Chapter 22

Twin moons shone reflected sunlight upon the ancient keep. The last of the three suns had set some hours before. It was now as dark as it ever was upon the world of Sanghelios.

Kaidon Thel 'Vadam gazed out the window of his bedchamber, inspecting his family's ancestral home. The heart of his new nation. The ancient stone buildings his ancestors had built still stood, serving their purpose as shelters and defenses for the heirs of 'Vadam. The newer buildings, built during the reign of the Covenant, had been torn down. The newer constructions, while built of the same advanced metals as the destroyed Covenant buildings, were modeled on the architectural style of the pre-Covenant era. The time before the San 'Shyuum Prophets and their lies.

'Vadam spread his lower mandibles in a silent snarl. The memories of his years of service to those treacherous worms ate at him still. Never again would he be so fooled. Never again would he lead his people down paths meant to culminate in their destruction.

The San 'Shyuum had given him the title of 'Arbiter' as a mark of shame. They had twisted the ancient, hallowed position to serve their own ends, like they had everything in their wretched domain. 'Vadam had spent the last six stellar cycles reclaiming it. Restoring its true meaning: he was the ruler of the Sangheili. More than that, he was its guide. It was he who would judge the paths available to his people and proclaim which was correct. It was a duty he had performed and would continue to perform. He was Kaidon, ruler of Vadam Keep, and he was Arbiter, rightful king and judge of Sanghelios.

The door to his bedchamber opened noiselessly. The silent alarm 'Vadam had installed himself was the only reason he had noticed the entry at all. He had anticipated this visit. His upper mandibles spread in a grin. It had been far too long since he had entertained assassins in his home.

The Arbiter counted four distinct footsteps. They were just barely audible, even to his practiced ear ridges. He felt mildly insulted. Four enemies, regardless of skill, would hardly be a challenge to a warrior as accomplished as he.

Three of the assassins hung back as one advanced behind 'Vadam. Judging by the footsteps, the Arbiter deduced that his enemy intended to stab him in the back with a metal blade. A classic move, if still a cowardly one. The Kaidon took care to give no sign that he had noted his assailants' entry. His enemy advanced to within two strides of his position.

The assassin sprung forward with a burst of speed. The Arbiter pivoted out of the way, grabbed his foe's arm as it thrust past, and pulled his enemy onto his energy blade just as it sprang into life. The assassin's eyes showed shock in the fraction of a second before the light left them. The Arbiter allowed the lifeless body to fall from his blade. He turned to face the remaining assassins.

There was a crackle-hiss as the enemies activated their own energy blades. The otherwise silent room was filled with the hum of the weapons. There was no longer any point in trying to avoid the notice of their target.

Two of the assassins rushed forward. The Arbiter parried a swing of one and dodged the stab of the other. He then lunged and rolled into a position where one enemy was blocked by the body of the other. Now facing only one opponent, 'Vadam pushed the attack.

The Arbiter struck ferociously. Relentlessly. Within moments, he had overwhelmed the defenses of the assassin. He cut his assailant in two before the second enemy could maneuver into a position to strike.

The second assassin proved far more skilled than his predecessor. 'Vadam struck. The assassin parried. 'Vadam swung. The assassin ducked.

Skilled as he was, the assassin never really stood a chance. He remained on the defensive for the entire duel, unable to gain an advantage. Eventually, the Arbiter baited him into overextending himself on a strike. The Arbiter slipped past, slashing the inside of his enemy's upper knee joint as he did so. The assassin stumbled. He collapsed to one knee. To his credit, he attempted to twist his body and block the Arbiter's coming strike.

It was in vain.

Before he could even raise his blade into position, the assassin had been decapitated by the Arbiter's lightning-fast swing.

One enemy remained. The Kaidon turned to face the remaining assassin. He had hung back, doubtless hoping that his comrades would at least wound their target and make his job easier. 'Vadam snorted in disgust. Even for assassins this one was contemptible.

