Chapter 26 Osiris and the Sangheili
The smear campaign against the Master Chief was abandoned within a few weeks.
The viewscreen in one of the Infinity's recreation wings displayed a news anchor making the big announcement. Locke kept an eye on his fellow crew members as they watched.
"...the evidence shows that former journalist 'Benjamin Giraud', now revealed to be a ranking member of the Insurrection, was responsible for editing the footage of the embassy attack on Biko," the anchor exposited. "This revelation follows nearly a month's controversy surrounding the legendary Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan-117, controversy that escalated into mass violence on several colonies. The genuine footage of the attack has been released by the Office of Naval Intelligence. As shown earlier tonight, it reveals the Master Chief rescuing the diplomatic delegation from a group of militant Insurrectionists. I'm sure that all of humanity is relieved to see its greatest hero vindicated once again."
The reaction of the crew was mixed. Those who blamed the Chief slink off, mumbling about 'mutants' and 'proves nothing'. Those who supported him beamed with vindication...mixed with bitterness and blame for those who had turned on their hero in his moment of need. The divisions caused by the aborted smear campaign would not be simple to erase.
The truth was undeniable: the smear job on the Master Chief had been an absolute disaster. It had caused significant unrest and violence across UEG space and within the military itself. It hadn't even accomplished what it had been meant to do, namely discredit the Chief in case he tried to lead some sort of rebellion. Anyone who would follow him was the sort that would never believe the smear in the first place. Anyone who wouldn't did not require the smear to convince them. It had simply solidified the divisions and forced those on the fence to pick a side. On top of that, it reminded the Outer Colonists of the sharp divide between them and their Inner Colony relatives. It had all been a colossal waste of time and resources.
Enter Benjamin Giraud. Locke tried to remember what he knew of Giraud, the fall guy for ONI's botched operation. He seemed to remember that Giraud was one of the supposedly independent journalists that covered the Human-Covenant War back when it was still going on. He had provided pictures and articles which were then edited, or outright doctored, to present a more positive picture of the war effort for the general public. Thanks to the hard work of men like him, most humans were unaware of just how dire the situation was until the Covenant captured Earth in the last days of the War.
Recently, Giraud apparently had a crisis of conscience. He had been hired to write a fluff piece on the Master Chief's origins. He was provided a number of sources who had been carefully coached to present a fictional account of the legendary Spartan's origins, rather than the true story of child abduction and forced indoctrination. Somewhere along the way Giraud had discovered the truth, leaked everything he had onto waypoint, and made himself ONI enemy number one.
Framing the renegade journalist for the smear campaign was a brilliant move. It discredited Giraud's story, destroyed his credibility, and allowed ONI to end the smear without ever having to admit fault. With Giraud arrested, no doubt rotting in a Midnight Facility without trial, ONI would be able to put this whole mess behind it. It wasn't perfect, as Locke had observed the effects lingering even past the 'story' breaking, but it would go a long way toward mitigating the damage. Had this occurred a month prior, Locke would feel a swell of pride at the skill with which his organization had handled things.
Meridian had changed that.
Locke had seen things that he wasn't supposed to see. He had seen glimpses of the Spartan IIs in civilian garb, living as human beings, in Governor Sloan's memories. The memories that ONI didn't want him to see. The resolution of the smear job showed just how skilled ONI was at lying and manipulating the facts.
He had to wonder what they had lied to him about.
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The briefing room feels different when you're not the one in the spotlight, Locke reflected.
Fireteam Osiris was once again sitting in a briefing room, waiting to be told about their current assignment. Unlike the past times, Locke was not the one giving the briefing. It was a bit strange to be sitting alongside his subordinates rather than standing in front of them. He felt almost out of place. At least Tanaka was sitting on the far side of the aisle; without Buck and Vale to separate them, she might have tried to strangle him by now.
"Officer on the deck!" one of the Marines guarding the door shouted. Everyone immediately stood at attention and saluted as Captain Lasky entered the room. He was followed by the—former—ONI scientist, Dr. Hamilton. Locke noticed Hamilton give him a dirty look as their eyes met. It seemed the good doctor wasn't exactly broken up over his recent transfer, after all.
