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  • Subject: Halo Fanfic: The End of a War
Subject: Halo Fanfic: The End of a War
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mr_clark you are a damn good writer. you draw people into a story so they want to read every line which is hard for me to do. i usually skip some of the simple stuff so i can get to the better parts of a book but this is not the case for your story


great work and keep it up

  • 02.26.2005 5:10 PM PDT
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~I was born for the storm, and a calm does not suit me~

CEC
╣Fire of Tru7h╠
The Campers

מִכְמַן

Hi Blazing Cross. Looking foward to chapter 11 Mr C, did you get my pm ?
Is it normal to recieve pms several hours after whoever sends them?

  • 02.26.2005 6:02 PM PDT
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Posted by: Faith and Hope
Hi Blazing Cross. Looking foward to chapter 11 Mr C, did you get my pm ?
Is it normal to recieve pms several hours after whoever sends them?


Yes, sorry. I do check all the PM's sent to me, and I make a conscientious effort to answer all of them that ask a question. It does take me awhile to get around to it though.

Anyways, I've got things under control here. Chapter 11 looks good. Konoka_chan will be able to deliver a fair load of the PM's for me, which will be really nice seeing as how I screwed it up with Chapter 10.

Also, I have read Ice_Weasels stuff, and its quite interesting. I believe there's a link in his signature, so if you go to the page where he posted you could follow it to his stuff.

  • 02.26.2005 6:38 PM PDT
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~I was born for the storm, and a calm does not suit me~

CEC
╣Fire of Tru7h╠
The Campers

מִכְמַן

Posted by: Mr_Clark
Posted by: Faith and Hope
Hi Blazing Cross. Looking foward to chapter 11 Mr C, did you get my pm ?
Is it normal to recieve pms several hours after whoever sends them?


Yes, sorry. I do check all the PM's sent to me, and I make a conscientious effort to answer all of them that ask a question. It does take me awhile to get around to it though.

Anyways, I've got things under control here. Chapter 11 looks good. Konoka_chan will be able to deliver a fair load of the PM's for me, which will be really nice seeing as how I screwed it up with Chapter 10.

Also, I have read Ice_Weasels stuff, and its quite interesting. I believe there's a link in his signature, so if you go to the page where he posted you could follow it to his stuff.


Thanks, I must have missed the link.

  • 02.26.2005 6:49 PM PDT
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Hmm, must sleep now, where tomorrow a new chapter shall be ready for delivery. I'm anticipating this chapter far more than anything else right now....and that's kinda sad.

  • 02.26.2005 11:22 PM PDT

Kero 'Zenuree
Officer aboard the Reverence-class cruiser Intangible
Dn'end Legion

Hey, whens that next chapter coming? Can't wait.
It's like 10 in the Morning where I live in the UK. Anyone else here?

  • 02.27.2005 2:02 AM PDT
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its 11 in the morning now

This is a totally awesome story, though i would prefer a game to tell the story, this is still great, and i've hradly read anything (apart from books you have to do an essay on in english)

  • 02.27.2005 3:10 AM PDT
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Hey, I'm back... I was missing for about 12 hours.
Anything new?

  • 02.27.2005 3:15 AM PDT
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hey mr c will u be continuing to cover the other spartans in your story?

and caint wait for chapter 11

  • 02.27.2005 3:33 AM PDT
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He probably will...

  • 02.27.2005 3:37 AM PDT
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If he lives in the time zone this site goes by, I think Mr Clark will be sound asleep, because even though its 2:15 in the afternoon over here in the UK, it is about 3 in the morning over there, so id say come back at about 5 or 6, then it will be up, if you live in the UK that is.

  • 02.27.2005 6:19 AM PDT
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he already said that the other spartans were badly beat up and would take awile to recover so don't think they'll be covered in any of the upcoming chapters maybe in chapters18-20

[Edited on 2/27/2005 7:30:03 AM]

  • 02.27.2005 6:22 AM PDT
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oh ye forgot about that time diffirence hes in canada aint he oh well ill be back later

  • 02.27.2005 7:11 AM PDT

I share pies.

