Occasionally, I will do some major piece of writing for a character. While this piece of writing was for another site I figure I could post it here. It is quite recently made, having only been completed two weeks ago, and was my Required Roleplay Sample for a Sangheili Fleet Mistress of the same name I boast here! It is 8000+ words just in case you feel you might TL;DR
Edto Xar’Sivaree sat at the helm of her Heavy Destroyer with a solemn look upon her face. There was still quite a bit of tension on her ship since she was placed in command. It did not help that the Fleet Master had an obvious disdain for her. She had been “Honourably” given the position of Fleet Central Guard. In other words, the Fleet Master felt they had to be babysat by the near seventy ship strong fleet. It was not an honour at all to be a Ship Mistress of a Heavy Destroyer, placed in the position of a Light Destroyer. Her ship was not built for heavy point defence, and that is exactly what she was set to do.
“Ship Mistress. We are receiving an COM from the Fleet Master. Shall I receive it” A young elite barely out of war college announced.
Edto couldn’t rightfully complain about her crew. All of them were fresh out of War
College and many of them had an eye out for her job. She was however the Highest Commanding Officer on the ship thanks to the Hierarchs interference and several strong recommendations from Sangheili she had served under in the past.
“Do not ask me if I will receive a COM from our Fleet Master. I do not have the right to choose when and to whom he speaks to. Ask me once more, and I shall make sure you will not have the chance again. Have I made myself clear Major” She asked. There was silence on the bridge as there usually was when she said anything disrespectful. The Mgalekgolo pair shifted, as the silence grew even more steadily. Edto eventually got her response in way of the COM’s opening up and the Fleet Master appearing before her on a screen.
“Fleet Master Opo Nar’Davamai” She said, standing up. “What is it you wish of myself and my ship” She continued, bowing. Not that it mattered, he always seemed to think she was bowing due to her height.
“Ship Mistress Edto Xar’Sivaree. We have received reports that there is Heretic activity. Sending you coordinates and details now” The Fleet Master stated sharply. Edto looked down to see that there was in fact Coordinates and Information being sent to her. “We have already lost a Battle Cruiser, and are unwilling to expend many more resources. We do however need to eradicate these humans. I trust you will be... adequate. I will expect a report upon your return” He finished, cutting off the transmission before Edto could say anything.
Edto sat back down, and looked over the information. Four ships in total, but one ship was destroyed. Three Human Frigates and not even a Battle Cruiser could handle them. Either that BAttle Cruisers Ship Master was hopelessly inept at commanding ships, or this was a suicide mission. She knew it was a suicide mission. Either way the Fleet Master would win. She would die , and he could say she died in battle or she would live. This would allow him to relocate her to another fleet with recommendations to increase the strength of a smaller fleet.
No matter. She had her orders, and she would accomplish them no matter what the odds of survivability were. “Master of Navigation. Prepare us for a jump into the void. I will not allow these humans to live any longer. We shall avenge our comrades deaths and return to the fleet proven warriors, or we shall perish in the attempt” She commanded.
The Bridge exploded with activity in moments. This had been the ship's first chance at combat since the crew was placed on it. Many of them knew it was only her own capabilities that got them upon the Destroyer, but that did not allow the tension to die. In these first moments though, all tension was lost. All except for the Master of Communications. Edto knew she would have to keep her eye on him. He was causing enough problems aboard the ship as it was.
They were within the blackness of the void shortly after her commands were made. Heading directly for the system to which the humans were. Edto had been in battle with the humans on numerous occasions, but never as the Ship Mistress. She could feel the tension rise up in her chest. She knew it would only be an unit at most before they left the void and returned to normal space. Only an unit before Edto truly proved whether or not she was prepared for this war.
Nothing but the various protocols each officer had to undergo could be heard on the bridge. She hit the ship wide intercom. “Crew of the CNV Shadow of Retribution. In less than one unit we will be engaging the Human scum. Prepare yourselves, for this shall be a glorious fight” She said coolly. She closed the COM and waited the remainder of the trip in silence. In her mind, though, there was anything but silence.
The variables of the battle were all over the place. Humans clung to life with a ferocity she had not witnessed ever before. They pulled insane stunts, even if there was an absurdly low chance of success and even survival. She had always been so fascinated by the humans in an odd way. Despite their vastly inferior technology, they were still able to win battles. They could, and have destroyed some of the largest ships the Covenant utilized. Out witted some of the greatest tactical minds in Covenant existence. How was she going to take on three ships who had already destroyed a Battle Cruiser.
The next serious question was the condition to which the Humans were in. That could be anything. Either the Battlecruiser did a lot, or it didn’t do anything at all to the other three ships. Edto had trained and prepared herself her entire life for this exact moment, and here she was mulling over her fear. She mindlessly ran her two fingers along her head, tracing where her Mandible once was. One of the many sacrifices she made for this life.
Before she knew it, she could see the white twinkling of stars, indicating the ships drop from the Void. She didn’t even hear the Navigations Master inform her of the transition. She just looked up at everything. She did pay attention when she was informed of the presence of three ships several million kilometers away. Two of the human Light Frigates and a Heavy Frigate. This really was going to be a Suicide mission. No matter, she would face them without hesitation.
“Weapons Master! Navigations Master! Alter our course once within Ventral distance. I want one of those ships destroyed before they even have the opportunity to fire their weapons. You are to fire the Ventral, full power. I want to see their ships burn” She snapped. Both officers snapped to, starting to fulfill Edto’s orders. She could see the human ships starting on their attack vectors. She watched the ships grew larger and larger in her view, preparing mentally for the fight to come.
Within moments, the four ships entered contacts distance. Just as they did, Edto leaped into action. “Change heading to two-nine-five by three-two-five! Weapons Master! Bring Plasma Torpedos to bear, firing in a cluster on the head ship!” She ordered. She watched the flashes of light from the UNSC Ships MAC’s. Simultaneously she watched the Plasma Torpedo’s blare through space.
Moments passed when she felt the ships shudder fairly violently. She however watched as the lead ship exploded in several bright flashes of light. She was well aware that she had changed her orders, but not only was this a test for her, it was a test for her crew as well. She wanted to be sure that her bridge crew could react to various situations.
“Ship Mistress! We are detecting multiple radiation signatures approaching the ship!” The Navigations Officer snapped, clearly stressed by the situation. He was not being disrespectful to her though, and she could let such a tone slide in battle. So long as they followed her orders.
“Enter the void! I want an exit vector in place between those two ships! Weapons Master, what is the time for our next Torpedo Barrage?” She asked as the ship headed into the vast blackness of the void.
“Several rooks Ship Mistress! Our Ventral Beam is ready to fire on your command however” The Weapons Master responded. Good, Edto was not completely out of options other than her point defence. Usually the Ventral took almost a rook to power up, and in this situation, that could be death.
Upon re-entry, She could tell something was amiss. The ship were starting to turn on her. They had foreseen her plan! “Roll ship zero-three-zero degrees and fire Ventral now!” She yelled, bracing herself for the coming storm. The ship started to roll, but not fast enough. Two massive shudders went through the ship.
“Ship Mistress! Our shields are down and we have extensive damage to the outer hulls! We are leaking Plasma!” The Operations Master yelled.
“Fire the Ventral! All point Defence cannons are to target the main cannon of the ship not targeted by the Ventral!” Edto yelled, doing well to keep the desperation out of her tone. She didn’t care what ship she attacked with her Ventral Cannon or what ship was attacked by the point defence.
Edto watched as the Ventral Cannon gutted one of the ships. It exploded in several rather blinding flashes of light. Were it not for the special lenses in her helmet, she could have been blinded due to one of her screens flashing white. She still had a job to do.
“Navigations Master! How long until we can enter the void!” She demanded, watching the ship line her up rather nicely. He answered, but Edto didn’t care. They were out of time. Edto watched the ship, waiting to die. The Humans predicted her strategy. Her only hope was that her point defence managed to disable the weapons.
She waited, but the shot didn’t come. Both ships just stood at a stalemate. She was recharging her weapons, which with the Plasma leak was taking longer than she would like, and they were waiting for some reason. She had to be careful at this time, because they could be able to shoot still.
A voice piped up on the Bridge to break the silence. “Ship Mistress! We are detecting unverified signatures on the ship! We have been boarded!” The Security Master declared, causing Edto’s eyes to narrow. So that was their game... She would play.
She stood up cooly. “I will deal with this parasitic infection. I want our point defence focusing on additional boarding craft. The second we are able, I want a jump out of range of their main cannon. Do so as fast as possible. They won’t risk destroying us, and we have the advantage. Rotate us slowly so that our Ventral is pointing at them once our shields return should that happen before our jump. Security Master. Let us deal with the more pressing matters” She ordered calmly.
She was lucky. They were trying to capture her ship. Which meant they want her ship to be as intact as possible. That made her think. “Communications Master! Do everything in your power to jam all communications leaving this ship. Go total dark. Nothing is sent or received from this ship, especially from the enemy” She commanded.
“It will be done Ship Mistress” the Sangheili responded. Edto snarled a little at the tone. She could forgive stress in combat, but his disrespect followed even out of battle. She would have to deal with that.
