Chapter 10 - Divinam voluntatem
(7th Cycle, 79 Units – Covenant Battle Calendar)
Intersystem Space
Covenant Holy City High Charity
Sanctum of the Hierarchs
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There was never a city as beautiful or as cherished as the one which Thel laid his eye on, nor would there ever be one more surpassing in beauty. What majesty could match it? Which keep on Sanghelios or fort on any other planet could rival it? It was a rhetorical question that one only attempted to answer if they were a fool, and would be proven as such by their retort, for truly there was no city more filled with splendor than High Charity.
The city, given its size, was much more like a planet, its bulk alone generating a natural gravitational field that often gathered cosmic debris from whatever system it resided in. It was an irony of existential proportions then that the holy city drew the refuse of existence unto itself. Thel had always seen it as a lesson to the wise: that that which is sanctified must contend with that which defiles. Said defilement was certainly dealt with by the vaporizing capabilities of a few dozen ships of the hundreds that comprised High Charity's Defense Fleet. An impressive myriad of battlecruisers, frigates, corvettes and carriers circled around the bulbous circumference of the city like a flock of Electric Kesh, accompanying it wherever it journeyed and stopping where it stopped. So much defensive firepower was resident here that it almost made one dare to step onto a line of thought that was the road to heresy, for such was its glory that it naturally made one begin to believe it so: not even the Gods could destroy this place.
Humility naturally kept one from that road. It was an understanding that all that the Covenant had and were was due to the benevolence of the Gods. Their weapons, armor and vessels were all gifts given by the wisdom of their creators through the interpretative instruction of the Prophets. Even the holy ship that stood at the beating heart of the artificial planetoid was one not of their making, but of their masters'. So how could one boast of that which came about solely through the derivation of the divine? No, only a fool would dare to answer that question in a way that did not leave him humbled.
Thel was always left awestruck by the sights he witnessed each time he came here, especially when it came to his first pilgrimage. However, its surrounding majesty, for the first time, did not hold his attention.
Each stride he took down the expansiveness of the main hall led him irrevocably closer to the door at its very end, and beyond that, his judgement.
He had left behind his cloak as was tradition for any Sangheili officer meeting with the Holy Ones. It was a sign of inward admission and submission, admitting to the presence of the greater wisdom and authority indwelt within them and submitting to their wisdom and authority.
In doing so he became much more like the thirty Honor Guards that stood watch, fifteen on each side of the passage. They were dressed in their ornate red armor with yellow accents that were unique to them. They represented the most elite, chosen from among the strongest Sangheili to serve in the righteous cause of defending the Prophets and any of noble esteem in the High Council. Each guardsman stood at attention beside one of the room's levitating, decorative columns that rotated over gravity repulsion units. With their imposing energy staves in hand, even just one of them would be enough to take on Thel. Their duty to protect the chosen representatives of the Gods was one taken to the upmost seriousness and he doubted a single one of them would not sacrifice their life for that cause. While he certainly wasn't a threat, he made sure to look straightforward so as not to illicit their suspicion. The Guardsmen were all mostly looking in the opposite direction from where they stood. None were paying him any mind, none except a single guard further up to his right.
Thel noticed that one of them was tracking him without moving his head, leaving his eyes to observe his movements. He briefly wondered if the warrior had seen something that gave him cause for worry. He hadn't brought any weapons with him as per the custom. Yet that didn't stop the other Sangheili from watching him closely.
It took him getting closer to the guard to realize that he wasn't actually watching him with suspicion, but curiosity. There was a look of intrigue written on his face. His jaws shifted as if he had something he wanted to say, only to ultimately hold in whatever was on his mind.
Thel directed his attention back to the door on the end once he passed the guard. He reached where the last two Honor Guards stood to either side. They nodded to him as the door receded open. He returned the gesture of respect, knowing for certain that he had their permission to approach those that awaited him inside.
He headed up a short incline where the two guards stationed at the top let him pass without issue.
He came out into a large, circular chamber.
