Crusader

I recall that as we approached Mu, I was sleeping. Well, attempting to. My dream was a pleasant dream, of hearth, home, my wife and children. I was not on some faraway planet, I was not being shot at every few minutes, and I most certainly was not covered in the remains of some alien soldier. My slumber was peaceful, and I felt like I was at last getting some rest. Of course, however, this would not be so for long. Mik, my subordinate, roused me from my sleep.

"Kai, my friend," he started. My eyes opened, and I grumbled. I was still in my armor as I laid on my bed: Mik rarely saw me without it. I sat up and faced him, who stood leaning against the doorway to my room. "The Commander has summoned all officers to the bridge, including you and me."

"Very good," I said, taking my carbine and latching it onto my back. I sighed as I stood up on my own two feet, moving my neck back and forth, hearing some cracks within.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Mik.

"Yes, actually," said I. "Then you showed up."

Mik smirked and chuckled. "After you."

I stepped out of my room and into the hallway, spacious, yet populated by officers making their way to the bridge. Mik and I followed suit, blending in with the others.

"I assume we're nearing the planet?" I asked Mik.

"I think so," he replied. "Otherwise the commander wouldn't waste the time of so many men. I was in the middle of target practice with my two plasma rifles when, without warning, 'All field officers report to the bridge!' If he wasn't my superior that would've made me livid."

"Peculiar how I failed to hear the announcement," I commented.

Mik replied with a grunt and a nod of agreement. "Usually you're quite the light sleeper. Say, I remember you telling me earlier in the week that you sent a correspondence to Lev."

"I did, and he replied."

"What did he say?"

"He said that he was going to meet us, very soon, before we landed as a matter of fact."

"So he's aboard now?"

"Most likely."

Mik's eyes widened. He chuckled, cocked his head slightly, and smiled. He seemed quite animated at this new development. Indeed, the three of us have been close friends since childhood. War, however, has caused us to drift apart, and neither Mik nor I have seen Lev in multiple solar cycles.

"I haven't seen him in ages. How is he?"

"He said that he wanted the both of us to see for ourselves."

"Ah, Lev. Always one for theatrics, huh?"

"Hmm."

The two of us, along with the host of other officers, eventually made our way to the bridge. It was indeed spacious, but it was choked with men, all attentive to Supreme Commander Jodun 'Vorusee, clad in resplendent gold armor as he stood atop a slightly raised platform in the center of the room, an array of consoles a short distance behind him. Mik and I were stood right in front of the platform's edge. Not far from the Supreme Commander, standing on the same platform, was a zealot. We also took notice of a cloaked figure, no doubt another Sangheili. But the identity of the stranger was unknown to all in the room, save perhaps for the Commander and the zealot.

"Who do you think that one is?" asked Mik, gesturing with his eyes to the faint shimmer that was obvious to us.

"Umm… I know not," I hesitantly answered.

"Warriors," started 'Vorusee with a gruff, provincial voice. "For many of you, this will be your first ground invasion. For those veterans here who have done this before, you know well enough what to do." Suddenly, a projection of a planet materialized far above the head of 'Vorusee. "This is the Human planet of Mu. Organic life consists of native non-sentient flora and fauna along with a population of approximately seventy million Humans. No more than five hundred thousand Human military and paramilitary personnel are expected to resist our invasion. From what intelligence we have gathered so far, to the Humans this world is one of the economic centers in their empire. Losing it would deal them a terrible blow and no doubt severely hamper their war effort."

"This will almost be a standard invasion. We sweep aside any orbital defenses with our carriers and cruisers, keeping a distance and engaging in close combat only when absolutely necessary. Seraphs and spaceworthy Banshees are to be deployed immediately to guard against any Human strikecraft. The Everlasting Salvation itself will exit slipspace within the atmosphere of the planet… here, above an urban conglomeration." 'Vorusee gestured to an area on the planet highlighted, with a depiction of a Human city. "This is to facilitate the deploying of ground troops rapidly over the Humans' largest urban area, striking at the enemy where they are most vulnerable, and where they least expect it. Intelligence states that they do not know we are coming, which will only sweeten the kill. Additional ground forces are to be deployed in wide-open spaces such as flatlands outside the urban areas, from which we will sweep aside organized Human resistance. We will humble them in this invasion with such strength."