She didn’t have the opportunity though. Soon she heard countless voices over her COM’s. Local traffic, so the Communications Master did his job. From the general messages of the traffic, there was certainly a firefight happening in the auxiliary Hanger. Mostly maintenance unngoy and kig’yar. She was hardly concerned for them. They would serve to slow down the Humans rather effectively. Still though, she had her plans. She wanted to see these humans fight up close.
“Operations Master! I want you to lock down all exits from the Auxiliary Hanger. Send the nearest security to that sector to the Primary Entrance. We shall face the human's head on!” She stated, turning down the hallway towards the Primary Hangar. Several mixed lances of troops joined them at the door. The only one that wasn't locked.
“Unngoy to the front. Kig'Yar are to set up a shield wall behind them. Security Master! Tell me how many of your Sangheili are equipped with Active Camouflage! I plan on dealing with these vermin as swiftly as possible” She stated. “Keep one alive... I wish to make an example” She smiled.
The Security Master nodded, before barking orders to his warriors. Despite being perfectly capable of taking command of them, she wanted her personnel to work with her, so she would take those small steps to ensure they felt they held authority. She watched as several of the Sangheili warriors seemed to vanish. At least half of the Sangheili were now just slight shimmers in the air. Once those doors opened, though, no one would notice them.
“Those in Camouflage, branch out to the sides once the doors open. There are enough of us to make them unsuspecting of a sneak attack. I am keeping chances to a minimal, while hopefully demonstrating why the Humans should never board a Covenant Naval Vessel ever again, for the rest of this war!” She commanded, activating her energy sword. She waved for the group to move forward silently. She punched in some runes of the control panel to the door, and a sound came through.
“Man, I didn't expect the crew of a Destroyer to be so... Well weak. It's kinda funny don't you think Captain?” One human voice said, his voice thick with that same arrogance the Humans had on the ground. That sent a shiver of anger up Edto's spine. Interesting or not, no one insulted her crew.
“Keep that mouth shut Private! You just shot down what may as well be non combatants. This is the only human boarding of a Covvie ship that I have heard of, and if there have been more then they have all failed. Corporal, status report on that door! We need to keep this momentum going before the ship can bolster its Security A substantially older voice said. This one interested her. She sent a COM to the group to try and keep this one alive. She made it very clear that she wanted to interrogate this one, so they were to capture and subdue him as fast as possible. Edto turned back to the panel.
“Actually sir, I was just about to mention that. This door is the only door in the whole Hangar that isn't locked. I hacked into the panel to see if anything was awry and try to hack the local battlenet, but I keep getting locked out. I'm a little nervous about opening it to be honest A third voice piped in. Edto could hear the current priority Target sigh.
“Have we heard back from the ship? What is the status of our reinforcements? I want to make sure we can take the bridge. Three squads just doesn't feel adequate to me” He asked. His reasons made Edto grin.
“Sir, I haven't heard anything but broken static from the ship. The last message I got was that the Ship was fighting a jamming signal” A fourth voice said. Now Edto was getting tired of this.
“Alright, open the door on my mark. We are going to carry through with the mission. I don't want any mistakes, keep the corners tight. Head on a swivel and do not shoot unless you one hundred percent have to. Ready... Mark!” The voice yelled. As he did, the doors slid open and Edto could finally see the Humans up close.
They were fascinating. Most about as tall as she was, but hardly any taller. She would have loved to see the looks on their faces, but they all seemed to have plates over them. All of them wore black, except for one or two. Edto could tell who the leader was though. He had reacted the fastest, with the most precision in the face of the small hoard of Unngoy and Kig'Yar that rushed at them violently. She pointed to him and made the command to subdue him, before jumping into the fray herself.
Despite being a Ship Mistress, she was by no means a slouch in true combat. The only real thing she noticed was that her slight advantage of being shorter than her normal combatants wasn't as valuable, being the same size. She still had strength and speed on her side. Their guns were rather quiet, but she felt them strike her shield hard. Little reminders that these creatures could eventually do damage to her, should she be to reckless.
The battle was quite difficult the longer it went on. Humans seemed to only get harder to kill the longer they were in a fight. The more of them fell, those who were left became more ferocious to pick up the slack. She had to be honest, the entire fight was invigorating. It was different, new, spontaneous. Something she would never get from one of her Brothers. They followed the steps. They played by the rules of combat in a way these humans did not. She was glad she ordered a capture. She might be able to find out some interesting stuff about this human.
Soon, the gunfire died and a sense of peace settled over the Hangar. Edto looked at the remains of the battle with a look of content. The way she counted it, it was more than a fair fight. These humans fought hard and strong. They felled many of her Unngoy and Kig'yar, even a surprising amount of Sangheili. “Gather up the dead. Dispose of the Kig'Yar and under in whatever means you deem fit, but ensure our brothers are given the proper respect” She commanded the Security Master.
“And what of the human?” He asked, looking at two Sangheili Minors holding him down. Edto thought for a moment, then smiled. “Bring him to an empty holding cell. Ensure he does not get released or hurt. I wish to converse with him once we are out of this mess” She stated. “Return to the bridge once you have seen to that” She added, before turning and leaving.
She started walking back to the bridge, preparing to get a status update from the Navigation Master when he COM crackled to life. “Ship Mistress! We have made a successful jump out of weapons range of the enemy ship. Waiting on further commands” She heard a familiar voice tell her. She scowled a little, but was rather happy to hear the voice.
“I was hoping not to wake you Bridge Master Nadra 'Othamaee. While I greatly approve of your devotion to the cause, you, like all our soldiers need proper rest” She stated, turning back the way she came when heading to the hangar. “As for orders. Burn the Human ship. I will be on the bridge shortly” She added, turning off her COM.
It took her less than a few rooks to make it back to the Bridge, where she saw her Bridge Master taking her place on the Bridge. This would bother her if he had not instantly stood up and offered her the command chair. She could see his reasoning. Her position was advantage to his standing beside the command chair. Who was she to deny him comfort while she was not on the Bridge.
“Status Report Bridge Master. How are we fairing?” She asked, taking a look at the view screens. The final ship was obviously preparing for combat. Why had it not run yet?
“The ship is still leaking a large amount of Plasma. We suspect the Human ship took damage to their FTL systems. They did not expect our jump. I would assume that they thought our lack of movement was due to their human invaders. I'm sure you dealt with them accordingly?” The Male asked as Edto sat down.
She smiled. “Yes, it was a nice change. It was been some time since I have been in a true fight. A fight where my opponent was as unpredictable as a Sanghunter in the catacombs of my home. How long until repairs to the ship are made? How long can we operate unaffected by the damage?” She asked. The ship was preparing to take on the Human ship one last time. She wanted to know so she could be sure to destroy the last human ship.
“Approximately ten rooks at battle speed. That will give us room for a Ventral assault, Torpedo barrage, and if need be three minutes of constant point defense. Our shields are currently at forty three percent. Repairs will take approximately four Units. Orders?” The Bridge Master asked.
Edto thought about it for a few moments before smiling. “Hunt them down. Ensure they are destroyed before they manage to repair. We will go back to the Fleet Master with no survivors” She stated coolly. At her command the Bridge Master started spouting orders. She looked at her calendar and saw it was soon time to switch shifts. She had enough time to deal with this problem, and upon their return to the Fleet, she would be able to present her status report. She would give the ship time to be repaired enough to stop the plasma leak and increase their hull strength.
The battle was fairly uneventful, and soon the final human ship floated in ruins. A single Frigate against a Covenant Heavy Destroyer was hardly a fight. She looked at the Calendar and stood up. “Bridge Master. Please inform the ship that it is time to change shifts. In Eight Unites there will be another shift change. Once your relief has arrived, you are free for the next sixteen units. Rest, eat, train, whatever you wish to do with your time” She said as the crew relief arrived. She stood up and handed off the ship command to the Bridge Master.
As she left the bridge, and started walking to the holding cells to see her new pet project. She was however stopped as she walked through the ship Atrium.
“Ship Mistress!” She heard a voice spit. Edto took a deep breath, turning around to see that the Communication Master was the one addressing her. Why did that not surprise her?
“Yes Communication Master Aldren 'Vardunee? Is there a concern?” She asked, her voice thick with aggravation. It was not often she was spoken to in such a tone, and when it did happen she made it clear that it was not appropriate to address any Zealot Rank with such a tone.
The younger Sangheili did not seem pleased that she was speaking to him with such a tone. “Yes, there is. I have a concern that I am sure is shared by others aboard this ship!” He snapped. His hands clenched as he spoke.
Edto just raised a hand to silence him. “And with that I know your concern. It is not a concern you have very much right to voice. You are obviously incapable of dealing with your concern personally, bending to my orders eventually. If it would cause you less distress, I shall have you transferred to another ship. If you choose to fight, then let us fight” She commanded, clenching her own fist.
Aldren scoffed as he stepped up to Edto, towering over the much shorter female. “I would never tarnish my honour by fighting a crippled female. Your command should not even exist, and so I demand that you...” He started, getting cut off abruptly. He let out a sputtered cough, slumping over lifelessly. Edto had impaled him on her sword.
