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Origins of Gravemnid by HaloFighter92
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Origins of Gravemind: Part I, Chapter I
Date: 22 June 2005, 10:56 pm
Prologue- It is the Age of Conversion, yet, it is the 5th Age of Reclamation. The uprising Covenant is growing strong to its fullest and all of the Sacred Rings have been discovered. This is a time that all members of the Covenant should savor and rejoice; they have found the instruments of their Lords, making the Path to The Great Journey, even closer.
Yet as glorious as these times may seem, an utter crisis has been spawned, The Grunt Rebellion. Although this rebellion of the Unggoy seemed to be of little threat at the beginning, this mutiny is yet growing stronger, putting the Covenant in fear of Civil War. Even as this threat builds, the holy Hierarchs of the Covenant is putting an unlucky Sangheili Honor Guard on trial.
Part I- Erupt Beginnings
Chapter 1- On Trial
"You dare to question me?" The holy Prophet of Sorrow said cold heartedly.
"No, Holy One, I was only trying my best to pro-" replied Erhi 'Arguree, interrupted by The Prophet of Hope.
"Leaving your post and injuring the Prophet of Peace is not our definition of protection. You almost killed him."
Seeing as how the trial was going, the case was that a large amount of Unggoy attacked the Hierarchs. Yet the Honor Guard, Erhi 'Arguree, stepped in to kill the Unggoy who attacked the Prophet of Peace. Yet, in that process, Erhi 'Arguree's Energy Sword cut and pierced Peace's neck, almost killing him. After the harsh accident, the leading Prophet, Hope, accused Erhi 'Arguree of attempted murder against a Hierarch. Later, he was thrown into a holding cell, until his verdict was decided.
"You are an embarrassment to the Covenant society!" Yelled Sorrow.
"I, I apologize for my heresy. It will not happen again," replied 'Arguree.
"Oh, it won't. I'll make sure of that." Hope paused. "We shall discuss your verdict later, for I have other business to attend to. Guards, take this heretic scum back to his cell!" The Hierarchs teleported back to their quarters. 'Arguree watched as a mesmerizing light surrounded the prophets and then vanished.
The Honor Guards cuffed 'Arguree, "You have brought shame to the Sangheili, brother. You shall not sneak your way out of this, as you did before," spoke one of the guards.
"Don't fraternize with me, I was only doing my part of the Covenant, accidents hap-" Again he is cut off.
"I do not want to hear another word out of you, heretic." The guard knocked him unconscious, making his journey back to his cell much easier.
Hope activated his hologram receptor. "What is it, Ship Master?"
"My lord, there is a strange disturbance the Descendant. It seems many explosions have been set off. My ship can see it from here." Another explosion, yet this time, the Descendant is destroyed completely, but many escape pods have been deployed. Ship Master Luma 'Faramee, of the Resident Abroad, confirmed that the escape pods are filled with Rebel Unggoy. "Shall we send our Seraph fighting squad, Prophet of Hope?"
"Yes, immediately!" Hope deactivated his hologram receptor. "I fear the Covenant is breaking apart, yet again."
"Then we have no choice, but to find another." Sorrow said vaguely.
"Yes, perhaps we could use 'Arguree for the task. He is of great skill, and
this task is of great burden. It shall be his punishment, as well," spoke deeply by the Prophet of Hope.
"Yet, we cannot let the council know of this, they will feel confused. We
also cannot let go of our secrets."
"I agree with you, Sorrow. Letting any of our secrets known even to the
lower prophets is forbidden. We already have a crisis on our hands, but it feels required we tell the Great Trio about this, for they had always kept secrets at hand."
Luma 'Faramee showed up in his hologram state once again. "My lords, all Rebel escape Pods have been obliterated, I am calling off the Seraph's now, I appreciate your concern great Prophet of Hope," 'Faramee bowed.
"No, do not call off the Seraph squadron. Make a through sweep of the area. I want every Heretic Unggoy dead." Peace jumped ahead.
"By your command, my Lord, we shall look through the debris field and see what we can find," 'Faramee disappeared on the hologram for the last time.
Back at the holding cells, 'Arguree regained his consciousness, oblivious of his surroundings. It is a dark, gloomy cell that disoriented him.
"Your lucky, brother, back there I could've killed you for your heresy," spoke Rama 'Farazee, 'Arguree's closest partner. Yet, he is completely ashamed of what has happened, and treats his friend like Jackal food. "I dear hope you suffer the consequences," 'Farazee said.
"Save it. Do not waste my time with talk," still distorted, 'Arguree spoke once again, "Leave me, I wish to wait alone for my verdict," he said with doubt.