The enemy turned and sprinted for the door to the bedchamber. The sound of his hoofs hitting the stone tiles echoed over the hum of the energy blades. He startled as he found the door locked. 'Vadam spread his mandibles in another grin. He had not allowed this visit only to have his guests leave early.

Finding his primary means of escape blocked, the assassin turned toward the window. He found the Arbiter standing just before it. Fueled by desperation, the assassin roared and charged his erstwhile target. He couldn't have expected to win the duel. Doubtless he hoped only to slip by and escape with his miserable life.

The Arbiter calmly drew a plasma pistol and shot his enemy in the head. The assassin crumpled lifelessly to the floor. 'Vadam could have almost certainly beaten him, but desperate foes tended to be unpredictable. He might have tried for an attack that was utter madness and thus caught 'Vadam unprepared. He was not in the habit of taking unnecessary risks.

The intercom on the interior wall buzzed. The voice of one of his elite guard sounded throughout the room, asking after its lord's status. The Arbiter strode towards the door, past the crumpled bodies of his would-be killers, and activated the viewscreen to the right of his door. Seeing members of his guard that he personally recognized in the hallway, he unlocked the door.

The guards entered the room, keeping weapons trained on every corner. Mahlo 'Turagg, 'Vadam's Chief of Security, entered after they declared the room secured.

"The chamber guards?" the Arbiter asked.

"Dead, my Kaidon," 'Turagg replied somberly. The Arbiter contracted his mandibles in a grimace. It had been expected, but he still ached at the sacrifice of his warriors.

"See that their families are cared for," he ordered.

"Of course, my Kaidon," 'Turagg replied. "What of 'Mbanus?" he asked, referring to the rival keep that had sent these assassins. 'Turagg had learned of their plot some time ago. However, the Arbiter had decided to let it go through.

"Call a meeting of the Elders. Their Kaidon will be executed and his children stripped of all titles. Their lands and assets will be taken possession of by the Swords of Sanghelios," the Arbiter replied with a grin. His new nation had need of every asset it could acquire to defeat the Storm Covenant.

Opposing an Arbiter in a time of war merited the sternest of discipline. It was rather convenient that one of the Arbiter's staunchest critics, and one of the greatest obstacles to his vision of a unified Sanghelios, would make such a fatal misstep. Naturally, he had been all too eager to oblige him.

Chief of Security 'Turagg bowed his head and left to perform his Kaidon's bidding. The Arbiter himself turned and strode back to his window, allowing the stewards to go about the task of ridding his bedchamber of the assassins' remains. He looked out the window once more. His keep seemed even brighter than it had minutes ago.

Despite his wrath, 'Vadam did not hate the people of 'Mbanus Keep. On the contrary, he had only the best intentions for them. They were Sangheili as he was Sangheili. They were his people, and he lived only to serve his people. The Arbiter's mandibles spread in a grin once again.

He would drag their clan to glory whether they liked it or not.

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"The Guardian is where?" the Master Chief asked. He couldn't have heard correctly.

"Sanghelios," Linda repeated. She gestured to the computer console she was sitting in front of. "According to the notes Dr. Halsey...left behind...the next Guardian will awaken beneath the Sangheili homeworld."

Blue Team was currently sitting in the main compartment of the micro-prowler. They were attempting to plan the next stage of their operation. 'Attempting' being the key word.

The Master Chief shook his head. "Not acceptable. We'll have to find another," he said resolutely. While the Arbiter and his fledgling nation, the Swords of Sanghelios, were technically allies of the UNSC, the Chief was still hesitant to visit their homeworld. This was the race that had spearheaded the Covenant's attempted extermination of the human species, after all. The Chief thought back to the many battles he had fought alongside the Arbiter and his forces at the end of the Human-Covenant War. The Arbiter had proved a valuable, even essential, ally against the Covenant, but the Master Chief had never been able to forget the horrors that the Sangheili had committed. The billions they had slaughtered. Setting foot on their homeworld, especially in the middle of a brutal civil war, was not something he would do unless there was absolutely no other choice.