Edto deactivated her sword before looking at the crowd of bystanders. “Understand this, and understand it well. Neither my stature or gender should affect your conduct. I have earned my position on this ship by proving myself to the Supreme Commander. If you will not show me the respect deserved of my rank, I will see it as you disrespecting our Supreme Commander, and you will be killed. If you wish to duel me, understand this as well. I went through war college just like the rest of you. To fight me would be the same as fighting another Ship Master. Regardless of my Gender, I am here. Do not be so narrow minded, when I have earned my rank through the same ways anyone else is expected to earn them. Now... Does anyone else have an issue with my command?” She asked, looking around carefully. No one seemed to move. “Good” She finished, turning and continuing to her pet project.
She entered the the holding chamber, seeing only the one cell being guarded. She walked towards the cell, relaxed and ready for quite the interesting conversation. The doors closed and locked behind her. She didn't wish to talk through a shield, as that was never fun. “Deactivate the field. I wish to speak to our prisoner” She stated sharply. The two Sangheili guarding the cell nodded, and did as she asked.
The Captain sat in the cell, looking at the ground. He didn't seem to register Edto's approach. Edto stopped about halfway into the cell, before removing her combat helmet. “I assumed more anger would proceed my entrance... Captain I believe your troops called you?” She asked. That caught the Captains attention.
The man looked Edto over, the gave a scoffing laugh. “So, they let kids on these ships now?” He asked, looking at the polished silver Armour. “And you’re allowed to play dress up too? Well then, that's a pretty interesting idea” He said, his voice a little dead.
Edto couldn't help but smile in return. “I can tell where you would get the idea that I am just a child, but I assure you I am an adult. Not to mention the Ship Mistress of this Destroyer you and your warriors tried to take” She stated firmly. The Captain seemed to flinch as well.
“So, your a female then? Don't know any one else in your military who would take the title Ship Mistress without being one” He said standing up. To Edto's surprise, he was a little taller than her. “So I guess you're here to torture me for information. I won't give you anything” He growled, his stance getting a little more aggressive.
Edto waved her hand dismissively. “I am not here to torture you. On the contrary, if I though you weak enough to snap I would have brought a couple Kig'Yar with me. I believe your kind call them Jackals? No. I am simply here to offer you the chance for a conversation before you die” Edto stated, running a thumb along her missing mandible. “To be honest, I have found humans to be rather fascinating. Something of a hobby I guess you would say?” She asked with a genuine smile. The human missed it and crossed his arms.
“I'm sorry to say, but I don't see you Elites being the type for a pleasant conversation over tea. Let me get this straight. You are offering to just... Talk with me until you need to kill me?” He asked, obviously a little confused. “Why me? Why not any of the other soldier I brought with me?” He asked, his tone going soft again. “They were all good men to” He added.
Edto nodded. “Yes, I am sure those who were with you were valiant. You were just the one who I felt had the most time and experience behind you. You seem older than the other humans who were with you” She said simply. “Unfortunately though, because you boarded our ship, I have two choices. I can present your head to the Fleet Master upon the presentation of my report, or I can present you alive. Unless you would rather take your chances with my superior” She grinned darkly.
The Captain shuddered at the though, but then looked at Edto. “Wouldn't you get in trouble for this? I thought the Covenant was against any kind of compassion towards the Humans. I would call this compassion... Or at least some perverted form of such. Here let's talk for a little bit before I behead you or present you to my Fleet Master. I'm a little surprised you haven't offered me something to drink yet with how this is going” The Captain said, a little hesitantly.
Edto nodded. “No, I cannot offer you anything from the ship reserves. Doesn't mean I can't give you back something of yours” She said, waving to the guards and barking an order. One of them grabbed the Captains canteen and gave it to Edto, who in turn presented it to the Captain with a shake. The sound of water sloshing was unmistakable. “I can assure you nothing has been done to your equipment. It should be safe to drink unless you did something too it” She stated simply.
The Captain looked at the canteen, before taking it and drinking heavily from it. When he was done Edto just tilted her head, but the Captain had something to say. “Alright. I'll give it to you, granted the situation this is better than I thought. My name is John Ambrose. Could I ask one very small favor though? Your guards took a flask off me. Similar to my canteen but smaller. Could I have that back?” He asked. Edto shrugged, having the guard return it to the captain.
“So tell me John Ambrose, why is it you humans seem to get harder and harder to kill the less likely your survival is? It is one of the primary things that has fascinated me. Take our battle today. Your troops got noticeably more effective in combat the more of them mine killed. Is there a reason behind that?” She asked as she watched the Captain drink from his flask.
“Well, I think I would say compassion and a will to live does that. When you back us into a corner, we tend to stop playing fair. We became the top of our planets food chain not because of physical abilities, but because of mental abilities. We just aren't as far into the race as you and the rest of your Covenant are. I’ll be honest, I would place my life on the line that given the same amount of time, we would be much harder to kill. Then again, I don't think I have a life to give anymore” He said, looking at his flask.
Edto nodded. “I do not doubt it either. You still use projectile weapons, which is a clear indication that you have yet to advance far enough to use brute strength on us. Your description of humans fits what I have seen, and I thank you for the honesty you gave me” She said, noticing the powerful smell of the liquid in the Flask. It reminded her of something her keeps males used to drink. She could see a warm colour return to his face as well. He was either poisoning himself, or like those males from her keep, intoxicating himself. She rarely saw the difference, but she would let it go.
“Anyway John Ambrose, my time here has come to an end. Which means your time has come. If you wish to die fighting, I will give you that honour. Otherwise, please remove your armour” She said, activating her energy sword.
The Captain sighed and looked at his flask, finishing it off and started to unbuckle his armour. “Thanks for the choice, but just make it quick. I'm to old to fight anymore” He said. Edto nodded silently as the Captain knelt down. “And thanks... I guess not all of you are monsters” He finished. Edto stepped forward, and with a single strike she beheaded him.
It was odd. Edto felt a slight twinge in her chest as she killed the human. Funny how thing like that can happen. She gathered up the armour and looked it over. She would keep it as something of a souvenir. She could pass it off as a trophy collection for this war. “Bring this armour to my Living quarters. All of it, even the uniform underneath. Have a Huragok create a device in the shape of the human. I wish to put it on display” She said, looking at the body. “Prepare the head for my report, should I use it. Dispose of the body. Treat it with a modicum of respect. He at least proved himself worth more than Unngoy and Kig'Yar” She said simply, walking out of the holding station and heading to her quarters for some sleep.
Edto awoke to the ship shuddering violently. Still groggy, she tried to figure out what was happening when suddenly the ship shuddered again, and the main lights cut out. They were being attacked! She quickly grabbed her goggles and a simple robe belt and running out into the hallway. She didn't have time to put her combat harness on, and there was little it would do if this ship went up. What happened though? She was sure they had went back to the fleet once the ship was repaired.
She stormed onto the bridge and looked around at the screens. She couldn't believe the amount of ships that was attacking. “Status Report! What happened!” She yelled over the raised voices communicating. She walked over to see the Bridge Master spouting orders. He must not have heard her. The look of panic and confusion that was upon the faces of many of the Bridge Crew gave her a slightly larger picture.
“Ship Mistress! Thank the Gods you're here!” She heard the Bridge Master say from behind her. He had a moment to breath it seemed. “We set a course to return to the fleet, but once we exited the void we appeared on the far side of a UNSC Fleet! Our fleet is currently engaging, but we are being targeted by numerous Human light craft and missiles. Their main weapons are focused on the main Fleet, so our shields have been able to hold up rather well. We have suffered minimal damage, and out shields are at a collective 37%” He continued.
Edto's eyes narrowed. This was an incredibly unexpected surprise, but she knew she would have to deal with it and break through to the main Fleet. Not to mention the utter lack of help she was likely to get. Given her position, she would have to try and avoid her own fleets ventral cannons as well as this fleets point defense and missiles. They did have a pretty good position though.
“Change our reading two-seven-zero by zero-zero-zero and roll zero-nine-zero. Point our ventral and change focus for full charge. Fire on my command” She said, motioning or him to take his usual spot and let her sit down. She watched the motion of the screens as the ship turned. “Give me the firing solution as a visual on the Ventral camera” She ordered. The firing solution showed up, and she waited for a moment. “Fire now!” She yelled, watching the blinding pillar of light cut through space.
One shot gutted two ships and damaged the main thrusters of a third as the beam cut through the enemy fleet. She smiled as the Fleet actually started to take her seriously. “Navigation Master! Tell me when we can enter the void” She asked, keeping and eye on the ships ahead. A lance of energy shot through the fleet towards them, just barely missing their top.
“Inform the Fleet Master that we are back here! Adjust heading, zero-zero-five by zero-zero-zero, full forward!” She called. “Rotate two-seven-zero and prepare Plasma Torpedo's!” She added.
“Ship Mistress! We will be able to enter the void in seven rooks!” The Navigations officer called as the ship shuddered once again.
“Starboard shields are down! Port shields are at 15%! Bow and Aft shields are fully charged! We have several plasma leaks throughout the ship and outer decks seven through nine are breached! Sealing off damaged decks!” The Operation Master called. Edto growled. She had just come back from a successful mission against three ships, and now she is at risk of being destroyed.
