She woke up.

She didn't expect to wake up. She wasn't supposed to wake up.

She was supposed to die.

'Is this the Afterlife ?' She asked herself. She wasn't a believer in any of the old religions of Earth. Considering her…profession, she never had the time to question herself about topics such as faith or what lies after death. She had her fair share of introspection, but rare were the times when she thought deeply about any belief that some of her fellow soldiers shared. However, her train of thought was interrupted upon noticing a crucial detail.

'This Afterlife is suspiciously purple,' she noted and looked around. She was surrounded by three purple walls and a forcefield was where the fourth wall would be. Sitting up, she clutched her hand over her chest as she felt pain, and realized that the pain was where she had been impaled by the Zealot. She saw and felt bandages covering the wound and also the other bruises and injuries over her body.

She stood up from her bed, walked slowly over to the forcefield, and placed her hand upon it. It glowed lightly upon contact, but nothing else happened. She could still see beyond the field that she was in what looked like a prison block, with multiple cells like hers in front of her, both right and left. Immediately, one question sprung up in her mind.

'Why am I here ?' Her very presence here made no sense. In their thirty-year war, the Covenant never took any human prisoners. The fact that she was bandaged meant that they had even healed her. The first scenario that her mind could conjure was that she was captured by rogue elements within the Covenant, but the fact that the last thing she saw as she fell unconscious was a Zealot made this scenario unlikely. After a few minutes of silent wondering, another possible reason formed itself in her mind, and it made her blood run cold because it seemed more than plausible.

They wanted information.

Her hands balled into fists, her worry increasing. She wasn't afraid of the torture itself, but rather of the context. She was probably in a Covenant fleet that had just razed a planet, leaving no one behind. The UNSC would have no way of knowing she was alive, meaning that there would be no rescue. She could… she would resist until her last breath. To break, to give them anything useful just to save herself from a few injuries would be betraying her kind.

Unfortunately, she strongly doubted that she was vital for the Covenant. With the fall of Reach, it was only a matter of time before they found Earth. But she could make the difference. If she told them now, Earth would be found in a matter of days or weeks. If she held on or even died before saying anything, then it would take the Covenant years to find Earth, perhaps a decade if they were lucky. This would give Humanity enough time to prepare, or perhaps even flee if that was possible.

Her mind was set, she would do what she has always done: resist whatever fate had thrown her way.

She sat on her cell bed, which was surprisingly comfortable, and let her mind wander. She thought about doing some exercise but didn't want to strain her wounds, at least for today. She figured that she would have ample time later for it.

'Time…' She thought, realizing that time was something that she had been missing a lot lately. The Battle for Reach always felt like a race against time. Each mission she had since the battle of Szurdok Ridge always had a sense of urgency. She couldn't remember the last time she actually sat down and waited. She laid back down on the bed and stared absently at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to come. She figured that she would need every bit of energy for what was about to come.

She could only hope that she would find a way out.

Thel breathed a sigh of relief as he set down his helmet on his work table. After completing his daily duties and grabbing a quick meal from the canteen, he retired to his chamber. He still remembered the uneasy glances that the rest of the crew gave him. Five days had passed since they left Reach and almost everyone onboard the Seeker of Truth knew of his decision. No one had openly questioned him yet, but he dared not to think of what was said behind closed doors. He knew now that he was running on borrowed time. Words of his action would eventually reach High Charity, and he couldn't even imagine what the Hierarchs would do then.

Unfortunately, the Demon was still asleep. The Unggoys healers had done their part well for once, likely intimidated by his presence in the healing room. He could only wait for now, constantly debating if he had made the right choice. 'I need a distraction.' He thought to himself as he moved his chair to the right. His work table was two long holotables put together, and he had dedicated the left one for his official duties while the right one was reserved for his off-duty activities. On this table, multiple human weapons lay disassembled. He had recently developed an interest in studying those weapons whenever he could acquire one. Since they were still using bullets as their main ammunition, one could easily believe them to be crude and weak. But their effectiveness on the battlefield proved otherwise.