The first thing to greet him was the view. A sizable, semicircular window comprised the far wall on the other side. Beyond it was the sereneness of open space with the distant glowing orb of the nearest star, one of countless others that dotted the darkness of the galaxy. Many of the stars regularly winked out and back into sight as the throngs of Covenant ships patrolling around High Charity moved into place between them.
The space within the Inner Sanctum possessed a purple sheen comprised of laminate architectural ingenuity of only the finest quality. The floor patterns seemingly rippled out from a dais-like holotank built at the center. The device itself was subsequently encircled by three ornamental pillars that rose up from the floor akin to the pincers of a metal claw piercing vulnerable flesh.
Even all the room's splendor could not stop Thel from recognizing the three occupants sitting around the holotank for who's sake it had been constructed. He immediately fell to a knee and bowed his head.
Shortly thereafter the room's three occupants must have noticed him. He heard the low warble of their anti-gravity chairs as they came closer.
A firm and wise voice spoke. "Rise, Vadumee."
Thel did as requested.
In the process of redemption, there were three steps. One of them was regret. After an action of sin or heresy was committed it must be atoned for by the one that committed it. For them to do so they would have to reconsider their actions and come to regret them.
The Prophet of Regret was the manifestation of that principle. Although the youngest of the Triumvirates, being so by a century to the oldest' senior, he still possessed wisdom that could detect when a wrong against the Gods or a failure against the Covenant was made. It was that sharp attention that guided his even sharper tongue in calling out any deemed inadequacies within the ranks of their holy cause and demanding a swift response to it. There was also a chance that it was simple brashness as he was one known for his affinity for the Sangheili, an unusual trait for a San'Shyuum. It was known that out of his admiration for Thel's kind he even kept a plasma pistol hidden on his person. If Thel made one wrong move then the Prophet could easily kill him where he stood. Regret's harsh, scrutinizing gaze gave the Supreme Commander little cause for ease.
Next came Mercy. After one has come to regret their sin, they must turn to the Gods and seek after their benevolence in the hope of receiving their gracious mercy. That way the price of their error would be removed from their soul's account in the eyes of the eternal.
The Prophet of Mercy embodied this understanding. Being the oldest of the three High Prophets, he bore the brunt of time's consequence in the form of his white eyelashes and snowy facial hair. Despite his apparent age he was renowned as being among the liveliest and most knowledgeable of the San'Shyuum. His passion for the heavenly ran all the way back to the days before they were a Triumvirate, when he was better known as the philologist, leading the order of the ascetic priests that both worshipped and examined the intricacies of the holy ship. Since then his passion had not wavered where his body had and he observed the Supreme Commander before him with a gentle glint of interest in his eyes.
However, before one could reach the step of regret or even attain the final stage of mercy, they first had to be enlightened with the truth. One could not know they have sinned where there is no recognition of truth and thus gain no understanding of what has been violated. Without truth, there could be no regret and thus no mercy.
Such was the final member of the Triumvirate, the Prophet of Truth.
He was easily the most influential of the three and the most stoic. It was said that he had led the present Hierarchs to their position through a means of manipulation, or rather, an act of intervention against those that came before. He shared some of Mercy's gray hairs and some of Regret's directness, but in a way that made those features merge together into a harmonious balance of capable age and sharpened ambition. His calm and collected demeanor betrayed no hint of emotion save that of calculated examination as he observed Thel.
Together the three Hierarchs levitated in their thrones before him with their ceremonial garbs. While the hand of one was not strong enough to kill even the weakest Unggoy, a single wave of that hand could command the will of entire star systems. Their slouched bodies bore the weight of their glowing, gold headpieces that extended back to their shoulders and rose up into an ornate, triangular pattern. The decorations were meant to symbolize the weight of the Covenant Empire that rested upon their shoulders, and whose pursuance of the Great Journey relied upon every sentence, word and syllabic intonation that proceeded from their very mouths.
It was Truth that had spoken first, and he spoke again in a raspy voice that was somehow still strong and fluid.
"There is much to discuss and little time with which to discuss it. I pray you will be of an understanding mind when we tell you of the task to which you have been appointed."
Thel finally brought his eyes up to meet Truth's. "I will do as you instruct in accordance with my oath, Noble Hierarchs."
