Thel 'Vadam

"Damn it."

Gods above, ordering a major attack on the Day of Fury? Did the dumb brutes not think? Did they not know how offensive that would be to the sensibilities of our lowest caste?

"Nobles have been spotted on the Halo."

And now the enemy is attacking our most holy relic and, as I read reports...

"Right..."

And now we have reports that enraged Grunts have rebelled and joined up with Huey commoners. I knew exactly where this clusterfuck was going. I landed, frustrated and angry, walking quickly until I heard a voice.

"Well, Arbiter."

The accent was not like any of our forces but I recognized it.

"Huey... What have you done? And where are you?"

"I'm behind at least 37 proxies, tracing the signal really won't help you. That said I think there is something you need to see at site 13."

"There is no site 13."

"Not officially but I will send the coordinates to you."

"I won't be tricked by you, human."

"But can you afford not to investigate?"

I froze.

"Zardoz would have at least looked into it."

I went cold.

"What?"

"Former comrade, your best friend, died on a mission but not to us... no, we don't use those weapons. It looks a lot like your sidearm."

"Shut up."

"Look, or do not look. Either way I win, don't I?"

I had never talked to the enemy. Just shot him, killed him, but I could almost feel my friend whispering into my ear. I went into a Phantom alone so my men would not be harmed, ready to fight to the death. Instead I found a hidden facility. People were putting stuff onto transport and leaving. Brutes and Prophets. When they left I went in and saw computers.

"The password is dancing ladies."

I frowned and tapped in and froze in terror.

"Flood."

They had Flood samples! Holy law required its destruction whenever found, this was a heresy of the highest order, this was an abomination.

"They're planning on killing you. Why did you want me to see this?"

"We have the cure and you know we have the cure. You think they don't know we have it? Look further."

I went deeper into the files and felt cold terror as I watched.

"The elites have grown increasingly unreliable, there is a growing anti-war movement."

"Perhaps a false flag operation?"

"Well... we do have the spores. We could prevent them from ever rebelling, make them subservient, and bring the war effort into high gear all at the same time."

I looked at the plans, the numerous logs and plans. They planned to hit my people's homeworld but that was just the start. they planned to hit a lot of our worlds, at least 10% of my species would be wiped out. After founding the empire, after creating it, the Prophets were turning on us and purging us like we were a lesser race.

"My forces are intercepting them, stopping them. There will be more than enough proof left over to show what they were planning and I will leave everything to your men when we are finished."

"Why?"

This would save billions upon billions of lives.

"Answer me! Why?"

"I am at war with your empire, not its people."

I froze, taking in the words... Then I stole the data logs, all of them. Zardoz's face haunted me as I gathered up the evidence that would destroy the empire.