Spartans Never Die

They're just Missing in Action

Covenant CSO-class Supercarrier Long Night of Solace, Reach orbit, August 14, 2552

Rho 'Barutamee, Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Valiant Prudence, had left the bridge of his 28 kilometer-long capital ship; he passed down the long hallways, approaching a Seraph hangar for an inspection of the starfighters stationed there. Without the assistance of the propulsion platforms installed at regular intervals in his flagship, the journey from the bridge at the core of the ship's bow to the starfighters' hangar would have been rather tedious as the distance to be traversed was nearly 10 kilometers. Standing at an impressive 8'6", the Fleetmaster towered even over many of his Sangheili brethren, let alone the other, weaker species of the Covenant such as the slender, avian/reptilian, and businesslike Kig-Yar or the squat, timid, and numerous Unggoy.

Even since the Covenant had been formed over three thousand years ago between the strong, mandible-mouthed reptilians of Sanghelios and the physically frail yet technologically advanced San' Shyuum who had long wandered the galaxy on a Forerunner Keyship, no race had joined (or been forcibly absorbed) that was found fitting or competent to command the religious hegemony's massive fleets and armies in lieu of the Elites.

The Fleetmaster had many important issues plaguing his mind, first and foremost being the whereabouts of the Field Marshal and many of the other Devoted Sentries, the chapter of Zealots who'd been attached to his fleet with the task of recovering Forerunner relics from the human-controlled planet. His Zealot strike teams had been out of contact with the fleet for many days, bogged down in battle with the humans as they diligently sought the relics of the gods. If his suspicions based on the Luminary's readings were correct, the treasures waiting to be discovered on this human planet would be dwarfed only by the discovery of the Holy Rings themselves. Barutamee sought a path to Maethrillian, capital city of the ancient Forerunner empire, hallowed citadel of the gods. But with Vadamee's arrival already upon him...

Thel 'Vadamee was an astounding warrior and strategist, to be sure. The humans' resistance would soon be crushed following the arrival of the Fleet of Particular Justice, but Barutamee had little interest in the genocide of the humans. It puzzled him that the Prophets so vehemently demanded the extermination of a race that would have made a fine addition to the Covenant if the valor they consistently displayed in battle was any indication. Barutamee himself considered reclaiming the holy relics more important on a spiritual plane, as well as a practical one.

However, his fleet's inability to quickly destroy the human orbital defenses and military on the planet had incensed the Ministry of Resolution, and Rho feared that his covert and illicit gathering of Forerunner artifacts might be uncovered should the reinforcing fleet place him under significant scrutiny.

Covenant SDV-class Heavy Corvette Ardent Prayer - Hangar

"So it's gonna be like that..." Spartan Jorge-052 muttered in resignation, casually slamming his hand against the malfunctioning detonator. With both a timed and remote detonation of the slipspace bomb no longer an option, someone had to stay behind and go down with the ship. Turning to the only other survivor of the UNSC's strike team, Noble Six, he announced, "Well, I've got good news and bad news..."

Long Night of Solace

"Fleetmaster Barutamee! The Fleet of Particular Justice is to rendezvous within the next few minutes." A Sangheili comms officer called out to him.

"Very well... has there been any communication from the Ardent Prayer yet?" Barutamee replied gruffly. "A comms malfunction should have been repaired by now, especially with a Huragok aboard the vessel" he thought with rising suspicion and anxiety.