Chapter 18? lol...not funny

  • 02.27.2005 7:19 AM PDT
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What do you mean chapter 18?

  • 02.27.2005 8:30 AM PDT
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scorp i mean that the other spartans might not be back in action till chapter 18. they could and probably will be mentioned again but like i said earlier mr_clark said that they were badly beat up so it would take awile for them to heal. i would consider it more likly that he would mention dr. hasley or the history of jan before he puts the spartans back in action. this is just predictions so i could be wrong

  • 02.27.2005 8:56 AM PDT
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Perhaps "cassandra" from the Conversations From the Universe chapter is one of the injured Spartans that MC will eventually meet up with....

  • 02.27.2005 9:27 AM PDT

I share pies.

Scorp im a lazy typer as you can see....my fault

  • 02.27.2005 9:33 AM PDT
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Yay, just got the PM.

Waiting for 12:30 Bungie time.

  • 02.27.2005 11:12 AM PDT

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. And it is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves the flag, whose coffin is draped in the flag that allows the protester to burn the flag.Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

Bungie time is wired

  • 02.27.2005 11:14 AM PDT
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Isn't it just Pacific Standard Time? On the top of your post it says 11:14:43 AM and it's about 11:16 at my house right now.

  • 02.27.2005 11:16 AM PDT
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The PM's have been sent and Chapter 11 is ready for delivery. I'm pretty sure I got everyone that wanted a PM, and I probably sent some people 2.

Whoops, just noticed that its 12:30 my time, but only 11:30 Bungie Time. My bad everyone, hope your checking back anyways.

I said previously that this chapter would be setting up a big change for the next few chapters so I hope that once you've all finished it, you'll know what I was getting at.

Anyways, on with the chapter.

The End of a War

Chapter 11

I Bet You’re Not Reading This

The underground fortress of ONI Section III headquarters on Earth is quite extensive. Burrowing more than several kilometers below the surface, the capacious design was a testament to the overzealous paranoia of high ranking ONI officials. Security checkpoints were numerous, and the further an individual went, the more intensive the security became.

Even those that had not found the security measures in place to be too intrusive, would have reversed that opinion when they saw what had been quickly put into place when Honor Without Mercy entered Earth’s atmosphere. Entire Marine garrisons had been called upon to be stationed around the facility. There had been too many M808B Scorpion Main Battle Tanks positioned to count, and the same went with the SAF (Skyhawk Atmospheric Fighter) squadrons.

The Arbiter found himself amazed at first by the massive amount of firepower, as he was driven in a M12 LRV Warthog towards the ONI facility. The vehicle was a modified version with a back seat installed. The Master Chief sat beside him with two Marines posted up front. One drove while the other kept an M90 shotgun pointed at the Elite. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the Arbiter couldn’t stop himself from applying a tactical eye to the UNSC presence.

Three of their tank battalions are bunched together, while two others are out of formation. Should a hostile target enter the area they could be outflanked on their left, with a pincer strike from the northwest. An orbital bombardment of four Capital ships would reduce this force to cinder in but three shots. This mobilization was ordered hastily, and not distributed properly, the Arbiter thought, keeping his body lax so as not to give the Marine any excuse to unload his weapon into him.

When they had first landed on the planet’s surface, it had been several minutes before the UNSC forces did anything other than focus their attention on the three of them. A jeep had rode up, and a Marine Colonel had approached them. He spoke to the Master Chief, pointedly avoiding locking gazes with the Arbiter.

The Spartan had informed the Colonel that the Marines could back off, Cortana had control of the ship, and the Covenant aboard were not hostile. There had been a moments indecision on the part of the Marine, but he had issued the order for the force to stand down, though the Arbiter knew well enough that all that meant was the soldiers no longer had their hands poised a millimeter away from firing their weapons.

With Honor Without Mercy no longer in immediate danger, Commander Keyes came down from the ship and spoke with the Marine Colonel. There was no real protocol for a situation like this, as no one on Earth had ever expected it to occur. The only decision the two soldiers could agree on was that the Admiralty needed to be enlightened over the recent developments involving the Human/Covenant War. ONI seemed more than willing to meet the Arbiter, which had aroused the Elite’s suspicions.

