Author's Note: Thanks to Kalshion for being my proof reader.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Halo universe, which is the property of Bungie Studios. However, any non-Halo species (and characters made from them) belong to me.
A/N: As you can see I was able to beat Kesi into letting me write the part that was missing from this chapter.
Arbiter: -looking a bit battered and bruised and not looking too happy- Kesi!? Didn't you say it was me that was causing the problem?
Erm…so I was wrong?
Arbiter: I am so going to sue you…
They fleshed out the plan over the next hour or so, the Arbiter agreeing to have a tracking device attached to his armor so the others could keep an eye on him. He also agreed to not engage Kesi if he could avoid it and to instead contact them immediately. It was a necessary condition despite how much it hurt his warrior's pride, as in his current physical state he wouldn't last long against a Field Master that was in peak condition.
"Remember; do not engage him unless you have no choice." Rtas said as he attached the tracking device, making sure it was in a spot that wasn't noticeable.
"'Vadum, that is the third time you have 'reminded' me." The Arbiter said with a faint snarl. He may be dressed like a Minor, but that didn't mean they could treat him like one! "I am not some fresh out of training recruit!"
"Consider that a reminder that you need to act like one then." Johnson said with a smirk.
"I would feel better if I had a weapon." The Arbiter said with a sigh. "As I doubt Kesi will be without one."
"No can do Arbiter." Johnson said regretfully. "None of our Minors are packing, so you can't either."
"So what am I supposed to do if things go wrong? Run?" He was really starting to have second thoughts about insisting that he was the only one that could do this now.
"That would probably be your best option."
"I am no Unggoy!"
"Well you are certainly starting to whine like one." Rtas said with a smirk. The Arbiter had to resist the urge to hit him.
"Are you done yet? I want to get this over with." He grumbled.
Johnson turned to Cortana. "You getting a reading from the device?"
"Crystal clear Sergeant Major." Cortana replied.
"Alright, you are good to go Arbiter. Just remember…."
"I know!" The Arbiter snapped as he turned and started walking away. He got a few steps away when something bumped against his leg and he looked down sharply to shout a curse. The frustrated Sangheili quickly checked his temper when he saw it was Vl'asuna.
"Peace Maiken." She said. "But do not let go of your anger, so long as you keep it for the one that deserves it. In this case…your frustration may be useful in trapping the one we seek."
"Huh?" The Arbiter said, not quite understanding.
"Kesi likely targets those that are not satisfied with how things are." She explained. "He could be using their frustration to bend their minds to his cause. So long as you keep the truth in your heart and keep away the traitors poison you will succeed. Ramekozu sides with the righteous and the good of heart, so he is with you so long as you keep your motives true."
Ramekozu… He thought as he watched Vl'asuna wander off. One of her gods. Do I dear claim her gods as my own? Do I dare call upon their aid in time of need? Would they accept me as one of their followers?
They were questions that have been burning holes in his head for the last couple days now. From what he understood the gods, or Messengers are they technically were, didn't really care if you worshiped them or not, so long as you followed the Mother's will. From what Azuwezia herself told him, the Messengers of his world had abandoned his people, likely out of frustration when they started believing the Prophets were gods incarnate.
His feet moved on their own as he contemplated such matters, searching his soul for the answer. He could almost 'feel' the answer right in front of him, just barely out of reach. No matter how far he tried to reach for it, it kept slipping out of his grasp. Then it slammed into him when he realized he had answered it already but just didn't recognize it.
It doe not matter who you worship or how… He thought as he stopped his tracks, trembling slightly from the revelation. Live your life the best you can so long as you do no harm to others without due cause. That is what matters, that is want is important. The Arbiter felt as if a giant weight was lifted off his back, off his soul. He felt a kind of renewed strength and will to keep going, no matter what the challenge ahead.
Kesi… He thought with a faint growl as he looked around at the mix of human and Sangheili around him. He got moving again and started thinking about all that Kesi had done and might have done. The murder of Niko and the human, the attempted assassination of myself, the possible murder of Shipmaster 'Yitum and who knows who else on the 'Righteous Justice'... The more he thought about what Kesi had done, the angrier he started to get. Remembering what Vl'asuna told him, he tempered it so it would not cloud his thinking and instead molded it so that he could use it against Kesi when the bastard found him.
Kesi was starting to get frustrated and worried. The two Sangheili he thought he could win over proved to be either too loyal to their leaders or too afraid to make such a stand. Then again, he was dealing with Minors, a rather unpredictable caste when it came to reliability. A part of him wanted to kill them, to keep them from reporting him in to their superiors. However he knew that his identity was probably compromised, so it didn't really matter if he killed them or not. Killing them would not have been easy anyway as they were too close to more populated areas. He wasn't going to give up though: surely there was at least one Minor he could convince on this forsaken station!
