-Chapter 3-

The last few moments inside the ring's control center had blurred through Los's mind. The fight with the jiralhanae chieftain, Tartarus, to reclaim the index had not gone as he would have hoped. Yes, the chieftain laid dead, but the arbiter had allowed the humans to stop the journey and take the sacred icon. Sometime, years ago, both sangheili would have cut the heretics down, and retrieved what rightfully belonged to the prophets. Los stood outside the destroyed entrance to the control room in between two banshee fliers, one piloted by the arbiter; the other by himself. He investigated the sky bearing witness to a shameful sight. The arbiter was onboard a human troop carrier moving away quickly to avoid fire from the phantom dropship flying in from the east. Its engines bringing it to halt ten feet above the landing platform its gravity lift activated waiting for the major to step inside. When Los entered the phantom, he spotted a familiar face Tor 'Vadamee stood with his arms crossed; questions filled the shipmaster's mind.

"What happened down there?"

"What of the Great Journey?"

Los held up a hand stopping his superior in his tracks. He needed time to think about everything that had now become known. Jeg and Syto stood off to the right side of the craft. The phantom accelerated away from the control room back to its place of origin, the Long Blade at Dawn, the troop carrier coming along side of the battlecruiser slowly entered a starboard hanger. Magnetic docking clamps held the phantom in place suspending it in midair. A few minutes later Tor and Los walked down the ships main corridor heading for the bridge.

"The arbiter allowed the heretics to steal the sacred icon." Los said to the shipmaster.

"The arbiter also revealed that the holy rings are weapons, and not instruments of our salvation." He continued to speak of what he had heard after they had rescued the councilors from the jiralhanae.

Los could see that Tor's mind was working through the words spoken to him. They walked down the corridor making it to the bridge where all was silent every pair of eyes gazed at the two new additions to the population. Tor made his way to the right side of the bridge and entered a room that at its center sat a table with a holographic display on its surface used for data that the ships sensors picked up. A widow spanning the length of the room's furthest wall showed the outside getting darker and darker showing they were moving from the ring's atmosphere back into the blackness of space. Tor stood at the table's side and started tapping on its surface. The display lit up as Tor continue to look through the data banks stored within the ship's memory center.

"We have bigger problems." He told the major standing across from him at the table.

A picture come alive on the table hovering between the two sangheili. It was a frame by frame video showing each moment inside High Charity all looked normal inside a few hours ago, but Tor made a few taps on the table, causing the video frames to pause and jump forward to current time, and display something different. It was still the same video footage with the same location stamp but what it showed was flood biomass everywhere replacing the walls and ceilings. The dreaded creatures in the still image looked on the prowl for their next meal. Tor looked at the major before telling him.

"We have to stop the jiralhanae from killing what remains of our people, forget the city it is gone, but we also must do what we can to prevent the parasites escape."

The shipmaster tapped again on the table bringing up another image; this time a holographic representation of High Charity, showing infected areas in red, now completely consumed by the flood. Tor zoomed the display outward to show a fleet of ships around the city engaging in ship-to-ship combat. Blue flashes peppered the space around the city-station marking the points in time of newly dead on both sides of the fight. The Long Blade at Dawn was too approaching from the ring. A small light blinked on the display Tor tapped it; a fleet of ships quickly approached from their port side plasma turrets starting to glow along their lateral lines.

"Shipmaster, we have a transmission from one of the ships audio only."

The comm snapped off. Tor tapped a few times on the table shutting it down. He moved around it and exited back on the bridge; mounting the center platform he nodded to the sangheili at the communications station. Speakers high in the ceiling came to life with the sounds of laughter; jiralhanae laughter.

"Sangheili, you have nowhere to run. Shut down your engines and prepare to be boarded."

"Short and to the point. Pre-" Before Tor could finish with his statement Kale spoke from over on his left with news that sounded hopeful, but dreadful, at the same time.

"Shipmaster, sensors show more ships approaching we are now surrounded on all sides."

"Another transmission. This time from the new arrivals, on the main screen." Tikan said to Tor from his communications station.

