Halo: The Mirratord

by soulguard

120 years before the events of Halo, the greatest of the Sangheili race have been called together to do what must be done in order to protect their kin from the unknown mysteries of the Covenant. This is where the legend begins.

11. First Deed of the Mirratord

Section 11: The First Deed of the Mirratord

"The Age of Reclamation"
High Charity
Civilian Sector
High Orbit over Outpost World
March 28, 2438 :: Sol Relative Time

Five days have passed since Vasmeola and her family vanished. Five days of active searching by the leaders of the Mirratord, only to be faced with dead ends on every good lead they uncovered. From the Council Chambers of High Charity, to the boiling furnaces of Ashanti's Shipyards on Fatrioni; they found nothing. Vadumee, Balmaedee and Simyaldee had taxed nearly every source they could, short of asking the elder councilors directly. By now, Simyaldee's hopes of finding his mate alive were beginning to wane.

"What other options do we have left?" Balmaedee questioned as he glanced over his findings. The data pad scrolled with Sangheili symbols; names, locations, hideouts and even numerous heretic bases' of operations.

"We must turn to the council once again!" Simyaldee aggressively stated.

"If the council is unaware of their location, then the council is unaware." Vadumee quickly stated. He was leaning back against a wall in the corner of the hallway, resting with his arms folded tightly. He had not slept at all in the past five days, which was nothing new to a warrior, but the exhaustion was beginning to take hold of him. "They were taken before we told the council…"

"But I spoke of them at my induction!" Simyaldee countered. "Perhaps one of them was the culprit."

Vadumee attempted to calm Simyaldee. "Be cautious, brother. Accusing an elder is not an easy task. Remember, our duty is to protect the High Council, and we must never forget that. If we are to approach an Elder, there is no telling what seeds we may lay."

The trio stood silent for a moment, and each sighed heavily as they lowered their heads. The leaders of the most powerful and secretive organization in the Sangheili forces were lost on what to do next. Yet Balmaedee had one last revelation.

"First, there is still one last option. The one you have been neglecting to follow."

Vadumee glared at Balmaedee for speaking of it around Simyaldee, but he held his peace.

Naturally, Simyaldee responded to this. "What? What do you mean? First, is there another stone yet unturned?"

Vadumee stepped forward and lowered his head in thought. "I have hesitated to follow this lead, as it could stir up a large circle of mistrust within the High Council. Balmaedee is well aware of that."

"As the Second in command, I need to be aware of everything going on in your head!" Simyaldee snarled.

Vadumee turned to Balmaedee and chuckled. "Now he claims his title." He stepped closer to Simyaldee. "As I told you, there are many secrets, and the Mirratord will not reveal all of its secrets so suddenly. In time you will know everything, and it will be I that will need to seek your aid."

"No matter." Simyaldee countered. "What is it that you have neglected to share?"

"It concerns Elder Misuvai." Vadumee softly stated.

"Elder Misuvai? His honorific is that of a novice. How is that possible?"

Balmaedee spoke, "He was born of a powerful family, at the very end of the Unggoy uprising. Due to the Arbiters actions in this war, several Sangheili Elders were removed from their rank in the Council. Several seats in the council needed to be filled, and he was 'selected' to fill the void. He had never seen combat, nor did he successfully complete his years at the Academy."

"He was a drop out that happened to be in the right family, at the right time." Vadumee added.

Balmaedee continued. "Thus his honorific, vai: without battle."

"But to the point," Vadumee cut in. "it has been suspected for several years that he was responsible for the fall of the House of Vas. That goes with little doubt, but many believe he had an ulterior motive."

"Elder Misuvai is the same elder that Vasmeola spoke of?"

"The same." Balmaedee answered, he thumbed his data pad and passed it to Simyaldee. "Here is the relative data."

"As you can see, he bore witness that the previous Arbiter was a traitor. But even this did not officially remove Elder Bro'vasleo from the council. For his own safety, the council let him believe this, this way…"

"Vasmeola would be rejected from the Academy." Simyaldee quickly stated, cutting Vadumee short. "Then his actions were for the council's benefit as well. His deed prevented her from entering the Academy and thusly keeping her from the Prophets. I understand now. His actions have always been well timed."

Balmaedee smirked. "You see, First, even he understands it. Misuvai's actions have been massive blows to the Council. Even his taking of the high council seat seemed too good to be true."

