0524 Hours, September 25th, 2552 (Military Calendar)/ UNSC Achilles/ Patrolling the Epsilon Eridani System
Rear Admiral Jon Graham laid in his bed, staring at the bulkhead. He had slept for about five hours, and then woke up. Since then, he couldn't get back to sleep. Since being promoted to Rear Admiral, he had been flooded with messages from UNSC commanders, requesting aid, changes in deployment, even resupply. Jon was in one of the squadrons patrolling the system, with the frigates Sharpsburg and Camden. Absolutely nothing had happened, besides Reach being devoid of Covenant life. The evacuation of Reach had been cancelled, and civilians were slowly being brought back. UNSC soldiers had been put to work rebuilding cities. The once great city of Manassas was a wasteland of glass, completely wiped out.
Jon rolled over, and his eyes froze on the door. He stared at it with dull eyes, and pulled his blanket over him more. The phone on the fold out table next to Jon's rack buzzed, and the Admiral reached out to grab it. He picked up the phone, and held it to his ear. "This is the Admiral."
"Sir, we need you on the bridge. Right now," Ensign Davidson's voice said.
"I'll be right there," Jon replied, putting down the phone.
...
"Alright, what's the situation?" Jon asked as he got on the bridge.
Ensign Davidson turned around in her chair, and said, "Covenant supercarrier just jumped into the system, about two hundred thousand kilometers away. The battlegroup is ready to attack."
"Set the ship to TAC CON Alpha 1. Alert the fleet, have them send more ships our way," Jon said, sitting down in his command chair.
"Do you want me to launch fighters?" asked Davidson.
Admiral Graham nodded.
Twenty four GA-TL1 Longswords launched from the destroyer, joined by the fighters from the other ships. They then started flying to the Covenant carrier. Ensign DeSemple turned the Achilles about, and had the ship on course to engage the Covenant. The Sharpsburg and Camden kept ahead of the flagship, their weapons charged.
"Lieutenant Covington, is the main gun ready?" asked Admiral Graham.
"Yes, sir," Will said.
"Prepare to engage," Jon said, leaning forward.
The Covenant carrier came into view, and the Longsword fighters engaged when they were in range. The ship didn't fire back. The fighters ran strafing runs on the carrier, and yet it did not strike back.
"Sir, the supercarrier isn't returning fire," Davidson said, looking at the Admiral.
"Admiral! It's attempting to open a communications line with us!" Lieutenant Cortez said.
"Put it through on speaker," Jon replied.
The line crackled, and a faint voice could be heard in the background.
"This is Admiral Graham. Say your piece, or we will fire," Jon said.
"...Haverson, Office of Naval Intelligence. Admiral Graham, hold your attack," the voice said.
"Say again," Jon said to the voice. "Have the Longswords break the attack," he said quietly to Davidson.
"This is Lieutenant Elias Haverson, Office of Naval Intelligence. We're survivors from the Pillar of Autumn. We have Spartans aboard. I repeat. We have Spartans," the man claiming to be an ONI officer said.
"There is an Elias Haverson in UNSC records," Ensign Davidson said to Jon.
"If you are an ONI officer, send your identification codes," Jon said.
Seconds later, Davidson said, "They... they match."
"We need to meet with Admiral Whitcomb immediately," Lieutenant Haverson said.
"There are hundreds of UNSC ships in holding positions over Reach. If this is a ploy, you will not get far," Jon threatened.
"All Covenant on the ship are dead. I assure you," said Haverson.
...
Admiral Whitcomb, Admiral Stanforth, and Admiral Cole stood in the War Room of the Invincible, flanked by marine guards. They stood over a holographic table, observing the Covenant supercarrier, identified as Ascendant Justice, hold its position over Reach, surrounded by human ships. The glass doors to the War Room slid open, and Rear Admiral Graham walked in, followed by a group of soldiers and a trio of Spartans. They stood on the opposite side of the table, and Admiral Graham took his place next to Whitcomb, Stanforth, and Cole.
"Well, this is an odd encounter," Admiral Cole said first.
"Do you have any idea how reckless this was, Admiral Graham? This could be a trap," Admiral Whitcomb barked at Jon.
"Sir, I assure you that that went through my mind too. We were prepared to engage, and then we got proper I.D. codes," Jon replied.
"Okay, if you guys are finished bickering, there are some urgent things you need to know," Lieutenant Haverson said.
"Then go ahead, Lieutenant," Admiral Cole said.
"Cortana?" Haverson said.
