Name: Ahst 'Zar Traot (formerly 'Traotee)
Faction: Ex-Covenant, now Swords of Sanghelios (as of 2558)
Unit: Fleet Master
Specialization: Small-scale invasion, exploration/scouting
Current location: Somewhere beyond the Outer Colonies
Gender: Female
Birthplace: Teeda'ul (Author's Note: The colony is my own creation, a temperate rain forest planet inspired greatly by the US's Pacific Northwest. If you have some knowledge of the Sangheili language, you may appreciate the name.)
Birth date: October 16, 2512
History: Ahst's dream of becoming a warrior presented her with many obstacles. What started as a simple dream of glory and adventure faced many an attempt by her parents (being female, she is well aware of keep bloodlines and parentage) to turn Ahst from her goals, to avoid the wrath of who they knew to be a bigoted and tyrannical kaidon, Ervo 'Traotee, who led his tiny, unknown keep using tactics of isolation, controlled communications, forging false history, blackmailing those who would speak out with the loss of honor and prestige... and eliminating those who said too much or got in the way.
In 2534, Ahst herself was publically humiliated and scarred with the mark of disobedience (though by curveblade, not by energy sword) in her young adulthood after refusing the advances of one of the kaidon's sentries and attempting to defend herself, and this dishonor to her family is what finally convinced her parents to let her leave and follow her dream as far as it would take her. Upon recovering from her wounds, she trained in secret in the deep forests surrounding the keep with a close cousin, but he was caught smuggling weapons from the keep armory and executed two weeks later. It was then that Ahst fled for her life, in order to pursue her goal, and return later to ensure her family and keep found justice for Ervo's doings. She found her way to High Charity itself, but Ahst found herself homeless for at least a fortnight as she tried to enlist, as no commander dared take an untrained female into their numbers... none except one by the name of Ikos 'Medumai (Author's Note: Fiance's OC, not mine!), who took her in, believing there was nothing to be lost in her death, but possibly much to gain if she survived. And survive she did, but it wasn't long before word of a female of the 'Traot name taking up the helm of a warrior reached her kaidon's ears...
Ervo promptly executed Ahst's entire family, and ensured she received not only images of their bodies, but the message that if she had just obeyed and followed tradition, it would have never happened, and their blood was on her hands. Grief-stricken, but still lacking the skill and strength to return home and seek justice, Ahst had little choice but to vent her pain and frustration on the most obvious target: humanity. Her number of inflicted casualties on the field skyrocketed, and she found herself worthy of commanding a small fleet, MUCH to the chagrin of the High Council. Unable to deny her, but refusing to let a female serve in the heart of the war, the Council granted Ahst a minimal fleet, with each ship operated by a skeleton crew, and provided a single Huragok and San'Shyuum supervisor, the Minor Prophet of Sincerity. The fleet was also tailor-made to be able to patrol for long periods of time without frequent resupplying. The Council sent Ahst and her fleet to the far edges of known space. She could invade cities, glass planets, and strike fear into the hearts of colonists... but the Council wanted to forget about her.
Ahst's campaign continued without much fanfare, with at least a single glassing under her belt, carried out after the battle of Liberty XIII (Author's Note: Another colony of my own creation.) in 2550. It was here that Ahst took a single prisoner, a young adult human female by the surname of Hawthorne. Hawthorne was given the "honor" of witnessing the Covenant's might first-hand, and was forced to perform hard labor aboard Ahst's flagship, the Wayward Convergence. Days later, she was reported executed, though Sincerity was indignant over never seeing the human's body for himself. In truth, Ahst considered the human - who proved respectful, resilient, and perhaps a worthy companion in her time of unchecked grief - more useful alive than dead, so with the help of her Huragok and Unggoy Deacon, she forged reports of Hawthorne's execution, and the human lived and served aboard the vessel away from the eyes of the crew, especially Sincerity.
Life carried on as usual for all others, until the Great Schism began in 2552, and Sincerity, tired of his lowly position supervising a nameless female Fleet Master, contacted Jiralhanae forces and gave them the clearance they needed to board Ahst's flagship. It was his fatal mistake. Ahst's crew managed to hold the boarders back, and after finding similar reports of attacks across Covenant space, Ahst was able to easily deduce who could possibly have given the Jiralhanae the information they needed. Sincerity was executed, and Ahst found herself in a position that rather pleased her. She was now TRULY in command, and had an army at her back. It was time to go home.
Her fleet returned to Teeda'ul, making quick work of the charismatic but arrogant Ervo and his sentries, liberating the Traot Keep from decades of tyranny. Due to the lack of capable individuals remaining in the tiny keep's population, Ahst was quickly named the new, de facto kaidon, and she remains there until the day she marries (which she does not intend on doing any time soon.).
After the Human-Covenant War, with Hawthorne serving as an honorary ambassador, Ahst's fleet returned to its old patrolling grounds, trying to find ways to build a new, positive relationship with humanity. The fleet continued this role on its own until joining with the Swords in 2558, to continue ambassador work in a more official way and with better support. Ahst also helps keep the peace in this section of the galaxy by chasing down pirate crews and others whose intentions threaten the current, fragile peace of the area. Many of her old crew still serves under her, so there are Sangheili, Unggoy, and Kig-Yar within her ranks, all of which are held to a high standard of duty, responsibility, and camaraderie.
Choice of Equipment: Most often fights in a dual-wielding stance, with her sword in her left hand, and plasma rifle in her right. Both weapons are customized with a green color, in honor of her forest home, and their own names. The rifle, Verdant Wildfire, has a burst-fire option, and the sword, Tyrant's Demise, has a customized, arrowhead-shaped blade.
Previous Ops:
Battle of Mojave (Invasion of New Riverside) - 2534
Battle of Liberty XIII (Invasion/Glassing of Holt-Swain) - 2550
Current Op:
Primarily ambassador work and assault on pirate/trafficking vessels
Notable Relations:
Meelak: Former Unggoy Deacon, now intel archivist aboard Ahst's flagship
Hawthorne: Former human POW, now unofficial crew member and fleet ambassador
Vhar: Longtime Kig-Yar sniper, one of Ahst's best scouts
Nowhere Near Ideal: The fleet's lone Huragok, with awkward buoyancy and quite the personality after isolation from his kin
Ikos 'Medumai: Ahst's former CO, now her second-in-command and tactical advisor, as well as a Shipmaster in her fleet
Service Commendations: None, as most of Ahst's work went and still goes unseen by most.
Covenant/Other faction Tenure: Served in the Covenant Navy for 20 years
Accounts of recommendations of previous commanders: Ha. You're funny.