“Ship Mistress! We are detecting three Human Vessels turning to face us! Thirty ticks till they will have us in their sight! Orders?” The Navigations Master added. Edto swore under her breath.
“Launch all torpedoes! Target main ship! Alter heading zero-zero-zero to two-eight-five! Divert all shield power to our starboard shields!” She yelled, getting a little desperate at this point. Two massive impacts from the side two ships obliterated their starboard shield despite the power diversion. She closed her eyes waiting for the third round to rip right through them.
It never came.
“Ship Mistress! The Shadow of the Prophets, Glorious Divinity, Twilight Contrition, and The Ardent Faith just exited slipspace in a defensive formation!” The Navigation Master almost cheered.
“The Sword of the Prophet is Hailing us Ship Mistress! Patching it through now!” The Communications officer added. Before Edto could even blink the Fleet Master was on the screen.
Edto scrambled to her feet, admittedly looking a little silly as she did and bowed. “ Fleet Master Opo Nar’Davamee! I apologize for my lack of uniform, I was...” She started, but the Fleet Master just cut her off.
“Do not apologize Ship Mistress Edto Xar'Sivaree. Putting formalities to the side, until the end of this battle the two Frigates and two Heavy Corvettes are yours to command. Do not disappoint me” He stated before the screen cut out.
Edto shook her head, admittedly a little dumbfounded. The Fleet Master just put her in charge of a Warband. No time to doddle, she had a job to do! She looked at her panel to see she had tactical control of the four ships around her. “Have the Twilight Contrition and Ardent Faithwo start a torpedo barrage on the last ship remaining of the three! I want the Shadow of the Prophet and the Glorious Divinity to fire at will upon the closest Human Ships! Charge Ventral Cannon! Rotate Zero-Nine-Zero degrees at aim for the Human Capitol Ships!” She ordered.
Edto watched on the Camera as more and more of the main fleet started to preform short range slipspace jumps to surround the human fleet. No War Band was Directly adjacent from the other. Edto couldn't help but laugh as countless ventral beams dove through the human ships from all angles. Within minutes the Fleet was picking off stragglers.
“Ship Mistress? You have been summoned to The Sword of the Prophet. The Fleet Master strongly suggests you be waiting for it's phantom. It will be here in five rooks” The Communication Master stated calmly. Edto stood up and looked herself over. The Fleet Master was already aware she was not wearing her armour, so she wasn't to upset with her lack of time.
“Nadra 'Othamaee, could I borrow your sword please?” She asked, looking at the Bridge Master. Without question he handed her his weapon. “I will return it upon my return. Should I not return, you may take mine from my living quarters” She stated. They both knew she had to carry a sword around. The fact she was without one was an understandable mistake given the circumstances.
The Ship Mistress then started to hurry to the main hangar, walking in just in time to see a phantom touching down. Hardly any time was wasted as she entered the small craft, greeted by an Ultra. The ride was short and silent, exactly how she liked it. The soldiers were giving her the appropriate respect, and were probably all aware she knew why she was being summoned. No need to explain it to her. Even the walk from the Phantom to the Bridge was quiet. Two Sangheili Majors as escort meant she wasn't being lead to her death, which was always a good sign.
Upon entering the Bridge of the large carrier, she bowed to the Fleet Master. “Fleet Master Opo Nar’Davamee, what is it you need me for?” She asked in a level voice. The Fleet Master looked over to her, and whispered a couple words to his Bridge Master before walking towards Edto.
“Rise Ship Mistress. I would rather talk somewhere else” He stated harshly, a tinge of aggravation in his voice. Edto did as she was ordered and without question fell in behind the Fleet Master. The aggravation in his tone did give her reason to be concerned, but she left her worries there. If her assumption was correct, they were either heading to a war room or to his quarters.
It seemed the latter was true, as the Fleet Master lead her to his quarters. She followed him into the room but remained at the door, waiting for further orders. The Fleet Master walked to a desk and pulled out a bottle and a cup, filling it before he started talking.
“Give me your report on the three human ships I sent you for. What happened?” He asked “You made it back, so that tells me you either survived to tell the tale, or you ran. Which is it?” He asked sharply, glaring into her eyes.
Edto contained her feeling rather well given the insult the Fleet Master just flung at her. “I can confirm that all three ships were destroyed by my ship. I will admit I underestimated the Humans, but it did not save their lives” She said simply, hoping that would be enough.
“Is that all? I highly doubt you managed to defeat odds that even a battle cruiser could not without making even a single mistake” Opo stated coolly, looking the substantially smaller Sangheili over.
Edto took in a breath. “There were mistakes Fleet Master. Not accounting for the Humans ability to adapt I made a reckless move that almost cost the lives of my crew. The Humans also managed to get a boarding party onto our ship, but I dealt with that personally to ensure they got no further than the Hangar alive. I had the boarding party commanders head to present to you, but I lacked time to retrieve it for you” She said, looking down a little.
Opo was silent for a while. Edto could feel her heart pounding in her chest as fast as a plasma rifle. He could take away her ship at a whim for something like this. He was probably going to.
“Edto 'Sivar, if I may call you that. While you were gone I took some time to look into who you are. I will admit I personally think the Supreme Commander made a mistake in placing you in command of a ship. However, that opinion was one that was formed a long time ago” He said, pressing couple ruins on his datapad.
“You refused to stop training despite the discovery of your disability. You were the most noticeable of the warriors being trained for your clans Rites. Given your interest in unorthodox plans many had mixed feelings about how well you would do once the rites started. The first two rites are pretty standard for those of the Sivar Clan. However the third Rite caught my attention. You were the only Sangheili of your keep in over six generations to volenteer to participate in the rite as it was originally written” He continued, obviously looking at Edto's file.
“I always thought your Mandible was lost in a training accident. I didn't think you went through so much just to get into the War College. Even there you showed extreme dedication to your cause. I can confidently say you at least wanted to be a warrior more than most Males do. Otherwise you would not have gone through these Rites” He said, his voice softening a little as he approached her, looking over her face.
Edto's breath quickened as he got close. The runes covering her skin starting to burn slightly as she was reminded of their presence. The Fleet Master broke off the tense moment, walking back to his desk and presenting another cup.
“In regards to your mission, you did not do as expected. I will not be transferring from this Fleet. I do not feel you have the correct level of qualifications. However, given what I saw when you left the Void behind the Human Fleet, I am making you the Ship Mistress of a Warband within my Fleet” He said, pouring some of the liquid from the bottle into the cup and sliding it to her. “Feel free to sit down Ship Mistress. After that close encounter I feel you deserve it” He added.
Edto didn't know what happened. She didn't know if she was just complimented, or insulted either. Hesitantly, she walked to the desk and sat down. She looked at the cup, then back at the Fleet Master who nodded slightly. She had never really drank anything but water since joining the Covenant. She had certainly not drank anything like this before.
Hesitantly, she took a sip. She never thought a drink would burn so much. It felt like her mouth was on fire! She involuntarily spat out the foul tasting liquid, cringing violently. She could hear the Fleet Master laughing.
“My sincerest apologies Fleet Master!” She managed to say, as her three mandibles flexed. The Fleet Master just waved his hand and handed her a cloth.
“No need to apologize Ship Mistress. I should have figured that you hadn't been much of a drinker. Not only that, but watching you cringe like a youngling who snuck a sip of his Uncles wine lightened my mood” He said as Edto quickly wiped down the mess she made.
She finished,before standing up. “Well Fleet Master, I thank you for your forgiveness and hospitality. Is there anything you need before I must return to my ship?” She asked.
The Fleet Master just looked at her, then nodded. “Yes. Let me finish my drink and I shall join you down to the hangar” He said, sending a message up to the Bridge. “I hated the idea of having you under my command when it first happened Edto, I won't lie” He said, catching Edto of guard.
“I could not understand why the Supreme Commander would put a female under my command. I could not tell if it was a compliment or an insult. In my narrow minded view, you should not have even stepped upon the bridge of a ship let alone command one. Now, I am interested in what you will become. You seem to make it a habit of surprising those within the Covenant. In future years, with a mountain of experience under your belt I think you could do more than just be the First Female War Band Commander” The Fleet Master finished, downing his drink and walking to the door.
Edto was speechless. Her body ran in autopilot as she followed the Fleet Master down to the Hanger. Thankfully, he made it a silent trip so she could process everything. She boarded a Phantom from her ship in silence and walked straight to her living quarters in silence. She looked at the new addition to her room. The armour and uniform of the Human, John Ambrose. She looked it over silently as there was a knock.
“Enter” Edto called, her voice a little airy.
“I just came to inquire about your meeting with the Fleet Master” an unusually concerned looking Nadra 'Othamaee. It made Edto smile a little. She was starting to feel like less of an outcast within the Covenant.
“It went well Bridge Master. The Fleet Master decided that while I was not have the level of qualification required for a transfer the available fleet, made me the Commander of a Warband. Things are going to get better for us all soon Nadra. We will see more combat, and soon we will be a devastating force” She smiled.
Nadra gave Edto a quizzical look, like she was keeping something from him. “Very well Ship Mistress. I shall get arrangements in order. Is there anything else I need to know?” He asked.