One of the Spartans stepped forward, and inserted a chip into the table. A purple, female hologram popped up, and looked at the three Admirals.
"Well, never thought I'd get to meet the Admiral Cole," she said.
"Cortana? Dr. Halsey's project? Well, this is special," Whitcomb muttered.
"Yes, that's me! Cortana. Anyways, the Pillar of Autumn made a blind jump, with a fleet of Covenant behind us. We jumped into orbit of this massive ring structure above a planet, called Halo. It was built by the Forerunners, an ancient race that the Covenant worship. As a result, they saw it as a holy object. We crash landed on it, and our forces engaged the Covenant on the ground. On the ring, the Covenant accidentally unleashed this... parasite called the Flood. These things infest anything sentient, and turn them into this mindless... things. Captain Keyes became one of them. Turns out that Halo is actually a massive weapon of mass destruction. If you fire one, the others fire too, and they wipe out all sentient life in the galaxy. The Spartans and I decided that the best course of action was to destroy Halo. So, we had the Autumn self destruct, much to the dismay of the Forerunner Monitor and the Covenant. After we destroyed it, and the Flood with it, we captured the Covenant supercarrier near the wreckage of the Installation, and brought it here, with survivors from the battle," the A.I. explained.
The War Room was silent.
"So you're telling me that there's this floating superweapon in space, and that if fired, it wipes us out?" asked Admiral Graham.
"And the Covenant. And anything sentient," Cortana said.
"Intriguing," Admiral Cole said, rubbing his chin.
"And the Covenant worship this?" asked Whitcomb.
"They don't know the true nature of Halo," one of the Spartans, numbered 117, said.
"And this, Flood, they have been wiped out? No threat?" asked Admiral Cole.
John nodded, and said, "When we destroyed the ring, we destroyed the Flood."
"They killed indiscriminately. It attacks human, Elite, Grunt, anything," one of the other Spartans said, numbered 058.
"What happened to Captain Keyes, exactly?" asked Admiral Stanforth, who had been quiet the whole time.
John-117 looked to the ground, and then said, "He was infected, and turned into a sort of... hive for them. I had to kill him."
"Jesus," Stanforth whispered.
"You did what you had to do, son," said Admiral Cole.
"What happened to the Covenant?" asked Whitcomb.
"They ran away with their tails between their legs! Sir," one of the marines, a middle aged black man named Johnson laughed.
"Hardly. They were scouring the wreckage of Halo, last I saw," Cortana said.
"Should we attack?" asked Admiral Cole.
"I would refrain from doing that. If its a holy site, we can only assume that they'll have a massive fleet there within days," Cortana said.
"Cortana, you were assigned to the Autumn for Operation: RED FLAG, were you not?" asked Admiral Stanforth, a small grin coming across his lips.
"Yes, sir. I was, along with all of the Spartans before deployment," Cortana said.
"This Covenant ship seems like a perfect candidate for said operation," Stanforth said.
"I agree, sir. But chances are that the Covenant know we've stolen their carrier," the third Spartan, James, said.
The Admirals looked at each other, and then Admiral Cole said, "You have brought us a great asset. With a captured Covenant ship, we could reverse engineer their technology, and use it against them!"
"By god, we could!" Jon exclaimed.
"And these... Halo rings, are there more of them?" asked Admiral Whitcomb.
"Well, seeing as how the Monitor called it Installation 04, I'm going to assume there are," Cortana said.
"Get FLEETCOM notified, Admiral Graham. This could turn the tide of the war," Admiral Cole said to Jon, who quickly picked up a phone.
...
0800 Hours, October 20th, 2552 (Human Military Calendar)/Council Chambers/ High Charity/ Near ruins of Installation 04, Soell System
"There was only one ship."
"One? Are you sure?"
"Yes. They called it the Pillar of Autumn," Thel 'Vadamee said, looking at the rows of Sangheili Honor Guards standing watch in the chamber.
"But I followed with a sizable number of ships under my command," he quickly added, looking up at the High Prophet of Truth.
"When you first saw Halo, were you blinded by its majesty?" asked the Prophet of Regret, in hologram form.
"Blinded?"
"Paralyzed? Dumbstruck?" Regret asked.
"No," was the one word out of Thel's mouth.
"Yet the humans were able to evade your ships, land on the Sacred Ring, and desecrate it with their filthy footsteps!" Regret shouted.
"Noble Hierarchs, surely you understand that once the parasite attacked...," Thel began, but was quickly drowned out by the uproar of the Council.
