IX

1103 september 12 2560 (Military Time)\Unknown location/shadow of darkness

Telek 'Heros took in a deep, contemplative breath as his crystal blue eyes scanned across the surface of a strange, but familiar planet. Eerie blue speckled lines etched and carved alien curvatures and haunting angular geometry. He knew what he was looking at for he came across such a planets before, but this one held a special place in his thoughts.

Telek 'Heros had returned to Requiem, the Forerunner Shield Installation that gifted him with the horrifying truth.

Requiem was an ancient structure that housed much of the Forerunner's culture, their knowledge, their technological secrets. Telek was ordered here by his former superior, then Supreme Commander Otto 'Gamamee. Though deep inside, because of it's significance, he knew he would one day return to it. Kedzuel's ship, the Shi'lithra, followed the long, and rather confusing trail of the Technomancer working for Cerberus. All he and Megellan could find were ghosts in the streams, shadows, echoes. They came upon an old and abandoned Cerberus station and barely could gleam an answer from its database. Kedzuel was nearly all but discourage in trying to find Kai Leng, that is until Tele began to read what Shri downloaded from the Covenant Remnant base on New Llanelli.

One word made his blood run cold, "Requiem". Telek then knew what it was that Jul was after. He wanted her. He wanted her knowledge, her gifts of Forerunner technology. He wanted to use her to finally win the favor of the Council, buy loyalty, and return the Sangheili back down the dark path that nearly destroyed them the first time. With her help, Jul 'Mdama would have his end of the Civil War, the way he would only see it, with himself at the top. With Telek, Otto, and possibly even Rtas banished for their heresy, or even executed.

Telek hoped beyond hope that someone like Jul would ever discover Requiem and its secrets. Only himself, the Prophets, and Otto knew of its location. However, only Telek knew its truth. He tried so much to tell Otto after he discovered what the Halos could do, what he found on Requiem. But the truth itself was too much and Otto turned against Telek, turning him in and watch him be branded a heretic for the bravery of wanting to save his own people before the Covenant would turn into a suicide cult.

His heart sank as he mulled over what sort of truths Jul could discover an then warp for his own purposes. Telek bowed his head, his mandibles shut tightly as his hands curled tightly into fists. The chilling fear of seeing Requiem again soon turned into boiling rage. His rubbery, gray-brown skin darkened as his face flushed, his temples pounding with every thought. Then, his rage was tempered when he felt a sharp cold sensation grazing under his armor.

Telek slowly turned to find a ghostly, glimmering form of a Western Dragon with silvery scales and bluish, striped markings. He finally was able to unclinch his teeth and he relaxed.

"This place seems important to you," said the ghostly apparition of Dunkelzahn, his words pushed their way with concern into Telek's mind. "Have you been here before?"

"A long time ago," he said. "Requiem. I was sent here to gather maps and artifacts that would lead the Covenant to the Halos and of course to the Great Journey, godhood, and salvation. It was a secret mission. So very few knew of it. The Prophet Hierarchs oversaw my travels." He paused and a smile curled up as he slowly brought forth those memories. "Otto was so proud that Truth named me as the one to come to such a…sacred place."

"I remember what Pandora looked like," Dunkelzahn began. "A Shield Installation as you called it. Does this one have Flood as well?"

"No," said Telek. "The Forerunners wouldn't dare to house such creatures here. They experimented on the Flood, but far away from important centers such as this. No, this Installation holds something else."

"What does it hold?"

"More like who," said Telek. "You'll see in a moment. But I will say this, Dunkelzahn. This place was where I lost faith in the gods I worshipped for so long. This is where I became an atheist and a heretic."

Dunkelzahn slowly floated down until he laid upon his belly, curling his neck around Telek. The ghostly Great Western Dragon rustled his wings as he shifted around. Chilly vapors of his ectoplasm billowed around Telek's feet.

"This is the place where you discovered that the Halos were weapons of mass destruction," he said.

