[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] RookieRules YA! I finally get to comment on THE EPIC WOlVERFrog's story while it is still being written![/quote] Lol, it's strange, isn't it? As I read Insurrection, it seemed that it would have been really fun to be there when the story got kicking. And now, with TS, I get to experience it for myself. Anyway, this was a great part. I love the whole "unholy alliance" that you've formed between Oprheus and Ahkrin. Wonderful stuff. I'll be greatly looking forward to the next chapter, although you've said that you're still so busy. We can wait though, just deliver when you can. [Edited on 03.09.2011 11:14 PM PST]

I truly think you are an awesome writer. If you ever write a book and sell it, I would buy the lot.

YA! I finally get to comment on THE EPIC WOlVERFrog's story while it is still being written! As usual epic. Orpheus seems very different than most Brutes. Maybe I'm being racist to Brutes but I have never seem them so...... intelligent? MOst act like savages in Halo games, and the books don't help them either. But hey, your the greatest Halo fanfic writer I know, and you always have an evil, dramatic, and always awesome idea for your stories

"Are you insane, Sangheili? We'd be killed in seconds." "Maybe," Ahkrin answered, softly. "Or they might be surprised enough by such a foolhardy action that they will stall. My shields will protect us for an instant, and hopefully by then we will be in our midst." "That's a very slight chance, Ahkrin!" "Maybe!" Ahkrin shouted back again, wincing as another Unggoy was mercilessly stricken down. Only two more of the diminutive warriors remained. "But it's still a chance. If we carry on like this, we will die anyway." The two locked eyes for what seemed like hours, each trying to read the other. Finally, the Jiralhanae conceded, nodding reluctantly. "You're right. But by the gods, Ahkrin; if we're killed doing this, I'll smash in your idiot skull!" "That would be a sight," Ahkrin chuckled, surprised at how natural it was to converse with a [i]Brute.[/i] Almost like talking to Zharn, or Sorran. [i]Almost.[/i] "On three, then?" "On three," the Sangheili nodded, diverting all power from his weapons to shielding; they wouldn't be much use up close anyway, and he'd kill far more with his bare hands. Three. Two. One. [i]Crack![/i] [i]Crack![/i] [i]Crack![/i] The two Covenant stopped their suicide mission, each looking automatically out of the window to find what was unmistakably a void rupture, shaking the ship ever so slightly. What they saw astounded them. "Sh­it!" the human wearing the darkened glasses cried out, stumbling back, his cries echoed by the others in his squad. Four Covenant vessels hung in space, eclipsing Epsilon Eridani in their violet glory. Their took a few seconds to reorientate themselves after the excursion into the void, before spinning to meet the human ships. A blue bolt sailed from the flagship, arcing effortlessly through emptiness and striking the [i]Everest[/i] squarely in its hull. A great trembling hit the UNSC ship, sending all standing flying to the ground and knocking out the heavy lighting of the room. They did not turn back on. Ahkrin's prayers had been answered. Whoever had convinced the council to take this action was now his favourite person in the galaxy. Darkness had swept the room like a hurricane. Ahkrin's element had finally arrived, and not a moment too late. * * * Savara stood aboard the [i]Immortal Repentance,[/i] her hearts still heavy with loss. She looked with sadness at the table he had lied on when first brought here, poisoned by the humans and near-death. It had been months since that day. And almost as long since word of his execution had reached her, sent along by his grief-stricken commander, Zharn. She did not quite know why she had been so drawn to Sorran. He was hardly the fittest male she had ever been courted by, and possessed about himself a stumbling lack of grace. Perhaps that had been it, she realised. He was so unlike any Sangheili she had ever met, with his scholarly analysis of everything he saw and hesitant behaviour. Savara corrected herself; he [i]had[/i] been all these things. And now he was gone. "Still distraught, my dear?" the familiar, wizened tones of the father Minister of Convalescence asked her in a soft rasp, hobbling behind her and placing warm, wrinkled long fingers on her slender shoulders gently, squeezing in a consoling manner. "You will meet him in the next life, you know." "Heretics do not ascend to the Journey," she quivered. "Come now, Savara. I treated that young Sangheili for weeks and there wasn't a single bad bone in his body; I could tell. He'd speak often of how much he hated the killing and innocent slaughter this war entailed. Unlike any Sangheili I have ever met." "Yes," Savara answered hauntingly, pulling away from Convalescence's hands and checking the blood level of a patient in the far corner of the room. "He was." "No heretic, though. You [i]will[/i] meet again," the Minister told her kindly, and she let a small smile grace her tired face. "I hope so. I still cannot truly believe that he is dead," she shook her head, eyes moistening. She wiped them hastily with the hem of her sleave; to cry in public would shame her and her family name. That reminded her: "Has my father been in contact?" This far out into non-Covenant territory, messages were all