"But what you do not see is the 'why'." Vadumee countered. "As I said, he is the most likely subject, but 'why' would he do it? He is a councilor, and he has honor and power despite his honorific."

Simyaldee continued to read the backlog of data on Misuvai and his actions toward the House of Vas. "Wait! It says that Misuvai was once a good friend to Elder Bro'vasleo, they attended the same Academy on Dorenth, before Misuvai dropped out. They maintained their friendship throughout their council days. He also reported that he visited Bro'vasleo's home on numerous occasions, and was so saddened by the news of their disappearance that he went to their home to find out what happened. It was he that reported Vasmeola's death, in a shallow grave on the Vas family's property."

"What?" Balmaedee suddenly gripped the pad. "Did I miss this?"

Simyaldee questioned, "I do not understand. Why was Vasmeola reported as being dead? It was her mother who was slain."

"If he inspected the body himself, then this is the evidence we need." Vadumee thumbed his lower mandibles. "He clearly lied on the report."

"First! We have him!" Balmaedee smirked. "This is enough information to at least question him."

"Yes. We must know why he lied to the council." Vadumee turned to his side and faced the empty hallway. "M'atralee." Suddenly, a thin wisp of lines warped the visual spectrum and a massive shape of shifting light appeared. Almost invisible to the naked eye, the form took shape, light shifted around it, its image became more solid, and soon the black armor of an elite appeared.

M'atralee knelt before the First. "Your orders?"

Vadumee stepped forward. "Send word to the council. We must speak with Elder Misuvai."

- - - - - - - -

"The Age of Reclamation"
High Charity
Sanctum of the Hierarchs
High Orbit over Outpost World
March 28, 2438 :: Sol Relative Time

"Ah, brother Regret, your return is most welcome!" Mercy mumbled with outstretched arms. Regret floated across the dimly lit and massive room toward Mercy, yet his face showed his displeasure.

"I return with hopes to see the power of the Jiralhanae, yet my reports tell me of something different. Why were the Jiralhanae sent away? What contempt is this?"

Mercy waved his hands in a calming tone. "Once again, brother Truth needed to alternate our plans."

"Our plans?" Regret fumed. "Our plans involved the power of the Jiralhanae, not these bungling reptiles. The Sangheili's time has past. Is Truth not looking to the future? What about the Grand Design? "

"I will let Truth explain when he returns from his meeting with the Jiralhanae Chieftain, but for now… were you successful in destroying the map room?"

"Yes! Such a foolish question. I would not have returned if it had not been done. Our systems are in place and our top scientists are studying the data. Everything that once existed inside the Forerunner map room, is now stored in our database."

"Excellent. And no one questioned its destruction?"

Regret rolled his eyes, "You still doubt me? If you must know, an honor guard was curious about its destruction. He was my chief bodyguard. But he will not trouble us."

"What makes you so sure?" Mercy frowned, worriedly.

"Dead warriors do not speak, brother." Regret wickedly smiled. He was displeased about the constant interrogation; as if Mercy doubted his success.

"Good. We can not have doubt floating through the warrior ranks."

Regret floated to the central terminal and gazed at it mysteriously. "Now tell me, in your own words, why do you think Truth told the Jiralhanae to leave?"

"My view on the subject… it was for the common good. The Sangheili's thirst for the Jiralhanae's blood. They hate each other, still. Even after all these centuries, the Sangheili and Jiralhanae have a natural hatred of each other. They were on the verge of lynching the Unified Chieftain as he knelt before Truth."

"I see. So not even the destruction of the galaxy could squelch their hatred for one another? Perhaps their blood is too different to ever work together in peace. Their must be a way."

"If the Forerunners could not make them work together in peace, I highly doubt we will be successful."

The door to the Sanctum parted and in floated truth. He waved off his guards and looked to his two brothers. "I happened to overhear your last statement, Mercy, and
I must disagree. What these two natural enemies need is a common foe. But for now, we will wait until that moment arrives." Truth floated closer to Regret and bowed his long serpent like neck respectfully. "It has been a while brother. How is your health?"

"My health is fine, but it is my heart that troubles me." Regret sorrowfully replied. "I so dreamed to see the mighty Jiralhanae in action once more. Now they are merely reduced to scouts and tomb raiders. The first battle under our control, and I missed it."

