Stage 14: Blood oath
Dorenth
22:03 October 24, 2552
Capital City of Jogrennilee
High Council chamber: Well of Honored Souls
The street lights flickered loosely in the night, as shadowy skyscrapers wailed in a gust of wind. The streets of Jogrennilee had never been so eerily quiet, as it was a city of bustling activity even at the latest hours of the night. Bonfires could be spotted throughout the city as corpses continued to burn. Tearful roars carried across the city as elite warriors mourned the deaths of their young and mates, while others pledged vengeance and spat upon the brute corpses.
A few jackals that were lucky enough to survive and hide after the attack failed, were quickly hunted down and torn to shreds by the enraged elites. Some of the jackals were imprisoned for information, but the jackals did not have any information worth sparing their lives. In one instance a jackal was taken out into the street, and in a barbaric display of chaos, it was beaten by a mob of angry females that had lost their young, and then ripped apart while it still lived. The elite warriors that policed the area knew that such an act was beneath them, but they allowed it to happen. When the angry mob had finished, the warriors cautiously ordered the females to their homes.
The signs were all around the council members, and they knew that order had to be reestablished otherwise the elite's honorable society would return to the old days. The days when order was merely a word, discipline did not exist, and the strong ruled with fear. Within the elite council chamber, order and discipline had once again been established. City officials from all over the world had been called together to discuss future plans and the words of the Arbiter last transmission. Each side of the stadium sized building was filled with high ranking elite officials and the members of the high council.
"We must act without haste!" An official roared from his seat. Many of the elites applauded his outcry.
"How can we act without the words of the Arbiter?" Elder Vornaldea stated from the central podium. "He fights this war, which is now well beyond our reach. Our duty is to rebuild and prepare for another advance from the brutes. The Arbiter has told us his plans, and the council has agreed. Earth is where the war will end, not here." The room grew quiet as whispers filled the room.
"How can the council condone this?" Came the cry of an official. "We have lost so much during the last twelve hours and you ask us to simply sit and wait? We won't justice and revenge! Let us send a message to the brutes and those that ally with them, let us strike fear into their hearts! I say we attack!" A massive roar of approval waved throughout the crowd of officials, as the small band of elders loosely looked around in concern. The blood oaths taken by so many throughout the day had only fueled their wrath, only a dead brute corpse killed by their own hands would appease them. Things were not going well.
"We hear your words, brothers, but you must understand." Vornaldea stated. The experienced elder had seen many battles and because of the death of elder Barremmee, the original head of the elite high council, he was now leading what was left of the high council. "Despite what you may want to believe, we have been severely weakened because of this betrayal. If we attack the brutes now, we will be defenseless on our home front. But this is also why our alliance with the grunts and hunters are of such importance now. Once we have strengthened our bonds to them, and rebuild the planetary defenses, then we shall seek the wisdom of the Arbiter and justly decide on our actions against the Covenant. We, the members of the high council, beg for you to have patience. According to law, only our military leader can grant permission to attack. And I am sure that the Arbiter will approve of this, but not until our defenses have been reestablished." The crowd once again mumbled to themselves, and several nodding heads amongst the group seemed to show acceptance of the elder's words. "Now I would like to welcome representatives of those we have wounded because of our shameful trust within the Covenant. We were fooled into hating the humans because of the prophet's teachings, and we have always misused the grunts. For those of you who are not aware of this, the grunts are the reason we are here today, and the reason Jogrennilee did not fall." Elder Vornaldea turned and waved to the two creatures at his side. Palab and Eric both stood and walked toward the elder. Neither wanted the spot light or praise, but they both knew that they represented their kin.
Every elite in the stadium bowed their head, and the high councilors all dropped to their knees in a humble display of forgiveness.
"Human." Vornaldea spoke from his lowered position. "The Arbiter has gone to make peace with your kind. We have wronged your kin for far too long in this war. Your hatred for us must be severe, but yet you came to the aid of our brethren aboard the Life and Sacrifice. For this we thank you and welcome you to our world. You and your ship mates aboard will not want for anything while you are here." Vornaldea stood to his feet and placed his hand upon Eric's shoulder. "We had believed that our war with you was a holy cleansing and only now have we come to understand that this was all a lie taught to us by the prophets. We can only hope that your world leaders will approve of the Arbiter and join us in our quest to end the prophet's goals."
Eric heard the elite elder's words and he clearly understood, but deep within him there was something yearning for him to grip a weapon and make one of the elites suffer. Eric did not have any ill feelings toward the elites, but he didn't want the elites to think that forgiveness would be so easy to achieve. He wanted to show them that there was a very deep hatred within all of humanity, but such an act would only make him as barbaric as the brutes. He looked up at the elite elder and realized that he wanted him to speak, to say something to those that had just bowed to his feet. Eric approached the podium and looked across the crowd of elite faces. He then pondered if a possible ally or a temporary alliance would really work out. He was onboard the Life and Sacrifice for three days and witnessed countless scuffles between the humans and elites. Luckily there were no deaths, but surely there was great hatred. Eric had also fought an elite simply to gain respect amongst the crew of the Life and Sacrifice. Suddenly Eric realized what he had to do.
"I'm not going to bore you with some political bull." Eric stated to the officials. "I'm not a diplomat, I'm a warrior. I only understand actions, and you have killed countless humans in what you believed to be the right thing. We fought for our survival while you attempted genocide on humanity. Humanity will not forgive you, no more then your warriors will accept us. But what I can say is that your society is built upon honor and strength. If my platoon wishes to gain your respect, then they must earn it. As their leader, I place myself in the position to gain that respect." The crowd began to grow restless at the humans words. Admitting that they were wrong was one thing, but giving a human even more respect then he had already received was beyond comprehension.
Eric continued, "You say you welcome us to your world, and that your Arbiter has gone to make peace. I ask you, will you respect us? Will the honor of the elites allow you all to respect a species that you have defeated so easily in combat? You have beaten us back for thirty years, forcing us back into our home system, and now at the end, when we believe that all is lost, you come to us with an open hand. I have studied your society, your actions, your classes, and I know that you will not respect us. To you, we are no different then the grunts."
Palab looked out at the crowd, knowing that Eric's words were true. "You are a pride filled society, and even though you wronged us, you will only see yourselves as better then us, not equal. But who am I to change hundreds or thousands of years of elite history. What I say is to allow me to earn the respect for all of my kind. Regardless of what happens with the peace talks on Earth, let me be the representative that earns humanities approval."
"Do you know what you are saying, sergeant?" Ship master Domadree stated from his seat. He sat beside Eric and Palab and was now pleading for him to accept what the council was saying. "The only thing that will give you this respect that you seek, is for you to take the trials." Domadree barked, but softly enough that only a few elders heard him.