deposited in the central communications' hub rather than personal units. In his old age, Convalescence had been assigning more and more medical duties of this particular ward of the ship to her, and often was now the one to take the walk to the hub, which he deemed 'refreshing.' "He has. He does not understand why you wish to be on a ship such as this, risking yourself in battles. He wants you back home, where you will meet a fine mate and produce many offspring to carry on his lineage." "Next time you're at the hub, tell him to mind his own affairs!" Savara yelled, pounding the table near her. Convalescence smiled. "I already have, my dear. As I have the past nine times. But... he is your father. And our noble shipmaster is being pressured by him more often than the trouble is worth." Fear gripped Savara, and she spun sharply. "He won't make me leave?" The elderly Prophet chuckled, and he shook his head. "No, child. I have known Thel Vadam'ee since infancy; I was his family's physician, remember. He would not interfere in the personal matters of another, no matter who asks." "Even an Imperial Admiral such as my father?" "Even an Imperial Admiral, dear child. Oh, before before I forget; you know how my memory is these days: our ship is to dock with High Charity within the week. Many of our warriors are long overdue their pilgrimage, and we must resupply anyway... I hear that Sorran's friends had a gravestone erected in his memory on the station." A sad hope dawned in Savara's eyes, and she nodded. "Do you think I could--?" she couldn't finish the question, it hurt too much. Convalescence smiled with his old, warm eyes which instantly reassured all who saw them. "Of course, my dear. Thel has already signed the sabbatical documents... would you like me to go with you?" Savara studied the kindly old Prophet for a few moments, and saw no ulterior motive in his gaze. He was simply being the gracious Minister she knew and loved far more than her biological, pretentious father. "I'd like that very much. Thank you." * * * The lights woke up. The humans lying at Ahkrin's feet, their necks snapped or their hearts pierced with burning blades, did not. The glasses of the sergeant were smashed, sanguine blood seeping between the spider-web cracks in their dark confines. "... remind me never to argue with you in a dark room," Orpheus laughed nervously as he clambered up the narrow stairs, with the two surviving Unggoy in toe. Ahkrin observed them for a moment, allowing himself a small smile and turning away. The [i]Everest[/i] had mobilised to full alert, and was now trading fire with the newly arrived Covenant ships. With Cole's brilliant strategic mind, Ahkrin could not predict the outcome. And to be frank he didn't really care. Zharn would, but all Ahkrin called about were the people he considered friends and himself. Everyone else was a tool to be used. All that mattered was getting Zharn and he away from this nightmare... and Orpheus, too. Ahkrin owed him a blood-debt, after all. And although he was loathe to admit it, the Jiralhanae wasn't an unlikable person. "We must hurry. I can hear the cries of the mob behind us, and they grow louder," Ahkrin spoke softly, facing the human lift expectably. Then he remembered that a button needed to be pressed for its operation, and hit the small dial with a finger far too large to comfortably press it. After a few moments, it gave way, and the numbers on the lift header fell, presumably as it descended to their deck of the ship. "This will take us directly to the bridge?" Orpheus asked. Ahkrin nodded. "Yes." The lift finally arrived, and the doors slid open. The Jiralhanae and worn out Unggoy traipsed wearily towards it. Ahkrin held out a strong arm, stopping them. "Only I shall go." "[i]What?[/i]" Orpheus demanded. "No, Ahkrin. I can't let you." "I'm the only one with a stealth system!" Ahkrin snapped back it him. "You would get us all killed. I will go alone, find Zharn and hopefully get him out without alerting the humans. Meanwhile, you take the other lift down to the escape-pod deck; you can read human, yes?" "English, Spanish, Chinese and Russian," Orpheus answered. The four most widely spoken human languages. Ahkrin's brow rose at this; the Jiralhanae was obviously far more intelligent than he seemed. The Sangheili nodded. "Good. You keep the two Unggoy safe, and wait for me and Zharn in an escape pod. If we don't arrive in the next twenty minutes, or if you're discovered, leave without us. And turn your armour's transmitter on; it would not bode well for you to be gunned down by a Banshee mistaking you for fleeing humans." There was an uncomfortable silence, until finally Orpheus' shoulders relaxed and he accepted Ahkrin's proposal. "Very well. May the gods be with you, Ahkrin," he blessed, holding his hand out. Ahkrin looked at it for a few moments, before slowly taking it with his own. Sangheili and Jiralhanae joining hands like brothers. What a sight! "They'd better be, or I'll be in trouble," Ahkrin muttered, walking into the lift. "I shan't be long." He pressed the button on the complicated dashboard which would take him up to the bridge, and after a few seconds the lift slowly closed its doors and began to play soft, melodic music, made surreal by the sounds of plasma torpedoes smashing into the hull of the mighty vessel. [i]This metal box had better not fall. What an embarrassing end that would be.[/i]