"It could not be helped. Letting the Jiralhanae stay active in the Covenant would have angered the Sangheili into a possible internal dispute. They need time to heal and forget the actions on the Outpost World. I have sent word to the expeditionary force, and gave them the first star marker. Soon, we will have all three markers and we will find Halo. And once we find Halo, we will unite the Sangheili and Jiralhanae."

"I see." Mercy chuckled. "The holy relic will surely establish unity."

"Ah." Regret chimed in. "So we delay the Grand Design until we find Halo."

"Yes." Truth floated toward the terminal. "With Halo found we will be one step closer to the Ark's location and the Great Journey. And when we find the Ark, we will no doubt find the cursed Reclaimers; the sole reason that we created this Covenant. The Sangheili and Jiralhanae will come together to fight them while we complete the Grand Design."

"Yes. The Reclaimers." Regret thumbed his stubble as he thought back on his many studies of the Reclaimers. Their legend filled his mind once again, but he dared not speak of them knowing that Truth and Regret detested them greatly. Regret dreamed of facing them, testing the Reclaimers and seeing what they were truly capable of. His studies showed tactfulness, bravery and an unmatched desire to win. Instead of hating the Reclaimers, he learned from them. He studied their recorded victories from the Forerunner Era, their leadership style and tactics. He would be ready to destroy them if they dared show their face.

"The Jiralhanae have accepted our change in plans." Truth stated, forcing Regret to refocus. "The Unified Chieftain, Tartarus, believes this to be the better decision, though he was surprised at how quickly the plan changed. I made him understand that the Sangheili are not fully prepared to accept him. He was willing to attack them, and wear down their aggression, but I explained that such a method was unjust. We are to be allies, but the Sangheili will need to learn to accept them over time."

"In your letter you stated that Tartarus was growing old, will he live long enough to fulfill the Grand Design?" Regret questioned.

"No. The Jiralhanae do not live nearly as long as the Sangheili, but his first born child will take his name and swear his life to us. Once he claims the title of Chieftain from his father, we will have another loyal leader in our grasp." Truth floated closer to his two kinsmen and then whispered. "Now, tell me, what news do you have of the Sangheili High Council?"

"Yes." Mercy smiled. "As we had feared, the bloodline of Elder Barremee may still exist. My spies have acquired a young female, the very female we believed to be directly connected to Barremee's seed."

Truth pondered the words as he looked to the floor. "I thought we ordered his descendants killed?"

"We did, yet one must have survived. A different branch of his family, no doubt, but with nearly the same pure bloodline." Mercy quickly replied.

Truth lifted his head. "We must not take any chances of the Gene growing out of control. Kill her and any member of her family. Barremee may be protected because of his status as the Sangheili High Elder, but we can at least stop his young from spreading."

Regret chuckled softly, catching the gaze of both Truth and Mercy. He looked to his two elder kinsmen and smiled. "You fear the legacy left behind by the Forerunners, yet here we are following in their footsteps. Are we any different then they were?"

Mercy frowned, "And you do not understand the power these creatures could hold over us if we leave them unchecked."

"Still," Regret added. "even if we kill off all of Barremee's descendants, nature will find a way to continue the gene. Artificial or not… the Sangheili gene will reappear. That is why we should kill them now and be done with it. Callback the Jiralhanae and let us cleanse the Sangheili for good."

"And such black-and-white ideals will be the end of us all, brother." Truth sighed. "Continue to think that way, and you will never see the Great Journey."

- - - - - - - -

"The Age of Reclamation"
Wing of the Gods
Sangheili Capital ship within the fleet of Divine Light
High Orbit over Outpost World
March 29, 2438 :: Sol Relative Time

The phantom descended to the grey hull of the landing deck, merely seconds after phasing through the protective shield. The hum of the phantom's engine began to fade as the small transport ship's engines readjusted to the Wing of the Gods' internal gravity array. But instead of landing on the deck the phantom stopped several feet from the deck. Its belly parted as a focused beam of purple light flashed to the deck, carrying four Sangheili Spec Ops officers.

The gravity lift lowered their massively strong forms to the deck and they looked around curiously, threatening any Grunts or Jackals that came near. They stepped clear of the lift and formed a defensive circle around the beam of light. Then another three warriors descended to the deck. This time only two of them wore the black armor of the Spec Ops, the other warrior dawned the white armor of the Spec Ops Commander.