It turned out there was no other choice.

"Sir, I have no idea where any of the other Guardians are located," Linda answered. "The one on Sanghelios is the only other Guardian Dr. Halsey mentions in her notes. I suspect that she simply hadn't taken the time to pursue that line of investigation, considering how focused she was on locating Meridian's Guardian. If I had even a fraction of her expertise I might be able to discern another location from the Forerunner equipment," she gestured to the cargo bays where said equipment was stored, "but I simply don't. Sanghelios is our last option." Linda set her features. The Chief thought he could detect a bit of discomfort behind her characteristic stoic expression.

Fred and Kelly seemed as enthusiastic as John felt. They had been through as much horror as he had in their lives.

John shook his head again. This was unbelievable.

Cortana might be alive.

The thought forced its way back into his conscious mind. He steeled his resolve. If going to Sanghelios was the only option they had, that was where they would go.

"Any ideas on how to proceed?" the Chief asked Linda. If anyone knew of a way onto the alien planet, it was Blue Team's unofficial Intelligence Officer.

Without saying a word, Linda brought up a news article on the computer console. Apparently, ambassadors from the Swords of Sanghelios would be meeting with a human delegation to discuss terms of an expanded alliance. It was the brainchild of Senator Richard Sekibo, a renowned peace advocate, and would be taking place on the Outer Colony Biko. The goal was to eventually settle on an accord that expanded on the initial peace established in the Treaty of 2552. Matters ranging from military to economic interactions would be discussed.

So this is what we've missed in our time away, the Chief thought. He was uneasy with the idea of further allying with the Sangheili. Upon further thought, he dismissed his concerns. Humanity had just gone through the better part of half a century of ceaseless war. It needed peace. If shaking hands with their former butchers was what it took to avert future conflict, the Master Chief was all for it.

The Chief moved to one of the other computer consoles. He spent an hour going over the dossier Linda had compiled on the peace summit.

"Anything else I should be aware of?" he asked Linda once he had finished.

"Yes, actually," Linda replied. "It seems that a local militia group calling itself 'Sapien Sunrise' has been raising concerns amongst the local security. The officers in charge of the event believe the militia have amassed weapons and may attack the delegates. They've requested reinforcements and further security measures multiple times. Each request was denied."

The Master Chief was perplexed. "Any idea why?" he asked. If anything, there should be excessive security for an event of this magnitude.

"I suspect ONI involvement," Linda answered. "The denial emails appear to be automated responses, which would indicate simple incompetence, but that just doesn't make any sense. I can't prove it, but I have a gut feeling that ONI intercepted and denied their requests."

"Why would they do that? Do they want another war?" Kelly asked.

"Nothing they do could surprise me anymore," Fred snorted. The other Spartans nodded in agreement. They had all become thoroughly disillusioned in regard to ONI's honorability and competence. Something so shortsighted would be dirty and idiotic enough to fit the Spartans' new opinion of their former parent organization.

"So what's the plan, sir?" Fred asked. "We swoop in, save the day like big damn heroes, and get a free ticket to Sanghelios?"

"It might not be that simple," Linda interjected. "Even if we go at top speed we won't make it to Biko before the summit begins. If there is an attack, we might just miss it."

"Unacceptable," the Chief stated. "This is the best shot we have. Is there any way to push the engines to get us there in time?"

"No, sir," she replied. "My calculations already factored in pushing the engines to 120%. Anything more and we risk a catastrophic engine failure." She paused. "I do, however, have an idea..."

The way Linda trailed off was not comforting in the least.

"Let's hear it, then, Blue Two," the Master Chief ordered.

"Well," Linda began, "I was examining the Forerunner equipment we recovered from Meridian..."

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Buck was walking with Tanaka and Vale, heading to the showers after a training session, when a familiar voice called his name.

"Buck?! Holy shit, sir, is that you?!"

Buck whirled towards the voice. Sure enough, there he was.

