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By the time you all see this, I will have sat on this continuation idea for almost a year as of July, 2022 or so. Who even knows how long the doc will sit in my Docs, lol. Anyways, hope you like it, sure a good number WILL NOT, but…

Such is life, lol.

XxX-XxX-XxX

URS-IV, or as it was more locally known, Sanghelios, hung in in the blackness of space with an almost familiar sort of weight. Sitting at the far edge of what was colloquially dubbed by most as the 'green zone', the band of habitation around the three suns that held the system's gravity well together, Sanghelios was so obviously harsh he could tell it from orbit. Vast stretches of arid areas and deserts covered huge chunks of the center of the two continents he could see, edged by lush greens that gave way to the vast oceans of the large world where, he knew, many Sengheili cities sat. Some he could even see, on the darker part of the planet, their lights glinting against the shadow.

Heavy, weighted steps drew his attention and Lieutenant Commander Locke turned around as his contact stepped in.

And his eyes narrowed in surprised, "You?"

"Yes, me." The Chief of Spartan Operations said as he stepped into the small, single-officer's barracks that Locke had been given when he'd boarded the Infinity. Leaning over the small holo-table in its center, he punched in a number and grunted, "Black-out, code B-320, authorization, A-266."

Nothing happened for a few seconds, but Locke knew better than to doubt it - the code would trigger subroutines in security to his quarters, and deaden ONI listening packets throughout it, along with the camera over his door. Which he disliked. Because that combined with where he was right now meant that he wasn't in for an easy or simple mission…

It meant ONI had something big on the line.

Turning, Locked eased back against the edge of the view-port, his uniform crinkling and rustling as he crossed his arms. "What have you got for me?"

"I believe you're missing a 'Sir' in there somewhere." Jun chuckled, straightening and smoothing out his own uniform. A more standard-ish Navy one, rather than anything ONI related, in spite of his post and purpose here. "But that's fine. Business?"

"Business." Locke nodded, though he didn't move as Jun inserted a little datashard into the terminal base of the holo-display. In a moment, a familiar blueprint bloomed into life, and Locke's face fell. "No…"

"Yes." Jun nodded, straightening, "Vadam Keep."

"The Arbiter?" He sighed, eyes closing against the obvious-

"Not this time." He blinked his eyes open and, surprised, turned to the man as he pressed a button on the console and the map of the Kolaar mountain changed. Instead it was replaced by a simple, smiling face framed by dark hair. "Your target is an Insurrectionist-aligned terrorist with access to advanced Forerunner technology of unknown origin. Possibly using that origin, the target has managed to largely unify Sangheili across the planet and in multiple other systems, stabilizing them beyond ONI projections."

"Meaning?"

"Peace on Sanghelios." Jun answered, "Inside a few months, the other factions will be too weak to maintain their grip and will withdraw. Which will only strengthen Vadam's position."

"Which would be good news." Locke rumbled, displeasure already worming through his gut. "For anyone but ONI. Right?"

"What's good news for ONI is good for everyone." Jun said, "And what's bad-"

"Is bad for everyone, too." It was an old saying, but one he knew just as well as anyone. He wasn't sure he believed it as much as Jun did - or pretended to, at least, it was hard to tell - but he knew it. And he knew that orders were orders, too. "What did she do, exactly?"

"Unknown and irrelevant." Jun shrugged, completely uncaring for the disbeliving look he got. Pushing on, he said, "You're to head to deck forty-two and launch in a stealth SOIEV, with a weapon set aside for the mission parameters as well as a specialized camouflage unit to assist in stealth. You will deploy to a region approximately one kilometer away from Keep Vadam and infiltrate from there. En route, you will locate and terminate a suitable Sangheili male who you will equip with items found in your rucksack. Take the shot, ditch the weapon-"

"Exfiltrate and frame the dead Elite." He nodded, "Old trick. Who are we using it on?"

"The Servants of Abiding Truth and the Storm Covenant."

"Both?"

"One item will be marked out in red tape." Jun nodded, "Drop it nearby, somewhere visible enough. The patsy will serve as a Storm stand-in, while the item you drop will link this as an implicit Storm-Abiding Truth joint venture. Both parties have suffered due to whatever the Arbiter used to convince them, and so both would make sense for perpetrators."

"Understood." He nodded, "Anything else?"

