[h2][b]Eri 'Moram - Aboard the Imperial Venator[/b][/h2]

[hr]

Although the [i]Resurgence's[/i] soldiers had advanced first, Eri's team could take space quickly in the hallways. Along the sides of the hall, all down its length, were supports that protruded from the wall and offered sufficient cover, even for a Sangheili. These red-and-black armored soldiers of the [i]Resurgence[/i] were certainly fighting well to be able to push back the Imperial soldiers from their already-established positions, but Eri was not one to leave the glory of battle to others. Unlike the allied Humans, her and most of her troupe could afford to take hits as they advanced into cover, so they could push forward more aggressively.

Eri was, as usual, at the front of her team, and it was not long before she had caught up to the frontline of her allied Humans. She had seen the work of the strange, orange-armored bounty hunter, though she had not seen where that one had gone. Eri had been told to pay attention to the mercenary's performance if possible, but it mattered little to her. Eri was more than glad to take the lead on their assault of the bridge. 

To allow her shields to recover, Eri took cover behind one of the supports along the right side of the hallway, right beside one of the [i]Resurgence's[/i] clones. She towered over him, though her full-faced helmet may have made her appearance at least somewhat less alarming. As her shields pulsed and strengthened around her armor, she looked down at him. "Cover my left. Just don't shoot me in the back." 

The next set of support struts ahead of them were being used as cover by two Imperial clones, one on each side of the hallway. As Eri rushed out from behind her cover and charged forward, she held her left arm out in front of her and activated a bright blue shield of seemingly solid light, projected from an emitter on her forearm. It was a hardlight shield: an example of recovered Forerunner technology that had been adapted to interface with the power systems of her combat harness. Eri's rank and role aboard the [i]Aegis[/i] afforded her certain privileges, among which was access to nearly any equipment she deemed necessary for her missions. The hardlight shield was a protective barrier far more advanced than any Covenant energy shielding, and it perfectly suited her aggression in combat. 

As Eri ran forward, she drew her energy lance from her back and activated one of the blades. Her preference for the long staff weapon in melee combat came from the fact that it complemented the strengths of the shield well. Unlike an energy sword, she could easily thrust the lance around the shield at a close opponent, which was precisely what she did. The Imperial clone fired his blaster fruitlessly into her shield until the moment her lance impaled him through the chest. Regardless of what the Humans behind her did, her own team was quick to support their commander's attack. A flurry of plasma fire from two storm rifles kept the Imperial clone on the opposite side of the hall pinned in cover until Eri was already upon them. The Imperial did hit an accurate shot onto Eri once her shield was angled away from him, but she was just as quick to respond. She activated the second blade on her lance and, without a wasted motion, lunged across the hall towards the second Imperial. Between her own powerful legs and the length of the lance, she easily had enough reach to be able to put a blade through him as well. 

Eri had dropped her hardlight shield for her lunge, so she took a second shot from farther down the hall before she got herself into cover and again allow her shields to recharge. Although, the next set of cover was an open blast door that was closer than the gaps between the support struts, so an Imperial behind the door on the opposite side of the hall still had an angle on her. She drew her plasma rifle with her free hand, but before either of them could fire on one another, she witnessed something she could only describe as bizarre. The Imperial clone was suddenly enveloped in a dark violet field of energy and started floating helplessly in the air. Eri had not witnessed the cause, but as confused as she was, it made it easy enough for her to land multiple shots with her plasma rifle. 

Of course, Eri did not act alone within her team. The [i]Immaculate Aegis[/i] had not sent near as many warriors to board the enemy vessel, but they had sent their best, which showed in the practiced synergy between each of her warriors. Even without being able to listen in on the troupe's closed comms channel, it was easy to see from the outside that they communicated effectively. Storm rifles provided a barrage of plasma fire to keep specific enemies pinned, either to allow others to reposition, or to lure those they were not shooting at into exposing themselves to the carbine-wielding marksmen. Thanks to their energy shields, the Sangheili could afford to allow themselves to take some incoming fire if it ensured they could land an accurate shot on an opponent. It was a luxury that the Imperial soldiers did not possess. 

Once Eri had made it to the door, it was time for the whole team to advance, so one of the Sangheili near the front made use of one of their more effective means of suppressing fire, launching a full six shots of his concussion rifle through the door to the Imperials on the other side. He spread out the shots all across the hall to put enough pressure on the enemy to allow both their team and their allied Humans to push forward more easily. The explosive shots melted through and damaged cover, and though they did not hit anyone directly, the concussive force of the blasts could still injure, and knocked a few briefly from cover. 

Quite the opposite to many other squads, the Unggoy and Kig-Yar did not take the frontline position among Eri's team, as she did not view them as simply fodder. The Kig-Yar was the best sniper in her troupe, if not in the whole crew of the [i]Aegis[/i], and the Unggoy both had their talents. One Unggoy, who was currently near the back firing a needler in the general direction of the enemy, Eri noted as being particularly observant to his surroundings, even in the chaos of battle. He noticed one of the Imperials readying a grenade, and appropriately warned Eri. On the Unggoy's signal, Eri dashed out with her hardlight shield active, using it to intercept the grenade as it was being thrown through the door and push it back in the direction of the enemy.