Orosan Frotalkii

"I am Shianabu. That name has come to mean many things within space, but in my tongue, it simply means "Wanderer". That suits me fairly well. I do not care for the trappings of society, nor the rituals of religion. For me, everything is simply more ground to be explored, thousands of points of light, and the worlds and stories that accompany them."-Orosan explaining his philosophy on lifeOrosan Frotalkii is a famed Axtri'Calli explorer, and a known eccentric. Mapping out the galaxy several times on behalf of his species, Frotalkii had a philosophy on life regarding change, seeing it as natural. Carris-137 of the Kra'dossh Insaali was known to have encountered him at least once, listing him as an enemy of the state. Orosan has made many enemies throughout his life, and has a habit of showing up at unusual events. 
During the Human-Covenant War, Orosan mapped out the galaxy, taking note of both Human and Covenant worlds. The Covenant knew this, and captured him during the war in an attempt to torture the information out of him. However, with the aid of Tyson-B245, Frotalkii escaped and returned to his life. After the war, Frotalkii moved into the smuggling business, shuttling pieces of Covenant and Forerunner technology for paying clients. During the rise of the Created, however, Frotalkii joined a resistance against the organization, recruiting both the Sangheili Blademaster Fal 'Kareni and the former SPARTAN-III Headhunter Tyson.
== History ==
=== Birth and early years ===
Orosan Frotalkii was born on the Axtri'Calli Home-Ship known as the Fortune-Bringer. While all Axtri'Calli had a fascination with exploration, Frotalkii was particular in his enjoyment of the subject. From the moments that the young Orosan could walk, he attempted to explore the passages and hallways of the ship, becoming lost within these passages several times. However, he always managed to find his way back to the sections of the ship designated for his clan. Studying the Stellar Patterns, and the ancient routes of the Forerunners, Frotalkii desired to explore all of the Milky Way in an attempt to find the new home planet for the species.
After studying the mapped areas of the galaxy several times in his youth, Orosan speculated about the possibility that the Forerunners had survived in some areas of the galaxy, that perhaps some shield worlds had not failed. However, this speculation was widely dismissed by the other youths of the ship, thinking that the Forerunners were gone forever, and that it was better for their species that way. In terms of his academic performance during this time, Orosan was widely regarded by his teachers as somewhat dim and slow. However, this was in large part due to his theories, with the theories being dismissed as outlandish, and focus being more placed on the constants. Frotalkii barely passed his exams, with minimal performance actually being evaluated. 
This loss of interest in the young Axtri'Calli was perhaps unwise, as the speculation propagated by Frotalkii was not without it's merits. However, one thing that he did during his childhood did intrigue his educators. When the time came to forge an Axtri'Calli war mask, Frotalkii did not carve his out of bone, instead researching other materials that could possibly be used to create one. Eventually settling on one, Frotalkii spent a week within his personal quarters, carving his mask from this material. When the time came to submit the mask to the elders of the Fortune-Bringer, the mask was constructed from a material not commonly used, and the first of this variety for hundreds of years: Iron. This mask was criticized by some for breaking with tradition, but praised by a minority for the superior durability offered by the metal. The elders merely accepted the mask, along with the others offered by the soon to be adults. However, this was the first time in Orosan's life where his intelligence was acknowledged, if only by a minority of the population. 
=== First position ===
Eventually, at the age of twenty-five, he was assigned to the scout trawler Forest's Gifts. The sendoff ceremony was relatively small, but Frotalkii seemed to enjoy it, with the food there being noted as "Particularly wonderful". The reason why the ceremony was relatively small was the fact that Forest's Gifts was not a newly built ship. Far from it. It was, in fact, at least 30 years old, with the crew often low ranking, just out of flight school graduates, or old pilots tired of a life of exploring. While Orosan did not enjoy the conditions aboard the Forest's Gift, with the cramped sleeping arrangements being particularly distasteful for the young Axtri'Calli, he enjoyed the fact that he was on a small scout ship for the first time. On the Gifts Frotalkii was the sensor pit operator, widely seen as the worst position due to the high levels of boredom, with almost nothing occuring. However, Orosan's position as the sensor pit operator was one that he came to loath for different reasons.
