Chapter One: Operation SHADOW RUN
UNSC Infinity, August 22nd, 2556, Orbiting Sanghelios…
Admiral Lord Terrence Hood sat at a long table made of foreign wood. He, quite bored of waiting, was staring at the almost perfect grain of the wooden frame. For two hours he had sat alone in the brightly lit room, waiting for the Sangheili envoy to arrive for negotiations about the nearby planet of Vodeea Kallstei. He was comforted only by the fact that there were two SPARTAN IV's standing outside the room.
From outside the door, he heard the alien, yet familiar thump of a Sangheili's hooves. With the sound of the two SPARTAN's moving aside, the electronic door slid open, revealing a person the Admiral did not expect to see. Standing in the doorway was Thel 'Vadam, Kaidon of the Vadam Keep, and the Liberator of Sanghelios.
"Arbiter, I did not expect you to be here. Where is the rest of the envoy?" The Admiral asked, genuinely surprised. 'Vadam snapped his mandibles and fixed the red cape around his gold armor.
"I am the envoy, Fleetmaster Hood." The Arbiter replied, his four gray mandibles moving almost mechanically as his deep voice boomed out. The Admiral nodded, not wanting to question anything with the fear of the Arbiter snapping. So, he went straight to the point, as he had noted many Sangheili males do.
"As you already know, we are here to discuss the ownership of the planet Vodeea Kallstei, a planet that has been claimed to be owned by both the Swords of Sanghelios, and the Liang Dortmund Corporation." Hood paused to look over a packet of papers in front of him. "Of course, it can only be owned by one or the other."
The Arbiter took a moment to shift his weight on the metal floor, trying to get as comfortable as he could since he had to stoop in the seven-foot tall room.
"The Sangheili, before the Covenant, had staked claim to the planet. That was three thousand five-hundred years ago." The Arbiter said directly. Hood sat forwards in his chair, his hands resting on his lap.
"We could find a compromise for us to settle on." Hood announced, still looking into the Arbiter's yellow-brown eyes.
"Were it so easy." The gold-clad Sangheili muttered. The Admiral cocked an eyebrow at the Arbiter.
"Why, is it not?" Hood queried, reaching up to shift the white hat on his head. 'Vadam, mirroring Hood, kept his eyes on the human, his thin pupils flicking to watch each of his movements.
"Vodeea Kallstei is a Sangheili holy site, and has Forerunner relics buried deep within the planet." The Arbiter replied, pulling something out of a pouch on his gray belt. Hood flinched and stood up, thinking it was a gun. The Arbiter set it on the table and tapped one side of it, activating a holographic screen. The screen projected purple-tinged 3D photos of Forerunner structures.
"Really? There were no scans by us that indicated Forerunner anything on that planet." Hood said, recalling the reports back from scouting parties two years ago. There had been nothing there except mountains and desert.
"That's because your Liang Dortmund Corporation is simply excavating glass from when the Covenant glassed your colony there in 2537. They aren't looking for Forerunner artifacts, just clearing land for their recolonization of the barren world." The Arbiter said, bringing up a photo of a Dortmund Fusion Mining Drill.
"Then how do you know that there are artifacts there?" Hood asked, anticipating the answer.
"During the Age of Reconciliation, one thousand years ago, we built tunnels under the planet, presumably for an underground fortress city." The Arbiter paused to bring up the pictures of the artifacts again. "But instead, we found these, and we made it a holy site. We abandoned the tunnels in 2529, though, because of the war."
"If I may ask, how did we not detect your people inside the planet?" The Admiral asked, now very interested in the story. The Arbiter flared his mandibles, as if to stretch them, and let out a cough before continuing.
"In 2536, we had detected humans on our world. We sent a legion of Special Operations Sangheili and four hundred tons of supplies to the planet, where they slipped into the hidden tunnels." The Arbiter started.
"That's one year before the glassing… go on." Hood noted.
"Indeed. Your scans did not find us because our teams were still in the tunnels. Or should I say, are still in the tunnels." The Arbiter stated, adding the last part in a slightly higher-pitched voice.
"So that means that Old Covenant soldiers are still in the tunnels? And because you can't get comm signals through that thick layer of glass, they don't know about the truce." Hood took a moment to let it sink in. "They're still hostile."
"Exactly, which is another reason why ownership should be passed to the Swords of Sanghelios. Those men would react differently to Sangheili coming into the tunnels than to humans." 'Vadam said. Hood nodded his head.
"I'll see what I can to to get ownership passed on to you, but let's think of that specific part about the men in the tunnels right now." Hood said. The Arbiter tilted his head, as if to say 'I'm listening.'
"What about it?" The Arbiter said, leaning over slightly so that his back was not touching the ceiling any longer.
"I'm thinking we could launch a special greeting party to the ground, made up solely of Sangheili and SPARTANs." Hood said. The Arbiter blinked his eyes for a moment in what seemed to be surprise.
"And what good would it do to bring down SPARTANs with us? It would do no better in the mission." 'Vadam asked, balancing an arm on the table.
"It would be a symbol of unity, that we were working together instead of against each other."
"They would see it as heresy and kill us on the spot."
"Then we would fight back."
The Arbiter stepped back with his mandibles flared.
"Fleetmaster Hood, these men may seem as just Old Covenant, no worse than any of the Resurgences throughout the galaxy, but these particular individuals were my soldiers. My best soldiers." The Arbiter said. "If I can retake any of them back into my ranks, they would be a valuable asset."
"Noted." The Admiral stated.
"A mask to the actual meaning. You are still going to follow your ignorance and send down SPARTANs, aren't you, Fleetmaster?" The Arbiter said. Hood reluctantly nodded.
"I believe that it would show them we are not the enemy." Hood replied.
"As you have already said." The Arbiter muttered, before raising his head slightly and speaking up. "Fine, we will launch the mission to Vodeea Kallstei in two days. Prepare your best men."
Hood nodded his head and stood up, reaching out his hand. The Arbiter took his hand and shook it firmly before turning around in one swift motion and opening the door, stepping out into the hallway and out of Hood's sight. The door once again closed, and Hood was left alone once again. He had some planning to do.
