Author's Note: Hi guys and gals, Christmas on the horizon and I am expecting Halo 4, which I expect shall blow my mind :D Anyway, here's my next chapter of the Arbiter's Tale. Please r&r – it's warmly appreciated.
The following is a short glossary for those unfamiliar with Covenant terms of measurement:
Unit – Equivalent to one Earth hour, or to a foot in length.
Cycle – Equivalent to one Earth day.
One cycle contains at minimum 265 units.
The above information, along with all other fact's I give throughout this fanfic are taken from Halopedia, (in my opinion the best) Halo encyclopedia.
The Arbiter's Tale
Chapter 2
The New Arbiter
They are coming soon
Sesa 'Refumee knew that the Covenant would surely send a strike team to silence him, but despite this knowledge, he felt he had little to fear. The propaganda he was broadcasting throughout the Covenant battle network was the real truth, not the lies that the Prophets had fabricated and were corrupting the Covenant with.
The Holy Oracle, the interpreters of the Forerunner's will that occupied this gas mine had cleansed his head of the mutinous prattle of the 'Great Journey.' It was a lie, as was everything the Hierarch's had the Covenant fight for. The team that was present with 'Refumee when he met the Oracle too had heard for themselves the truth, and his broadcasts had attracted many Covenant ships in the nearby atmosphere, who had come to hear the truth for themselves.
The Sangheili's mind had not always known such freedom of thought, however.
Indeed, many cycles ago, 'Refumee had led an artifact retrieval team attached to the Fleet of Particular Justice. The commander of this fleet, Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee had been a close friend of 'Refumee. He felt remorse for betraying his friend in such a way, but such was necessary. The Prophets were the true betrayers – for too long they had manipulated the Sangheili like puppets. 'Refumee and his team had been sent to this Forerunner gas mine with the blessing of the Prophet of Stewardship for studying and documentation purposes.
It was while they were searching the mine that he had come across the Holy Oracle, '343 Guilty Spark', as it referred to itself as. 'Refumee had sought to learn about the Great Journey, and was shocked when the Oracle had revealed that it did not know of such a thing, and was even more shocked when, asking the Oracle about the Holy Ring, it had told him that the ring had not been built to allow a species to ascend into a higher plane of existence, but instead was designed as a diabolical weapon to be used to annihilate all sentient life. Such revelations the Sangheili could not comprehend. So everything the Hierarch's had them was a lie? 'Refumee had stood weak-kneed as the Oracles story unfolded.
Upon hearing all 343 Guilty Spark had to say, 'Refumee had immediately ordered that they cut off all contact with the Fleet of Particular Justice. Everything they had stood for was false. Their so-called 'Prophets' were false. Such deceiving bottom-feeders never should have been trusted, he thought. 'Refumee had his team set about fortifying the gas mine with weapon emplacements to meet the attack he was sure were to come. The Prophets would be eager to purge any affront to their beliefs, if only to cover their own tracks.
Now, as the station was fully fortified, he welcomed the false Covenant to come and test his strength. He felt slight remorse for those misguided soul's that were going to perish in the ensuing bloodshed. It was necessary, however. For the truth to be acknowledged by all, sacrifices needed to be made. With any luck, his words of wisdom would ring true with the strike team, and they would stand down and hear for themselves the truth they had so long been deprived of. Indeed, the Oracle would be able to speak for him.
If not, then they would have to die. This was necessary for the movement to survive. Soon, all of their trouble and toil would be worth it. The false Covenant will collapse under the weight of its fabrications, and the San 'Shyuum will be exposed to all as the liars they were.
Thel 'Vadamee's Jiralhanae escorts opened up a door which lead to the ledge with a post where he was to be punished for his sins. A deafening noise met Thel's ears as soon as the doors opened. It appeared that the news of Thel's sentence had spread around High Charity, as there was hundreds, if not thousands of Covenant, mainly the lower castes, crammed into the room.
