Section VII: The Arbiter's Exile
"I request an audience with the Prophets of Truth, Mercy, Regret, and Wisdom," Rona said.
"I'm sorry Arbiter," the Doorkeeper said, "But only the High Prophet of Wisdom is able to see you at the moment." He was of the same race as the prophets, but of much lower status. He held a shining dagger in one hand; although he would be useless in a fight. A gravity belt was slung loosely around his waist, for it had yet to be fitted, and he hovered lightly above the ground.
"That will suffice," Rona said.
The attention he had been receiving as the Arbiter had yet to affect him. Sangheili and Unggoy stood waiting in a small room while the Rona walked past. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see looks of disdain upon their faces; yet when he looked at them directly, they would smile and look upon him as if filled with awe.
The Doorkeeper escort Rona down a long hallway into a courtyard of stone. The Prophet of Wisdom sat upon what seemed to be a levitating throne; surrounded by bright red flowers.
"Holy One, I wish to speak with you," Rona said.
"Have you ever heard of the Florax flower, Rona Monamee?" Wisdom asked.
"No, sir, I can't say I have, but"-
"It is said that its nectar will drive one's self insane if drunk," Wisdom continued, "yet is also said that it will grant the meaning of the universe. I have yet to try it for myself, for I fear insanity. Of course, I could get lucky, but would you take that chance?"
"No, sir, I can't say I would," Rona said, preparing to be interrupted once more, "But I must talk to you."
"I believe you are talking right now," Wisdom said smoothly, "But, yes, you may talk."
"I must know the meaning of the Covenant," Rona said, "Its purpose."
"Why do you question the validity of our cause?" Wisdom inquired.
"I have conversed with a Heretic, he has…told me what I believe to be the truth," Rona said, "that we are simply pawns in you sick, twisted game to meet the Gods."
"A Heretic?" Wisdom asked, "I'm surprised that someone feels in it worthy enough to attempt to bring down our little…club."
"He was a young Sangheili by the name of…Sesa Refumee," Rona said, "I must know if what he said was true."
"Yes, it is true," Wisdom said, Rona was taken aback that he would hear the Truth, "My species has planned to recruit more races to act as a bait, of sorts, to lure the parasite away from the Holy Forerunner Artifacts."
"I have heard of many species you could use in your game," Rona said, "Why did you specifically pick the Sangheili, Huragok, and Unggoy?"
"Both your race, and the Unggoy, have an incredibly long life span. Of all the races which have been encountered by our covenant, you and the 'grunts', as you call them, live the longest. Approximately seven hundred years, by the count of the Forerunner converted calendar," Wisdom took a pause for breath, and, it seemed, for effect, "Of course, us prophets have an approximate life of about two thousand years, but that is to be expected of a race as close to the gods as ourselves. The problem with your race, is that you only tend to live for the approximate life of about one hundred years, due to your tendencies to leap into battle at the first chance. We have also chosen you, the Sangheili, for your battle prowess and your willingness to follow orders. The Unggoy, on the other hand, have been chosen simply as disposable soldiers."
"Why do you tell me this so willingly?" Rona asked.
"I do not agree with this plan," Wisdom answered, "I believe there are better ways to approach this plan, and I think the Sangheili and Unggoy are more valuable allies than the other prophets tend to realize."
"Then why do you help them?" Rona exclaimed.
"I wait to see what will happen in the future. Only then can I change it." Wisdom said, "I'm sorry, but right now we are being watched. I must kill you, so they know how I deal with traitors." There was a small clicking noise just beyond hearing behind the large wooden door through which Rona had walked. "In my chair," Wisdom continued, "there is an implanted Fuel Rod Gun. I also have a small teleportation device, which can transport me short distances. I will be able to reverse its function to teleport you out of this room. I shall make it look as if I am killing you with the gun."
"Once you are gone, you must take your friends, Janaw and Argap, and go into a temporary exile," Wisdom concluded and bowed his head.
"I understand," Rona said, and bowed his head in return.
"I only ask that you give your armor. I shall hold it for you till you return, and I will contact you when you can return. You must act as if you are someone else, even while in exile, so as to give the impression that the Arbiter is dead." Wisdom said.
Rona removed his armor and set it before the Prophet.
"Goodbye, Rona Monamee, gods speed with your companions." Wisdom pressed a small button on the arm of his chair, then turned a knob. Rona saw a bright flash of orange, then felt a cool breeze. He had been transported to the front door of his home. As he walked inside, Janaw and Argap lay a few feet away, sleeping curled upon small cushions. Rona had recently adopted Argap as a second apprentice, due to his lack of a home.
On a small stool next to the door was a not with a pair of keyes attached to the back.
Holy Arbiter,
I wish you luck on your journey. Your armour is to be set in a special case to be held for the next dire cause. Behind your home is a new stealth class ship, which has been outfitted for you and your company of Unggoy. I personally have set a new prototype artificial gravity device near its engine. Please tell me how it works when you return. In your ship I have put your old armour, along with a few new weapons.
Please hurry on your way, so no one will question your death.
Good luck,
High Prophet of Wisdom
"Janaw! Argap!" Rona yelled to wake them up. Janaw woke up with a start, pulled out his plasma pistol, and discharged into a wall by accident. The blast woke Argap up, who yelled and slipped off the cushion onto the hard floor with a grunt.
"What?!" Janaw yelled.
"Everyone calm down, we have a little situation," Rona said, "I need you two to help me pack everything in this house into the ship in the back."
"Why?" said the Unggoy in unison.
"I just need you to trust me. Once we are away from here, I will explain everything," Rona said.
"…okay,' Janaw moaned.
"Make sure to fill these bags with all the weapons in the house," Rona said. He got to work helping them, then climbed aboard the ship. It sparkled anew, and the controls dazzled his eyes.
"Where are we going?" Janaw asked, unimpressed by the beauty. The ship was packed to the brim. Rona sat at the controls, admiring their complexity, and trying to figure out how he would drive the thing. He had decided to store all his belongings on Ggoynall until his exile was over.
"We are being exiled. I have found the truth of the Covenant, and the Prophets don't want me to tell anyone…so they exile me," Rona answered.
"What is the 'truth' of the Covenant," Argap asked.
"What the Heretic said was…true, wasn't it?" Janaw said.
"What?" Argap squealed, "What did the Heretic say?! I'm so confused!"
Rona explained the situation in detail, including the conversation with the prophet of Wisdom. He then explained what he planned on doing during exile.
"I have to make sure the heretics don't do anything stupid," Rona said.
Janaw walked away thoughtfully. As he neared a corner, he tripped on his own foot and fell on a bag of weapons. A single plasma pistol discharged and hit the command console.
A small compartment in the back of the cockpit popped open, and a Huragok hovered out. It slipped between Rona and Argap and started fixing the damaged console. Attached to the back of the oblivious Huragok's head was a note. Zale often played little tricks on unsuspecting people. Rona was surprised it didn't say 'Kick Me'.
"Dear Arbiter," Rona read aloud.
"I believe that we will never see each other again, So I must put all my thoughts into this note. The Prophets of Truth, Mercy, and Regret are horrible people, but you must not stop them outright. Discretion is the key to destroying the Covenant. If you confront them directly, you will be slaughtered."
"I was forced to join the Covenant by the Prophets, for they threatened to destroy the Sangheili Planet. Please do not think less of me, for I was only trying to protect my people."
"This Huragok has volunteered to travel with you. In the compartment which he came out of, there should be a few devices he has constructed to help you on your journey. Huragok don't have to be fed often, They feed on microscopic organisms that fill the air; though they do have to receive a shot every year. This is located in the back of the ship."
"I have also given you plenty of food for yourself and your companions."
Goodbye and Good Luck
-Zale Zoneema
Rona sighed.
His Mentor.