Sorry for the delay, I've been through a period where I haven't really been into the Haloverse, mostly due to Reach ruining it for me. Reading Halo: Cryptum has made me fall in love with Halo again and has also given me some great ideas for this. So, hopefully chapters will be more frequent. May - July will be quiet though, exam period. Thanks for reading, as always, and putting up with my sporadic updates. [b]Part 26 - Skirmishes, and reflections[/b] "Admiral, my warriors are dying!" Zharn shouted at the distraught old man, who had just entered his quarters with a distracted look on his face. Cole looked at Zharn, and for the first time he really saw him. Not as a prisoner of war who was a valuable asset. As an Elite. As the Covenant. The enemy. The Admiral strode forward, raised his fist and struck the bound Sangheili across the face. Zharn reeled back. The blow did not truly hurt from one so old, but was shocking nonetheless. Cole had never quite lost control like this. "Cole--" Zharn began, his words suddenly cut off as the Admiral's hand grasped his throat and begin to squeeze in a surprisingly powerful way. The Sangheili's eyes bulged as the carotid arteries in his neck were gripped as if by a vice. "I've got a mutiny on my hands here!" Cole yelled, his eyes two lasers burning through the dimly lit room. "I don't give a damn about you bastards! Let them be killed for all I care." Zharn managed to get out a few words, and said: "If they are, then my warriors still on the surface... shall hear of it, and your people yet to be evacuated shall die." It was a petty, vindictive thing to say with no honour, but did what Zharn had hoped it would. The wildfire in the Admiral's eyes died a little, and his hand finally relaxed. "There is nothing I can do, for now. My other ships are moving in, and with their help we'll stop this... many of your people will still die, though. It is not my fault, or the fault of our people in your custody below." Cole told him, and he almost seemed to be pleading. His worry for his people had evaporated his pride and aloof attitude. "You humans are all the same," Zharn recited the words he had spoken countless times before after seeing acts such as these. "Savages." Cole laughed sardonically at that. "We're not the ones who raze planets and kill billions of innocent men, women... and children. You even murder the children, you sick bastards." "You would do the same, had you the chance," Zharn growled back, fists clenching. A haunted look dawned in Cole's eyes, and he shook his head. "No," he told the Sangheili in grave tones. "We wouldn't. Now will you have my people killed out of spite, or will you do the right thing for once in your wretched life?" Zharn glared up at the Admiral with fire, before snatching the receiver linking to Covenant warriors waiting for hourly confirmation from Zharn that they should continue to allow the captive humans they had to go free. "[i]Noble Ultra, we have received word that our brothers are being killed up there. Should we slaughter the humans as recompense?[/i]" [i]Click.[/i] The sound of a weapon being levelled at Zharn sounded through the room, and the Sangheili knew that if he did not continue with the evacuation of the humans his life would be forfeit. Some choice. Even if he had one though, Zharn believed he would reach the same decision. "No! We shall not stoop to their level. Continue to allow them to go free," Zharn commanded, shutting his eyes and thinking of the Covenant on board the [i]Everest[/i] being effectively lynched as he spoke. [i]Killing the humans out of vengeance will not halt the mutiny, however. It would worsen it.[/i] "[i]I do not believe the Council will sympathise with your choices, if you do not mind me giving voice to my opinions, noble one.[/i]" The Sangheili receiving his orders spoke in the common Covenant tongue. "I shall answer to the council," Zharn replied likewise in his native language, masking from Cole knowledge of the Council. "Do as I command, major. Responsibility shall fall on my shoulders and mine alone." "[I]... understood. Stay safe, Zharn.[/i] The connection was cut, and Cole snatched the communications device from Zharn's manacled hands. He nodded gratefully. "Thank you... this mutiny will not go unpunished, if that means anything to you," the Admiral added, catching Zharn by surprise. He chose his words with care. "We Sangheili believe blood is sacred above all things. To draw blood unprovoked is the greatest offence imaginable. You have done this. I shall not forget, Cole. One day, if you stay true to your word and allow me to leave, we shall face each other on the battlefield as equals, and you will pay for what has transpired here." Cole smirked, opening the door at the end of the room and preparing to go back to the ship's turmoil-stricken bridge. "Your words reflect truer on yourselves, Elite." The door closed behind him, leaving Zharn all alone in the night. He stared solemnly out of the room's large window, down at Eridanus II below and the UNSC ships orbiting it. The wrecks of the Covenant occupation Cole's fleet had ruined still hung in space, like a chandelier in the diamond fortresses of Sangheilios. [i]Ahkrin... you better not be caught up in all this.