Chapter 4
Michelle entered the Shipmaster's quarters. Zurak stood with his back to her, looking out the viewport at the other warship, Endeavor. He turned and spent a moment studying Michelle, sizing her up.
"I remember when the San'Shyumm and the Jiralhanae betrayed my people." said Zurak without preamble. "I was in the city of High Charity when the Prophet of Truth ordered the Jiralhanae to slaughter my Sangheili brothers. At the time I was not yet a Shipmaster, merely a Major. My warriors and I were in the barracks when we heard the screams and plasma weapons firing. Believing the city to be under attack, we armed ourselves and left the barracks. To enter a scene of utter madness! The Jiralhanae were assaulting Sangheili up and down the street for no appearent reason. Without hesitation, we joined the fight, aiding our fellow Sangheili. It was then that I learned that these attacks were happening all over the city. Worse, they were sanctioned by the Prophets of Truth and Mercy! I knew the Prophets were greedy and self-serving, but I never suspected that they were capable of this level of treachery." he paused, lost in the memory for a moment. Michelle had heard a few versions of the events that started the Covenant Civil War over the years, but she'd never heard the story from a Sangheili before. Michelle knew that most stories that her commanding officers told about that war were half-truths at best. She was silent as Zurak continued.
"The Unggoy and the Mgalekgolo sided with us, the Kig-yar and the Yanme'e joined the Jiralhanae. My comrades and I fought our way to the Mausoleum of the Arbiter where we were joined by one hundred more Sangheili. Together we held out against the Jiralhanae for a few hours, until we received reports that one of your Spartans was lose in the city and that one of your warships had crashed into a nearby tower. As the Spartan approached the Mausoleum our commander, a Sangheili Council member, ordered us to retreat. With good reason: the human warship had been taken over by the Flood and the parasite was spreading. Needless to say we abandoned High Charity altogether when we learned of this. My comrades and I regrouped on the Halo's surface, near the Control Room. It was there that I first met Thel Vadam, last Arbiter of the Covenant.
"He told us the truth about the Sacred Rings: that they are weapons meant to destroy all life in the galaxy! 'Vadam also told us that, in order to stop the Jiralhanae from activating the Halo, he had formed an alliance with your people. This was difficult me to accept, but I knew that, under the circumstances, it was a wise decision." Zurak paused and gave Michelle an armor-piercing stare. " Now Blair, as it was then, Human and Sangheili must trust one another. We're in unfamiliar territory, and unless you and I find common ground we will not survive. So I ask you, Corporal, will you live and fight under the command of a Sangheili?"
"As long as you treat us humans equal members of your crew, Shipmaster, then I believe I can." answered Michelle.
"Then we are in agreement." said Zurak. "This Captain Shryne will be here soon and it would be best to present a united front to him. I'll inform you when he arrives."
Dismissed, Michelle left Zurak's quarters. One of the other ODSTs, Kevin Dawkins, was waiting for her in the corridor. He was a three years older than Michelle and far less mature than she was. He made up for that by being surprising levelheaded in combat. They had been friends since basic training and fought in several skirmishes together. "So what did the lead Squid-head want?" asked Kevin.
"Basically, he wants us to follow his lead." Michelle said.
"Are we gonna do it?"
"For the moment, yes."
Darth Malgus stood at a viewport on the bridge of his Sith Battlecruiser Valor. He was bald with scarred, pale skin and clad in black armor. A breathing device covered the lower half of his face, which had been injured in a battle against the Republic on Alderaan a month ago.
He was staring at a freighter that his forces had just captured. It was owned by a Hutt crimelord. The freighters captain, a female Rodian, had been brought aboard the Valor for questioning. Malgus hated chasing pirates, he preferred to leading troops into battle. Since Alderaan, however, chasing pirates was all he had done while recovering from the battle.
When Malgus turned around he found the Rodian shackled and kneeling three feet from him."What are you doing here, pirate?" asked Malgus.
The Rodian shrugged. "Running for my life." she said matter-of-factly. "Trying to get away from a Republic cruiser. I must have entered Imperial Space without realizing it."
Malgus didn't believe her, not entirely. This wasn't the first person he'd interrogated in his long career as Sith Lord. He could tell when most non-Force-users were lying and this pirate captain was deliberately leaving something out from what she had already told him. "A Republic cruiser" Malgus repeated. "or something else?"
"A Republic cruiser and something else!" said the pirate captain. "A warship unlike any I've ever encountered. It was low on power so my crew and I thought it would be an easy target. But it gave us quite a battle and somehow called a Republic cruiser for help. My ship was the only one to escape."
Malgus turned to face the pirate and said slowly "You must tell me everything you know about this ship."
Zurak had assembled most of his officers in the shuttle bay of Divine Justice. Michelle and Kevin were also there, standing to Zurak's left. Rodhim stood on the Shipmaster's right, the other officers were directly behind Zurak. Captain Shryne's shuttle had just landed and they were waiting for him to disembark.
The first six people to exit the shuttle were clad in white armor and full-face helmets. They also carried firearms. Clearly they were some type of security force for Captain Shryne. Next came the captain himself. Much to the surprise of the Sangheili and Marines, he was human. Michelle heard Kevin whisper "Holy Shit!". She also saw Zurak's eyes widen, but he gave no other sign of alarm. The other Sangheili murmured anxiously to one another. Shryne had dark skin and black hair that was going gray at the temples. He wore deep blue uniform and black boots.