"I almost feel sorry for you my brother," said 'Farazee while he walked away.
The Resident Abroad, and its Ship Master, Luma 'Faramee, has been in service since the last years of the Age of Discovery.
"Great Trio! Report to the Bridge immediately!" 'Faramee commanded.
The Great Trio is a band of three high ranking Elites, with outstanding abilities, yet, they like to keep their missions at low profile. "Ah, my great brothers, you have arrived. We have an important issue to discuss."
"As they say, bring it on!" said the Great Trio's leader, being very confident of himself, and he was always the one who spent the most time at target practice.
"My fellow brothers, ever since we discovered the Sacred Ring, Gamma Halo, it has been inactive, until now," the Ship Master paused, "the Unggoy Rebels have stationed a base at the cartographer zone of Gamma Halo. I wish you to eliminate them all, however, wait for further instructions before you initiate your attack. That is all, my fellow Sangheili brothers."
The Trio returned back to their quarters. "What do you believe our further orders are? I am quite anxious," questioned Ulsa 'Ulagaree.
"Why ask me? All I wish is to fight, but I wonder as well," responded Zier 'Kamaree.
"Do not worry, my brothers. I believe we shall have a very special encounter with our attack," said Ruku 'Ramagee, the Leader, as he checked his Plasma Rifle.
Erhi 'Arguree was pulled away from his cell…the verdict has been decided.
Origins of Gravemind: Chapter II
Date: 24 June 2005, 12:47 am
The verdict was held at the Mausoleum of the Arbiter. Every member of the Covenant could feel the Arbiters' souls. Erhi 'Arguree walked up to the door to the Mausoleum awkwardly, one step closer to his fate. He walked through the door.
"Erhi 'Arguree, you are hear by being charged with attempted murder of the holy Prophet of Peace. You are hereby found…" 'Arguree was about to fall to his knees from the shame and embarrassment against him, "guilty," Hope said without hesitation. The crowd clamored, all being watched by the Honor Guards, to prevent any outbreaks.
"Your sentence, 'Arguree, is you shall be stripped of your rank and your honor, therefore, our ultimate punishment is death." The disgraced Elite almost fell to his knees as he believed he would, yet his own strength held him up, barely. Hope began again, "do you have any last words before your death? Speak now."
"I only wish to die with honor."
The crowd is forced to leave the room, one of the Kig-Yar tried to resist one of the Honor Guards, yet the Kig-Yar boob was executed by the Honor Guard. "Keep the line moving, or you shall face the same death!" He threatened. None lashed out again. After the crowd left the room, there was complete silence. The raised caskets seemed to stare down at the Heretic.
"Now that we are alone, we shall discuss your true verdict."
'Arguree was in question, "True Verdict? My lord, I do not understand."
"We know," said Sorrow, for he was always the one who preferred to explain oblivion, "As you may know, the Grunt rebellion has destroyed one of our ships, The Descendant." Sorrow stopped, revising what had happened for the last 12 hours. "The Ship Commander of the Resident Abroad has confirmed all Rebel escape pods have been destroyed," Sorrow finished. "However, there is still a strong presence on one of the Sacred Rings. The Rebel base exists their, it is massive, larger than we have anticipated, which is why we are sending the Great Trio in. But do not be fooled, that is not the real piece of the Crisis." Hope waited for 'Arguree's reply.
"What, does this have to do with me?" 'Arguree was very confused up until now.
"In times of extraordinary crisis, a unique warrior is called upon…the Arbiter." Hope began to explain. "This is a desperate time indeed, if this rebellion grows too large, the rest of the Covenant may betray us."
"My lord, my reason here is to wait for my execution; I cannot bear the momentum any longer," said 'Arguree, falling to his knees, begging forgiveness by the Gods.
Sorrow explained the true consequences. "You are called upon here to become the Vanguard of our Religious society, to become the Arbiter."
"Holy Prophet of Sorrow, why must I? To redeem myself?" asked 'Arguree as he began to understand the concept.
"Not redemption, your sentence, the punishment. You shall accompany the Great Trio to the Rebel base, and kill their leader, Gagap, which in any case, has stolen a crate of our newly tested energy shields, so be careful."
Hope began to pray. "You will need this, the Armor of the Arbiter." Peace simply flipped a switch on his chair; a large container sprung to life in the middle of the Mausoleum, The holy armor was inside. The container doors flew open, revealing holy light, and the Armor of the Arbiter.
"What will the council say to this?" 'Arguree began stripping, placing pieces of his new personality on.
"Your identity will simply be known as the Arbiter, so any outrages will be avoided," said Hope in an intelligent fashion, as always, "the Great Trio will know who you are, however, but I promise they shall not squall."