"No, not weapons, sterilizers just in case the Flood became too unmanageable," said the Sangheili. "Their last desperate attempt at…according to Kedzuel…proving that they were the true Protectors of the Galaxy. I almost wanna think that making such a bright flash in the sky from the Precursor homeworld, it was the Forerunner's way of showing them just what it was they were made of. But, no, stupid arrogance. They killed themselves and my species almost made the same mistake." Telek lifted his hand to the left side of his chest, covering the spot where he had been branded. "I tried to warn them, and I was marked for my trouble. With the end of the war with the UNSC, I thought my fellow brothers and sisters, my people, would finally wizen up to the truth. The Forerunners weren't gods. They never were. Requiem provided me with various maps of all the Halos and of course the Forerunner Text I had stored in my old ship. It even gave me the answer to why humanity was so important. Finding out that Truth had lied to us about humanity's importance…that they were the inheritors of all of this…was just icing on the cake. I think Kedzuel's people and the truth that the Forerunners were nothing more than thieves…well…that was the cherry on my sundae." His gaze returned to the planet. "But even with the truth shown to him, Jul 'Mdama will not listen. Holding Requiem will only draw more support to his cause, make him a prophet among my people practically. And he'll continue to make everyone believe that the Reapers are some scare tactic thought up by that old mad Telek 'Heros and blame whatever troubles Sanghelios has on me." Telek chuckled. "Did you know that many Sangheili thought of me as the Covenant version of the Antichrist? I would lead them astray from the path, send them into Hell…have my demons devour their souls and such. That's what they believed."

"I'd never peg you for the type to do such a thing," Dunkelzahn said with a smirk.

"Well, it's true," said Telek. "And here I am again, the Devil who would lead them away from the path."

"Well, if it matters," began Dunkelzahn. "I think my presence on board that Covenant Remnant ship cemented their belief in your demonic powers, Telek."

Telek chuckled: "Good. I'm glad you scared the piss outta them. I hope you'd scare some sense into them, but Jul and his cult are beyond reason."

"I am afraid I'm no miracle worker on that, Telek," said Dunkelzahn. "You are a better miracle worker than I am."

"Don't sell yourself too short, Casper," said Telek as he turned away from the planet, walking slowly around the ghostly dragon. Dunkelzahn got up to slowly float along side the Sangheili.

"I need a favor from you," Telek continued, turning to the dragon.

"What is it?"

"Well, I need to ensure this plan goes on without a hitch," he said. "Jul 'Mdama must not be killed. Under no circumstances should he be killed off. A martyr would make things a lot worse especially with a culture who's heavily religious."

"Of course," said Dunkelzahn.

"So, I need you to make a sweep through, taking out all the guards one by one," he said.

"Well, that makes things easy," said Dunkelzahn.

"That's the point," said Telek. "I don't want to be given the chance that I may have to take his life by firing through his guards. I want this to be simple, to be easy. And I want it to be quick. They can't hurt you. They can fire at you all they want and they can't even land a single kill upon you. Why? You're already dead."

"Though wouldn't that cement the whole Telek is a demon summoner thing?" Dunkelzahn asked. He swirled around Telek then settled himself in front of the Sangheili, his glowing tendrils grazing across Telek's back. "It was fine when only a few bridge crew knew about me, but we are talking about a whole cult now."

"I knew this would someday come," said Telek with a heavy sigh. "Dunkelzahn, I can't keep hiding you from Otto or Rtas anymore. And I can't keep hiding you from the Council either. I'll just have to tell them the truth. I have former-President Kiryuu Knight's dead predecessor as a member of my crew."

"I would love to hear how they might react to that," said Dunkelzahn as he dipped his head. "You'll have to explain what a Free Spirit is."

"No, I'll let you fill in that bit," said Telek. "I mean, surely by now, Otto and Rtas have figured out just how odd Earth happens to be. I know Otto already had an inkling to it when he met Lofwyr."

"Yes, I recall Shri telling me about that," said Dunkelzahn with an amused chuckle. "And how she pretty much wrapped him around her finger as well. I suppose these times has softened Lofwyr. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"And since Otto and Rtas are staying at Kiryuu's summer home," began Telek. "I have no doubt they've seen all the pretty Troll and Changeling women he's got as his personal secretaries and servants."

"I never understood what Kiryuu's fascination for those particular metahumans was," said Dunkelzahn.

"Wasn't his chauffeur formally Miss Ute Nation?"

"No, she was Miss Pueblo Corporate Council," replied Dunkelzahn.