"The target is designate R1. However there are other Humans present as well." Jun said, pressing a button to transition to ranged picture of a dozen or so other people, headshots lined up in an orbiting circle. "All these are designated R2 continuing per target. Any target is sufficient, with a priority on these girls," he said pointing out a blonde, a scarred white-haired woman, and a dark haired one, "if R1 is unavailable. Do not delay. Acquire a target within preference and possibility, and terminate."

"A rush job?"

"Mhm." Jun nodded, "Infinity won't be able to stay on station for more than a week without a crisis."

"Which this presents…" Locke sighed and nodded, "Understood. Will that be all?"

"No." Jun shook his head, "Admiral Lasky will also be on the ground, with escort. Do not terminate, but fire rounds at them, too. Then equip the specialized cloak device and exfiltrate. Find a suitable site and signal for final extract."

"Tight." Locke hummed, "Very tight. It'll have to do, though."

"It will." Jun nodded, turning for the door and hesitating before he turned back. "It should go without saying-"

"We never spoke." Locke nodded, "And I was asleep when the operation was conducted."

"Good man." Jun nodded, "Good luck, Spartan."

"Yes, Sir."

He was going to need it…

XxX-XxX-XxX

Thel watched the Pelican orient as it came down to land, ramp lowered and a familiar visor glinted in the reddish light of Sanghelios' dominating sun. As the Pelican landed, the Arbiter stepped forward, cloak sweeping behind him in the seas-borne wind as the Demon stepped forward to meet him and took his hand with a nod. Fred and Kelly flanked him quietly, but they should have known better by now, because he brushed the Demon aside to offer them handshakes as well, smirking as they stiffly returned the gesture. Behind him, his guards stood atop the walkways carved into the stone all across this near-coastal cliffside mountain far behind them. They disliked him coming out beyond the Keep, he knew. But the Admiral's larger than average Pelican's shield generator was something that the Admiral's paranoia wouldn't let him travel without.

The Arbiter didn't judge, though. And besides, it was nice to get down here, walk the old paths, and see his patrolmen and servants coming and going from the Keep itself further along the cliff.

And beside, the sea-side cliffs offered a simply breathtaking view of the dark seas Vadam overlooked, as well as the land rolling out away from them, to the mountains far in the distance. And few on Sanghelios would be able to punch a force deep enough behind his lines to pose him a threat here in any event.

Finally, he looked up the ramp as Lasky descended, smiling and offering a simple, "Arbiter."

"Admiral." He returned the gesture, stepping back to stand beside Weiss as she emerged from the base, skimming over a data-pad in her hand as he turned and cocked his head. "Yes?"

"Logistics report from Atlas is in." She explained, handing it to him and summarising as he read. "Reconstruction is concluding in a week with Atlas' ascent, ahead of schedule thanks to your ships and their plasma lances. For weapons, they do rather well for excavation, all things considered."

"Indeed." He rumbled, pleased as he lowered the data-pad and turned to the onlooking Spartans and the amused Admiral. "She's rather adept at management, you should know. If you happen to be in the market, I mean."

"Are you… Trying to pawn me off?"

"Trying to help you, actually." The Arbiter chuckled, turning to look down on the small woman as her brows rose. "You spend too much time fighting and amongst aliens, Weiss. It would do you good to get out, see more of your own kind."

"You are…" Weiss sighed, "Not incorrect, or the first person to remark on this."

"Oh am I not?"

"No, and I hate you and Ruby both for it." Weiss sighed, turning and smiling demurely, "Forgive us, Admiral, I'm sure we're boring you."

"Oh, no, this is quite entertaining." Admiral Lasky chuckled, "Take your time, please. Don't mind me one bit. Though, if we're to talk business, I have to ask… Where's your so-called fearless leader? I haven't had a chance to thank her for her work yet."

"Ruby?" Weiss blinked when he nodded and then she sighed and rolled her eyes, cocking a hip to rest a hand on it as the engines overhead died, casting them all in the shade they were offering. "She's in the Keep with Penny. Supposedly, they are working on upgrades to Sangheili defenses."

"Oh?"

"A derivative of Jackal gauntlets." The Demon answered, "Larger, ovular models. More able to protect Sangheili-"

"And Humans." Thel nodded, "We wish to share what is ours."

"That's why I'm here." Laskey smiled, gesturing at the Keep proper a few hundred yards up the rocky cliff-top expanse. "Shall we?"

