was oblong, it's color the same.
Nertocion approached the 2nd connected Structure and reached out, planting his hand on the oddly pliant Structure.
"Odd indeed... what Structure, banished, covenant or otherwise is soft? It doesn't make sense."
Silence befell the squad for several moments, the forest around them seemed to fall silent. Not a sound came from the forest, no forest critters nor the chirping of insects.
One of the Elites approached Nertocion head low with sharpened eyes, a quiet exhale escaped him.
"Captain... I think we are being watched..."
The Jiralhanae growled and turned to the Elite, his ears: ever attuned focused on the silence.
"It's quiet."
The Jiralhanae said, and before he could get another word or issue an order, the forest changed, the scent intensified, becoming cloying and overwhelming before the distant sound of a ground deep tremor echoed across the forest. It was soft yet heavy, distant yet distinct.
"Eh? Is it humans?"
An Unggoy spoke, plasma pistol whirring to life.
"No."
Replied the Jiralhanae captain as the sound of muffled tremors grew louder by the second, echoing around the squad, bouncing off the trees and structure but just as quick as the thumps and steps began all fell quiet in an instant.
The last of the thumps echoed further into the forest and into silence. The Jiralhanae straightened his shoulders, a low inhale of the captain being the only sound following.
"Get ready for a fight."
The Elites and Unggoy silently nodded, the purring of their plasma weapons reaching full intensity... before a flicker of cyan light breached the fog.. the sound followed.
VHRRRT
A burst of Wisteria color zipped past the Jiralhanae captain, his eyes widened and he roared.
"Take cover!!!"
The squad dove, sprinting to the side, sending bits of damp soil into the air as wisteria colored slugs whipped overhead, striking the structure behind in ripples of bioluminescent cyan and Wisteria.
The Elite's aimed their rifles and returned fire with short beams of needle thin plasma.
"Don't fire blindly, find the source of the attacker!"
The Brute captain roared, aiming his Mauler into the forest as a 2nd train of Wisteria colored munitions zipped into the ground and tree beside him, ignoring how his skin stung partially beneath his fur.
Then he pulled the trigger, a monstrous bang rang from the mauler, momentarily lighting the fog with crimson as the red bolt struck something in the distance with a dull crack it was followed by a rectangular structure illuminating the fog... a hexagonal patterned shield, shaped like the legionary shields of ancient humanity, held in front of a hunched silhouette they still can't quite see.
The Brute captain fired again, further illuminating the fog as the Elites joined with precision shooting, lighting their area with green plasma.
The being simply stood, its shield brightening with each lance of punishment the Banished dished out, ripples of light chasing every impact across the hexagonal pattern, each one answered by a dull, glassy hum.
As the banished squad continued to fire upon the strange foe, the silhouette shifted, no, it flowed. The shield slid to the side as an arm rose forward from the fog-softened silhouette, revealing not a boxy machine humans weapons use nor the covenant and banished curved swell of plasma weaponry. But rather a prismatic object with curved edged mounted to the arm with an extended narrow cylinder for the barrel. Lastly a partially open ended bulb like that of a flower in bloom.
The eyes of the Jiralhanae widened before he bared his teeth into a shout.
"Find cover!!!"
He roared as the arm glowed in the same cyan color before another train of violet shot forth, echoing across the forest.
One of the Elites, caught in the open was unable to get behind cover in time before 3 heavy impacts slammed into his chest, forcing the Sangheili to the ground with Violet colored ripples crossing his armor, his breath sharply exhaled, wheezing.
The Brute captain peeked behind cover, only for a burst of color to force him back.
"This thing, it isn't trying to kill us..."
The Brute turned to the Sangheili warrior being pulled behind cover by an Unggoy in a rare moment of courage...
"A-ah... little Unggoy, thank you."
The Elite turned and rolled onto his chest, heaving heavily.
"Y-yeah, this thing is crazy, we need to get out of here!"
A burst of slugs struck the ground beside the Unggoy's feet, spraying damp soil around making the Unggoy jump partially into the open a trio of slugs struck his shoulder pad, forcing the Unggoy to the ground, clutching his shoulder.
Then, as quickly as it had begun, the gunfire faded, and the clearing was left in a chilling stillness, the shield, once providing a clear target had dissipated. Leaving only but twinkling light and the sound of soft thuds getting further and further away.
The other Elite, now tending to the struck down Unggoy and Sangheili let out a cautious sigh of relief, his shoulders refusing to relax.
"It let us live."
The still standing Elite said, rolling his comrade Sangheili onto his back to reveal the triad of dents on the armor.
The Jiralhanae lowered his Mauler pistol and huffed, a heavy exhale that sent a puff visible hot air infront of him.
"Yes... it did..."
His focus shifted to his squad, 2 injured and the rest shaken. The injured Elite remained on his stomach while the injured Unggoy continued to clutch his shoulder. Nertocion leaned over, walking to see his injured comrades.
"We need to return to base, and rally our forces together to face whatever threat this is... I fear... whatever we just fought was only assessing us."
The uninjured Elite's gaze shifted to Nertocion before speaking, a quiet voice imbued with caution and worry.
"If such a thing is the case then I fear what we face is on the very level we once worshipped as Gods... Forereunner level."
A solemn silence began, Nertocion lowered to a knee and uncharacteristically helped the injured Elite to his feet, wrapping an arm around the Brute's shoulder. For a Jiralhanae, such an act was reserved for his fellow Brutes...
"Thank you, Captain Nertocion."
The brute growled.
"You can thank me when we return to base..... 'this is Captain Nertocion, at the Eastern Foundry Forest, we have encountered hostile resistance and are in retreat.'"
The static over the communicator crackled into a stable frequency before a voice came from the other side.
"Captain Nertocion, Pavium and Voridus are expecting a report from you, the banished Warlords on the Ark are requesting your presence immediately."
The eyes of everyone widened, darting to the Brute Captain.
"The Warlords? All of them? That's... highly unusual."
The injured Elite said wroughtfully. The Brute captain exhaled sharply.
"It is, I think word of the Skirmish at the Enduring Conviction wreckage has spread to the Warlords if they are calling for a collective meeting.... come, we must return swiftly."
The squad departed at once their footfalls echoing into the distance, the floral scent, once cloying now vanishing without a trace while the sun rises, the start of a new Arc begins.