Honor Guardsmen were stationed in this room at regular intervals, keeping the hordes of Covenant off the main pathway which lead to the ledge. As Thel made his way forward, the Covenant, especially the Unggoy, pitiful creatures of little use in a firefight, attempted to get as close to Thel as they could to insult and jeer at him.
It was very seldom that lower caste species could speak against the Sangheili without retaliation. He heard a particularly gutsy Unggoy screaming "Heretic!" at him and took all the strength in his body to resist breaking the hapless creature's neck. Here he was, a once noble Sangheili Supreme Commander, now being ridiculed by the lowest creatures without being able to so much as utter a retort.
As he approached the ledge, Thel could see that the stadium seats opposite him were absolutely full of Covenant, all of whom were shouting. Well over a million were here to watch my greatest moment of shame, Thel realised.
As soon as Thel reached the ledge the Jiralhanae grabbed Thel's forearms and forced them into a pair of hovering cuffs. Tartarus looked around the mass of Covenant who were watching. Sneering, he turned back to Thel. "You've drawn quite a crowd, Supreme Commander," he added mockingly.
"If they came to hear me beg, they will be disappointed." Thel retorted. He was certainly not going to beg, especially to this filthy beast. If Thel did beg, the least he would deserve was to be killed. His family would be killed and Thel would be known to all as a coward as well as a heretic. Thel was going to take the pain he was due and accept it, and at least this would not besmirch his name further.
"Are you sure?" Tartarus said lightly. "We shall soon see."
Thel was certain that Tartarus was going to take his toll on him, and try to inflict as much pain on Thel as possible, but Thel was not going to give the Jiralhanae the satisfaction of hearing a Sangheili break to them.
Tartarus gave a huff and pressed a button on the nearby post. Waves of energy lanced from the holocuffs on Thel's wrists and burned him on both sides of his body.
The following pain was some of the most deliberating Thel had ever felt, but he would not yell out so he kept his mandibles closed. The pain was incessant, and seemed to go on forever. Thel opened his eyes and glanced down; his ornate combat armor was becoming blackened and distorted because of the extreme heat, the armor that Thel had worn ever since he had been promoted to Zealot level, and the armor he had worn as he slaughtered thousands of enemies of the Covenant was permanently destroyed. With that sight filling his head, Thel closed his eyes and let the pain continue.
After what seemed like an eternity the intense light disappeared and Thel opened his eyes once again. Every fibre in his body seemed to be on fire, and he could barely hear the screaming Covenant all around him. Thel knew that it was likely that he was now incapable of walking – only the holocuffs which held his arms up supported Thel and stopped him from collapsing to the floor. Tartarus' voice rung out from somewhere near Thel.
"This coward has disgraced us all! There can be no greater heresy!" He bellowed. "Let him be an example for all who would break our Covenant!"
At these words the crowds cheered again, the noise reverberating around the vast area. Tartarus gave a short bark and his Jiralhanae cohorts each grabbed one of Thel's blackened chest plates and pulled. Because of the extreme heat that had been applied to the armor, it simply came off in pieces. The arm guards followed, then the leg armor, the back armor and finally Thel's combat helmet was pulled off and dropped to the floor. The Jiralhanae than tore off Thel's underarmor bodysuit, leaving the Sangheili naked. Naked and worthless.
Tartarus then retrieved a brand from the post and faced Thel. Thel knew what it was, the Mark of Shame. The Mark was only given to a creature that had committed the greatest of sins, before they were executed and their names destroyed. Thel raised his head and he could see the distinctive lines of the Mark on the tip of the brand.
The brand was burning with a fierce intensity; and with a fury to match it Thel stared into the Jiralhanae Chieftain's eyes. The brand was without hesitation slammed into Thel's chest. The pain of the brand carving into his skin was excruciating.
Thel tried to refrain from screaming in pain but he gave in, he couldn't stop himself; he roared long and loud as the pain continued, and finally, to his great relief, his world went black.