As he wandered the corridors he spied a Minor that was casually leaning up against a wall, looking a bit upset. Maybe this one? He thought as he approached the Minor. "What is wrong brother?" He asked, playing the part of a concerned Sangheili. "You seemed troubled."
The Minor snorted darkly, eyeing him with a mildly suspicious look. "Are you here to tell me to be something I am not as well?" He replied in a rich baritone voice.
Kesi tilted his head in mild confusion. "Something you are not?" He echoed questioningly.
"I am a warrior." The Minor explained. "Yet I have not seen any fighting since I finished my training."
Perfect! Kesi thought, having to fight hard to keep a happy grin off his face. "I see where you are coming from brother." He said sympathically. "Warriors like us do not do well in times of peace."
"Indeed." The Minor agreed. "If I had known the war would have been over by the time my training was complete I would not have signed up for it. How am I to advance in my skills if there is no one to fight?"
"And how are we to advance in rank if there is no one to kill." Kesi added. "Alas…we Minors seem to be doomed to be stuck as we are for some unknown amount of time, perhaps until we become too old to be of use…."
"Surely there must be something." The Minor growled. "I do not wish to be stuck as a Minor for the rest of my life!"
"There may be…something…." Kesi offered.
"Oh? What?" The Minor looked interested.
"These humans…what do we owe them?" Kesi said, gesturing to the masses just out of ear shot. "If we had not joined their side when we learned of the Prophet's treachery, they would be extinct by now. They owe us their very existence.…"
"I am not following."
"They would be nothing without us." Kesi explained quietly. "Yet our leadership insists on treating them as equals! They are inferior to us…and we should be ruling over them."
"The humans would never allow themselves to become our servants." The Minor cautioned.
"Not willingly of course." Kesi said with a grin. "That is why we must beat them into submission, as we nearly did before the Great Schism."
"And how are we to do this? We are only two…"
Kesi chuckled. "There are more like us my friend; we even have our own ship."
"How did you…?" The Minor started to ask but Kesi cut him off with a finger to his mandibles.
"To say more here is too risky." He chided. "Come with me, I know of a place where we can discuss this more without the risk of prying ears…" Kesi turned and beckoned for the Minor to follow as he walked away. Looking back he saw the Minor hesitate briefly before following. He is interested for certain, but not completely won over. If he proved to be too difficult to win over completely, he would have to die.
Damn you Kesi… The Arbiter thought, realizing that he had nearly believed traitor's silver laced words. Fortunately, as Vl'asuna had told him, the truth he held in his heart protected him, enabling him to see the half truths for what they were. One thing for certain, if his claim of having a ship was true, Shipmaster 'Yitum had to be dead, along with who knows how many other Sangheili aboard that would have opposed Kesi. Another thing though which he had to agree with Kesi was the problem with stagnate ranks: since there rank system was based on kill counts, a lot of Sangheili won't be going anywhere rank wise for some time. It was a problem he will have to discuss with the Councilors about when this was over, provided he got out of this alive.
For now though he had to focus on the here and now. He knew he had to follow the man to keep up his ruse, but he was too close for him to risk contacting the others. So for now he had to continue to pretend to be interested in Kesi's schemes. The Arbiter worried about how long he could continue to play the part, with it being uncertain on when he could contact his friends. A couple of times when he was certain Kesi wasn't looking he tapped on his commlink, hoping to get Rtas' attention. However he got no confirmation that they got what he was trying to communicate and he was now mentally kicking himself for not having commline open during the conversation. Then again, that would have been tricky to pull off without Kesi noticing that his line was open, seeing that he was in the recently departed Niko's armor.
Kesi led him to what looked like an old observation post within the station. The equipment had long been removed with only a couple of empty husks were the electronics had once been here and there. One side of the long room was nothing but glass, affording the view of a large room below where he could see various humans working. There were no other windows along the walls and he could only see one exit, plus the walls looked rather thick. The Arbiter realized at once why he was brought here: if Kesi felt he couldn't convince him he would kill him and no one would be the wiser. He couldn't help but feel a bit afraid for his life and he had to take a couple of deep breaths to calm himself.
A muffled sound drew his attention, causing him to turn around to see Kesi dragging a bound human from behind one of the console husks. He also noticed something else: Kesi now had the handle of an energy blade on his hip. The Arbiter now knew he was really in a fix: not only was Kesi now armed, but he had a hostage as well with no way to contact his friends without Kesi knowing.
He was starting to prefer being stuck in that hospital room.
A/N: Just a note to let you know that I now know that this fic will be a total of 17 Chaps (which are finished besides a bit of 15 and some likely tweaking to the others). Unless I get a sudden great idea that's not likely going to change.