This exile will be way too long.
A quick Blast-like noise pulled Rona out of this trance-like state. He looked out of the cockpit window to see what had happened, and he realized he had not yet taken off from the ground. A dozen Sangheili and Followers burst into the yard that held the ship.
'So much for a quiet get away' Rona thought. He readied himself to lower the loading ramp and fight off invaders, but the attack was suddenly directed elsewhere. On the other side of the clearing marched only Half a dozen Sangheili, led by Zale Zoneema.
Although the Elites were outnumbered, they were special operatives. The best of the best.
A buzz came from the ships communication console, and Zale's voice resounded through the cockpit, "Rona, I've got your back. Start your engine and get out of here!"
"You will get punished for defying the Prophets!" Rona yelled into the comm.
"I shall be executed," Zale replied, "But the Arbiter's life is more important than mine."
"…And the others?" Rona asked, "The Sangheili helping you?"
"No, they are simply following orders," Zale said, "they will not be punished."
Rona wasn't even listening. He shut off the comm. and slammed down the button to lower the loading ramp. He slipped through the barely open door, and whipped out his energy sword. Zale did the same; dropping his plasma rifle and taking out a sword.
"Do not kill," Rona said, "Only disable."
"Understood," Zale replied.
Realizing what he just said, Rona put away his energy sword and chose to attack hand to hand. His first opponent raised a plasma rifle to Rona's face. The Arbiter grabbed his wrist and snapped the gun out of his hand. The Elite howled and grabbed his broken wrist. Rona put him down with an elbow to the face.
Another Elite ran out of the fray and pointed to Rona.
"The Arbiter!" he yelled, and tripped as he turned to run. Argap ran up to the fallen Elite and kicked him in the head. He instantly fell unconscious.
The following Elites were easier; especially with Zale at his side, and soon only Followers were left; which could be brought down with a single knock to the head.
"Rona, go! More will surely come to finish the job!" Zale said.
"You're coming with me, I'm not letting you die," Rona said.
"Than let us leave," Zale said and ran towards the ship; with Argap waddling quickly behind.
"So Rona…what do you plan to do?" Zale asked.
"Exactly what you said to do," Rona said, "I am going to stop the Heretics from destroying the Covenant."
"Good idea," Zale said, "I…have an idea where to go."
Janaw slept in the copilots chair beside Rona. Zale and Argap lay asleep in the crew quarters, and small squeaky snores could be heard from Argap's bunk. The slipspace generator hummed continuously, and the main view screen showed nothing but pure white scenery. They were in the emptiness of Slipspace.
As Rona watched, he remembered his childhood. Running in the fields of his home planet. Shooting his first Unggoy, though he resented it now.
Rona slowly drifted to sleep.
"What the hell is that?!" Rona yelled. Swearing was an unusual event for a Sangheili; especially in their main language, which game it extra emphasis. They had recently come out of slipspace. Rona knew this from the fading hum of the generator and the specks of white that faded out of view. Janaw, Argap, and Zale slept peacefully in their respective beds. Janaw dreamt vividly in the copilot's chair, occasionally growling as if he were chasing a small rodent.
As he had come out of slipspace, a giant red gas planet obstructed their view, almost pulling them into orbit. Rona had broken the orbit, but had remained in the same position; despite Zale's orders. Exactly between the ship and the gas giant lay a large…ring. It was thin in appearance, though only in comparison to the whole thing. The outer surface seemed to be made of a metallic substance, while the inside had a green, brown, and blue surface.
"Janaw, wake up," Rona said. Janaw jumped awake and accidentally hit his head on what constituted for a dashboard of the ship.
"What?" Janaw said sleepily, "Why didja wake me up?"
"Look at that," Rona said, pointing to the ring. Janaw stood upon his chair to be tall enough to see out of the cockpit window. He gasped and climbed onto the navigation console to get a better look.
"…By the Prophets! What is that?" Janaw said. He jumped off the console and ran to wake Zale and Argap.
"I know what it is," Zale said without even looking, "That is why I brought us here."
"I…have a bad feeling about this," Rona and Argap said in unison. Janaw remained silent, only looking at the ring as if dumbstruck.
Rona was the first to step upon the ice crusted surface of the ring. He wore a breathing mask, though he was sure that the atmosphere was suitable to his species. Ice crunched under his feet, and Janaw slowly stepped off the ship after him; taking care to step in Rona's footprints so as to not step on this ice. Zale and Argap followed, carrying supplies and weapons. Zale had offered, feeling that Janaw should not be treated as a pack mule.
The ship was locked remotely, and a laser defense system activated. The Huragok that was inside was left to repair any damage and tinker with machinery.
Rona had landed the ship on a small plateau, deciding that landing in a tropical atmosphere would most likely be more populated; If, that is, there are actually any people on this…planet in the first place.
As Rona walked through the ice-laden land, he noticed that the ice got thinner as he walked further. Occasionally, large areas of water would block his path, and he was forced to detour.
After walking for about two hours, in covenant standard time, Rona caught a glimpse of green. Spots of grass could be seen under the melting ice. With renewed vigor, Rona stepped up his walking speed and set out for the green oasis. Janaw and Argap lagged behind, trying to follow the long strides with short, stubby legs.
Rona, Zale, Janaw, and Argap arrived at the oasis, with the two Unggoy wheezing winded behind them. The Oasis in front of them took up all expanse of view to the left and right, and Rona started to think it was not an oasis at all, but rather a completely different climate than was a dozen feet behind them. Rona deduced that the atmosphere was maintained by machinery, and that the oasis was actually a forest.
As Rona stepped forward, the ground solidified and trees before them seemed to grow to magnificent heights.
"Shall we move forward?" Zale said.
"…Yes, we must," Rona answered, "I have a feeling we are heading in the right direction."
"I sure hope so," Janaw said, "but the 'right' direction doesn't necessarily mean it's a good direction. We may be heading to our deaths."
"Thanks for that joyful thought, Janaw," Argap said, "Lets go."
Rona and Zale stepped forward into the forest side by side, watching each other's backs; while Janaw and Argap did the same. After walking a while, a path opened up before them, leading into the distance. It was made of the same metallic substance as the core of the ring, with small hieroglyphics engraved upon its surface. Rona followed it, with his companions walking warily behind him.
With his legs starting to tire, Rona reached the end of the path and walked up to a giant structure, its architecture resembled a tall temple, and stone statues stood before the entrance. Rona stood back as he observed the statues. A small white blob with tentacles stood upon a pillar on one side, and a biped figure knelt on another pillar, as if bowing. The biped's head was broken backward, with pieces of bone jutting out of holes in its neck. It had long tentacles in place of its hands, which were placed upon the ground before it.
The figure was A Flood
Rona remembered the worst experience of his life as if it were yesterday.
"Have your weapons at the ready!" Rona said, "I know we are going to have to fight today."
He stepped forward and into the whatever horrors may lay below.
A mile long hallway descended into the heart of the ring. On each side of the hallway were metal cages, holding struggling flood infection and combat forms. Rona held back his fear and continued forward. Janaw and Argap, on the other hand, did not care to show their fear, and they formed a slow tight formation around Zale. As they reached the end of the hallway, a large set of metal doors opened automatically before them. They walked into a large room; almost as large as the rooms on the Huragok planet.
It was filled with Sentinels, and small machines fixing machinery. Upon the ground, walked Sangheili troops watching over the manufacturing of these goods. A familiar figure stood among them: The Heretic Leader that Rona had fought upon Ggoynall.
His armour had doubled in magnificence, and he ordered the Sangheili to work faster. An alarm sounded, and Rona raised his weapon; fearing it would signal their presence. The Sangheili stopped what they were doing and backed away from the center of the room. Out of small doors in the side of the room marched three dozen Unggoy in black armour. Their methane breather packs were modified and smaller, but were more noticeable and looked awkward. They marched through the lines of Sangheili and stood infront of the Heretic Leader.
