Chapter 1

A knock at my door roused me from my sleep. I wiped the drool away from my lower lip, and all soon realized that I had again let sleep take hours away from me while I worked at my desk. The knock came again this time with more force seeing as the individual requesting entry into my living quarters was getting impatient. I quickly stood up from my chair, but in my haste knocked it over on to the wood floor; finding I had no time to return it to its place. The loud knock came for a third time and someone called out to me, but in my tired state could not make out the words that they spoke. I walked out of my small in-home office into the living room. I shook my head to clear it and stepped up to the door. Straighten my work uniform to a more presentable look and opened the door to find a man I did not recognize looking at me. He was a newly promoted UNSC Captain in a freshly pressed naval uniform, medals adorned the left breast pocket and above the right breast pocket pinned a name plate. 'Lee' read the plate. I stood up a little straighter; I had met several captains in my four years of working at the United Earth Government's colonial affairs department in Sydney, Australia. I always showed them the respect they deserved.

"Something I can help you with Captain?" I asked the man trying not to sound as tired as I felt right now.

He looked over the data pad clenched in his right hand moving his left hand across the surface of the device looking for something I could not see what that might be. He finally turned the pad over, so I could see for myself what he had been looking for; taking the device from the captain's hand. I studied the letter which addressed directly to me.

"Hmm, seems I am to report to ambassador Heugh's office immediately…for reassignment?" I asked the captain unsure if I had misread the letter or not.

I handed the pad back to the forty-year-old, and followed him, making sure to lock my residence before I left. He declined to acknowledge my question, and we both walked in silence passing through the center section of the building which gave a good view of the ocean. I liked to come here and take in the sunrise when I could find the time; which became a rarity day by day. We both entered a central lift that would take us to the top floor the ambassador's office coming into view when the lift doors opened. The secretary sitting at her desk looked up at us and stopped typing at her terminal to speak directly with Captain Lee.

"Samuel Parson to see the Ambassador." He spoke in a way that made him sound older than he looked.

Battle-hardened, having seen, and experienced things that most civilians, like me, would fear from our nightmares. The war had taken its tole on everyone, but now it has been over for four days. Being a part of this department gave me access to reports about each colony under the guidance of the UEG, lost to rebels, or the Covenant. The latter being the order of the day ninety percent of the time since I started here. My first task, day one, was to learn each colony, its location, and who was the ambassador to that planet. Now, though having no colonies left lead to a hole in the number of staff needed to keep the flow of information from each world organized and going to the other cogs in the machine that was the United Earth Government.

I was pulled from my day-dream by a tap on my shoulder. Lee looked at me and shook his head. He pointed at the door to the ambassador's office.

"The ambassador is in a meeting at the moment and asked to have you wait in his office." He spoke to me in his rough tone of voice.

"Thank you, Captain." I replied to him and turned to head into the office.

I made it to the door its metal hafts parting to allow me to enter the spacious room. I have been in this office a few times and every time the view always caught my eye. A good look at the city and looking to my right had a good view of the ocean. The office desk sat by the window with two oak chairs in front. I sat in the left chair and waited for the ambassador to arrive from his meeting. This waiting gave me time to speculate on why I was called here. The lost worlds we had to deal with during the war left less people needed in the department. The world I had been assigned to was Reach, but now I guess it was time for them to pull the plug on me. Given the war they must have gotten around to it finally.

I looked behind me the doors opening; the ambassador stepping into his office. The man was of about fifty-six years of age. His white hair balding at the top of his head. His eyes locked onto me, and I had to swallow my nervousness. He walked around the left side of his desk and placed his data pad on its wooden surface. Standing facing the window I was getting impatient sitting there waiting for him to speak. Turning around the man sat in his office chair and cleared his throat before directly addressing me.

"Do you enjoy the view?" He asked me with a questioning look.

I was a bit taken back by his question that it was a good two minutes before I replied.

"Yes, I do sir."

"Good, because I have a new assignment for you. This will be the last you see it."

The letter did not say much but being reassigned was something that caught my eye. I could only imagine where I was going to be sent if I even have another job after this meeting. Most individuals who are reassigned lose their jobs, as of late, with the UNSC needing more funding the UEG would let go of a lot of its personnel some decided to join the military to make a difference during the war. Which I had thought about since I had come in here. But the war being over my options were limited.

"What might that assignment be sir?" I asked him after weighing my options on other employment.

"I am sure you know what an elite is, our former enemies during the war?" He asked me while looking over the data pad on his desk.

"Yes, sir. They are responsible for a lot of human deaths. Freaks of nature is what I call them." I could feel my heart beat faster at the mentioned of them. I hated them all for what they did to us. Anger coursed through my mind as I remembered the human body count from Reach.

"You might consider keeping those comments to yourself son." He said to me with a slight laugh and an amused shake of his balding head.

I looked confused at him wondering why I needed to watch my words regarding the human murdering bastards. He turned the pad around on the desk surface and tapped the screen once. An image of a planet came into view before me. The place looked horrible; orange looking land masses and a blue greenish colored water covered what looked to be the oceans. It looked like a glassed planet to me nothing worth mention.

"This is Sanghelios. Their home. Your assignment is to be the human ambassador to the planet." He told me with a neutral look on his face.