The Forest's Gifts was not on a normal commission to find a new homeworld for the Axtri'Calli. It was, in fact, a trading ship working on behalf of the Covenant. The ship was tasked with finding human worlds for the Covenant to destroy, with 1000000 Gekz for every world found by the Axtri'Calli. In order to do this, a Covenant Luminary was installed in the ship, with the purpose of finding Forerunner artifacts being the proposed intent of the device. In actuality, the Luminary would also detect humans, which was the entire reason of the journey. As the sensor pit operator, Orosan was responsible for using the Luminary to scan nearby celestial objects. This scanning went on for a few months, with Frotalkii's boredom increasing repeatedly every time. However, when patrolling an unknown system that was later revealed to be Asgorath, the Forest's Gifts sensors detected a large object several million kilometres away. Initially suspected to be nothing more than an asteroid, this object was scanned with the Luminary, and the results were incredibly promising. Seeing hundreds of Forerunner relics on the surface, with the glyphs appearing almost all over the planet, the find was incredibly promising. Frotalkii, in his excitement at this find, reported the numbers to the captain of the Gifts immediately. Although he was thought to be lying in order to alleviate his boredom, the numbers were rapidly shown to be true. This discovery, knowing that it could make them a fortune, was transmitted back to High Charity, where it was immediately studied by the group monitoring the ship. The Forest's Gifts was recalled to High Charity, and the captain was given the reward promised, in addition to a large sum for the presence of Forerunner Artifacts. However, the world discovered, Sardior, was ravaged by the Covenant over the course of the war. When Orosan learned of this, he regretted his decision, later stating that "Sardior was my greatest mistake".
=== Constructing a ship of his own ===
However, the money from Sardior's discovery did help Orosan in a way. With the large sum of Gekz received, Orosan bought multiple ship parts, and began to begin construction on a ship that he claimed was "Far Better" than the Forest's Gifts. Overhauling the engines with an explosive kind of fuel rarely used, along with a salvaged Forerunner slipspace engine found by the Forest's Gifts on one of it's outings, Frotalkii desired to construct an extremely fast ship, with the actual vessel being comprised of different pieces from different species. The total list of parts used can be found below:
* Salvaged Forerunner Slipspace engine: This piece of salvaged Forerunner technology allows near pinpoint Slipspace jumps, with the ship equipped with it being able to slip in and out slipspace incredibly rapidly. The damaged nature of the engine, however, limits it's complete functionality, though is still superior to UNSC or Covenant tech.
* Lightshift-Class engines: A piece of Axtri'Calli technology common on Homeships, their use on a common freighter gives great speed, albeit poor handling. This already immense speed is augmented by the M/DM fuel injection that Orosan has modified the engine with, for situations where slipsace is dangerous. M/DM fuel is actually achieved by combining matter and dark matter, with the resulting explosion being capable of propelling a ship an immense amount of kilometres in an instant. However, this fuel is innately unstable, and as such is only kept in small amounts aboard the ship, with it having to refuel after every usage of it. 
*M8545 ASW/AC 40MM: A weapon commonly found on Winter-Class prowlers, this weapon serves as an ideal Autocannon for a vehicle the size of Frotalkii's ship, with a fast, mid-powered damage output. Frotalkii bought it from a Kig-Yar salvage crew, and used it as the main weapon for his intended ship. Finding human weapons ideal for tearing through energy shielding, this cannon was easy for Frotalkii to install.
*Luminary: A piece of Covenant technology, the Luminary was acquired last in the construction of the ship. Knowing that Forerunner technology would be useful throughout his travels, Frotalkii acquired this item through great pains, with a large amount of the money that he received being spent on purchasing it on the black market.
*M-190 Heavy Missile Pod: This high explosive device was commonly found on UNSC warships, with the missiles being surprisingly low in power. However, for a small starship, Frotalkii found it perfectly acceptable. Installing it to be controlled directly from the cockpits targeting mechanisms, Frotalkii opted only to use the M-190 in circumstances when the already installed chainguns would not suffice.