"Now, overriding my opinion on the matter, the fleet's Council of Masters has instructed me to utilize the contingent of Jiralhanae the Ministry of Resolution has assigned us, so they shall be deployed alongside our forces in urban areas. We must endure this, my warriors. For the Great Journey."

Slight groaning and grumbling faintly echoed in the bridge, which was not stopped by 'Vorusee, who only nodded in solemn agreement.

"Now, many of you may wonder why there are zealots present. Indeed, the Ministry of Fervent Intercessions has saw it fit to deploy a modest group of them in assisting our conquest of this planet. For further elaboration on this, I defer to Zealot Irin 'Shonunee."

Zealot 'Shonunee stepped forward as 'Vorusee moved slightly back.

"Brave warriors," started 'Shonunee, "myself and my comrades would not be here had we not discovered the presence of several Forerunner artifacts present on Mu."

Quiet murmuring soon rang out throughout the room, but was quickly silenced with a gesture from 'Shonunee.

"Indeed, the Forerunners have left several of their holy works on this world called Mu, scattered across the planet, revealed to us by this fleet's Luminaries. The great host before me shall assist us in securing these relics, for the Humans have indeed, with their morbid curiosity and perverse nature, have disturbed the artifacts' holy sepulchers."

Most of the officers in the room were greatly perturbed, filled with disgust at this news, and I could also hear a few cries of outrage. Once again, the room was silenced by the gesture of 'Shonunee.

"The Humans in their infinite depravity have… removed the relics from their holy sites, placing them in their own facilities under heavy armed guard. I understand all of your outrage, and now we must channel that righteous fury into action by attacking these facilities and reclaiming the Forerunner artifacts. However, we must take care, for assuredly, no man here would wish any sort of harm unto the sacred relics."

There was a brief pause, punctuated by faint whispers and murmuring. Then, 'Shonunee continued.

"Now, your Commander told you that this would almost be a standard invasion. We shall not glass this world. We are conquering it. It shall be ours, used as we see fit. And so the Hierarchs, in their great wisdom and magnanimity, have seen fit to dub this operation a Crusade."

The host of officers, including Mik and I, were roused with excitement. A Crusade? Such an event has not happened in any of our lifetimes. The honor of even participating in such a glorious struggle is truly enormous. Not only would we be forever immortalized in the annals of history, all previous dishonors would be wiped clean, our souls purified of our failings in the past. Such a hallowed privilege comes about sparingly, and so we must all count ourselves blessed with fortune.

"What is a Crusade without a Crusader?" asked 'Shonunee, whose speaking silenced the crowd. "Here he is, named such by the Hierarchs themselves. Behold… Lev 'Mannimar!"

Mik and I were both astonished. "Lev?" we uttered with complete disbelief.

Lev decloaked, appearing before the great host in a magnificent platinum armor, shining, chrome-like, blue lines glowing with power running throughout. His helmet was constructed to mimic the aesthetic of a Forerunner Sentinel, one of the automatons tasked with safeguarding hallowed Forerunner sites. Aside from his armor, he also had a silver cape, emblazoned with the symbol of the Covenant. At his hip I saw the hilt of his personal energy sword, but it appeared to be different from an example one might see on a given officer. It was larger, to be held with two hands, and mainly used in hacking and slashing attacks rather than stabbing.

He saw us. I know of this because he looked straight at us, and nodded ever so slightly. Because of that I knew that he remembered us. He remembered us as he stood upon a lofty pillar, raised there by the Holy Hierarchs due to his devotion and strength of arms, for no ordinary Sangheili could possibly be honored with such a title otherwise.

Then, he began to speak. "My brothers," he began with a voice that commanded attention, firm yet gentle, soothing yet asserting, booming yet soft. "I have been chosen by the most Holy Hierarchs to lead you all into a glorious victory that will be sung in praises and glory for generations to come. For too long the Humans have raped the planet of Mu, graced with Forerunner sites. No longer. Today we begin a grand struggle to liberate this hallowed planet from the disease of Humanity, purifying it of its sickness. This Crusade is also one of conquest, not destruction. We shall not glass the surface of this world, instead preserving it for our children and our children's children. They shall inherit this world. We shall bring it into our sacred Covenant, one which Sangheili of the future will call home. I myself will call this planet home once our victory is complete."

