Stories from the Sigmaverse/Revenant

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As the first rays of sunlight crept over the mountains, the fog across the valley began to clear, and revealed a massacre.

Armour-clad corpses lay strewn across the rocky slopes, purple blood staining the ground amidst blackened craters and the burnt-out remains of vehicles dotted around the valley. Standing among the dead, a single Sangheili threw back his head and laughed, his voice echoing across the desolate mountainside.

I'm alive.

The battle had raged overnight as what had began as a simple pursuit turned into a free-for-all between multiple factions, all vying to kill a single fugitive. Plasma fire and the glow of energised blades had lit up the darkness as confusion reigned and more were shot, stabbed or blown to pieces with no easy way to escape the chaos. The sounds of the dying had faded hours ago, and now only silence remained.

Kneeling down, Rora 'Marak shook his head as he looked over the corpse of Urai 'Hafunee, his sole friend and ally. Though he had been cut down by a group of bounty hunters hours ago, Rora's stalwart companion had died still clutching the hilt of his sword. The Sangheili fugitive gave a solemn nod of respect towards Urai before moving over towards one of his killers. Upon seeing his friend fall, Rora had leapt forward and attacked in a frenzy that left them dead in moments. Only one remained in good enough shape for what he had planned.

"Forgive me for this," he murmured.

Rora reached down and began to pull the slain bounty hunter's armour off, piece by piece. He had died after a swipe had opened his throat, leaving his green combat harness in wearable condition despite numerous dents and the mark of plasma scoring. Once the pieces lay in a pile by the body, Rora removed the horribly scarred remnants of his own suit and helmet and carefully secured the pieces to the bounty hunter's bloodied corpse. In the distance, the whine of an approaching Phantom dropship could be heard.

So now I begin my role.

Moving quickly, Rora clad himself in the blood-spattered green armour and grabbed a nearby carbine from atop a pile of corpses. After pulling on his helmet - a face-concealing one usually worn by Sangheili pilots - fired twice into the hunter's head, and then heaved the body up onto his shoulders with some effort. Breathing heavily as he descended the slopes, Rora kicked aside a dead Kig-Yar as he approached the road leading back to the port of Kor Delban. It was a slow process on foot, though the disguised Sangheili soon halted as a heavily-armed Phantom dropship descended towards him. Three figures exited, pointing rifles at him.

"Halt!" barked the leader. "What are you doing here?" Rora straightened up and tossed the body into the dirt. "Claiming the bounty on a family-murdering traitor!"

The newcomers - Covenant soldiers, not bounty hunters, he noted - glanced towards each other as one moved forward to check the corpse. Kneeling down, he checked a data pad as he turned him over, checking the back of his combat harness for the insignia of the House of Ranak. He found it and nodded, content, and looked up towards Rora.

"You've done a great service, hunter. Come, we'll take you back to Kor Delban. You deserve a reward."

"Thank you."

As he walked towards the Pelican, the young Sangheili began to prepare himself for the future. He was free of everything now; identity, crimes, connections, and could start again all thanks to a stolen suit of armour. The battlefield behind him had seen the end of a fugitive wanted for mass murder.

Rora 'Marak is dead.