Chapter 2: The Mark of Shame
"Soon the Great Journey will begin. But when it does, the weight of your heresy will stay your feet, and you shall be left behind."
The High Prophet of Truth's last words circled throughout Orna 'Fulsamee's head, taunting him; annoying and relentless. He shook his head and sighed as it mercifully cleared. The two Jiralhanae had "escorted" him to one of the prisoner of war holding cells, designed to withstand humans and other smaller Covenant—not Sangheili. But minor adjustments had been made, and a shield had been equipped. 'Fulsamee had tested the shield by pounding a fist on it, and had found it highly resistant.
"Sangheili scum!" A voice rasped from the far corner of the cell. Ah yes, his cell-mate. The Kig-Yar had earlier spoken harsh words of heresy, and had rightly paid the price for them. No doubt he was at it again. The Kig-Yar, named Shi-Kar, lay on the ground, struggling to get up. Shi-Kar's right arm hung limp at his side, and his left leg was twisted at an unnatural angle. The vaguely bird-like creature said in the same scratchy voice;
"Your kin claim superiority, but you fail to realize what is happening with our system. The Prophets assert themselves as the messengers of the Forerunners, calling all who don't follow the path to the Great Journey, 'heretics'." Shi-Kar paused for effect. "…But it is they who are betraying us. They are false, Sangheili, and your kin who are "elite" in every category, surpass all other members of the Covenant in intellect, fail to recognize the heresy that is taking place within our own hierarchy!" 'Fulsamee stiffened, amber eyes flashing dangerously. He grabbed the Kig-Yar by the throat and shoved him against the wall.
"Your heretical words are like poison, Jackal," he snarled, using the name the humans had given to the Kig-Yar species. Shi-Kar clicked his beak angrily and struggled to pry the Sangheili's hands from his neck. 'Fulsamee tightened his grip, and started to cut off the Kig-Yar's air supply. "And the poison infects my blood with rage and hatred," he continued. "You continue to speak lies when they accomplish nothing save for angering me further!"
"Are you so blind, Sangheili, that you refuse to see the truth?" Shi-Kar gasped. 'Fulsamee's only answer was to squeeze harder. The Kig-Yar considered the golden-armored warrior's silence. "Then you shall all perish," he said at last, his body going limp. The Sangheili tossed the now deceased Shi-Kar aside in disgust. The Kig-Yar's words had unnerved him. Not because of their heresy, but because of their content, and the meaning behind them. Did that scum actually know more than he did, or was he boasting simply to aggravate? He certainly seemed adamant about his accusations of heresy within their government and hierarchy system. 'Fulsamee snorted. It was not his job to worry about political matters, no matter how much they unsettled him. The sudden shimmering of the cell's plasma shield brought 'Fulsamee out of his thoughts. He noted, with distaste, two Jiralhanae standing outside of the cell. The larger of the two beckoned to him.
"Come," he grunted, "your public humiliation awaits."
--
'Fulsamee's hands clenched as the large doors hummed and opened to allow the three figures through. The two Jiralhanae snorted, and led the Sangheili through a crowd of jeering spectators. Kig-Yar, Unggoy, and even Lekgolo lined the path that led to a platform overlooking the holy city of High Charity. 'Fulsamee tried to ignore the taunts and yells of the Covenant, but several comments of: "Heretic! Heretic! Heretic!" stirred his blood endlessly. He walked a bit further, coming to a stop at the edge of the platform. Fulsamee glanced disdainfully at the thousands of Covenant cheering in the stands below. He was about to turn around when the two Jiralhanae grabbed his arms, and placed his hands in floating restraints that were attached to two large pillars. 'Fulsamee shifted angrily as the two simian-like creatures backed off.
"You've drawn quite a crowd," Tartarus commented ruefully, walking up to the edge of the platform.
"If they came to hear me beg," Fulsamee growled, "they will be disappointed." Tartarus pushed a button on the control panel in front of him.
"Are you sure?" The blue rings that encircled his arms started to glow dangerously, and a red beam of energy lanced down across both of 'Fulsamee's arms. His shields flickered, then died, and he felt the beam burning into his flesh. He gritted his teeth and snarled defiantly. Tartarus grinned as the beams reached a new intensity. 'Fulsamee winced, but did not utter a sound. It was a battle of will, in which the weaker would lose more than his pride. The Sangheili's hands balled into fists as he waited...and waited.
--
Clank! The sound of metal hitting metal echoed over the din of the Covenant spectators. 'Fulsamee, who was up until then, barely aware of his surroundings, glanced up in surprise. He found himself staring at his helmet; once so pristine and in perfect condition; now charred black from the sheer heat of the energy beam. Two Jiralhanae had long since removed the rest of his armor, and his skin was left exposed. Though the beams had stopped their torturous burning, 'Fulsamee knew there was more to come, else Tartarus would not have been grinning so wickedly. The Jiralhanae leader reached behind himself and brought out a long, thick, wooden staff. At the end of the staff was a claw-like opening, and inside of it, a strange Covenant text. The text glowed a bright orange, and seemed to hiss angrily at 'Fulsamee as Tartarus drew dramatically closer. The Sangheili used what remained of his strength to lift his head up. Tartarus paused and glanced at the staff in his hands, then with a grunt, shoved the searing hot wood onto 'Fulsamee's chest. It was too much for the already exhausted warrior, and he cried out in pain, forgetting that he was being watched by thousands of Covenant soldiers. When the staff was at last removed, 'Fulsamee's vision started to fade, and he welcomed the darkness that had finally come to consume him.
--
A/N: Chapter two is what happens before our faithful Arby was branded a heretic. Well, and after, I guess. Sorry this took a bit to update, the next chapter should be coming relatively quickly. Halo and all its contents are copyrighted to Bungie and Microsoft. (Edit: Punctuation and grammatical errors have been corrected. The story is now as is should be.)
Just a Reminder:
Kig-Yar: Jackal
Sangheili: Elite
Lekgolo: Hunter
Unggoy: Grunt
Shi-Kar, by the way, is pronounced "Sure-Car."