Saia and Macer sat around a small campfire. Their vehicles had been stolen by two of the Kig-Yar that had fled the ruins before the explosion. Thankfully, Macer had thought to take her medical kit with her; the two soldiers nursed bandaged wounds and exhausted bodies. Saia's eye was covered as well in both a healing salve and field dressing; Macer had done her best to secure the cloth to the Sangheili's face.

She stared at the fire, contemplating the events of the day. "Agent Macer, I have been wondering something."

The young human gave an amused snort. "Saia, we just went through hell together. I think you can call me Talitha."

"Very well, Talitha." Her gaze rose to the human. "What is Valhalla?"

The human tossed a twig into the fire, remaining silent for a moment. "It is the resting place of my ancestors, the hall of my gods. To reside there after death is a great honor, and our deeds in life are told as examples to the future warriors that are trained by those we led." She gave a sigh. "It was a common saying on my homeworld that the gods wouldn't let ONI into Valhalla. They were too cowardly, too manipulative—sowing only strife and war throughout the galaxy. My superior blamed them for an attack that claimed his daughter.

"But then we met an ONI agent who was not a coward, and who defied his own men when they would just as soon have left innocents to die in order to save their own skin. He was the exception to ONI, and the reason that I decided to join as well; to change them for the better with all I can do."

Saia shook her head. "That seems a foolish goal, Talitha. You cannot change ONI; you are but one person."

The human gave her a wry smirk. "Pebbles start an avalanche, 'Vusan."

The fire crackled, the only sound for several moments before Saia spoke again. "I lost my faith long ago, when my life was burned around me. Our leaders were shown to be liars, and our faith an illusion. I realized that the strength that I had credited to the Forerunners came from my own skill and fortitude, and left the illusion behind to carve out something real for myself. I have cheated death twice now, yet still I do not know my place in this galaxy."

Macer toyed with a white bead, fastened to her dogtag chain. "You can't cheat death, Saia. All of us have a day that we are fated to die, and nothing we do can change that." She shrugged, looking to the Sangheili. "If you have not died yet, then there is still much for you to do. If you've come close twice now… Well, someone might be trying to get your attention."

Saia looked to the human, something in her words sounding like the life she had lost. And yet, it sounded—more. "I do not know your gods, Agent Macer, but you are no liar. Honor drives you, not selfish glory. When I should fall, I do hope to meet you in this Valhalla."

Talitha smiled faintly. "Well, that's hopefully a long way off for the both of us. What's not far away is our de-briefing, which is never fun." She patted Saia on the shoulder. "Best get some sleep now; it's a long walk back to the shipyard, and a longer ride back to base."

Saia thought about what Macer had told her as the human slept. Those thoughts soon drifted to her clan and her family lost six years ago. Perhaps they watched over her as well, and had spared her from the dread gaze of the Lee-vru-kah. Sleep found the warrior, as she walked her dreams with her kin once more.

Office of Naval Intelligence Prowler, UNSC Burn After Reading – April 12th, 2558

Talitha sat silently as Captain Sigurdsson read her report. Saia stood off in a corner, her arms crossed. Her left eye had healed enough that a bandage was not needed, though the burn was still a bright pink and her eye was completely white. The look emphasized her clear discomfort in the silence. A fourth guest, who Talitha did not recognize, sat in the opposite corner. He appeared to be a civilian, though his suit was clearly UNSC affiliated. His head was bald, and a tattoo emblazoned the left side of his face: an armored fist clutching three arrows.

The Captain set the report down, rubbing his forehead. "This mining operation," he said, "there was nothing related to Jul 'Mdama's Covenant?"

Macer shook her head. "No, sir. The Kig-Yar seemed to hold no affiliation to the Covenant. Rather, they were digging for something they called the 'Lee-vru-kah', in service of a Sangheili warlord who claimed to speak for the 'Abiding Truth'. They almost succeeded."

Saia shifted, her face grim. While they had stopped the pirates and slayed both their queen and her employer, the Demon remained partially exposed beneath Valyanop's surface.

Captain Sigurdsson referenced the report. "Yes, I see that here. I'll dispatch a survey team now that the Jackals have been cleared out of the ruins and see what we can make of it."

Saia stepped forward. "That would not be wise. I have heard tales of these monsters all my life; it is better that it remains beneath the rock. We slew the Kig-Yar to stop them from unearthing it, not so that it might be discovered by another. Cover it again, and ensure that none find it a second time."

He gave a small nod. "That is one course of action, but with respect to your beliefs I don't see the chance of anything surviving for hundreds of thousands of years beneath the surface of a planet, of all things. Caution will be exercised in preliminary measurements before any future excavation or burial is decided upon."

The officer stood, signaling the end of the debriefing. Talitha rose from her chair, saluting her superior before leaving his office. Saia followed closely behind, her objection to the decision barely contained.

The bald civilian watched them leave, cracking a small smile as the door slid shut. "I'd say they did pretty well, wouldn't you?"

The Captain sat back at his desk, casting a sidelong glance at the Spartan. "Their competition was mostly Jackals, Spartan Jun. I don't often question higher orders, but that doesn't seem like much of a challenge to me."

Jun gave a small chuckle. "It's not the difficulty that matters; it's how Agent Macer handled it. Initiative, loyalty—all the things we look for in Spartan IV's." He leaned back in his seat. "Add that to the incident on Alpha Halo and she'd make a good Spartan, if she accepts the offer."

Captain Sigurdsson shook his head, looking back down to her report, added to similar findings on Conrad's Point, Oban, and even Sanghelios. "She'd damn well better. If this thing is half as dangerous as the Sangheili believe it to be, we'll need all the Spartans we can muster."