As the Arbiter was finished with the armor placement, he said, "When do I begin, my Lords?"
"You shall begin when the Great Trio's dropship arrives to pick you up. May the Gods be with you, Arbiter," said Hope as he prayed one last time.
Several hours later, 'Arguree was practicing for his secret mission in the brig, slaughtering some Rebel Grunts who have been captured, and armed for practice. The Arbiter passed with relative ease. Once he finished, a Sangheili brother came about.
"Arbiter, your presence is needed; your dropship is waiting for you."
"Thank you, I shall leave at once," replied the Arbiter, already out of the brig, heading toward the teleporter that would send to the hangar bay of High Charity. He walked through the mystical blue light.
He made his way through the hangar, a small one, yet useful for drop ships and Banshees if Rangers were using them.
"It is the Arbiter. Welcome, we must leave immediately!" said Ulsa 'Ulgaree.
The Arbiter was already pacing toward one of the dropship's arms. With his Energy Sword at hand, he hopped in, and waited for the member of the Trio to come aboard.
Ulsa jumped in, informing the pilot it was clear to depart. The first day of the Arbiter shall be glorious, 'Arguree thought. The Prophets shall be pleased.
Origins of Gravemind, Chapter III
Date: 26 June 2005, 6:40 pm
Chapter 3- The Sentence
Gamma Halo, the location of the Rebel Base, is one of the more isolated Rings, lingering with a small planet in a distant Solar system. The Arbiter was unfamiliar with the Rings; he has never set foot on them.
Ruka 'Ramagee, was telling the pilot of the dropship to activate the ship's shields. "'Ramagee, I don't believe it is ness-"'Ramagee bluntly cut him off.
"You don't understand! Those Heretics are using large Plasma cannons; they'll blow us out of the sky! Activate it now!"
At the Cartographer zone, the dropship's sensors read that it was night there. That allowed easier infiltration into the base. 'Ramagee trotted back to his seat, yet concerned for the newly born Erhi 'Arguree, "Arbiter, what is the matter?" 'Ramagee asked. But he already knew the answer.
"It feels strange, my brother. First, the Hierarchs believe I am a murderer. Now I am a holy Arbiter. I still cannot see the light of it all, brother."
"Do not dwell on it; you must be focused at the task at hand." Said 'Ulgaree, always the focused one.
"Brother Ulsa' is right, do not dwell on it." 'Ramagee restated.
"Great Trio, we have entered the Ring's atmosphere. Hold on my brothers!" yelled the pilot.
The entry into the atmosphere was smoother than expected. The Rebel base is a peninsula, yet it is concentrated inland, but many Heretic Unggoy still petrol the outskirts of the area. The drop ship sped toward the direct toe of the peninsula. Once it reached the beach, it stopped. The Unggoy on the turret was scanning the perimeter but the dropship had completely blended into its surroundings. Once it was clear, the dropship's clamps opened up.
The Arbiter only saw a desolate night sky, a wall of stone in front of the dropship, and the sand that waited to devour his feet. The adrenaline rush came over all the Sangheili. They all hopped out of the dropship, yet, being careful of how they landed, it was a long drop. "Hold position, brothers," spoke the Arbiter. They waited until the dropship sped out of sight, making their trip into the infested cartographer area less conspicuous.
The Great Trio and the Arbiter needed to find a way inside the Cartographer, where the main section of the base was located. It being in the middle of the peninsula made it harder. There was a large-size crevice in the stone wall, which was perfect for a surprise attack; if it isn't already a main entrance the Rebels use themselves.
"Alright Great Trio, we must travel through the crevice, but be quiet…we must not attract any attention."
This was an easy task for these warriors, including the Arbiter, "What shall we do when we reach the base your Excellency?" 'Kamaree spoke at last.
"Wait until further orders. We do not yet know the architecture of the base. Now, let us proceed." They all sprinted toward the opening, running through it, yet, quiet as an engineer. The crevice seemed to have infinite length, since it had many twists and dead ends; it took the band of four almost an hour before they reached the Cartographer.
Back at the Resident Abroad, Ship Master Luma 'Faramee was checking engine schematics. Everything is in perfect condition. However, there was a disturbance in hangar bay 02. The Commander of that sector reported in, "Ship Master 'Faramee, it seems we have some infiltrators down here. They are heading through our maintenance system, what shall we do?"
The reply wasn't a second off delay. "Guard every access trough the maintenance; if you find any of the infiltrators, I want them alive. However, if they commit any act of hostility, kill them immediately.
"Yes, Ship Master 'Faramee, signing off."