Thel woke up to flashing lights. When he tried to inhale, he almost passed out again; the burning sensation on his chest was unbearable, that spineless curr Tartarus had really driven his thoughts for Thel deep. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the lines criss-crossing his chest. Never, in all of his born days, would Thel have imagined he would be branded the Mark of Shame.
He knew where he was going, for his final judgment and execution. He had no idea who was going to execute him, but he knew he would likely be hanged and his corpse fed to the Kig-Yar. The shame was intolerable; he was now nameless, without identification. There was seldom anything more dishonorable for a Sangheili. He was roused from his stupor by a deep, gravelly voice coming from his left. "How much further must we heft this baggage? Any cell will do."
Thel lifted his head up slightly, and almost recoiled: the filthy Jiralhanae were dragging him. There was one on either side of him, each with one of Thel's arms slung over their shoulders. Tartarus was leading the way, his massive grey bulk taking up most of the corridor they were in. Thel looked around, and noticed that they were indeed passing through a detention center.
So this was his fate, to rot away in a cell for evermore. Thel would sooner die. The Jiralhanae holding Thel's right arm replied to the first, "Why not toss him in with this lot?" They passed a cell containing three ravenous Kig-Yar, who hissed and screeched at the passing Jiralhanae, "They could use the meat."
"Them? What about us?" Growled the first Jiralhanae, "My belly aches, and his flesh is seared just the way I like it."
Thel fought back a feeling of revulsion; this was all the Jiralhanae cared about, their bellies. Why the San 'Shyuum would accept such feral creatures into the Covenant was beyond Thel. They should have been purged upon the Covenant's discovery of them. The Jiralhanae were treacherous and disloyal, also. Thel had discovered this a long time ago.
"Quiet!" Barked Tartarus from the front, silencing the squabbling Jiralhanae. "You two whimper like Unggoy fresh of the teat. He's not meant for the jails."
He turned and regarded Thel, a grin on his face, "The Hierarchs have something special in mind for you."
Upon hearing this, Thel's mind started up again. What could the Hierarchs possibly want with him again? Thel had already been sentenced by them and was now supposed to be killed. Perhaps his treachery had been so great that the Hierarchs were to execute him themselves?
Thel just wished for the end to come swiftly; not to suffer further denouncements. His insides squirmed uncomfortably.
The Jiralhanae moved out of the detention centre and out onto a ledge overlooking the Mausoleum of the Arbiter. The vast, vaguely cylindrical structure sat in the centre of the large walls of High Charity, with the Unggoy's methane filled atmosphere far below obscuring the Mausoleums bottom. The Mausoleum was only connected to the rest of High Charity by a series of bridges. Thel was puzzled why they were approaching the Mausoleum of the Arbiter; surely he was not to become…
The Jiralhanae dragged Thel onto a nearby Gravity Lift that took them down onto one of the walkways leading up to the Mausoleum. The Gravity Lift was an example of the Covenant's advanced technology, technology that the Covenant had reverse engineered from the Forerunners, the holy gods that were the focal point of the Covenant's religion. The Covenant believed that they were to activate the Holy Ring to follow in the Forerunner's footsteps, to achieve the 'Great Journey.'
The humans had made every attempt to impede the Covenant's progress, and were considered an affront to the gods, so it decreed by the Prophets that the humans were to be eradicated, thus the Covenant had started a genocidal campaign to eliminate the humans from wherever they were found, but like some weed, more seemed to spring up somewhere else. Thel had privately wondered why the Covenant had not granted the humans acceptance into the hegemony, for they were certainly more competent foot soldiers then the Unggoy and Kig-Yar.
Thel and his Jiralhanae handlers silently descended down the Gravity Lift and moved towards the Mausoleum of the Arbiter. The bridge was manned by Sangheili Honor Guardsmen, who stood unflinchingly straight as they walked past, their eyes staring straight forward. The door to the Mausoleum cycled open and they proceeded. Tartarus turned to Thel.