"There will be order in this Council!" shouted the Prophet of Mercy, banging on his chair.
The Prophet of Truth floated forward, holding up his hand. The chamber fell into silence. He then said, "You were right to focus your attention on the Flood. But these Demons, especially this "Master Chief"..."
"By the time I learned of their intent, there was nothing I could do," Thel said solemnly, looking at the ground. San 'Shyuum councilors rose in anger, shouting at Thel. Tartarus, who was standing near the Prophets, chuckled.
"Noble Prophet of Truth, this has gone on long enough. Make an example of this bungler. The Council demands it," Regret said quietly to Truth.
Truth silenced Regret quickly, and then looked at Thel, "You are one of our most treasured instruments. Long have you led your fleet with honor and distinction. But your inability to safeguard Halo... was a colossal failure."
"Nay, it was heresy!" a councilor roared.
Thel looked up at the Hierarchs, and said, "I will continue my campaign against the humans!"
"No! You will not," Truth said.
Two Jiralhanae approached Thel, trying to grab him. The ashamed Sangheili shook them off, and began walking to his fate.
...
"The Taming of the Hunters, the Grunt Rebellion - were it not for the Arbiters, the Covenant would have broken long ago!" the Prophet of Mercy explained. Tartarus, after branding Thel with the Mark of Shame, had brought him to the Mausoleum of the Arbiter, where the High Prophets were waiting.
"Even on my knees, I do not belong in their presence," Thel said.
"Halo's destruction was your error, and you rightly bear the blame. But the Council was... overzealous. We know you are no heretic. This is the true face of heresy, one who would subvert our faith and incite rebellion against the High Council," Truth said.
The hologram of an Elite in strange armor popped up on Truth's chair.
"Our Prophets are false! Open your eyes, my brothers! They would use the faith of our forefathers to bring ruin to us all! The Great Journey is a-"
Truth cut off the hologram.
"This heretic, and those who follow him, must be silenced," Truth said.
"Their slander offends all who walk the Path!" Mercy shouted.
"What use am I? I can no longer command ships, lead troops into battle-" Thel said.
"Not as you are, no. But become the Arbiter...and you shall be set loose against this heresy with our blessing," Truth replied.
A large white pod floated into the center of the room, opening to reveal a suit of ancient armor surrounded by white light. Thel looked at it for a few moments, and then turned to look at Truth, "What of the Council?"
"The tasks you must undertake as the Arbiter are perilous, suicidal. You will die, as each Arbiter has before you. The Council will have their corpse," Truth said.
Thel looked back at the armor, and got up. He looked at the pods containing the bodies of previous Arbiters, and walked to the pod containing the armor. He reached into it, and lifted the helmet. He put it on his head, and then looked at the Hierarchs.
"What would you have your Arbiter do?" . ?docid=39350932
...
November 3rd, 2552
The operation was complete. Sesa 'Refumee was dead, along with his heretic brethren. Rtas, of all people, led the Special Forces on the operation. It was all good news for the Hierarchs until it was found out that the Prophet of Regret had discovered a human world, a major one at that, and was killed by the same Demon that destroyed Halo. Moments later, before being able to destroy any human ships, Regret's fleet of fifteen vessels was destroyed. The Sangheili Honor Guard had failed. Something needed to change.
Arbiter Thel 'Vadamee walked down the main aisle of the Sanctum of the Hierarchs, watching Jiralhanae take Honor Guard equipment from the Sangheili. Some even fought over certain pieces. Thel continued to the Inner Sanctum, passing by two Sangheili without their energy staves or armor. He walked through a large doorway, past Jiralhanae Honor Guards, and into a room where Rtas 'Vadumee and the Hierarchs were. Two Special Operations Sangheili were with Rtas. They must have came to the Hierarchs immediately, whereas Thel stalled, speaking to some of his former subordinates.
"This is unprecedented... unacceptable," was all that Rtas said.
"A Hierarch is dead, Commander," the Prophet of Truth said.
"There was nothing that the Sangheili could have done! By all reports, it was a human nuclear device that destroyed his ship!" Rtas yelled.
"Are you questioning my decision, Commander?" asked Truth, expecting no for an answer.
Instead, he was surprised. "Replacing your Honor Guard with Brutes?! Yes, my noble Hierarch, I am questioning your decision," Rtas snarled.
Thel was shocked by his friend's response. Rtas stood tall.
"Commander, your kind failed at Reach. Failed at Halo. Failed at the defense of our worlds. Failed the Prophet of Regret. The Sangheili have failed," the Prophet of Truth spat.