"At ease," Captain Lasky said, returning the salute. Osiris returned to their seats. "I'm sure you're wondering about the status of your current assignment. Well, Dr. Hamilton here has some information for you. Doctor?"
Hamilton stepped up, touching his glasses to bring an image up on the wall. The image showed several pieces or Forerunner tech, some of which looked familiar. It took Locke a moment to recognize some of the relics that he had recovered from Conrad's Point at the beginning of this whole thing. The rest of the image showed equations and readouts that Locke had no possible way to interpret.
"We analyzed the Forerunner equipment relating to the Guardians and have discovered the location of the next one to be activated," he explained. Ah, finally. Locke had been wondering when he'd be able to get back to the hunt. Hamilton touched his glasses again, bringing up an image of the last planet Locke expected to see. "Sanghelios."
Locke would have laughed if he wasn't so stunned. This...this had to be some kind of joke. He thought back to the events on Meridian. If the same events played out on the sangheili homeworld, he may have to reconsider his opinion on whoever was responsible for activating them. Scorching those split-lipped bastards where they lived would elevate anyone several notches in Locke's book.
Captain Lasky stepped forward once again. "We have contacted the Swords of Sanghelios and have arranged passage for Fireteam Osiris. You will go to Sanghelios, alone, and cooperate with the Arbiter's forces to accomplish your objectives."
If Locke was shocked before, he was completely dumbfounded now.
"Sir...are you serious?" Locke asked.
The Captain looked Locke dead in the eye. "Completely, Spartan Locke. You're all going to Sanghelios."
This couldn't be happening.
"Sir, with all due respect, you can't be serious," Locke objected. The lunacy of this was throwing him completely off-balance. "You want us to go to the sangheili homeworld and cooperate with the bastards that tried to exterminate the entire human race? How can we trust them?"
"You'll trust them because I'm ordering you to trust them," Captain Lasky said with an uncompromising expression. "The Swords of Sanghelios is not the Covenant. They are our allies, and you will cooperate with them." If Locke was thinking straight, he would have noticed that Lasky was putting him in his place. Unfortunately, this was just too much to take in.
"Sir, I still don't get it," Locke continued. "Even if we can trust them, why would we want to work with them on this? I say we skip this one, go after the next Guardian to wake up, and let the one on Sanghelios burn their murderous assess-"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Lasky shouted. All of Osiris sat up straighter. The Captain continued, "I don't care about your personal opinions, Spartan Locke. The Arbiter and his nation are our allies now. The Treaty of 2552 was approved and ratified by the UEG Senate. It is the will of the people that this peace happen, it is the will of the UNSC leadership that we cooperate, and it is my will that you shut up and follow my orders. Is that understood, Spartan Locke?" The Captain's tone and expression left no room for disagreement.
"Sir, yes sir. Understood, sir," Locke replied through clenched teeth. He knew that he would be facing significant disciplinary actions following this outburst. He didn't care. What he said needed to be said.
Captain Lasky resumed him stoic demeanor before continuing. "Besides, that isn't really an option. Doctor?" He motioned Hamilton forward again.
"Yes, well," he began, shooting a smug look at Locke. The Spartan and covert ONI Agent felt an intense impulse to rip the man's throat out. He suppressed it with what felt like a Herculean effort. The former ONI asset continued, "Unfortunately, the Forerunner equipment we have is beginning to degrade at an alarming rate. We cannot account for this, other than attributing it to age. 100,000 years is a long time even for Forerunner technology. It is a high probability that we will be unable to determine where, precisely, a Guardian will appear after Sanghelios."
"You heard the man," Lasky said, motioning the doctor back. "This is our last option. Understood?" All the members of Osiris responded in the affirmative. The briefing continued. Locke, however, was left wondering just how true Dr. Hamilton's statement was.
Everyone knew that Hood was far more chummy with the sangheili than any human should be. Was this just a scheme to get humanity on even better terms with their former butchers? He supposed that other departments of ONI would have to figure that out. He cursed the fact that he had to be the one handling this. A thought occurred to the ONI Agent.
Why was he the one handling this?
