I served and upheld the covenant beliefs since I was born... Oh!... And how…I raised and watched countless, young aspiring elites go to their death in honor, and like them, I to once chased after power and honor, but unlike them I was lucky... I lived and was promoted… and in that time I learned the political hellscape that the covenant really was…
The backstabbing… and the lies…to the point I just settled on being a "major", though I viewed my station with justification and honor, many more scorned me for it… As they saw my lack of ambition as a weakness… but I didn't care what they said though… after all…their names are still being sung in the halls of Eternity! While the young still call me "Major Faze!"
→Excerpt by Major Faze←
Human Calendar Year 2560
[So, you and your team were attacked on a routine training mission…. But then why even question if it was by human hands when you know of the brutes and the king-yar personalities? Human weapons? Every elite knows the brute's fondness for them…] said the admiral with a questioning gaze.
{...}
[well? Answer me… "Faze"] repeated the admiral with a tall stance.
{well, Because I didn't want to believe it…sure I don't like the brutes as much as the next elite, the kig-yar even less as they only help for coin… but as the political upheaval at the time, I didn't want our situation to be another…so-called "strike" as the humans would call it… So at the very least, I wanted to wait for concert proof of the brute's treachery before completely entertaining that thought…}
[hmm… Yes and did you know at the time as you were carefully denying the truth, more of your brethren were being slaughtered in the back allies!] replied the admiral with hidden fury in his eyes.
{no… how could I have known… that they had set up such a vile trap!} replied Faze with a downcast expression.
Human calendar year 2552: night of November 2nd:
The streets of High Charity glowed in pale flames, while other parts remained in the dark, elite blood spread unknowingly throughout the drainage systems… on the pavements…. In homes… even nests lay smashed with children's eggs! But silent… and unheard… a silent killer… as the comm system ceased to work, and the lights and power cycled…
Veterans and the newly born, women who knew no better, exit-ed their homes… to have their heads blown open by sniper fire, to see brute hammers crushing their lowborn… as the citizen furthest from the golden city was the first to be purged…
Though Faze knew none of this at the time, as he and his team just entered the streets! Alone and without support, they pushed on, through the crowds that gathered to see the flames, to hear them question what was happening, but without an answer, he could only suggest to them to stay indoors…
though they didn't like hearing that, as many who came out were the young elites who aspired to be warriors, many whom would gladly take their own lives if they didn't get promoted on their first campaign…
Seeing that fight in their eyes, Faze could only shake his head as he said:
{look, I won't mix words… it's dangerous to be out right now, as the phantom that we were on had a sudden malfunction and crash-landed, so please stay inside… everything is under control…}
But even with Major Faze's reassuring words and straight demeanor, they didn't believe him! Of course they wouldn't… after all, with the covenants-long history, since when would a phantom ever have such a malfunction like that? Their honor wouldn't allow such a disgrace to have even left the factory… No, they didn't believe him…
And neither did the Major… but so what? He was the elite in charge, and they had to obey, even if they were told a "lie". And like good citizens who put their trust in their system, they went back into their homes and cleared the streets, even if some of them swore they saw the rockets, but even then they dared not challenge an older elite's honor!
[major… it doesn't feel honorable to lie to them like this…] said Ykan after some time
{I agree Ykan, but if I didn't... These young ones, would dive headfirst with just their fist to find the enemy… hell, many of them would gladly die for the chance… and for what? Honor? They still have a lifetime to earn that honor, why risk it now when they can barely lift a sword?
And then their the chaos of it all… how would you like it, if you got killed in that chaos… Ykan… think on it…} replied Faze as he looked forward through the purple and grey streets, with dismal light that flickered.
After some time, the group arrived at a broken pavement…
[sir.. Those markings… I think this is where the hunters landed! Should we go look for them?] said Ykan
{no! The meet-up is just a few more steps away, let's meet up with the brutes first then find them.}
[wait… what that!] screamed a grunt suddenly stopping the group.
With eyes following the grunt's finger, they saw a silhouette of a body, locked in the shadows under the broken street light! Concerned and with arms at the ready, they slowly approached the corpse… as they got within an arm's reach of the body, the broken street light... Flickered one last time to show the corpse of an elite!
Bloody, with teeth broken, the corpse of a female elite!
[Sir.. this wound…]
{I know Ykan… it was a human weapon again... One clean shot in the head…} replied Faze as he knelt and inspected the corpse, placing his hands gently on the woman's head…
As he did that, the grunt turned and yelled as he pointed into the back ally ways…
[look! More corpses!]
Looking up, right as the power cycled turning the lights back on in a series of stages, the group stared awestruck at the sheer number of dead!
[sir… this is…] said Ykan in disbelief and shock.
{quickly! Check the houses!} screamed Faze as he rushed to check the nearest house.
Not one to mince words in this situation, the group followed after their major, and when they arrived at the house, the first thing to greet them was a bloody corpse that kept the mechanical door from closing… And as blood-drenched the floors, and the lights, and the clothing… and the… incubation chamber!