"The deck is clear, Commander." One of the spec ops commented.

"Excellent. Take team Beta to the command deck and advise the Ship Master of our presence. Tell him of our arrival and that under no circumstances should anyone come to the Councilman's chamber, no matter what he hears." The warrior returned a sharp and nearly perfect bow before he waved for his three man unit to follow him. The four lead Spec Ops quickly made their way off the deck.

Ballmaedee stood at the Commander's side, along with M'atralee. "He will not be pleased to see us. Even with a written document with the Council consent, he will dispute our presence."

"We could not notify him of our arrival, that would only give him a chance to hide anything… incriminating." The commander replied. "This signed document will have to do. Besides, I am not concerned with his reaction to our presence; it is his actions after I leave that will reveal the most." The commander waved for M'atralee to lead the way and they began the long trip to Elder Misuvai's chamber.

The Wing of the Gods was a standard capital cruiser with a full compliment of crew; Grunts, Jackals, Engineers, Hunters, and its Elite command. But within every fleet of the Armada it was mandatory for a Prophet and Sangheili Councilor to be present on a minimum of four ships. This helped to maintain discipline and a watchful eye for the Council. Luckily, the Prophet stationed on ship had not returned, making it easier for the Spec Ops to quietly take control via the High Council's orders. With the Prophet on board, things would not have gone so smoothly.

As expected the councilman's deck was quiet and only a few battle hardened Vets, dawning the red armor of the Elite Major, stood at opposing ends of the hallway. As the Commander and his entourage made their way past them, they nodded with respect. Commander Vadumee's rank made him nearly as important at the Supreme Commander of the Fleet. He softly nodded a reply and stopped at the elder's door.

One of the veteran guards, dawning his polished red armor, stepped forward. "Sir, I must ask if the Elder is expecting you. He requested not to be disturbed."

Commander Vadumee spun on heel toward the warrior and glared into his eyes. "I understand it is your duty to question anyone that approaches this door, but I will make this clear. Until further notice I am herby in command of this ship. You will take your orders from me and no one else." M'atralee stepped forward, holding a data pad with the signature and Royal stamp of the High Council. "That is all you need to know. Take your team and secure this foyer. No one comes down this hall, no matter what you hear. If I do not summon you, you do not come back to this door. Understood?"

"Perfectly!" The warrior sternly replied. He nodded and began to dispatch his guards to the end of the corridor.

"M'atralee, open this door." Vadumee clasped his hands behind his back as M'atralee slipped his command override sequence into the door controls. The double door hissed and partially opened. A loud metal ping echoed from the door and it halted. A six inch gap appeared between the double doors and Vadumee grumbled softly in his chest. "Restraint bar."

Balmaedee also huffed. "Yes. It would seem he really does want his privacy."

Vadumee placed his head to the door and peeped inside, knowing that he could not fit through the gap, but he could not see anyone inside. "Elder Misuvai! This is Commander Vadumee of the Special Operations! You have ten seconds to remove this restraint bar from the door before I force it open!"

Vadumee sat back and looked to Balmaedee. "You think that will get his attention?"

"If he is hiding something, he is probably loosing control of his bowls right now." The trio chuckled softly.

A shout came back from inside the room. "Just a moment! What is the meaning of this? I said no visitors!"

"Five seconds, elder!" Vadumee replied. He gripped a small cylinder shaped device from his hip, shaped almost identical to the Energy Sword hilt, yet it was a few inches smaller. He palmed it in his left hand and stepped closer to the door access panel.

"I need a minute, you caught me in the bath!" Came the reply.

Balmaedee chuckled. "He thinks we can not get in."

M'atralee replied. "Typically no. Not even a plasma flame could pierce this door. However, if you know where the restraint bolt is located ..."

"Times up!" Vadumee squeezed the tiny hilt in his hand and a small blade extended down his forearm. The blade curled much like a standard energy sword, yet there was only one blade. He spun the hilt, aiming the blade toward the access panel, and stabbed into the wall unit. The blade sparked as it struck the bulkhead, and then melted its way into the wall. He forced it deeper and suddenly the doors fully parted. Vadumee powered of the single blade and connected it to his belt. M'atralee and Balmaedee sprinted into the room and Vadumee slowly followed.

"This is absurd!" Misuvai screamed as the two warriors streaked toward him. They each scanned the room, tossing furniture and began pulling down paintings. "I am an Elder of the High Council! I will have your heads for this… this, intrusion!"