Rona noticed an increased amount of respect towards them from the Sangheili, completely opposite of the way the Covenant treated the Grunts. Janaw and Argap looked on with a combined sense of anger and awe. Seeing their race treated with such respect gave them a feeling of pride, but they were traitors, and for that they would pay.
"Arbiter, I'm glad you came!" the Heretic Leader said, "Took you long enough."
"Like what you've done with the place," Rona decided to play along with the sincerity, "What is it you're manufacturing?"
"This ring world naturally produces a gel that acts as a medication for healing wounds," the Heretic said, pointing to a glass crate with blue liquid inside. There was a pause, then he added quietly: "as well as acting as a small explosive."
"Ah, that makes more sense," Rona said, "Why am I not surprised."
"Enough procrastination," Zale butted in, "Tell us what this place is!"
"Ah, Zale Zoneema…how glad to see you alive and well," the Heretic said, "This is the most…sacred of the Forerunner constructs," the Heretic said sarcastically, "It was built by the holy ones to contain the Parasite that you met upon the planet of the Huragok."
"I see, I noticed them on my way in," Rona said politely, "and what are you doing here?"
"This ring is a natural source of energy and resources. It contains almost every environment upon its surface; as well as a methane geyser," the Heretic leader said, "It was the perfect training ground for my troops."
"Unggoy?!" Janaw shouted to the soldiers, "Don't you feel terrible for betraying your own clan?"
"Why should they feel bad? They came here to seek a better life! What is the sin in that? They are treated with the respect they deserve!" The heretic leader said.
"Wait…" Janaw said, "you said 'This ring was a perfect training ground'…where are you going?"
"We have stored ample supplies, and have discovered more of these rings," the Heretic said, "We will destroy this ring…then find the others."
"I can not let you do that," Rona said, "The best way to destroy the Covenant is with discretion."
"It is too late for discretion! If the Covenant find one of these rings, they will kill us all!" The Heretic leader said, "Ah, I must leave you now, but I love a good game. I am opening to Flood gate. I am also leaving some of my guards in case the detonation sequence doesn't work. If you can steal their personal ships and board mine, I will let you stop the detonation sequence of this ring."
The guards walked out of the chamber, leaving only the Heretic leader and the Sentinels. When the Heretic had began his discussion of destroying the ring, the Sentinels above had stopped their work to listen.
"Arbiter, I believe you know 542 Raging Ion," the Heretic said, "I happen to have stumbled upon him after you left the Huragok planet. I returned him to his designated rind, and for that he seems quite grateful. He was about to tell me of the History of these rings, but then I heard that you were coming…so I decided to wait."
"Oh, Hello Impersonator!" Ion said. He hovered out of a hole high up in the wall, and looked Rona in the eye, "I was hoping I would get to see you again. How's your armour faring?"
"I…was relinquished of my armour," Rona said, then changed the subject, "Heretic, please reiterate what you plan to do with this ring. I would like to hear it again."
Rona had a plan.
"Oh, in due time, Arbiter," the Heretic leader said, "Ion, please describe in detail the history and function of this ring."
"Oh, I'd love to!" the Monitor began, "This ring was created by the Forerunners to house and study the Flood. Both the Flood's and Forerunner's survival depended upon the success of this structure. The Forerunners believed that the Flood were the antidote to their dying race, and the Flood would have gone extinct if the Forerunners had not sacrificed many of their own to be hosts for Flood Infection forms. The Forerunners built rings to house the Flood so they could study them with ease and determine how to unlock their secrets."
"After years of study," the Monitor continued after a brief pause, "The Forerunners concluded that the Flood held the key to eternal life. I have recently discovered that this statement is, in fact, false. The Flood are a race created by the Ancient Ones. The Forerunners worshipped these Ancient Ones as Gods. Much like the way you worship the Forerunners themselves, Arbiter. The Flood were created to conquer the Galaxy, but the Ancient Ones died out before succeeding. You are now the first people to ever hear that tale…Well, anyway, the Forerunners quarantined the Flood upon these rings so as to prevent anyone else from discovering their secrets."
"In the third century of the age you call the 'Age of Abandonment', the Forerunners divided. They all landed upon separate ring worlds and tried to rip immortality from the Flood. Their greed lead to their downfall, and they were consumed by those they thought of as pets," Raging Ion concluded.
"That is horrible," Rona said. Beside him, Janaw had sat down against a wall; listening intently to the story.
"Now I must leave you a small present," The Heretic leader said. He pressed a red button upon his belt, which beeped, "It has started."
"Before you leave, would you care to explain your plan once more?" Rona said smoothly.
"Of course!" the Heretic leader said, "I will leave upon my ship, leaving my men upon this ring with their own personal transports. They will have the task of preventing you from getting this ring. If you are able to kill my men and fly a small transport to my ship, I will not stop you from canceling the detonation sequence of this Ring."
"Detonation Sequence?!" the Monitor said, "I will not allow it!"
"Of course you will, stupid Machine!" The heretic said, "you cannot stop me!"
"I do not have a weapons system, but my Sentinels do!" Ion said, "Stop him!"
"You wont be able to do anything!" the Heretic leader said. He pulled out a small remote device and pointed it at the Monitor. Initiation sparked and fell to the ground. His light sputtered and died, and he shut off. The Sentinels at his command flew from above attacked the Heretic leader. He pulled out a small gun and pointed it at each sentinel in turn. They sparked and died as they where hit with a radio electricity signal. A single hit by a Sentinel was enough to knock the Heretic off his feet. He got up and ran out of the room.
Rona picked up the monitor and shoot it. A small rattle resounded through the inside of it, but nothing else happened. One of the remaining Sentinels hovered towards Rona and pried the Monitor out of his hands. When Ion had been placed on the ground, the Sentinel hovered over him and stopped moving. A jet of electricity shot from the Sentinel and into the Monitor. His light sputtered on, and he started to hover; but the Sentinel sputtered as his energy reserves died. It shut off and crashed to the ground.
"542 Raging Ion, are you functional?" Rona asked.
"…I am 542 Raging Ion. I am the Monitor of Installation zero seven. Are you a reclaimer?" Ion said.
"Do you not remember us?" Rona said.
"Remember you? I'm sure I would remember a Reclaimer if I met one!" The monitor said, "You underestimate my memory processors."
Rona sighed, "This isn't important, Ion! The Heretic leader is going to destroy this installation!"
The Monitor gave Rona the equivalent of a blank stare and remained silent.
"He's going to destroy the installation that you were designed to protect!" Rona continued, so did the Monitor's silence, "Installation Zero Seven!"
"Ha-ha-ha, no he is not!" the monitor replied, "Sentinels, stall him from getting off the ring. I will activate the rings close-range defense systems."
"Send Sentinels to guard the Flood gate. The Heretic leader is going to open it," Zale said.
"Ah, let me look at the schematics of this structure. It seems that I do not have the east wing in my memory processors," the Monitor said. He flew over to a blue console and tapped into it with a small jet of electricity, "Ha-ha-ha, my technological prowess is exceeded by no other! Ha-ha-ha, I am a genius!"
"Hurry up!" Zale said, "This place is going to be blown to pieces if you don't help us!"
"Oh, I've got it!" the Monitor said, "I shall send some of my Sentinels to the Flood gate."
"I guess I must participate in Sesa Refumee's little game…" Rona said, "I will incapacitate one of the Unggoy guards and steal a ship to shut off the detonation sequence."
"Its too late, Rona," Janaw said, coming out of his trance, "The Flood gate has opened."
