Chapter 13: Negotiations
UNSC High Command (HighCom) Facility Alpha-1, London, England, Earth
9th Cycle, 5th Division, 3rd Stage, 9th Age of Reclamation (Covenant Holy Calendar)
1155 hours, October 28, 2552 (UNSC Military Calendar)
The Arbiter stood in a small waiting room with his three companions. The room was fairly small and the Sangheili's heads nearly scraped the ceiling. The Arbiter and his companions would have sat while they waited, but the Human chairs scattered around the room were too small for their bulky forms. The Arbiter had chosen his most trusted subordinates to accompany him. These negotiations would be a very sensitive matter and he didn't want to gamble anything. The Humans must agree to a permanent alliance or risk utter annihilation. The Covenant fleet they had chased off during the previous cycle was still only a fraction of the entire armada, but if these negotiations were successful they would be able to survive against the onslaught of the Covenant.
The Arbiter began to admire the paintings and photographs that hung on the walls. Several depicted battles that the Arbiter guessed were very significant in Human history. However there were two that stood out from the rest. One showed a group of Human soldiers hoisting a flag with stripes and stars atop a small hilltop. The pride on the Humans' faces rivaled the pride his own people carried. The other showed a modern Human cruiser flying straight into a Covenant destroyer. The painting depicted the moment before impact as the Human ship sacrificed itself to destroy its adversary. The caption below said "Admiral Cole's Last Stand." Suddenly the Arbiter made a connection with the painting. He was there. He saw that sacrifice.
The large silver metal double doors opened and interrupted the Arbiter's thoughts. Two male Humans clad in dark green armor walked out of the dark doorway and stood on either side of it.
"The council is ready to see you now," one of them spoke.
Without a word, the five Sangheili officers filed through the doorway. The room they stepped into was pitch black save a single circle of light in the center. The Arbiter's eyes slowly adjusted to the dark and he could barely make out several shadows along the wall opposite the door. It was impossible to see anything more, but the Arbiter knew that the Humans in the shadows were of great importance. The two Humans at the door followed them in and the doors sealed shut.
"Please stand in a line in the light," said a scratchy male voice from somewhere in the dark. The voice obviously belonged to an older man who was most likely the head of the council.
The Sangheili obeyed and lined up in the spotlight. The Arbiter's eyes suddenly readjusted to the bright light and the shadows against the wall disappeared. Once in place, the Arbiter heard movement behind them and guessed that it was more guards.
"Please state your name and rank one at a time," the voice said again.
The Sangheili officer in white armor stepped forward first, "I am called Kado 'Toromee. I hold the rank of Field Master in the Covert Operatives branch of the Holy Crusaders." And with a slight bow, 'Toromee stepped back in line.
"I am called Brotu 'Ralkosomee," said the Sangheili with elaborately decorated armor as he stepped forward. "I am a Junior Master of the Holy Crusader Honor Guard."
"I am Arro 'Lyystokee," the Sangheili clad in violet stepped forward. "I am a Medical Master of the Holy Crusader Medical Corps."
"I am Keldorx," the Sangheili wearing red robes with golden trim said as he too stepped forward. "I am a High Priest of the Sangheili ancient religion."
Finally, when all had given their names, the Arbiter stepped forward, "And I am the Arbiter, the Supreme Commander of the Holy Crusaders."
"Do you not have a name, Arbiter?" the voice in the dark asked before the Arbiter stepped back into the line.
"I have lost the right to my own name," the Arbiter replied.
"Very well," the mysterious voice continued. "Why have you come before this council?"
"We offer our assistance to you in your struggle against the Covenant," the Arbiter answered.
A soft murmur arose in the dark as several Humans discussed the Arbiter's statement. After several minutes the old male spoke up, "And what is the reason for your offer?"
"We believe that our two forces now fight for a common cause," the Arbiter started to explain.
"A common cause?" a new voice spoke before the Arbiter could continue. This voice was deeper than the first. "And what might that be?"
"Survival," the Arbiter said firmly.
"Tell me, Arbiter," the first male said, "How is it that your race is struggling for survival? Why are you not fighting for the Covenant anymore?"
"We have been betrayed by the Prophets," the Arbiter began. "They have tricked us and lied to us—"
"And you just realized this now?" retorted the second male.
After chastising the younger male with a barely audible "Be quiet," the older male said to the Arbiter, "I apologize. Continue."
