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Fall from grace
Posted By: Asher Lemorte<asher_crestfallen@msn.com>
Date: 2 July 2005, 6:13 am
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Prologue
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Today was a day of celebration for Owatana. He had been promoted recently to the rank of Zealot and had been placed in charge of what the covenant had searched for endlessly. One of the Sacred Rings, possibly the only one in existence still intact. Their search for the means to begin their great journey had finally begun. He stood in front of the viewscreen watching in silence and awe as his crew went about their duties. The communications officer spun around in his chair, "Incoming transmission from High Charity my Lord, marked Top Secret your eyes only." Owatana nodded solemnly and instructed the communications officer to patch it through to his office a few meters away from the bridge. Close enough that if anything happened he was immediatly at hand but had the finest security measures known and given them by the forerunners themselves.He paused long enough to look one last time at the promised land, their final destination. Owatana fought to contain his excitement, then entered his office as the doors hissed closed behind him. The shipboard AI chimed in. "Greetings, state name, rank, retina scan, and DNA sample for verification, failure to comply will be punishable by death."
Owatana looked at the panel in the ceiling where the ship's security system lowered the pillar for identification, he noticed that four plasma cannons lowered from teh ceiling, in the event of non-compliance with commands given by the AI, it lowered the offenders life expectancy to nothing but a hundredth of a second, he laughed to himself under his breath as he pressed his head into the contraption and widened his eyes in preperation for the scan and pressed his right hand to the scanner as he stated calmly "Owasso, Owatana Zealot". The computer would compare his dna, voice, and retinal scan to those on record within the hallowed halls of High Charity. The ship finished analysis and retracted the pillar and guns into concealment. His mind wandered as he glanced about his private office as he made his way to his desk. He was pleased that the bloodstains were gone from the "joke" that he had played on a few grunts that he had deemed overambitious and instructed to move his desk to another corner of the room and had been gunned down in milliseconds to much kneeslapping and laughter from himself and his comrades as they watched the massacre on the main viewscreen. Owatana sat down at his desk and pressed the switch to activate the holocron. A message appeared in mid-air
To: Owasso Owatana
From: Prophets of Truth, Mercy, Regret High Charity
Warning:Highest security, enable countermeasures level five before proceeding all content is confidential. Failure to abide by these terms will be deemed treason and heresy.
Fate to be determined by council court marial including but not limited to:
demotion of rank, public flailing and possible exile from the great journey. Touch screen to continue.
Owatana's eyes widened at the mention of the prophets. He would have considered it a poor attempt at humor were the consequenses of failure not so dire. He took a moment to straighten his armor, ensured that his helmet was straight, took a deep breath and with a nervous finger touched the display.
The holocron came alive as the trio of the heirarchy appeared before him. He bowed on one knee fearful and honored at being an audience to Truth, Mercy, and Regret. Truth glanced down at Owatana from his position. "Rise noble one"
Owatana slowly stood up not meeting the prophet's gaze. "Greetings to you noble heirarchs. The holy ring is secure and intact not to mention fully functional. We await your arrival to commence the great journey holy ones."
Truth nodded solemnly" Well done Zealot, dispatch your troops to the surface with all haste so that we may prepare for the upcoming salvation."
Owatana formed his right hand into a fist and thudded it against his chest. "As the prophets will, so shall it be." Owatana looked over Truth's left shoulder and noticed Mercy fidgeting endlessly. For this he was notorious as his health was failing him in his old age and had already prepared himself for the journey so in depth that he even had commanded his remains to be taken on the journey should he be unable to live long enough to see it come to be. Owatana had long been an admirer of Mercy and looked to Truth requesting if he might address Mercy.
Truth smiled and nodded "Of course....we are after all part of the covenant."
Owatana bowed humbly to the prophet of Mercy and spoke in silent pride to his childhood hero "Noble Mercy, I have monitored you since my days as a fledgeling, I have long wanted to make you an offering that would be worthy of a prophet of your stature."
Mercy hovered forward slightly, listening to the elite with a small smile on his lips "And what would you have to offer one such as myself?"