"Hierarch, that is a lie! Shipmaster 'Rakalee was ready to attack Reach again, but you did not allow him!" Thel jumped in.
"Call the Council together, Mercy," Truth whispered to his fellow Hierarch.
...
The Sangheili Councilors were in shock. Too much shock to be in anger. When they saw Jiralhanae escort the Hierarchs into the chambers, rather than Sangheili, they knew something had happened. And now they were listening to the Hierarchs belittle the Sangheili, right to their very faces. The Arbiter and a white Sangheili stood in the center of the chamber, obviously the targets of the Prophets insults, though they really extended to all Sangheili.
"And that is why you have failed, 'Vadamee!" roared Mercy.
"Don't use that name in my presence, profligate," Thel snarled back, his first response to the barrage. He got a cheer from the Sangheili.
"You have forsaken the Writ of Union! You've fractured the Covenant!" shouted Rtas.
"Rtas... you have been loyal for so long. Why betray me now?" the Prophet of Truth asked, a look of fake sympathy on his face.
"I am no traitor!" Rtas yelled.
The Honor Guard stood poised to attack, waiting for the two Sangheili to make a move.
"You have failed us, don't you see? You have been poisoned, twisted! You have forsaken the Great Journey! You must be branded as heretics, as such," Truth replied.
"YOU ARE THE HERETIC!" a voice roared from the main entrance. The chamber was completely silent, and even the Prophets looked startled for a moment. A eleven foot being stood in the doorway, and its mere presence demanded respect. It took a step forward into the light, revealing the infuriated face of the Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree. All Sangheili in the chamber immediately rose, and snapped to attention. Thel and Rtas, stunned, simply knelt.
"Is this the path you wish to take, Ord Casto? Betray those that have served you for centuries? For what, the loyalty of a species that won't question you as the Sangheili often do? Oh yes, don't even try and deny it, Ord. You exiled me to the far fringes of our space, simply because I could challenge your power. These Brutes, while strong, are stupid. And as such, you can manipulate them to do whatever you want them to do, such as slaughter Sangheili, like Fleetmaster Zigra 'Mazumee!" the Imperial Admiral bellowed, as he walked down the pathway.
Tartarus was slowly approaching the edge of the aisle, Fist of Rukt in hand.
"Make a move, Brute, and I shall flay you, your kin, your Prophets, your planet," the Imperial Admiral growled, his stare able to pierce the hardest metal.
"Imperial Admiral, you are supposed to be with the Combined Fleet of Righteous Purpose. Why are you here?" asked the Prophet of Truth.
The Imperial Admiral looked at Truth, and said, "Fleetmaster Zigra 'Mazumee, on a mission that all are aware of, relayed a transmission to my flagship, the Sublime Transcendence, that he had discovered a massive human space station. As I wanted to survey the aftermath, the Sublime Transcendence jumped into the system, and found a destroyed human shipyard, dozens of destroyed ships, and a disorganized Covenant fleet that immediately attacked. After destroying all but the flagship, I boarded it and discovered hundreds of dead Sangheili, and the body of the Fleetmaster. The Brute that had taken his place revealed that he was ordered to execute Fleetmaster 'Mazumee."
Thel turned around and looked at the High Prophets.
"And that brings you to High Charity, why?" asked the Prophet of Mercy.
"After hearing that the Sangheili Honor Guard were being replaced by Jiralhanae, I immediately made my way here," the Imperial Admiral replied.
"If this continues, we will leave the High Council!" a Sangheili councilor shouted from the stands.
"I second the motion!" another one added.
"You would betray your High Prophets?! Betray the Covenant?!" a San 'Shyuum Councilor shouted back.
"Silence!" Truth yelled.
"If the Sangheili wish to leave the High Council," the Imperial Admiral said, looking at the crowd and then at Truth, "Then I shall see it done."
Thel rose, and said to Truth, "My Hierarchs, you must think about what is happening here. We are fracturing."
"I know, Arbiter. I know. But maybe it must happen," said the Prophet.
"No! It doesn't have to!" Rtas yelled.
"Hierarchs! Word from the assaults on the human worlds!" a Sangheili yelled, rushing down the main aisle, brushing past the Imperial Admiral.
"What is it, Minor?" asked Truth calmly.
"The attacks on the planets known as Cascade, Camber, Forseti, and Reynes have failed," the Elite said, bowing.
"Thank you, Sangheili. You may leave," said Truth.
"The quorum will convene later today," Mercy said, speaking for the two Hierarchs.