*Covenant targeting computer: A hodgepodge targeting computer engineered from remnants of Banshee cockpits, Seraphs, and minor fighters, Frotalkii favoured this computer for it's greater levels of accuracy compared to Axtri'Calli technology, along with the aesthetic provided. This computer was difficult to interface with Axtri'Calli and UNSC tech, but after tampering with the computer, it accepted the tech.
Once all of the components had been acquired, Orosan assembled them, with some difficulty, into the frame of the ship that he was building. The hull was then constructed from titanium alloy, with the ship also being equipped with a minor shield generator. Connecting all of these parts to the main computer was problematic, but eventually succeeded. Deciding to take the ship for a ride, Frotalkii initiated a takeoff, blasting out of the hangar of the Fortune-Bringer with a high speed. Orosan was startled at the speed that the craft moved at, with the young Axtri'Calli barely being able to control the craft, narrowly avoiding several asteroids. However, Frotalkii found the ride highly enjoyable, with the thrill far outweighing the dangers. Piloting the ship back to the Fortune-Bringer, Frotalkii named his new construction "Lightbolt", referencing it's immense speed. Desiring to explore and find a potential homeworld, Frotalkii asked for permission to take the ship on an independent journey. This request was authorised, and Orosan took the ship out on a desire to explore.
=== Mapping Human Worlds ===
In a desire to atone for the destruction of Sardior, Frotalkii took the Lightbolt on a journey around the Orion Arm, with the intent of finding and mapping both human and Covenant worlds. Finding Reach, the Inner Colonies, Harvest, and even discovering the Sol System, Orosan noted how Humanity did not stand a large chance against the Covenant, but kept fighting. This determination inspired the Axtri'Calli, and he began following Covenant fleets. This strategy was not to map Covenant worlds, but instead to find the patterns of the fleets searching for Human worlds. Trailing a Covenant fleet for weeks, Frotalkii became nervous that the Covenant would detect him, but continued to follow them. This fear was realised, however, when an Unggoy operating a sensor array noticed the Lightbolt at the edge of the fleet, scanning the movements the ships were making. This Unggoy, thinking that it was a UNSC vessel, proceeded to report the vessel and its untrue status to the Sangheili shipmaster, who proceeded to open fire. Frotalkii, seeing the plasma bolts accelerated just in time, avoiding destruction. This was the first really dangerous situation that the Axtri'Calli had found himself in, and his reflexes were incredibly reactive, shifting the ship at the slightest stimuli. This however, saved his life, with the entire Covenant fleet now firing at him. Narrowly avoiding a set of plasma missiles, and shifting to the right just in time to dodge an energy bolt, Frotalkii knew that his odds of escaping were slim. However, he had prepared a backup plan, knowing that a slipspace rupture would be detected. Priming the Lightshift-Class engines, Orosan managed to put a small amount of distance between him and the Covenant fleet. Arming the M/DM charge, Orosan activated the explosive fuel, propelling the Lightbolt forward by an immense distance. The scintillating colours created by the boost were noted to be extremely beautiful, which the Axtri'Calli found amusing, finding art in his near death experience. Exiting from this form of transportation millions of kilometres away, Orosan opened a slipspace portal, escaping undetected by the Covenant fleet. Exiting the portal near Reach, he jettisoned his findings in a data capsule miles away from the planet. This data was later picked up by ONI, and the Covenant search patterns helped identify safe routes for the UNSC throughout both human and Covenant controlled territory.
=== Capture by the Covenant ===
Of course, Orosan's activities did not go unnoticed by the Covenant either. After reviewing scans of the images of the Lightbolt that were captured, the Covenant concluded that the ship was not of human design, but rather Axtri'Calli. Questioning why an Axtri'Calli would be surveying their fleet patterns, the Sangheili analyst, knowing the wanderlust of the species, realized that Orosan was presumably searching for new worlds to settle on. Knowing that in his travels, he had likely found human worlds as well, along with discovering UNSC fleet positions, the analyst sent his findings to the Fleetmaster Ortan Vadinos'ai, who ordered the capture of the explorer. While tooling with the Lightbolt, Orosan was captured by a Covenant battlecruiser, and managed to erase the databank of the main computers before being subdued by a group of Sangheili warriors. Upon being taken back to the fleet, Orosan wondered what the Covenant was going to do to him, with torture springing to his mind immediately. Despite being captured, the Axtri'Calli still attempted to fight back against his captors, with little success, however. Feeling moderately depressed at his inability to free himself, Orosan managed to observe his new living areas, when the key to his escape was seen. During his observation, Frotalkii saw a dark metal mass that he initially thought was a Covenant battlesuit, but was disproven by his own mind upon seeing how it did not match the Covenant aesthetic. Seeing an Unggoy attaching a mind probe to the suit before slapping it in frustration, Orosan realized that the suit likely contained a human, most probably an elite soldier given the quality of the suit. Knowing that such a soldier could likely help him escape, the Axtri'Calli began to formulate a plan.