The pomp and circumstance of getting into the facility seemed almost ridiculous to the Arbiter. He had been searched several times for weapons of any kind, yet each stop they encountered he was forced to suffer the indignity of the process all over again. The security check had proven to be somewhat useful however, as once they reached the inner workings of the facility the Master Chief had been forced to remove his helmet and be subjected to a retinal scanner.

The Demon is no different on the outside than any of these humans, the Arbiter mused as they boarded an elevator that he presumed would take them further down into the facility. Though the design was expertly built, the Arbiter could tell that they had begun to descend below the planet’s surface.

The Arbiter felt that perhaps he was much too calm with the situation, but despite that something was nagging at the back of his mind.

“So tell me Demon, are these ONI humans your leaders?” the Arbiter asked the Spartan, who had been standing motionless in the elevator, along with their Marine escorts.

“Why would the Master Chief give any information to an enemy, especially a traitor to his own cause,” one of the Marines asked, though no question was held within his statement. The Arbiter barely cast the soldier a look, though the glint in his eye was enough to pass the message that saying something like that again would put his life at risk.

“The Office of Naval Intelligence,” the Master Chief elaborated, much to the surprise of the Marines, “are not the leaders of human-kind.”

“Oh?” the Arbiter questioned. “Then who is?”

The Spartan became silent, much to the approval of the Marines who presumed the Master Chief was putting the Arbiter in his place. The Arbiter however knew differently.

He doesn’t know. The indiscernible shift of his weight onto his left side showed his hesitation. Should I be surprised? How long has it been since I have been on my home world? The Demon is a soldier bred for war, as am I, he is not meant to know peaceful times or peaceful places. The politics involved in every day life are a mystery to him.

“We’re here,” one of the Marines announced as the doors slid open. A long corridor was brought into view, decorated with many different portraits of what appeared to be battles and commanders. The Arbiter could understand humanity wishing to glorify the victories of the past and the few in the present. They had been fighting a losing war, where morale becomes more of a key issue than actual strategies.

Marines weren’t posted ever few feet in this hallway, unlike all of the others. A pair of soldiers were posted on the sides of the lone door in the corridor, and they looked as if they would shoot the Arbiter should he even breath the wrong way. Despite their obvious advantage over him, the Arbiter could see fear in their eyes.

They do not fear me, they fear what I represent.

The Arbiter breathed out loudly, pushing the doors open and stepping inside.

-----------------------------------

Karktanus stood on the bridge of the Covenant flag-ship Purity of Devotion, and cast a weary eye at the wreckage that lay before his fleet. The remains of the holy city High Charity, and the Sacred Ring brought a wave of sadness running through his body.

The cursed Sangheili are to blame for this atrocity, he raged in his mind. There ineptitude has brought the Sacred Journey into peril.

Karktanus and the other Covenant under his command had been patrolling a few systems away when transmissions had been sent to their fleet from Chieftain Tartarus. The Sangheili were being expunged from the Covenant, by order of the High Prophet of Truth. The Unggoy and the Lekgolo had joined the Sangheili, proving their disloyalty to the Prophets. Karktanus had taken pleasure in informing the Jiralhanae under his command of their mission. The ships in his fleet had set their coordinates for the holy city High Charity, and spent the time in Slip Space planning on how they would tear the Sangheili to pieces when they arrived.

The sight that awaited them however, had not been anticipated. High Charity was in ruins, along with the glorious fleet that had been under its command. The Holy Ring, the site of the beginning of the Great Journey was in a similar state.

“Doyen,” a Jiralhanae seated before the ship’s scanner spoke, “I am not detecting any signals.”

“Keep searching,” Karktanus growled. “Chieftain Tartarus would not have perished before the worthless Sangheili.”

Snarling to himself, Karktanus returned to the display showing the remains of the two shattered artifacts.

What has happened here?