Fleet Admiral Hood should have wanted anyone other than Jameson Locke on this assignment. Even if the all-too-clever Admiral didn't know where Locke's true loyalties lay, he had to be suspicious. Why wasn't someone else being assigned to this? ONI had pulled out all the stops to keep Locke where he was but with the addition of continued relations with the sangheili to the equation, no amount of political wrangling should have been enough.
A chill went down Locke's spine as he wondered just what ONI had done to achieve this. It couldn't have been a threat. Hood and Lasky were both fearless. It couldn't have been political pressure. Even the senators that ONI controlled directly couldn't risk sticking their necks out over this. Could it have been a deal? What could have been offered that would be worth this? Anything that would convince Hood to go along with this would be capable of fundamentally changing the balance of power within the UEG. Why would ONI Command be willing to sacrifice so much?
Locke thought back to his latest meeting with the Disembodied Voice. He had been given a new set of primary orders: investigate any leads on who or what was in control of the Guardians. It didn't take a genius to know what they had in mind.
What was ONI planning to do if Locke succeeded and it gained control of the Guardians?
The world seemed to be getting foggy and out of focus. Locke started to wonder just what the hell was going on...and what the hell he was even doing.
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The elevator hummed as it ferried Fireteam Osiris toward on of the Infinity's cavernous hangar bays. The flagship was so immense that the journey would take several minutes, leaving the members of Osiris plenty of time to discuss things.
Locke glanced down at the ONI symbol on his chest. It had been restored when his armor was repaired following the Battle of Meridian. He wondered if he should have bothered. It had caused him trouble before. He banished the thought and refocused on the present. On the mission to aid, of all people, the sangheili.
To his horror, the rest of Fireteam Osiris did not seem to share his hesitance. Spartan Vale was practically jumping up and down with excitement. Locke hadn't seen her stop smiling since the briefing.
"Settle down, Vale," Buck said, chuckling. "Ya take some stims before joinin' us, or what?"
Vale turned to Buck, smiling brightly behind her visor. "Can you blame me?" she asked. "I've been preparing for this for years! Look, I've even downloaded the latest dialect translation," she said, pulling out her compad. A series of guttural barks and warbles played in the enclosed space; this particular bit of translation software hadn't been widely distributed yet. Locke scowled behind his polarized visor. Vale sighed, saying, "I just wish I could pronounce it myself. Being able to personally speak a language always adds an extra layer of understanding and empathy to a person's perspective. Damn biology..."
Locke snorted at the word 'empathy'. Everyone turned to look at him. Belatedly, he realized he had forgotten to mute his helmet. He debated whether to say anything.
"You honestly think there's anything 'empathetic' about these aliens?" Locke asked after a moment. He really should avoid any conversation that could diminish unit cohesion, but this was just too much. "Did you forget that whole '30-year war of racial cleansing' thing?"
The elevator was silent for a moment. Vale blinked behind her visor. "...Sir, that was the Covenant. The San 'Shyuum lied to the the other races, told them that humanity was an affront to the gods that needed to be exterminated. They were afraid of humanity supplanting their position, and they wanted to weaken the sangheili by starting a war that would drastically reduce their numbers and resources. The Arbiter and his forces recognize that they were tricked. They want peace now."
Locke just shook his head. He could tell that there wouldn't be any way to talk sense into Vale. She was blinded by her enthusiasm and her upbringing. He turned to Buck, the only member of Osiris who had even more experience fighting the sangheili than Locke himself. Buck recognized the question immediately.
"I fought the Covenant my entire career. I saw a lot my brothers die at the hands of the sangheili. Way too many..." Buck paused for a moment, giving Locke a bit of hope. Then he kept talking. "But I also fought with the sangheili at the end of the War. After the San 'Shyuum pulled their coup and tried to kill off all of the sangheili the way they'd been trying to kill off all the humans. The sangheili lost a lot of people thanks to their prophets' lies. It doesn't let 'em off the hook, but I'm willing to give 'em a chance."