Rona ran through tall beige corridors. Janaw waddled speedily beside him, carrying a bundle of weapons. Argap and Zale had gone with the Monitor to try and steal the Heretic's ship from taking off. Four dozen Sentinels hovered behind Rona and Janaw; easily keeping pace with the 'lesser life forms'.
So far, no Flood had been encountered, but Rona's HUD detected an increased amount of Spores in the air. These spores did not pose a threat yet, for their numbers were a minority in the atmosphere. But Rona knew that once they encountered a Flood Form, the amount of spores would increase.
Rona switched to heat sensor on his HUD lenses, and turned on the motion sensor in his armour. He realized that without his Arbiter Armour, he would have to rethink his Flood killing strategy. His motion sensor caught a small blip, and Rona readied his weapon. Sensing his leader's uneasiness, Janaw raised his weapon as well. The sentinel's weapons heated.
As the group came upon a small bend in the corridor, they saw a young dead Unggoy heretic. Its stomach had been torn open and the insides were scattered across the hallway. Blue blood spattered the walls. Janaw turned his head and prevented himself from vomiting.
"I guess the Flood destroyed him too much to be controlled," Rona said, nudging the body with his foot, "At least he does not have to feel the constant torture of being controlled."
"Can we move on please?" Janaw said, moving forward.
Rona continued forward through the bloodstained corridor. After a few feet, the blood fell behind him, and he stepped into a clean path. At the end of the corridor, was the bright light of sunshine. Rona felt overjoyed to see it once more. He walked forward into the sunshine, and noticed that it was not actually outside.
He had walked into a tall enclosure. The walls around him rose immeasurably high, and the ground before him was beaten and destroyed. The empty courtyard before him was a desolate wasteland.
"This was the Flood Gate," Rona said, "The Flood containment facility."
"We're in trouble," Janaw said as he looked into the now empty courtyard.
Zale Zoneema looked upon the wreckage of the Flood gate. The tall reinforced doors had been beaten open by the Flood, and the thick double-reinforced safequard doors had been opened by the heretic leader. Zale and Argap looked upon the empty courtyard in dismay.
"There is no way we are going to prevent this outbreak," Argap said, "We are completely and utterly screwed." Zale hid his surprise of Argap's choice of words. He personally felt like cursing, but did not want to show any sign of weakness to the Unggoy. Flood spores floated through the air and clouded Zale's vision.
"Let us go," he said, "We must find these flood and destroy them."
Zale knew that Argap was frightened; the look in his eyes confirmed this. The truth was, Argap had no idea what he was facing. He was not scared [ienough[/i. Zale had faced the Flood before, if only briefly, and he still had nightmares of their grotesque faces.
Zale was afraid. As they walked through the halls, doors seemed to open beside him. Shadows lurked in every corner. Zale's eyes darted back and forth.
Suddenly the air became thicker with flood spores and visibility lowered sharply. Argap's heartbeat flared and he raised his weapon. Out of a side passage ran an Elite flood combat form He lashed out with thick tentacles, throwing Zale back against a wall. The Flood form leapt onto Argap, and lashed out with whip-like tentacles. Argap fell to the floor, his weapon bag scattered away from him. He crawled over to the bag as the Flood relentlessly beat upon his back. His fingers tapped the bag, and a small plasma grenade rolled out. Argap activated it and shoved it into the Flood Form's gaping mouth. The Flood leapt away and screamed. The dark corridor was lit with a blue flash, then all was dark and silent.
Argap lay gasping on the ground. Zale stood up and limped over to his fallen comrade. Blood trailed from his foot.
"Are you okay, friend?" Zale said, helping Argap to his feet.
"Yes," Argap said, lost for words, "Lets go."
Rona, Janaw and the Sentinels descended into the lower recesses of the complex. They had recently found a tall passageway off the side of the main corridor and, following their instincts, walked along the unknown path. The number of Flood Spores increased largely the further they sank, and soon Rona's breathing became labored. This was not a problem for Janaw, due to his methane breather mask, but Rona had to survive on the air around him.
Soon the Flood spores blocked all vision within three feet, and Rona was gasping for air. Janaw urged him onward. As they reached the open air, Rona collapsed upon a grassy field, savoring the crispness of the air, and the grass between his fingers.
"Rona…get up." Janaw said. Rona sat up and looked at Janaw. His eyes were wide open with fright, and he was shaking. Rona followed his trail of sight, looked upon his worst nightmare. Dozens of Flood stood before him. They sat on their knees, with bowing towards Rona and Janaw.
But not [iat[/i Rona and Janaw. Rona turned to look at what they were bowing at, and saw the door which they had entered through. High above it…was a statue of a Prophet.
The Flood looked up at that moment, and took a step towards Rona.
"Lets go, Janaw," Rona said. He ran back through the door, pulling Janaw behind him, "Sentinels, Can you collapse the doorway?" The sentinels did as they were told and used their beams to tear apart the stone door.
We had better hurry, Rona," Janaw said, "You cannot survive in this air."
"Then let us go."
They ran up the passage, with the sounds of the Flood's roars behind the.
Zale returned to the main hall of the complex. His foot continued to bleed, and he had to walk with the aid of Argap. Argap had sustained minor injuries, and was able to move ahead occasionally to watch for enemies. Zale sat down upon the Heretic's chair and tended to his wounded foot.
"The Flood have been through here," Janaw said, sniffing the air, "but only briefly. I fear they will return."
"Our mission is to stall the Heretic from getting away!" Zale said, "We must do our mission."
"Where has that Electric…doohickey gone to?" Argap said, his temper was flaring.
"Electric Doohickey?" the monitor said as he flew threw a hold in the roof, "To think that you would insult something of higher function and purpose than you is… I'm shocked. Almost too shocked for words."
"Let's go! We must hurry if we want to catch the Heretic ship," Zale said. He stood upon his bandaged foot, grimaced, and led their trio in the most likely direction.
Rona emerged from the Flood spore-filled passage into the delicious oxygen. He surveyed his surroundings, and noticed the gore stained walls that were becoming all too familiar. Flood spores floated through the air, but considerably less than was in the passage behind him. Two dead Unggoy heretics lay against the wall opposite of him, surrounded by florescent blue blood.
There was a clatter down the hall, and a small grunt stumbled out of the fog. It squealed as it saw the Arbiter, and attempted to hide its face.
"Please don't kill me," the Grunt said; he seemed about 15 years old, a mere toddler to the Unggoy, "I only joined because I wanted to help."
"What do you mean?" Rona said.
"The Sangheili told me that the Covenant was only leading to doom, not salvation," the Grunt replied, "I only wanted to save them from a doomed existence." It began to shake uncontrollably. Its eyes watered, and Rona could sense the true fear in his eyes. The Arbiter had become an icon. All who went before his blade would see only death. "Are you going to kill me?"
"What is your name?" Rona said.
"…Z…Zawgar," the Grunt said.
"Come with us, we will help you," Janaw said, "The Arbiter is as honourable as he is strong."
Zawgar nodded, and slowly stood up.
"Have you seen the Flood?" Rona asked.
"Yes. They knocked me down and took my weapon," Zawgar said, "They were going to kill me, but I think you scared them off. Even the Flood are afraid of the Arbiter, these days."
"We are hunting them down. I believe that if we follow them, they will lead us to your brethren's ships."
"I hope you do not intend to play the Leader's game," Zawgar said, "It is a trap. All who step upon his ship will be murdered!"
Zale stepped upon the wide loading ramp of the Heretic Ship. It had been placed beneath ground in an enormous hangar. The ship was a Super Carrier, the largest of its kind. Grunts clad in white armour directed crates of supplies into the cargo hold as big as Zale's whole ship. Raging ion had flown into the rafters overhead, so as to not attract attention with his light. Zale and Argap crept behind a batch of crates in a secluded part of the hangar, and waited for the ship to close.