He began to mindlessly toy with the disassembled gun, which the human called a 'shotgun' if he remembered correctly. This weapon had an incredibly short range but was deadly to anything unlucky to be caught in that range. A perfect counter to a sword-wielding Sangheili. He found a certain beauty in how those primitive weapons could still play a role in the survival of humankind despite their technological backwardness. He was growing more and more curious about the weapons used by his own ancestors before the Writ of Union. Unfortunately, he would have to wait to be back on Sanghelios if he wished to recover one of those weapons.

He heard a beeping sound from his work table, indicating that someone was calling him. Scooting toward it, he pressed a red holographic button and spoke, "What is it ?"

"Sir, report from the prison cell, the Demon has awoken." His eyes widened at the news. He had demanded to be informed immediately whenever their newest prisoner would wake, but he had expected at least a week given the injuries he saw on her body during the healing process. 'Perhaps those rumors of the Demon's rapid healing aren't completely unfounded.' He thought. This could play to his advantage. "I see." He replied.

"Should we start interrogating it ?"

"No. But keep monitoring her health closely, and inform me of any other incidents."

"Understood sir." He closed the communication as he began to ponder his situation. He would have to maneuver carefully when it came to interrogating the Demon. If he took too much time, words of his action would reach the Hierarch and the consequences would be grave. If he was too hasty or too brutal, the Demon would die and this entire endeavor would have been for naught. He would have to find a proper balance if he hoped to break the Demon.

An arduous task, but one he would fulfill nonetheless.

Halo

The most powerful artifact built by the Forerunners, their last testament before they ascended.

The key to godhood.

Its very existence was the subject of heavy debates among the Covenant, many claimed that such a structure did not exist and was merely a metaphor for reaching ascension. And yet it stood before him, silencing all the naysayers.

He believed just about every word of the power of Halo and was a firm believer in its existence. Many dreamed of seeing this artifact with their own eyes, and he would forever be proud to be amongst the first to witness it. He was utterly paralyzed before its majesty, although he would never admit it.

Standing by his side was the Zealot Rota 'Muradee, who was also in complete admiration. Considering that his mission was to find the Forerunner relic, finding Halo would perhaps be his greatest success.

"It is said that its divine wind will rush through the stars and propel all who are worthy to salvation," said Rota. It was a prayer that Thel had heard countless times, both from the mouth of Zealots and the High Prophet, and he believed every single word of it. Halo was the centerpiece of their religion, the very reason for the foundation of the Covenant. Entire generations had come and gone in the search for this sacred artifact.

"Perhaps," said Thel, bringing himself out of his stupor. "But for now with must focus on the matter at hand." He turned toward his crew, "What is the state of our forces ?" He asked calmly.

"The Prophet of Stewardship wanted us to land immediately. He has ordered the Pious Endurance to establish a base on the ring immediately. The rest of the fleet is still in orbit."

"And has he scouted the system? An orbital and surface scan? Has he even messaged High Charity ?"

"N-No sir."

He repressed a sigh as he shook his head in disappointment. He had immense respect and total devotion to the High Prophets for they were the messenger of the Gods, but the Minor Prophets did not share this sacred mission. They were supposed to be representative of the High Prophets on the Covenant fleets, charged with assisting the commanders with religious affairs, but he found them to be more meddlesome than anything. They would often fight with their affiliated commanders for control of the fleet and would hamper them if they were crossed.

Ever since the Minor Prophets of Stewardship had been assigned to his fleet, Thel had found him to be exactly like all the other Minor Prophets he had come across: shortsighted and petty. Not only had this Prophet openly contested his authority, but he also went against his order and redirected his troops in a vain effort to find more Forerunner artifacts when they were needed elsewhere to clear out the human bastions.

Suffice to say, Thel did not hold this Prophet close to his heart.

"Commander, the Prophet is hailing us. He wishes to talk to you immediately aboard our ship." Said one of the Sangheili crew.

This time he did not repress his sigh, "Patch him through."

'298… 299… 300'. She got up after finishing her daily push-up. She had to be careful not to open any wound, but she couldn't sit idle for an entire day either. Simple exercises would be enough to keep herself in shape for now. She had caught a few Elites looking at her weirdly, but they didn't do anything besides that. The fact that they were bringing her food also meant that she was actually being held as a prisoner, which only increased her worry that they would try to interrogate her.