Edto shook her head. “That will be all. Now, I believe I still have a few hours left yes?” She said, waving Nadra out the door. Once she was alone, she gave out a sigh and went straight to sleep.
Edto Xar’Sivaree sat at the helm of her Heavy Destroyer with a solemn look upon her face. There was still quite a bit of tension on her ship since she was placed in command. It did not help that the Fleet Master had an obvious disdain for her. She had been “Honourably” given the position of Fleet Central Guard. In other words, the Fleet Master felt they had to be babysat by the near seventy ship strong fleet. It was not an honour at all to be a Ship Mistress of a Heavy Destroyer, placed in the position of a Light Destroyer. Her ship was not built for heavy point defence, and that is exactly what she was set to do.
“Ship Mistress. We are receiving an COM from the Fleet Master. Shall I receive it” A young elite barely out of war college announced.
Edto couldn’t rightfully complain about her crew. All of them were fresh out of War
College and many of them had an eye out for her job. She was however the Highest Commanding Officer on the ship thanks to the Hierarchs interference and several strong recommendations from Sangheili she had served under in the past.
“Do not ask me if I will receive a COM from our Fleet Master. I do not have the right to choose when and to whom he speaks to. Ask me once more, and I shall make sure you will not have the chance again. Have I made myself clear Major” She asked. There was silence on the bridge as there usually was when she said anything disrespectful. The Mgalekgolo pair shifted, as the silence grew even more steadily. Edto eventually got her response in way of the COM’s opening up and the Fleet Master appearing before her on a screen.
“Fleet Master Opo Nar’Davamai” She said, standing up. “What is it you wish of myself and my ship” She continued, bowing. Not that it mattered, he always seemed to think she was bowing due to her height.
“Ship Mistress Edto Xar’Sivaree. We have received reports that there is Heretic activity. Sending you coordinates and details now” The Fleet Master stated sharply. Edto looked down to see that there was in fact Coordinates and Information being sent to her. “We have already lost a Battle Cruiser, and are unwilling to expend many more resources. We do however need to eradicate these humans. I trust you will be... adequate. I will expect a report upon your return” He finished, cutting off the transmission before Edto could say anything.
Edto sat back down, and looked over the information. Four ships in total, but one ship was destroyed. Three Human Frigates and not even a Battle Cruiser could handle them. Either that BAttle Cruisers Ship Master was hopelessly inept at commanding ships, or this was a suicide mission. She knew it was a suicide mission. Either way the Fleet Master would win. She would die , and he could say she died in battle or she would live. This would allow him to relocate her to another fleet with recommendations to increase the strength of a smaller fleet.
No matter. She had her orders, and she would accomplish them no matter what the odds of survivability were. “Master of Navigation. Prepare us for a jump into the void. I will not allow these humans to live any longer. We shall avenge our comrades deaths and return to the fleet proven warriors, or we shall perish in the attempt” She commanded.
The Bridge exploded with activity in moments. This had been the ship's first chance at combat since the crew was placed on it. Many of them knew it was only her own capabilities that got them upon the Destroyer, but that did not allow the tension to die. In these first moments though, all tension was lost. All except for the Master of Communications. Edto knew she would have to keep her eye on him. He was causing enough problems aboard the ship as it was.
They were within the blackness of the void shortly after her commands were made. Heading directly for the system to which the humans were. Edto had been in battle with the humans on numerous occasions, but never as the Ship Mistress. She could feel the tension rise up in her chest. She knew it would only be an unit at most before they left the void and returned to normal space. Only an unit before Edto truly proved whether or not she was prepared for this war.
Nothing but the various protocols each officer had to undergo could be heard on the bridge. She hit the ship wide intercom. “Crew of the CNV Shadow of Retribution. In less than one unit we will be engaging the Human scum. Prepare yourselves, for this shall be a glorious fight” She said coolly. She closed the COM and waited the remainder of the trip in silence. In her mind, though, there was anything but silence.
The variables of the battle were all over the place. Humans clung to life with a ferocity she had not witnessed ever before. They pulled insane stunts, even if there was an absurdly low chance of success and even survival. She had always been so fascinated by the humans in an odd way. Despite their vastly inferior technology, they were still able to win battles. They could, and have destroyed some of the largest ships the Covenant utilized. Out witted some of the greatest tactical minds in Covenant existence. How was she going to take on three ships who had already destroyed a Battle Cruiser.
The next serious question was the condition to which the Humans were in. That could be anything. Either the Battlecruiser did a lot, or it didn’t do anything at all to the other three ships. Edto had trained and prepared herself her entire life for this exact moment, and here she was mulling over her fear. She mindlessly ran her two fingers along her head, tracing where her Mandible once was. One of the many sacrifices she made for this life.
Before she knew it, she could see the white twinkling of stars, indicating the ships drop from the Void. She didn’t even hear the Navigations Master inform her of the transition. She just looked up at everything. She did pay attention when she was informed of the presence of three ships several million kilometers away. Two of the human Light Frigates and a Heavy Frigate. This really was going to be a Suicide mission. No matter, she would face them without hesitation.
“Weapons Master! Navigations Master! Alter our course once within Ventral distance. I want one of those ships destroyed before they even have the opportunity to fire their weapons. You are to fire the Ventral, full power. I want to see their ships burn” She snapped. Both officers snapped to, starting to fulfill Edto’s orders. She could see the human ships starting on their attack vectors. She watched the ships grew larger and larger in her view, preparing mentally for the fight to come.
Within moments, the four ships entered contacts distance. Just as they did, Edto leaped into action. “Change heading to two-nine-five by three-two-five! Weapons Master! Bring Plasma Torpedos to bear, firing in a cluster on the head ship!” She ordered. She watched the flashes of light from the UNSC Ships MAC’s. Simultaneously she watched the Plasma Torpedo’s blare through space.
Moments passed when she felt the ships shudder fairly violently. She however watched as the lead ship exploded in several bright flashes of light. She was well aware that she had changed her orders, but not only was this a test for her, it was a test for her crew as well. She wanted to be sure that her bridge crew could react to various situations.
“Ship Mistress! We are detecting multiple radiation signatures approaching the ship!” The Navigations Officer snapped, clearly stressed by the situation. He was not being disrespectful to her though, and she could let such a tone slide in battle. So long as they followed her orders.
“Enter the void! I want an exit vector in place between those two ships! Weapons Master, what is the time for our next Torpedo Barrage?” She asked as the ship headed into the vast blackness of the void.
“Several rooks Ship Mistress! Our Ventral Beam is ready to fire on your command however” The Weapons Master responded. Good, Edto was not completely out of options other than her point defence. Usually the Ventral took almost a rook to power up, and in this situation, that could be death.
Upon re-entry, She could tell something was amiss. The ship were starting to turn on her. They had foreseen her plan! “Roll ship zero-three-zero degrees and fire Ventral now!” She yelled, bracing herself for the coming storm. The ship started to roll, but not fast enough. Two massive shudders went through the ship.
“Ship Mistress! Our shields are down and we have extensive damage to the outer hulls! We are leaking Plasma!” The Operations Master yelled.
“Fire the Ventral! All point Defence cannons are to target the main cannon of the ship not targeted by the Ventral!” Edto yelled, doing well to keep the desperation out of her tone. She didn’t care what ship she attacked with her Ventral Cannon or what ship was attacked by the point defence.
Edto watched as the Ventral Cannon gutted one of the ships. It exploded in several rather blinding flashes of light. Were it not for the special lenses in her helmet, she could have been blinded due to one of her screens flashing white. She still had a job to do.
“Navigations Master! How long until we can enter the void!” She demanded, watching the ship line her up rather nicely. He answered, but Edto didn’t care. They were out of time. Edto watched the ship, waiting to die. The Humans predicted her strategy. Her only hope was that her point defence managed to disable the weapons.
She waited, but the shot didn’t come. Both ships just stood at a stalemate. She was recharging her weapons, which with the Plasma leak was taking longer than she would like, and they were waiting for some reason. She had to be careful at this time, because they could be able to shoot still.
A voice piped up on the Bridge to break the silence. “Ship Mistress! We are detecting unverified signatures on the ship! We have been boarded!” The Security Master declared, causing Edto’s eyes to narrow. So that was their game... She would play.
She stood up cooly. “I will deal with this parasitic infection. I want our point defence focusing on additional boarding craft. The second we are able, I want a jump out of range of their main cannon. Do so as fast as possible. They won’t risk destroying us, and we have the advantage. Rotate us slowly so that our Ventral is pointing at them once our shields return should that happen before our jump. Security Master. Let us deal with the more pressing matters” She ordered calmly.
She was lucky. They were trying to capture her ship. Which meant they want her ship to be as intact as possible. That made her think. “Communications Master! Do everything in your power to jam all communications leaving this ship. Go total dark. Nothing is sent or received from this ship, especially from the enemy” She commanded.
“It will be done Ship Mistress” the Sangheili responded. Edto snarled a little at the tone. She could forgive stress in combat, but his disrespect followed even out of battle. She would have to deal with that.