Zale Zoneema sat with his back against a large crate. Argap lay in an upright fetal position; normal sleeping behavior for grunts who had to survive harsh winters on their freezing home planet. A rumble was felt throughout the ship as the large engine started. Most of the lights in the cargo hold shut off, to preserve energy. No many people should be in there anyway, only grunts, and no one cared if a grunt slipped and broke its neck.
Despite how the Heretic said the Unggoy were treated.
At this point, Zale shook Argap awake, stifled his squeal, and crept from the hiding spot. Several white clad grunts could just be made out in the darkness, but were easily avoided. Zale slid from crate to crate, staying in the darker shadows and avoiding surveillance.
Zale and Argap slipped through an open door and into an unlit hallway. Behind them, the Monitor flew in as well and lit the passage. Out of a side hall, a white-clad grunt slid. It squealed as it saw them, and turned to run. In it's haste to get away, it turned too fast, and ran race-first into a wall. It fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious. Zale and Argap simply stood in amazement.
This wasn't how we had rehearsed it, the grunt thought when it woke up.
Fearing its punishment, it ran off and hid in an empty, reinforced fuel crate.
This eventually saved his life.
Zale ran through the corridors, laughing to himself at the Unggoy's stupidity. Argap waddled steadily behind him, carrying weapons like a pack mule. The duo walked into a bay of open escape pods. Zale stopped abruptly, making Argap cannon into him.
"Argap, place your weapons in this escape pod," Zale said, pointing to a specific one, "I have a feeling this is how we shall leave the ship."
"Yes, sir," Argap said, happy to be relieved of his burden. He placed the bundle of weapons under the seat, making sure they were out of plain site.
Zale stepped back into the hallway they had been in previously. A silhouette stood out against the light at the end of the tunnel. It raised its finger accusingly, and pointed it at the pair. Needles shot out from behind him, propelled by unseen attackers. A needle imbedded in Zale's leg, and exploded in a shower of purple blood. He fell onto his back, and lay panting on the ground. The silhouette walked slowly over him. The Lone face of Sesa Refumee stepped into view.
"Hello Zale," He said, "Been a while, hasn't it?"
Rona ran along the corridor in the assumed direction of the Heretic ship. The ground rumbled, and a blast of heat washed over his face. Rona stepped out onto a long stone balcony. The Super Carrier's Forward took up all his view.
"Arbiter," Zawgar said, "I'm sharing a shuttle with another Unggoy, but he has been taken by the Flood. I don't think Sesa Refumee estimated their numbers correctly. We must get to that ship!"
"Come."
Rona, Janaw, and Zawgar stepped onto the small launch pad. A pure white ship sat upon it. It had just enough room inside it carry their group into the air. As they left the ground, with Zawgar piloting the craft, Rona organized his weaponry.
Six plasma grenades divided among them; four plasma rifles; two plasma pistols.
It was enough to get through the mission, but not any more than that. The group would have stay quiet, so as to use the weapons minimally. Their Huragok better have some waiting for them when they come back to the ship.
The ship gave a lurch, and the weapons scattered. Rona retrieved them and stuffed them into the a small pack. Janaw sat bolt upright beside him. Claustrophobia.
Rona wasn't so sure how they were allowed to get so close without being spotted.
"We are five hundred meters from the Heretic ship and closing fast," Zawgar said, and pointed to the aft of their ship, "There should be a large case over there. Inside is a set of propulsion packs and atmospheric breathers for you."
Rona retrieved the items, noticing that they were very advanced compared to Covenant technology. He fitted all the items onto his armour and handed the rest of the gear to Janaw and Zawgar. Rona's adrenaline began pumping as the pressure in the ship was released, and he stepped into weightlessness. He looked upon the infinite of Space, and felt proud of what he had so far accomplished in his life. Saving the Unggoy race from the Kig'yar, saving the Huragok from the Flood, almost defeating the Heretic leader in battle twice.
He activated his propulsion pack, and started to move slowly for the Heretic ship. Janaw and Zawgar dropped out of the ship as well, much less gracefully than Rona had done.
They Collided with the ship soundlessly in the vacuum, but it hurt nonetheless. No shields, Rona realized as he pulled himself over the ship's surface. Making sure to stick together, the group glided slowly in the assumed direction of an airlock. They found a closing airlock, squeezed inside before it closed, and hunkered down waiting for someone to open the inner door.
The hatch opened, revealing a startled Unggoy. Rona quickly incapacitated him and threw him in a nearby escape pod. He then noticed a bundle of weapons underneath the seat he had put the grunt in. He reconsidered, and moved the grunt to another escape pod; fearing he will steal the weapons. Rona reached into the pack, and retrieved a single energy sword. It was unused. Perfect.
Rona then continued along the hallway until he noticed an oddity in the echoing of the walls. Everything was quieter. Less footsteps behind him. He turned and saw Janaw. Zawgar was gone.
Rona sighed. He knew something was funny about that Grunt.
He continued walking, feeling that one grunt couldn't undermine him too much. Occasionally, he would disappear up a vent to open a door or deactivate cameras. As they were led around the hallways, they stumbled upon the security room of the ship. He entered the room, knocking out 2 Sangheili and an Unggoy, and deactivated the security cameras.
Ironically, once the cameras were turned off, the Heretics seemed to be aware of their presence. One by one, Rona would bump into them, and knock them out with a few bunts to the head with is plasma rifle. Then, all of a sudden, the attacks stopped. All the Heretics stopped coming, and Rona had a minute of peace. The lights shut off in the hallway, and a siren sounded throughout the ship.
The Flood warning, Rona knew. The button had been in the security room.
The Lights sputtered on and off, creating a clichéd horror-like setting. At the end of the hallway, a disfigured form appeared. The lights sputtered, and when the figure became visible once more, there were eight of them. Janaw, acting on instinct, fired a single blast from his plasma pistol at the creatures. One screamed as it hit its face. It staggered backwards, then leapt towards Rona and Janaw. The Flood forms followed suit; leaping towards them with amazing strength.
Rona drew his energy sword and greeted the beasts with quick slashes. The sword sliced open one of the form's torsos, cutting it in two. A pile of intestines fell steaming onto the ground. Taking no heed of their brother's demise, the Flood Form's continued their attack. Janaw fired round after round of plasma into their faces, and while they screamed in agony, Rona cut them easily in two.
Soon, the air became thick with Flood spores. Rona's breath became labored, but not lethally so. A flood infection form snuck up on Rona and pierced the back of his neck. He yelled, and fell unconscious.
Janaw fought for his life, as more Flood combat and infection forms pushed towards him.
"I don't know anything," Zale said.
"Oh, I think you know more than you're telling me," the Heretic Leader said, "And I will pry this information from you."
"Let Argap go, he doesn't have anything to do with this," Zale said.
"Oh, I don't care about about Argap," the Heretic said, "He will be released eventually. Tell me the nature of the Flood, and I will let you go."
"I don't know anything!" Zale said.
"Than I'm sorry I have to do this."
Rona's vision blurred.
An invading presence entered his conscience. It pulled at his mind; wanting to feed. As it tapped into his nervous system, Rona's life flashed before his eyes. At the site of all the Planets Rona had been to, the presence became more excited, and dug for more.
Rona pushed the memories to the back of his mind, and hid them. The Presence became angry at his defiance and retaliated. It clawed at his memories, and pulled out thoughts of his childhood.
When Rona had been accepted into the Honor Guard, his parents had been so proud. Rona screamed as the memory was ripped from his mind.
When Rona met Zale, the Sangheili leader had rewarded him with his first weapon: a simple silver sword. It was tall and thin. The memory was quickly discarded.
Rona had proven his worth by preventing Zale's assassination.
As the memory was being discarded, the pressure Rona's mind ceased, The Presence disappeared, and Rona's memories flooded back to him.