"Romeo? What in the holy hell are you doin' here?" he asked the ODST. He pulled the Sergeant and squad leader into a back-slapping hug.

"Just keepin' an eye on the sorry bunch of malcontents you saddled me with," Sergeant Kojo 'Romeo' Agu replied, pointing to the trio of ODSTs behind him. Buck's face lit up even more. It had been a while since he'd seen his old ODST squad.

"Good to see you again, sir," Corporal Taylor 'Dutch' Miles said, shaking Buck's hand with his gorilla-strong grip. Buck suppressed a wince. How in the hell was Dutch still able to pull that off? Buck had figured those days were over now that he was augmented.

"Ditto that, boss," Corporal Michael 'Mickey' Crespo added, shaking Buck's hand with his considerably lower strength. Mickey had always been the physically weakest of them, but his skills in demolitions and piloting had saved their asses more often than Buck could count.

The last of the crew, Lance Corporal James 'Rook' DeMarco, simply walked up to Buck, slapped him on the shoulder, and nodded respectfully. Buck smiled and nodded in response. The newest member of the team had always been a man of few words. Buck figured that a soldier whose stealth skills made Buck himself look like a Brute with stomach ache was just naturally quiet. In all his time commanding the man, Buck had only heard him speak maybe a dozen words out loud.

"Ya gonna introduce us to your buddies, Buck?" Tanaka asked. She and Vale moved forward, apparently eager to talk to someone other than Locke. Their squad leader had pissed off to wherever he went as soon as the exercise had been over. Buck, Tanaka, and Vale had silently decided that this was for the best.

"Sure thing," Buck replied. "Fireteam Osiris, this is Alpha Nine, my old ODST squad. Alpha Nine, this is Fireteam Osiris, my new Spartan squad."

"So you're the guys the Gunny ran off with," Romeo said with a grunt. "Ya know, sir, you could have at least come up with a replacement so I wouldn't have to take charge when ya left."

"Yeah, he's Mister Serious now, if you can believe it," Mickey chuckled. "All 'protocol' this and 'follow procedure' that. It's freaky. I swear, it's been at least a month since he was last reprimanded for sexual misconduct!" Vale actually giggled in response. Mickey's eyes became riveted on the Spartan. "See, guys? She thinks I'm funny."

"Given how big the damn galaxy is, I guess someone was going to," Dutch joked, shoving Mickey's shoulder. Mickey made a face; Buck was surprised he didn't literally stick his tongue out. They all had a good laugh at that.

"What in the hell...?" a voice none of them recognized called out. They had found themselves walking into the recreation area of this part of the Infinity. Unlike normal, everyone in the room, from Spartans to PFCs, was dead silent. They were all watching the news broadcasts displayed on the viewscreens lining one of the walls. Buck didn't blame them.

The Master Chief was on the broadcast. Rather, security footage of the Master Chief was. Going by the text scrawl at the bottom of the screen, the footage was from the Sangheili/Human peace summit that was taking place on Biko.

The now-terminated peace summit, judging by the fact that the video showed the Master Chief gunning down the personnel.

The newscasters were at a loss to explain the events. It appeared that the Master Chief had appeared in a flash of light, like he had somehow teleported in, and then started slaughtering everything in sight. There was no word as to the status of any of the delegates, although reports indicate that they were abducted by the apparently-rogue hero.

Wait a minute...

Buck watched the video feed more closely. He couldn't be sure, but he thought he noticed some signs of tampering in the feed. It was nothing explicit, but his time with Veronica had given him a better than average understanding of doctored footage. It could just be his bias in favor of the Chief talking but he would swear that the video had been edited in at least a few parts. Question was, who would do something like that? And why?

"Pssh, figures," a nearby ODST said. Buck didn't recognize him, but judging by his appearance and accent he'd guess that the guy was new to the ODSTs and an Inner Colonist, to boot. Both of those tended to be people that weren't as affectionate towards the Spartans as other soldiers. Buck and Alpha Nine being the some of the exceptions.