Commander Vadumee had long ago lost his respect for Misuvai, and thusly could only muster one response for an elder he did not revere. "Shut up." He tossed the data pad at the elder and slowly stalked the room, looking for anything out of place.

Misuvai read the data loosely and screamed, "Under what grounds would this…"

"Listen to me, elder!" Vadumee snarled. "You know who we are and why we are here! If we find anything that links you to the crime we will literally have your head."

Misuvai stood in protest, showing no fear to the young warrior before him. "Crime? The Mirratord can not act without evidence! And if you are here then you must think that I am connected to something. But what, I wonder." Misuvai paced around the room. "Could it be Heretic delegation? Perhaps, but every councilman leads a small band of Heretics or known separatists cells. No, you are not here for that. Perhaps it is something with the Jiralhanae. No, I doubt that. None of our leads into this mystery have gathered any merit. What could it possibly be?" The elder thumbed his lower mandible as he looked to Vadumee. "A murder perhaps. Recent cases for the Mirratord include the kidnapping of the Master, the death of our foremost hero, and the evacuation of the outpost world. But what would make you come to me in this hunt? What have I done in the past that would make me a suspect… ah… yes; my announcement at the last Parade of the Watchmen!"

Balmaedee turned and looked at him awkwardly. "If you tell us everything, we will spare your life. We will remove your honor, but you will have your life."

Misuvai smirked, "By process of elimination, I assume this is about my report on the death of the House of Vas's daughter. What was wrong with the report?"

"Come now elder, do not play me for a fool." Vadumee barked. "You know we have been watching you closely. You falsified the report. The body you found was in fact the…"

"The Queen of the House of Vas." Misuvai cut in. "Their family has always been close to me. How could I report that Bro'vasleo killed his mate to protect his daughter?" Everyone froze. "The death of a child is not uncommon in the Sangheili. Unruly offspring are killed often; it is not a crime to slay your child if it is necessary. But to kill ones mate, and the eldest female of the house, is a crime punishable by death. Bro'vasleo was my friend and I will not apologize for what I have done. Beside, the House of Vas is one of the most guarded families in all the Sangheili race. Is it not better to say that it was the daughter he killed and not the Queen?"

Vadumee and Balmaedee watched as Misuvai sat upon his chair. "I acted when I needed to. Is this not what we have taught the Mirratord to do? Even we elders have our secrets, some are much darker then this. But we will never know the truth, will we? Bro'vasleo and his family stayed behind on the outpost world, never to be seen again."

M'atralee suddenly shouted, "Found it!" Misuvai raised his head to see what the young warrior meant.

Vadumee's eyes never left Misuvai. "Save your lies, elder."

M'atralee hefted a small portion of a crumbled crystal. "It is small, but with time I can retrieve some of its data." He then looked to the elder. "You smashed the data pad, but you must always be sure that the internal data crystal is also destroyed. Commander, I will need to get this to our data terminal."

"Very well." Vadumee said. "We have you now, elder. It is only a matter of time. You are hereby under arrest and confined to your chambers."

"I can tell you what was on that data crystal. It was merely shipment orders and Mirratord posting confirmations for the Armada. That was the data you transferred to the high council several days ago!"

"We shall see." Vadumee smirked. The trio exited the room as the elder's door slowly squeaked closed because of the damage.

M'atralee thumbed the crumbled data crystal in his hand and slowly ground it into a powder. "You think he bought it?"

"Time well till. It is up to the Second now."

- - - - - - - -

Elder Misuvai huffed to himself as he lowered his head. He paced around the room in thought, rubbing the sweat that had suddenly beaded upon his brow. "That crystal has nothing on it. I am not so stupid to bring things back to my chamber. But still, Commander Vadumee is a fearful young warrior. Damn!" He strode to his com station and keyed in an encrypted line. He then pulled a small personal communicator out of his pocket and piggybacked the frequency. On the com station he contacted the command deck and at the same time he contacted a strange frequency through his personal com.

"Ship master, why did you not inform me that the Commander was coming?" He roared.

"Elder, I was not made aware until a few moments ago. Forgive me, but I was under orders not to notify you."

Misuvai frustratingly killed the communication but that wasn't the goal of his transmission. It was a simple cover up for his real contact via the other line. "Your holiness …"

"Is this channel secure?"