Locke turned to Tanaka, hoping to have at least one ally in sanity. Tanaka snorted and shook her head. "The Covies are responsible for a lot of shit in my life, I'll give you that," she said. "But I've suffered at least as much thanks to my own kind as I have thanks to theirs. If Captain Lasky and Admiral Hood both say to work with them, I'll work with them."
That ended the conversation, at least as far as Locke was concerned. How could these three be so blind? The sangheili could not be trusted. Ever. Eventually, either they would dominate humanity, or humanity would dominate them. There could be no other way. Sometimes it seemed like his comrades at ONI were the only ones to understand this. He hoped the rest of humanity would realize the truth before it was too late.
The elevator doors opened. Fireteam Osiris stepped out and through the gate into one of the smaller hangars. Apparently, the brass wanted to keep this as quiet as possible.
Maybe the only smart thing they'd done so far, Locke thought.
There was a burgundy Phantom dropship resting on one of the landing pads. Captain Lasky and a small security team of Spartan IVs were standing next to it, waiting for them. A single sangheili was standing there as well.
"Fireteam Osiris, this is is Sword of Sanghelios pilot Mahkee 'Chava," the Captain introduced. "She'll be your pilot for the trip to Sanghelios. The Infinity won't be entering the Sanghelios system at this time, so you will complete the journey through slipspace within her phantom."
The pilot, Mahkee, stepped forward and put her right fist to her chest. Locke returned the salute. He almost threw up in his helmet.
Mahkee 'Chava was different from any sangheili Locke had ever seen for one primary reason: she was female. For millenia sangheili females had been forbidden from occupying any kind of combat role. The Arbiter had decided that this tradition was one of many that were holding the sangheili people back and had done away with it. This decision had proved rather controversial, to say the least. Locke figured the Arbiter was just desperate for troops, considering how many of his kind had died in the past few decades.
Boo-hoo, join the fucking club, Locke thought with a scowl.
The differences between a male and a female sangheili were similar to those between the human genders. Mahkee was slightly shorter than other sangheili Locke had seen. Her build was generally slimmer, her hips were wider, and she had a more narrow face. He hadn't noticed at first that she was female because she lacked any mammary glands. Sangheili were oviparous, so they had no breasts. The only obvious sign was the fact that she had 1 pair of mandibles rather than the 2 pairs males possessed. They clung to both sides of her face, which was covered in what appeared to be warpaint, as she regarded the Spartans.
"I am...honored to ferry you to the sacred world of Sanghelios," Mahkee said. Locke detected her hesitance. It seemed she was no happier about this than he was.
The mission was off to a good start already.
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The journey to Sanghelios was fairly uneventful. Mahkee even allowed them to access the Phantom's external cameras so they could see the planet itself as they approached.
It looked surprisingly normal. There were temperate regions, arid landscapes, plains, tundras, etc. It was a fairly standard garden world.
Would have expected the homeworld of a race of murderous animals to be more intimidating, Locke reflected. There should be a lot more desolate landscapes and jet black spires of jagged rock. Maybe constant cloud cover, lightning storms, giant bats flying around. Real Mordor stuff.
Mahkee's voice came over the comms. Locke detected anxiety underlying her words.
"Spartans. I have received news of an incursion of Storm Covenant into Swords of Sanghelios territory. They are attempting to eliminate a valued individual. We are the only ship within range to lend assistance." She paused for a moment. "I am loathe to ask, but can you aid us?"
On any other day, Locke would have told her to piss off. Humanity didn't owe the sangheili a thing after all the aliens had done to them. However, Osiris needed to get on their good side if they were going to have any success at all in their mission. Much as he might hate it, lending assistance here could be invaluable.
"We would be proud to aid your warriors," Locke lied. "Simply point us to your enemies."
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The Phantom's gravity lift deposited Fireteam Osiris into a narrow canyon. Locke's feet splashed into the creek at its center. He and the rest of Osiris kept their weapons up, scanning the the perimeter. No contacts. Mahkee took her dropship up and moved out of sight. Locke motioned his subordinates forward.
The canyon was made of red sandstone, as was a significant amount of the terrain where they exited the crevasse. There were some expanses of tan earth, the occasional creek of clear water, and some green grasses and the occasional tree.