His vision slowly came back. Around him, bodies lay smoldering with plasma fire. Rona lay in a pile of his own blood. Janaw stood beside him.
"You should be dead, sir," Janaw said, "That infection form was going crazy, and you were stepped on by a dozen combat forms. You're lucky Zawgar came back and popped that infection form, or you'd be gone."
Zawgar walked into view, carrying a small case of blue gel.
"Here, put this on your wounds," Zawgar said, "It is a natural resource on the rings. It shall re-grow your skin tissue."
"Thanks."
"Come," Zawgar said, "we must find your friends."
"I am glad you came to your senses," the Heretic said.
Zale spit blood into his eye.
"Don't worry Zale," the Heretic said, walking away, "I'll put this information to good use."
"Go to hell traitor," Zale said.
"If I'm going to hell, you're going down with me, brother."
Rona burst through the door of the torture chamber. Zale lay unconscious, tied to the table. Argap was deftly using a pin to pick the lock on Zale's chains.
"He knows you're here," Zale said to Rona, "He has gone to detonate the Ring!"
Explosives status: Inactive
…Salvo MineFeilds: Activated
…Plasma Stores: Heating
…Exterior Defense weaponry: 97 charge
[Press Execute
Beginning countdown…
Rona burst into the bridge of the Heretic ship. Hatred burned in his eyes; he had reached his limits, and his anger was boiling over.
"Hello Arbiter!" the Heretic said calmly, "I hope you've come to watch the fireworks!"
"Shut it off," Rona said. He retrieved the energy sword from his belt, activated it, and held it in front of him menacingly.
"Or you'll do what?" the Heretic said, "I have the detonator under lock and key. Kill me and you will only be making the explosion completely inevitable."
The Arbiter lunged at the Heretic.
The Heretic Lunged at the Arbiter.
Salvo Mines Fields: Activated.
Plasma Stores:Heated.
Exterior Defense Weaponry: 100 Charged.
…
…
…
35 seconds till detonation…
34…
33…
Rona's instincts kicked in.
He leapt aside as the Heretic Leader's energy sword came down upon him. It clipped his shoulder; shaving off a thin piece of the new Red Armour Prophet of Wisdom had given him. He yelled in anger; not pain. The Arbiter swung his sword at the Heretic, slicing the side of his face and scarring the tissue. The Heretic roared and clashed his sword with the Arbiter's.
They became interlocked in a vicious battle of strength.
10…
9…
8…
The swords pierced each other's torsos at the same time. Rona pulled his sword out of the Heretic and threw it aside. It cleanly sliced a nearby console in two.
The Countdown stopped.
Rona thought it was a miracle that his sword just happened to hit the console, but the truth was that Janaw had just turned it off.
Rona groaned.
The Heretic Leader groaned.
He pulled his sword out of Rona and tossed it aside; decapitating an innocent grunt standing there. But no one was innocent these days, are they?
Rona fainted.
"hmm… Ah ha ha ha… I am SO clever!" Raging Ion said, "Oh, there you are!" A single grunt cowered in a corner. The Sentinals around Ion glowed briefly and then there was nothing but a pile of ash before them.
"Ah-ha-ha!" Ion laughed. He was starting to enjoy his job. All the freedom he was experiencing had never been felt before. His rampancy was preventing him from seeing the cruelty in his actions.
Out of a high hole in the wall next to him, a Flood Combat form jumped. It gripped the Monitor around the sides and hung in the air, flailing as the Monitor tried to get him off. The Flood Form swung from the Monitor's frame, performed a Trapeze flip and re-gripped onto a nearby sentinel. The Sentinel whirred under the weight of the form. It trailed smoke and spun wildly. The Flood Form dropped easily from the Sentinel, who spun into another and erupted into a ball of fire.
The Lone Form turned slowly to face the Monitor. It leapt. The Monitor did not move an electronic muscle. As the Monster was coming down onto Ion, it defied physics and stopped in mid-air…
And burst into a hundred fleshy pieces.
A dozen sentinels joined the Monitor.
"Will he be okay?" a fuzzy voice said. It was high pitched and distant, as though it was being heard through a wall.
"Yah, I believe so," Another voice said calmly, "The Huragok are skilled Medics."
The ground seemed to rumble. Rona floated back into consciousness; but only in the mental sense. He could hear and he could feel the chair in which he sat, but not move. The Chair was metallic and cold, and g-forces pushed him strongly into it.
He was in a ship of some sort…
The Rumbling in the ship grew steadily. Rona's stomach dropped; he knew they had entered atmosphere.
Rona gained Command of his motor Functions. The only thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the ground coming up towards him.
Rona slowly opened his eyes. He was lying on a mound of dirt. Zargaw lay next to him; minus his head. Rona's legs were bleeding profusely. Behind him was the cracked frame of the escape pod. Zale lay next to him, seemingly unharmed. Blue blood surrounded Rona, most likely Zargaw's due to the color. Janaw and Argap were awake, but dazed, a few feet away.
Rona turned over and looked at the sky thoughtfully. Up above, the Arch of the Halo could be seen. A trail of smoke led up from his downed escape pod. It would be easy to track.
Far above, another trail of smoke and fire formed. Small dots of light burned across the sky. A dozen escape pods crashed into the river valley in which Rona lay. They were soon followed by single soldier pods carrying Commando Elites. As the Elites and Grunts ambled out of the smoking metal, Rona crawled to his knees and shook Zale awake. Overhead one last escape pod burst through the atmosphere and disappeared over a ridge.
Rona and Zale checked on Argap and Janaw and, feeling a pulse, started working on waking them up. The Surrounding Heretic soldiers payed them no attention. They gathered up their collective gear and separated into un-orderly squads. Janaw and Argap slowly came into consciousness. They noticed Zargaw's body and gave him a quick moment of silence.
They gathered their weapons, even searching Zargaw for supplies, and joined the Heretics. Janaw snuck away, against Rona's wishes.
High above, the Heretic Ship exploded.
Hunger.
Must Feed.
The Flood form limped onward. Forced towards the scent of life.
Hunger…
The life of the Sangheili it had possessed pushed at its mind. The two warring minds clawed at each other. The Flood form limped drowned the Elite in his own memories and continued on its journey.
Hunger.
I…Smell…Death.
All the beings in the River Valley looked upward in awe. The wreckage of the destroyed ship cascaded overhead and disappeared over the canyon ridge. Janaw walked back towards Rona. His walking was labored by a large sack over his shoulder. This was inconspicuous to the Heretics, since Grunts normally had to carry their stuff anyway.
Janaw reached Rona and unloaded the weight from his back with a large Thump. A multitude of weapons fell out of the sack at Rona's feet.
"Pickpocket," Janaw said.
"Ha-ha, this will come in handy," Rona said.
"How is your stomach," Janaw asked.
"I'm not sure if I will be useful with a sword for a while, but I can wield a gun," Rona said.
"May I take control of this mission due to your injury?" Zale asked.
"Be my guest," Rona replied.
"Good. I have a feeling we are going to have a problem really soon."
"Attention Sangheili and Unggoy!" Zale stood upon a large boulder and announced, "My name is Zale Zoneema. I was once considered your leader." There Heretics all growled and reached for their weapons. "I wish you no harm. I believe we are trapped in this canyon. We must work together if we want to leave this place alive."
A terrible screech was heard in the direction of the Canyon ridge. A dozen Flood Combat Forms stood up. Silhouettes in the night.
Rona knew the attack would begin soon.
He knelt on a tall rock, away from the main battle group. He loaded his weapon, and sited on the Flood forms.
Zale stood in front of the battle formation. Over a hundred Elites stood behind him with intermingled Grunts. The Elites were good soldiers, and could hold their own in a fight, but they were also filled with fear. The Grunts were cowards when fighting without a commander, but when one was present they would run at the enemy without a second's doubt.