"Hard to tell the difference," said Telek. "I suppose that's why I willingly stayed away from Earth. You Earthlings are just a little too strange."

"I like to think that we were special," said Dunkelzahn.

"Well, they're going to be asking questions, and I figured the one who was one of the biggest movers and shakers of the Sixth World might be able to level with the Council," said Telek. "Besides, when I put Jul on trial for his stupidity, I want all my crew to be there. Including you."

Telek start off again, leaving Dunkelzahn to pause upon what he had said. The Great Western Dragon Free Spirit lifted a paw to his chin and gave it a scratch in thought. Then, his glimmering eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face. Dunkelzahn swept across the iridescent purple floor, swiftly catching up with the Sangheili.

"And here, I thought you didn't like me," he said.

"You annoy the hell outta me, Casper," said Telek. "But I don't give nicknames to my enemies. You're no A.J. Johnson, but you have your own thing. You helped me find Kiryuu, and you helped me twice when facing down King Ghidorah. I would have lost myself if it weren't for you."

He paused and turned to peer up at the ghostly dragon with a soft smile.

"Look, I may rough you up a bit, Dunkelzahn, but don't think I hate you," he said. "I know dragons tend to be a bit…pissy if someone smart mouths them."

"Some," said Dunkelzahn. "But I'm lucky to have been born with a sense of humor. Besides, how can I get mad at the one that made one of my little fantasies come true."

"Oh, yeah? Which one was that?"

Dunkelzahn dipped his head and smiled: "Ever since I awoke in the Sixth World, I sat and watched all sorts of TV shows, movies, streaming videos on the Matrix. Pop culture. That was my thing. My hoard before I died, was filled with all manner of memorabilia from pop culture. One look at it and you wouldn't even think it was a dragon's hoard, but some nerdy fanboy's stash he had stored in his grandmother's basement."

"I kinda figured you'd be a nerd."

"I was a big one," said Dunkelzahn. "I even screamed when I met George Lucas before he passed on. But mourned that I Gene Roddenberry had passed away before I awoke. Outside of having the usual gold and jewels that made me pretty much the richest dragon on the planet, I had toys and comics. Well, Kiryuu supplied me with the Star Wars Trilogy, not the prequels. He said they weren't all that good. And he gave me Star Trek movies and Flash Gordon comics. I sat down and watched Mystery Science Theater 3000 and I kicked myself for not figuring out a way to stay awake during the Fifth Age like Malcho and Manda did. I wanted to live during the 60s and 70s, wearing tie-dyed shirts and leather fringe, have the big hair and baggy pants of the 80s and 90s. But I missed all of that. Which is one of the reasons why my Will granted a wish to anyone still alive when John Lennon was killed. Because I've always wanted to shake a man like that's hand. But magic prevented me from really being a part of that world. So, during the 50 years that I was awake for the beginning of the Sixth, I made it my thing to just collect all I could from the four decades of wonder that I missed. And I spoke to all sorts of people who lived during it. I talked to 30-somethings who were children during the 80s and then teens during the 90s. I even bought me a pair of those platform shoes with the gold fish in the heels. Fake gold fish of course."

Telek started to laugh.

"But what captured me were the movies," said Dunkelzahn. "I made it a habit to watch all sorts of movies. And again, one of my favorites was Star Wars. I always wanted to be on board the Millennium Falcon and travel through the stars with the space pirate Hans Solo and Chewbacca. But those were the movies. Then, I met you, Telek. You were a space pirate, you fought against an evil empire yourself, you overthrew an emperor of sorts who wanted to slaughter an entire species."

Telek grinned, wagging his head: "So, you thought I was Hans Solo, huh?"

"Well, not exactly, but you are as close as the real deal I could ever meet, Telek," said Dunkelzahn. "And here I am, serving on a pirate ship in space. Battling evil space creatures and cultists. And I have you to thank for that."

Telek crossed his arms: "You're right, Dunkelzahn. You really are a big nerd. The biggest nerd I've ever met. Me? Hans Solo? Alright. I can dig that. But I'm afraid I don't do a good Harrison Ford impression. Most humans equated me to a space Robin Hood, though."

"You're still a pirate who steals for a good cause," said Dunkelzahn.

"Used to," said Telek. "I don't do that anymore. But I might again if the Council votes in Jul's favor. And I have a feeling Otto and Rtas might be joining my little merry band of pirates."