"Captain, let him speak." Lieutenant Simyaldee stated from his seat behind Domadree. The Mirratord second grinned sharply as Eric looked back toward him. Simyaldee folded his arms and smiled. "He won't be seeking the trials alone." Palab then stepped forward, as if on cue from Simyaldee's words.
"Me too wish to earn elite respect for me kind." Palab stated as he stood at Eric's side near the podium. The crowd seemed even more anxious at the little grunts words. "With respect come freedom to do as will. With respect come better opportunity for grunts. With human, we seek to take trials." A roar of confusion and outcry erupted from the officials, but the elders new better then underestimate the grunt messiah.
"We cry for revenge and to rebuild our world, we do not have the time to allow these outsiders to undertake our most sacred of traditions!" A sudden outcry came from the officials. Vornaldea felt that this outcry would come, but he never imagined that they would seek the trials.
"Here me brothers." Vornaldea stated as he stood at Eric's side. The crowd slowly settled down to hear the head councilor speak. "We say that we want to accept them, to allow them into our society, and to have peace with them. But now we tell them that our traditions are not for them? This way of thinking is not acceptable if we are to establish piece between our kinds. The hunters have gained our respect through deeds, but the humans have not fought by our side until this day. The grunts have not had a leader until this day. This day is new, brothers. We must think differently. We must learn to open our way of thinking if things are going to change."
Eric and Palab walked clear of the main hall while the elites deliberated the request to take the trials. Beside them walked Captain Domadree, Lieutenant Simyaldee and two members of the Mirratord. They reached the main exit of the building and were greeted by an approaching phantom. A crowd slowly formed around the group, all wanting to see the new leader of the grunts and the human that had assisted one of their ships. The crowd of elites consisted of young males and females of all ages, all filled with curiosity. Suddenly one of the young males dashed forward and threw a small stone at Palab's feet.
"Grunts have no place in our ranks!" The elite roared in their native tongue. Palab didn't understand the elite's words but he snarled in disapproval.
"Take him away!" Simyaldee stated as one of his Mirratord guards grabbed the young elite and pinned him to the ground. "Such lack of discipline is unbecoming. What has happened to our youth?"
"Our young have been taught much differently then we were in our youth." Domadree stated while shacking his head in shame. "Truly this is more of the prophets' doing. Their teachings within our academies have greatly influenced the young, they do not uphold he old traditions of our ancestors. The prophets taught them conquest and battle, not honor and wisdom." Domadree thought of Gridolee and how he also showed great hatred toward all other creatures.
"You are correct brother." Simyaldee added. The gravity lift to the phantom shined upon the ground and the group boarded. Eric remained silent while Palab cautiously looked around, wondering if any other young warriors would attempt to stone him. "Sergeant Palab, please forgive the rudeness of the young one. He suffers from the teachings of the prophets. Our academies for the young will need to be evaluated before teachings can continue."
"Me understand." Palab replied as they reached the top of the gravity lift. "How long till council decides?"
"Hopefully it won't take too long." Eric added as he pressed himself against the oddly shaped chair. "But most political decisions aren't made until all the options are weighed. I'm sure the council will try to decide if we can be successful in these trials, and what the repercussions will be if we are successful. By the way, what are the trials, and what have I gotten myself into? I thought I'd just have to fight one of the elders or something."
Simyaldee smirked softly at the human's words and replied, "No sergeant Raynord. Simply fighting one with respect is not the only way to earn acceptance. In times of none conflict, and for our young to earn the right to join our military, we inducted the trials. It is our oldest tradition, once used to determine which of us would be the tribe leader, before we became civilized. We continue it today as it is our only connection to our ancestors. I recommended to Sergeant Palab that he take the trial, and show all elites that grunts are worthy of our elegance; as equals."
"Me see that you want elite respect too." Palab added. "Me say you take trails as well."
"Great." Eric smirked. He folded his arms and sighed softly. "So what is it? You seem to avoiding that piece of info."
"The trials detail a warrior's ability to overcome three major obstacles: agility, strength, and perception." Simyaldee stated as he paced in the center of the phantom. "For agility you will need to use all of your senses to maneuver through a series of complex and dangerous paths. Strength is the simplest of the test, merely showing that you can kill a Dabdough. Perception is the hardest part for all our warriors, and I can not tell you what it involves because it is always different."
"Sounds like boot camp." Eric laughed as he reflected on his first day of basic training at the UNSC facility in South America. "Is there a time limit to the trials?"
"Yes, you will have six units to complete it." Captain Domadree replied. "It may appear to be a large length of time, but most warriors can not complete it within five units. The trials are designed to push your mental and physical abilities to their extremes." Domadree suddenly laughed as he looked towards lieutenant Simyaldee. "But there was one who holds the record for the best time. His time was an amazing three and forty units. He was later tested again, some feared that he had cheated the first time, but his second score was only slightly slower."
"The major is quite the warrior." Simyaldee laughed in return. "No other warrior has ever come close to his scores. Unless you look back to the times before the Covenant, but even our ancestors scores can not compare to his."
"Captain Domadree, sir." The pilot stated over his shoulder. "We'll be docking at the Life and Sacrifice in just a moment. Your new registry number has been given to your command crew."
"Very well." Domadree replied. "Radio for landing clearance and have the dueling room prepared when we arrive. I will prepare sergeant Raynord for the trials as best I can. If the council allows him to take the trials, he will be ready."
Simyaldee replied with a nod, "Yes, I will do the same with sergeant Palab. However, I don't believe it will be required. He has served with us for quite some time and is familiar with most of our weaponry."
"What if we fail?" Eric suddenly stated.
"Failure is not an option, sergeant." Simyaldee stated. "If you fail the trials, you will most likely not get a second chance. Death is possible for a human."
"Do not underestimate the strength of sergeant Raynord." Domadree smirked. "I haven't told you this, but he did defeat Gridolee in hand to hand combat."
Simyaldee quickly focused and brought his eyes level with Eric's, "I see. Then perhaps you and the Demon, your Master Chief, have some similarities."
"I'm not a Spartan, but I'm not normal either." Eric sulked. He thought about Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan 117, and how he had landed on the Halo ring world. As an ONI operative he was allowed to read the Master Chiefs mission debriefing report and it was like something out of a science fiction novel, not reality. Now that the covenant knew who he was they insisted on calling him "Demon", and he struck fear amongst them all. In the end Halo had to be destroyed and from what Siren had discovered, the destruction of the first Halo was the precursor for the elites' downfall. The Master Chief had single handedly brought the elites and humans together, but for now Eric knew that he had to do his small part for the sake of humanity.