"Excuse me?" Tanaka asked in a low, dangerous tone. "You wanna say that again, kid?"

Vale moved forward. She was clearly trying to diffuse the situation. "Tanaka, maybe this isn't-"

Tanaka interrupted her. "Hang on, Vale, I wanna hear this." She looked the ODST dead in the eye. "Go on. Repeat what you just said."

There was a sound of rustling throughout the room. Several dozen soldiers, augmented and non-augmented alike, had risen to their feet. This could get bad.

"I said, 'It figures'" the ODST practically spat. "Goddamn freaks like you always snap in the end-"

The ODST twerp was interrupted by Tanaka's fist knocking out several of his teeth.

All hell broke out at that. Shouts were exchanged, some defending the Chief, some attacking him. Mostly, though, people argued with their fists.

Osiris and the rest of the Spartan IVs were all unified in their defense of the Chief. When trouble came, you closed ranks. The Spartans were generally able to outclass the rest, but they were outnumbered, and everyone here was a trained combatant. Things were starting to get nasty.

A gunshot sounded after what felt like a year of brawling. It was louder than almost any infantry weapon. It sounded like a goddamn tank round. It had the desired effect, though, as all of the brawlers stopped their fighting and turned to the main entrance.

Standing there was Captain Lasky as well as several fully geared-up Spartan IVs, including their leader, Commander Palmer. She lowered her rifle, the blank round she had fired having served its purpose.

Every soldier in the room stood at attention. Well, the ones that still could, anyway.

The Captain took several steps forward. He somehow seemed to make eye contact with every soldier present. Protocol was the only thing that kept them all from hanging their heads in shame.

"You're all confined to quarters until further notice. The most injured of you will report to sick bay. Move out." The Captain didn't need to shout. Didn't need to scold them. They all knew what they had done. How they had failed him. They filed out of the room. No one dared make a sound.

Buck and his squadmates separated from the members of Alpha Nine. He'd have to catch up with them later. He noticed Palmer shake her head in disappointment as he and the other Spartan IVs passed by. He knew they'd all be paying for this later.

Whoever faked that video sure had stirred up a hornets' nest.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Master Chief felt distinctly uncomfortable as he stowed his assault rifle on his back. He was once again inside an alien ship, surrounded by Sangheili. Unlike most of the other times this had happened in his life, he was not fighting them. Also unlike most of the other times, they were not actively trying to kill him. In fact, they seemed to be showing him...respect?

Yes, this was definitely unnerving.

The door to what appeared to be a conference room switched from red to blue as it opened. The door split vertically in the center, the seam broken by a half-circular portion halfway between the floor and the ceiling. The Chief remembered that this portion contained the locking mechanism.

Cortana would not be hacking these mechanisms. Another difference from his previous sojourns into the belly of the beast. The Chief focused on the task at hand.

The ship was named The Hopeful Messenger, the Sangheili frigate-analogue that had transported the alien delegates to Biko. The Master Chief had escorted the delegates to their transport, eliminating the domestic terrorists along the way, and then accompanied them back to the ship that had ferried them here from their homeworld. He had been the only Spartan present. The teleportation tech that they had taken from Meridian could only handle a single passenger without blowing out the micro-prowler's reactor.

The Shipmaster sat in a hovering chair above and in front of the head of an oval table. The room was colored a dark burgundy in contrast to the bluish-purple that the old Covenant had favored. The Chief approached the foot of the table. He heard the guards that had escorted him take position on either side of the door. They would doubtless kill the Chief within moments if he took any hostile action.

The Master Chief put his right fist to his chest and bowed slightly in an imitation of a Sangheili salute. This particular alien race was obsessed with honor and respect. The Chief knew he'd need to get on their good side to accomplish his objective.

"Greetings, Shipmaster," he said.

