A.N. yeah and update! I now have high speed so I can actually get on the internet unlike all summer fade into intelligible mutters Anyway I'm sorry if this chapter feels a little slow but I've been away form this story for a while and couldn't remember exactly what I'd intended to do with it. Sorry. But the good news is that you're getting it hot off the press right? Now remember reviews are neccecary so I'm not just posting a story to take up space. Alright, now… GO!

Chapter 6

The room they entered was beautiful in the way that warships never were. Now that he was inside Rtas could see that the ship had once been a human vessel, though it wasn't anymore. The central room that they were now in had once been many smaller rooms but had been gutted and redesigned. Plants sat in various points and a waterfall fell into a small pool in the corner. Couches had been placed in a circle in the center of the room. It looked more like a living place instead of a ship interior.

They stood on a balcony overlooking the emptied interior of the ship. A glass and human steel railing encircled the edge giving a spectacular line of sight over the view he'd first noticed. Two wings led around the circumference of the room gently sloped ramps that met just inches off the floor on the far side of the room then melded to form a single ramp down to the floor proper. Now his eye was caught by the group waiting for them. Clan elders chosen by vote of the houses to represent the people were on the left if he remembered rightly. On the right would be the top military commanders. Specialty and rank in the colour of their armour.

The four honour guards following the group split to take up posts on either side of the doorway. While the female strode forward confidently then dropped to kneel before the centre figure around which the others were arranged. Slowly they raised their white cloaked head and with an easy movement slid the hood off.

Her skin was the white of freshly fallen snow, her light blue eyes the only colour on her. Her head spikes were tipped in silver though he couldn't see them. The last time that he had seen her Rtas knew was when he took one last look over his shoulder to say farewell to his mother when the covenant ship had come on their yearly trip to pick up all Shanglli male children when they were old enough to leave their dames. He had thought she was a ghost then, a figment of his imagination that the figure out of legends had come to life. The Eldest, the Keeper, the Speaker, she knew many titles. She was one of the keystones of the Shanglli religion of ancestor worship. For good reason she was followed. It went against their genetics for a mutation such as hers to occur. All Elite' skin was black and darkly pigmented, it was necessary to survive on their desert home world. Only one was ever born who was albino, always female she was born in time that she could spend five years in training with her predecessor. The Keeper was revered because though no one knew how it was possible, she was a focus of memory, she was born remembering every event that had ever occurred in Elite history. She was a living historian and older then her years because of it.

Her clear blue eyes focused on every face that entered. She knew every detail, every secret, every Shanglli was her child. Like a child every elite present felt the hot burn of guilt at somehow having disappointed a parent. Discipline and stubbornness however were strong enough to prevent them from throwing themselves at her feet and begging forgiveness. Warrior pride was too enmeshed with blood bone and sinew to allow them to look away from that gaze.

"Rise Daughter, take your place." Her tone, her voice carried the quiet air of authority of one who knew she would be obeyed. The female rose and took her place in line with the others her eyes now watching everyone closely. "Humans, we are pleased to make your acquaintance, please forgive us for keeping you waiting in the hanger we did not wish to begin until we were certain that no other ships were entering the system." Rtas noted that she'd blatantly ignored the Elites standing there was well.

He looked over at the Humans watching them to see how they would react. The Demon was uneasy, Rtas couldn't blame him they were both warriors and for half a century they'd been trained to kill each other first and as questions later, even though they were allies now old habits were hard to break and trust even further away. With the ease of a born diplomat their leader the Admiral spoke for the group. With half a mind he paid attention to the introductions of each party. He wasn't one of the Elites that would be part of the treaty council. He was there on behest of the Shal'qui and his business was elsewhere. His attention was pricked when they began the human introductions. Johnson and the Master-Chief were human words that he was familiar with the rest of the titles, presumably their ranks, were foreign. The Covenant had never been able to figure out the order of their command. A new word, Cortana sparked his memory and he watched as the female that he'd spoken to nodded and murmured softly in Shanglii. He was curious where she could have picked it up because it was not one of the languages that the covenant used in their transmissions and orders. The Keeper met her clear gaze look for look and nodded as though greeting a familiar presence.

"It will be a pleasure to speak with you admiral." One of the council-members spoke, her intonation pleasant and formal. "I believe that you have at least as many questions about us as we have about you. We shall be more then pleased to speak on them at a later time but now let us show you around this ship. Here is the ground where the first treaty and alliances of our peoples will be made." With an easy movement she led the admiral and the human party down the right hand ramp. The two parties listened politely and made uneasy conversation. The demon had dropped back on some hidden signal and walked alongside Cortana once again. She studied their surroundings intently impatiently holding her silence.

Part of the Shal'qui party had remained behind, the Keeper, her four honour guards and a few others. The young female that had escorted them had gone with the humans ignoring the Arbiter her actions taunt with the unspoken.

"Councillor Tw'bwasee please come walk with me a moment. We have much to speak on and what the Shal'qui have to say to you and your party will wait until after the humans return to their ship. The matters between us to be dealt with first are private affairs." The Keepers voice was low but pitched without mercy. The councillor inclined his head respectfully.

"Of course great one," he intoned. Rtas narrowed his gaze but made no other movement. As a warrior diplomacy had never been his strongest trait.

"Very well." The Keeper said easily as she and the councillor led the two parties down the left hand ramp to meet with the other group at the base. "Now tell me councillor how fare things among the Prophets?"