Following Captain Shryne were two figures wearing tan-colored robes. One was human, the other was some kind bipedal mammalian alien. The human was in his late teens or early twenties. He had sky-blue eyes, pale skin, and dark hair. The alien was a head taller than the human. It was covered in brown fur and had a feline look to it. Both of them walked with a calm confidence that was oddly reassuring. Michelle wouldn't have been surprised to learn that they were Zen masters.
Zurak stepped forward to meet the new arrivals. "Greetings Captain Shryne." he said. "Your assistance is appreciated. I am Shipmaster Zurak Fulsam."
"You are most welcome, Shipmaster." said Shryne. He turned to his robed companions. "These are two Jedi Knights who are accompanying me on my current mission. I thought that their unique insight might be useful in this matter."
"What are Jedi Knights?" asked Zurak. The two Zen masters looked at Zurak as if he'd just grown an extra head.
The feline alien took a step forward. " My name is Brax. This is my apprentice, Jerrod Leedon. As to your question, Shipmaster, we use The Force to protect the Galactic Republic. You've never heard of the Jedi Order? Where are you from?"
Now it was Zurak's turn to look bewildered. "We've never heard of your Jedi Order or a Galactic Republic, but we are familiar with humans." he said in a voice that was deceptively calm. "Most of my crew is from Sanghelios. Should we have heard of you?"
Zurak glanced at Michelle. "I've never heard of them either, Shipmaster." she said before Zurak could ask the question.
"Sanghelios?" Shryne repeated with a shake of his head. "It's possible you came from the Unknown Regions. You travel with humans yet you don't know anything about the Republic."
Zurak nodded as if something had just occurred to him."Unknown Regions? I may have an explanation, Captain. After my crew rescued the humans you see here, this ship was caught in some kind Slipspace anomaly caused by a solar flare. It sent us to this solar system, but we don't recognize it or any of the stars here."
Speaking for the first time Jerrod said. "We came to this system because we detected a space-time anomaly. I suppose that was you, Shipmaster."
"It seems that you weren't the only ones to detect us." Zurak replied dryly. "The pirates got here a half-hour after we arrived."
"Speaking of which, where are they?" asked Shryne.
"The survivors of the attack are locked up in the brig." said Zurak. "This way, Captain." He then led everyone from the shuttle bay.
Transporting the prisoners from the brig to Captain Shryne's shuttle was going surprisingly quick. None of them tried to escape. Apparently the pirates had come to fear the Sangheili in their brief battle against them.
Brax pulled Captain Shryne aside for a private conversation. "Jerrod and I will remain here when you leave." he whispered.
"Are you sure about this, Master Jedi?" asked Shryne.
Brax nodded. "These Sangheili are clearly lost. They need someone to guide them what must be foreign territory to them. Who better than Jedi? Also, I wish to know more about them. Where they come from. Why we've never heard of them before. "
"I'd hate to leave you behind, but you're right: we need more information." said Shryne. " We'll speak with the Shipmaster. If he agrees I will give you an astromech droid so that you can contact me or the Jedi High Council if necessary. Be careful with these Sangheili, they may not be what they seem."
"Thank you, Captain" said Brax.
Once again Michelle found herself in Zurak's quarters. This time, however, she wasn't the only one summoned. Kevin, Rodhim, Brax, and Jerrod were there as well, all of them waiting for the Shipmaster to arrive. Captain Shryne was preparing to leave. Michelle and Kevin's attempts to make small talk with the others were met with curt, yet polite responses that discouraged further conversation. This led to an awkward silence that lasted until Zurak entered the room.
"Captain Shryne tells me that you wish to stay and aid us in finding our way." he said to Brax and Jerrod. Addressing everyone Zurak continued. "This is an unusual situation and we need to aid each other if we are to survive. We will either stand as one or die as few. Therefore you are all part of my crew now and I expect you to act as such. You will report directly to me." he paused and pointed to Rodhim. "Or to 'Larem here if I am unavailable."
Zurak was doing more than simply laying down ground rules, he was declaring his authority over both the Marines and the Jedi. Michelle knew his type well. This was a commander who wouldn't tolerate insubordination. One wrong move and Zurak might have any one of them executed. Michelle knew the Marines would follow Zurak's leadership as long as she did. The Jedi, however, were wildcards.
"At the moment I need information on this system." said Zurak. "What can you tell us, Jedi?"
"The planet we're currently orbiting is covered in ice." answered Brax. "You could go to the surface to find water your crew. Before he leaves Captain Shryne is sending over an astromech droid. It will have more information on the Republic that can be downloaded onto your ship's databanks."
Kevin cleared his throat and said. "Since we're part of your crew now, Shipmaster, is there going to be some sort humiliating ritual. Ya know, hazing the new guys?" Zurak just stared at him without answering. "We're not going to have to run around the ship naked or something?"
"Really, Dawkins?" asked an exasperated Michelle. Only Kevin could make this situation more awkward."You'll have to forgive him, Shipmaster, we haven't slept in thirty-six hours."
Zurak nodded slowly, as if he didn't believe her, but was gratefull for the change of subject. " You are dismissed for now. 'Larem will show you to your quarters."
End of Section 1
I know what you're thinking: A chapter that was LITERALLY "all talk and no action". But the talking was necessary, I assure you. I needed to introduce some more characters and set up the general plot of this fic.
For those of you who may be interested, I recently added a new character to the character list. I also went back and edited Chapter 1 because there were some things about this fic that I wanted to clarify.
This fic is NOT DEAD!