'Looks like they're changing shift.' She thought as she heard two Elites speak in their native tongue just outside her cell. 'Seems to be roughly two hours.' The shifting of the guard was her only indication of the passing of time, and it seemed that only two Elite were guarding the cell block. She also noticed that food was brought to her every five shifts, and this one was the fourth one. She would have to put her plan into motion soon. They hadn't begun her interrogation yet and she was more than eager to avoid it completely.

'Tch, this is more a ploy than a plan.' She thought grimly. She knew how she could defeat the guards, but the rest was up to chance. She had a feeling that she could be on a ship, but she didn't know which one, or where it was located. She could still be above Reach, just as she could be over a Covenant world or in deep space. Once the guards were downed, she would book it to the nearest escape pod and work her way from there. It was the most basic of plans, but it would do for now. Considering what was coming, she decided that it would be best to lie down on her bed until the next shift.

'Only one chance. Either I end up dead or back here, the latter is probably worse.'

The meeting had gone worse than expected. When the Prophet of Stewardship had come to the command bridge, he didn't even greet him before claiming leadership over the fleet. Thel immediately rebuked him, stating that he would always have ultimate authority over his troops, but the Prophet didn't relent. He stated that the Sacred Ring before them turned this mission into a religious matter. Seeing that the argument was going nowhere, Rota, who had accompanied the Prophet on his way, had proposed to contact High Charity to settle this leadership issue. Unfortunately, it seemed that High Charity was unreachable, and the Prophet went back to his ship without any form of agreement.

'Yet another problem to handle.' Thought Thel as he watched the Prophet's Phantom shrink into the distance. He appreciated the calm that had returned to the bridge, but he knew that it would not last, for another hurdle was about to come in the following hours or days.

The humans.

He turned to the entrance as he heard Muradee return. "I thought you would stay with the Prophet." He said to the Zealot.

Rota shook his head, "I would rather stay close to the Demon," He replied as he stood next to the Commander," I've heard that she has awoken."

"Indeed," The gleam in the Zealot's eyes betrayed his intention, "You wish to start the interrogation ?"

"Yes," He nodded, "There will be plenty of time to explore Halo, but the Demon is dangerous. The sooner we can extract information from her, the better."

"You are right." Said Thel, as he looked toward the Ring, "But we will also need to handle the human ship once they arrive." He paused as a question sprung up in his mind. "I wonder how they were able to discover the location of the Sacred Ring."

"Reach." Said Rota, causing Thel to look at him in curiosity. "There was a Forerunner ship on Reach, underneath an ice sheet and a human base. We attempted to secure the site, but the humans held and detonated explosives around the area. The ice collapsed and our troops were buried alongside the ship." Sadness overtook his feature. "Some of my friends were among those troops, I will avenge their death." He said with determination.

Thel only hummed, deep in thought. It was not surprising that the humans had discovered Halo through a Forerunner structure. They were just as interested in Forerunner technology as the Covenant was but for different reasons. Whereas the Covenant rightfully worshipped the might and power of their gods, the humans' interest was more…pragmatic. They studied the Ancients, but they didn't hesitate to tear anything down to pieces if it meant that they could learn from it. The scholars of the Covenant, meanwhile, were more careful in their approach, afraid that a thorough investigation would destroy the sacred artifact. Thel wondered how much of this behavior from the humans was pushed by their desperation to survive, as it was for many other parts of their strategy.

His musings were interrupted by the sound of the battle alarm ringing across the bridge. "Report! " He said to his crew as multiple Sangheilies and Unggoys rushed to their battle stations.

"Unknow contact is exiting slipspace near the Ring." Answered a Sangheilli operating one of the radar consoles. "It's the human ship, Commander !"

'So soon?' Thel was surprised, he knew that they had fallen behind the fleet by staying on Reach, but he believed the humans would have arrived later given the slowness of their slipspace engine. " Put the fleet on battle alert and contact the shipmaster closest to the humans immediately. We need to-"

"This is the Prophet of Stewardship to the Fleet of Particular Justice," Thel was interrupted as a hologram of the Minor Prophet materialized on the bridge. "We must destroy the humans, but we must not damage the Sacred Ring. I want every ship to prepare for boarding action. Do not open fire until I say otherwise." The hologram faded as quickly as it had appeared, leaving a stunned Supreme Commander in silence.

