Muttonhawk

Halo: Aegis Team

Yalu 'Suumko

Guiding the Spectre into the cave felt a little too much like landing a plane for Yalu's liking. He came in as carefully as he could while maintaining enough speed not to be blown into the ridge either side. His right passenger got close enough to the cave walls to touch then.

He felt a hissing in his ear holes as the rain outside muted and the engines of the Spectre eased to an idle. He let out a breath he had been holding for the past minute.

"I fear our plan for a rapid engagement may be finished." Sighing, Yalu clapped both his hands either side of his seat and pushed up out of the cockpit. "Is everyone status green? No one overboard?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine held onto Meesei's hand so tightly that it hurt for a time after their final separation. Collapsing to her knees in the cage, Sabine balled her fists and tried to breathe evenly. She could not. It was written all over her face.

The pack could only watch the scene below them, occasionally calling to shoot down flying enemies threatening their cage. Some parts of them wanted to tear the cage open and jump down to pluck their leader out of death's jaws. The rest knew it would be impossible.

Fendros wished he was strong enough to watch when the Daedra closed in on Meesei, but he could not. He closed his eyes, perceiving the great wave of light coming through his eyelids. He could not watch the mentor, saviour, family member, and friend that Meesei had become meet her demise. Not that anyone could see it in the brightness.

It did not hit them all quite so hard as seeing the field of ash left behind below them. It spread out like a hole in their hearts, gently misting the disturbed dust of what was.

Fendros' grip tightened on the Rueful Axe. Its name seemed appropriate now. "Pack," he ordered with a new confidence. "We must avenge them all."

Sabine and Janius both perked up unexpectedly at the tone. Through their sadness, their spirits knew Fendros to be their new alpha. Their new leader and protector. Some part of the overwhelming grief welling up inside them went still. Just enough to keep going.

Halo: Aegis Team

Yalu 'Suumko

Yalu kept his hand calmly hovering over the emergency brake every moment he could. Lower visibility meant following closer behind the commander's Spectre. The speed they were keeping up did not help the risk either. Though, he did not falter — he was not on the team for being an average driver.

Tar's directions caused Yalu to bank hard to turn in her new direction. He made the repulsors weaken to almost nothing as the wind turned his vehicle into an aerofoil for a moment. It was all he could do not to have the whole thing flip over and injure his passengers.

He said nothing but a quick acknowledgement to keep down on radio chatter. His questions and concerns about the weather would have to wait.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Though despondent, Meesei's words succeeded at steeling everyone's courage enough to continue.

"We will never forget you," Sabine said.

"None will forget you," Janius affirmed. "That is certain."

Fendros nodded in solemn agreement. "And we will live up to all you prepared us for." He sighed, holding in the years of connection and care being painfully torn. "Pull the lever."

"Goodbye, Meesei," Janius rasped out.

Sabine pushed her tear-soaked eyes shut. "Goodbye, my mother."

Halo: Aegis Team

Yalu 'Suumko

The descent to the planet could only accommodate so much meditation. Yalu found himself ruminating too much to glean any more benefit to his mind and body. He opted to bring himself back to the present around him and joined in conversation with his team mates. He grew quiet when they were near the ground.

The grav lift hatch opened to blast them with cool humidity. Yalu almost spat at how thick the air was. This place, the plant life and the atmosphere, it could be as potentially disorienting to the team as it would their enemy. The notion of the keep guards' home ground advantage sank in as deep as his toes into the mud.

Maybe bringing along 'Mdalak would be more a benefit than he had estimated.

"Mounting up," Yalu obeyed, hoisting himself up and dropping into the cockpit of the next Spectre vehicle. He deposited his needle rifle in a suspension holster beside the controls and powered up the sleek grav craft like a swift morning routine. It hummed to life and raised a foot above the mud.

"Do not get too comfortable," Yalu warned. "They might have your Promethean optics too. Do your best to spot them first."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Sabine had to bite on her lower lip to keep herself from crying out in despair. With Meesei's hand holding her, she was at least brought out of her frantic reaction slowly, but still fell apart devastated. She held onto Meesei with her forehead brought up to meet her snout. She sobbed, trying and failing to be strong. "I wanted to..." She had to pause to even remain intelligible. "I wanted to live that life with you there."