"According to our station, all without exception." Truth said, as if considering the words. "Then let us hope that there is no need for any such exception in your station or ours."
That much caught Thel's attention, although he made sure not to show his interest. Still he wondered what the Prophets had summoned him for, and as they turned about in their chairs with a graceful swivel, he knew that he was soon to find out.
He wordlessly followed their lead towards the central holotank.
"The task at hand is a tremendous one and poses either one of the greatest benefits or delays to our war against the humans." Truth said. "It will require your fullest dedication to ensure that it becomes the former and not the latter. Here we have come to review whether you and another possess the conviction to carry it out."
Another? Possess the conviction? Those words created a small abscess in Thel's racing mind. What was meant by them could only be guessed at without a direct question, something which he feared to ask but knew it was required. "My apologies, Hierarch. By what measure do you intend to gauge my conviction?"
Instead of Truth, it was Regret who stopped to turn in his chair and answer him. "We intend to see under which auspices you will conduct yourself in this matter before we give it over to you and the other Supreme Commander.
There it was again, the other Supreme Commander. Thel bowed his head further. "May I inquire, holy ones, as to the identity of this other commander?"
The Prophets had no need to answer. One of the room's several entrances did instead by cycling open. The visage of another Sangheili stood on the other side.
Thel's eyes widened at the figure dressed in the same golden combat harness as his, only with its signatory purple cloak still in place. The face within the helmet was all too familiar.
Thel's jaws clenched in anger at the lack of respect it took to arrive so late, and to also show so little humility by wearing his cloak. He considered whipping out his energy sword and skewering the officer where he stood, but he remembered that he was unarmed. Then a memory flashed through his mind. It was of an incident years ago where he found himself and another Sangheili, his close subordinate named Zhar, bowing before the Prophets of Truth and Regret who were in the midst of deciding their fate. At hearing their final judgment, Zhar had chosen the path of shame and dared to draw his sword against the prophets. Thel had stopped him, had drawn his sword on his comrade, his friend, right then and there. In doing so he had garnered himself the mercy of the holy ones. But in truth it was just one half of himself, that which was bound to honor the oath taken to the Covenant, that brought him to cut down the very last of his command at the time. The other half of him wanted to stay bowed and let Zhar attempt to kill the prophets, even to support him against the Honor Guards that protected them, all for the sake of revenge for what had been done to the two and would be done to silence them. Even so, the other half won out and it saw him spared at the cost of his friend's own life.
He had sacrificed his attachment for his duty. Now he wished to do it again due to the detrimental attachment that came in the form of knowing Supreme Commander Beorda Niccoramee. He sought to kill him for his show of disrespect, but Regret's ire moved faster.
The Prophet scowled as the other Sangheili stepped over the threshold and kneeled down. "What show of respect is this, Niccoramee? Do you not know how to show the proper reverence in our presence?"
Niccoramee had no answer. He didn't need to as the Prophet of Mercy spoke up. "Surely it is of no consequence. A robe does not determine humility, Regret, but a heart willing to submit bears such fruit as to cause one naturally to bow. And he bows. Is that not enough?"
"It is not." Regret said, pointing disapprovingly at the commander. "You, take off your cloak."
"No." The interjection came from Truth who held up a dismissive hand. "There is no need, not now, not with a matter such as this to discuss. We need both brevity and reverence, but brevity more so." He turned to the Sangheili. "Come, Commander Niccoramee, and stand with us."
Niccoramee stood up and walked forward. As he did, he caught Thel's gaze. There was a flash of enmity between the two in an invisible clash of wills that neither of the Hierarchs seemed to detect as they all settled around the holotank.
With a low thrum the device activated and emitted the image of a three-dimensional world that abounded with oceans and landforms. In its slow, leftward rotation Thel could discern the presence of at least five continents. The two largest ones lay to the east and west and were separated by a large sea. The third largest lay to the south of the western landmass followed by the fourth which lay on the other side of the globe, nestled between the two largest ones via massive straits. Finally, there was what looked like an island-continent in the northeast, just above the eastern continent. A series of tropical archipelagos spotted the oceans near the equator while more icy islands dominated the arctic seas near the poles.
