Arglye takes flight, aided by the low gravitational pull of the asteroid, and rockets upwards and forwards. As the Scarab is steadily moving towards him as well, it makes him closing the distance all that much easier. With a heavy THUD, Spartan O23 lands on the Main Deck of the Scarab, near the thing's nose. His arrival didn't go unnoticed, however, and several Covenant turn to address him with force.
Valen, having charged the Spartan Laser arm on his Mantis as he rounded the fortress, now released the beam of red energy at the massive target. His shot strikes the underside of the transport and causing the corner of a small panel to drop to the ground; sheered off from its placement by the laser.
Volsung rips into the Scarab once more, firing another volley of thunderous lead in its direction. All five shots find their target, causing its shields to dance further. This thing was incredibly heavy armored and, although it had taken a severe beating, it showed no signs of slowing down!
Jason broadcasts Volsung's message to Harper, "Message for you from Major R36, sir!", before then following Anex on his Ghost.
"Admiral, with all due respect, get. Back. Into the bunker. You're too valuable to risk in a firefight like this."
Anex likewise chastises the Fleet Admiral before jetting out of the cave upon his Ghost. Rounding the mouth of the cavern's opening, he spots Argyle landing atop the Scarab as the purple monstrosity lumbers forward on its four thin legs. 544 then begins maneuvering his way through the dancing legs of his compatriot's Mantises, heading into the fray.
Harper, grumbling, relents to the recommendations, climbing back off of the Ghost and stowing himself away safely within the cavern.
Vidarr fires his Gauss once more, striking the Scarab in the eye and causing a plume of plasma to jet forth! However, it looked like the weapon was still functional.
Meanwhile, the Scarab looms closer to Ma'hitrama, bringing its under-mounted cannon within range, which begins firing at Vidarr. Its second shot hits VD47's Mantis with no small amount of force, causing the vehicle's shields to falter, but not yet fail. All the while, its eye begins charging as it scans the battlefield for its next victims.
Onboard, however, two Grunts turn their Needlers on Argyle as two Elites tear plasma turrets from their mounts on the sides of the Scarab's platform. The first Grunt only manages to make one pink crystal stick, but the second one fares better; lodging three of its shots into the Major... one of which found a soft spot in his lower abdomen. Luckily, the two Elites seem to be content to let their lesser brethren take the first shots, as they fall back into more defensive positions.
Spoiler
Valen:
(Moves to H14)
[roll0] (Attack - versus Scarab)
[roll1]
Vidarr:
[roll2] (Attack - versus Scarab's Gun)
[roll3]
Scarab Under-Cannon:
[roll4] (Attack 1 - versus Vidarr)
[roll5]
[roll6] (Attack 2 - versus Vidarr)
[roll7]
[roll8] (Attack 3 - versus Vidarr)
[roll9]
Grunt1:
[roll10] (Attack 1 - versus Argyle)
[roll11]
[roll12] (Attack 2 - versus Argyle)
[roll13]
[roll14] (Attack 3 - versus Argyle)
[roll15]
[roll16] (Attack 4 - versus Argyle)
[roll17]
[roll18] (Attack 5 - versus Argyle)
[roll19]
Grunt2:
[roll20] (Attack 1 - versus Argyle)
[roll21]
[roll22] (Attack 2 - versus Argyle)
[roll23]
[roll24] (Attack 3 - versus Argyle)
[roll25]
[roll26] (Attack 4 - versus Argyle) <--- Critical Hit!
[roll27]
[roll28] (Attack 5 - versus Argyle)
[roll29]