'Faramee wished to contact the Prophets about the incident, but it seemed it would be better if he was posted with more information. He was also worried, if the infiltrators were hostile. They could eliminate the Engineers that were working in the maintenance hall. He could not worry about that now; he had to visit the Brig to check up on the captured Rebels.
At the Inner Sanctum of High Charity, the holy Prophet of Peace has finally recovered, yet, a scar was left on his neck, a dark reminder of what had happened, which had the potential to haunt Peace forever. "So, who is the chosen one, Sorrow?"
A reply would all be too daunting for this victim of circumstances. "The Arbiter is Erhi 'Arguree, the one that…gave you that mark."
Peace lost his control, but kept it down afterwards. "What! Why?"
Hope spoke next, "Peace, the reason we chose the Heretic as the next holy warrior is because it is of great burden, and he is of great skill. Do not worry; he shall die as the rest have."
"There it is," 'Ramagee dictated. The four Sangheili hid behind a large foliated rock. The entrance of the base was heavily guarded; however, most of the Unggoy scum were asleep, and only two Shade turrets guarded the blast door of the Cartographer. The Arbiter explained the situation, "'Ramagee, what is our plan? We cannot simply barge in, even with our camouflage. We can't open the blast door without raucous. What is our initial plan, brother?"
It was an awkward moment, the area was closed in, and most of the rebels were using Needler's, one of the most deadly weapons of the Covenant at close range. Plus Shade turrets were already manned, making a direct assault suicidal.
It would take some strategy to destroy this battalion. 'Ramagee began, "Brothers, here is our plan…"
Origins of Gravemind, Chapter IV
Date: 5 July 2005, 10:32 pm
Chapter 4- Breaking and Entering
"Kamaree take left flank and bombard the main entrance and the largest concentration of Unggoy. Take out your firearm afterwards," started Ramagee, as he began hatching the plan, still under the cover of the, yet, helpful rock.
"'Ulgaree, use your Particle Beam Rifle and pick off the closest Grunts on your position. But only after 'Kamaree grenades the entrance," 'Ramagee continued, "You, Arbiter, rush in the middle after 'Kamaree has blown the main concentration of Heretics, use your sword to distract others while 'Ulgaree snipes."
The band was almost spotted, almost ruining the surprise, but the dark armor of The Arbiter lost attention.
"I will come in through the back, using came," said 'Ramagee with his dual Plasma Rifles at side, "Get into position, brothers. Arbiter, hold position and wait for your signal."
Carefully, the Elites activated their cameo (except the Arbiter because he didn't need to yet) and rushed to their spots, suspense was held.
They were all ready, positioned, and ready to send the Heretics to Hell. 'Kamaree was blood thirsty to throw his Plasma Grenades, 'Ulgaree waited for the Grunts to line up for perfect shots. Ready to unleash his holy blade, the Arbiter waited. 'Ramagee was ready to unleash his inside barbarian. It was time for the strike.
'Kamaree, activating his first Plasma Grenade, threw it with pride toward the entrance where the turrets were kept. Boom! The Plasma Grenade was set just right. Both turrets have been completely obliterated.
'Ulgaree fired his Bea, Rifle next, first shot was a head shot, yet a grunt noticed and unleashed his Needler, but the Sangheili's armor defeated the piercing needles. 'Ulgaree killed him and moved on to the next victim.
'Kamaree bombed the main concentration, just in time to obliterate most of the Grunts.
Now, the Arbiter swept in, springing his Energy Sword to life, "Wort wort wort!" yelled the Arbiter as he swung his blade to the closest Unggoy. It was a bloody and swift strike. He moved on to the next.
'Ramagee came in from behind, unleashing his battle cry, Plasma Rifles overheating, but killing the Grunts, as well.
'Ulgaree killed the remaining defenders. It was a time of glory until the door to the cartographer opened; green, mesmerizing light screeched out, the Sangheili all jumped out of the way.
"Fuel Rod Cannons! Brothers, look out!" warned the Arbiter, almost getting hit. Yet, one of the bombers seemed familiar; it was the only Grunt he ever knew. Memep was the Spec Op Grunt that saved his life during a Lekgolo rampage, using, as obvious as it may seem, a Fuel Rod Cannon. The Arbiter remembers that day vaguely. His friend is now an enemy. No pity. No mercy.
Two of the explosions knocked down a nearby tree, crushing one of the Grunt corpses in its way, almost crushing 'Kamaree as well. "Chaotic infidel!" he yelled.
The explosions destroyed 'Ramagee's shielding, forcing him to go into hiding while his shields recharged.