Truth held out a hand in a gracious, offering gesture towards the holograph. "This is the human world called Actium. An Intelligence and Interdiction group managed to uncover the coordinates to this location several units ago. While its exact population is unknown, it is sure to have a heavy human presence on its surface. Preliminary observations suggest as much."
More images appeared, these ones being two-dimensional. They portrayed the orbital view of human cities with abundant structures and traffic passing through a nighttime setting. Thel felt his irritation for Beorda replaced by the loathsome sight before him. Then that too was replaced with a kind of elation. It became obvious that the Hierarchs had called him here for the special task of erasing this next human planet. Still, they could have simply passed on the coordinates and the orders to him via long range communication. So why did they order him to come here personally and brought Niccoramee in as well?
Truth answered the question before it was ever asked. "Though this world can simply be cleansed with the work of one individual fleet, there was something else of note that prompted this session."
The Prophet maneuvered his hand, causing the image of the planet to rotate and zoom in on a location on the eastern continent. It was well within the far-off interior, isolated from any human settlements by hundreds of kilometers. A single symbol appeared there: that which identified a reliquary.
Thel felt himself stop breathing, his lungs suddenly heavy.
"The ship that passed by this world managed to conduct a rushed scan of the eastern continent with its luminary. It discovered the existence of this reliquary here. We still do not know its general size or purpose. However, being one of the Gods' creations, it will be searched nonetheless for relics."
Mercy turned on the supreme commanders, taking over for Truth. "Your purpose will be to discover what is presently housed within this reliquary, to obtain and study it. This will be the task of only one of you while the other focuses entirely on glassing the remainder of the planet after you have both laid waste to the human forces. Consider well that these orders to destroy the rest of this human colony may be countermanded by our personal direction should information gathered from this reliquary lead us to greater revelations about the rest of the planet."
Thel winced. There were now more subjects of interest on the table, such as the fact that the special task of securing this bounty of the Gods would only fall to one of them. He didn't feel ready to address it directly yet and instead moved to his next concern. "Revelations?"
Regret spoke. "It's simple, Vadumee. If something is found there that indicates the existence of other relics or reliquaries elsewhere on the surface then all activities of orbital bombardment must be ceased immediately, less you should destroy a holy artifact and risk… punishment upon yourself.
Thel sensed the threat in that. It was obvious because there was no need for subtly, not when you sat at the pinnacle of everything with no one else to strike you down for a word spoken out of turn.
"What we are asking for," Truth said. "Is that you, Thel Vadumee, Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, and you, Beorda Niccoramee, Supreme Commander of the 2nd Fleet of Theophanic Revelation work as one to ensure that the better interests of the Covenant are looked after on this newly discovered world." Truth's eyes narrowed in scrutinizing them both. "However, there will be a need for either unified direction or synchronized leadership. Meaning that we need one of you to acquiesce to the authority of the other or for you to cooperate closely. It is your decision."
Decision. The word felt almost alien to Thel. Decisions were made for him when it came to his superiors, not by him. The latter was only ever done in regard to his subordinates. It almost felt as if to say what he thought would mean appraising his will over that of the Hierarchs, an unimaginable and nearly unthinkable thing for three beings that stood the closest to transcendence.
Niccoramee's voice broke him from his thoughts. "The task of the reliquary, who will it fall too?"
Truth answered, albeit indirectly. "It will fall to whoever receives the additional assignment of overseeing the…utilization of this planet." He held out his hand again and stretched out his fingers. The holograph of the world shifted again, moving outward to show its resident star system along with dozens of others in its galactic neighborhood. "The position of this planet relative to the rest of where we believe their 'inner colonies' to be is of vital importance to us. It will prove useful for our future purposes, which is why we seek to spare at least a portion of the planet's surface near where this reliquary is located. It is far enough away from other human settlements not to have been tainted by their presence. Even so, we will still be sending the Prophet of Sanctity to accompany you. He will carry out his duties as the Minister of Iconography in sanctifying this region for our usage."