Owatana stepped slowly away from the holocron and as he touched a button on his desk he stated clamly. "A glance at your greatest dream." The elite removed his finger from the control panel the shutters opened slowly revealing the ring and the planet below. All three prophets moved closer to the windows to gaze upon the holy wonder they had all waited on. Truth studied intently the ring, no discernable expression or show of emotion displayed externally. Mercy applauded with glee and even regret who was known to be arrogant and best unapproached due to his temper and vindictiveness gazed mouth agape as a single tear slipped from each eye and bottom lip shook. The elite felt that if is heart went any faster it would burst, noone ever got this much of a reaction from a prophet, let alone a heirarch.
Mercy looked at the ring as he extended his hands towards it, Mercy spoke softly to Owatana almost unable to think clearly his body visitly shaking, his hands trembling so badly the resolution was suffering. "Thank you for showing me this zealot. You cannot imagine what this means to me. How may I repay you for this?" Owatana bowed at the waist trying his best to be diplomatic, an area in which he had never been his strong point. "Give me a plasma rifle, a sword, and some grenades and I'll know what to do with them."Owatana thought to himself. Combat, Strategy, tactics, and hand to hand combat had always been his strongest points at the academy.
"Noble Mercy asked you a question captain" Quipped Regret snapping Owatana back to reality. "I believe he expects an answer as it appears by his own tongue he owes you a debt."
Owatana did his best to recollect himself and recover his dignity. "Please forgive me your lordship, I was lost in the reality that this truly is goign to happen." Truth chuckled softly to himself as he resumed his position at point of Mercy and Regret. "We are all grateful for your monumental discovery, You have served the covenant well. Now name your reward per Mercy's request."
"Heirarchs, my heart longs for one thing and one thing alone, May I request that my family be rushed to my side with all due haste for the great journey's beginning."
Truth pressed his fingertips together in thought has he flicked his eyes to Mercy then Regret for any signs of complaints. Neither Prophet spoke nore moved, Truth looked over his shoulder to a figure offscreen and stated in a commanding voice" Retrieve his mates and hatchlings from his homeworld and see to it they are reunited by our fastest available ship." Owatana was speechless with joy, his breathing became ragged as he widened his mandibles in a heartfelt smile. "Thank you my lords." Mercy waved his hand dismissing the display of gratitude.
"For the find of a lifetime, it is a meager request easily fulfilled" Regret moved slowly and purposefully towards Truth and whispered something to Truth who merely nodded. "Forgive our hasty retreat captain but there are many preperations that must be tended to." Owatana bowed to the trio "My lords, one more request if I may." Regret nodded mildly irritated at his interruption "Make haste with your request captain, we have much to accomplish." Truth silenced Regret with a wave of his hand and a glance. "Regret is being hasty. Considering your find Captain, though we must move quickly considering salvation is at hand." Owatana nodded quickly considered retracting his statement then changed his mind.
"Might I be granted permission to contact my family and show them the rings and notify them to prepare for departure?"
Truth nodded and smiled "You have ten minutes with them. the longer you speak with them the longer you delay their arrival". Owatana nodded as the prophets vanished from and the holocron glowed a dim purple, the only words that remained were "transmission terminated"
Owatana smiled and hurriedly closed the holocron and stepped to the monitor in the wall reserved for personal use. "Computer, contact my family frequuency delta kappa seti gamma." The computer made a small buzz as the connection was made. His most senior lifemate answered and squealed with glee at his face and ran her fingers over the monitor in disbelief that Owatana was still alive. Owatana tried his best to choke back his tears but failed miserably as his eyes were filled with overwhelming emotion. His lifemate Henna warned him "Owatana you still live? It has been six months since we have seen or heard from you. I'm not ungrateful for the communication but you above all should know the penalty for contacting the homewolrd you endanger not only us but the planet as well." Owatana clicked his mandibles together in an attempt to ease her mind, of all his mates she had always been the most vulnerable to panic. It annoyed him at times but she made him feel needed. "Henna, calm yourself and bring my mates together. I have news of the highest urgency pertinent to the great journey and I contact you with the prophet Heirarch's blessing though my time permitted with you is short. Please hurry."