'Ulgaree dispensed one of the Hell bringers, while the other, more familiar Unggoy retreated back inside the base. The door locked behind him, making the situation complicated.
"Is everybody alright?" asked 'Kamaree concerned, for his injured teammate.
"I'm fine. Let us find a way to open that door," replied 'Ramagee, "have you forgotten our anti-matter charge? That will blow the door away, my brothers." 'Kamaree took out the charge. "Set it, now." 'Ramagee responded.
The Arbiter and 'Ulgaree covered their six, watching for any attacks above the walls of stone.
The Covenant use anti-matter charges in a variety of ways: To blow through ship armor during boarding action, or as anti-vehicle and anti-personnel weapons. Anti-matter is extremely unstable. Any contact between unstable anti-matter and normal matter causes an instant, massive explosion of energy. However, this is a small scale charge, but can still be vary dangerous.
'Kamaree had to type in a few sequences before it can be set, work had to proceed slowly and carefully, set the wrong sequence and the bomb could explode without warning, patience equals success. "Finished. Everyone retreat, we have 20 seconds!" They all ran behind the old, faithful rock.
It seemed like 20 hours for the charge to go off; the suspense was great, like their attack on the infidels. Ten seconds, five, four, three, two, one…
The explosion, with its blue mass of energy was silent, but deadly. Nearby architecture deformed, as well as many corpses. The light was blinding. After the great light show, the four of them moved in, Arbiter first.
It was a downward ramp. It wasn't steep, but it was so long it felt like all the Sangheili were to fall. As they entered the hub after the ramp of infinity, they were surprised at the amount of technology they found; Holo-Panels, Sentinels flying about, yet no infidels were present. It's quiet…
Suddenly, the walls seemed to open with a radio like sound. Every hole was bright with a light. A form seemed to pop out, a Sentinel.
"Look out, brothers!" the Arbiter said as he latched a Plasma Grenade onto the protector of the Sacred Ring; it exploded, destroying the Sentinel Launcher as well. However, there were many Sentinels and Sentinel Launchers. The ancient machines fired their beams, rupturing the bands energy shielding. They all took separate directions. Putting their cameo on, they knew what to do.
They all needed to destroy all the launchers in the room, or they'll keep coming. They destroyed the stragglers. The Arbiter was the first to strike.
He successfully destroyed two launchers with his dual Plasma Rifles; he retreated as he kept fire on the beaming Sentinels, eight to go.
Next, 'Ulgaree and 'Kamaree double-teamed, using a dropped Carbine, and a dual Plasma Rifles yet again, successfully destroying three launchers, five to go.
Before he entered the hub, 'Ramagee brought a Fuel Rod Cannon from one of the dead Grunts, it finally came in handy, and he fired it without hesitation. "All launchers destroyed, and time to destroy the left-overs!" 'Ramagee said with dignity.
The rest of the Sentinels, about to be destroyed, stopped attacking, froze even. "Arbiter, it seems they have given-up, ha-ha!" laughed 'Kamaree. But he saw the Arbiter was not at least amused.
"Get back, brothers!" the Arbiter shouted. All of the Sentinels self-destructed, making a brilliant shower of sparks and flame. One of the debris almost struck 'Ulgaree. Luckily he hit it with his Carbine just in time.
"What destroyed them?" asked 'Kamaree perplexed.
'Ramagee answered, "It seems they all detonated at the same time. That is not natural for machines to know exactly when the others will self-detonate."
"Trio, it must be the Grunt leader, Gagap. The Map Room must also be able to control the bases functions, as well as components!" the Arbiter explained.
Down at the end of the hall was another door, with a five foot tall figure at the opening. "What's wrong? You scared!" taunted Gagap with his Carbine and Plasma Pistol.
"Vermin! You shall die!" yelled 'Kamaree as he charged toward the Rebel Leader, a plasma Grenade ready, he tossed it, but with undesired effects, the door closed on the sticky explosive, dropping it to the ground, and exploding uselessly.
"You Elites think you so smart, wa ha!" The coward chuckled, "you all will die here, and still you don't know truth! The Great Journey, bad bad!"
Truth, what truth? The Elites thought.
"You never get in with me! Never!" the Grunt's voice disappeared behind the door.
"That rat, we shall never break through this without any charges!" 'Kamaree reminded.
"Hold on," 'Ramagee checked his arm brace, opened it, pressed buttons and a 3-D map of the peninsula appeared, with a conspicuous structure on the beach. "There, a security Control room. We can open the door manually from there."
However, it would require the Elites to travel through the lengthy crevice yet again.
They will have to hurry now, but somebody must guard the door to the Cartographer to keep the Heretic from escaping, which was a plan itself.
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