The Spartans kept to what cover and concealment they could as they made their way toward the coordinates Mahkee had provided them. The area was full of hills and rock formations, so it proved rather easy. It must have been a nightmare to get any kind of ground vehicles through here. It only took them about 10 minutes to reach their destination: a sangheili ruin.
The structure was built into a cliff. The high walls, and presumably the interior itself, were carved out of the stone. Numerous statues of sangheili carrying their bizarre, triangular swords surrounded the open entrance. If there had been doors they had decayed ages ago.
"These are pre-Covenant sangheili ruins," Vale commed in an awe filled tone. "They were already ancient history before humanity built the pyramids!"
"Lock it down," Locke commed. Vale, thankfully, shut up about the aliens' history. He was more concerned about the Storm Covenant forces just outside the entrance.
There were a number of vehicles. They consisted mostly of Specter light recon vehicles, clearly reconfigured to serve as rapid deployment troop transports, and some Ghost scout vehicles. They rested on the ground, their anti-gravity functions deactivated while not in use. Their speed made them the obvious choice to strike deep into enemy territory and fall back swiftly. The Specters had had their mounted plasma guns removed, so they weren't much of a threat. The Ghosts, however, still had their dual plasma cannons. They would have to be eliminated quickly.
There was only a token rear guard around the entrance. Given the weapons fire they could hear coming from the inside, Locke presumed that was where the majority of the strike force was located. There were a couple kig-yar sharpshooters perched atop some of the stonework and a small team of sangheili, clad in the traditional blues and purples of their nation, gathered around the entrance itself.
Locke quickly formulated a battle plan. His subordinates obediently moved to execute it. It gave him some satisfaction that they were at least still following his orders. Locke climbed onto a rock formation and went prone. He drew his new battle rifle and centered his sights on one of the kig-yar. They were at the limit of the weapon's effective range, but given his augmentations that should be little trouble.
"Execute," he commed.
Locke fired.
The battle rifle shot out a 3-round burst that went directly into the kig-yar's skull. In under 1 second Locke adjusted his aim to center his scope on the second one. The avian sapient had raised his beam rifle and was scanning the horizon. It seemed to aim directly at him.
Locke fired again.
The burst hit the kig-yar directly on its targeting visor. The glowing red optic shattered as the creature's head snapped backward from the blow. The kig-yar lost its balance and fell to the ground; even if the burst hadn't killed it, the fall certainly had. Locke couldn't hear its dying screech, but he could imagine it. He smiled behind his visor.
Several of the sangheili rushed toward the Ghosts, intent on using the mounted weaponry to eradicate the humans. The vehicles rose off of the ground. They seemed to be held aloft by glow of blue light. Arcs of electricity connected its 'wings' to the ground as they oriented toward the Spartans' positions.
The Ghosts exploded.
Blue-white flames burst out of the destroyed scout vehicles. They overwhelmed the red-orange blast of Buck's demolition charges. The stealth specialist had engaged his cloak and carefully concealed Tanaka's explosives on the vehicles themselves. The enemy infantry was now without mounted support.
Tanaka and Vale had risen out of the cover they had crawled towards. They fired on the Sangheili, keeping them suppressed.
A pair of fragmentation grenades arced into the sangheili's cover from an unexpected direction. The explosions combined with Buck's silenced submachinegun fire to force the sangheili out of cover. Locke, Tanaka, and Vale cut them down within seconds.
Fireteam Osiris regrouped outside the entrance. Tanaka took the forward position, as her armor was the strongest. Locke covered the right, Vale covered the left, and Buck covered the rear. They moved into the ancient structure.
There were no hostiles as they made their way through the barren halls. There were plenty of bodies, though, Storm and Swords alike. Although there were far more Storm dead than Swords. This probably had something to do with the clearly superior arms and armor of the Arbiter's soldiers. Whatever VIP had come to this place must rank highly indeed given the clear quality of the gear.
Osiris finally spotted the enemy as they approached what appeared to be some sort of main chamber. They stopped before entering, hugging the wall, and Locke snaked a fiberoptic probe around the door frame.
