The Lost Records of James Kane
Chapter One: The Schism
Black, oily smoke drifted over the rooftops of Old Mombassa. The clatter of automatic weapons echoed down shadowy alleys and body strewn corridors. Explosions can be heard from across the city, accompanied by the screams of dying marines.
A Covenant capitol ship flies low over the city, point lasers burning Hornets out of the sky as they futilely attempt to bring it down. A Slipspace rupture forms at the bow of the strange, vaguely cetacean shaped craft. Suddenly, everything goes silent.
Lieutenant James Kane stared up at the ship as it slipped into the white, glowing realm of Slipspace. Deciding that his vantage point was not the safest place to be, he jumped down from his marksman's perch onto the hood of a pockmarked police car. He hit the ground at a run, SRS 99D slung across his back.
Drawing his M6G, Kane sprinted down a back alley, following the compass on his HUD. He hoped he could make it to the fallback point before the Covenant ship completed its transition. Vaulting over corpses, alien and human alike, James runs all out toward the glowing waypoint on his heads up display. He turns a corner; his rapid footsteps a staccato echoing off of the stone buildings. His pace is rapidly faltering as his muscles begin to cramp from the sudden movement after lying in the same spot for eight hours.
"I have to stop or I'm going to collapse." Lt. Kane thought to himself.
He stops and leans against a plasma scorched truck. Drinking warm, slightly salty water from his Camelback canteen, James glances around. Sure that he is safe, he starts walking toward the waypoint to keep his legs from cramping.
To his left, the soft puff of a tranquilizer gun, a burning sensation in his arm, he trips and falls to the ground. Alien speech above him, Kane opens heavy eyes to behold a Sangheili warrior. Roughly eight and one half feet tall and clad in matte black armor, the creature looks down at James. It speaks to him, gesturing at a Spirit dropship.
He shakes his head to clear away his blurry vision, amazed that he is still alive.
Standing on unsteady legs, Kane stares directly into the Sangheili's amber eyes and asks it. "What do you want with me?" Again, all it does is speak to him and point at the ship.
Reluctantly, he turns towards the Spirit and stumbles toward its open troop bays.
Followed closely by the alien warrior, James climbs into the ship and collapses onto the deck. A sense of weightlessness comes over him and he is lifted up and pressed against the wall. Letting his head hang down in front of him; Kane closes his eyes and lets exhaustion sweep him into a heavy, dreamless sleep.
A voice startles him awake. "Wake up, human." Kane slowly opens his eyes; his head is pounding from the tranquilizer drugs. Long, scaly fingers lift his chin. A very old Sangheili, clad in a dark green robe, stands in front of him. Its eyes are a dull copper colour; one pupil shines milky white from cataracts. James inhales deeply, the humid air smelling of soil and plants.
It looks him in the eye, and speaks directly to him, as an equal. "Welcome to Sangheilios; home of the Sangheili race." The old Sangheili coughed and spat onto the ground. "I brought you here, risking my status as Kaidon of my Keep, because I believe that we need the help of your species.
Kane blinked, astounded at the alien's words. "Why should we help you?" His headed pounded with every word. "You bastards have been exterminating humans since we first made contact with the Covenant!" James cried out in pain as he finished his sentence, the pounding in his temples becoming unbearable.
"That is where you are wrong, human." It cleared its throat and turned to a vidscreen. "The dogs of the Covenant are outcasts of Sangheili society. A Sangheili warrior's sole duty is to protect Sangheilios from all invaders. These heretical Sangheili are the ones who conscripted into that blasphemous religion to save their own skins. They are damned for breaking their Code of Honor." There is a knock at the door.
"Enter." The wizened alien warrior said, coughing again.
A Sangheili warrior monk clad in a grey robe opened the door and dropped to one knee.
"Kaidon, a Jiralhanae ship has entered Sangheili space and is requesting permission to land.
The older warrior turned to the younger one and said "Thank you, Urousana. Tell them to land at the southern spaceport. I will be there directly. You are dismissed."
Urousanaee turned to leave. As he was walking out of the room, the elder Sangheili spoke to him.
"And have a full contingent of Elite Guard waiting for them, with a full combat load."
The door closed behind the monk and the old Sangheili spoke.
"I am Tano N' Vasses. What name do you go by, human?"
Shocked at the kindly gaze in the alien's eyes, James stammered.
"My... my name is James Kane." Sweat dripped down his forehead into his eyes, making his vision blur and his eyes sting.
Tano pushed a button on his belt, releasing Kane's restraints.
James wiped the sweat out of his eyes and looked up at the alien warrior, seeing him for the first time as more than an alien. He saw a strong, wise warrior. Stooped with age, but still possessing the strength of a warrior many years his junior. The hilt of an ancient energy sword hung at his belt. Its surface was scratched and dull, but he couldn't help but be awed by the weapon. Standing up, he could see that though Tano was hunched over from his age, he was once a proud, tall warrior at least a head taller than most of the Sangheili he had seen.
Kane felt for his sidearm, surprised to find the pistol securely in its holster.
"You didn't take my weapon." He said, stunned at this.
"As you are here on peaceful terms, I did not think it fit to separate a fellow warrior from his weapon." Tano gathered himself and turned to the door.
"Walk beside me human Kane, you have nothing to fear from my people while on Sangheilios." He opened the door and walked out into a hallway cut from rough stone. "You are not a prisoner; you are free to walk among my people as long as you have this. If you are given any trouble, simply show them this and you will remain unharmed.
Tano held out a small silver box, about the size of a vidchip.
James accepted the item, noting the small screen covered in alien glyphs.
He thought to himself. "This is beyond belief .One second I'm killin' these guys. The next, they're treatin' me like one of them."
Tano spoke aloud, "Now, we must go to the spaceport and meet the Covenant liaison."
He thought for a second, fingering his sword hilt and spoke again. "I do not expect this to go well, the Jiralhanae are brutes and cowards who will not take kindly to our little welcoming party." The Sangheili scowled. "Make sure your weapon is ready for battle"
Lt. Kane drew his weapon and ejected the magazine. Seeing that it was still fully loaded with fifty caliber SAP-HE rounds; he slid the magazine home and pulled the slide back, then let it fling formard with a metallic snap.
He thought to himself "I'm as ready as I can be, might as well go along with all of this." James reholstered his pistol and caught up with Tano.
The old Sangheili kept up a brisk pace down the corridor, turning a corner, and walking through a doorway into bright sunshine.
James squinted his eyes against the light from the twin suns, looking around at the buildings, noticing that they were made mostly of stone. He followed Tano to a lowslung vehicle.
The warrior gestured to one of the seats as he sat down at the driver's console.
"Sit there James. This will take us directly to the spaceport.
Kane climbed into the transport and sat down.
Tano engaged the forward drive on the vehicle and spoke to Lt. Kane.
"At this moment, a meeting is taking place between the few Sangheili in the Covenant who remain loyal to Sangheilios on the covenant outpost world Joyous Exhaultation. The Covenant Prophets have betrayed my brothers by appointing the Jiralhanae as protectors of the Prophets, casting the Covenant Sangheili into farther shame. The Great Covenant Schism has begun. This is yet unknown to the other races in the Covenant, for it starts here."
James reeled at this information. His mind racing as he let this newfound intel soak in.
The vehicle slowed and came to a stop in front of a massive building.