Author's Note; Ok, thank you everyone who reviewed my first chapter! You've all inspired me to write more; don't worry, Master and Chief;I understand the Preds.aren't invincible. The Chief will fight one in the next chapter. Obsidian13; yea, I kinda figured I wasn't the first. Raven-Marss2000-I agree; the Chief vs. both Aliens andPreds is good idea, and a fun one! Jango19999- thanks! I'm glad you think so. And Crow T R0bot- I understand it was a bit rushed. I will revise that later.

Ok- on to Chapter 2!

Chapter II:

Uncertain Alliances

"Quiet, Tinkerbell!"

The Arbiter was surprised at how callous this…human was in front of the holy Oracle. His fellow warriors, the Sanghelli, or "Elites", as the humans called them, dared not even speak in the presence of a holy Oracle, much less insult one.

"Johnson, watch it," called the other, smaller human. "Where would one go to activate the rings?" it asked.

The oracle, which called itself 343 Guilty Spark, replied, as if it was an obvious question,

"Why, the Arc, of course".

The Arbiter stepped forward. For centuries, Arbiters had served the Covenant in times of extreme crisis. And every time, the Arbiter had somehow died a quick, swift death. Missions the Arbiters undertook were usually suicidal or insane; the most notable feats the Arbiters of the past had accomplished were the Taming of the Hunters, and the failed Grunt Rebellion, only thirty five units ago. This Arbiter, the former commander-in-chief of the Covenant Armada, who had become the Arbiter after his disgrace, stood tall and proud, the arrogance of a former Zealot still shining through his eyes. He stepped forward asked;

"And where, Oracle, is that?"

"Hmm. Give me a moment to study Installation 05's data banks". There was a long pause, before the construct answered, "I am sorry. Despite my best efforts, there is no mention of the Arc in Installation 05's database. Installation 04 was the primary data housing center of the Installations; Installation 05 was the-"

"Just tell us where to go to find this 'Arc'" the small human said.

"Very well. We could go to the remains of Installation 04; if the primary data archives are still relatively intact, we can search through them to find the Arc's location" 343 Guilty Spark chirped.

"Alright, then. I'll signal a Phantom to pick us up outside. Carry those who cannot walk; we're going now" the Arbiter growled. An Elite Zealot, whose legs were torn off, thanks to Tartarus' Gravity Hammer, had to be hoisted between two other Spec Ops Elites. Together, the humans and Elites walked outside into the crisp air outside the Control Center. 343 Guilty Spark hovered behind them.

"I have contacted the Monitor of Installation 05. He will oversee the manual override of this installation while we go to Installation 04" it said. The Arbiter nodded at the creature as a Covenant Spectre pulled up next to the group. An Elite wearing white armor dismounted; this was Solarnee' Putantee, the Spec Ops Elite commander. Bits of armor were missing, small holes blasted in different places in his armor. Purple blood splattered his formerly pristine armor; but he still had his traditional Energy Sword clipped to his side.

"By the Gods! Arbiter, did you defeat Tartarus? And what are they doing with you?" Solarnee' asked, looking at the humans.

"We joined forces to defeat Tartarus. We will form an effective peace treaty, I suppose, before our Phantom arrives. How many of our forces survived the battle between the Jiralhanae?" the Arbiter asked.

"Many of our best warriors fell to the Jiralhanae. Those brutes. Two of our best warriors," Solarnee' began, gesturing towards the occupants of the Spectre, "survived the battle. A pair of Lekgolo and half a platoon of Unggoy are waiting on the cliff top. We managed to salvage this and another Spectre, three Ghosts, two Banshees, and one Wraith mortar tank" Solarnee growled.

The Arbiter was shocked. This was a huge loss; this area was the last concentration of Covenant Forces in the area, and from battling the Flood and each other, the majority of these forces had been decimated.

"I have signaled a Phantom. It is coming to pick us up. Can you hail a ship?" The Arbiter asked Solarnee'.

"Already done, Arbiter. The Pious Inquisitioner is orbiting our position, waiting for our Phantoms" Solarnee said.

A loud roaring noise suddenly came from beyond the cliffs. The Arbiter and Solarnee' tensed, knowing the sound instantly of that of a human Warthog.

"Human vehicles! More allies to join our cause" the Arbiter muttered as the three Warthogs rounded the bend, followed by a human dropship. A large tank, called by the humans a "Scorpion", hung from the back of the dropship.

"Halt! In the name of the UNSC!" the lead marine called.

"Hold your fire, Stacker! We've made a temporary alliance with the Covenant! Hold your fire!" the small human called.

"Ma'am? Are you sure these Covenant bastards," the marine called, gesturing towards the Arbiter with a flick of his rifle, "didn't brainwash you?"

The other marine stepped forward.

"What you got, a corn cob in your ear, son? These Elites saved us from the leader of the Brutes, and you have a mind to kill them? Hell no, boy!" the other marine yelled.

Another Spectre hovered up. It was driven by one Elite, but to the Arbiter's surprise, two humans rode on the flanks of the vehicle, while an Elite Councilor rode on the back gun.