The Heretic Grunts also knew from experience how to deal with these Flood; for they had lived on the Ring, no doubt, for quite a while. They would come in hand.
Zale hated to think about it, but these Sangheili were cowards. There was an excited murmur among the crowd. A grunt had seen a blur of movement along the canyon ridge. Zale looked to Rona, a small dot in the distance. His Beam Rifle was aimed at the canyon ridge.
The Flood were here.
The crowd took a leap back as the long line of beastly flood forms appeared over the top of the ridge. Only a thin outline was visible against the setting sun.
Zale's instincts took over him. He reached down, hefted a rather large rock, and hurled it…
Backwards.
A particularly small flood form collapsed as its chest was caved in.
"Smart Bastards," Zale said, "Get back into your formations, soldiers. This is going to be one hell-of-a night."
It was dark already. The Sangheili soldiers shuffled their feet and warmed their hands on their plasma heated weapons. A small quarrel had broken out in the middle of the squad, and a few Elites had scored some minor plasma burns. A few Huragok bandaged the wounds.
The Flood just stood there. Zale saw the hunger in their misshapen faces. They were shaking with the anticipation of fresh meat. Fresh Blood. Zale saw a tiny speck of shadow along the horizon between two trees. Rona was watching over them, protecting their flank. Zale looked up at the stars above.
Zale looked once again at the horizon. The Terrain of Halo rose above him. A twinkle of happiness filled his eye. This was where he belonged: the battlefield. Not sitting in some high chair being told what to do by traitorous bastards.
A small comet collided with the ocean on the topside of the rings surface.
The Flood attacked.
Rona was the first person to see the start of the battle. A trio of Flood forms leapt over the ridge and dropped down to the valley floor. Two of them were dead before they hit the ground. Rona heard a battle cry from Zale and he, Janaw, and Argap leapt towards the enemy. Rona picked them off gently; saving his energy for a long night that was undoubtedly ahead.
Zale wielded a plasma sword and leapt at the enemy. He and a somewhat small Flood form collided in mid-air. They fell to the ground interlocked in a battle of strengths.
Zale stood up.
The Flood form didn't.
Janaw slipped behind him and de-limbed a flood form that had been sneaking up on Zale. He then handed Zale the weapon he had just picked from its owners pocket. That was the first and last time a grunt would ever wield an energy sword. Zale grunted in approval and continued the battle. Beside him, Janaw and Argap worked side by side, covering each others flanks from the oncoming onslaught.
A tall, thick Flood form lashed out at a nearby Elite; who was knocked viciously to the ground. The Flood raised its arm for a finishing blow, and was skewered by two plasma swords. The Monsters slowly slid off the swords and fell gently over the legs of the fallen Elite.
"Come," Zale said, helping the Elite up, "The Battle rages on!"
Rona Monamee joyfully picked off the straggling Flood forms. He shot a form next to Zale and laughed when Zale was sprayed with yellow-green blood. Zale seemed to look at him and laugh as well.
This fight was too easy. Barely any soldiers had died yet, and the flood were expending their forces randomly.
Something was wrong.
Then Rona realized the problem. There were no infection forms. In previous Covenant-Flood battles in his lifetime he had always seem the same formation. Normally Flood forms and Infection forms would attack randomly. But this was orderly. The Flood had a plan, or they had a leader.
Over a back ridge of the canyon came a wave of yellow blobs. A Flood of Yellow blobs. They slowed down as they reached the floor of the canyon and proceeded cautiously towards the unsuspecting soldiers.
It was too much for Rona to handle alone. He tried to signal to Zale.
A small discharge of plasma crackled past Zale's face. He looked at where it had come from and saw Rona discharge another small ball of plasma. He followed its trail and saw a wall of yellow flowing towards the formation.
"Soldiers, Turn! Left Flank!" Zale yelled.
The Soldiers instantly turned and worked on the new threat. Zale, who was closest to this threat turned to help Argap and Janaw; who were having fun stomping on the little blobs.
"I need you to watch our frontlines," Zale said, "Just tell me if any more Combat forms come."
"Um…" Janaw said, "Some more Combat forms have come!"
"Squad 1!" Zale yelled, "Turn, Right flank!"
Half the soldiers turned about and fired upon the threat. A dozen heads spontaneously exploded as Rona helped as well. Zale picked up a Flare gun he had gotten off the escape pod and shot it into the air.
"Ouch! My computing strands seem to be malfunctioning." The Monitor of installation Zero-One hovered above the ground and observed the extermination of the Flood. His main function was actually to protect the flood, but rampancy was hard to overcome.
The Sentinels, despite their lack of a conscience, knew this. They could sense the insanity and were wary. The followed orders, for that was how they were programmed, but they were cautious. All sentinels looked up as a red ball of light streaked across the sky.
"Oh!" Ion said, "Lets go see what the problem is, shall we?"
Soldiers cheered as an army of Sentinels sped into the canyon. Rona could hear the yells from the other side of the valley. Then the Monitor crossed the ridge, not far from where Rona was laying.
"Deal with the Flood first," Ion said, "They are the threat right now. We will deal with the traitors later."
Rona turned his sight on the Monitor and let off a single shot from his beam rifle. The monitor fell to the ground with a loud 'crack' and moved no more.
"Bloody machine," Rona muttered under his breath. He turned his gaze back on the Flood and got to work.
The Sentinels had their uses. For now.
Janaw picked up a sharp rock and jammed It into an un suspecting Flood combat form. IT flailed and fell to the ground. Janaw proceeded to jump on the surrounding infection forms. Behind him, the Flood combat forms seemed to be having fun. They jumped out from behind frocks and jumped onto the backs of random Sangheili. One Unggoy was scared in such a way; he jumped, threw his arms in the air, and ran away screaming.
"Ah!!!!" it said, "Ah ooh ah! Run!"
Other Unggoy noticed their frightened comrade and panicked as well.
"No!" one said, "Run away!"
"Ahhhhh!" said another, "Not again!"
Janaw stopped a passing Unggoy, and yelled at him.
"Stop! Return to your ranks!"
Behind him, sentinels came streaming over the ridge of the canyon. He saw raging Ion, and realized he was now safe. Janaw smiled.
As he turned his back on the Monitor, he heard a crack. He turned back around in time to see the monitor fall to the ground. A stream of led from Rona's gun to where the Monitor had been.
"He…must've had a reason," Janaw thought. He turned around and continued popping infection forms.
Argap had climbed a tree. He sat on a thick branch among half a dozen other grunts dropping large Fruit and firing secretly upon the threat below.
"Ha-ha!" said a grunt beside him, "Your friend Janaw seems to be having fun."
Argap searched through the crowd until he found Janaw hopping around popping infection forms.
"Ha-ha!" Nice Job, Brother!" Argap yelled.
Argap heard a crack, and searched for the source of the noise. He saw Janaw turn about and look at the Monitor. Argap looked a bit too late, and only saw Ion rolling across the ground.
Argap knew instantly what had happened. He trusted the Arbiter completely.
Argap saw the Sentinels around him turn towards their leader. They shook, as if a great weight had been lifted off their metaphorical shoulders. They glowed red briefly, and a nearby grunt became a pile of smoke and ash. Argap acted quickly. He leapt from the branch he had been sitting on, and clung to a small grip on the side of a Sentinel. It dipped under his weight, righted himself, then attempted to shake Argap off.
The funniest site ever to be seen in the galaxy was of the Grunt being swung around and flailing, under the fear instilling machine.
Argap let go as the Sentinel crashed into another. Argap landed heavily on his feet, steadied himself on one hand, and ran tenaciously towards Zale.