"Yes your eminence."

"What is it? You were not to report until tomorrow."

"The Commander is on to me. He just left. He suspects something, but right now they are baiting me. You must transfer me from this ship."

"And could it be possible that they bugged your quarters?"

"My transmission is encrypted, my own design, it would notify me of any odd frequencies other than my own."

"In order to receive something, you must give something. What have you to offer me? I already have the female."

"Your eminence, the house of Vas was our biggest secret, there is nothing more."

"Yet there you are, sitting in your quarters, locked away. Surely there is something about the council you can share."

Misuvai wiped his brow, and exhaled heavily. "There is more… the biggest of our secrets; a group that works under the High Council directly."

"You have my attention. Speak."

"The Mirratord. Retrieve me from this ship, and I will tell you what I know."

There was a short pause. "Consider it done. I will send orders for you to be stationed aboard High Charity. Your cover will be the debriefing of the Outpost World Evacuation."

"Thank you your eminence. Thank you." The channel closed and Misuvai exhaled. The door beeped and Misuvai answered the call. "Yes?"

"Sir, do you need anything? We were told that you are to be held in your quarters till further notice." The Vet guards had returned to guard his door.

"I am fine." He closed the line and stood from his seat. He motioned for his desk and paused. "What have I done?"

As he sulked, an invisible force gripped his mouth and neck with unbelievable strength. He struggled against the powerful grip, fought with all his might, yet could not free himself from the ferocious strength of the invisible assailant.

"Redeem yourself before you die. Where are they?"

Misuvai calmed himself and glared into the ceiling. "I do not know. I was told to put them into cargo crate and leave them at the dock on High Charity. They were picked up with a shipment of supplies."

"Where was the shipment bound? What form of container where they in?"

"It was unmarked partials; random shipments throughout the Armada! Forgive me… they could be anywhere." Misuvai whimpered softly to himself.

A low grumble escaped the warrior's voice. "I will let you live, but you can only regain your honor by finding out where the Vas family has been taken. No need to try and contact me, I will find you. Tell no one that I was here."

The warriors grip released, and Misuvai turned to see who it was. Clearly the warrior was a Mirratord, and cloaked. "Let me see you!" But there was no answer. For five minutes Misuvai looked throughout the room, but did not see a hint of his active camouflage silhouette. The warrior was good. It was not the Commander or his Second, Balmaedee. Perhaps it was another skilled warrior. Misuvai backed away and crawled into a corner of his room, terrified, and for nearly two hours that is where he stayed.

"Elder, your transport has arrived. May we enter?" Came a call from the bodyguard outside the doorway.

Musvai nervously replied, "yes." The door parted and several Spec Ops and the Veteran Major walked in.

"Sir, is everything okay? You seem pale." The vet questioned.

"Mind your own, warrior. Just get me out of here."

"We shall take it from here, sir." Stated a low ranking Spec Ops. They exited the room, leaving the red armored veteran and his team. "Do not fret, Elder. We are Mirratord, and you are protected." Misuvai stopped in his tracks, terrified. It was a Mirratord warrior that had threatened his life only a few hours ago, and now they were protecting him? He was perplexed, but it was their duty to protect the High Council at all times. Even in such random situations where they wanted information from him, the Mirratord were duty bound to guard him during transport.

After a few moments, Misuvai exited a Phantom and sighed heavily as he took his first step onto the platform of High Charity, relieved and thankful to be away from the Spec Ops Commander and his watchful eye. The Mirratord guards were not instructed to follow him beyond the transport shuttle. He looked around to see that a group of Prophets had gathered and were approaching him.

As they approached one of them spoke, "We are with the Outpost evacuation committee. Please follow us. We have numerous questions for you."

Inside the Sanctum of the Hierarchs Misuvai bowed respectfully to Mercy as he floated toward him. "Your holiness."

Mercy slapped him quickly, dropping Misuvai to his knees. "You do realize that you have brought a lot of questions to our circle? Many will question your sudden removal from the Fleet of Divine light."

Misuvai held the side of his face; he had forgotten how much their frail and boney fingers could sting. "Forgive me. I feared that they would question me."

"Fear?" Mercy questioned with a laugh. "How much does the Commander know?"

"Nothing about your connection to this."

"How much did you tell them?"

"I spoke nothing, your holiness."