The main screen, transparent, suspended in front of the raised platform came to life with the image of a sangheili in golden zealot armor. Obvious signs of battle could be seen from the ships bridge smoke hung in the air behind the golden armored figure. Unggoy ran here and there repairing the damage they could. The zealot crossed his arms and then said to Tor.

"This is supreme commander Zur 'Vrahamee I see you find yourself in a bit of a bind brother."

The screen suddenly cut leaving Tor with no explanation. The new ships flanked around the Long Blade at Dawn and began a coordinated attack against the jiralhanae controlled ships. It was over in a matter of minutes all the enemy ships vented plasma engines struggling in vain to relight. The Long Blade at Dawn took the lead and fired a barrage of plasma torpedoes into the crippled ship's engines causing a gathering of mini suns to light the blackness of space like a massive fireworks display. The fighting lasted for two more weeks as the sangheili fought to hold the infection from leaving High Charity, and to seek out any remaining jiralhanae forces. The Long Blade at Dawn spearheaded the operations her crew working tirelessly to complete their task. Shipmaster Tor 'Vadamee stood on the bridge of his ship watching the main display reports coming in detailing the fleets status, his own ship, and the infected city. Los 'Vadamee sat in his private quarters aboard ship, and thought of the war, the arbiter's betrayal, what the next few years might bring him. He looked up hearing someone knocking on his door he expected it to be the shipmaster or one of the bridge crew, but when the door slid open there was no one there until Los looked down and saw the unggoy standing in the doorway.

"Your presence has been requested by the supreme commander, Major."

The unggoy left quickly, and soon after Los headed for the bridge to see what they would need of him. He stepped on the bridge and headed for the map room. The Supreme Commander, and Shipmaster are looking over the holographic table when Los walked in and joined them. They had a map of the ships around the city-station now sangheili controlled or vaporized by them. Tor looked up and nodded acknowledging Los's presence.

"Major, I would like you to meet the supreme commander, Zur 'Vrahamee. He will be using this vessel as his flagship for the time being until we can find a more permanent solution to the flood infested High Charity."

The supreme commander was one not taken lightly; he towered over both sangheili and had the build to match. There was also something about him that both Tor and Los did not notice when they saw him on the main view screen, but he had a scar running down the right side of his face over his eye. The scars covering his arms are many, and if Los had to guess under the armor lied many more from the commanders many battles with the humans. The room fell silent. Tor continued to tap on the table showing each ship in the fleet. Los looked out the window into the vast blackness of space. He could see High Charity looming large in the distance close to the ring, while the ships around her ran a constant picket line; the last line of defense from the horror that lied within. Zur filled the silence with his voice directing his attention to the youngest member of the group.

"What did the arbiter say to you?" He asked the major.

"He told me the rings are not our salvation, but a means to an end built by the forerunners to deal with the flood"

"Did you believe him?"

"The arbiter is the will of the prophets if that means anything these days."

"You did not answer my question."

"No, I do not believe him commander."

That was all the supreme commander needed to hear the map room falling to the silence once more. If Los knew anything about the will of the prophets is that it was no more, but the forerunners remained to guide them home to a place of peace; all the sangheili now had was their own guiding hand which suited Los just fine. But something did tug at the back of his mind about the sangheili in the ancient armor; he did not speak of these feelings fearing the others might question the loyalty he held to the forerunners and his people. Los continued to gaze into the darkness of space just beyond the glass. The voice of the commander cut through his own thoughts.

"You are dismissed, Major."

Los nodded to his superior leaving the map room as he had found it; two sangheili planning the next move in a long thousand year waiting game. The long walk back to his quarters spent thinking and planning for his future. He needed time more now than ever. Los made it to his area of rest and sleep; letting the door slide open for him the cool air rushing out to greet his skin. He stepped into the room welcoming the darkness and the silence that was his only company. He took two steps and landed on his bed not long after the fingers of sleep pulled his eyes closed, and he entered a needed slumber unknown of what the future would hold for him.