2557- January 1st

Arbiter could feel nothing but guilt that he had lived and John had died. Still, life must go on. Now above his home planet Arbiter had a feeling that perhaps, if the Higher Powers were kind, he would see John again.

"Scan the area" Arbiter commanded to Tanner, the Elite ship technician, "Search for any signs of life within reasonable distances."

Tanner nodded and did as he was told, "Sir there's nothing" he replied, "Just empty space. We've been at it for months, face it, he's gone."

Arbiter sighed; he refused to believe that John was dead despite the overwhelming evidence that supported it. It took everything that he had not to go back into deep space and search again, but he knew that it was futile. They had been searching for four years, ever since the Halo Event occurred, with no results; it was time to go home.

"Ship Master" Arbiter bellowed, "Take us down. It is time we return to our rightful place."

The Ship Master gave the command for re-entry as Arbiter sat down in the large chair that was made for him. Looking around the ship the Elite noticed how empty it seemed, the crew, despite their size, was weak in morale, they hadn't fought since the war ended. They were restless, weary and anxious to be with their families.

"In the next two hours we will be home" Arbiter said to himself, "We will finally have peace. All those under the Covenant shall become one people, one nation under one ruler. If I am successful, John's death will not have been for nothing."

Entering capitol city airspace Arbiter could only look at the city's majesty. Hundreds of skyscrapers made up the skyline, each of them unique in their design, all of them shining and clean as if war had not plagued it. The most impressive of these buildings was the High Temple, in which the former High Prophets resided and ran the government. The Holy City, that was once above the planet, had been reduced to nothing, only small fragments of it were salvaged and thanks to technology of the day, the Temple remains intact.

"It's amazing what a few years can do" Tanner exclaimed excitedly as he looked out the nearest window, "The finest architects in the universe couldn't do better!"

"It is a sight to see" Arbiter agreed, "But I do not think that we will get the warm welcome treatment."

Tanner huffed, "Arbiter those days are long past. You're a hero not a heretic, the people know that. With you as President, things are going to be a lot better you'll see."

Arbiter could only hope that he was right, in his heart he knew that the position of President was a lofty one, one that required politics instead of military strategy. Unfortunately, Arbiter was an Elite of few words, preferring to let his actions speak for him. Now it seems he would have to put on an entirely different hat, one that he was not accustomed or, at least in his mind, deserving to wear.

Stepping off of the ship, Arbiter was greeted neither by weapons nor applause, the hangar bay being completely empty save for a few workers on the other side of the room.

"I guess they're somewhere else" Tanner said hopefully, "Maybe we're early?"

Arbiter shook his head, "I believe we're right on time actually. Which I guess technically speaking, is late."

The Ship Master sighed, for he thought the least that the people would do would give Arbiter some kind of recognition. To compensate for this he stood at full attention, causing Tanner and the other crew in view of him to do the same.

"Company attention" Ship Master yelled causing Arbiter to turn around, "President on deck, hard salute!"

The crew saluted and held it for ten seconds before going back to full attention as if they were waiting for further orders. Arbiter saw this and decided to humor them one last time.

"As Arbiter" he began, "I could not ask for a better crew. You did what no one else would, when we could have simply gone home to families instead we searched far and wide for our friends. I know that you will never know them or what kind of people they were, but I knew them and you know me as a judge of character."

A small laugh came from the crew, Arbiter waited for it to subside before continuing.

"My heart still grieves heavily for the loss, even after all this time, but with your help, maybe things can get back to normal. I know not what the future holds, but I will say this, you are officially relieved from your military service for three years to be with your families."

At this the crew let out a thunderous cheer praising Arbiter's name, with the lifting of his hands Arbiter silenced them once more.

"May the Higher Powers judge us kindly for all that we have done" Arbiter concluded, "May it be enough to erase our crimes and achieve salvation long sought and justly earned."

As Arbiter turned to walk away he felt a large and heavy weight lift off of his shoulders, this was to be replaced by an even greater weight, one that required the ruling and overseeing of an entire planet in need of a government.

Walking into the High Temple down a long hallway towards his room, Arbiter was met by Pestilence and Stain, a Grunt and a Jackal respectively. Pestilence was strangely tall for a Grunt, almost as if he were a hybrid of some kind. Stain was the exact opposite, being short for a Jackal but with a long face like that of a horse. Both of them had served under Arbiter during the Reach Operations and both were incredibly loyal as Grunts and Jackals were.

"Welcome back sir" Pestilence said happily, "How was the search?"

Arbiter said nothing, giving Pestilence his answer; Stain gave him a hard look that told him to be quiet.

"Long, unsuccessful and painful" Arbiter answered as he reached the door to his chambers," If you will excuse me gentlemen I need to be alone."

Pestilence and Stain nodded and walked away down the hall to tend to other matters. Arbiter gave a deep sigh and opened the door to his room.