Thel marveled at the fact that a prophet would be accompanying them for this mission. That meant that something of truly massive proportions was to be done.
"And what is this purpose you seek to bring about here, noble Hierarch?" Thel asked. He watched a small, all-knowing smile cross the prophet's face.
"I will show you."
Truth hadn't lied. He did show them. But what Thel saw next made him consider that the Hierarch may have truly summoned him here for the single greatest impractical jest that he had ever witnessed. Then it slowly dawned him that there was no humor in the prophet's eyes or in the projections that he showed.
It was massive. No, they were massive, awe-inspiring in their magnitude. They were beautiful, glorious, worthy of being told of for generations on the walls of Thel's Keep detailing the Vadum Saga, and their construction was now the sole responsibility of Supreme Commander Beorda Niccoramee.
"Niccoramee will oversee their creation." Truth said, nodding to the second commander. "You must see to it that their construction is carried out once the last of the human forces have been routed and eradicated. The existence of these along with their tactical positioning will be crucial to our endeavors against the humans. You must not fail."
Thel watched Niccoramee bow his head and say in no uncertain terms, "I will do as the Hierarchs have willed. As you say, so it will be."
The Supreme Commander of the 2nd Fleet of Theophanic Revelation must have detected the subdued rage chained behind the eyes of his counterpart who stared at him unceasingly. His mandibles shifted into a small, nearly imperceptible smile. Thel perceived it all the same, along with the boost in ego that the other commander had probably just received.
"Now all that remains is the matter of how you will operate on this mission." Mercy said.
The ire hidden behind Thel's eyes was forcibly done away with. He realized quickly that he only had one favorable option, and it would not be to work for Niccoramee. Still, they had given him the opportunity to decide for himself, perhaps foreseeing his palpable jealousy beforehand. Now he felt unrestrainedly free to use it.
"I agree with the second choice of synchronized leadership. I will be able to conduct the destruction of the rest of the planet while Niccoramee handles his own assignment in the east. Our forces should be more than enough to-"
"I disagree." Niccoramee said, gaining everyone's attention. "It is better that the fleets be recomposited to work as one. This way we will avoid any miscommunication of orders or confusion surrounding the chain of command."
It was a well-reasoned argument and the Hierarchs seemed to be considering it. Thel wasn't and he was not about to yield on his own position either. The High Prophets must have discerned this and he was grateful when Truth spoke up once more. "It appears you are both in disagreement, so the decision ultimately falls to us. Let us dispense with this matter quickly then."
"I agree with Vadumee." Regret said. "Synchronized leadership will allow for greater offensive capacities against the naval forces of the humans."
"No, oh Prophet of Regret, that is not wise." Mercy interjected.
Regret's eyebrows arched in vague amusement. "And why is that?"
"Niccoramee has a stronger point. A unified authority will allow both fleets to share in their cohesion and also bring much more power to focus on any obstacles they may face through this stricter reorganization."
Regret scowled, and so did Thel, although less noticeably for his own sake. Niccoramee was watching the entire exchange with unrepentant expectancy and his counterpart could see it in his eyes.
Truth, as was to be expected, broke the deadlock. He waited until the others had finished their discussion before passing down his own irrefutable verdict. "They will work in tandem, not in subjection to the other. While a centralized leadership is more powerful, on the battlefield it may prove more a hinderance than an advantage. The situation across the planet may change in a way that a single leader will not be able to react swiftly and efficiently to resolve, especially considering that both the western and eastern hemispheres are being approached differently. This way the battle-prowess and leadership experience of both commanders will not be supplanted but instead equally brought to bear on our foes."
Thel held in his sigh of relief. He was genuinely thankful for the resolution; despite that it usurped his previous notion of being given a decision of his own. He also noticed a dimming in Niccoramee's expectant gaze. It was a welcomed sight for an equally welcomed verdict.