[/i] * * * Ahkrin was very much caught up in it all, unfortunately. The Unggoy had never been much a species for stealth, with a tendency to breathe loudly through their methane respirators when under duress. And Orpheus' sheer weight made sneaking for him impossible. A group of marines guarding the elevator leading up to the bridge had heard them, and now Ahkrin found himself in a situation he loathed; a direct confrontation. No shadows to conceal, no advantage of surprise to be had. Zharn was the warrior, not he. The special operations Sangheili could handle a rifle fairly well, but even Sorran with his limited experience had almost been able to match him in that regard. If darkness pervaded the room and the element of surprise, Ahkrin could sneak past an entire army to assassinate their leader; indeed, he had done so before, ending the dissent of a colony of Lekgolo before it had truly started. That achievement had earned him ascendancy to spec-ops. But when gunfire was battering the air inches away from his body, as he huddled behind an unpleasantly small crate, with his shields at minimum strength level... well, it wasn't an ideal situation he found himself in. And to make matters worse, the Unggoy were panicking. Four of them had already been slain by the constant assault of the humans, in their superior numbers. "Keep it up, marines!" a slightly old human wearing dark glasses, a green flat-cap and an officer's insignia bellowed from behind the stock of his own M5K Carbine as he let round loose. Ahkrin ducked out of cover to try and take a shot at him, and instead found himself on the receiving end of a bullet. It embedded heavily in his right shoulder, tearing sinew and flesh gruesomely. His armour thankfully sealed the wound in seconds, but the pain remained. Ten more seconds, and the gunfire was far outweighing the plasma fire. Orpheus had established a blockade at the foot of the stairs which he now cowered behind, occasionally firing over it with hands unaccustomed to the grip of a plasma repeater. Ahkrin could tell he longed for a spiker rifle, or any of the other barbaric weapons the Jiralhanae favoured. The humans were pushing forward slowly. "Ahkrin, we need to pull back!" Orpheus roared. Ahkrin didn't even consider the suggestion for a second, shaking his head. "No! Zharn is up there! And whilst the humans keep him captive they have succinct leverage over our warriors below. And what would we pull back to, pray tell? A mutinying lynch mob baying for the blood that flows in our veins? Nay, Orpheus! We must grab our leader and find a way off this troubled ship." "What of the other Covenant?" Orpheus yelled back over the fire. Ahkrin adopted a stony expression. "It is too late for them. We must escape ourselves, and honour their sacrifices in future battles." "[i]Sacrifices?[/i] By the gods, Ahkrin, they're being thrown out of airlocks like decommissioned parts! We cannot permit such sacrilegious deaths." Ahkrin agreed... but there was nothing that could be done. He then turned away quickly, grabbing a steel knife he'd stowed in his belt and holding it by the sharp, tapered blade, marvelling at the simple beauty of its sheening, keen edge. They didn't make tools like this in the Covenant now, it was all magnetically shaped plasma. He stared at his reflection for an instant, before poking out of cover, aligning his target and hurling it at a soldier. The weapon struck him in the unprotected part of his neck, bringing death instantly. Another man caught him, staring with wide eyes as the now-crimson blade sticking out from his neck. "Are you defying my orders, Jiralhanae?" Ahkrin demanded lividly as he ducked back down, 'pulling rank,' as the humans liked to say. A cloud crossed the large Brute's face, and left behind a resigned expression of despondency. "No, Ahkrin. But how--" [i]Bang![/i] The shot missed Orpheus' face by mere centimetres, and he instantly went a shade or two lighter, ducking further down as he fired a few more warning shots. Another Unggoy made a break for better cover and was gunned down, thrown backwards against the wall where it slid down, plastering the metal with copper-rich blood. "We'll have to storm them," Ahkrin answered the Jiralhanae's unfinished question. There was silence aside from the constant battering of weapons being fired, before Orpheus finally roared over the turmoil:

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Rovil Taham [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] SpazDragon1397 [url=http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/060/a/1/elite_troll_by_spazdragon1397-d3ape7g.png]This.[/url] Yes, I know. It's irrelevant, but humor has to be inserted somewhere about Sangheili.[/quote] yes, strange mischievous face indeed. anyway the elites probably only killed humans because the first human they saw had a wart. that would explain their battle cry. probably hates warts.[/quote]It's Johnson saying; "Go go go!" Backwards... notice how every single one of the covenant in the vicinity starts shooting at you when an elite points at you and goes! "Wort wort wort!"

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] SpazDragon1397 [url=http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/060/a/1/elite_troll_by_spazdragon1397-d3ape7g.png]This.[/url] Yes, I know. It's irrelevant, but humor has to be inserted somewhere about Sangheili.[/quote] yes, strange mischievous face indeed. anyway the elites probably only killed humans because the first human they saw had a wart. that would explain their battle cry. probably hates warts.

[url=http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/060/a/1/elite_troll_by_spazdragon1397-d3ape7g.png]This.[/url] Yes, I know. It's irrelevant, but humor has to be inserted somewhere about Sangheili.

I spent a night reading this entire thread's story instead of going to sleep, and getting ready for my next day at campus in Certificate 3 of full time study in IT. Excellent story sir, bravo, I love these kind of stories about Sangheili and such~ *bump* I know I'll have to, but I'll say it anyway - I can't wait for your next post. Also, this thread is now bookmarked (Quite a couple of times I punched the air in victory as I read this story - Uplifting, emotionally filled and action packed all at the same time).

