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The re Covenant stood transfixed, bewildered by what they saw: Standing on a low ridge in the middle of their enca, coated in the blood and viscera of their brethren Such a thing was unthinkable

Once he was certain he had their complete and undivided attention, Jonah knelt,

slowly--deliberately--never taking his eyes off his enraged foes

In his right hand, Jonah held his coht Thick chunks of flesh and clots of purple and green blood stuck to the blade‘s edge--hanging in strings, like saliva from the maw of a ravenous beast With his left hand, Jonah reached for the ground, pausing only briefly as he gripped soht

Roland watched froes along the rim of the final reactor His suit‘s active-ca its dedicated power supply, and he could see that the Covenant, thoughto tense up

He sensed the energy in the ate; these last few survivors would not allow their lives to end as helpless victilower on their faces, Roland saw three of the Elites draw theirready to make a move; ready to pounce Their first steps on their so-called Great Journey may be mere seconds away, but the warriors‘ code by which they lived ht Their sense of honor would not allow it, just as it would not allow them to be taunted by the --taunting them

It‘s what he always did-- Every daht He just can’t help but play with his food

The eerie quiet that had settled upon the caave Roland the sense that they were directly in the eye of the storm--that whatever hellish fury had played out only moments before, as to come next would be worse, and it would be sudden

He placed the last of the charges and locked the detonator‘s receiver in the ―on" position, then knelt and lifted a half-loaded Covenant carbine rifle frohted the Elite nearest Jonah, the weapon‘s ai reticule drawn directly at the beast‘s head--the instant he so much as twitched, a hail of radiation would liquefy his brain cavity

Out in the open, the Covenant soldiers still frozen in disbelief, Jonah rose frohtly in his left hand Jonah lifted the trophy high in the air, and then spoke for the first tiht ‘em up"

The lead Elite‘s head rocked with three successive bursts froed carbine before its round, lifeless

The handful of Covenant survivors leveled their weapons at Jonah, who hefted the severed head and threw it full force at a Grunt about to unleash a fully charged blast fro plasma pistol Theit off balance and sending its plasry alien atteht itself, but not in tiained its bearing a single slug impacted its temple Jonah then made short work of the scattered Grunts and Jackals displaced about the courtyard, while avoiding fire froht

He and Roland had the advantage of placing their enee and the tree line Roland used for cover,it difficult for the Covenant to focus on just one attacker

Roland finished off two er clicked eed Jonah, whose attention was focused on wrapping up the only other surviving Covenant, a Kig-Yar cowering behind a personal energy gauntlet As Jonah worked his way around the shield and planted two bullets in the Jackal‘s side, Roland called a warning, ―Jay,

seven-o‘clock," and peppered the back of the Elite with his sub away at its shield

Jonah spun

The Elite barreled toward hi in its eyes As if he were sinu a bullet into each of the Elite‘s kneecaps

The beast fell

Roland sprinted over as Jonah slid a new clip into his pistol

The Elite struggled to lift itself--beaten, yet defiant Unable to stand, it rested on its bloodied knees

―Nice shot" Roland bent down to grab a plas the area for survivors as he rose

―You softened hi the periphery for any signs of trouble

―Still got soheili‘s reach ―Ya know?

Up close, you Slip-Lips aren‘t so special You know that, right?"

The Elite stared up as the two Spartans look down on it

―I mean, really," Jonah prodded ―I‘ve always s think yer so das you do?"