"Of course." Thel nodded, turning and gesturing for them to follow. As their little group fell into step, he spoke, "Specialist, if you would?"

"Right." Weiss chirped brightly, always eager and happy to work. "First is the armory, to see Ruby and Penny and their projects. From there we-"

He heard the familiar, old sound crackle in his ears before he was aware of nearly anything else. A dull, muted 'zap' that seared through the air just behind him once, and then twice in the same heartbeat, burning ozone filling the air along with the ashy scent of burnt cloth and melted flesh. Powerful hands seized him, throwing him down, and he rolled over as the Master Chief shielded him bodily, rifle raised and scanning the distance. The two other Spartans were shielding the Admiral while their last member stormed out of the Pelican, DMR in hand. But all he could see, a few feet away, was a pool of white and blue.

And red…

He shoved the Demon off him and scrambled over to the downed woman as her hands pressed against the neat holes in her chest, Aura sparking as it died. Eyes fluttering as his hands pressed in against hers, she gasped, voice almost lost under the sizzling crackle of more beam-shots, splashing around them almost randomly, "W-What-"

"Beam rifle!" He grunted, snarling as his Guards tried to grab him, to drag him to cover. "Off of me or off with your head! Send for aid!"

"I-I can't-" Weiss choked and coughed, flecks of dried and fresh blood alike splashing across her front from the burns to her lungs. "I can't b-breathe, T-Thel."

"I know." He rumbled, "Stay calm. Spartan!"

The Demon turned from where he'd moved to half-stand behind him and dropped a cylinder into his hand, gaze ever upward, scanning the horizon warily. "Bio-Foam. Quick. Heart was hit, guaranteed."

"I understand." He nodded, unfolding the insertion piece and sliding it in as the woman choked back a sob. "Just take what breath you can, Weiss. You will be fine."

"W-Why?" Her breath rattled and her eyes watered, tears trailing down her face as her hands gripped weakly at his wrist. "I don't want- I don't want t-to go! P-P-Please, not like… Not like… I still have to… To file my reports."

"What?" He blinked, confused…

And her hands slid down to rest on her stomach, head lolling to the side.

"Weiss?" He rumbled, taking her by the shoulder and shaking her as the bio-foam feeder dried up. She didn't respond, staring off into space, eyes glassy, and he leaned over her as the Demon laid a hand on his shoulder. Shaking it off, he bellowed, "Weiss?! Weiss?! Medic! Where's the-"

"She's gone, Thel." John murmured, kneeling beside him and dragging him back, off of the girl, as his guards fanned out around him. "Nicked the heart. She bled out into her chest cavity. She never-"

"Raaaagh!" He roared, surging up and turning, taking one of his guards by the front of his armor. "Extend our patrols! Scour the hinterlands for the shooter and do it now!"

"By your word, Arbiter."

"Good." He hurled the Guard away and turned to Lasky next, barking, "Your Pelican-"

"Yours." Lasky nodded, turning and ordering, "Frederic, in the air. Get those advanced sensors online and searching."

The Arbiter ignored the rest, turning and sinking down to his knees beside the dead girl who he had promised would be safe here, in his home. The dead girl who had spent weeks into months helping both their people, only to fall here. Hands curling into fists so tight they ached, he vowed, "Their blood will flow…"

And it would flow freely.

XxX-XxX-XxX

"Arbiter." Penny hummed as the large Sangheili pushed through the thin curtain that divided the small sitting area from the noisome workshop beyond. His shoulders were drooped, as ever of late, and his gaze remained downcast. "Not feeling better?"

"How could I?" He rumbled quietly, turning to ease onto one of the low cushions against the wall while Penny remained, standing beside the entrance to the workshop itself. "I failed. I failed, and Weiss died for it. How can I 'feel better' after that?"

"Time heals all wounds." Penny answered, grimacing, "Or, so they say."

"You disagree?"

"I…" She frowned, her processors registering emotions long since buried and starting to run through old, practiced programs to suppress them before she stopped them. Leaning against the wall, she slid down it until she was sitting and tucked her knees into her chest. "I do not know, Arbiter, if I agree or not. Did… Did you know I died?"

"I… Had heard it."

"I remember it, you know." Penny murmured, "Pyrrha's look. The feeling. The fear. I remember every little bit of it. I can't rid myself of it…"

"I am grieved to hear it."