"Sir!" Argap said once he had reached him. Zale stood, Energy sword in hand, and decapitated a trio of Flood combat forms in one swing.
"What, Argap?" Zale said with malice.
"Can't you see what's going on around you?" Argap yelled, "The Sentinels are turning on us!"
Zale turned about and finally noticed the carnage around him. Over a dozen mounds of ash littered the ground and clouded the air. A grunt ran wildly by him, closely followed by a glowing Sentinel.
"Do you have any idea how to destroy these things?" Zale asked Argap.
"Well," Argap said, "Lucky for you…"
This is a blood bath. That was the only way to describe it. Death, Carnage, Blood, Desolation.
Rona was tired. He knew that he should be thankful. He was lying down, away from the fight, simply shooting targets. But he was concentrating too hard. Shooting sentinels tended to be easier than shooting Flood. The Sentinels stayed on one level in the air; while the Flood constantly jumped and ducked. The Sentinels were also the current threat. No one knew how to destroy them.
Except Argap.
Argap had climbed trees and jumped on them as they flew past. The tactic seemed to work, but Rona had a feeling there was an easier way.
Hadn't the Heretic Leader just pointed something at them, and they exploded?
A Radio Electricity Signal. It jammed their primary functions causing them to overload. Rona stood, retrieved his weapons that lay beside him, and took a step forward.
He was hit over the head with a Rock.
"Where is Rona?" Zale said, once he realized the lack of exploding heads around him.
"I don't know, sir," Argap said, "I can't see him on the rocks."
"By the prophets, he gets too much leasure," Zale said, and continued fighting.
"Do you question the validity of my crusade?"
"What?" Rona said, "Why does it matter?"
"Do you even understand what this ring does?!" the Heretic Leader yelled, "This thing's a weapon! It will lead to the death of the galaxy!"
"And do you understand the importance of this ring?!" Rona countered, "This ring could hold the key to immortality!"
"Immortality, I believe, is overrated," the Heretic said quietly. He walked a few feet away, and picked a small device off of a rock, "Do you know what this is, Arbiter?"
"No," Rona said, without even looking.
"It…is a detonator."
This time, Rona did look. He recognized the device. It was no more than 5 inches across, made of black metal. It had a dozen buttons on its small surface.
"There is a minefield below ground," the Heretic said, "Coincidentally, it is right beneath your comrades' feet. It is strong enough to crack through a good chunk of this ring, destabilizing its artificial gravity, and causing it to tear itself to pieces. Eventually, this ring will be destroyed, and you shall be dead."
"Why do you do this?"
"I have scores to settle…"
Zale burst into the dark cavern. Water dripped off almost every surface, and the path was perfidious. Far away, along a shallow passage, he heard faint voices. Janaw and Argap lurked behind him. Their keen eyesight tore through the vale of darkness into what was before them. They whimpered slightly.
Without waiting for their assurance, Zale ran forward into the darkness.
"Come, Zale," the Heretic said, "No need to loiter in the shadows."
"Stop what you are doing, traitor," Zale said, coming out of the darkness, "and I may just let you live."
"Ha-ha!" the Heretic said, "You have always been so narcissistic." He whipped out an Energy sword, and ignited it. The Detonator fell to the ground with a click.
Ten Minutes till Detonation…
Zale parried the first attack with a quickly drawn sword. He counter attacked, but his swing was blocked as well.
The scene was becoming all to familiar to Rona. He watched the fight from his 'chair', apparently forgotten. The Movements of Zale and the Heretic were a blur, almost flawless. Zale parried and counterattacked rapidly; blue-white light illuminated the dark cave.
Rona relaxed slightly. No danger to him was apparent.
Rona knew Zale would eventually win. Zale Always won.
Janaw and Argap huddled in the shadows, not daring to get near the humming blades. Argap had black armour, but the paint was completely scraped off. He now looked like he wore ceremonial silver armour, due to the normal color of the metal beneath his fading paint. Janaw seemed to have taken better care of the armour, though it was still highly scraped and scuffed.
Rona heard a small beeping. Beside his feet, the detonator sat. Its read light flashed alarmingly.
Zale swung wildly, knocking a device off a platform; which hit Rona over the head and he fell unconscious.
When Rona 'came to' he was untied and lying on a table. He had a bandage around his head, and his stomach stitches were being resewn.
"What happened?" Rona asked in a daze.
"I guess you could call it a tie," Janaw said, "the Heretic ran off somewhere. Zale is attempting to track him down right now, but I know he's not going to catch him."
"Zale was badly injured in the fight," Argap muttered, "He shouldn't even be able to walk with that loss of blood."
"You do not give him enough credit," Rona said, "He knows his limits."
"Well, he messed up the Heretic Leader pretty bad as well," Janaw said, "He had to hold his stomach to keep his insides from falling out." Janaw cackled, did a small laughing snort, then got back to work arranging weapons in a sack.
Through the entrance of the cave came Zale. Behind him walked a dozen Heretic soldiers. They were no longer Heretics, now that they had learned the fallacies of their Leaders plan. Rona gasped as he looked upon Zale's wound. His two left mandibles had been severed. The bleeding had stopped, but it had stained Zale's armour and weapons. Zale had once prided himself on the state of his mandibles. Sharpness of teeth and strength of mandibles was something honored among the Sangheili. Zale had his filed to perfect points and polished.
"Are…are you alright, sir?" Rona asked.
"I'm alright Rona," Zale said. He spoke as he used to, but Rona could see the pain in his movements. The injury had also hurt his pride. "It was not the Heretic Leader that caused this injury. It was the Flood, who had attacked me as I searched for him."
"Um…Rona," Argap asked, "What's this?"
Three Minutes till Detonation…
Rona, Zale, Argap, Janaw, and a select group of 'Anti-heretics' sprinted towards the ship. The Rest of the surviving Heretics had run to their private ships. Rona's abdomen hurt him as he ran though the canyon, over tumbled rocks, and once again onto the snow. The Huragok on board was outside, fixing small burns in the ships hull. A dozen Flood Combat forms littered the Flood around it; the security system had worked.
The Group boarded the ship. Rona pulled the Huragok inside, regardless of its squeals. Soon the ship was lifting slowly from the ground. The Heat from the ships thrusters rapidly melted the ice around it, and the Survivors of Installation 07 left.
As the Ring shrank into the distance, Zale cackled. He reached into a pouch on his belt and produced a small chip. This was entered into the computer console onboard.
"Hello, Mano Solam," a Metallic voice said, "What is your command."
'Mano Solam…' Rona thought, 'the Heretic Leader?'
"Show all information related to project Halo on forward monitor," Zale said in a voice very much like the Heretic Leader. The Information popped onto the screen, and Zale cackled again.
"Where did you get this?" Rona asked.
"Do you know what this means?" Zale asked in amazement, "If 'Mano' made it off the Ring, we can know his next move before he makes it!"
"There are…8 of these Rings," Rona said, reading the monitor. A huge explosion rocked the ship. Zale gripped the controls, and steadied the ship carefully.
"7."
Rona, Zale, Argap, and Janaw followed the Heretic Leader on his crusade to destroy the Covenant. On his journey, Rona remember what the Prophet of Wisdom had said.
"Both your race, and the Unggoy, have an incredibly long life span. Of all the races which have been encountered by our covenant, you and the 'grunts', as you call them, live the longest. Approximately seven hundred years, by the count of the Forerunner converted calendar"
"I shall hold it for you till you return, and I will contact you when you can return"
"…The Arbiter is Dead."
It was 300 years that the group followed the Heretics. The Heretic Leader was able to recruit more on some backwater planet, and now had the numbers he did when Rona had first met him.
Eventually, the trail of Mano Solam was lost, and Rona convinced Zale to settle down on Ggoynall.
The Group waited for a sign that they could return to the Covenant…
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