Arbiter's room was simple, it was not extravagant, he didn't want it to be should news reporters make surprise visits and think thoughts and opinions that were completely false. Arbiter was many things but rich was not one of them; he was a leader who wasn't skilled at politics, a friend who deserted the one person in the world he had anything in common with and a genius who was still by galaxy standards a first class idiot. Arbiter was many things, but he was not who the people needed him to be.

"The security of the Covenant rests with me" Arbiter thought to himself, "How is it possible? To carry the weight of the world and yet still have a back, a spine with which to make decisions that for some will mean the end of everything that they know? Politics are a devil's creation; only through the purity of war can peace be achieved. The unfortunate truth of the matter is at the end of all war order must be restored, which ironically requires politics."

A knock at the door caused Arbiter to walk back to it. Opening the door he was met by Pestilence, Tanner, Stain and the Prophet of Unity, the only Prophet that was female and bestowed upon to Elites. She was Arbiter's wife and was, at least by Elite standards, the most beautiful in the entire galaxy.

"You said you would be back four years ago" Unity began, "What took you so long?"

Arbiter shook his head annoyingly, "I've been gone for close to a decade and that's the first thing you say to me?"

Unity smiled and embraced him, "Of course I'm happy to see you dear!" she exclaimed, "It's just that I-I-I thought you were dead."

"Nothing could keep me from you" Arbiter answered, "Not even death."

Pestilence, Stain and Tanner took the cue and silently made their way out, whatever it was they had to say could wait until later, now Arbiter needed to be with his wife, Tanner at the same time also had somewhere to be and so headed in that direction as fast as he could go.

Arbiter slowly walked to the other side of the room facing a large window that overlooked the city, it was beautiful, for the sun was just now hitting the horizon as the day came to an end bringing on the night and the beginning of both a new day and a new era, one of prosperity and peace.

"To think that I would able to feel such things" Arbiter said aloud to himself, not caring that his wife was in the room, "Emotions have...escaped me before, now it seems I finally understand what he was saying."

Unity walked over and gently wrapped her arms around him in a loving but casual embrace.

"It doesn't matter now" she replied, "You're home."

Arbiter wanted to believe that was true, but deep inside he knew that it wouldn't last; he knew that he would be back in deep space fighting another war that he didn't want to fight but somehow was involved in. In a strange way he hoped that John would the cause of it, to give him reason to go back, but for now Arbiter was home.

Two hours later Arbiter stood on a balcony of the High Temple before a crowd of over 1.5 million Covenant spanning all the races of the Elites, Brutes, Jackals, Grunts and Hunters. To make it more formal, the Arbiter had his fully loaded Covenant Carbine as well as a human Assault Rifle, a gift from John, slung across his back in an X formation.

"Today we honor those who have fallen" Arbiter began, "By ushering in a new age of prosperity and the end to the hardships of the Great War."

Cheers, applause and general merriment came from the majority of the audience, there were a select few who said and did nothing, their faces stoic and without feeling. Arbiter continued nonetheless, ignoring the audience's uproar.

"Many of you have lost brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers and for that you have my deepest sympathies."

For a single moment everyone, even Arbiter himself became somber, each of them remembering their fallen family members. Arbiter thought of John. When a respectable amount of time had passed, Arbiter lifted his head as proudly as he could display and pushed forward with his proclamation.

"My first decree as your President is that all members of this Covenant- Elites, Brutes, Jackals, Grunts, and Hunters, are now officially declared equal and free. They may do what they wish as long as they abide by the laws that have already been issued."

This was met with mixed reviews; Arbiter could hear some shouts of revolution and talk of the Great Journey. It was time to set the record straight once again, for religion, like all things, is difficult to change once it has already been established in the minds of people.

"The religion of the Great Journey was a lie" Arbiter continued, "It has always been a lie. If the Halo rings were activated the entire universe would have faced eradication. The Flood would be gone, that is true, but all life as we know it would end."

A sniper blot went through the balcony that Arbiter was standing on, missing the Elite by inches. Almost immediately Tanner, who was waiting quietly in the shadows, appeared and pulled out his rifle. Before anything else could happen, the shooter, a disgruntled Brute, was brought before Arbiter by Tanner's forces.

Arbiter stared at the Brute and said nothing, his eyes doing most of the work in an attempt to read the Brute's mind. It did nothing.

"Assassination attempts are punishable by death" Tanner explained, whispering in the Brute's ear, "You would be lucky if he kills you slowly. Kneel before him, declare your allegiance and all will be forgiven."

"There is no need for that" Arbiter replied, "I am a President, not a King or a tyrant. Let the people decide what to do with him."

The Brute laughed at this, "Ha! I knew it. The Arbiter is too spineless to kill, he is weak!"