"Do not be." She smiled, though she didn't look at him. Even without it, though, she could detect his gaze on her - a dozen various sensors confirming it, while just as many pinged and monitored Ruby's location. Wary of any… Problems with her, right now, as unlikely as they were. While those worked, she sighed, "You were not there. The fault is no one's besides the people who tricked Pyrrha into it."

"Cinder Fall…"

"And her companions." Penny nodded, finally turning to face him, face flat. "As then, as now. You are not at fault for what happened."

"They were there for me."

"Were they?" Penny asked, "Because from what you said yesterday, she was struck twice. And at extreme range. Yet the shooter couldn't hit anyone else. And your circle of searching has not yet identified the shooting location even now."

"The Pelican found nothing." He defended gently, almost like an instinctive, knee-jerk reaction. She let him for that reason - it was better to allow the reaction than snap at it. Or, so her psychology reading had taught her. "As such, I have little choice. Hunters headed out from the Keep, and from the edge of my borders, while the Infinity and my Banshee fleets run air-space searches, in case they try to escape by vessel."

"And yet, you have not found the site." Penny mused, "Or the shooter."

"No…"

"Meaning they must have found an ideal location. Somewhere they could lay in wait for their target." Penny went on, "Don't you enjoy walking the cliffs in the evenings, Arbiter?"

"I do." He nodded, and she waited the mere second it took his keen mind to deduce, even through his anger and pain, what she was implying. "If they wanted me, they had opportunity, then. This could not have been an opportunistic shot. Yet, they let me live. I walked those cliffs the day before, even that morning, and yet they let me live…"

"They targeted Weiss." Penny concluded, "Why, I do not know. But they did. Else you, or Admiral Lasky, would have been shot. Or even the Master Chief, if they simply wanted to target someone of prominence. Instead of any of you three, though… They took her from us."

"So the question becomes why…"

"It does." Penny nodded, frowning. "And I fear the answer will only bring more questions."

"Indeed it will…" The Arbiter murmured, turning as another Elite, this one in ornate red armor, pushed through the divider and bowed his head.

"The Spartans have found something." She reported quietly, "They wish for you to come to them. Red-Eye has arranged a Phantom transport as well as Banshee escorts, and two more sets of each as distractions. They await you."

"Understood." He stood and turned to Penny as she did, too, smoothing out her skirt while he hummed. "You are wise for your years. And… I would appreciate if you would look in on Ruby for me. I fear I would remind her of unpleasant things, right now."

"No more than I do." Penny smiled, "She watched me die, you know."

Confused, the other Elite cocked her head before she shook the curiosity off and turned to leave while the Arbiter shook his head and sighed, "Even so."

"I'll take care of her." She smiled, "You find out who did this. And, as much as I am certain Ruby would dislike it… Make them pay."

"On that," the Arbiter rumbled, "you have my word."

She watched him leave and waited a moment before she sighed and turned, stepping through and into the workshop. Inside was a mess, tools, parts and scraps scattered across the room, design sheets pinned haphazardly to the walls, and Ruby in a corner. Still working steadily on the shield-gauntlet prototype. Pacing over, Penny stood behind her, watching over Ruby's shoulder as she shakily pushed herself through the paces of reassembling the gauntlet structure once again. Penny saw her misalign its heating implement, and waited until it short circuited and shocked her before she used it as an excuse to slip around her and gently tug the tools out of her hands.

"P-Penny, what are you- Give that back!"

"No." Penny answered simply, "We are going to bed."

"I'm not tired." Ruby argued weakly, fighting futilely against Penny's superior strength as she tugged her up onto her feet. Frowning but letting Penny guide her back out, through the waiting area and into the hall, she said, "I'm not! A-And you don't even sleep."

"No." She admitted, "But you need to. And you should not be alone now."

"I…" Ruby sucked in a breath and stumbled, and Penny turned to catch her, kneeling as Ruby's arms snaked around her. Finally, she choked out, "Why?! W-Why Weiss? It's not fair! A-After everything we did, everything we survived, she can't just- It isn't fair!"

"I know." Penny hummed, sliding an arm under her legs to sweep the girl up, other arm cradling her close as she stood. A pair of armored Elites, the guards of the Keep, came running at the noise and she flicked them a look. One snorted, but the other cuffed him and they turned to leave as Penny turned to move along and quietly murmured, "It is not, but… But all we can do is feel."

"I don't want to!"