The room was large and circular. It appeared to be some sort of amphitheater, with a raised central platform surrounded by by rows of stone seats, each on a higher level the further from the center. There was a door on the far side that the Storm forces were assaulting. The VIP had to be in there. A few of the hostile sangheili finally succeeded in overwhelming the defenders and pushing into the room. The rest of them, about 7 in total, lined up and prepared to follow. They were running out of time.
"Engage! Engage!" Locke commed. None of the aliens were examining the entry to the room. Apparently, they were too eager to complete their mission. Thus, Osiris was free to rush into the room and begin firing on the few sangheili who hadn't continued pursuit.
Locke took cover behind a stone support pillar. He fired on a sangheili holding a Carbine, wanting to eliminate the sharpshooter as quickly as possible. Enemy fire splashed across Locke's shields.
The fire stopped as Tanaka laid down suppressing fire with her SAW. The sangheili sharpshooter ducked behind cover...but there was about a centimeter of skull still exposed. Locke grinned as he fired, landing a trio of bursts on the alien's head. His foe's brains were swiftly splattered against the wall.
Vale had used her thrusters to sprint halfway around the room, forcing the Storm forces to divide their focus. She fired away with her assault rifle, downing a couple targets before they could scramble to better cover.
Buck had engaged his cloak. The only sign of his presence was the occasional sangheili having its throat cut by an invisible combat knife.
The alien forces were caught off guard and, for once, without overwhelming numbers. The Spartans had little trouble finishing them off. Unfortunately, killing them wasn't the goal here, and the VIP could well have come to harm in the time it had taken to eliminate them.
"Move up," Locke ordered. Tanaka led the charge, pushing through the empty doorway to find what appeared to be a small conference room.
The room was littered with sangheili dead. The Swords warriors had acquitted themselves well but there had simply been too many. There were only 3 survivors. 2 were Storm, and the 3rd was-
"For Sanghelios!" The VIP shouted as he stabbed his energy sword through the midsection of his opponent. The sangheili's energy shield was depleted instantly by the blade of superheated plasma. The smell of scorched armor and burning hide filled the room.
The VIP then grabbed his dying foe and positioned his body to block the shots from the other Storm warrior. The dying sangheili's armor melted and steamed as the balls of superheated plasma impacted its back. The VIP kicked the corpse 2 meters through the air to knock his lone remaining foe off of his feet. Before the enemy could rally itself, the VIP had rushed over and cut off his head with a single, exact slice. It was only now that Locke got a good look at the individual Osiris had come here to rescue.
He wore ornate armor. It consisted of curved, organic looking heavy plates over an armored undersuit. The helm was stylized, with a rear fringe and curving edges. The plates were colored gray while the undersuit was a combination of black and dark blue. Patterns and calligraphy were etched onto every piece and the undersuit itself seemed alive with alien designs. The weaponry he carried was also ornate; the energy sword was a deep orange rather than the usual blue-white and its hilt was engraved with ancient war proverbs. Even if Locke hadn't spent years of his life studying this sangheili, he would have instantly recognized who it was.
The Arbiter.
The sangheili head of state whirled and faced the latest intruders. His mandibles spread in shock as he recognized that the latest arrivals were human supersoldiers.
"Spartans?" he asked, seeming far more surprised than he should have. It sounded like he was unaware of their presence on the planet at all. "What is the meaning of this?"
Note: Halo 5 had, as far as I could tell, precisely zero references to Hunt the Truth. Given how outstanding that audio drama is, this is a huge missed opportunity. Even if the story of the game was already finished, they could have at least included some text logs or something.
Note: I plan on having Locke's faith in ONI eroded bit by bit over the course of this story. The thing about over-compartmentalization and constant lying is that eventually you alienate even the people that directly work for you. How am I pulling it off?
Note: I had to restrain myself from having Locke call the sangheili 'filthy xenos'. I think there's a bit of the mindset of the Imperium of Man in both him and ONI in general, at least where it comes to aliens.
Note: Mahkee 'Chava, the female pilot that ferries Osiris around in the game, is going to be a major character in the Sanghelios arc. Another colossal missed opportunity that I plan on taking advantage of in my version of the story.
Thanks for reading. Love you guys.
Slipspace Anomaly