Rooting through the pockets of his flight coat, Orosan managed to find an Axtri'Calli slicing tool within his pockets that the Covenant had overlooked. Concealing the tool and moving closer to the force field, Orosan slashed at it with the tool, disabling it briefly. After going to the detained weapons area of the detention block, Frotalkii retrieved his customized pistol and war mask, and proceeded to sprint towards the cell that was currently detaining the specops soldier that he had noticed earlier. Managing to arrive in the cell before the covenant showed up, Orosan plugged power cables into the fusion reactor of the armour suit. Diverting a surge of power into the suit, Orosan looked away as the suit began to power up, with it sparking with electricity. This power surge brought the suit back online, before the soldier within awakened. Stepping off of the restraint area, the human asked Frotalkii who he was. Stating his identity as an Axtri'Calli, the soldier inquired as to the year, which Frotalkii countered with a question. The soldier responded with his name: Tyson-B245, along with his status as a SPARTAN-III supersoldier, and the fact that he was trained in multiple different forms of combat. Knowing that he had picked the right prisoner to let free, Frotalkii stated that he wished to escape, offering to take the SPARTAN back to human space. Tyson however refused this offer, stating that the Cole Protocol prevented him from willingly taking a Covenant ship back to human occupied territory, due to the fact that the ship may possess a tracking device. Orosan stated his desire to use the Lightbolt instead of a Covenant craft, as it had superior speed and the added bonus of no tracking devices. Tyson found this offer satisfactory, and the two began formulating their escape plan. 
However, Orosan's escape and the subsequent power surge that he used to bring the Mjolnir armour of Tyson-B245 back online was of course detected by the Covenant. Locating the source of the power surge, the Covenant sent a security detachment of Sangheili warriors to the cell where Tyson had been detained. As the Sangheili entered the cell block, Frotalkii stood in clear view of these Sangheili warriors, and proceeded to taunt them, saying that the demon would slay them easily. Tyson then burst from the wall connected to the door, and proceeded to massacre the Sangheili. Arming himself with a plasma repeater, Tyson then proceeded to inquire Orosan as to the location of the Lightbolt. Knowing that the SPARTAN-III would likely put his own safety first, Orosan simply darted into a nearby hallway. 
As the Headhunter followed him, Frotalkii stood above the hangar bay, viewing the Lightbolt from above. Tyson caught up with the explorer rapidly, and inquired if the Lightbolt was the ship that the duo were looking for. Frotalkii considered, before answering that indeed, it was. The SPARTAN then proceeded to jump from the ledge, and slaughtered the entire crew of the hangar armed with nothing but the scavenged plasma repeater and his fists. Orosan briefly admired the carnage, and slid down the hangar walls, drily commenting on the lethality of the SPARTAN with the words "That was quick". The Axtri'Calli then boarded the ship, quickly inspecting everything to make sure that no damage had been done to the internal mechanisms in the time that it had been interred by the Covenant, before sprinting to the cockpit and activating the onboard computer, running the engine activation mechanism. However, due to the immense power of the engines, it took a while for them to activate. While silently urging the computer to start the engines, Frotalkii noticed a large party of Sangheili entering. With the engines charged only to 35%, Orosan ordered Tyson, who had recently boarded, to "Spin up the cannon". The Headhunter, while inaccurate at first, proved to be an adept with the weapon, slaughtering the would-be boarders quickly and efficiently. However, a small amount of the party, five Sangheili, managed to make it onboard the ship. Before the Elites could kill Orosan, though, the resident SPARTAN-III slaughtered this miniscule boarding party.