CRITICAL TORTOISE PRESENTS
A HALO FANFIC
"BLOOD TIES"
Chapter One ~ Atonement (Part One)
The headquarters of the United Nations stood along the East River like David amongst a sea of Goliaths, even though it was easily the most important -and most intact- building in the area. Its newly repainted, gleaming white walls shone in the noonday sun as hundreds of flags blew in the wind before it.
It was an ancient structure at this point, having stood for more than half a millennium. This fact was a point of much pride (and rightfully so) for the humans, as it was one of the few major landmarks to survive the Second Battle of Earth. This was not, however, due to a valiant defense by the human military forces; rather, it was sheer dumb luck. Most of the population, however, found more solace in believing that the building had stood the test of time because of some sort of divine intervention by God.
Such thoughts, however, disgusted Thel as he approached the building in his Phantom gunship. He knew better than to trust in deities. He had wrongly done so once, and he had since vowed to never do so again. He knew, however, that these deities that the humans worshipped were not tools of manipulations as his were. They were instead symbols of benign forces (usually), such as the gift of fertile soil, the miracle of birth, or the simple hope that tomorrow could always be a better day.
"At least this one did not fall," Thel mused under his breath.
"What was that, sir?" the Sangheili next to Thel asked. He was short in stature for his species; only standing at about seven feet tall. His light caramel-colored skin displayed a healthy shine through the gaps in between pieces of his dueling harness, which was the white hue of a Sangheili Ultra. His voice boomed with confidence and pride as he spoke, even though he was almost speaking in a whisper.
Thel turned to the Sangheili and furrowed his brows. "I didn't say anything."
"Sir, you are a terrible liar."
"Even so, what I say does not matter until the time comes for me to say it to someone else. Do you have the notes?"
The other Sangheili nodded once and produced a small purple cylinder. He pinched the seam in the center and pulled the two sections apart. In between the halves, an amber rectangle flickered into existence; symbols and lettering scrolling down its face.
Thel took the device and looked over its contents, sighing. "I can only hope that these words will at least ease the anxiety of the humans... Though.. I do wish that they would accept our condolences. Thank you, Kal."
Kal took off his helmet and sat it down on the seat beside him. "I don't know why you're looking to apologize to the humans. If anything, they should be apologizing to us! If they had never destroyed the first Sacred Ring, none of us would be in this mess! Besides... They're not worthy of any kind of 'apology.'"
Thel glared at Kal for a minute, remaining silent the whole time. His train of thought, however, was interrupted by the pilot's yelling. "Ambassador 'Vadam! Kaidon 'Refumai! We have arrived at the human capitol building!"
"Understood, Captain. I've been told to tell you to follow the human aircraft to a nearby landing site. We are to be dropped off here."
"Yes, sir, Ambassador." the pilot said.
"Kal, you must be careful to honor the humans' customs while we are here," whispered Thel. "I trust you to responsibly navigate the politics of their society, but we must all do our best. More hinges on the outcome of this meeting than you -or even I- could possibly fathom. Just remember that this is is a place of peace, of diplomacy. Stay your blade, Kal, but keep your tongue sharp."
/\/\/\/\/\/\
The cavernous room known as the General Assembly of the United Nations was not filled with its usual occupants -the 267 representatives of the United Nations. Today, it was instead populated by members of the media and press; journalists of all races and creeds. Camera-bots whizzed across the room, streaming the voices of other reporters and viewers at home as they recorded the responses of those whom they were recording. The crowd chattered and vibrated with the energy of a hundred voices all speaking at once, save the one behind the podium at the head of the Assembly.
The voice muttered something to the woman clad in a UNSC Marine Corps BDU, holding a matte-black battle rifle in her hands. The woman nodded and said something to the voice, and several seconds later the room fell silent from the hammering of a gavel.
The voice, which had a distinctive Indian accent, calmly said: "Thank you. Now... I know that many of you are excited, and many more of you are enraged. However, I must inform both you and your viewers that this is a place of order, and that our speaker, who should be arriving soon, is to be treated with the utmost res-"
The voice was cut off by the sound of the main door opening, and a shadowy figure stepping into the doorway. The figure was a reptilian thing; it stood far taller than anyone else in the room and was clad in an ornate suit of metal armor. A second figure fallowed behind it; this figure was too suited in full armor, though its armor looked markedly less... ancient... than that of its predecessor.
The first figure, Thel, stepped into the room and strode to the podium. Following behind was his right-hand man, Kal.
Thel stepped up to the podium and examined the microphone. He set down the small holographic notepad he was carrying on the podium and raised the microphone. "Thank you, madam," he said, clearing his throat and reading from the notepad. "Greetings, men and women of the Earth. My name is Thel 'Vadam. For those of you who do not know me, I am my race's Ambassador to your government, your United Nations. For those of you that do know me, let us continue on.
"Thirty-six years ago, your race made its first steps into a larger world. You, for the first time in your recorded history, had successfully made contact with intelligent life. This race, the Kig-Yar, proceeded to raid your ships upon first encountering them. Unknown to you, however, they were not the only life out there. They were a member race of an interstellar empire called the Covenant, of which my race was also a member of at the time. You attempted to forgive us, however, and tried to trade with us; to coexist with us. We, however, denied you that opportunity, and subsequently attacked your colonies and set out on a mission of genocide, disguised as a religious crusade by our leaders. This war cost both my race and yours countless lives, though your race lost many more than mine.
"It was not until nine years ago that we finally learned the truth: that we were in fact being led to our own destruction. Our war against you was one without any valid purpose. We then decided to join you in your attempt to defeat the Covenant, and together we did just that.
"However, we were once enemies, and that I cannot change. No words could possibly describe, nor justify, the... the atrocities we committed against humanity. However, on behalf of my people, I wish to reach out and aid you in your efforts to rebuild. I wish to forge a bond between your people.. and mine.
"Please. Allow us to right these wrongs. Please, just let us atone."
TO BE CONTINUED