They all did. Everyone in the pack. Everyone betrayed their desire in their faces though they did not say it. Everyone except Fendros. Fendros took on a stony visage not unlike his father had at the best of times. He slid the Ring of Hircine onto his finger without a flinch. He hefted up the Rueful Axe in turn.

After a respectful while, Fendros put a hand on Sabine's shoulder and looked through the bars, straight at Meesei's eyes. "You will still be the champion in our eyes, Meesei. I'll see you again -- home or on the Hunting Grounds."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Fendros swallowed a bare drop down his dry throat. "It's not meant to be this way..." he managed to say in a monotone. The wolf nose of the ring felt like a sharp tooth in his palm. "We always get through together. That's how it has been for years."

The lift creaked as Janius warped a bar of the cage behind them with his free hand. But his head hung low. Even transformed, he could not muster the anger his bared teeth were looking for. This was Meesei's choice.

Sabine had not given up yet. "Is there no other way?" She pleaded. "Summon a daedra or shield yourself from all this...I...I can still help! The potions I have left!" Sabine hurriedly rifled through her shoulder bag for anything that could help Meesei survive.

Sabine had many powerful potions, even the sorts that could reflect a proportion of magic. Though the staff Meesei held was an artifact on the level of the divine.

"How will we go on?" Fendros asked helplessly. He could barely speak loud enough to be heard.

Halo: Aegis Team

Yalu 'Suumko

For a moment, Yalu was lost in the mystery of the scattershot's design and mechanics, turning it in his hands and looking down its sights. He almost forgot it was a weapon. Shih's explanation gave him the details he needed to know, but he hoped to learn more about this technology later.

"Thank you, construct," Yalu nodded to the avatar before taking up the ten shots he would be limited to during the mission. He somehow expected them to be heavier.

Some of the others were not so convinced. Yalu gave a grunt. "Suit yourselves. This weapon shall suit many roles. Especially at our destination. I may count on those shields you found to make better use of it, too." He held the scattershot aside and perused the rest of the crate. The autosentry caught his eye. He picked one of the modules out and went back to the bench to read through its operation.

The concussion rifle would be left in the armoury for this mission. The keep no doubt had a few to use in the field should he need to find one.

Halo: Aegis Team

Yalu 'Suumko

Mention of the Forerunner weapons made Yalu crack an eye open. From where he sat, now properly armoured on a bench trying to put his mind at peace, he could just see into the crate. How the ancient weapons shone in his vision.

Yalu stood up and removed the enclosing helmet of his red assault harness to approach. Behind him were his selection of weapons: plasma grenades, concussion rifle, and a replacement needle rifle taken in lieu of his previous plasma carbine. One of them might not come with him this time.

"So fine and elegant these artifacts are," he said. "Had I laid eyes on such things before the betrayal, having used the Prophets' imitations for so long, I might have noticed their arrogance sooner." He reached carefully for the scattershot. It reassembled in his grip to form its true shape. He curled his mandibles in quiet delight. "Shih, tell me more about this one, if you please."

Halo: Aegis Team

Yalu 'Suumko

Yalu stood around near Vael's wing for a short while longer. He held his hands behind his back and sized up the newcomers to their team. The infiltrator Comi'Masam gave a unique first impression to say the least. Yalu still had to strain to understand her words. But if she came with Lucas' recommendation, she was clearly not compensating for any lack of skill.

The new engineer Flint was more of an unknown. Yalu was willing to accept the ignorance of Flint's youth, but the physicality of this human was lacking, even in comparison to the non-spartan humans on their team. At least if this one was injured, none of them would be burdened by carrying him around. Perhaps he was recommended for being adept at crawling into small spaces to perform his technical duties? In that case, he had better be more expert than a Lekgolo worm at sabotaging the defence infrastructure at their mission destination.

With Vael still getting them up to speed, Yalu felt his time wasting. He unclasped his hands and started a stride to the armoury. "I need to meditate before this mission," he said to himself, letting out a deep breath.