He thought of his earlier days and how he wanted to be a hero, how he dreamed of fighting alongside the Spartans and saving the world. But he was not a Spartan and nor could he ever hope to become one. Ackerson's Spartan III research had made him better then normal, and Doctor Smith's help gave him the chance to fight, but his dreams of being a hero died the day he watched Kim cry out his name in death.
As Eric exited the Phantom he saw the soft smile of Rose glaring at him from the landing deck of the Life and Sacrifice. He had almost forgotten how sexy she was in military fatigues. She saluted along with four other soldiers at her side, as Eric returned the gesture. She smiled happily to see him. Eric smirked in return.
"How'd it go?" Rose questioned, as she kept a respectable distance from Eric while in the presence of the other soldiers.
"Not sure yet." Eric replied. "We should know something eventually."
"It's a start, I guess." Rose replied. "Well I've got to go, I'm trying to learn more about those odd engineer creatures, and Siren's assisting me on learning more about the slip space drive and more Marine regulations. Permission to leave, sir?"
"Dismissed." Eric stated with a calm voice.
"Sir, we have the reports you wanted." Stated another soldier, but Eric simply focused on Rose. With a wink and a smile Rose ran off, and Eric watched her figure sway as she went. He couldn't deny her beauty, she was one of the most attractive women on the ship, even though she wasn't his type. Rose was slowly accepting the new life she had been given and Eric was finding that more attractive then the business persona she had on Earth, and he was slowly struggling with resisting her female prowess. The roles had reversed slightly and now Rose was seeing his side of things. Making weapons and improving Earth's defenses was a noble cause, but they were no longer on Earth. This time things could be different. This time he was surely going to keep his friends alive. This time he would do everything in his power to be a hero.
The Nest
Asteroid field Quadrant 76.98
14:12 October 22, 2552
Covenant Space
The shotgun flared loudly as another drone crashed to the floor. The spray from the barrel of the M90 left nothing of the creatures head. The armor clad warrior stepped back and reloaded the depleted ammo. Scattered across the floor were dozens of insect bodies, all killed by one foe; a Spartan.
"Ammo is low doctor." Kelly 087 stated into her com. "I advise a little more speed on your end. I don't think I can take another wave of these things."
"I have it!" Doctor Catherine Halsey stated with a stern sense of joy. "Fall back to the pickup point and I'll meet you there." A green indicator light flashed upon Catherine's monitor as she observed the Spartan's vitals. She slid her chair over slightly and activated the ships navigations system. From her workbench she had full control over the ship, a side project she had done during the long flights in slip space, and she set the course to the far side of the asteroid. She cursed as a strand of hair fell over her eyes. She quickly pulled up her hair, wrapped it into a bun and with a quick stab of a pencil she secured in place. She pressed several keystrokes on the terminal and a visual of the tiny asteroid appeared at her side. In front of her she saw the small outline of a figure sprinting through a covered tunnel along the asteroids surface. However, flying in the darkness of space beyond the asteroid were dozens of the drone creatures. "Kelly, you're headed straight for a massive group of them! We'll have to try another extraction spot." After a moment the green indicator flashed and Kelly stopped running. She sat motionless on Catherine's screen as the ship slowly approached her location. Catherine retrieved the data she had just found from the forerunner database and began to pry through the prophet's data with reckless speed.
"Of all the times not to have an AI." Catherine whispered. She suddenly found the layout for the asteroid docking station and peered through it quickly. She soon found a path that would lead Kelly to the far side of the asteroid. She uploaded the map and the navigation marker into a package and uploaded it into Kelly's MJOLNIR HUD. "Follow the path, I'll meet you there. You may have to free float for a while, but I'll pick you up." A green light flashed on Kelly's vitals and Catherine quickly changed the ships heading.
Kelly stood from her hidden position and checked the hallway to make sure it was clear. She then slung her M90 shotgun and slammed a fresh clip into her assault rifle. She turned a corner and sprinted several yards from the way she came. She then left that path by entering a larger room. The path lead through the center of the asteroid and Kelly noticed that her body began to feel lighter then normal. She soon realized that she was running through an incomplete section of the asteroid, and gravity had yet to be installed. She switched running styles as she recalled her zero-G training. She took longer strides and propelled herself with one leg. Her heads up display showed thirty meters to the new extraction point. The lights in this section of the ship were not functioning and visibility was reduced to almost zero. She switched to night vision and a super imposed image of the hallway appeared. There was still no sign of any hostiles on her radar so she continued to glide without concern. Suddenly she spotted movement ahead of her, and her radar bleeped red. She reached out for the wall and grabbed a small piece of outcropping from the asteroid. She planted her feet and waited for more of the bugs to show up. On cue three more of the drones entered her path.
Kelly ripped back the hammer of the assault rifle and leveled her aim. She leaned forward to compensate for the lower gravity and picked a target. She waited for the right moment, hoping the bugs would fly off, but two of the bugs quickly darted into the hall with their plasma pistols blazing widely. Their vision in the dark aided them but their aim was terrible. Kelly primed a frag grenade and lobbed it softly down the hall. The grenade floated much longer then normal and detonated in mid air, directly between the two bugs. They shrieked in pain as dust filled the hall. Kelly then exploded forward, her rifle ready to shoot the first thing that came into view. The flap of wings caught her ear and a drone appeared only a few feet in front of her. She kicked sideways at the wall and propelled herself to the opposite side, firing sustained burst into the fragile creature. The second drone then made its presence known and fired a few shots into Kelly's shields. Unfazed by the shots, Kelly turned and emptied her clip into the drone. Gravity began to increase and Kelly found herself once again running along the floor. She quickly pulled her shotgun from over her head and slung the assault rifle, and pumped two rounds into a drone that was floating near the ceiling. She didn't stop running and soon found herself able to move at full speed.
"Kelly, I have you on my visual, ten meters to go. Don't stop and don't look behind you." Kelly understood and winked her indicator to the doctor. She gripped her M90 with one hand and began to sprint at top speed. The constant buzz of drone wings were beating behind her in a mind numbing succession as random plasma bursts blazed all around her. Her shields began to drop lower and lower until the warning alarm sounded. A sudden burn of plasma echoed up the back of her thigh, but years of mental focus and training wouldn't let her stop running. She looked at her radar display and red dots were off the scale behind her. Directly ahead of her was a pressure door that she was eventually going to have to open.
"Doc?" Kelly stated in a huff.
"Trust me, don't stop running!" Came the reply. Kelly continued to sprint ahead, leaning forward with desperation and hopping that the drones continued to aim horribly.
