Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee gently touched down onto the planet's surface, courtesy of his Phantom's gravity beam. This was actually the his first time setting foot on the human planet known as Reach, and it would certainly be his last.

'Vadamee knew he should be chasing the human ship that had escaped (the Pillar of Autumn, he believed it was called), but before he did that, he had a quick errand to run.

The purpose of his visit was only steps away. There, lying almost dead on top of piles of Sangheili corpses was a Demon.

The Supreme Commander sighed and shook his head. The pile of dead represented the heavy casualties the humans had induced during the campaign that were even more costly than he had predicted. Only a quarter of his fleet remained, and even greater casualty rates occurred among the land forces.

Out of the races though, it was the Skirmishers who were hit the hardest. Ninety-five percent of their numbers were killed, completely devastating the already uncertain population of the subspecies of Kig-Yar. The Supreme Commander knew that the Skirmishers would never again see combat, even if they managed to survive extinction. Though he regretted it had to end this way, 'Vadamee believed that adding Skirmishers ensured that overall casualties were "most" instead of "total." Still, he knew he was going to have to face an inquiry about this from the High Council.

Dispelling these thoughts from his head, the Supreme Commander approached the body of the Demon.

The only reason 'Vadamee knew it was still alive was because it had slowly turned its head towards him as he approached. Oddly enough, the Demon did not have its helmet on, but its features were marred by lacerations, plasma burns, and blood. It looked like it was attempting to move, but the numerous injuries to its body prevented it from doing so. Clutched in an adamantine death grip was a blood-soaked knife, the weapon it had used to kill the last of the Sangheili around it.

The Supreme Commander stopped just out of arm's reach from the barely breathing Demon.

"Demon, I am Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee," he said simply in the human language. He was among the few Sangheili who had bothered to learn it, but he thought it practical, in the interest of knowing his enemy. "I know it was you who killed the Field Marshal."

The pilot of the Field Marshal's Phantom had been monitoring his superior officer's status during the battle. After the Field Marshal's death, the pilot radioed the fate of his general to the Seeker of Truth, and then met his own fate attempting to take down the cannon.

"I also know that you have caused my fleet a great deal of trouble," he continued, making sure to keep an eye on the Demon. While it seemed like it could not move, one could not be too careful. "I would list all of your accomplishments, but I do not have the time."

He took his blade from his side and ignited it.

"So I will say only this," he said, pulling the blade back behind his head, "You have proven yourself a noble warrior."

He stepped forward, and the Demon made one final effort. It swung its knife up, aiming directly at the Supreme Commander's throat. He caught its wrist in his unoccupied hand, surprised by the amount of force it could bring about despite its highly injured state. Without another moment to spare, 'Vadamee brought his blade forward and pierced the Demon's heart. Its life was immediately extinguished, evidenced by the dull look in its eyes. He released the grip on the Demon's wrist, and it fell lifelessly to the ground. Even in death, its hand kept a tight grasp on its knife.

His job finished, 'Vadamee deactivated his sword and returned it to his side. As he walked back to the gravity lift that would return him to his Phantom, he relayed orders that would prepare the Seeker of Truth and some other ships that would break formation and pursue the Pillar of Autumn as soon as his dropship entered the launch bay. The rest of the fleet would stay and finish glassing the planet.

As the Supreme Commander was lifted into the Phantom and returned to his flagship, his thoughts once again turned to the heavy losses his fleet had sustained, but now there was another thought joining it.

From what they could discern, this planet called Reach, despite all the defenses and the number of ships, was not the homeworld of the humans. That made 'Vadamee wonder how many other worlds were this fortified.

And if his fleet of over three hundred ships and millions of warriors emerged from Reach with more than three-fourths of their forces dead, what would the battle be like when the Covenant did find the home of the humans?

Thel 'Vadamee trembled in excitement and terror at the thought.


Author's Note: And that wraps up "Seven Moments." While it was probably unlikely that 'Vadamee would take time to make this trip with the Pillar of Autumn fleeing Reach, I don't think it's completely impossible, considering the Elites' view of honor. Since Noble Six and his/her team was the biggest stumbling block of his campaign, he felt it his duty to not only avenge the death of the Field Marshal, but also to give the "Demon" an honorable death.

I also wonder if the nigh-extinction of the Skirmishers was one of the contributing factor's to 'Vadamee's downfall. While his primary crime to the Covenant was his failure to protect Halo, being responsible for almost wiping out one of their members races probably did not help his case.