"How long have I nurtured you, protected you? How much have I given you, made you powerful within the Sangheili?"

"I owe everything to you. It just, hurts, to think that they look at me as if I were a traitor."

"You are not the traitor, my child. They are."

Misuvai smiled softly at those words, and then remember the warrior's threat. "One of them threatened me, and told me to find out about the girl and her family. I say good riddance to the House of Vas. It is their own fault for holding such a secret from the Hierarchs."

"Indeed." Mercy stated. "I will have you protected at all times. Do not fear, you are safe in my care. You have done more then I could have asked in the past, and now I will live up to my end as your shinning light. However, what is this Mirratord you spoke of."

"Ah, merely a secret group of Bodyguards for the council." Misuvai held back some info, knowing that such information would be valuable in the future. "They are skilled, and strong. You should be cautious of them. The council will never admit to their existence."

"And who is the leader of this group?"

Misuvai weighed his options and began to speak, yet he suddenly felt a strong grip on his forearm, as if someone was holding him. He looked to his left and he could clearly see the distortion in the light; a silhouette of a camouflaged Elite. He began to panic, yet maintained his calm. The warrior had been with him the whole time. Even now, in the heart of the Sanctum of the Hierarchs, he stood at his side. This warrior was indeed a Mirratord, at the very heart of its meaning. He would surely kill him before he spoke a name. But surely the Hierarchs would save him, wouldn't they? All he needed to do was reveal that he was not alone and the room would be flooded with Honor Guards. Yet this warrior did not fear death, that was the Mirratord way. He would uphold the Mirratord Law and sacrifice his own life if necessary.

"Well? Give me names." Mercy questioned again.

"I do not know them, but I could find out in time. Only the highest of the council know them."

Mercy sighed. "Very well. But do not make me wait for long. As for the house of Vas, you have no need to fear them any longer. You have done us a great service in bringing them to us. As we thought, they are the ones that attempted to overthrow the Sangheili Council and spew hatred of the Covenant. They killed your ancestors for this reason and made your family outcasts. Though you were with wealth, you had no honor. Your family will once again restore their lost honor."

"By befriending them, I brought them down. Soon, my family honor will be reinstated and no longer will I be stuck with the honorific." He knew that the Mirratord warrior was still in the room somewhere, but he didn't care. This was his justice. Misuvai felt redemption knowing that his family would once again receive power.

"Yes. If you say so. You may go now. I will call for you when you are needed."

"May I ask what has been done to them?" Misuvai wasn't asking for the warrior's knowledge, he himself wanted to know so that he could hold on to that knowledge for his own inner peace.

Mercy turned and floated back to his personal chambers, "Like the others you assisted us in finding, they are dead. The slave runners will take them away from the armada and dispose of their bodies."

Misuvai exited the Sanctum doors as they closed behind him. The row of Honor Guards watched as he walked down the path toward the gravity lift. A sense of peace washed over him, knowing that he had helped rid the Covenant of those who would eventually betray it, and destroyed his family name.

He stopped at the edge of he gravity lift as a whisper filled his ears.

"She was my mate." The warrior stated.

"She was a traitor. And by the Mirratord Law in which you follow, I carried out my action. Not only that but her family smudged my family name years ago."

"They lied to you, just as they always have."

"Tell me your name."

"Simyaldee."

Misuvai looked up sharply, the name echoed in his head like a freshly sprung tuning fork. "You are the child from the House of Yal?" But there came no reply. "So be my fate. You are merely another child that will destroy the perfection that is The Covenant."

Misuvai stepped into the gravity lift and descended into its depths, and as he arrived on the lower platform his body fell forward and his head tumbled to the deck moments later. Several Jackals and Grunts were startled at the site as they sounded the distract alarm. His murderer, on the other hand, was nowhere to be found.

- - - - - - - -

"The Age of Reclamation"
Slip space
Ship: Unknown
Destination: Unknown
March 29, 2438 :: Sol Relative Time

Vasmeola opened her eyes and looked into the face of a Prophet. The creature smirked at her innocently. She attempted to move her arms, yet could not. She was held down by some form of restraint. She moved her head but then found that it was also held in place.

"Ah you are awake." The prophet stated.

"Where am I?" She groggily stated.

"The question is not where are you, but rather where are you going?"

"Where are you taking me?" Vasmeola tearfully stated.

The prophet smiled. "To a world far, far away."

To be concluded ...