"I do hope that you are not scared of death, 'Commander,'" he chuckled to himself, "The Hierarchs likely have a most painful way of killing heretics such as yourself."
Thel did not bother to reply. After the torture and branding, his strength was completely sapped, and he was just waiting to die, not waste his breath conversing with this beast. He still thought of his bloodline. What would become of them? Would they be punished as well? Would they be executed, or would they simply be banished from the Vadam keep? Thel did not wish to dwell on such matters.
He had always thought that if he was going to die, it would be a glorious death in the midst of battle, but now he was to be executed, guilty of the highest form of treason. This was no way for a noble warrior to die. The inner doors opened and Thel immediately caught sight of the Prophets of Truth and Mercy. There was no sign of Regret's hologram – he must have had other matters to attend to. Thel was somewhat relieved by this, as Regret was less tolerant then the other two Hierarchs, and his words would be far less restrained.
The Jiralhanae walked up to the Hierarchs with Tartarus in the lead, and once in front of the Hierarchs they simultaneously dropped into a low bow, forcing Thel to do likewise. Tartarus was the first to speak, "Noble Prophets of Truth and Mercy, I have brought the incompetent."
"You may leave, Tartarus." The Prophet of Truth replied, a firm edge to his voice.
Tartarus looked up in shock, "But, I thought-"
The Prophet of Truth cut him off mid-sentence, "and take your Jiralhanae with you."
Tartarus looked utterly disbelieving, but out of respect for the Prophets, he did not retort. He stared for a moment longer than once again bowed. He glanced back in hatred at Thel.
"Release the prisoner."
The two Jiralhanae supporting Thel dropped him, and turned to follow Tartarus out of the Mausoleum. The Jiralhanae walked silently past Thel, who gingerly touched the Mark of Shame that was burned into his chest. His whole body was in pain, but the Mark burned with an almost unbearable potency. Once the Jiralhanae were out of earshot, it was Truth who spoke first.
"The Council decided to have you hung by your entrails and your corpse paraded through the city." Thel felt his spirits sink, but Truth continued, "But ultimately, the terms of your execution are up to me."
Thel was now feeling more than wretched, he had nothing to live for, "I am already dead."
The Prophet of Truth answered immediately, "Indeed. Do you know where we are?" Thel did, and he was wondering why.
"The Mausoleum of the Arbiter."
"Quite so. Here rests the vanguard of the Great Journey. Every Arbiter from first to last. Each one created and consumed in times of extraordinary crisis."
Thel looked around at the high walls of the room, which were packed, one beside the other from the floor to the ceiling high above, with the caskets that housed the remains of the Covenant's previous Arbiters, whenever their bodies could be retrieved.
Thel knew about the Arbiters. He had studied them, along with his colleagues in the College of War on Sanghelios. They were Sangheili that were found guilty of the greatest sins and were selected to be the Arbiter so that they could regain a portion of honor they had lost.
Arbiters were assigned high risk, suicidal missions; they were expected to die while carrying out their task, for there was no better death then in battle. This death while in service would regain an amount of the honor lost and they would be remembered for the deeds that they carried out, lessening the consequences for their bloodline.
Thel was beginning to understand now why he was summoned here. The Prophet of Mercy piped up from beside Truth, his frail voice breaking the silence,
"The Taming of the Lekgolo, the Unggoy Rebellion. Were it not for the Arbiters, the Covenant would have broken long ago!"
Mercy positively shouted. Thel knew what was certainly going to happen.
"Even on my knees, I do not belong in their presence."
"Halo's destruction was your error," Truth started, "and you rightly bear the blame. But the Council was-"he paused for a moment, "-overzealous. We know you are no heretic."
Thel looked up at these words. He was utterly convinced that everybody thought him a heretic, and he believed that he was indeed one. Before he could ponder those words further, Truth spoke again.