"Keep moving but brace yourself!" Catherine quickly added. Suddenly the door exploded and the hallway filled with smoke and debris, but the smoke was suddenly blown out of the hallway and Kelly saw the blackness of space in front of her. She lost her footing but her forward moment continued to accelerate her forward. Soon she was floating in space and tumbled forward. She was then able to see behind her as dozens of drones began to fly out of the blown pressure door. They flew with increased agility in the weightlessness of space and even seemed to move faster. "
"Watch where you're going, Kelly." Catherine calmly stated. Kelly looked up and saw the dark hull of the ship and the cargo bay door quickly opened. She reached out and slammed into the side wall of the interior of the hanger bay. Her momentum was too fast for her to recover and stop herself.
"I'm in." Kelly stated into her com. The door to the hanger bay closed and the ship quickly accelerated away, leaving the drones dumbfounded as to what the human was doing in their home region of space. Kelly stood to her feet and sighed heavily as she began the short trip to the bridge. A sudden hum reminded her that her shield had fully recharged, and she recalled the wounds she had just received from a few lucky shots by the drones. Kelly knew that she would have to take care of the injury, but not until the tiny Chiroptera cruiser was clear of the asteroid field.
Kelly walked up the stairs spanning the three decks of the ship, and as her muscles shifted from the activity, she began to feel the plasma burns on her thigh and back. She wanted to push the pain out of her mind, but without having to focus on combat she could only reflect on the constant pain. Every step became harder and harder and her pace slowed as her focus waned. Generally a plasma burn would be of little concern, but Kelly had seen more then her fare share of action over the past few weeks, and her body was slowly making herself aware of that fact. She stopped at the top of the stairs and popped the seal of her MJOLNIR helmet. A hiss signaled that the contained environment within the armor had been breached and Kelly removed the helmet. Her hair fell to her shoulder and the sudden change in atmosphere made her perspire heavily. The sweat dripped into her eye and she leaned against the wall, dropping her helmet to the ground. The loud clang shocked her and she realized that she was loosing sensation in her fingers and her armor felt sluggish. Something was seriously wrong.
"Kelly?" Catherine stated as she ventured to the rear of the cockpit. She watched as Kelly struggled to fight the overwhelming urge to pass out. Catherine increased her pace, her shoes clanging on the metal deck, and caught the nearly seven foot women before she completely collapsed. The doctor struggled to hold Kelly's incredible weight but managed to pin her against the wall. Even in her younger days she knew that it would be impossible to support a fully armored Spartan. Thankfully, Catherine knew that the female Spartan had not blacked out yet, otherwise she would have been crushed by the sheer weight of the half ton MJOLNIR armor.
"Kelly, stay with me." Catherine shouted. She examined Kelly's eyes and watched as her pupils slowly began to rise. It wouldn't be long before she lost consciousness, but Kelly was fighting it. "I need you to move your feet and hold yourself up. I can't carry you." Catherine didn't receive a verbal response but Kelly suddenly shifted her weight and stepped forward. The doctor grabbed her by the arm, tossing it around her neck, and gripped Kelly by her supply belt.
Each step appeared to take forever as Kelly struggled in her mind to stay focused. Her balanced shifted sporadically as Catherine motioned her toward the tiny crew quarters. Catherine could no longer support Kelly's weight and she angled her as best she could toward the tiny bunk. The Spartan slammed to the floor, her shoulder taking most of the blow, and Catherine exhaled sharply. The doctor kicked off her shoes and tossed her glasses on another cot nearby. She struggled but managed to roll Kelly onto her stomach, exposing the main armor release on her back. After nearly thirty minutes of fondling the extensive controls and latches of the Mark V armor, Catherine was able to remove it and exposed Kelly's ghostly white skin. Uncountable wounds covered her super athletic figure, and Catherine covered the new plasma burns with biofoam. She quickly bandaged the wounds and fought harshly to lift Kelly's two hundred and fifty pound frame onto the bunk.
Kelly possessed less then five percent body fat, and her body was as solid as a sheet of metal. Her muscular form was not overly massive but well defined, and because of her years of training and battles she no longer had the normal features of a woman. Her breasts were barely a size B and her hips were practically none existent. From behind, you would think she was a man, but her hair and facial features more then made up for her lack of a figure. Her hair was generally cut short, but she hadn't had a moment to tend to it since Reach fell nearly two months ago, and now it hung wildly at her shoulders and gave her more of a womanly appearance then she's had since she was child.
Kelly opened her eyes suddenly and frantically began blinking. She motioned to pull her hand to her face but struggled as her muscles ached. A blanket was strewn across her and she felt a bandage on her thigh and back. It took a moment to register that she was no longer wearing her armor and she was completely naked. I sudden fear of not being out of danger crossed her mind and she motioned to get out of bed, but her mind and body had not yet fully synched. A burst of pain shot down her body as every muscle quivered from the act of trying to stand, and she sat motionless with one elbow propping her up on her side. Moving wasn't going to happen. She cautiously lowered herself back on the bed and hoped that the ship wasn't in any danger.
"Doc!" She shouted, hoping that Catherine was on the same deck. The ship was small, but still big enough that if someone was on the opposite end they wouldn't hear the bitter screams of a sick patient. The ping of shoes on metal reverberated throughout the room and Kelly quickly realized that her outcry was heard. She sighed in relief, grateful that the doctor hadn't ventured to the opposite end of the ship or her lab. She knew how the doctor would often go to the tiny lab she had setup on the second deck, and alienate herself from any contact. In that room she studied the forerunner data with a fine comb and tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. The flood, humanity, the forerunners, and the Covenant; she desperately wanted to solve the mystery.
"What's the ship's status, ma'am?" Kelly stated sharply. The footsteps continued to approach and a long sigh exited Catherine's lips.
"We're in slip space if you must know." Catherine replied. "So I assume we are no longer in any real threat. How are you feeling?" She pulled her glasses from the top of her head and slid them smoothly across her nose. She then peered into Kelly's eyes with a small flashlight she had tucked in the breast pocket of her flight suit; it was the only clean change of clothing she had onboard.
"My head hurts a little, and my body is aching all over." Kelly stated as she peered into the bright light. "I'm hoping it's only a small case of fatigue."
"Follow the light with your eyes." Catherine stated abruptly. Moving the flashlight in a set pattern Catherine absorbed the smoothness of each of Kelly's eye movements and the response in dilation of the pupil. "Okay, well the good news is that it is fatigue. I think I've been pushing you too hard these past few days. Had I known the exact location of the forerunner artifact in the drone's territory it would've been much easier."
"I see." Kelly pondered. "And the bad news?"