'He… He dares ?" Thought an enraged Thel. Giving orders to the fleet without consulting him first made it obvious what the Prophet thought about leadership. A bold move, but one that would not go without consequence.

"If the humans decide to resist, this could get bloody." Commented Rota as he observed the fleet maneuvering toward the enemy ship. Thel was surprised that Rota was not defending the actions of the Prophet as many other Zealots would have done, but he did not comment.

"Perhaps," he answered, looking straight at the observation window before them. "But we will comply for now. I'm sure this tactic will work." The sarcasm dripping from his words indicated his true thoughts, but he would let this plan play out. 'Let him prove himself a fool, and then we will see who my warriors will follow.' He added mentally before turning to his navigator. "Bring us closer to the human ship."

Thel continued to coordinate his fleet, careful enough to send multiple battle groups to surround the human ship. Its feared MAC cannon could severely damage an unsuspecting ship, but it was built into the hull, severely limiting its arc of fire. Flanking maneuvers were best suited to fight a lone human ship.

Thirty minutes later, Thel was growing increasingly frustrated from watching the battle unfold. Despite the multiple battle groups, the human ship could easily engage his fleet without fearing retaliation because of the Prophet's order. Already three CCS cruisers had been lost because they had been caught within the enemy's line of sight. It seemed that they were also facing trouble boarding the ship, as he had expected. Humans would always fight to the bitter end when faced with annihilation, and today was no exception.

"Supreme Commander, we've lost another ship! The Divine Retribution is venting atmosphere." Said one of the Sangheili, "And our boarding parties report that a Demon is on the human ship !"

Thel repressed a snarl. He knew that capturing the ship would be casualty-heavy. But with a Demon, taking the ship would now be a bloodbath. And a useless one. 'This has gone on long enough.' He turned to a communication officer, who was an Unggoy. "Contact the fleet."

After a few seconds, the Unggoy answered. "Communication established with the fleet, Commander."

"This is your Supreme Commander speaking." Said Thel with authority. "Open fire on the human ship immediately, light armament and plasma torpedo only." The Seeker of Truth was closing in on the enemy, but it was still out of range. However, he could see that the cruisers around the human ship had opened fire. Given how quickly they had complied with his order, Thel figured that the shipmasters were just as frustrated with the Prophet's meddling as he was.

The battle had now shifted. The human ship was taking hit after hit, and its firepower was dwarfing each minute as more and more turrets were destroyed by plasma torpedoes or silenced by boarding parties. Thel estimated that it would only take ten more minutes before the enemy ship was completely destroye-

"What are they doing ?" Asked a bewildered Rota as he watched the battle by Thel's side. Just as the Seeker of Truth had gotten in range, the human ship bolted toward Halo. Columns of fire could be seen on the ship's hull, but it continued its trajectory undisturbed. The gravity well of the Ring took hold as the burning ship accelerated toward the ringworld's surface.

'Those humans never cease to surprise me.' Thought Thel, just as surprised as the Zealot beside him. If there was something that he could respect from the humans, it was their tenacity. At no point would the humans simply give up. If there was just one chance of survival, they would cling to it until their very hearts gave out. He hoped that the shipmaster of this ship survived so he could give him the honorable death he deserved.

"Commander, we're detecting multiple contacts breaking off from the human ship. They appear to be escape pods !" Said one of the Sangheili crewmembers.

Thel's admiration soon turned to anger. His fury was not against the humans but against the Prophet of Stewardship. Had the Prophet let them fire, his fleet would have decimated the humans in a matter of minutes. But instead, they had escaped yet again and were now headed for the Sacred Ring. Seeking and destroying those isolated human pockets was going to be a tedious task at best, but at least the space battle was over.

"Commander, we're detecting an energy spike from the Sacred Ring itself."

Or perhaps it wasn't. "Can we identify it ?" Demanded Thel, an inch of worry into his voice. As much as he worshipped Halo, he knew little of its inner workings. Given their proximity to the Ring, he was worried that they had triggered some kind of defense mechanism.

"It doesn't seem to…wait, it's headed right for us !"