Henna quickly vanished from sight as Owatana finally allowed himself to let his thoughts of home come to the surface. Warriors were only occassionally allowed contact with family and return trips home were only permitted with the highest level of consent. Conquest, duty, and honor overrode all. To produce anything less would be heresy. Henna quickly returned with four other lifemates. "Where is Ai'tleen?" Owatana questioned worriedly "She should be here for this." Henna started weeping out of sorrow as another lifemate stepped forward to address his query.
Owatana quickly recognised her as his newest mate Yahweenah, "My apologies my dearest but she passed away in delivery of your newest gift." Yahweenah turned the monitor to send him a clear shot of a nest with over a dozen eggs almost ready to hatch. Owatana lowered his head in sorrow and asked. "Has she been laid to rest as tradition dictates?"
Yahweenah merely nodded and stifling her tears asked of him "You said you had something important to inform us of love, what was it?" Owatana stroked his hand over the image of the nest trying to caress his offspring through the screen. He then pressed a button to his right sending his family the image of the ring. There was complete silence as they gazed upon the image in amazement. Henna was first to speak "Is that..." "Real? Yes love it is, the great journey begins soon. the prophets are sending their fastes ship to collect all of you so that we may partake of thes as a family." His announcement was met with screams and squeals of joy,glee, and happiness.
As Owatana went on with them in more detail he heard a crash from the other end of the line and saw one of his lifemates go to investigate the sound. Owatana assumed at first that it was his boys being boys until he heard his mate scream and the too familiar sound of the human's machine gun fire and saw all but henna sprayed to pieces all over the walls of his home. Owatana yelled and swore at the monitor in anger and desperation yelling out each of his mate's names in fear demanding to know who had invaded the sanctuary of his home. The monitor at his home fell over as he saw Henna's head pinned to the floor by the heaviest and largest human foot he had ever seen in his life. "Let her go human I'm right here, there's no honor in killing her!" Owatana witnessed in desperation as the human turned the monitor to grant the best view of itself possible, it was large almost three meters tall. It was covered from head to toe in an odd green armor and its face remained hidden behind a gold mirrored faceshield. The human reached behind its back and pulled out a small calibre handgun, pointed it at henna's head and pulled the trigger covering the screen with her brains. Owatana punched the wall in anger "NOOOOO!!!!!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs and wished that he were at home with sword in hand to exact his revenge. A gloved hand removed the remains of henna from the camera and righted the monitor placing the nest of eggs in view where everything could be seen. Owatana looked back up at the monitor again watching this nightmare transpire before his very eyex. "Human, you let them live and your death will be relatively painless, harm them and I will see to it you are totrured until you beg us to kill you."
The human looked at the nest then sloqly crushed them idividually stating "oops" after killing each one until only one egg was left. Owatana died inside everytime an egg was crushed and prayed silently that his family's escort would arrive in time to stop this atrocity.
The human then tapped the monitor provoking the elite even more and removed a grenade from his armor as the egg started to hatch, and the last surviving member of his family. The assailant pulled the pin on the grenade just as Owatana's child poked his head out of it's shell and placed the grenade next to the egg and quipped "Happy Birthday" then vanished. Owatana had just enough time to witness his child rubbing it's head against the grenade lovingly as the monitor turned to static. The captain rampaged through the office destroying everything in his path accidentally triggering the turrets as he was blasted with burning plasma he heard an electronic voice from the great beyond "Captain are you alright?" echoing repeatedly through his head. Owatana awoke screaming and found himself soaked with sweat in his quarters during sleepphase his room and body untouched save for the quartet of scarlet clad elites standing over him brandishing plasma rifles.
"Are you all right captain?" asked the highest ranking of them "we heard screaming and came to check on you." It had all been a nightmare, a common dream. "Yes all is fine, just a dream." The guards nodded and started to leave. "Lieutenant what time is it?" Owatana asked. "Two hours until daybreak sir, do you wish for me to leave you in peace?" Owatana shook his head "Retrieve my breakfast, Two metleth and one koppal to drink make sure it's hot. I'll be stating my shift early today, inform the bridge." The lieutenant soluted and went to run his tasks. "Computer, lights." The captain's quarters glowed as the room was illuminated. He reached to his bedside table and clicked on a holocube creating a pictuer of his family suspended in midair. "Dream or premonition?" The way the war was going he didn't know anymore.
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