"This is the true face of heresy, one who would subvert our faith and incite rebellion against the High Council."
Thel was puzzled for a moment, but Truth tapped a button on his gravity throne, and a miniature hologram of a Sangheili appeared. The Sangheili was adorned in an unusual armor configuration; the little-used suits designed for deep-space artefact retrieval.
"Our Prophets are false! Open your eyes, my brothers!" He gestured, as though giving a sermon, "They would use the faith of our forefathers to bring ruin to us all! The Great Journey is a-"
Truth pressed the button again, and the hologram vanished. Thel was frozen with shock: the speaker had been Sesa 'Refumee, one of Thel's closest friends. He had leaded an artefact retrieval group whom had been with Thel's Fleet of Particular Justice. When the fleet had arrived at the Halo Ring, 'Refumee's team had investigated a nearby gas mine in the name of the Covenant. Thel could not understand what could cause a formerly loyal soldier to turn away from his groundings like this. When the Prophet of Truth next spoke, it was in a low, dangerous voice.
"This heretic, and those who follow him, must be silenced."
"Their slander offends all who walk the Path!" added the Prophet of Mercy.
Thel was mulling this new information over in his head. What of Sesa 'Refumee? Thel had known him since childhood, when they had trained together. He was no heretic. Surely something was wrong here. Even more strange was the fact that Thel had been shamed, tortured and sentenced to death; he did not possibly understand how he could be of any use to the Hierarchs.
"What use am I? I can no longer command ships, lead troops into battle-"Truth cut him off with a wave.
"Not as you are, no. But become the Arbiter, and you shall be set loose against this heresy with our blessing."
So Thel was to become the next Arbiter of the Covenant? He was to perish in glorious combat, spared from the fate of being shamefully executed for treason? Thel was willing to accept that title, not only for himself, but for the entire house of Vadam. It was either this or a most humiliating death likely to be carried out by some filthy Jiralhanae.
Thel looked up to see a large pod descending from the roof of the Mausoleum. It came to rest in front of Thel, and with a soft hiss, the front slid open, bathing him in a blinding white light. Thel recognized what was housed within - a set of ancient silver armor, with an aesthetic no modern Sangheili combat armor possessed. This was the Arbiter's armor. Thel turned to the Hierarchs,
"What of the Council?" Surprisingly, it was the Prophet of Mercy, who spoke first,
"The tasks you must undertake as the Arbiter are perilous, suicidal!" He snapped, a bitter edge to his voice, "You will dieas each Arbiter has before you. The Council will have their corpse."
Thel got to his feet, grunting quietly at the effort, and moved towards the pod containing his to-be the final body armor he would ever wear. He stopped when he was a foot away, and looked around at the surrounding walls. Thel understood that this is where his body would be laid to rest, along with all of the Covenant's past Arbiters.
He then turned his attention back to the armor in front of him. He reached out and took the helmet, which was oddly shaped, with a large 'beak' that covered most of the front of the face, and with holy symbols emblazoned on it. He put the helmet on his head, moved it into a comfortable position, and with renewed zeal, turned to the Hierarchs, "What would you have your Arbiter do?"
"Your task is simple, Arbiter: You are to infiltrate the gas mine where the heretic has taken refuge. You will be accompanied by a Special Operations team, and you are to silence the heretic, and his lackeys that were stupid enough to speak out against the Covenant. You have one unit to get ready. Prove that you truly do stand for the Covenant."
Truth glanced at Mercy, and continued to assess the new Arbiter as he adorned his armor. Thel dressed into the flexible bodysuit, and then fitted the rest of his armor plates on. He then checked that his personal energy shield was functioning properly. He then noticed that the suit had an active camoflage module built into it; however he discovered that it could only be activated for ten seconds, unlike the modules used by Special Operations Sangheili which could be activated indefinably.