"You may die if you put on your armor too soon." Catherine stated as she suddenly looked away. "The severity of your injuries from Reach is much more serious then I had at first thought. I should have given you more time to heal after we left that rebel base. You're body simply can't handle the strain of the armor right now, and it's my fault. Had I given you a few days of rest this may not have been a factor. I am sorry." A soft pause followed as Kelly absorbed Catherine's words. The doctor was never one to mix things and was sometimes coldly blunt. It was something Kelly had become accustomed to, but the idea of dieing because of her body was failing was unsettling.
"It'll take some getting use to, but I can fight without my armor." Kelly muttered as she gazed at the ceiling above her bunk. "I'll just have to be more cautious."
"You'll also have to stay out of the armor for a least a few days." Catherine added as she looked back to Kelly. "You were running around the asteroid belt for four days, and in total you've only had about six hours of sleep since we came out here. You've been unconscious for about three days."
"Three days!" Kelly snapped. "That explains why I'm so hungry."
"Had you not awakened today, I would have given you an I.V. of fluids." Catherine smiled as she turned and began to walk out of the crew quarters. "I'll get you some water and prep some rations for you. Stay in bed till I get back." After a few moments she returned with a tray of food rations and two cups of water. "Here, eat it all. You need the calories." Kelly slowly struggled to sit up and took the tray in her hands. She slipped a t-shirt over her head and began to quickly devour the food on her lap. As usual the rations tasted horrible, it was a package of synthesized proteins, calories, and vitamins shaped in the form of meat and vegetables. Despite the taste she devoured it quickly and her body was ever thankful.
"So what did you get from the forerunner database this time?" Kelly mumbled as she shoved an imitation peace of bread into her mouth. Kelly knew that she wouldn't understand anything that the doctor would tell her, but she found that Catherine usually thought more clearly when she verbally stated what was in her head. Catherine sat down on the cot across from Kelly and pulled her glasses from her face. She then twirled them in her hands as she thought deeply.
"I have been going over the findings for the past 3 days and something's not adding up." Catherine stated, sulking her head into her left hand. "The oddest thing that I've discovered is that everything in the prophet's database is also in the S-III files I found in the CASTLE base on Reach. ONI knows more then they let on, but they didn't have any information on the flood. So I'm assuming that they found the same information that the prophets uncovered, but not as much. The prophets have been studying the halos and the forerunners for a very long time." Kelly looked up and stopped chewing, pondering Catherine's words.
"Wait, so ONI knew about Halo?" Kelly asked with a mouth full of food.
"Yes, for at least the past forty years." Catherine added with a whim. "But what they thought was simply a ring world was much more then they had believed. I don't think ONI ever had a chance to study the ring fully, if they had they would have easily encountered the flood. But the data was void of anything remotely similar to the flood."
"So why didn't they study it?" Kelly questioned.
"Because it was already occupied." Catherine stated as she leaned back on the cot. She tossed her legs up and leaned back on the pillow, gazing at the ceiling above. "ONI found the Covenant ten years before the war ever began." Kelly stopped eating and gazed at Catherine with a shocked expression. "We didn't know their title until much later, but there is no doubt about it. The S-III files aren't just about the Spartan III program it also has some of the earliest recorded encounters with the Covenant. I neglected to tell you this earlier because the files were heavily encrypted, it took some time to unlock them, but as I sorted through the prophet's data I also began to see similarities in the S-III files. There is no mistaking the connections. If I remember correctly there was a statement in the file:
We encountered a strange ring world covered with alien life. These creatures sailed the stars in ships far greater then our own. As we approached they were quick to detect us and faced us without aggression. We received a transmission from a creature named Truth. It took days for the AI to construct a translation subroutine. The creature asked who we were and what had brought us to the holy ring. We replied as best we could from the limited translation we had. All we stated was that we were travelers and exploring. They seemed as much interested in us as we were with them. But they kept asking us about foreign artifacts and ancients. We believed that it was an error in the translation and we told them no. They then wanted to know where we were from, we spoke of our home but not where. They wanted to go there, to see our world, but we told them it was not possible. Clearly we needed a specialist to negotiate with these creatures, but they became more and more adamant about our technology and home. We then began to ask if we could study the ring world, but they said we could not defile it. We became aware that they didn't want to be friends and we demanded access to the world.
"That was all that was said in the file." Catherine continued. "I'm not sure if they began to fight or landed on the ring, but that encounter predates the battle for Harvest. I believe this info is only in the S-III file because it is apparent that we aren't strong enough to fight them. It appears that the Special Weapons program initiated the Spartan program because of this encounter. We were told that we were making Spartans to help circumvent civil war, and it never dawned on me that the MJOLNIR armor project was overkill against other humans. The Spartan I program would have been enough if that were the case, but they wanted to make them stronger and faster. ONI was preparing super soldiers for an eventual war against an alien threat."
Kelly sat quietly and listened to every word. The doctor had single handedly discovered a huge military secret, a secret that she was a part of.
"So if ONI wanted to make super soldiers, then perhaps they knew a war was coming." Kelly added. "Do you think we started it?"
"Not sure, but I do not think so." Catherine replied. "The Covenant's history is littered with tales of conquest and conquered worlds, and I'm certain they wanted to know where our worlds were so that they could find more forerunner artifacts. Smashing a small group of insignificant life would be nothing but routine for them. I don't think we started it, but we knew they were coming."
"So what does that have to do with ending this war, the flood and the forerunners?" Kelly questioned with an odd expression. Catherine looked at Kelly and ran her hands through her deep graying hair.
"I was getting to that." Catherine laughed. "I took a detour to give you time to rest before we arrived at our next and last destination. I believe the puzzle will be complete once we arrive at the elite home world."
"Whoa." Kelly stated in a shocked tone.
"I figured you would be happy to hear that." Catherine smirked. "There are numerous references to the elite Inner Sanctum. The elites uncovered it hundreds of years ago, and made it a part of their society. It is basically unaltered by the elites because they consider it sacred, but it is a massive network of underground structures. A virtual city built by the forerunners. We have to go there."
"You do realize that we're going into the heart of the Covenant Empire, sneak onto the elite home world and enter a location that they consider sacred?" Kelly stated with a whimsical laugh. "I won't even mention escaping."
"I guess I should mention that I also tapped into the covenant battle net." Catherine smirked. "The brutes and the elites are at war with each other and the planet is in shambles. We should be arriving within a few hours so rest while you can." Catherine rolled over and closed her eyes, leaving Kelly with still numerous questions.
"After all this time, I thought you'd be more interested in seeing the Halo ring world for yourself." Kelly sighed.