"Is there any further objection?" Truth asked. While Mercy quietly considered it and Regret nodded in silent agreement, no objection occurred. So the matter was resolved and Truth declared it so. "Then it is settled. The two fleets will act autonomously but also in conjunction with any pressing need presented by the other should it require reinforcements or any assistance regarding the reliquary. The Fleet of Particular Justice will begin their operations in the western continent under Vadumee's direction while the 2nd Fleet of Theophanic Revelation will commence theirs in the east under Niccoramee. You have your tasks, commanders. Now brief your crews and attend to your objectives. You are dismissed and this meeting is adjourned."
The image of Actium dissipated as the holotank deactivated.
The two commanders bowed gracefully for several seconds, declaring in their own way that the desires of the Prophets would be carried out without fail or question. Then they made for the nearest exit.
Thel was halfway to the door when Truth called after him. "A moment, Vadumee."
He stopped and swiftly turned to kneel again while Niccoramee continued through the door.
The High Prophet of Truth slowly floated over to him. He observed the Sangheili officer before him as Mercy and Regret stopped just behind himself. "You have been one of our most effective instruments. Your achievements and accolades are almost unmatched in the annals of the Covenant's fiercest servants. But Niccoramee is not as skilled a commander as you are so you will handle most of the fighting. He may make a mistake that you must seek to correct swiftly."
"I understand."
"Do you?" Truth leaned closer, his voice lowering with him. "Do not let the grace we expended upon you all those years ago be made in vain, Vadumee. Are we of an equal understanding now?"
Thel swallowed. The image of Zhar's decapitated head flashed through his mind. "Your will shall be carried out, my Hierarch."
Truth nodded and gestured for him to leave. He readily obeyed and found himself heading back down the ramp and out into the main hall. Getting some distance from the inner sanctum and the prophets gave him much needed relief, one that was quickly disturbed once he saw Niccoramee standing a short distance away, seemingly waiting for him.
Seeing him reminded Thel of his own predicament, something the other commander had likely stayed behind to remind him of. Sure enough, he fell in next to him as they walked past the Honor Guards. He did his best to ignore the building enmity within himself at each word that proceeded from Niccoramee's mouth.
"It appears that the glory is mine now, Thel."
"I see no world beneath your feet so I will not call you a conqueror of more than the air that you force into your lungs."
Niccoramee lightly chuckled. "When I bestow this story upon my family lineage, do not concern yourself. I will certainly include your tail within it. You shall be remembered for the little that you did."
"Is that meant to be a certainty?"
"No, only an understanding that by the end of all this I will have accomplished what other commanders can only dream of. Feel grateful that you shall be able to witness it on account of me."
Niccoramee allowed no further conversation and walked off with a greater determination in his footsteps that made him out-pace Thel. The latter watched him eventually pass through the door which shut behind him.
Never in his life had he felt so slighted. An opportunity that he was so objectively qualified for was instead given to another with less experience than himself. There was no room to address such feelings in the inner sanctum, although he wished there were. That way he could tell them what a mistake it was to appoint someone like Niccoramee to oversee what had been shown. The Prophets had made permission for opinions to be voiced solely surrounding how they worked together, not who did what. But he sorely wished that they had.
Thel was so caught up in his own thoughts that he almost missed when one of the guards called out to him. "Supreme Commander."
He turned to the guard in question. It was the same one he'd seen before that seemed as if he wished to speak with him. Apparently, he had seen his last chance to do so and called out as he was about to pass him by.
"Is there something wrong, Guardsman?"
The guard bowed his head in humility. Thel noticed worryingly that his grip on his stove tightened.
"There is nothing wrong. It is simply an honor to meet you who are so highly esteemed amongst the fleets. I wished to ask you earlier but hesitated." The warrior stopped to sift over his words before letting them leave the safe confines of his mind. "Is your work that you do one that…satisfies you, commander?"
The question caught him off guard. Thel had never actually given much thought to his own satisfaction. His core attention had always been bent towards how he could best serve the Covenant. Satisfaction was never really a strong concern. "Why do you ask such things?"
"Please forgive my interruption, commander." Another nearby guard said, bowing his head. "However, the guard you speak to now does not know where his priorities lie. He serves at the very feet of the Gods yet somehow occasionally forgets where he is."
"I did not forget." The first guard protested. "It is only a question."
