Chapter 1: Fural 'Nasamai
So Thel 'Vadamee was a heretic. That was hard to believe. Even if Fural hadn't served under him during the battle of Halo, there was no way he would have believed that. But he was there. He saw what had unfolded on that ring's surface, and a part of him had believed that Halo's destruction was necessary.
No, that is blasphemy! Fural berated himself. The destruction of the sacred ring was a tragic loss, one which we will never recover from. But even so, Thel 'Vadamee is no heretic.
Fural had been invited to the High Council chambers to watch the trial unfold, but he refused. He opted to watch it from a cantina as it was being televised publicly. He didn't want to be near so many others at that moment. He imagined his younger self next to him, angry at him for not taking up the offer. He remembered wanting to visit the chambers as a fledgeling, but during that time there wasn't a place he didn't want to visit.
He hated to admit it, but the battle on Halo had knocked most of the adventure out of him. A lot of time had passed since the ring was destroyed, and the events of the battle still haunted him. He had nightmares every time he tried to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he was back in that swamp fighting against the monster that used to be his brother. It was a torment that he couldn't tell whether or not he deserved.
"Soon the Great Journey shall begin," the voice from the monitor in front of him said. "But when it does, the weight of your heresy will stay your feet. And you shall be left behind."
It was the voice of the Prophet of Truth, one of the triumvirate leading the Covenant. Though the Prophets made a big show of holding equal power, Fural knew that Truth was the real one who held the power. But he wouldn't dare admit that out loud.
The trial then ended. Fural wasn't certain of what was going to happen to his old Supreme Commander next, but it wasn't something he particularly wanted to see. He stood up, leaving his food and drink half finished and turned to leave. At the front of the cantina was a large Jiralhanae with a brown pelt. Its face looked just as snobby as the rest of the Jiralhanae Fural had encountered on High Charity.
"Done already?" the Jiralhanae said with a chuckle. It moved to the door to block Fural from leaving. "You should try the Thornbeast. I bet not even a Sangheili could resist its delicious temptation."
"I am finished here," Fural stated plainly. Though he was annoyed, he wasn't going to let it show. "Move."
The Jiralhanae's feigned cheerful expression faded. It stood tall and crossed its arms, looking down at the shorter Sangheili.
"You Sangheili think you're all so high and mighty, don't you?" the Jiralhanae snorted. "Your kind would not soon forget that it was you who let Halo be destroyed."
"I. Said. Move," Fural glared at the Jiralhanae. Now he was letting his annoyance be known. If the Jiralhanae persisted, he figured he could just get away with killing it.
"And if I don't?"
"Then I will cut you down right here and now. Do not test me."
For a moment, the Jiralhanae made no response. But eventually it grunted and stepped aside. Fural left the cantina, his hand resting on the hilt of his energy sword underneath his robes. It would surprise him if the Jiralhanae didn't attack him, or at least send someone else to do it. Little did it know, it was messing with a Blademaster. He would make sure to show it that if it did try to attack him.
Fural walked away from the cantina and down the streets of the holy city. The tall buildings alongside the giant Forerunner ship at the centre of the city were once a sight to behold, but Fural no longer felt anything when he looked at them. The Anodyne Spirit was the name of the Forerunner ship, and Dom loved visiting it. But without him there, Fural didn't feel any reason to visit it anymore.
Everywhere Fural walked he saw a screen showing Supreme Commander 'Vadamee being tortured for his failure on Halo. It was so impossible to avoid that Fural simply gave up trying to, and he started watching it. He stood behind a group of Unggoy that were so affixed to the screen that they hadn't even noticed him approaching.
On the screen he saw a Jiralhanae with white fur branding 'Vadamee with the Mark of Shame. The circular glyph was burned into the former Supreme Commander's chest. The Unggoy seemed to get startled by it, and they turned their heads away from the screen. They turned to see Fural behind them, and they were startled again. They quickly fled the area, running down the alleys between the buildings.