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] TheGreenAlloy [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Ktan Dantaktee [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Ownerlord1997 [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Multijirachi [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Ownerlord1997 Wolverfrog please i can't take waiting im waiting for red vs blue season 9 ,the next arby n the chief,gears 3 ,halo ce hd i am dying waiting for all of these[/quote] There IS no red vs blue season 9. Those final episodes were meant to wrap things up.[/quote] what you talkin about willis[/quote] PLEASE don't go off-topic.[/quote] I can see that you have learned.[/quote]I resisted the sudden urge to 'Lol'.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Ktan Dantaktee [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Ownerlord1997 [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Multijirachi [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Ownerlord1997 Wolverfrog please i can't take waiting im waiting for red vs blue season 9 ,the next arby n the chief,gears 3 ,halo ce hd i am dying waiting for all of these[/quote] There IS no red vs blue season 9. Those final episodes were meant to wrap things up.[/quote] what you talkin about willis[/quote] PLEASE don't go off-topic.[/quote] I can see that you have learned.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Ktan Dantaktee [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Ownerlord1997 [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Multijirachi [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Ownerlord1997 Wolverfrog please i can't take waiting im waiting for red vs blue season 9 ,the next arby n the chief,gears 3 ,halo ce hd i am dying waiting for all of these[/quote] There IS no red vs blue season 9. Those final episodes were meant to wrap things up.[/quote] what you talkin about willis[/quote] PLEASE don't go off-topic.[/quote] [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDU0CTDMk2g]OFF TOPIC YOU SAY????????[/url] [Edited on 02.22.2011 10:25 PM PST]

I LOVE TS. Oh, hi Ktan. Hows FTZ?

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Ownerlord1997 [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Multijirachi [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Ownerlord1997 Wolverfrog please i can't take waiting im waiting for red vs blue season 9 ,the next arby n the chief,gears 3 ,halo ce hd i am dying waiting for all of these[/quote] There IS no red vs blue season 9. Those final episodes were meant to wrap things up.[/quote] what you talkin about willis[/quote] PLEASE don't go off-topic.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Multijirachi [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Ownerlord1997 Wolverfrog please i can't take waiting im waiting for red vs blue season 9 ,the next arby n the chief,gears 3 ,halo ce hd i am dying waiting for all of these[/quote] There IS no red vs blue season 9. Those final episodes were meant to wrap things up.[/quote] what you talkin about willis

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] AssaultCommand [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] RogueAssassin27 [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] AssaultCommand You know, I'm actually wondering how many people ever download the PDFs to read the story :([/quote]I had MoaO before my desktop crashed.[/quote]That's the one that Wolverfrog made himself.[/quote]Well, I still downloaded one. >.>

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Ownerlord1997 Wolverfrog please i can't take waiting im waiting for red vs blue season 9 ,the next arby n the chief,gears 3 ,halo ce hd i am dying waiting for all of these[/quote] There IS no red vs blue season 9. Those final episodes were meant to wrap things up.

Wolverfrog please i can't take waiting im waiting for red vs blue season 9 ,the next arby n the chief,gears 3 ,halo ce hd i am dying waiting for all of these

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] RogueAssassin27 [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] AssaultCommand You know, I'm actually wondering how many people ever download the PDFs to read the story :([/quote]I had MoaO before my desktop crashed.[/quote]That's the one that Wolverfrog made himself.

whens the next chapter..? I'm getting withdrawal symptoms :(

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] AssaultCommand You know, I'm actually wondering how many people ever download the PDFs to read the story :([/quote]I had MoaO before my desktop crashed.

when is the next chapter i need to know what happens next

You know, I'm actually wondering how many people ever download the PDFs to read the story :(

love this novel WF look forward to next chapter :)

Epic story, Wolver. I've read it since before I was a member here, along with your others. Please make another chapter soon! -Prophet Of Lies

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Rovil Taham wolverfrog, you have written the best story i have seen in a long time... -smiley elite -now an ultra (YAY)- is pleased..[/quote]Please stop signing your posts. It's very annoying. I can stand just signing it with your name, hell, even I do, sometimes, but those random comments are just distracting.