The Holy Ring was in tatters, and the completion of the Great Journey had been stalled once more. Karktanus and his fleet had seen the remains of the first Holy Ring after the Demon had destroyed it. The destruction had been orchestrated, and left the Holy Ring in pieces but this abolition was far worse. It was as if the Gods themselves had lashed out, shattering High Charity as well as the Holy Ring.

“Divine Foresight is hailing,” a Jiralhanae announced. “They have detected a threshold low near the planet’s atmosphere.”

“Inform them that they shall investigate the outpost immediately, and to report back once they have news,” Karktanus ordered. “They shall tread carefully however, there is something wrong here.”

-----------------------------------

If I were not waiting upon death’s door, I do believe I would find the irony of this situation amusing.

The Arbiter stood in the center of the room, his gaze focused on those in front of him, hidden within the shadows. He had been requested to stop in his current position by one of the many humans within the room. The Demon stood behind at the back of the room, per the order of a single human female.

  • 02.27.2005 11:36 AM PDT
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Mankind shared more similarities with the Covenant than they knew. The Arbiter had been subjected to a trial aboard High Charity, where the Prophets used large crowds to humiliate and intimidate him. These humans used a different tactic, but they were for the same purpose. Keeping their profiles hidden, these humans used an act of abhorrence to influence whoever they were subjugating the tactic upon. The two tactics were different, yet existed for the same purpose, and the Arbiter was certain that should he not have already lost everything he would have knuckled under their attempts.

I wonder if the Demon has ever been subjected to this.

The sound of a human clearing his voice caught the Arbiter’s attention but he did not move his head to incline the person. If these humans wanted to feel as if they had dominance upon him than so be it, but he would not bow before their coercion.

“The detailed reports sent to us by Cortana and Commander Miranda Keyes have explicitly dealt with the events that occurred aboard the Covenant city High Charity, as well as the ring world,” one of the figures spoke. “I would ask you to explain in your own words exactly what happened.”

The Arbiter was careful to keep his body loose and his voice neutral.

“As you wish,” he started. “When word reached High Charity that the Prophet of Regret had…”

-----------------------------------

“Doyen, Divine Foresight is not responding,” the executive officer aboard the Purity of Devotion announced to Karktanus. Their ship had begun to weave its way through the damaged remains of High Charity, moving towards the structure Divine Foresight had detected earlier.

“Continue hailing,” Karktanus ordered. “Their last transmission was cut short, I want to know what they found.”

“At once,” the officer said, exiting the bridge.

The Commander of Divine Foresight is disciplined enough to know not to ignore a Fleet Commanders messages. Even if the Commander was somehow indisposed, the Holy One is aboard the ship. Something has happened. Could they have found remaining Jiralhanae? Or perhaps some Sangheili vermin somehow survived by cowering on the threshold while their pathetic species was wiped away from the Covenant.

Karktanus’ musings were cut short when the executive officer returned.

“Doyen, Divine Foresight has disengaged from the structure in orbit above the planet and is turning back.”

“Show me,” Karktanus demanded. At once a screen appeared, showing a Covenant cruiser turning slowly away from the threshold.

“Send a transmission to the Divine Foresight, demand that they respond immediately.”

“They do not respond to our transmissions sir,” the officer said helplessly.

Karktanus snarled audibly and pointed at the screen displaying Divine Foresight.

“Scan the ship, there is something amiss aboard that ship.”

“Scanners offline, Doyen,” a Jiralhanae announced. “They are being blocked by something.”

Before his temper could explode, Karktanus looked at the image of Divine Foresight.

“What is their intended coordinates,” he asked. A Jiralhanae on the bridge brought up a display and after a few moments turned.

“Their course is going to bring them into a collision course with this ship, Doyen.”

Snapping into action, Karktanus opened up the battle net for the entire fleet.

“Ready plasma cannons and turrets. Divine Foresight is to be destroyed at once,” he turned to the navigator. “Bring the ship about and get us out of this debris field.”

The order came too late however, as Divine Foresight closed the gap between the two cruisers. The shields for both ships flared into existence for a moment before fading completely. The nose of Divine Foresight slammed into the port side of Purity of Devotion. The two cruisers resisted one another, until the hull of Purity of Devotion cracked. As both ships lost power, they became crushed together.