The Brute spat in Arbiter's direction, his teeth were orange, stained with blood. Bits of bone could be seen sticking from them. A cannibal or an overzealous warrior, it made no difference, either way it was the sign of a lunatic.

"The Prophets made us strong" The Brute declared, "United us through a religion that has only just begun."

The ones in the crowd who had remained silent before, now were in a full frenzy, almost as if a revolution were taking place. This was immediately stopped by the local police and those in the crowd with enough sense to stop the madness, slowly but surely, things returned to normal.

"The Great Journey will happen one way or another." The Brute concluded, "Nothing can stop it, not even you!"

The Brute pulled out a plasma grenade and threw it on Arbiter's face; he then let out a gut wrenching scream as Tanner's sword ran through him, his body falling off of the balcony and into the street below where it hit with a thundering thud and a voiceless audience.

Arbiter desperately tried to pull the grenade off but to no avail. He stopped for a moment and simply decided to breathe. Arbiter closed his eyes as a single tear fell from them, he was shaking as if death was a new concept for him, despite being a soldier and accustomed to it daily.

"Never forget" Arbiter said solemnly as he looked down, seemingly accepting his fate.

Tanner turned towards Arbiter as quickly as he could, despite every instinct to run to safety he remained where he was, content to die with Arbiter if that was his destiny to do so.

"Throw me off the balcony" Arbiter commanded, "It will detonate before I reach the ground."

Without so much as a question Tanner did as he was told, throwing Arbiter off the balcony into the street below. Tanner then burst into tears, shame and guilt overcame him at the murder of his friend. The audience below gasped in terror, believing that Tanner was part of the assassination attempt. A second sniper bolt followed, hitting Tanner directly between the eyes, silencing him forever.

The grenade exploded halfway down. Arbiter survived thanks to the people below him, who jumped up without hesitation taking the majority of the blast and also throwing Arbiter to the safety of the crowd, who caught him as if he were a baby.

Half of the Arbiter's face was gone, including his right eye. What used to be his face was now charred and barely recognizable. Pestilence, who was Arbiter's personal doctor, tended to his wounds and restored what he could of the Elite's face. As for the Presidency, the people had decided to abandon the idea of democracy, seeing the assassination attempt as an omen and simply decided to go back to the way things were before.

"It...It...It cannot be this way" Arbiter exclaimed as he lay in his bed, still weak from his wounds.

"Let it be what it is" Unity, who was lying next to him, replied, "You saw how they reacted, you're loved. More than anyone who has been loved before. You're a hero...this is only until you recover, once your strength is returned the Presidency will be yours once more and a new era will begin just like you said."

Arbiter laughed at the idea, "It is hopeless. The Great Journey is still in the hearts of many-that much I feared. I never thought it would come to this. No, it seems only violence will end violence, talking only provokes the weak minded and the foolish."

Arbiter then cried, his heart already heavy with grief, now poured throughout the room, the loss of Tanner grappling his mind, torturing him and taking his very soul away never to be recovered.

"I've lost so many" Arbiter wept, "I cannot bare it any longer. It is as if the universe is against me, for crimes I did not commit. All I wanted was peace, but despite my efforts I only bring death where I go. I am a monster."

Arbiter was answered with a kiss on the cheek, it caused him to cringe in pain but he powered through it as his wife embraced him once again, this time stronger as if letting go would mean losing him forever. Arbiter returned the embrace with to the best of his ability and cried, partly for himself, partly for his wife and partly for the people.

"You are many things" she exclaimed, "But you are not a monster. Tanner's death will be avenged, we will have peace and all will be well."

Arbiter shook his head, his faith in himself was wavering by the seconds, "I am not a leader" he said in despair, "If only I had done my duty. If I had stopped the humans then none of this would have happened."

"If you would have stopped the humans we would all be dead by now" Unity defended, "Then where would we be? It is because of your failure that we live. History has proven yet again that only through failure is victory ever achieved."

Arbiter laughed, remembering the reason why he fell in love with her to begin with. "Your words are like honey to bees" he exclaimed, "Bringing even the stoutest of hearts to their knees and light to the worlds of darkness. Your reputation precedes you Prophet, for that I salute you."

Unity rolled her eyes and shook Arbiter's words off as mere banter. "Shut up Arbiter" she replied, "You know I don't like it when you call me Prophet. It makes me feel too important, like I'm not good enough for you."

Arbiter shook his head, at the same time coughing up blood, "Good enough for me? Haven't you figured it out yet? No woman is good enough for any man; it is his duty to rise to their standards of living. It is you who is too good for me."

Unity embraced Arbiter as carefully as she could allowing him to kiss her forehead and work his way down to her lips where he stopped and held it, lest he never get the moment again. When he broke away, both of them started laughing uncontrollably as if Pestilence, known for his humor, had told a funny joke. Eventually they drifted off to sleep, hopeful that tomorrow would be a better future than the one promised that day.