"Do not hesitate, my brothers. Do not waver. Do not give up. For I am with you, I, the sword of the Hierarchs and of the Covenant. And do not fear dishonor. This Crusade will secure a place for all of us in the Great Journey. All past transgressions will be forgiven, and we all shall be seen as heroes. Now please… bow your heads for my benediction."

And so we did. Lev raised his hands above his head, outstretching his arms before the crowd.

"With the powers invested in me by the Most Holy Hierarchs, guided by the Sacred Oracles who were created by the Divine Forerunners, and with the awesome promise of the power of the Sacred Rings, the Holy Halos, for the sake of the Great Journey, I bless you all who undertake this Crusade, for the remission of sins, and the assurance of a place in the Great Journey, and in the existence to come. So be it."

"So be it," we all said.

"In the name of the Forerunners…"

We clasped our hands together above our heads.

"…and of the Great Journey…"

Our clasped hands moved down to our upper chests, just below our mandibles.

"…and of the Sacred Rings."

We let go of our hands, bringing them back up to above our heads, clasping them again. This movement formed a ring: a Halo.

"So be it." We repeated that saying, ending our prayer.

"Prepare for deployment, warriors," Lev commanded. "Soon we enter into battle. Go forth."

With that, the host of warriors began to disperse, although a few very devout men chose to approach the Crusader, and profess their admiration and request additional blessings. He granted such requests, upon which those firm believers departed from him. Mik and I stayed for more personal reasons, and the two of us approached.

"You warriors have duties," said 'Vorusee to the two of us. "See to it they are carried out!"

Lev, however, gently gestured towards 'Vorusee. "Wait," he said. "I would speak with them." He walked to us, and all Mik and I could do was stare in dumbfounded awe. Our childhood friend, our dear comrade since our earliest days, our fellow student in training at the Sanghelios Planetary Academy, was at last before us after what seemed like ages of absence. And here he was, clad in the armor of a Crusader, a figure almost as revered as the Arbiters of old, a lieutenant of the Hierarchs themselves, a champion of our sacred Covenant.

"My Lord…" I said with utter reverence as I bowed my head, balled my hand into a fist, and placed it upon my chest.

Lev chuckled with amusement. "Kai, Mik – well, mainly Kai – you may dispense with the formalities. We are friends!" I looked up to see him smiling. Then, he wrapped his arms around our shoulders, and embraced us. "Ah, it has been far too long!" A brief moment passed before he let us go. "How have you fools been anyway?"

I let out a slight laugh with that comment.

"Ah, we've been surviving," said Mik. "We're not dead yet, so that counts for something."

"Indeed," Lev said.

"So, I take it you've finally adopted Tower over Common?" I asked.

Now, there are several dialects of Standard Sangheili. The two most commonly spoken are Tower and Common, also known as High and Low, respectively. The former designations are used by those who tend to speak in Common, while the latter are mainly used by those who speak Tower. Common, as the name suggests, is the dialect of a majority of Sangheili, spoken by the peasantry, the urban and rural poor, those who live in rather modest keeps, and those who speak Sangheili as a second language. Tower is, what some would say, a more refined dialect of Standard. More elegant, poetic, ancient. Spoken by the high nobility, the politicians, the ruling class, the elites of Sangheili society, as well as many San'Shyuum. Those who live in lofty towers will indeed grow up speaking Tower, or as they call it, High Sangheili. To them, what they see as Low Sangheili is a corruption of the language, rather than a simplification of it in its standardization.

"Ah…" started Lev, who seemed almost slightly embarrassed. "Something I kept from the Academy. It seems like you did too."

"I confess to using it about as often as Common."

"Well, I do not blame you. Tower is a beautiful dialect, if a bit dense."

"Yeah, I prefer keeping it simple though."

"Low Sangheili does have a certain charm to it."

"Anyway!" suddenly uttered Mik. "It has been too long, friend. By the Gods, how much you have changed. You got… taller!"

Lev laughed and shook his head. "No, that is actually the armor," he admitted. "It adds a few zuurs." Now, a zuur is a unit of measurement in Sangheili culture, virtually identical to a Human inch. Above that is the aul, the equivalent of a foot, then the kremla, the equivalent of a mile.

"So…" I said. "Is it true? You are… going to stay on the planet?"

"For the rest of my days," answered Lev. "I shall guard this world until my dying breath, and I shall be interred on it. This is my destiny, and I will strive to carry it out."

