CHAPTER 10
Meanwhile 80 light years distant, on the Loyalist cruiser Implacable Fury...
DAMN THAT SPARTAN AND THAT CREW.
The Gravemind smashed a tentacle through the console on the bridge of the ship, and calmed himself.
No, the objective was not a complete failure. The element of surprise was certainly lost on the attacking of the Humans and Sanghelli...
More than anything he planned on savoring the death of the human champion. Yes, that was a goal worth striving for. The Gravemind smiled at the thought, or at least performed the best smile that his reconstituted brute body could perform. The smile left him, as the memory of his failure at the Ark burned his mind.
How did I fail...
For the entirety of his purgatory in the Ark wreckage that thought weighed down on him. It enraged him, but it also gave him the clarity that his millenia of imprisonment took away from him.
For over twenty years I waited for a ship to approach the Ark wreckage. A minuscule imprisonment compared to that which the Forerunner bastards put me through after deploying their heinous devices. But no more. I have learned from my error, and I realize I acted impulsively to escape my imprisonment.
The Gravemind observed the broken console.
But not this time. A different approach is needed.
The Gravemind observed one his combat forms made from a conglomeration of brutes and jackal parts. The idea struck him immediately.
Of course! How could I have been so foolish!
He had a plan, and for the first time in over a hundred thousand years he laughed.
On the Planet Sanghellios
The Arbiter walked through the garden outside of the Temple of the High Council. The Arbiter stopped for a moment to breathe in the morning air, as the first of the three suns rose higher into the sky. The moment of tranquility was short lived however, as at that moment the Arbiter heard a commotion coming from the gate to the temple courtyard.
"Arbiter, it appears a messenger has arrived for you." The more senior of the guards called out.
"Tell him, I will receive him after I finish my morning meditations." The Arbiter responded, while still not having opened his eyes to look at the guard or the person who interrupted his otherwise peaceful morning.
"Arbiter, the messenger insists. He says that the code word is 'deliverance'." The guard deferentially said.
The Arbiter raised his hand to keep the guard from removing the messenger from the temple. "What was the word he said, I want the messenger to say the word to me."
"Ar-Ar-Arbiter, the word is..." The messenger was just an Elite Minor, a soldier so green that the Arbiter wondered if he still had his childhood spots. "Do not fear me child." The Arbiter said, as he walked forward and rested his hand on the youngster's shoulder. "Please tell me the message, as you've already proven yourself quite brave by standing up to both myself and an honor guard."
The Young Warrior stood erect "Arbiter I am to tell you, that the word is 'deliverance'" The Young Elite puffed out his chest in renewed vigor, at the honor the Arbiter had given him.
"Youngster, you've made an old warrior very happy today. Do you know the meaning of that human word you just stated?" The Arbiter looked at the young elite through the purple visor on his head and stared down the young warrior as the Honor Guard looked on with renewed curiosity.
"Deliverance, the act of delivering or freeing from restraint, captivity, peril, and the like; rescue; as, the deliverance of a captive." The youth recited the definition rote from memory.
"Good, you've done well in your studies. I will tell you what it means young one in this case. It means our deliverance has arrived. The Master Chief has returned to us." The Arbiter stated flatly.
The Honor Guard let out a brief gasp and the Young Warrior just stood in a state of shock. "If you would do me this honor young warrior, would you escort me to the High Forum, and tell the council what you told me." The Young Warrior who was to shocked to respond simply let out a feeble nod.
"Come then, let us head to the Forum, and summon the council." The Arbiter began walking down the ancient footpath to the High Forum where for untold generations the High Council ruled over the Sanghelli.
As the Arbiter progressed up the ancient stone staircase, the architecture gradually took on the familiar form of the angular Forerunner architecture. The Temple opened before them in a wide chamber from which murals depicting the history of the Sanghelli race adorned the walls. At the back seated on raised stone pedestals five of the most ancient and accomplished members of the Sanghelli race sat. The Arbiter and Young Warrior knelt.