"Hail, Spartan. I thank you for rescuing our delegates," the Shipmaster said. The Chief grimaced internally as he remembered his failure to save the human ambassador, Senator Sekibo. He pushed the shame to the back of his mind. The Shipmaster continued, "Although I am curious that you requested this meeting. Particularly the fact that you insisted that it remain secret." The ridge over the alien's right eye arched in a passable imitation of a raised eyebrow. It seemed the Chief was not the only one attempting to meet the other half-way. Excellent.

"Of course, Shipmaster," the Chief said respectfully. He thought he could taste a bit of bile at addressing a Sangheili officer with such respect. Once again, he suppressed his emotions. "I have a rather...significant request. I am on a covert mission," the Chief half-lied. He was indeed on a mission, albeit one of his own initiative. "I am pursuing an objective that will save countless lives, both human and Sangheili." The Chief paused. He decided to be blunt. Sangheili seemed to respect that more than adding superfluous, cushioning words to a statement. "I require passage to Sanghelios. My team of 3 other Spartans will have to accompany me. It must remain secret."

The Shipmaster's 4 mandibles flared outward. The Chief guessed it was a sign of shock or surprise. Sanghelios was considered sacred ground to the Sangheili. Even during the time of the old Covenant, few non-Sangheili were permitted to walk its surface. Only those who directly served the noble families were allowed.

"Surely you jest!" the Sangheili responded. "What cause could you possibly have that would convince me to permit such a passage?"

The Master Chief braced himself once again. He wished he had received some sort of diplomatic training. He decided to play the only trump card he had. "I'm afraid I will only be able to inform the Arbiter himself of my mission. I request you contact him yourself for permission."

Again, the Shipmaster's mandibles flared. Although the Chief thought he could detect anger in it now along with the shock. He also thought he could hear a faint growling. The Sangheili had evolved as a predatory species; he would have to tread carefully.

"Had you not done us such a service, I would have you thrown into space!" the Shipmaster growled. The alien officer seemed to compose himself. "However...I will oblige you. For now." There was another pause. "Just who shall I say is making this request?"

"Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117," the Chief replied simply. Once again, the mandibles flared outward in shock.

Note: The Arbiter at last makes his appearance. The whole assassination bit was ripped off of his introduction in the novel The Cole Protocol The book is fairly mediocre, but I liked the worldbuilding, especially the introduction of Kig-Yar culture.

Note: Another reference. This one's to Mass Effect 2.

Note: Those of you familiar with the canon will notice that the continued existence of Alpha Nine is a significant deviation from canon. Again, I figured there wasn't any point to writing this fic if I wasn't going to try to fix what I view as mistakes in official stories. For those of you that don't know, in official canon the Rookie (here nicknamed 'Rook' in a lift from the fanfic Consequences of Revelation. If you haven't read it, do so. Now. You won't be disappointed.) was killed, Dutch retired, and Mickey became an Insurrectionist. Yes, Mickey, the plucky comic relief from Halo 3 ODST, defected to the 'United Rebel Front', betraying his squadmates in the process. I couldn't let a plot that stupid go un-retconned.

Note: Anyone else notice that the events depicted in Hunt the Truth season 1 are completely impossible given the plot of Halo 5? Seriously, when the hell did the Chief have the time to teleport into the peace conference and save the day? He went straight from the Argent Moon to Meridian. Also, where did he get teleportation tech? Yet another reason I think the story underwent massive rewrites late in development.

Note: My next posting is going to be something different. It actually won't be a part of this story at all. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning this fic. Far from it. I've just had this idea for a Fallout 3 fanfic for a while now. It always frustrated me how little sense the Capital Wasteland made. What did the people eat? What was the economy? Why is everyone fighting over the Mall even though there appear to be no resources there? Etc., etc. I'm going to keep it to worldbuilding oneshots for now, maybe alternating between them and chapters for Halo 5. Plus, it gives the chance for people who don't want to read all of this story (Over 140,000 words and counting. Holy. Crap.) to experience some of my writing. I figure I'll get more feedback that way.

Thanks for reading. Love you guys.

Slipspace Anomaly