He barely had enough time to register the Unggoy's words before a white beam of light coming from Halo struck the ship. The bridge shook roughly as the beam struck not far from it, and Thel could see the rest of his fleet attacked by those beams. 'Curse, we must have moved too close.' Thought Thel. Even though Halo was at the center of the belief, they had little knowledge of how it actually worked. Despite that, he had guessed that such a sacred artifact would be guarded by some kind of long-range weapons. 'We must move back out of range of those weapons, unless…' A dangerous thought formed in his mind. He turned toward his navigation operator. "All ships, full speed ahead! Follow the Seeker of Truth" He ordered.

He could see the surprise on his crew, but they complied nonetheless. Rota watched him with a shocked expression, "What…what are you…?" He fumbled over his words, wondering why the Supreme Commander would order the fleet to get closer to Halo while it was firing at them. Unable to find his words, he stayed silent and hoped that the Commander knew what it was doing.

The mood on the bridge started to shift. As they had engaged the humans, concentration reigned within the crew, with the silence occasionally broken by reports from other shipmasters. Now, however, the bridge felt much more alive and tenser than before. Chatter filled the bridge as each time a beam pierced their shield and struck another part of the ship, damage and casualty reports flooded communication. Despite the ongoing chaos, Thel remained as still as a statue, his arms behind his back and watching intently the battle ahead. He was just as worried as the rest of his crew, but being their leader, he had to hide it.

Several tense minutes passed as his fleet closed in on Halo. To the relief of everyone, the beam attacks stopped just as they passed the ring's outer edge. After breathing a relieved sigh, Thel turned to his radio operator, "Are all ships accounted for ?" He asked calmly.

After a few seconds, the Sangheili operator answered, "Two ships lost, Commander. Five ships are severely damaged, only light damage for the rest of the fleet."

Understanding dawned upon Rota. He had been too focused on trying not to panic to notice what Thel was probably the only one to notice: the beams were coming from the outer hull of the Ring. "This is why you wanted to move closer." He said, more as a statement than a question.

"Indeed," nodded Thel as he began to type into a console before him. "Those weapons seemed to be built into the hull, so crossing the edge meant that we were out of their firing arcs. It will also make the cleansing of the humans much easier." His attention returned to the console as he opened a direct communication to not just his shipmasters, but the entire local fleet. "Warriors, hear me! Since the creation of the Covenant, we have searched for Halo, and there it lies before us! This is a time to rejoice, for the culmination of our beliefs is upon us !" He said loudly as the rest of the crew listened intently. "However, we must not be blinded by our faith at such a critical moment. The humans have survived, and they now march on our Sacred Ring. We cannot let this continue! We will crush the humans, secure Halo, and prepare for the arrival of High Charity! The Great Journey is nigh !" Cheers erupted from the bridge and the rest of his fleet. Everyone returned to their stations with renewed vigor, and Thel was proud of himself.

'Perhaps we won't even need to interrogate the Demon.' He thought to himself. Discovering Halo would be much more significant than finding the human homeworld, but he still would keep their prisoner. Should the Prophets decide to finish the humans before lighting the Ring, she would prove most useful. The Prophet of Stewardship, however, remained a problem that Thel would have to handle carefully. But he wasn't deterred. Success, both for him and the Covenant, was at his fingertips, he couldn't let a Minor Prophet endanger everything because of religious zeal.

"Co-commander? There's been a report from the prison block. I… think you may want to see this." Said one of the Unggoy crew with worry.

Thel could feel himself stiffen at hearing the words 'report' and 'prison block'. He did tell his crew to warn him of any incidents, and considering they only had one prisoner, this probably meant that something bad had happened.

Considering it was a Demon, this could also be a complete disaster.

The alarm ringing meant that something was wrong, and the room occasionally shaking only reinforced that feeling.

Despite this, she stayed still. This could prove useful just as it could disrupt her plan. She was currently lying down on her bed, somewhat thankful that her cell was next to the exit of the prison block because it meant that she could watch the door leading out of the prison block from the corner of her eye. Two Minor Elites were currently guarding the exit and probably presumed that she was asleep from where they stood. The next shift was about to happen, with two other Elites coming to replace their fellow Minors. When the next shift would bring her food, all four of those Elite would stand by the cell door. One of them would stay beside the control panel so he could bring up and down the energy field, two others would stand with their weapons ready in case she tried anything, and the last one would carefully come and place her tray on the floor. Even though it was a little silly, it showed how seriously they took her. But she had found a weakness to exploit.