"One of our brothers came into contact with an Oracle… pardon me, a Monitor," the Arbiter explained more. "The Monitor had told him the truth about the Halos, and he started to spread the word among the Sangheili. The Prophets labeled him and his followers as heretics because of this. It is obvious that the Prophets did not want us to find out the truth about the Halos. I am unsure whether the Prophets are completely oblivious to the truth or they know full well what the Halos do and have a very twisted and diabolical plan. But when more and more Sangheili started to learn the truth, the Prophets and their Jiralhanae puppets attacked. They caught us by surprise and nearly obliterated the entire fleet we had surrounding High Charity. We do have other fleets elsewhere, but until we can contact them this is all we have."
"You do realize you brought this upon yourselves, right?" a new voice belonging to a female spoke this time.
"We fell prey to the Prophets' power of persuasion," the Arbiter said. "Keldorx can tell you more."
The robed Sangheili stepped forward to explain but was cut off. "Yes, we know now how one can easily be seduced by a Prophet's words," the second male said. "We are currently holding a Prophet prisoner, and all attempts to interrogate it have failed."
The Arbiter was taken aback by this last comment. How had the Humans managed to capture a Prophet? And which one? he thought.
"This council is hesitant about the proposed alliance, but we will accept your offer," the first male abruptly changed the subject, "However, you must accept our accept our non-negotiable terms in return."
"We will consider whatever terms you pose, yet we only ask for your allegiance," the Arbiter said.
The first male continued, "First, for there to be an alliance between us you must follow any orders given by UNSC Generals or Admirals. You are now their subordinates. Second, if any UNSC forces die by Holy Crusader hands, those responsible will be sentenced to death. If such an infraction occurs several times, the alliance will be terminated. Third, Holy Crusader forces are not allowed to set foot on Earth unless given permission. And finally, all Holy Crusader ships and ground personnel are to be put under UNSC supervision. If any ship or ground battalion is away from the main host, it must report to or contact their supervising officer every twelve hours. Failure to do so will result in a court martial. Will you accept these terms?"
"May I talk your terms over with my companions?" the Arbiter asked.
"You may, but please make it quick," the first male agreed.
The Sangheili huddled together in the middle of the circle of light. The Arbiter then asked them, "Do any of you oppose to these terms?"
All said no save for Brotu 'Ralkosomee. The young Sangheili's arrogance got the better of him and he retorted, "I will not take orders from a Human, Arbiter!"
"Calm down, Brotu," the Arbiter put his hand on Brotu's shoulder to reassure him. "You will not have to take orders from the Humans. You are of the Honor Guard; your orders will come directly from me."
'Ralkosomee gave the Arbiter a slight nod in acknowledgement as the Arbiter took his hand from Brotu's shoulder. The Arbiter quickly glanced at the others in the circle and asked, "Any other objections?"
The Sangheili said no once more. The Arbiter then turned to face where the Human voices came from.
"Do you have a consensus?" the voice belonging to the female inquired.
"Yes, we agree to your terms," the Arbiter said with a slight bow.
"Good," the first male said. He started to say something else, but the other male cut him off.
"How do we know we can trust them, General?" the second male quietly said, unaware of the Sangheili's much keener sense of hearing.
The Arbiter heard the statement that would have been barely audible to Human ears and responded proudly, "We will gladly spill our blood in battle alongside your people."
"Is that enough to reassure you?" the General whispered to the other male.
The second male grumbled incoherently in obvious displeasure.
"Now, unless any of the men and women on this council have any objections," the General paused to wait for someone one to speak up. When nobody did, he continued," The alliance between the United Nations Space Command and the Holy Crusaders is official."
The five Sangheili gave a bow at the completion of the negotiations.
"You may go back to your fleet and give them the news now," the female said.
"However," the General quickly added, "At zero six hundred hours tomorrow the UNSC requires your presence on the Preston Cole, the flagship that brought you here. That is when we will decide upon a plan of attack. And you may bring some of your Ship Masters with you."
"We will be there," the Arbiter said with a nod.
"Good," the General said. "Master Chief, you and your team will escort our new allies to the ship."
"Sir!" a sharp voice came from behind the Sangheili.
At that, the Arbiter and his companions turned and marched single file toward the now open door in the back of the room. An armored shadow appeared in front of the file as well as several more flanking the line of Sangheili. Once they entered the light of the waiting room the Arbiter saw that these armored figures were indeed what he thought they were. Demons.