The Elite passed his gaze from Jonah to Roland and back ―There is honor in our path," he began,

―youyour kindhu but a disease that alaxy--a taint upon--"

―Yeah, well--this disease ain‘t goin‘ nowhere In fact, seeodda you can do about it"

―If ere to meet in battle as warriors-- true warriors," the Elite hissed, ―you would fall, just as so many of your kind have fallen--to our swords and fire; under the weight of our boots But you-- you are not warriors You are assassinsWeak and timid, you hide in the shadows--"

―Says the alien shit-heel who invented active-calassin‘ a planet fro beast across his temple with an open hand

―Answer that"

―Your influence ed--eradicated--from the worlds you have fouled with your very

presence--"

―I really don‘t like this guy," Roland interrupted ―Cut ‘im loose, Jay I think it‘s past time we beat feet"

―I fear not the path to the Great Journey beyond I eravely wounded, the Elite‘s eyes welled with pride has he spoke

― ‗Great Journey,‘ huh?" Jonah huffed ―What‘s so great about it?"

The Elite stared directly at Jonah‘s visor,eye contact despite the fact he could not see Jonah‘s face through the reflective surface ―You will never--"

In a blur ofhis blade hilt-deep into the side of the Elite‘s neck

The creature shuddered and lurched, sick wet gurgles bubbling up froed for the blade, more reflex than an actual atteround

Purple-black blood seeped fro from the Elite‘s splitdown on his latest victiust--then suddenly, violently wrenched his wrist, twisting the blade in place ―It was a rhetorical question, asshole," he said, his voice a mix of disdain and boredo Elite‘s neck

In one fluid motion, he removed his M6C from its holster with his left hand, and kicked the alien to the round with a thud As the heavy alien body settled, a sudden and silent flash burst frole round into his fallen eneh the roof of its still-twitchingout the top of its thick skull, depositing itself, along with a y turf below

―Overkill, don‘t you think?" Roland offered, ly

Jonah leveled his M6C dead center on the dead Elite‘s chest, firing four unfire-- thwip, thwip, thwip, thwip--answered by the kiss of punctured flesh and ventilated lung ―Better safe than sorry," Jonah cracked back as he safetied his weapon and ran his blade along the ar away the residue of a battle on

―Yer funny"

―Sorumpy face, Rolle, old boy"

Roland checked his sensors and the power charge on his suit‘s battery ―We got other places ta be and this joint is prime to blow--you ready to roll out?"

―Yeah" Jonah paused as he gave the area one last visual sweep--Covenant carcasses and discarded weapons littered the campsite ―This place is dead anyway--"

As the last syllable escaped Jonah‘s lips a sudden crackle of energy sparked in the cool night air

FIVE

SOMETHING NEW

Roland‘s body quaked--a violent, sudden spash his limbs in a series of aftershocks--then he seized as thehis spinal colu back, instinctively taking up a defensive stance--pistol instantly off his hip and in firing position, the events before hi to a crawl

For less than a second Roland stood perfectly upright and motionless before his body jerked with another forceful, involuntary start as the dual-pronged tips of a Covenant energy sword pierced his chest, sliding through his body and arht on the flicker of the blade‘s plas red with blood--the weapon‘s dual blades protruded farther fro hinu off soe, but unseen; each round harazine clicked hoe‘s shells hit the ground

Roland‘s h, and a single, whispered word

―Clear"

Everything--the blade, Roland, Jonah, the evening breeze--stopped for a handful of seconds--still and eerily serene; the only sound the pop and sizzle of the energy sword as it seared the flesh around and between the wounds

Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the floating sword pushed forith a quick,

deliberate thrust before viciously being ripped up and away, exiting through the Spartan‘s right shoulder, just below the neck Upon reaching the apex of its arc, the energy sword shione

The force of the swipe nearly cleaved Roland‘s upper body in two, a thick geyser of blood spraying upward as the mortally wounded soldier slumped to the dirt, lifeless As Roland fell, the spray of his blood coated a cloaked shape loo directly over his broken body

Like an apparition, the s of crimson life danced in midair Jonah couldn‘t make out the exact shape of his eneheili He brought his pistol to center oy to his left

The small, dead creature‘s Plasma Pistol would come in handy if Jonah hoped to penetrate the cloaked Elite‘s shield Jonah had two additional disruptors, but he would need the a man down--friend or not--there was still a mission to accomplish