This was likely due to the fact that the armor was ancient, and its technology had not been updated, to keep it authentic.
Once ready, Thel turned and with the nod of the Hierarchs, started to head towards the weapons armory where he would meet his team and select his weapons.
He still could not comprehend the position he was now in. He was the Arbiter, the will of the Prophets. He knew that the Special Operations team he was to work with would hold a certain level of discontent towards him, but they would not dare voice it. Thel knew that they would focus on their mission objectives, and leave any grudges for later. He pondered what he would do when he caught up with Sesa 'Refumee: Question him on his actions? Attempt to make him see sense? Or would he gun his old friend down on sight? Thel wasn't sure that he could bring himself to do that.
The Special Operations branch of the Covenant was the Covenant's most professional fighters – they would not fail their task. Thel was glad to have their assistance. Thel knew that he was supposed to perish in this mission, as was customary for one with the title of Arbiter, but he now felt that he had something to live for, and he would do his utmost best not to blunder in combat.
Once the Mausoleum doors were closed, The Prophet of Truth turned to regard his fellow Hierarch.
"So there goes another disgraced Sangheili warrior, off to find his glorious death in the midst of combat as the Arbiter."
Truth sneered. Truly the Sangheili's concept of honor was too foolish to be believable. Proud creatures, ones that would not find it so easy to adapt when they have had their noses crooked out of place. Still they wouldn't have to suffer for long, as his purging of the species would be quick. The Prophet of Truth knew of the atmospheric instability of the gas giant Threshold, and with any luck the heretic's, along with the Arbiter and the Special Operations Commander Rtas 'Vadumee, another proud fool would find their deaths there, if not to one another than to some massive super storm.
If Truth could have the main Sangheili leaders silenced beforehand, then it would make his attack on their race significantly easier. The Sangheili would be in disarray, easy pickings for the newly promoted, Covenant-loyal Jiralhanae.
Truth was already in the process of rebuilding his fleet for the assault on the human planet where the Portal was known to be located. This Portal would lead to the 'Ark,' which was the Covenant Empire's means of initiating the Great Journey, where the San 'Shyuum would achieve godhood. Such was the Covenant's legacy. Of course, the human scourge would have to be cleansed before the excavation of the Ark could begin.
Truths plans were hindered somewhat by the actions of one of his fellow Hierarchs. The Prophet of Regret, young and rash, had taken a haphazard fleet of ships and assaulted the planet, which seemed to be a human military fortress or a home world. It had more defenses in orbit than perhaps any other human world encountered thus far, except perhaps the planet of 'Reach.' With any luck Regret's fleet would weaken the planets orbital defenses enough for Truth to be able to punch through them and descend to the surface.
Regret will be killed, of course, but this would in fact benefit Truth, as he would have one less obstacle to deal with in his quest for totalitarian dominance over the Covenant. It will also be at this stage that Truth will begin his extermination of the Sangheili race, using the blindly loyal and devout Jiralhanae as his instrument.
Within a matter of cycles, the issue would be resolved and the Covenant would be powering their way to victory and godhood, with the High Prophet of Truth Ord Casto at the helm.
One unit later, Thel was standing in the troop bay of the Type 52 'Phantom' Troop Carrier. Behind him, lining the walls of the bay was two lines of Special Operations Sangheili, with a line of Special Operations Unggoy between them.
The Special Operations complement was to split into four separate lances of two Sangheili and two Unggoy, and each lance was to search a separate section of the gas mine for the heretic leader. The lances were simply labeled Teams 1, 2, 3 and 4. Thel was to command Team 1, the alpha strike.
There was a massive maelstrom raging on the gas giant Threshold, and it was due to strike the gas mine within five to seven units, so the teams did not have a lot of time. It was a simple matter of finding the heretic leader. Thel was hoping to be to question 'Refumee on his motives, as he was still very curious why the Sangheili had rebelled like this. He knew he would find his answers, regardless.
