The Lone Wolves

by InfinitySlayer

Once More Unto the Breach

Darkness, one of the greatest foes against all that is living, comes in countless evil forms. It creeps in the shadows of the day and night. It lingers in the abandoned alleyway, the ransacked restaurant, the haunted house. It dwells within both the living and the dead, and is what lies in between. It was there before the light, and will exist long after the light's passing. It cannot be created or destroyed, for it exists wherever the universe exists.

Often, darkness will take the vessel of a living being, consuming it until it is but a servant of its whims. Darkness was made to devour. Therefore, it will cling to whatever will destroy the most. The black void left behind by death is far more welcoming to it.

No surprise, then, that the shadow slowly descending upon Equestria was cast by something far darker than the shadow's own physical substance. Something far more evil than the vilest villain to ever plague that innocent world; something far more destructive than the most consuming disease. It was a hypocritical power, fueled by a false religion that dictated death to all who failed to worship its prophets. It was filled by brainwashed zealots who were taught nothing else but death to humans and their allies since birth. It was a pact made by those who believed that the gods of the universe were on their side; a Covenant forged in the blood of both those who died for the cause of megalomaniacs and those who opposed it.

The shadow was cast by a hulking beast of metal and plasma, adorning the color reserved for those revered, purple. Within the bridge of this evil vessel resided a beast of even greater villainy, one who took sport in the death of others. It stood on a blue, reinforced hard-light bridge that allowed for a full view of the landscape in front and below. The slowly descending mass of charred metal and crimson fire that was the UNSC mid-class warship, Dauntless, was a sight of great joy for all those cheering upon the deck of the Soul of the Renegade.

The Chieftain's huge canines curled into a prideful grin. The retaliatory cleansing beam strike upon the warship had more than the desired results. Indeed, the unknown energy weapon fired from an unidentifiable source had done considerable damage to the Soul of the Renegade's life support systems. In order to minimize casualties, the Chieftain had been forced to completely disable life support for numerous Unggoy habitats. What were a few stumpy, insignificant creatures in terms of the Great Journey, anyway?

"My Chieftain, the pack awaits your orders."

The words spoken from his second in command turned the Chieftain's attention to his brothers in arms. The Jiralhanae closest to his inner circle of trust, about fifty in all, keeled to promote the authority the Chieftain demanded. Only his second in command was permitted to stand in the Chieftain's presence; even so, his head was bowed in reverence.

The Jirhalhanae of the Lone Wolf Pack had every reason to revere their Chieftain so genuinely. He was physically the most imposing and arguably the strongest member of the pack, which was a prerequisite for a leader among their kind. It was said in whispers that he once crushed the helmet of a Spartan with his bare hands. This brute strength, of course, meant that he could defend himself from any other member of the pack who grew too ambitious. The dismembered head of one of his brothers resting upon the end of a Gravity Hammer in the corner of the bridge was evidence as such.

The Chieftain possessed much more than just physical strength, however. Most Jiralhanae are endowed with much brute ability in exchange for actual brain power. In the early days of the Human-Covenant war, their physical strength alone was enough to secure many victories, while wiser Sangheli made difficult battle decisions. Today, however, in the wake of a human resurgence and the downfall of the Covenant, the Chieftain understood that simply hurling masses of his brothers at the enemy was only going to result in their demise. The Lone Wolf Pack needed a leader who was also calculating, one who could analyze a situation and react with tact. Their Chieftain was perhaps one of the only Jiralhanae left in existence who possessed such finesse upon the battlefield.

It was no surprise to the loyal members of the Lone Wolf Pack, therefore, that the engagement of UNSC forces upon this new world was already going so smoothly. Any other leader among them might've panicked after being fired upon by an unknown and powerful energy weapon. Not so for their Chieftain.

Analyzing his brothers-in-arms with that same crimson fire in his eyes he always seemed to exhume, the Chieftain swiftly checked each one of them for battle readiness and blood thirstiness. When the Covenant fell and the Jiralhanae were blamed, as the Sangheli were for the assassination of the Prophet of Regret years earlier, his pack could have easily deserted him for a better life roaming the stars. Yet, they remained faithful, and in the five years leading to this point dozens of them had already fought and died for their brothers and their Chieftain.

With a voice hoarse from years of commanding the battlefield, the Chieftain addressed the prepared members of Lone Wolf Pack,

"My brothers, the gods are surely with us upon this glorious day. I know that you are ready, as I am, to die for those who fell before us. Our fellow brothers who sacrificed themselves for this pack have now no longer done so in vain. Their spirits have guided us to the world below your feet. It is already yours. All we must do now is reclaim it from the demons who have enslaved it."

As pride and blood lust bubbled and swirled in the hearts of the pack, they began to shout and roar as their Chieftain continued,

"We will wait no longer! No longer do we wait for the orders of the Prophets while the blood of our fathers and sons spill upon the battlefield! Our destiny is at last our own to command, and our destiny has brought us the double fortune of human flesh on which to feed and a world of our own on which to rebuild."

Hefting his modified Gravity Hammer above his head with both huge hands, he continued his speech in roaring tones,

"Your orders are simple, brothers! We do not halt our attack until every drop of human blood dyes the green grass below crimson."

Growls and roars of excitement and triumph erupted from the proud members of Lone Wolf Pack, startling the surrounding crew members of other species. The Chieftain smiled as his loyal Jiralhanae encouraged one another to prepare for battle, swiftly charging out of the room in order to seek the most lethal gear they could find. After this, only the second in command, adorned in the black and gold ornate armor of a Jiralhanae who has proved his worth on the battlefield, remained. Turning to face his Chieftain, he inquired,

"The anti-matter and plasma cannons are fully operational, Chieftain. Shall I give the order to barrage the vessels?"

The Chieftain pursed his mangled white beard in thought as he responded to the officer,

"You may. However, prior reports from the Sangheli databases document a rather infamous Spartan acting as guardian of this world. Have you found any further information?"

"A short while before you summoned us, we intercepted a transmission from the UNSC fleet. The gods smile upon us; the vessels are already being assaulted by the sentient species inhabiting this planet. The last defender of Reach is currently attempting to diffuse the situation aboard the center most ship."

The Chieftain began striding towards the main holographic control panel in the center of the bridge, his hulking frame causing reverberations throughout the large metallic room. Displayed on hovering monitor were the four remaining UNSC warships, with the target ship in question highlighted in the center of the formation. After analyzing the situation, the Chieftain turned to his second most officer, saying in commanding tones,

"Destroy the three surrounding vessels with a sustained plasma barrage, then use the anti-matter cannons to disable the center ship's Slipspace drives. Our glory will never be fully restored until we kill the last demon of Reach. I want the Spartan to die by my own hands."

Comments

[Devildogg20]

When he call for the blood of the humans, It should be dyes rather than dies

[InfinitySlayer]

7527358
Woops! Fixing it now, thanks for the tip!

[ForgottenBackgroundPony]

7527383 DON'T!!! Dyes are what you change clothing colour with dies is the past tense for die. P.s 7527358 make sure you are right before correcting someone.

[Devildogg20]

7614611 the chieftain is talking about painting the grass red with the humans blood, I am right even by you logic.

[ForgottenBackgroundPony]

7615184 Shit, you're right. Sorry I was awake for about three days straight before writing that. My bad! I'll take my lashes now sir.