Fural had seen worse things, namely what had happened to his brother. But the sight of 'Vadamee being tortured still hurt to see. He was someone that Fural had looked up to for a long time, and it wasn't even his fault that Halo was destroyed. It was more likely to have been Fural's own fault.
He was the one who went into the containment facility. It was he who released the Flood from containment. Sure there had been others, but he would rather take the blame then let anyone else take it. I should be the one up there being burned.
Fural wasn't super affixed to the screen as he watched like the Unggoy had been, and so he noticed pretty easily when he heard heavy footsteps approaching behind him. He didn't turn around, but he clasped his hands behind his back.
"Well?" Fural said when he heard the footsteps stop. "What is it?"
"Your end is what it is," came the gruff voice of the Jiralhanae he had spoken to at the cantina. "Your kind needs to be sent a message."
"And your kind needs to learn its place," Fural turned. His annoyance was gone, and now he felt his lust for fighting returning to him. He needed to take out his anger, and the four Jiralhanae that he saw behind him were perfect targets for that.
"It was the Sangheili that formed the Writ of Union," Fural said, letting his hands drop to his sides. "We have always been the will of the Prophets. Not you."
"That's what I thought," the Jiralhanae from the cantina laughed, "high and mighty as always. It's time you learned some respect, worm."
"And here I thought that respect needed to be earned."
The Jiralhanae threw a punch that Fural could have easily avoided, but he let it hit him. It felt good to feel the pressure against his skin, the pain in the side of his head was relieving. For the first time since he lost his brother, he felt alive.
Fural quickly reached under his robes and drew his energy sword, igniting the blades as he swung his arm up. The sword cut through the Jiralhanae's shoulder with ease, the slicing of the blades through its skin was such a satisfying feeling. The Jiralhanae yelped and reeled back as its arm fell onto the ground.
The other three Jiralhanae gave Fural a look of shock. They weren't expecting him to fight back. One of them grabbed their squealing comrade and they all stepped away. Fural spread his arms out, challenging them to attack him again.
"Come on! Giving up already?" Fural taunted them. He didn't move to finish them off, he wanted them to come to him.
"This isn't over," one of them said with a grunt.
"Oh, I think it is," Fural deactivated his blades and stowed the hilt.
The hairy beasts retreated without another word. If they had any survival instincts at all, they would know to stay far away. If they attacked him again, he wouldn't go so easy on them. Fural felt the side of his face where the Jiralhanae had punched him and grimaced at the pain. It would go away soon enough. He turned back to the screen and it had been switched to a broadcast from inside a Covenant warship. He missed the ending of whatever torture 'Vadamee was being put through, but he was sure he would find out soon enough whether the Supreme Commander survived or not.
Fural left the alleys and made his way back home, leaving the detached Jiralhanae arm on the ground behind. Those beasts had wanted to send the Sangheili a message, and Fural sent them one in return. He trekked across a large open plaza. Trees from the various worlds of the Covenant member species grew from open holes in the ground, all of them different shapes and sizes. They were a sign of the failing unity that the Covenant used to represent.
The tension between the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae had never been higher, and it was only going to get worse now that the destruction of Halo was blamed on a Sangheili. Fural knew that one thing or another would spark a conflict between them. And when that happened, he would give his life to defend his brothers.
Fural entered the apartment building where he lived. A large and very nicely decorated lobby stood before him, one that he had seen too many times. He imagined his younger self again, staring up at the waterfalls and the trees at the back wall in awe at the splendorous sight. He rushed through the lobby to keep himself from thinking too much, and he found his apartment. But that wasn't the only thing he found.
"'Nasamai, it's been a while," a familiar voice said as Fural rounded the corner. Before him stood Jors 'Cinatee, the pilot who had ferried him all across the ring during the battle of Halo.
"It has been a while indeed," Fural said. He attempted to sound happy to see his friend again, but his monotone voice didn't let him. The last time Fural had seen him they were aboard the Supreme Crusader, watching Halo's destruction in front of them.