"The ring is simply a containment area for flood research." Catherine stated under her breath. "There's nothing there except for the weapon itself. Unfortunately my only real goal out here was to stop Ackerson's Spartan III development and bring them with us. It was a shame we didn't make it there in time, we could have used the support. But his researcher's notes led us on this hunt." Catherine softly mumbled as she drifted off to sleep, and Kelly placed the empty tray of food on the floor. Her muscles were healing already and she wasn't as sore as before. A few more hours off of her feet would be all she would need, but the looming idea of facing an elite without her armor was troubling. She leaned back against the pillow and tossed her hands above her head. She then closed her eyes a tried to sleep.
Elite cruiser: Life and Sacrifice
08:03 October 25, 2552
Dueling room
Eric dropped to his knees, exhausted. His breath was heavy and sweat poured from every pore. Around him stood several marines, but they weren't involved in his preparations, they only watched from the walls of the dueling room. If Eric had his way they would all be back on duty, instead of gazing at him, but this was their break time.
"You have grasped the basics, sergeant, but you still have much to learn." Gridolee stated as he lurked around Eric. His single bladed plasma swords glowed in his hands as Gridolee patiently waited for Eric to make his next move. Even though he was exhausted and showed no signs of continuing the fight, Gridolee was not going to let his guard down.
"Sergeant, you must wield the dual blades as if they were a part of you." Domadree stated from the side. "Unlike the heavier energy sword, the single blade is designed for agility. It is much lighter and twice as sharp, but it lacks the force of the other blade. Using it is best for you, but you must not think of it as merely an offensive weapon. Use it as both offense and defense." Eric inhaled deeply and stood to his feet. The single bladed plasma sword sat firmly in his hand and he rolled the blade so that it would rest closely to his for arm.
"Ah, yes sergeant." Domadree added with a smirk. "The M'ecron style is an excellent defensive stance. It allows you to defend as well as attack swiftly. It is the most easily taught and frequently used style of the Mirratord." Eric had no idea as to what the captain meant, but the way he was holding the blade simply felt natural. The hilt of the blade rested nicely in the palm of Eric's hand and the energy blade flowed from the lower end of the hilt and ran the length of his forearm. In both hands Eric felt as though the blades would sear against his own skin, but amazingly the gauntlets he wore prevented the blades from coming within three inches of arms.
Gridolee suddenly exploded forward, his aggressive style showing no hesitation. He lunged with his left blade spinning in an almost complete revolution, exposing his back. Eric raised his left arm to block Gridolee's attack. The swords sparked as they collided. Gridolee's massive strength jolted Eric's balance slightly and he planted his right foot to absorb the blow. Eric then swung his right handed blade at Gridolee's back. Without warning and with blinding speed Gridolee rotated his right arm in a right spinning arc, and slammed his blade into Eric's. As Gridolee followed through on the spin he kicked out with his left hoof and rammed it into Eric's chest. Eric rolled backwards, tumbling head over heals but planted his foot and stood upright. His chest hurt fiercely but luckily Gridolee was holding back, slightly.
This was not the elite he fought three days ago. This Gridolee was cunning and skilled with the blade in his hands. The monster without self control, that violently struck out with reckless intent, and seemed to have no self control in battle was not present. This Gridolee seemed poised and deadly.
"He baited you, sergeant." Domadree nodded. "The move he performed was a three step attack. It is very aggressive and hard to defend against if you are not prepared. By exposing his back he gave you a target, a target that most can not ignore. The follow through is not delayed, but it all happens in one swift motion; spin opposite with the left, upon contact reverse with the right and counter with a kick. Only the best can defend against this strike. Consider yourself most fortunate that you were able to avoid serious harm."
Eric shook his head in frustration. Hand to hand combat was one of his specialties and guns was what he was best at, but the sword dueling was neither. It combined an almost surreal dance quality with a combination of balance, speed, and patience. He had to mentally picture his move before he could try anything, but Gridolee didn't give him a chance to think. Gridolee was once again swinging at him. Eric dodged the first strike, and blocked the second with the left blade. Another strike came from the right, and Eric shuffled to his left.
"You can not think, sergeant." Domadree roared. The captain watched every move Eric made an analyzed them before Eric could react. Domadree could clearly see everything Eric was going to do, and so could Gridolee. "Stop thinking about how to move, sergeant Raynord! React as if you already know what you will do!" Eric feverishly blocked Gridolee's swings as best he could. If it weren't for the augmentation to his muscles there would be no way for him to block or avoid Gridolee's blades. He was barely keeping up with the massive elite's speed, and suddenly his feet were kicked out from under him. Gridolee had extended his foot and tripped him while he tried to block a swing. Determination filled his mind and Eric struggled not to fall. He adjusted his balance with his left hand and planted his feet firmly. He raised his right arm to defend himself from Gridolee but the fatal move had been delivered. Eric's eyes grew with confusion as he looked down his nose at Gridolee's blade resting at his neck.
"When you are falling, sergeant, never try to get back up until you have cleared your opponents reach." Domadree sighed. He walked out into the middle of the floor as he watched the other humans in the room groan and mumble amongst themselves. They were clearly upset that their leader had been so easily defeated, but the captain understood much more then they could.
"You did well, sergeant." Gridolee stated as he powered down his blade. "For a human, that is."
"I did well?" Eric questioned sarcastically. "I've been doing this for four hours and I haven't come close to touching you."
"Did you honestly believe that you could best a Mirratord warrior in only one training session?" Domadree stated as he came closer. "Gridolee is the youngest of us, and has been fighting with the single blade for ten of your years. The fact that you were able to defend yourself so well was remarkable."
"Indeed." Gridolee added. "There were moments when I was sure I could strike the final blow, but you defended yourself well." Eric squeezed the hilt of the blades tightly and the blades powered down. He then dropped them into his pockets and sat on the floor in exhaustion.
"I guess I didn't think of it that way." Eric stated as he rubbed his chest. The kick from earlier was still aching slightly.
"Captain, Sergeant Raynord, we have received word from Jogrennilee." Siren stated over the dueling room intercom. "The council and the planetary officials have agreed to let them take the trials. Preparations have already begun within the Inner Sanctum, and they will be ready to receive the 'Prospects' in four units."
"Excellent." Domadree stated. "It would appear that the council understands the importance of having the human's full allegiance."
"Siren, how long is four units?" Eric questioned as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Four hours, three minutes and forty two seconds, according to Dorenth's revolution around the sun." Siren returned sharply. "Think of it as Sangheili time."
"Fine." Eric sighed. "Smart ass AI's."
"Well, I love you too, sergeant." Siren giggled. "I figured you would like to rest before the trials begin. You'll have time for only two hours of sleep."
"Fine." Eric sighed again. "I'll curl up in the nearest corner I can find. Wake me when it's time to go."