She didn’t have the opportunity though. Soon she heard countless voices over her COM’s. Local traffic, so the Communications Master did his job. From the general messages of the traffic, there was certainly a firefight happening in the auxiliary Hanger. Mostly maintenance unngoy and kig’yar. She was hardly concerned for them. They would serve to slow down the Humans rather effectively. Still though, she had her plans. She wanted to see these humans fight up close.
“Operations Master! I want you to lock down all exits from the Auxiliary Hanger. Send the nearest security to that sector to the Primary Entrance. We shall face the human's head on!” She stated, turning down the hallway towards the Primary Hangar. Several mixed lances of troops joined them at the door. The only one that wasn't locked.
“Unngoy to the front. Kig'Yar are to set up a shield wall behind them. Security Master! Tell me how many of your Sangheili are equipped with Active Camouflage! I plan on dealing with these vermin as swiftly as possible” She stated. “Keep one alive... I wish to make an example” She smiled.
The Security Master nodded, before barking orders to his warriors. Despite being perfectly capable of taking command of them, she wanted her personnel to work with her, so she would take those small steps to ensure they felt they held authority. She watched as several of the Sangheili warriors seemed to vanish. At least half of the Sangheili were now just slight shimmers in the air. Once those doors opened, though, no one would notice them.
“Those in Camouflage, branch out to the sides once the doors open. There are enough of us to make them unsuspecting of a sneak attack. I am keeping chances to a minimal, while hopefully demonstrating why the Humans should never board a Covenant Naval Vessel ever again, for the rest of this war!” She commanded, activating her energy sword. She waved for the group to move forward silently. She punched in some runes of the control panel to the door, and a sound came through.
“Man, I didn't expect the crew of a Destroyer to be so... Well weak. It's kinda funny don't you think Captain?” One human voice said, his voice thick with that same arrogance the Humans had on the ground. That sent a shiver of anger up Edto's spine. Interesting or not, no one insulted her crew.
“Keep that mouth shut Private! You just shot down what may as well be non combatants. This is the only human boarding of a Covvie ship that I have heard of, and if there have been more then they have all failed. Corporal, status report on that door! We need to keep this momentum going before the ship can bolster its Security A substantially older voice said. This one interested her. She sent a COM to the group to try and keep this one alive. She made it very clear that she wanted to interrogate this one, so they were to capture and subdue him as fast as possible. Edto turned back to the panel.
“Actually sir, I was just about to mention that. This door is the only door in the whole Hangar that isn't locked. I hacked into the panel to see if anything was awry and try to hack the local battlenet, but I keep getting locked out. I'm a little nervous about opening it to be honest A third voice piped in. Edto could hear the current priority Target sigh.
“Have we heard back from the ship? What is the status of our reinforcements? I want to make sure we can take the bridge. Three squads just doesn't feel adequate to me” He asked. His reasons made Edto grin.
“Sir, I haven't heard anything but broken static from the ship. The last message I got was that the Ship was fighting a jamming signal” A fourth voice said. Now Edto was getting tired of this.
“Alright, open the door on my mark. We are going to carry through with the mission. I don't want any mistakes, keep the corners tight. Head on a swivel and do not shoot unless you one hundred percent have to. Ready... Mark!” The voice yelled. As he did, the doors slid open and Edto could finally see the Humans up close.
They were fascinating. Most about as tall as she was, but hardly any taller. She would have loved to see the looks on their faces, but they all seemed to have plates over them. All of them wore black, except for one or two. Edto could tell who the leader was though. He had reacted the fastest, with the most precision in the face of the small hoard of Unngoy and Kig'Yar that rushed at them violently. She pointed to him and made the command to subdue him, before jumping into the fray herself.
Despite being a Ship Mistress, she was by no means a slouch in true combat. The only real thing she noticed was that her slight advantage of being shorter than her normal combatants wasn't as valuable, being the same size. She still had strength and speed on her side. Their guns were rather quiet, but she felt them strike her shield hard. Little reminders that these creatures could eventually do damage to her, should she be to reckless.
The battle was quite difficult the longer it went on. Humans seemed to only get harder to kill the longer they were in a fight. The more of them fell, those who were left became more ferocious to pick up the slack. She had to be honest, the entire fight was invigorating. It was different, new, spontaneous. Something she would never get from one of her Brothers. They followed the steps. They played by the rules of combat in a way these humans did not. She was glad she ordered a capture. She might be able to find out some interesting stuff about this human.
Soon, the gunfire died and a sense of peace settled over the Hangar. Edto looked at the remains of the battle with a look of content. The way she counted it, it was more than a fair fight. These humans fought hard and strong. They felled many of her Unngoy and Kig'yar, even a surprising amount of Sangheili. “Gather up the dead. Dispose of the Kig'Yar and under in whatever means you deem fit, but ensure our brothers are given the proper respect” She commanded the Security Master.
“And what of the human?” He asked, looking at two Sangheili Minors holding him down. Edto thought for a moment, then smiled. “Bring him to an empty holding cell. Ensure he does not get released or hurt. I wish to converse with him once we are out of this mess” She stated. “Return to the bridge once you have seen to that” She added, before turning and leaving.
She started walking back to the bridge, preparing to get a status update from the Navigation Master when he COM crackled to life. “Ship Mistress! We have made a successful jump out of weapons range of the enemy ship. Waiting on further commands” She heard a familiar voice tell her. She scowled a little, but was rather happy to hear the voice.
“I was hoping not to wake you Bridge Master Nadra 'Othamaee. While I greatly approve of your devotion to the cause, you, like all our soldiers need proper rest” She stated, turning back the way she came when heading to the hangar. “As for orders. Burn the Human ship. I will be on the bridge shortly” She added, turning off her COM.
It took her less than a few rooks to make it back to the Bridge, where she saw her Bridge Master taking her place on the Bridge. This would bother her if he had not instantly stood up and offered her the command chair. She could see his reasoning. Her position was advantage to his standing beside the command chair. Who was she to deny him comfort while she was not on the Bridge.
“Status Report Bridge Master. How are we fairing?” She asked, taking a look at the view screens. The final ship was obviously preparing for combat. Why had it not run yet?
“The ship is still leaking a large amount of Plasma. We suspect the Human ship took damage to their FTL systems. They did not expect our jump. I would assume that they thought our lack of movement was due to their human invaders. I'm sure you dealt with them accordingly?” The Male asked as Edto sat down.
She smiled. “Yes, it was a nice change. It was been some time since I have been in a true fight. A fight where my opponent was as unpredictable as a Sanghunter in the catacombs of my home. How long until repairs to the ship are made? How long can we operate unaffected by the damage?” She asked. The ship was preparing to take on the Human ship one last time. She wanted to know so she could be sure to destroy the last human ship.
“Approximately ten rooks at battle speed. That will give us room for a Ventral assault, Torpedo barrage, and if need be three minutes of constant point defense. Our shields are currently at forty three percent. Repairs will take approximately four Units. Orders?” The Bridge Master asked.
Edto thought about it for a few moments before smiling. “Hunt them down. Ensure they are destroyed before they manage to repair. We will go back to the Fleet Master with no survivors” She stated coolly. At her command the Bridge Master started spouting orders. She looked at her calendar and saw it was soon time to switch shifts. She had enough time to deal with this problem, and upon their return to the Fleet, she would be able to present her status report. She would give the ship time to be repaired enough to stop the plasma leak and increase their hull strength.
The battle was fairly uneventful, and soon the final human ship floated in ruins. A single Frigate against a Covenant Heavy Destroyer was hardly a fight. She looked at the Calendar and stood up. “Bridge Master. Please inform the ship that it is time to change shifts. In Eight Unites there will be another shift change. Once your relief has arrived, you are free for the next sixteen units. Rest, eat, train, whatever you wish to do with your time” She said as the crew relief arrived. She stood up and handed off the ship command to the Bridge Master.
As she left the bridge, and started walking to the holding cells to see her new pet project. She was however stopped as she walked through the ship Atrium.
“Ship Mistress!” She heard a voice spit. Edto took a deep breath, turning around to see that the Communication Master was the one addressing her. Why did that not surprise her?
“Yes Communication Master Aldren 'Vardunee? Is there a concern?” She asked, her voice thick with aggravation. It was not often she was spoken to in such a tone, and when it did happen she made it clear that it was not appropriate to address any Zealot Rank with such a tone.
The younger Sangheili did not seem pleased that she was speaking to him with such a tone. “Yes, there is. I have a concern that I am sure is shared by others aboard this ship!” He snapped. His hands clenched as he spoke.
Edto just raised a hand to silence him. “And with that I know your concern. It is not a concern you have very much right to voice. You are obviously incapable of dealing with your concern personally, bending to my orders eventually. If it would cause you less distress, I shall have you transferred to another ship. If you choose to fight, then let us fight” She commanded, clenching her own fist.
Aldren scoffed as he stepped up to Edto, towering over the much shorter female. “I would never tarnish my honour by fighting a crippled female. Your command should not even exist, and so I demand that you...” He started, getting cut off abruptly. He let out a sputtered cough, slumping over lifelessly. Edto had impaled him on her sword.