I glanced over to Mik, who was stone-faced, but through his eyes I could see a certain sorrow manifest, taking hold within, never, however, showing without. I knew the history between Mik and Lev. The two were closer to each other than either of them were to me, largely of my own doing: I tend to be a more reserved, aloof man than either of them, and perhaps they found in each other what they could not find in me. And now, Mik was losing Lev.

"I'll miss you," said Mik sullenly.

Lev only looked confused, his brows furrowing. "Mik, perhaps it is too early in the day to prepare my funeral pyre."

"Yeah, I know, it's not like you're dying or anything. But…"

"Hmm?"

There was a long pause.

"You won't be there," Mik continued in a low voice. "With us, when we finally cement our victory by conquering the Human homeworld. You won't be there when we revel when this war is won at last."

"You may always return to the planet once the war is concluded, where I shall welcome you with open arms."

"True…"

"My friends, I wish we could speak for the remainder of the day, but the fleet is approaching Mu. We should be exiting slipspace within the hour. Your lance awaits you two in hangar three, you should meet them before the attack begins."

"Of course," I said.

"It was damn good to see your face again, Lev," said Mik.

Lev smiled and nodded. "Likewise, dear friend."

The two of us left Lev with the Supreme Commander and the Zealot. As we walked away, I heard Lev speak to them, saying "You need not concern yourselves with the exchange those two officers and I had, and there shall be no further inquiries concerning this matter."

After some time making our way through the halls of our ship, the Everlasting Salvation – a magnificent example of a supercarrier and the flagship of the Fleet of Unbroken Conviction – we arrived at hangar three. The cavernous area was alight with activity, with Sangheili, Unggoy, and Kig-Yar all preparing for deployment, arming themselves and rallying into their respective lances. However, while most were driven with energy, I felt slightly lethargic, and moved more slowly than most. I yawned, placing my hand over my mouth to cover it up out of modesty.

Mik looked to me, puzzled by my gesture of fatigue. "You're still tired? I thought you were catching up on sleep."

"Of course," I replied, "but like I said before, you pulled me out of it."

"I offer my apologies, friend, but when your commander calls you to the bridge, you go to the bridge."

"I know."

"How long have you had sleeping problems?"

"It depends. How long have we been on campaign?"

"Oh gods, you haven't had a good night's rest for almost ten years?"

"War is a time-consuming effort, Mik."

"Not enough to take away from sleep! Just look at the Unggoy! I turn my head away for two seconds, turn back and they go into that strange position and are sleeping like childlings."

"Well, I'm no Unggoy."

"Obviously, but that doesn't preclude you from a few hours' respite."

"Other things do, however."

"Like what?"

"Well… I can't really describe it. It's… I find it concerning that we have waged war for so long and inflicted such damage against the Humans, and they don't seem to accept the inevitable."

"They're either courageous, stubborn, stupid, or all three then."

"I don't know if it's just that, honestly. What I mean to say is… we have a shoot first and ask questions never policy concerning this conflict. Have you ever just stopped to think that… maybe we should open a dialogue?"

"A dialogue? With heresy? Kai, you have that little Human holy book from New Australia. You've read it and seen what madness they believe, the dead god many of them pray to. That's how you learned a Human language, isn't it?"

Indeed, I learned the basics of the Human dialect known as English from reading this sacred text of otherworldliness. The language itself was not too dissimilar in Tower dialect in its complexity and poetry, but lacked in… in the beauty that Tower has. Of course, I did have assistance from an Engineer, whose gifts bestowed upon them by the Forerunners afforded them the ability to translate most un-Sangheili languages into Sangheili with relative ease. From there, it was simply a matter of learning myself. It did take almost a full solar cycle, but I believe the time and effort was worth it. At that time upon our arrival at Mu, I had the ability to construct basic sentences in English, allowing me to hold a simple conversation to any Human. The sounds my mouth had to utter put a slight strain on my mandibles, but it was a task not too arduous.

"Anyway," continued Mik, "what I'm trying to say is that Humanity cannot be reasoned with. It cannot be negotiated with. It cannot be understood. It can only be smashed by righteousness. Our righteousness."

"You'd be surprised, Mik. Surprised at the… complexity of these Humans."

Mik simply shrugged and shook his head, clearly not wanting to discuss this any further. I silently agreed by no longer pressing the matter, for we had other business to attend to. Mik and I had a lance to review.