"One prompted by?" Thel asked, turning his attention back on him.
"…Service."
"Service? But you already serve the Gods here by protecting our appointed leaders. What greater service is there to find than that?"
The guard shuffled slightly on his feet, a small sign of his unease. "I am serving and have served. That said, I sense that I am not using the full range of my abilities given me at my birth and honed throughout my adolescence. I-"
"Feel slothful?" The other guard snickered.
"No, that is not it, brother. It is just that I feel that I…" The first guard drifted off into some uncertain corner of his mind.
"You feel that you could do more elsewhere."
By finishing his thought for him, Thel caused the guard to blink in visible wonder that someone had understood what he had failed to convey through words alone. "…Yes."
Thel could understand his problem. Some time ago R'tas had also spoken to him privately about his own issue that he had taken with his special forces unit, more specifically the indirect approach that they often took to combat which he could not bring himself to adjust to. These two shared that much in common. They both wanted more than what their current stations provided. Because of that, Thel was able to see where he was coming from and knew how to respond.
"The Gods give many gifts to their chosen. Sometimes those gifts take us elsewhere from where we are currently bound. Tell me, what is the fire within your spirit telling you that you should do?"
The guard thought it over with a growing enthusiasm. "To seek further glory through combat. I wish to fight the enemies of the Gods in the open, on the frontlines. I wish to face them and cut them down wherever they make their stand."
It was an admirable desire, and one pure enough to warrant Thel's well-considered recommendation. "Then you will need a station more applicable to both your skills and your desires. Since you are an Honor Guard, you are already qualified to join any group. I propose you find a special forces unit where your abilities as a warrior will be thoroughly utilized."
The guard nodded, thought hesitantly over his next question and asked. "Is there a way to join a special forces unit in your fleet? I hear that none has taken more action in this conflict than that of Particular Justice."
Thel felt his earlier irritation starting to be overwritten by a genuine feeling of pride, that his fleet was so renowned and that it served as a source of inspiration for other Sangheili to do more. "What is your name, warrior?"
"Sesa." The guard said, bowing his head. "Sesa 'Refumee."
"Know this, Refumee. My fleet is always welcoming to souls with conviction such as yours that are willing to give their last breath for the sake of the Great Journey. If you come, there be will be a place for you. I swear it."
Thel watched with renewed satisfaction as the guard named Sesa Refumee beamed with a new sense of purpose, and now, direction.
Sesa bowed even deeper. "Thank you, Supreme Commander Vadumee. Your words alone are an encouragement to me. I should hope that the next time I see you it will be as my leader."
"I should hope to see you again as well." Thel said, nodding off to him. He then proceeded down the rest of the way to the exit, leaving Refumee and the others to continue their watchful vigil over the main hall of the Hierarchs.
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Thel was now wondering if there really would be a place for one such as Refumee in his fleet, or any others for that matter. The problem he faced here on Actium was one that could easily spiral out of control, and arguably already had thanks to Niccoramee's dereliction of duty.
He forced himself to focus on defending the Fleet of Particular Justice's claims on Actium as scores of his ships assembled into his formation in the planet's upper atmosphere.
Across the firmament he could see the first line of human ships coming within sight. Less than 100 kilometers of distance now separated them. Yet even as they approached within each other's firing ranges he found his attention drawn back to the east and what might be unfolding there.
Niccoramee's wanton disregard for orders was affixed to his mind. The Hierarchs had explicitly said for him to begin his task in the east 'after' the human forces were wiped out. Thel couldn't bring himself to understand how Niccoramee could then go on to think of himself as so in tune with divine will in theory when he was actively disobeying it in practice. He hadn't wished to tell the Hierarchs of this disobedience due to the possible repercussions for himself, remembering Truth's warning and considering that it might already be too late.
It was those thoughts that stayed with him as the first salvo of plasma torpedoes and the faster human MAC rounds began crossing the distance between the two sets of ships. He relented under his breath, "I hope your judgement is sound, Niccoramee. For both our sakes."
Divinam voluntatem - Divine Will
P.S: Alright you guys, now lets actually start this arc 😉Happy New Years