"I know." She sighed, flicking the guard beside their door a look. He nodded and opened it for her, and as they slipped inside, she murmured, "But we must. It's all we can give to her now…"

Finally, as the dam broke and Ruby truly fell to pieces, Penny laid her out on the small bed and pulled away. Flicking the lights off, she poked her head out the door and spoke to the guard, "Anyone bothers us, I will hurt them. Understood?"

"Yes, Godling." He nodded, "And… My condolences to you both."

She didn't answer beyond a nod, slipping back into the room and joining her girlfriend on the bed. As soon as Penny had settled in, Ruby was on her, arms wrapping around her and head nestling in the crook of her neck. Smiling sadly, Penny relaxed and raised her internal heating system to help Ruby relax and, she hoped, get some proper rest.

XxX-XxX-XxX

"This is a bad idea."

"You said that already." Emerald murmured, pacing back and forth across the back of the alleyway. She flicked the large, scarred man a look, scowled when he crossed his arms, and waved him off. "You can leave you know, if you don't want to be here."

"Hmph."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, but a heavy step drew her attention and she turned as a lithe Elite in dull violet armor stepped into view, cloak shimmering as it fell. He cocked his head, appraising them both, before he rumbled, "What melts the snows in Atlas?"

"The fire." She sighed, "You have what I need?"

"I do." The Elite nodded, "You have what is ours?"

"Mhm." She drew out the Scroll and handed it over. "Map of the defensive line, a few construction zones, so on. You asked, so… Something big coming up north-side. Lot of the little guys, Grunts or whatever, working on it."

"A methane storage and refinery, I would wager." The Elite rumbled, "To house and provide for the Unggoy - the Grunts, rather, who will work here. Excellent information indeed, Human. Atriox offers his gratitude."

"And…?"

"Your pay." The Elite sighed, reaching into an armor compartment and withdrawing a little metal shard. Handing it over, the Elite explained, "This data-shard can be plugged into any of your 'Scrolls' and used to upload identification records to the local net. It will not last forever, particularly should an AI come into play, but it should free you of your confinement here on… Mettle?"

"Mantle." She corrected him, "And good. I'm tired of the damn snow…"

"Heh." The Elite chuckled, turning to leave. "Indeed. As do I. Luckily, neither of us are long for it."

Emerald watched him go and sighed, turning to Hazel and asking, "So, your contact? We'll need some Lien to get this into the system, and to get a way out of here."

"I'll get in touch with him." Hazel sighed, "Shouldn't take long. But-"

"Just do it." She snapped, turning and stalking off, the giant trundling along just behind her, the hood of his long, black coat tucked up around his ears.

XxX-XxX-XxX

Thel dropped out of the Phantom and landed with a grunt and the sound of stone and rock crunching under him, bending to take the familiar impact and straightening as the Demon's companion, Kelly, paced up to meet him. His guards stiffened at his side, but he waved them off without concern and grunted simply, "Stay here. And alert."

"By your word." They both rumbled, stepping far enough to either side to avoid being easily taken out by a single errant explosion and turning to look around the arid, rocky clifftop.

Turning to the Spartan, he asked, "You found something?"

"Yeah." She nodded, then bobbed her head to the side and grunted. "This way."

He followed the armored female along a thin path between craggy rock that stuck up into the air, and clusters of dry, thorny brush. After under a minute, they reached a moderately large cleared right at the edge of a towering cliff, created when this stretch of land fell away decades prior under torrential rains. Huge spires of dark, reddish rock rose up on either side, sheltering it from every direction but their winding, narrow path and the one facing out, towards his Keep in the distance. A dead Elite in Storm Covenant armor lay against one of those rocks, blood splashed across it and a cracked Beam Rifle laying beside him in the dirt, where the Demon knelt, looking it all over.

"Spartan." He rumbled.

"Arbiter." He returned, gesturing for him to join him and, when Thel knelt, holding up a small knife and grunting. "Storm Covenant armor on the corpse. And Roland identified markings on this knife as of the Abiding Truth."

"The Covenant…" He murmured, "And the Abiding Truth? They are at odds more often than not."

"It's possible that your groundswell of support has unnerved them." The Master Chief said, replacing the knife in the exact spot he'd taken it from on the ground. Turing to look up at him over his shoulder, "Enough to work together?"