"Arbiter, what brings you before us during the time of meditation?" Said the the most senior of the council members, and the chair of the council. She was a Sanghelli, who was over 300 years old. The oldest who had ever been known to look at the orange sky of Sanghellios. The old one had not yet opened her eyes and her wrinkled skin hid any appearance of emotion.
"I bring before you a messenger that has information of great importance to our people." The Arbiter responded while still on one knee.
"What is your name young one, your youth brings happiness to an old woman like myself." Said Councilor Oli Anoma who had addressed the Arbiter a moment earlier.
The youngster gathered up his courage "Ikan Sulumee, Elite Minor, son of Razan Sulumee." He said while managing to conceal his fear as much as possible.
"What message do you have for us Ikan Sulumee?" The still young gray eyes of the ancient councilwoman looked at him with fiery intelligence.
"The word is 'deliverance'." The youth said, and quickly bowed his had as low as he could again.
The old lady clicked her mandibles together in surprise and the other Councilors all let out various gasps and expressions of excitement. "This is indeed news worthy of interrupting the routine of a few old codgers." She said with a laugh that truly betrayed her real age and she smiled. "Arbiter, from where was this message sent?"
"My old friend Rtas Vadum. He is stationed on the outpost at Kirukee on the edge of the forbidden zone. Given the time delay for a message of this sort, I would assume it was sent no more than 30 cycles ago." The Arbiter responded.
"Arbiter, if he has returned to us, then it means that the galaxy is once again in danger. We will ensure that the UNSC is notified immediately as this threat. Arbiter, once again you are called to lead. Are you willing to serve as the blade of the Forerunners, and are you willing to assist their Champion in doing his holy duty?" The old councilor looked him down.
"I will. I have sought him out for the past 15 Sanghellions(Sanghelli year), and I was there at the very end of the Ark. I have yet to finish my duty as Arbiter, and I would once again be honored to serve by his side." The Arbiter said with absolute conviction. Ikan was afraid to even raise his eyes from the floor.
"Then the Council therefore is giving you complete command over the Sanghelli military, under the writ of holy war. You will not let the Flood carry out its task. Call forth Humanity to aid you as well, as they are the ones chosen by the Forerunners as the reclaimers of their legacy. Call forth the Lekgolo who in their way will support us in this endeavor with their mighty strength. Guide the Unngoy and be an example to them, so that they might grow in spirit. May the Forerunners watch over us while we continue their mission of preserving life." Oli announced with forceful vigor. Ikan meanwhile could literally feel history being made. This would be a story that he would told by a hundred generations of his descendants.
"Ikan Sulumee. You are tasked with being the vessel by which this message is spread. You are being promoted to the status of Voice. Come to me and receive the mark of the council." The old council woman said, as she raised a small necklace with an elaborate working of a Forerunner rune dangling from the chain. Ikan carefully advanced before the old council woman, and he felt her gentle touch as she slipped the necklace around his neck.
"Ikan Sulumee, we the Council of Senghillios are hereby appointing you with the holy duty as the Voice of the Sanghelli. You are tasked with passing this message on to all that you come across, and most specifically to the Humans, Lekgolo, and Unngoy. Let the call to war be known far and wide. Now go, time is of the essence, as the abomination once again has been set loose." The council woman announced, and Ikan turned and with all of energy ran from the temple grounds declaring through the use of the Forerunner glyph which had the effect of amplifying his voice. "Take heed all who will listen. The call to war is now! The Master Chief has returned, and the parasite is once again threatens us all."
"Arbiter, you know what must be done. Go. Rally the forces, and retrieve the master chief. May the Forerunners guide you." The Council bowed down before the Arbiter.
The Arbiter turned and left the Forum, but when he arrived outside the Honor Guard of the Temple were waiting at the food of the stairs.
"We await your bidding Arbiter." The group of a hundred Elite Ultras bowed before him.
"Rally our forces, and prepare the fleet for deployment." The Arbiter declared, as he made a steady advance to his shuttle that was kept in a small landing by concealed by a grove of trees.
"Your will be done Arbiter." The Ultras declared.
The Voice continued to spread, as he ran through the Capital city to the UNSC Embassy. It did not go unheeded.
End Chapter 10
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