Karktanus felt light slowly return to his eyes as he clumsily climbed to his feet. His hands fell on the console for the ships communications. He fumbled with them for a moment before accessing the battle net for the entire fleet. Numbly he noticed the discarded bodies of his crew.

“This is the Purity of Devotion, I request immediate assistance.”

Silence greeted his plea, and Karktanus angrily slammed his fists upon the console, pushing himself away. He wavered uncertainly before walking out of the bridge. Fires were spreading down the corridors of the ship, yet the Jiralhanae paid them no attention as he continued. Crewman of the ship were littered about the hallways, some alive but injured, while a great many lay unmoving, their lives snuffed out.

Before he really knew what he was doing, Karktanus found himself before the doors that would lead him into the damaged hulls where the Divine Foresight had crashed. His footsteps echoed down the corridor, heavy contrasts to the groaning metal and alarms. The doors slid open, granting him entrance.

By the Rings!

Panic flooded the Jiralhanae, and he was turning to run the moment the scene before him registered. Panting heavily he ran, his hands coming down to grant him greater speed as he raced back to the bridge. In his hurried state he neglected to power down the doors leading into the bridge.

Karktanus searched for, and found his discarded plasma rifle. Clutching it tightly, he slumped against the far bulkhead, keeping the weapon aimed at the command access ways.
How did they manage to get aboard? The destruction of High Charity and the Sacred Ring should have eliminated their presence.

The sound of the far doors activating and sliding open caught Karktanus’ attention. His eyes focused on the darkened area, lit only by the fires that filled the corridors. He saw them then, and ice filled his veins, and his finger slammed down on the trigger of his plasma rifle.

The Parasite is here!

Infectious forms began pouring through the access ways, hundreds of them spilled forth, heading straight for Karktanus. The Jiralhanae fired his rifle continuously, his shots ripping through the masses of parasites. His panicked state refused him the necessary awareness to tell when the weapon was close to overheating, and as such when plasma spilled forth from the weapon, the only warning he had was the pain the action extracted upon him.

The plasma rifle fell from his hand, clattering to the deck floor.

I will not die here!

Karktanus let his survival instincts take reign, his consciousness mind slipping away as his posture changed to that of an animal. He began rampaging through the parasite, the small infectious forms ripped apart underneath his relentless assault.

The Jiralhanae’s rampage was cut short however, when several long tentacles slipped unnoticed into the bridge of the ship. Lashing out savagely they slammed Karktanus to the deck and pinned him. Snarls of rage spilled forth from him, tearing at the tentacles with all his strength but gaining no purchase.

“Know that the rest of your ferine race shall join you in death soon, beast.”

The sickening voice filled the room, as the tentacles pinning Karktanus to the deck tightened, until the audible sound of his bones snapping came. As the infectious forms swarmed the fallen Jiralhanae, silence descended throughout the ship.

----------------------------------

John watched, his body motionless as the Arbiter continued his recount of the events that had transpired only a few days ago. The Admiralty and other ONI officials had neglected to stop the Elite from once yet, and the Spartan found himself wondering if perhaps they were being forced to rethink whatever plan they had already devised before the Arbiter had arrived.

The Arbiter’s words aboard Honor Without Mercy were still fresh in his mind, and John stewed over them as the Elite recanted. If what he said was true, then the officers were likely to kill all the ex-Covenant on Earth.

But would they throw away such an opportunity to turn the tides of the war? John asked himself. The Arbiter holds some sway within the Elite culture, and he isn’t interested in continuing the war against humanity. If he could convince the leaders of the Elites that working with the humans would guarantee the Covenant’s destruction, than mankind would be saved.

The many different factors that could be applied to the situation were confusing to the Spartan. He was used to having things in black and white. Do what is necessary to win, at all costs. If joining forces with the expunged Covenant members would help turn the odds in their favors, then he saw no problems with it. Despite the nagging feeling that these creatures had murdered millions of civilians and even his own fellow Spartans, John couldn’t help but find that working with them made a lot more sense than fighting two wars at once.