Edto deactivated her sword before looking at the crowd of bystanders. “Understand this, and understand it well. Neither my stature or gender should affect your conduct. I have earned my position on this ship by proving myself to the Supreme Commander. If you will not show me the respect deserved of my rank, I will see it as you disrespecting our Supreme Commander, and you will be killed. If you wish to duel me, understand this as well. I went through war college just like the rest of you. To fight me would be the same as fighting another Ship Master. Regardless of my Gender, I am here. Do not be so narrow minded, when I have earned my rank through the same ways anyone else is expected to earn them. Now... Does anyone else have an issue with my command?” She asked, looking around carefully. No one seemed to move. “Good” She finished, turning and continuing to her pet project.
She entered the the holding chamber, seeing only the one cell being guarded. She walked towards the cell, relaxed and ready for quite the interesting conversation. The doors closed and locked behind her. She didn't wish to talk through a shield, as that was never fun. “Deactivate the field. I wish to speak to our prisoner” She stated sharply. The two Sangheili guarding the cell nodded, and did as she asked.
The Captain sat in the cell, looking at the ground. He didn't seem to register Edto's approach. Edto stopped about halfway into the cell, before removing her combat helmet. “I assumed more anger would proceed my entrance... Captain I believe your troops called you?” She asked. That caught the Captains attention.
The man looked Edto over, the gave a scoffing laugh. “So, they let kids on these ships now?” He asked, looking at the polished silver Armour. “And you’re allowed to play dress up too? Well then, that's a pretty interesting idea” He said, his voice a little dead.
Edto couldn't help but smile in return. “I can tell where you would get the idea that I am just a child, but I assure you I am an adult. Not to mention the Ship Mistress of this Destroyer you and your warriors tried to take” She stated firmly. The Captain seemed to flinch as well.
“So, your a female then? Don't know any one else in your military who would take the title Ship Mistress without being one” He said standing up. To Edto's surprise, he was a little taller than her. “So I guess you're here to torture me for information. I won't give you anything” He growled, his stance getting a little more aggressive.
Edto waved her hand dismissively. “I am not here to torture you. On the contrary, if I though you weak enough to snap I would have brought a couple Kig'Yar with me. I believe your kind call them Jackals? No. I am simply here to offer you the chance for a conversation before you die” Edto stated, running a thumb along her missing mandible. “To be honest, I have found humans to be rather fascinating. Something of a hobby I guess you would say?” She asked with a genuine smile. The human missed it and crossed his arms.
“I'm sorry to say, but I don't see you Elites being the type for a pleasant conversation over tea. Let me get this straight. You are offering to just... Talk with me until you need to kill me?” He asked, obviously a little confused. “Why me? Why not any of the other soldier I brought with me?” He asked, his tone going soft again. “They were all good men to” He added.
Edto nodded. “Yes, I am sure those who were with you were valiant. You were just the one who I felt had the most time and experience behind you. You seem older than the other humans who were with you” She said simply. “Unfortunately though, because you boarded our ship, I have two choices. I can present your head to the Fleet Master upon the presentation of my report, or I can present you alive. Unless you would rather take your chances with my superior” She grinned darkly.
The Captain shuddered at the though, but then looked at Edto. “Wouldn't you get in trouble for this? I thought the Covenant was against any kind of compassion towards the Humans. I would call this compassion... Or at least some perverted form of such. Here let's talk for a little bit before I behead you or present you to my Fleet Master. I'm a little surprised you haven't offered me something to drink yet with how this is going” The Captain said, a little hesitantly.
Edto nodded. “No, I cannot offer you anything from the ship reserves. Doesn't mean I can't give you back something of yours” She said, waving to the guards and barking an order. One of them grabbed the Captains canteen and gave it to Edto, who in turn presented it to the Captain with a shake. The sound of water sloshing was unmistakable. “I can assure you nothing has been done to your equipment. It should be safe to drink unless you did something too it” She stated simply.
The Captain looked at the canteen, before taking it and drinking heavily from it. When he was done Edto just tilted her head, but the Captain had something to say. “Alright. I'll give it to you, granted the situation this is better than I thought. My name is John Ambrose. Could I ask one very small favor though? Your guards took a flask off me. Similar to my canteen but smaller. Could I have that back?” He asked. Edto shrugged, having the guard return it to the captain.
“So tell me John Ambrose, why is it you humans seem to get harder and harder to kill the less likely your survival is? It is one of the primary things that has fascinated me. Take our battle today. Your troops got noticeably more effective in combat the more of them mine killed. Is there a reason behind that?” She asked as she watched the Captain drink from his flask.
“Well, I think I would say compassion and a will to live does that. When you back us into a corner, we tend to stop playing fair. We became the top of our planets food chain not because of physical abilities, but because of mental abilities. We just aren't as far into the race as you and the rest of your Covenant are. I’ll be honest, I would place my life on the line that given the same amount of time, we would be much harder to kill. Then again, I don't think I have a life to give anymore” He said, looking at his flask.
Edto nodded. “I do not doubt it either. You still use projectile weapons, which is a clear indication that you have yet to advance far enough to use brute strength on us. Your description of humans fits what I have seen, and I thank you for the honesty you gave me” She said, noticing the powerful smell of the liquid in the Flask. It reminded her of something her keeps males used to drink. She could see a warm colour return to his face as well. He was either poisoning himself, or like those males from her keep, intoxicating himself. She rarely saw the difference, but she would let it go.
“Anyway John Ambrose, my time here has come to an end. Which means your time has come. If you wish to die fighting, I will give you that honour. Otherwise, please remove your armour” She said, activating her energy sword.
The Captain sighed and looked at his flask, finishing it off and started to unbuckle his armour. “Thanks for the choice, but just make it quick. I'm to old to fight anymore” He said. Edto nodded silently as the Captain knelt down. “And thanks... I guess not all of you are monsters” He finished. Edto stepped forward, and with a single strike she beheaded him.
It was odd. Edto felt a slight twinge in her chest as she killed the human. Funny how thing like that can happen. She gathered up the armour and looked it over. She would keep it as something of a souvenir. She could pass it off as a trophy collection for this war. “Bring this armour to my Living quarters. All of it, even the uniform underneath. Have a Huragok create a device in the shape of the human. I wish to put it on display” She said, looking at the body. “Prepare the head for my report, should I use it. Dispose of the body. Treat it with a modicum of respect. He at least proved himself worth more than Unngoy and Kig'Yar” She said simply, walking out of the holding station and heading to her quarters for some sleep.
Edto awoke to the ship shuddering violently. Still groggy, she tried to figure out what was happening when suddenly the ship shuddered again, and the main lights cut out. They were being attacked! She quickly grabbed her goggles and a simple robe belt and running out into the hallway. She didn't have time to put her combat harness on, and there was little it would do if this ship went up. What happened though? She was sure they had went back to the fleet once the ship was repaired.
She stormed onto the bridge and looked around at the screens. She couldn't believe the amount of ships that was attacking. “Status Report! What happened!” She yelled over the raised voices communicating. She walked over to see the Bridge Master spouting orders. He must not have heard her. The look of panic and confusion that was upon the faces of many of the Bridge Crew gave her a slightly larger picture.
“Ship Mistress! Thank the Gods you're here!” She heard the Bridge Master say from behind her. He had a moment to breath it seemed. “We set a course to return to the fleet, but once we exited the void we appeared on the far side of a UNSC Fleet! Our fleet is currently engaging, but we are being targeted by numerous Human light craft and missiles. Their main weapons are focused on the main Fleet, so our shields have been able to hold up rather well. We have suffered minimal damage, and out shields are at a collective 37%” He continued.
Edto's eyes narrowed. This was an incredibly unexpected surprise, but she knew she would have to deal with it and break through to the main Fleet. Not to mention the utter lack of help she was likely to get. Given her position, she would have to try and avoid her own fleets ventral cannons as well as this fleets point defense and missiles. They did have a pretty good position though.
“Change our reading two-seven-zero by zero-zero-zero and roll zero-nine-zero. Point our ventral and change focus for full charge. Fire on my command” She said, motioning or him to take his usual spot and let her sit down. She watched the motion of the screens as the ship turned. “Give me the firing solution as a visual on the Ventral camera” She ordered. The firing solution showed up, and she waited for a moment. “Fire now!” She yelled, watching the blinding pillar of light cut through space.
One shot gutted two ships and damaged the main thrusters of a third as the beam cut through the enemy fleet. She smiled as the Fleet actually started to take her seriously. “Navigation Master! Tell me when we can enter the void” She asked, keeping and eye on the ships ahead. A lance of energy shot through the fleet towards them, just barely missing their top.
“Inform the Fleet Master that we are back here! Adjust heading, zero-zero-five by zero-zero-zero, full forward!” She called. “Rotate two-seven-zero and prepare Plasma Torpedo's!” She added.
“Ship Mistress! We will be able to enter the void in seven rooks!” The Navigations officer called as the ship shuddered once again.
“Starboard shields are down! Port shields are at 15%! Bow and Aft shields are fully charged! We have several plasma leaks throughout the ship and outer decks seven through nine are breached! Sealing off damaged decks!” The Operation Master called. Edto growled. She had just come back from a successful mission against three ships, and now she is at risk of being destroyed.
“Ship Mistress! We are detecting three Human Vessels turning to face us! Thirty ticks till they will have us in their sight! Orders?” The Navigations Master added. Edto swore under her breath.