A blood trail in elite blood, in a room set as a last stand, with broken glass and artworks…with broken speakers singing Sangheili chants in deranged audios… and there wrapped in a warm humid embrace… were smashed Sangheili eggs, under a mother's care, as her draining blood intertwined with theirs…
[I'm going to kill them… Major… no human will escape! On this, I swear!] said Ykan, as the other elite in attendance all agreed the same.
{...} replied Faze in silence, not disagreeing with the young blood oath… hell he even wanted to swear the same… but as he stared at those eggs, and then thought of all the other nearby houses…
As if he could see through their walls… the same… scene… over and over…but with a deep breath, this was war... The price to be paid for honor… and so, he pushed it aside…
{Ykan… revenge only blinds you… don't let it bind you to...} replied Faze after a moment. And then began to walk away...
Hearing his major words, and seeing an expressionless face, almost caused Ykan to charge at him, if not for being honor-bound, but then he looked at his major fist… and realized that his major was fighting the urge just like him… more even…
But as they left to continue on, they never noticed the bodies in the back, smashed by hammers… crushed by axes… and impaled by hot spiked irons! While the gruesome of all were blown apart!
Moving on and trying to reach command again through his comm, but only receiving static in the end, the Major, sighed, as daybreak was nearing… and as the artificial sun slowly shone its light like a line through the city, the major and his men arrived at the meeting zone, but instead of seeing Maddion, as they had originally expected, what remained in his place were a group of humans! Fully encased in military hardware, and covered in elite blood! Though they appear to be very stiff as if they couldn't move for some reason.
But Ykan didn't seem to notice the oddity, for in his eyes… all he saw were humans, and the dead elites by their feet! With rage boiling to blindness, and with its binding embrace, Ykan ran while firing off his plasma rifle! In remembrance of what he witnessed in the city streets…
Feeling the burning plasma hit their skin, through their metal plates, the humans wanted to scream but couldn't, they couldn't even move… and like statues, they took the blows… as blood escaped their lips and they fell dead…Ykan yelled:
[why aren't you fighting back? Damn, you humans!]
But as Ykan was screaming and shooting off his rifle, the other elites turned face, as Major Faze punched Ykan to the ground!
{what did I say! What did I tell you about revenge? Now look at what you've done! Oh! And congratulations on killing paralyzed prisoners!}
[what I've done! All I did was kill humans! What's wrong with that?]
{ugh, you young fool! Look around you! Look where we're at!}
Taking a second, Ykan looked around and said:
[were at the meeting place…]
{sigh, yes we are, yet all we find are strangely enough… humans! Who I mind you! Couldn't even fight back, in an arena-like area! As if this wasn't such an obvious trap if I ever saw one!}
[but major... We're fine! And look we probably avenge Maddion as well!]
Shaking his head in further disappointment Faze razed his needler rifle to the sun and said:
{they didn't kill Maddion… and they aren't the ones who killed our brethren…}
Confused, Ykan was about to say something, when the whole area lit up in taunts and laughter!
[well, well, well…. finally figured it out… Huh… "Major Faze" but I do have to say… your subordinate sure knows how to put on a show! Maha! Oh! I almost forgot Good morning Major Faze… kinda late to the party aren't-cha? You know... We really missed you for that live fire training… "Major"] yelled Maddion while standing on a high-rise building.
Seeing Maddion endowed in chieftain honors, with a gravity hammer stained in elite blood… Faze said with anger:
{I see… you must have challenged your chief to a duel… but why this madness? Did your jealousy finally get to your head? To the point that you would even kill your own brother for the mantle…is just}
[SILENCE WORM! My brother was weak! He would rather us serve the elites than be the ones to rise above! You have no idea of the joy I took in breaking his neck! And now… I think it's time for you to head to your "halls of eternity" "Faze"] replied Maddion with a madding glee, and with hand raised, a dozen jackals and young brutes revealed themselves like ghosts behind Maddion! With elite prisoner in their grasp!
Seeing the many brutes and jackals, and knowing his group was surrounded, Faze took out his energy sword, which was personally designed and forged by his own hands, its color glowed white but pulsed in red!
Seeing it, Maddion whistled in mockery, as Faze yelled:
{I promise you Maddion... that this blade will gut you!}
[ha! I look forward to it… but first, you must make it out of here alive… Am I right… Faze…] screamed Maddion as he turned to his brutes and ordered:
[DO IT!]
To those haunting words, Faze was forced to watch as the brutes slowly activated their stolen energy swords… and with savagery and glee... They gladly jabbed them through their elite prisoner backs! But as the swords carved through their flesh, not one screamed or begged, they only looked into the horizon at the golden city, as they felt their breath…leaving them through chokes…
Holding them up until they stopped… and finally when all was quiet, and without removing the swords, the brute threw them down the high-rise! The second their bodies hit the floor, Maddion did a chieftain roar! Hearing the signal, dozens of brutes and jackals swarmed out of the surrounding building!
As they poured from the building in slow motion, Faze raised his blade to his face and took in a deep breath, while those with him ready their souls…Ykan especially didn't say anything as this wasn't the time…As such he only felt great guilt… and with a roar of his own out of pure frustration to the dent at his honor, two green explosions rang! Blowing the charging brutes into the air!
[look major! The hunters! They're here!]