  • 02.27.2005 11:43 AM PDT
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Dr. Halsey’s last words suddenly came to him, and he felt they justified his decision. Joining together and fighting the Covenant would save far more lives than the alternative.

Another question arose in his mind. If the discarded Covenant members and humanity joined forces, even under the best of circumstances how long could that alliance last? John’s eyes fell upon the Arbiter once more as his mind stewed over that question.

Despite the overzealous nature of theirs, the Elites are honorable. They hold their pride above all else, and follow the code of the warrior. To be cast aside and killed like dogs by orders of the Prophets will be a huge blow to the mindset of the Elites. Their efforts will be focused on revenge. Even if they wanted humanity’s assistance, their pride might make them refuse to accept it.

The sound of the back doors opening caught John’s attention, and he turned his head lightly. Commander Miranda Keyes stepped quietly into the room, closing the door behind herself as she moved to stand next to the Spartan.

“How’s it going?” she whispered. Her eyes didn’t fall on the Arbiter, but looked past him to the shadows where the ONI officials sat.

“Ma’am, the officers requested the Arbiter recount his experiences on Delta Halo and High Charity,” John said smartly, his hand twitching slightly from the effort he exerted to not snap a salute. Commander Keyes sighed quietly, running a hand over her face briefly.

“They’re just trying to wear him down,” she explained. “Once he’s finished they’ll hit him with questions from all around, and try to throw him off-balance.”

“Ma’am?” John asked, confused.

“ONI’s looking for some scapegoats, Chief,” Keyes clarified. “The civilian masses are cowering in their homes, just waiting for the first waves of plasma bombardment to start raining down from the skies.”

“The Covenant fleet has been taken care of,” John interjected. Keyes shot him a brief look before smiling to herself.

“That’s not too terribly important right now,” she said. “Sure the fleets been destroyed, but there will certainly be another one, and most people can place a safe bet that they’ll arrive much sooner than the time it’ll take to fix up the orbital defense grid.”

“Right now ONI’s main concern is keeping the public from panicking. They want control over the public, either through propaganda or by holding a fake trial for an ex-Covenant member. This is the type of stuff they usually deal with. Its this kind of garbage that makes it so we can’t even list the Spartans as killed in action.”

John winced slightly at that. The news that Fred, Linda, and Will had survived somehow earlier had lessened the blow, but it was still another reminder of how much he had failed his team over the course of his fighting career.

“Having a public execution of a high-ranking Elite would be just the thing to get the public back on their side,” Keyes continued.

“But if they aren’t in the Covenant anymore, than executing them would be pointless,” John pointed out.

“Exactly,” Keyes nodded. “That’s precisely why we’re going to have to make sure these scavengers don’t do something that stupid.”

Before John could reply, Commander Keyes had pushed off the wall and was walking towards the Arbiter. He followed, dimly aware that the room was somewhat silent, signifying that the Elite must have finished relating his story.

There was a moment of silence before someone seated near the head of the room spoke up.

“I will put but one question before you, Arbiter,” the gruff voice said. “If you have indeed been cut off from the Covenant, along with the rest of your kind, than what would you have us do?”

John stopped a few paces behind the Arbiter, next to where Commander Keyes stood. The Arbiter cast a look to the ground for a moment before looking back up.

“I would have you do nothing, but I am aware as well as you that the humans need as much help as you can get in this war.”

“And whose fault is that?” a new voice demanded. “You’ve led the campaign from planet to planet, murdering all who inhabit them. You commit genocide upon us for no reason other than our existence offends you, and then you come asking for our assistance!”

That heated outburst seemed to spark something among the others seated around the room, as angry retorts began firing at the Elite from all directions.

“Be silent,” the original gruff voice ordered, and immediately the noise ended. “You can understand our position can’t you? Why the concept of working with you would seem so unappealing?”

The Arbiter answered softly, and John was sure that if the Elite had eyes in the back of his head he would be focused on the Spartan.

“I understand it better than you’d think.”

“We are wasting our time speaking to this creature,” another voice chimed in. “A public execution of such a high-ranking Covenant member would surely get a high approval rating from the public.”