Jors gave him a concerned look, and Fural already knew what he was going to ask. It wasn't really something he wanted to talk about.
"What happened to your face?" Jors asked. His friend's concern almost surprised him.
"That isn't important," Fural shook his head. "What is important is why you are here."
"Well I just wanted to see my friend again," Jors said, crossing his arms. "I've been stuck here since the fleet returned, I didn't even get a fancy promotion or anything like you did. You did get the promotion, right?"
Fural sighed and nodded. It was almost right when he had returned to High Charity when he sat before a council of Blademasters. The ceremony had been short lived, and Fural had no longer felt like he deserved the title. But it happened nonetheless. He opened the door to his quarters and gestured for Jors to enter with him. The pilot found a chair in the corner of the room and sat down, Fural took a seat across from him.
"Nothing feels right, does it?" Jors said, breaking a moment of silence that had fallen between them. "The destruction of Halo, 'Vadamee being branded a heretic, the… The parasite."
"No," Fural sighed. Everything about the events of Halo had changed him, he felt for the worse. "I must admit, not much feels real anymore."
"Yeah," Jors nodded, "and now the Jiralhanae are using Halo's destruction against us. Just because a Sangheili was 'responsible' for it. None of it was our fault, it was that damned parasite."
"I know."
"Yes, my apologies," Jors raised his hands. "You know better than anyone."
Another silence fell between them. Jors knew that speaking about Fural's brother was a touchy subject. Every time he thought about Dom he began to crave violence, the only thing that could truly distract him. This time he shoved his violent thoughts down for fear of hurting his friend.
"If Halo's destruction is 'Vadamee's fault, then it is all of our's as well," Jors began again. "We should all be up there being branded as heretics."
Fural didn't respond immediately. His thoughts shifted to Halo's destruction, and he felt the need to say something that he would probably regret. But he was in the comfort of his home, the only one who could hear him was someone that he had fought battle after battle with. Someone he trusted.
"Halo needed to be destroyed," Fural said plainly.
"What?" Jors tilted his head.
"The Flood would have escaped if it had not been destroyed," Fural continued. "According to the reports from the fleet, it had already escaped the ring."
"But Halo was the start of the Great Journey! It has been the focus of all our worship."
"I told you once that there are more out there, I believe it. The Prophets know it too, they say that the Journey has not yet begun."
"Then where are they?"
"I don't know. It took us ages to find the first one, and in time we will find another. No matter how long it takes."
"Hm," Jors sat up in his seat. "You have changed a lot. I do not remember you being so devout."
"I have had time to reflect," Fural looked down at the floor. "It is what Dom would have wanted. I shall spend the rest of my days honouring him."
"He would be proud."
Jors stood up from his seat. Fural did wonder what Dom would say if he were still with him. He remembered every time his brother had pulled him aside during the battle on Halo to lecture him on the Covenant's faith. Now he felt he knew almost as much as his brother did.
"I must go now," Jors said as he moved to the door. He stopped and turned back as it opened. "Thank you for your time. I will be nearby if you want to find me."
"'Cinatee," Fural said to stop him. Jors stopped as Fural stood up from his chair. "Be careful out there. Something is coming, I don't know what, but I feel the safety of our Covenant is in jeopardy."
"What are you talking about now?"
"Just… Be careful of the Jiralhanae. They care less for our unity than you may think."
"So that's what happened to your face."
Fural responded with a nod. He felt that a Jiralhanae rebellion was brewing, but he didn't know when or how it would happen. He knew that those beasts would never let the Sangheili forget who let Halo be destroyed.
"I will be careful," Jors said. With that, he left Fural's quarters.
Fural closed the door behind Jors and he returned to his seat. He turned to the only window in his quarters above his bed, which overlooked the Anodyne Spirit as it towered over the buildings of the commercial districts.
Halo was a turning point for the Covenant, tensions between all of its species had never been higher. Fural feared for the future of the great empire.
