February 17, 2531/ Covenant Cruiser Pious Expectation

Ellen Anders once again sat in a prison cell. This time, however, the Covenant had learned. A stack of empty trays were in a corner of her cell, the Jackals now keeping guard over her didn't collect them.

As she sat in the dim blue light the words of her former teacher, Dr. Catherine Halsey, echoed in her mind. 'You're reckless, Ellen. That's why you'll always fall short of the mark.' She had scolded.

'What mark?' Anders argued, 'Your impossible standards? The ridiculous expectations of ONI?'

Dr. Halsey had simply shaken her head. "You'll never understand what position I'm in, Ellen. Things are more difficult than they have ever been before. My work is now-'

'Spare me your sob story, Halsey,' Ellen snapped, 'We've all got problems nowadays.'

Ellen stared at the empty trays in her cell. We've all got problems nowadays… Her own words now danced around her conscience. With a sudden look of fury, Ellen kicked the stack of trays. The foreign metal ovals scattered, several bouncing off the energy-wall.

A heavy fist pounded the energy-wall, causing it to hiss angrily. "Keep it down in there, vermin!" an Elite snapped, "You'll need that strength before too long, though it will most likely do you no good."

"Why am I being held?" Anders asked angrily, "I thought you killed us just for the fun of it, why are you taking prisoners now?"

"You have a much more… purposeful use to us," a softer voice said. Soon the Prophet of Regret floated in front of her cell. "That is, assuming you're still alive. You've no use if you're dead." That ever-present smirk of amusement crawled across the Prophet's lips, and Anders wished that she could slap it right from his face.

"Why me then?" She asked, "Why not any human?"

"You seem to possess a rather extensive knowledge of our lord's creations," the Prophet mused as his chair paced in front of the cell, "You know their purpose, and you hold something that they respond favorably to."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ellen said defiantly, rising to her feet, "We just followed wherever-"

"Wretched creature!" The Prophet shouted, "You activate the star chart on your planet Harvest! Such attempts by any of my holiest servants have been thwarted, yet such an insignificant wretch as yourself was able to call forth the Forerunner's knowledge. How!?"

Forerunners? Anders pondered the word in confusion. Had there been another human-like species before modern humans? Were they the ones who had left all the artifacts the UNSC had been finding?

"Answer me, human!" Regret snapped.

Ellen looked at the Prophet with disdain. "My name is Ellen," she hissed, "and I won't answer until I get moved to a more comfortable cell." She figured that she might as well try to get something out of this prisoner experience.

Regret sat up straight, a cold look in his eyes. "Sangheili," he ordered the Elite to his right, "accommodateour… guest." The Elite grinned and touched a control pad next to the cell.

Soon the wall of energy began to move inwards, inching closer towards Anders. "You will tell us how to operate the Forerunner's creations!" Regret thundered.

"I don't know how it worked!" Ellen shouted, pressing her back to the wall. The energy field hissed and crackled while it scooted the trays forward. "I already told the Arbiter that I just touched it!"

"Then how would such a holy relic not react to our requests!" Regret snapped angrily, leaning forward with a sneer, "There is something you're hiding, but no matter. We will come to that." He sat back in his throne, leaning on one arm in a quizzical pose. "What of your homeworld? The one that spawned your wretched race?"

"Wha-?" Ellen stammered in confusion. Earth! She realized, They're searching for it too? Defense of Earth then came to mind. "Arcadia?" She wouldn't have used her home planet before, however it had already been attacked, so defending it was futile.

The Prophet chuckled. "The planet that we captured you on? We shall return there, perhaps. But do you really expect us to believe that such an insignificant planet is your origin? The Forerunners did not even choose to leave anything of worth there!"

At this point the energy wall was pressing Anders to the wall, the energy not burning her, but producing something similar to mild sunburn. The Prophet moved closer to the barrier. "Empty ruins, barely of operation! They hardly provided the materials we needed for the Titan Scarab you destroyed!"

Ellen winced, her eyelids batting as the pressure from the wall increased. She began to see stars, and could barely bring herself to whimper. Soon her body slumped to the side, as much as the barrier would allow, as she passed out.

"Release the barrier!" the Prophet snapped. As the barrier hissed out of existence he moved out of the cell. A new barrier snapped into place at the opening of the cell, replacing the old one. "Alert me when she awakens, so that we may continue our… Discussion."

As the Prophet left the prison, the Arbiter approached from the side. "Hierarch," he rumbled, "I should have been there. I could have taken the information from her frail bones within a moment."

"Force is not needed here, Arbiter," Regret sighed, "She knows valuable information that we need intact. It is imperative not to stress the human's primitive mind, as it might produce information crafted of fear."

"They fear us all the same!" Ripa growled, "Nothing we do will deter that. Let me interrogate her, and I swear to you, the information we seek will be found!"

Regret eyed the Arbiter angrily. "You will interrogate her when she revives," he said after a moment, "But Arbiter; take care to keep to the path. I will not tolerate insubordination, least of all from you. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Holy One," the Arbiter mumbled as he bowed in resignation.

The Prophet left without another thought, his throne floating onto a gravity elevator, leaving the Arbiter to his thoughts.