"No, I refuse…why would I even want such an assignment?" I asked him. He could not be asking this; I would rather face a firing squad than look upon such a horribly disfigured face. They had no lips for god sakes I thought to myself with a shudder running through my entire frame. Standing from my seat I prepared to leave his office.

"Because you are one of our best." He started to give me an answer to my question. "You helped keep Reach out of the hands of the United Rebel Front; you are good at diplomacy which is what we need now more than ever."

I turned around and reluctantly returned to my seat. He had a point I hated myself for admitting though not openly. If not for me Reach would have been in rebel control; I had quickly convinced the rebel leader he was going to lose a lot more than he would gain by trying to take Reach. Helping by giving our military the time they needed to find the rebels and end the threat before they got to the planet. But these hinge-heads are a major human threat. That I fear diplomacy would not be enough. Yes, the war is over but who is not to say they would attack us as our backs are turned? I had to say something the look on Heugh's face was one of growing annoyance.

"When do I leave?" I asked him. I wanted to get to the point before I got second thoughts.

"Tomorrow at the earliest." He told me.

"Forty-eight hours at the latest."

My mind began to spin the room turned inside out before me, and an image of one of those freaks stood there with a human raised by the head in one of its four fingered hands. The freak looked my way; with the person I could not see their face turned away from me. It took the human and sliced the head off keeping the blood dripping head aloft then laughed before it tossed the part in my direction blood pouring out landing, rolling at my feet. It took all my will power not to scream when I saw the face to be my own.

I was awakened from my dream by someone shaking my shoulder with a lot of force. I looked up from where I laid at the base of the chair to find Captain Lee looking down upon me a show of great concern on his face. He placed both his hands on my forearm and helped me back into the chair. The ambassador looked at me also with concern on his face. I did not wish to tell them, but they needed to know. I sighed taking in a shaky breath before I explained my sudden outburst.

"My mother and my brother were on Reach when it fell. Their bodies were never recovered, but someone that knew my family said they died at the hand of those…." I finished what I had to say feeling more would bring back the memories I had tried to escape.

"If you need time to rest son, I can find another to take the position." Heugh spoke to me in a manner of understanding my pain.

"No…" I said to him after several minutes of silence.

The video of the attack on the town I was born in. A town north of New Alexandria. Played back in my head it wasn't someone who told me I watched it happen from battle recordings as marines tried to evac everyone from the town. The Covenant expanding their campaign after they had taken the city. I hated every squid-faced fucker since then, all the covenant, but the way they cut down civilians like it was a sick game. I shuddered at the thought of them getting the opportunity to do so again. I looked from my thoughts both men with worry in their eyes; clearing my throat I stood on my feet and spoke with the ambassador.

"I will go. Mother always said take every opportunity or someone will catch it slipping through your fingers."

The man seemed pleased with my decision given the fact I just went through a major nervous break-down. My first one in several years. Heugh returned to his desk to begin the final preparations for me on his end. I sat back down in the chair and noticed the captain took a seat to the right of me. Must have come in during my flashback I thought silently to myself. Captain Lee looked nervous his eyes shifting my way every few seconds. I knew what he was thinking trying to see if I was still the right candidate for this job.

"Captain is your ship ready for departure?" Heugh asked the forty-year-old.

"Ready and waiting ambassador." He replied to the question.

I looked confused. It must have shown well because the man turned his attention to me and slid a different data pad across the tables surface, one a bit smaller than his own. I took the device and slipped it into my uniform breast pocket. Finding it fit perfectly. I looked at the ambassador ready to hear what he had to tell me. I heard him clear his throat before he began to speak.

"That device will serve as a translator, and a recorder to aid in your meetings with the leader of the elites. You will leave here at 1100 tomorrow aboard the UNSC Saber. It should take you at most three days to get to the planet through slip-space." He paused for a moment letting me process the information.

"Once there a representative will meet you in orbit and take you to the surface of the planet. You will meet with their leader once every month; make sure to record everything you discuss with him and try to get the translator to gather as much as it can. Its database is limited currently.

I stood from my seat. The ambassador stood too; extending a hand to meet mine we shook hands in what could be the last I see him in a long time. I stood there for a few minutes to gather my thoughts about where I was going, and who I was going to be near for…a question crossed my mind and I spoke to Heugh.

"How long will I be staying there?"

"A year and a haft." He replied.

"Do you know who I will have these monthly meetings with?" I asked him.

"They call him the arbiter, whether that is his true name or a title I don't know."

I took the information and let it process through my mind. I would be staying with the same creatures that killed my family. It sure would take a lot to get used too, but if my efforts helped keep the peace between our people and stop more human lives lost then I would do what I must despite my own personal feelings on the matter. Our meeting concluded I made my own my back to my living quarters. Entering my residence, I slid against the door; the tears for my family coming out in slow drips. It took me several minutes to compose myself. I stood up and headed into my bedroom next to my office and placed the device on the nightstand. I looked at the clock and realized it was now mid-afternoon. I sat on my bed and sighed. What a day. I thought to myself. I needed to get ready, so I went to take a shower. Afterwards, making myself something to eat. I started to pack what clothes I could for my trip. Now, it being later I placed my bag at the end of my bed; running my hand through my neatly cut hair. I got in bed and tried to get what sleep I could for my trip to a world I had no place going too.