The Phantom was making haste towards the mine, and was almost there now. Thel turned as the door into the cockpit cycled open, and Special Operations Commander Rtas 'Vadumee stepped into the compartment. 'Vadumee had been aboard Thel's flagship, the Seeker of Truth during the battle at the Sacred Ring, and it had been him that had investigated the Agricultural Support Ship, the Infinite Succor, which had been attacked by the ravenous Flood parasite.
'Vadumee had lost his whole team aboard that ship, and he had lost his two left mandibles to one of his own infected comrades. Rtas 'Vadumee was a battle hardened veteran and Thel was glad to have him commanding the team. 'Vadumee looked at Thel for a moment, and then addressed his soldiers, walking between them as he spoke,
"When we joined the Covenant, we took an oath!" He rumbled. His Sangheili replied as one, in an equally loud voice,
"According to our station! All without exception."
"On the blood of our fathers, on the blood of our sons...we swore to uphold the Covenant!" 'Vadumee continued, his chest heaving.
"Even to our dying breath!" The Sangheili resonated.
"Those who would break this oath are heretics." 'Vadumee said a little quieter. "Worthy of neither pity, nor mercy! Even now they use our lords' creations to broadcast their lies!" He shook with concealed rage. His Sangheili finished the sentence,
"We shall grind them into dust!" 'Vadumee paced to the front of the Phantom's troop bay, considered the deck for a moment, then turned to face his warriors, and shouted,
"And continue our march to glorious salvation!" 'Vadumee walked from the front of the ship over to where Thel was standing. He knew that the other Sangheili was sizing him up, deciding whether he was worthy enough to be assisting the Special Operations Unit. 'Vadumee faced his former commander. "This armor suits you, but it cannot hide that mark." He said quietly to Thel.
Thel felt his hearts beating a little faster; he was still adjusting to the fact that he was branded with the Mark of Shame, and he now forever burdened because of it. The other Sangheili on board the Phantom knew this.
"Nothing ever will."
"You are the Arbiter, the will of the Prophets." 'Vadumee said, his eyes boring into Thel's, he moved closer, so that they were face to face, "But these are my Sangheili. Their lives matter to me, yours does not."
Thel looked back unflinchingly at the Commander.
"That makes two of us."
'Vadumee gave a huff of respect and walked back into the cockpit. This was it; the Phantom was almost at the drop off point. It sailed smoothly over the strange geometric shapes of the gas mine. They had not come under any anti-aircraft fire, so the heretics clearly did not know they were coming. The brewing maelstrom must have cut of their lines of communications, and it would likely do the same to the Special Operation team's communications as well, so once they were dropped off, they were on their own.
The Phantom came to a stop on a flat surface on one of the gas mines many supporting arms. A fierce wind was already nudging the Phantom around as it stabilized and powered on its Gravity Lift. The two Unggoy in Thel's team dropped first, then the Sangheili, and finally Thel himself. As soon as his feet hit the grooved surface, he drew his energy sword hilt and hit the activation button. A concentrated flash of light materialized before his eyes, and Thel looked down at the blade, he was going into combat once more.
A/N: Hope you all are enjoying my fanfic so far. Please point out any flaws and suggest ways in which I can improve my writing. Does anybody have objections to my switching between Thel and other characters such as the Prophet of Truth. If so please let me know. If you feel it detracts attention from Thel then please, let your thoughts be known. I personally like it, seeing what the antagonists are planning, but truly, I will try to dedicate most of the limelight to the main character, the namesake of the fanfic itself: Thel 'Vadamee.
Another A/N: Just to clear things up – Thel and the Spec Ops Commander have very similar surnames, and as I use both frequently in this fanfic, readers who are perhaps unsure of their names may be confused. Thel's surname is 'Vad-A-mee, and the Spec Ops Commanders name is Rtas 'Vad-U-mee. I hope this clears things up for anyone confused by the similar text. Cheers guys :)