The Arbiter recognized the Marines; these were the Marines he had saved from execution by the Jiralhanae. Apparantly, the peace treaty had spread quickly.

"Whoa! Mira, look! It's him! That Elite that made the deal with Johnson!" one marine yelled as he dismounted, pointing at the Arbiter.

The Human dropship had landed; several of it's occupants leapt out. They wore black suits with helmets; the Arbiter recognized them as human OSDT's, or "Helljumpers". These were formidable fighters; incredibly tough, and specially trained. The only human fighters who could best them in the field of combat were the human "SPARTANS". But they were supposedly all dead, except for one, the Demon who destroyed Installation 04.

"Johnson! Keyes! Are we glad to see you! We thought everyone aboard In Amber Clad was lost!" one human pilot called.

"Whatcha got there, marine?" the one human asked.

"Sir! We were hauling this tank, and some more heavy weapons when In Amber Clad was attacked by the flood. We quick gathered what we could and took off! Three more Pelicans made it off, carrying their Warthogs. They're back a ways, hidden from the Flood. Sir, would you mind telling me why you are with these…aliens?" the pilot asked, looking at the Arbiter with a mixture of distaste and fear. The Arbiter merely looked back at the human; it glared at him.

"These here Elites are our allies, now. Their Prophets have supposedly lied to them; them and the Hunters and Grunts have left the Covenant to fight with us" Keyes said.

"Well, then. That puts things in perspective. Any word on the Master Chief?" the pilot asked.

"None yet. We lost contact after he supposedly took down the Prophet of Regret" Keyes answered.

The Phantom arrived; it hovered meters above the ground, the gravity lift humming with energy.

"Arbiter? By the Gods! Don't worry; we know of the alliance between the humans. Get aboard; the Pious Inquisitioner is preparing to transition back home" the voice of an Elite said. The Arbiter shook his head.

"No. We're not going home. Not yet. Set coordinates for the holy ring" he said.

"But we're right-wait, the first ring? Why, Arbiter? There's nothing there but destroyed rubble and remnants!" the Elite called.

"I'll explain on the way. Let's just go!"

The Human warthogs took off, obviously heading for their Pelicans. After fifteen units, the three Pelicans appeared on the horizon. The four Pelicans and the Phantom took off, streaking towards the sky.

Above, the Covenant Armada was slowly tearing itself apart. Jiralhanae and Sanghelli controlled ships fought for dominace in the skies above.

A blinding flash of light erupted from the remains of the Covenant city, High Charity. On closer inspection, it was a ship! A large ship, it was surprisingly fast; in a blink of an eye, it disappeared into Slipspace.

The Arbiter relaxed into his crash seat and peered out one of the observation ports. The Pious Inquisitioner, an older, smaller cruiser, awaited above; dozens of Seraph fighters patrolling around it.

"We'll be entering the hangar shortly" the pilot said.

"Give me a line to the commander. I must speak to him" the Arbiter said.

The commander of the Pious Inquisitioner was the Arbiter's former student, an Elite Zealot by the name of Poturmee' Zangazee. He was second in command by the time the first holy ring was destroyed; he had taken over command of the grand Armada after the Arbiter's disgrace.

"Arbiter? Is that you?" came Poturmee's voice.

"Yes. It is I. Are we ready to jump?"

"As soon as you and your allies are onboard" he replied.

"Get ready to jump. Delegate command to the Faith and Hope, and prepare for a Slipspace jump!" the Arbiter said.

A light beeped on the intercom; it was a transmission from High Charity! The Arbiter hit the intercom button and listened. A warm human voice flowed into the cockpit;

"Miranda? Johnson? Is that you aboard that Phantom?"

At the sound of their names, the two humans perked up.

"Cortana? Where are you? Is the Chief with you? We could sure use his help right now!" Keyes said.

"No. He boarded the Prophet of Truth's vessel. It's headed to Earth as we speak. Quickly, get over here now, and get me out of here!"

"Where are you? In High Charity?" it asked again.

"Yes. I'm in the main council chamber; perhaps one of your Elites can get in and rescue me" Cortana said.

"It's your call, Arbiter. Should we go get her, or come back later?" Keyes asked the Arbiter. The Arbiter paused, and finally replied;

"As you wish. Pilot! Set course for High Charity!"

The Phantom wheeled and turned in the opposite direction. Broadcasting orders to the Pelicans to keep going, and for the Pious Inquisitioner to wait, the Phantom zoomed towards High Charity.

After a unit's worth of travel, the pilot announced that they had arrived. The Arbiter stood quickly and moved towards the exit.

"I will retrieve your construct. Wait here. If I do not return, proceed without me" the Arbiter said, hopping out of the gravity lift. Watching him descend, Johnson saw the Elite snap on an energy sword and rush into High Charity.

"He'll make it. He's one tough son of a bitch" Johnson said softly, watching the Elite go.

"I hope so" Keyes replied as the doors shut behind the Elite.