"Perhaps…"

"Mhm." The Demon stood and turned, looking over to where Linda knelt, leaning against an outcropping of rough rock with another Beam Rifle in hand - this time with Vadam markings along its side, rather than the Storm markings on the broken one. "Linda?"

"I could make the shot." She said when Thel joined his old friend, standing behind her while she shifted her scope and fired. Lowering it, she grunted, "Placing shot - for range. Any Spartan could make this shot, with enough time to pace it and prep."

"But…?"

"Elites would struggle." She answered, turning to look up at them. "I have advanced optics - you don't."

"She thinks it's staged." Frederic said, sitting against the rock a few feet away. "I'm not convinced-"

"I am." The Master Chief grunted, turning to speak to Thel directly. "If you were to use that knife to stab an Elite from behind, where would you aim?"

"What do you-"

"Where on the neck would you place a surprise strike?" Pausing in thought, Thel raised his fingers and pressed them into the base of his skull, right behind his mandibles where a major artery came to a head. "Exactly. So why was he," the Spartan grunted, pointing at the dead Sangheili, "stabbed at the shoulder? There's an artery, but it would be awkward to get at. You'd have to invert your arm and stab in from the side, rather than the smoother side-thrust at the base of your skull."

Humming, he turned and padded over, kneeling and pulling the dead Sangheili's head to the side. True to what the Spartan told him, there was only one wound - a deep stab wound close to the front of his throat, at the juncture between the shoulder, neck and spine. A place that, yes, had an artery that would bleed any Sangheili out, but in a way that was more awkward for his kind, unless it was done from above.

"Above…" He rumbled, turning and pushing the Elite over. Reaching down, he peeled away the undersuit there, and then undid the harness on armor enclosing the back of his legs. And… The bruising was obvious, dark violet standing out from the greyish skin around it. Standing, he stepped back and asked, "Spartan, would you rest your foot there…"

The Master Chief nodded and came over, turning and pressing his foot in…

An exact match, nearly enough. At least in shape, size and feature - which meant…

"A Spartan…" Thel rumbled as the Master Chief stepped away. Shaking his head, he murmured, "That can be the only conclusion. Yes?"

"Yes." The Master Chief nodded, shaking his head and flicking Thel a look before he looked back to the bruise. "That… I don't understand. I expected something like this, but a Spartan?"

"Even kin can betray." Thel rumbled, laying a hand on the Spartan's shoulder as gently as he could manage. The armored Human flicked it a look, but let it stay, and Thel turned to look over the fallen Sangheili. "The Path and the Storm… Whoever did this wants me to war with them more ardently. To divide my people. But who among your people could this benefit?"

"I…" The Master Chief straightened, suddenly, and shouldered his rifle as he turned. "Blue Team, reform. Fred, radio Admiral Lasky - have Roland begin screening security across the Infinity."

"Understood." The Spartan nodded, "But… Do we have an objective?"

"Someone set this up." The Demon grunted, "We need to find out who. Thel, we need a distraction - ONI needs to believe their trick worked."

"ONI?" He knew the name and the reputation behind it as well as many did, and better than most. Nodding, he said, "Then I will war with the Storm first. Sunaion will fall to us, as my people already intended, while you hunt the truth, Spartan."

The Demon nodded and turned, "Let's move."

XxX-XxX-XxX

Juul M'Dama gazed out over the waters that surrounded Sunaion with a pensive, heavy mind. Above him, his dozens strong flotilla waited, ready and willing, to meet the Arbiter when their warlord ordered them forward. But, for now, they were still. Phantoms, loaded with supplies, came and went in preparation and his strategists worked eagerly, poring over old maps of Vadam's territory and devising strategies, plans and tactics for the coming battle.

A battle that they would be pressed to claim victory in - if only because of the Arbiter's Human allies.

He turned as an Elite approached, and murmured, "Atriox sends aid. Ten ships of the Banished will arrive in as many days' time. You will press our foe-"

"And you will put to bed this heretical alliance." Juul nodded, "I understand. And tell your master he will receive his compensation as well. This world, 'Remnant', shall be his to plunder as he sees fit. WIth no interference from my forces in his travels whatsoever."

"Understood." The Sangheili nodded, turning to leave without another word. Time would only tell if he - or Atriox - truly understood, but…

If they did not, the Gods would see them burn along with the Humans.

XxX-XxX-XxX

And here we go….

Don't super expect frequent updates, lol. Will work when I can.