"Well, you know you have my support," said Dunkelzahn.

"I'm glad for that," said Telek. "Well, as your 'captain' I want you to prepare for this mission. Like I said, I do want to make this easy. We need to get to Jul 'Mdama as quickly as we can with little casualties as possible."

"Casualties?"

"I mean us, Casper," said Telek. "And Jul as well. If you get to him before Kedzuel and I do, then immobilize him as best as you can."

"That I can do," said Dunkelzahn. "However, I do wish this was taking place closer to Earth's Manasphere. I can do a lot more than that if I was near it."

"We don't always get to pick our battlegrounds," said Telek. "Sometimes we just have to work with what we got. Quite frankly I'm glad you're a ghost considering what I heard when you dragons attempt to leave Earth. You're not very useful being comatose."

"Malcho and Manda are the only dragons who can leave the Manasphere without going into Shal-Mora," said Dunkelzahn. "And my current incorporeal state also keeps me from falling into Shal-Mora as well. Doesn't mean I wouldn't be aware of what was going on. It just means I can't move."

Telek nodded: "You know what you can do best to see this plan through, Dunkelzahn. I'm leaving that up to you. Just remember don't kill Jul 'Mdama."

"But you are going down there with me," he said.

"Yep," said Telek. "There's things I need to gather from Requiem. And when I'm down there, I'll show you how I found out about the Covenant lie. Kedzuel already figured out a piece of the puzzle when he forced a connection on me to get us to New Llanelli."

He turned as he heard the soft clack clack of boots walking across the decorative floor of the interior of the Shadow of Darkness. Telek watched as Emperor Kedzuel walked slowly towards them, dressed fully in his silvery and ornate armor. Tucked under his arm was his helm. His heavy, armored cloak covered his folded wings.

"My warriors are ready," he said. "I've discovered where this Kai Leng fellow happens to be. He is quite close to Jul 'Mdama. However, my ship's sensors have also picked up a lot of Reaper tech on that planet and Cerberus agents along with Jul 'Mdama."

"Figures as much," said Telek. "The Illusive Man isn't the kinda guy who likes failure." He leaned back and crossed his arms. "He would make sure whatever plan they've cooked up is going smoothly. I just wish I'd know what it was. We couldn't get much from the data we downloaded. Anything Cerberus related came complete with a nasty self-destruct virus. Glad I opted to read the drive on a closed computer system far from being connected to my own ship."

"Well, Supreme Commander, you are in charge," said Kedzuel. "My men and myself follow your orders since you know what we're up against. So, what's the plan?"

"I am going down there first," said Dunkelzahn. "And make a nice little clean sweep of the area so all of you can get to Jul 'Mdama and Kai Leng safely."

"Isn't that cheating?" asked Kedzuel.

"Says the giant anthro-dragon with the Jedi powers and direct communication with Crystal Dragon Jesus," said Telek with a smirk.

Kedzuel dipped his head, grinning and admitting defeat: "Touché."

Telek whipped out his modified magnum and spun it upon his finger: "Well, let's go. Casper, get down there and begin your little sweep. They won't know what hit them."

With that, Dunkelzahn's form faded away. Telek holstered his magnum and walked over to Kedzuel.

"The first part is well, Dunkelzahn clears the way," he said. "You know we can't kill Jul."

"The martyr thing you're worried about."

"Right," said Telek. "But I know for a fact that Earth Technomancers can do some nasty things to Free Spirits. I've seen too many trideos of Kiryuu Knight and Manda mucking things up for the Treaty City just because Ghostwalker pissed them off one too many times to know Dunkelzahn will be needing our help. And since there ain't any Technomancy Masters on Earth outside of Kiryuu, Manda, and Malcho, this Kai Leng joker shouldn't be a problem for you to deal with."

"And considering he has a limited time to stay connected to the Array," said Kedzuel. "While I do not."

"That too," said Telek. "I can provide some back up with my caster, but it ain't no substitute for the genuine article. Let me handle Jul, though. And since there's Reaper junk down there, we'll need to gather it up for proof."

"Agreed," said Kedzuel.

"Well, let's do it," said Telek. "No time like the presence. Casper's waitin' on us."