“Launch all torpedoes! Target main ship! Alter heading zero-zero-zero to two-eight-five! Divert all shield power to our starboard shields!” She yelled, getting a little desperate at this point. Two massive impacts from the side two ships obliterated their starboard shield despite the power diversion. She closed her eyes waiting for the third round to rip right through them.
It never came.
“Ship Mistress! The Shadow of the Prophets, Glorious Divinity, Twilight Contrition, and The Ardent Faith just exited slipspace in a defensive formation!” The Navigation Master almost cheered.
“The Sword of the Prophet is Hailing us Ship Mistress! Patching it through now!” The Communications officer added. Before Edto could even blink the Fleet Master was on the screen.
Edto scrambled to her feet, admittedly looking a little silly as she did and bowed. “ Fleet Master Opo Nar’Davamee! I apologize for my lack of uniform, I was...” She started, but the Fleet Master just cut her off.
“Do not apologize Ship Mistress Edto Xar'Sivaree. Putting formalities to the side, until the end of this battle the two Frigates and two Heavy Corvettes are yours to command. Do not disappoint me” He stated before the screen cut out.
Edto shook her head, admittedly a little dumbfounded. The Fleet Master just put her in charge of a Warband. No time to doddle, she had a job to do! She looked at her panel to see she had tactical control of the four ships around her. “Have the Twilight Contrition and Ardent Faithwo start a torpedo barrage on the last ship remaining of the three! I want the Shadow of the Prophet and the Glorious Divinity to fire at will upon the closest Human Ships! Charge Ventral Cannon! Rotate Zero-Nine-Zero degrees at aim for the Human Capitol Ships!” She ordered.
Edto watched on the Camera as more and more of the main fleet started to preform short range slipspace jumps to surround the human fleet. No War Band was Directly adjacent from the other. Edto couldn't help but laugh as countless ventral beams dove through the human ships from all angles. Within minutes the Fleet was picking off stragglers.
“Ship Mistress? You have been summoned to The Sword of the Prophet. The Fleet Master strongly suggests you be waiting for it's phantom. It will be here in five rooks” The Communication Master stated calmly. Edto stood up and looked herself over. The Fleet Master was already aware she was not wearing her armour, so she wasn't to upset with her lack of time.
“Nadra 'Othamaee, could I borrow your sword please?” She asked, looking at the Bridge Master. Without question he handed her his weapon. “I will return it upon my return. Should I not return, you may take mine from my living quarters” She stated. They both knew she had to carry a sword around. The fact she was without one was an understandable mistake given the circumstances.
The Ship Mistress then started to hurry to the main hangar, walking in just in time to see a phantom touching down. Hardly any time was wasted as she entered the small craft, greeted by an Ultra. The ride was short and silent, exactly how she liked it. The soldiers were giving her the appropriate respect, and were probably all aware she knew why she was being summoned. No need to explain it to her. Even the walk from the Phantom to the Bridge was quiet. Two Sangheili Majors as escort meant she wasn't being lead to her death, which was always a good sign.
Upon entering the Bridge of the large carrier, she bowed to the Fleet Master. “Fleet Master Opo Nar’Davamee, what is it you need me for?” She asked in a level voice. The Fleet Master looked over to her, and whispered a couple words to his Bridge Master before walking towards Edto.
“Rise Ship Mistress. I would rather talk somewhere else” He stated harshly, a tinge of aggravation in his voice. Edto did as she was ordered and without question fell in behind the Fleet Master. The aggravation in his tone did give her reason to be concerned, but she left her worries there. If her assumption was correct, they were either heading to a war room or to his quarters.
It seemed the latter was true, as the Fleet Master lead her to his quarters. She followed him into the room but remained at the door, waiting for further orders. The Fleet Master walked to a desk and pulled out a bottle and a cup, filling it before he started talking.
“Give me your report on the three human ships I sent you for. What happened?” He asked “You made it back, so that tells me you either survived to tell the tale, or you ran. Which is it?” He asked sharply, glaring into her eyes.
Edto contained her feeling rather well given the insult the Fleet Master just flung at her. “I can confirm that all three ships were destroyed by my ship. I will admit I underestimated the Humans, but it did not save their lives” She said simply, hoping that would be enough.
“Is that all? I highly doubt you managed to defeat odds that even a battle cruiser could not without making even a single mistake” Opo stated coolly, looking the substantially smaller Sangheili over.
Edto took in a breath. “There were mistakes Fleet Master. Not accounting for the Humans ability to adapt I made a reckless move that almost cost the lives of my crew. The Humans also managed to get a boarding party onto our ship, but I dealt with that personally to ensure they got no further than the Hangar alive. I had the boarding party commanders head to present to you, but I lacked time to retrieve it for you” She said, looking down a little.
Opo was silent for a while. Edto could feel her heart pounding in her chest as fast as a plasma rifle. He could take away her ship at a whim for something like this. He was probably going to.
“Edto 'Sivar, if I may call you that. While you were gone I took some time to look into who you are. I will admit I personally think the Supreme Commander made a mistake in placing you in command of a ship. However, that opinion was one that was formed a long time ago” He said, pressing couple ruins on his datapad.
“You refused to stop training despite the discovery of your disability. You were the most noticeable of the warriors being trained for your clans Rites. Given your interest in unorthodox plans many had mixed feelings about how well you would do once the rites started. The first two rites are pretty standard for those of the Sivar Clan. However the third Rite caught my attention. You were the only Sangheili of your keep in over six generations to volenteer to participate in the rite as it was originally written” He continued, obviously looking at Edto's file.
“I always thought your Mandible was lost in a training accident. I didn't think you went through so much just to get into the War College. Even there you showed extreme dedication to your cause. I can confidently say you at least wanted to be a warrior more than most Males do. Otherwise you would not have gone through these Rites” He said, his voice softening a little as he approached her, looking over her face.
Edto's breath quickened as he got close. The runes covering her skin starting to burn slightly as she was reminded of their presence. The Fleet Master broke off the tense moment, walking back to his desk and presenting another cup.
“In regards to your mission, you did not do as expected. I will not be transferring from this Fleet. I do not feel you have the correct level of qualifications. However, given what I saw when you left the Void behind the Human Fleet, I am making you the Ship Mistress of a Warband within my Fleet” He said, pouring some of the liquid from the bottle into the cup and sliding it to her. “Feel free to sit down Ship Mistress. After that close encounter I feel you deserve it” He added.
Edto didn't know what happened. She didn't know if she was just complimented, or insulted either. Hesitantly, she walked to the desk and sat down. She looked at the cup, then back at the Fleet Master who nodded slightly. She had never really drank anything but water since joining the Covenant. She had certainly not drank anything like this before.
Hesitantly, she took a sip. She never thought a drink would burn so much. It felt like her mouth was on fire! She involuntarily spat out the foul tasting liquid, cringing violently. She could hear the Fleet Master laughing.
“My sincerest apologies Fleet Master!” She managed to say, as her three mandibles flexed. The Fleet Master just waved his hand and handed her a cloth.
“No need to apologize Ship Mistress. I should have figured that you hadn't been much of a drinker. Not only that, but watching you cringe like a youngling who snuck a sip of his Uncles wine lightened my mood” He said as Edto quickly wiped down the mess she made.
She finished,before standing up. “Well Fleet Master, I thank you for your forgiveness and hospitality. Is there anything you need before I must return to my ship?” She asked.
The Fleet Master just looked at her, then nodded. “Yes. Let me finish my drink and I shall join you down to the hangar” He said, sending a message up to the Bridge. “I hated the idea of having you under my command when it first happened Edto, I won't lie” He said, catching Edto of guard.
“I could not understand why the Supreme Commander would put a female under my command. I could not tell if it was a compliment or an insult. In my narrow minded view, you should not have even stepped upon the bridge of a ship let alone command one. Now, I am interested in what you will become. You seem to make it a habit of surprising those within the Covenant. In future years, with a mountain of experience under your belt I think you could do more than just be the First Female War Band Commander” The Fleet Master finished, downing his drink and walking to the door.
Edto was speechless. Her body ran in autopilot as she followed the Fleet Master down to the Hanger. Thankfully, he made it a silent trip so she could process everything. She boarded a Phantom from her ship in silence and walked straight to her living quarters in silence. She looked at the new addition to her room. The armour and uniform of the Human, John Ambrose. She looked it over silently as there was a knock.
“Enter” Edto called, her voice a little airy.
“I just came to inquire about your meeting with the Fleet Master” an unusually concerned looking Nadra 'Othamaee. It made Edto smile a little. She was starting to feel like less of an outcast within the Covenant.
“It went well Bridge Master. The Fleet Master decided that while I was not have the level of qualification required for a transfer the available fleet, made me the Commander of a Warband. Things are going to get better for us all soon Nadra. We will see more combat, and soon we will be a devastating force” She smiled.
Nadra gave Edto a quizzical look, like she was keeping something from him. “Very well Ship Mistress. I shall get arrangements in order. Is there anything else I need to know?” He asked.
Edto shook her head. “That will be all. Now, I believe I still have a few hours left yes?” She said, waving Nadra out the door. Once she was alone, she gave out a sigh and went straight to sleep.