“That would be a foolish mistake, and you know it,” Commander Keyes interjected. She shot a scornful glare towards the owner of the voice, and John surmised that despite the inability to see who had spoken, Keyes knew exactly who it was.

“Be silent Commander,” the man barked. “This bastard, by his own admission, led the fleet that destroyed Reach. He was a tool of the Covenant, and you want us to turn around and forgive him?”

“If you are perhaps deaf than I suppose you missed the explanation in mine and Cortana’s report where we detailed how the Prophets deceived the Elites. Along with the Hunters and the Grunts, the Elites were pushed into believing they were acting on the behalf of the Forerunners, who were revered as Gods.”

John could almost swear that he could see the officer Keyes was speaking too, from the redness that had flooded onto his face. Before the angry retort could be fired off, John stepped forward, standing beside the Arbiter.

“Commander Keyes is correct. As Cortana and I traveled through High Charity, we were witness to the beginning of the extermination of the Elites, Hunters, and Grunts.”

Silence greeted his response, and it was a moment before the same officer from before snorted indignantly.

“You, you expect us to take your word?” the officer asked scornfully. “The first chance you get you befriend our enemy. Aren’t these the same creatures that killed off the majority of your team? Didn’t Dr. Halsey bother to program a sense of loyalty into you freaks?”

John felt his temper spark, but before he could respond a fist slammed down upon the table that the ONI officers were gathered around.

“That is quite enough Colonel. Step out of line again and you will be sent to work as a maintenance crewman aboard one of the MAC guns.”

There was a moment of tense apprehension before there was the sound of a muted apology and the sound of the officer sitting back down into his chair.

“Turn the Goddamn lights on,” the same officer that had just issued the reprimand ordered. “If we want to intimidate someone lets try and do it to someone that actually needs it.”

The lights came up immediately, and the other occupants of the room were finally brought into perspective. John immediately recognized the officer that had come to his defense as General Strauss. The general had pinned many medals onto him in the past.

“Alright, Arbiter, lets cut the bull-blam!- and get down to the facts,” General Strauss said. “Before we can even begin to negotiate some kind of truce, or partnership between us, there has to be some kind of show of grace. Information maybe, anything that would show us that you truly intend to do this.”

For the first time in a long moment the Arbiter spoke.

“I am afraid my knowledge of what has been going on in the Covenant has been severely limited. As a commander of a fleet I rarely returned to our home planet, and as such the most I possess is information on where our fleets have been deployed.”

“A home world you say?” Strauss questioned. “I’ll need you to divulge some more information on that as well. Maybe you could enlighten us to just why the Covenant is so intent on worshipping the Forerunner, and exterminating all of mankind.”

A ghost of a smile seemed to pass over the Arbiter’s face for a moment, and John cast a worried glance at the Elite.

“Every member of the Covenant knows of how we were formed, and what our purpose is.”

“Could you elaborate on that?” Strauss asked.

The Arbiter took a deep breath, glancing briefly at John.

“Alright, then I shall tell you, how the Covenant came to be.”

-----------------------------------

Author’s Notes: Wow, that chapter was quite interesting. Its one of the longest so far, so that’s good, I stayed up far too late writing, so I hope you all like it.

This chapter is going to be the lead in for something I’m sure some of you can see coming now. I’m betting some people may not like it, but it has to be done.

Just to elaborate on a few things, I know the Arbiter may seem to be a tad out of character in this story, but you’ve really got to take into consideration that the guy’s been through a hell of a shock. I know I wouldn’t want to spend my life devoted to a task, carrying out the systematic genocide of an entire race and then find out its all been a lie. I couldn’t imagine what I’d do in that situation.

Anyways, thanks to everyone that’s been reviewing. If you didn’t believe me when I said reviews are like shots of caffeine into my blood stream, than perhaps the quickness of this chapter’s release will have convinced you.

  • 02.27.2005 11:45 AM PDT
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Hmm, I put my authors notes from on fanfiction.net in there, oh well.

  • 02.27.2005 11:46 AM PDT