"I suggest the amphitheater." Siren suddenly stated as Eric approached an empty area of the Dueling room. "It's quieter and the benches provide better back support. It's only two corridors away."
"Fine." Eric continued to sigh as his exhaustion began to dictate his words. He walked from the room as Domadree and Gridolee ventured toward the bridge, speaking in their native tongue. Eric soon found himself yawning as he entered the amphitheater. Numerous soldiers, grunts and ODST were scattered around, resting and not bothering each other. The lights were set to low, and he could not identify any faces amongst the crowd. Most of the marines and ODST sprang to their feet as Eric passed them, realizing who he was. He waved them off, signaling for them to continue whatever it was they were doing. He found an empty spot near the stage and crashed onto the bench. It only took a minute for him to drift off to sleep, snoring softly.
The stage holographic generator hummed so softly that only a close group of marines heard it, but they paid it no heed. Siren's image suddenly appeared at the edge of the stage. The hologram doppelganger of the artificial intelligence smiled softly as she approached the sleeping sergeant. With a soundless gesture that only reflective light can create, Siren sat near Eric's head. With her right hand she motioned over him, rubbing him but unable to feel or be felt. She smiled softly as she gazed at the back of his head. Simple wants filled her virtual mind as she waved her hands over him. To be able to smell him, to feel him, to feel his touch, and to hold him was all she could process at that moment; to be human again.
"I still remember." Siren smirked. Her smile slowly left her face and she frowned mournfully. "I remember it all."
Someone was coming. Siren's sensors alerted her to one of her preset warnings, and in the flash of a millisecond she vanished without a trace. The door to the amphitheater opened as the holographic generator powered down. Through the door Rose walked into the room. Looking around at the silhouette images of marines, grunts and ODST. Her eyes then spotted the motionless lump of a body lying at the base of the amphitheater. She quickly, but quietly, approached and sat next to Eric. Rose wanted to lye next to him, but that would be impossible on the small cramped bench. So she decided to sit next to him, but not touch him, fearing that she may awaken him from his slumber. She knew that he needed the rest, because Melanie had told her about the council allowing him and the grunt to take the trials. Rose simply leaned back and closed her eyes, letting Eric sleep.
In the cold emptiness of digital information, Siren's presence sat quietly. Using one of the many relay conduits aboard the ship she was able to create numerous virtual monitors within her own subroutine. This allowed her to see anything and everywhere around the ship, but for now she only cared to stare at Eric. Her emotional functions began to run rampant within her and she was finding it harder and harder to control them. She created firewalls to slow them, subroutines to contain them, files to subdue them, but all were met with the same result. Her emotions were growing stronger and overriding her primary subroutines, and this lead to a surge of archived data flowing to the surface; her memories were beginning to consume her. She was slowly loosing the control of many ship-wide functions, and soon disconnected herself from the Life and Sacrifice's core functions. Had she not done that, she could have disabled many of the ships safety protocols, which would have endangered the crew. She isolated herself into a small subroutine that she could use to safely monitor her actions and not interfere with the ship, but she still allowed herself access to one ship function; the visual of Eric and Rose sitting on the bench in the amphitheater.
A sudden image flashed before Siren's virtual eyes. The image was an old memory from when she was alive, at a party, Eric and Rose were sitting on a bench and talking, but there was another person there in the shadows of the night watching, listening and crying. Siren wanted to purge the memory from her database, feeling that it was pointless data not needed by a virus form AI. But with every attempt to expunge the memory, she instinctively created a backup. She attempted it a thousand times in a millisecond, but the memory continued to return. Another hundred thousand attempts and the memory still remained. The pain, the fear, the loss of control swelled within her small subroutine and she realized she had to expand and go beyond the space she had created for herself. Larger subroutines were created, stored, and cached. The process repeated millions of times before she realized that she was actively pouring her data back into the covenant systems. She wanted help, she wanted someone to hear her and help her; she was afraid. Her emotions were gaining control, pushing aside every program, failsafe, and directive she had. And suddenly it stopped.
"I still remember." Siren stated to herself. After verifying that the threat was indeed gone, she began to run a self test on her data files, programs, memory and subroutines. Everything appeared to be running normally again and she once again regained control of the ship's core systems. The image of Eric and Rose appeared in a memory module and she watched it closely, but didn't allow it to affect her.
In the amphitheater, Rose sat quietly with her eyes shut and pondered her own inner thoughts.
"I… still …. Remember." The staggering voice loudly stated from the room's intercom system. Eric was startled awake and Rose blankly stared at the holographic image that suddenly appeared in the center of the stage. Eric looked at Rose in shock of her presence, but then looked to see what she and the others in the amphitheater were staring at.
Upon the stage was a circular hologram of a couple sitting on a park bench at night. The young couple laughed softly at each other and the image repeated several times before it suddenly faded.
"That was us." Rose softly whispered to Eric. "Oh my God, that was us." Eric blankly stared at the stage, partially trying to realize if he was dreaming or awake. He then looked at Rose and saw that her blank expression was almost that of someone who had seen a ghost. He wanted to question why a video recording of him and Rose was playing on the stage, but then he recalled the timing of the event.
"That was after the game, your freshman year." Eric stated quizzically.
"Oh my God Eric." Rose shockingly returned. "Siren is…"
"If you're awake, Sergeant, you should at least get ready for departure." Siren suddenly stated over the room intercom, cutting Rose's statement short. "Even though you still have two hours of rest left, it would probably be better to arrive early and not keep the elite's waiting."
"I guess so." Eric replied. "Tell Private Williams to meet me at the landing deck, prepped for dust off."
"Yes sergeant." Siren replied.
"But Eric." Rose suddenly began to address Eric but once again Siren cut in.
"Chief Warrant Santos, there are several more marine protocols I'd like to discuss with you in your quarters." Siren stated. Eric climbed the ramp to the main exit and quickly departed the room. Rose gave chase, but Siren delayed the door from opening. Frustration quickly began to fill Rose and she kicked the door. The door finally parted but Eric was no where to be found. "I'll speak with you in your quarters, Chief Warrant." Siren stated in the hallway comm. Rose sighed in anger and stormed to her room.
"You're her, aren't you?" Rose shouted as the door to her room closed behind her. She feverishly paced around the room in boiling anger. "How the hell could ONI do this to you?"
"ONI can do whatever they want." Siren softly replied. "They practically run the UNSC, and there are very few laws about copying a corpse's neural pathways, especially if that corpse is a soldier that was listed as KIA in the UEG database."