'But are they even going to bother ?' She asked herself. The alarm, coupled with the occasional broadcast from the bridge, seemed serious enough. The shaking could also mean that they were in a battle and, therefore, were taking fire. It was entirely possible that they would just skip the guard shift while the situation was still ongoing.

Fortunately, as if fate seemed to hear her thought, the exit door opened. However, only one Elite holding her tray came through. She couldn't discern what they were saying, but they seemed to be in a hurry. She was surprised when the other two Elites quickly left the cell block, and the third Elite went to her cell. She closed her eyes and prepared herself, forcing her body to relax. She heard the sound of the shield barrier shutting down and the footsteps of the Elite. The Minor didn't wait and put down the tray in the middle of her cell before turning away, his back now facing her.

'Now !' Her eyes snapped open and she bolted from the bed. The Elite barely had time to turn around before she pounced on him, sending both of them to the ground with her on top of him. She immediately started to punch his face repeatedly until he was completely dazed. She then grabbed the sword hilt on his belt, lighted it, and plunged it into his upper chest. The Elite let out a cry of pain that quickly died as his life force left him and he went still.

Standing up, she deactivated the sword and put the hilt in one of her pockets. She was only wearing her skinsuit, but it had some pockets that she could use. She had planned for the usual four Elites, so only having one of them made things incredibly easier. 'But I'm still not out of here.' She reminded herself as she stared at the cell entrance, now open. She picked up the Elite's main weapon, a Needle Rifle along with its ammo, and walked out of the cell. The exit door opened automatically, and she found herself at an empty corner of a corridor, with the path continuing forward or to her left.

Not really knowing where to go, she decided to keep walking forward. She found the lack of enemies unnerving, but she wasn't about to complain. She made her way through the purple hallway, effortlessly killing the few disparate Grunts on her path with her Needle Riffle. She eventually reached a peculiar square-shaped room. On the other side was one of the many automatic door that she had crossed, but to her right was four round hatches on the wall. There were also two windows between the hatches. Curiosity taking over, she went to the window so she could see where they were.

She was beyond words at what she saw. It was clear that she was on one of the lower levels of the ship's midsection, for she could see the underneath of the Covenant CAS carrier she was on. But what shocked her was the megastructure that they were approaching. Before them was an enormous ringworld construct that orbited a gas giant. Its outer layer was made of a grey hull, with small blue and white circles scattered over it. However, what was the most surprising was the surface of the inner layer, which resembled a planet's surface. She had never seen such a thing, and she highly doubted that it was of Covenant origin. Especially since it was firing white beams of energy at the ship.

Her musing was interrupted when the door to her right opened. Two Elites came through and stopped dead in their tracks upon seeing her. For just a second, no one moved. Then, she pressed the holographic button next to her, opening one of the hatches. The Elites raised their weapons and fired. She could feel the scorching heat of plasma shots grazing her skin, but she managed to enter the escape pod unscathed. The pod seemed to be roughly similar in design to the UNSC escape pod, with a control panel at the front. Hearing the Elites closing in, she pressed the only lit button on the panel, and the rest of the pod came online. The door closed as the lights turned on and she sat down on the pilot's chair. She heard the Elites banging on the door and was afraid that they were about to fire. But two seconds later, the escape pod was launched. She watched as the pod flew underneath the ship, heading towards the nearest gravity well, which was the ringworld.

'I did it…' Despite this temporary relief, she knew that she was still in trouble. The Covenant fleet could still shoot her down, and Covenant troops would likely pursue her on the ringworld. Still, she watched with both trepidation and eagerness as the carrier shrunk behind her and the pod entered the atmosphere.

She had escaped. Now, once again, she would need to survive.

Hey everyone, it's really nice to see people excited for this story ! Unfortunately, school has resumed for me which is why this chapter took some time. I'll try to work on this story when I have time, but rest assured that I'm not giving up on this anytime soon, especially with what I have planned.