"This place is incredible!" Cortana gushed her face pressed against the wall and her head contorted as she studied some minute detail that only she knew what. John scanned the room they were in again and shook his head.

"There's too much space, too many…" searching for a word he gestured around encompassing the room. Cortana let a grin slip and she pushed off from the wall. She knew what John meant. He liked things well, Spartan. He was a minimalist and the kind of indulgencies that the Shal'qui had allowed themselves on this ship and the luxuries that they represented didn't hold anything with him. They were impressive to the rest of the party, she could tell that but John simply looked though them to the basic military value.

"But there's more then meets the eye here." She told him as she strolled over to him. "Look directly over my left shoulder four degrees what do you see?" Behind his face plate she couldn't see his expression but she knew him well enough to know what that slight tilt of his head meant.

"Is that…"

"Yeah, the focusing crystal for a laser of some sort. This whole room is honeycombed with them. And all the pretty extras that you sneered at are really cover for an orgasmic variety of sensor systems. That central hub we were first in can actually be ejected. From what I can tell, and I need a bit more study mind you. That if this ship was ever attacked it splits into at least three separate modules; each with its own shielding, small engines for mannuvering, and limited defensive capabilities." She linked her fingers then stretched her arms above her head and arched her back with a stretch. "All of this so cleverly hidden behind the frivolous and indulgent that I bet there are a few tricks to it that I haven't seen yet." Her eyes flashed a challenge at him. He was inscrutable behind his mask and at his continued silence her smile widened and she brushed past him.

"Oh look at this I wonder…" and she was off again wandering around the room that they'd been left in while the rest of the party began the first of the deliberations. Behind his mask the Chief watched her ceaseless form with a half twist to his lips, listening to her with half an ear while he continued to study their surroundings.

If the Chief had been the self-reflective type he would have noticed a, shift for lack of a better term, within himself. It had been growing slowly like the build up of an earthquake, the jolt had come at the Ark. The events of the Ark weren't ones that he liked to contemplate to deeply. Mystery's had been revealed on the Ark, a forerunner artefact buried deep within earth, the birthplace of humanity. The forerunners had left a construct behind there but one that was vastly different then those left to guard the halo's. This one had been similar to an AI, but much more advanced then Humanities primitive versions. It had spoken of a shield and a sword. It had, invaded his mind, dragging through his memories, his thoughts. Then it had looked at him strangely as though there was something it knew but didn't, then it had summoned Cortana from the other side of the galaxy. Her avatar had appeared…

With a jolt the Chief snapped his attention back to his surroundings. Cortana glanced over her shoulder at him, waiting expectantly for an answer. He scrounged his mind, what had she'd been talking about… the alliance right.

"That will depend." He responded. She reached a fair skinned hand up and flicked one of the raven wing strands of hair out of her eyes.

"You don't think it will?" she persisted.

"I'm a soldier Cortana, not a politician. I don't know how things work outside the army." She let him get away with that then her violet eyes flashed red a moment and she looked over her shoulder to the doorway on the opposite side of the room. John followed her gaze shifting his weight into a more balanced posture. The doors oscillated open and one of the Shal'qui stepped into the room. She jerked to a stop when she noticed the two humans.

It was the guide who had come to fetch them from the hanger bay. She had a helmet tucked under her arm now, a design of basic black. Her eyes were a disturbing solid emerald without iris or pupil. Her mandibles clicked once as they studied each other. Now strangers soon to be allies. John didn't know what to make of this new war. Cortana recovered first.

"Sharu." She said in greeting, John had his suspicions of where she had picked up her new linguistic skills. The Shal'gui tilted her head curiously but nodded.

"Sharu net'wasa."

"Quwaz no pektoruk?/ Is your human better then my Shanglli?" Johns translator whispered softly in his ear. The shal'qui threw back her arrow-shaped head and gave a bark that didn't need to be translated as laughter.

"Quite possibly." She said in accented covenant. "I'm afraid that we have had little chance to converse in your language."

"Well that is a situation I would be happy to correct." Cortana answered in the same language. "You were the one who escorted us from the hanger aren't you? I don't recall them introducing you." The Shal'qui tilted her head in confusion at the rapid change in topics.

"I am that one." She answered slowly. "My rank dictates that it was not necessary for me to be introduced at the first meeting." John had to struggle slightly with her wording obviously it was very formal but it was also apparently not a language that she often spoke.

"So what do you go by?" Cortana asked curiously. The Shal'qui tilted her head for a moment and was silent.

"I'm afraid that I don't know that phrasing."

"Oh, sorry, um, what's your… name." Cortana corrected the last word human because she couldn't think of the proper word.

'Ah… You may call me Sh'reei." She said softly. "You are, Cortana, correct? And this is the ah, Chief." She asked softly.

"Yes. Can I ask you a quick question since we'll be allies soon." Cortanna asked her completely ignoring the man behind her.

"That of course would depend on what answer you want me to give."

"Honest. I appreciate that for a change. I've never seen the design that you have on your armour before, I thought that certain coloured armour was required to show rank."

"ah, while my position does not rank me highly enough to be introduced to the delegates I am… also separate from the normal ranks and therefore am a different power. Now if you will forgive myself I must be on my way I have been ordered back to my duties now."

"Of course it was been a pleasure speaking with you Sh'reei." The Shal'qui inclined her head in a formal movement among equals and then with a slight ruffle of the violet tipped spikes on her head exited out of a different door.

"Ohhh, I think I'm going to like these Shal'qui." Cortana said turning to flash a grin at the chief that gave him a twinge of unease.