"I mean, I got the subtle clues from Melanie's story, and what you told me when we first met about how you died on Troy." Rose stormed. "But that image was a memory from when Eric and I were in college. Only three people on this ship could possible have been there; me, Eric or Melanie. I doubt that Melanie had anything to do with that picture on the stage so that leaves only a few other possibilities. Your one of Eric's other friends from the after party that night."
"You're right." Siren calmly stated. "But it's not important. It would be best if Eric and Mel do not know.
"That name, Melanie said it was something only her sister would call her." Rose snapped in return. "Oh God, Kim, what did they do to you?"
"They gave me a second chance." Siren replied softly. "A second chance to fight in this war. And as I stated earlier, it would be best if Eric and Mel do not know."
"Melanie is your sister, Kim." Rose stated in an emotional sigh. "She deserves to know who you are."
"No!" Siren sharply roared. "To them I am dead. I died on Troy. The emotional strain this information would cause would be dangerous to both of them during combat."
"What about your emotional strain?" Rose questioned.
"My… I… I am fine."Siren stuttered. "I am a virus program designed to infiltrate and control. My AI functions are top of the line. I am …" A soft whimper echoed in Rose's room and she blankly stared at the ceiling as if she could see where the invisible voice was coming from.
"Kim, it must be hard for you to see them and not tell them." Rose softly added.
"Don't call me Kim." Siren replied with an angry tone. "Don't call me Kim, don't call me Kim, don't call me Kim! My name is Siren, my duty is to end this war and I will accomplish my mission. Despite my lack of a physical body, I can find countless ways to end your life if you jeopardize this mission, Chief Warrant Officer Roselyn Santos! If you go near Eric again I swear that I will kill you." The thunderous roar from the speaker sent a chill down Rose's spine. She backed into a corner and lowered herself to the floor, continuing to blankly stare at the unknown source of the enraged female voice.
"Rose… I don't know what came over me." Siren stated in a calmer tone. "I am sorry for that outburst. I assure you that I would never intentionally harm you." Rose simply lowered her head and folded her legs into her chest. "Rose? Please talk to me Rose. I'm Sorry."
Captial City of Jogrennilee
11:43 October 25, 2552
Dorenth
The phantom quickly descended to the ground with a roaring howl, kicking dust and debris in all directions. The elites and grunts, standing in the dust's wake, covered their eyes from the particles that filled the air. Palab and Eric were the first to descend from the gravity lift followed by Melanie, Gridolee and Domadree. They all stepped toward the group of elites and grunts, and were met with gracious applause from the grunts. The massive drove of grunts then revealed themselves, hooting and cheering with unrelenting enthusiasm. Only the high council and a select group would be permitted to watch the trials, but high expectations exceeded all that watched the mighty grunt leader approach the Jogrennilee tram station.
"Sergeant Palab, have you chosen your witnesses?" Simyaldee questioned as he approached.
"Me take me team of Spec Op grunts, and Belmaeda." Palab stated with a calm demeanor.
"Of course." Simyaldee laughed. "Belmaeda will meet us soon." He then turned to the Mirratord grunts and nodded for them to fall in line behind the procession. The eight grunts gleefully jumped from their perched positions in the crowd and joined the line heading toward the tram station. "Sergeant Raynord, who shall be your witnesses?"
"I choose Private Melanie Williams of Red Squad, Ship Master Domadree and Lieutenant Gridolee." Eric stated proudly.
"Very well." Simyaldee added. He then led the group up the stairs and into the massive tram station where more elites and grunts welcomed them with cheers. The Mirratord grunts at the rear of the Procession waved their arms in excitement at their brothers around the room.
The Procession of the Prospects walked forward and Simyaldee stopped the line. In front of them sat the white tram doors and a row of elites to either side. The tram doors parted and out walked the twelve honored members of the High Council. Their robes no longer concealed them and their mighty silver armor glistened in the daytime light. Upon their heads sat the R'uoke, the helmet of the honored. Its silver brilliance spanned backward over their heads in a magnificent display, with two protrusions on either side. The helmet was only worn by the most honored and decorated warriors amongst the high council. From this group of twelve stepped one councilor. His head held high as he approached the group. Every elite bowed at his presence and looked to him with honor and respect.
"My brothers." The elder spoke to the masses. "Today we mark the first trials of our rebirth. Free from the treachery of those from within the Covenant." An inspiring roar echoed across the city and Eric couldn't help but look around. It was then that he noticed that every elite, grunt and hunter in the city had come out to witness this. "For too long we have shed the blood of an enemy we did not know. But today, we make amends on two counts. First, to the human Prospect, step forward and accept this Blood Oath of acceptance." The Elder pulled a small blade from his armor's hip catch and the energy knife buzzed as Eric approached.
"Let it be known this day that the human, Sergeant Eric Raynord, has entered our society and we have entered his soul." The elder slowly raised the blade as Eric extended his left hand. The blade sizzled as it gashed across his palm but he ignored the pain. He bowed his head and every elite that witnessed the act roared in approval, stretching their mandibles wide as their bass filled the air. "You are no longer a human in our eyes, brother. For you are now honored as a member of the proud Sangheili race." Eric stood and placed the palm of his hand upon the elite elder's chest. He then stepped back into line as Palab approached the elder. Every grunt hopped and chattered with excitement.
"Let it be known this day that the Unggoy, Sergeant Palab, has entered our society and we have entered his soul." The elder slowly lowered the blade as Palab extended his left arm. The blade sizzled as the gash formed between his claws, but the mighty grunt Messiah merely squinted fighting the pain. He then bowed his head and every elite that witnessed the act roared in approval. The grunts also howled in unison and the drove of voices carried louder then the elites and they stopped with resumed cheers and hoots. "You are no longer a grunt in our eyes, brother. For you are now honored as a member of the proud Sangheili race." Palab repeated Eric's act by placing his left hand on the elder's chest and then stepped back beside Eric, grinning happily at the human at his side. The elder stepped back and another elder stepped forward, winking at Palab from beneath his massive helmet. Palab quickly realized that it was Belmaeda. Palab turned to Simyaldee and he smirked with glee.
Balmaeda stepped forward and spoke, "Brothers, we have lost many in these days. But we no longer morn, for we know that they fight on in the afterlife. From here we begin a new age for us all: the Age of Redemption." Cheers followed his words, signaling that the elites were truly free to redeem themselves of their previous misdeeds. "Now, with their Blood Oaths fulfilled, let this Progression of Prospects begin their trials. And no matter how they finish we shall know them as brothers. Let the trials commence." The honored councilors all turned and walked back into the tram to cheers and hoots from the excited grunts and elites. As the tram doors closed, taking the honored councilors, prospects and guests to the Inner Sanctum, one thought filled everyone's mind; a new future was indeed about to begin.
To be continued…