Thanks for reading this people, I appreciate it. A lot of Fanfictions go unnoticed, but you guys seem to like this. Anyway, here's Part 5. Expect something big in the next few parts.... [b]Part five: The Heretic[/b] Thel Vadam, Arbiter of the former Covenant empire, was troubled. Whilst he believed his decision to leave the bloodthirsty Sangheili he had once called his brothers a right one, he was unsure if it was a wise one. He needed to talk to someone, someone he could trust. He paced around the empty halls of his drop ship, looking sadly at the empty chairs where the rest of his brothers would usually be sitting in. How things had changed. The only one he felt he could trust now was his friend from childhood, Saran C'rtrag. Last time he had check, Saran was still living on Sanghelios, mostly free from the past Covenant's tyranny. Walking back into the navigation bay, he pressed a button on a holographic surface, and a translucent apparition arose. An Artificial Intelligence, a human one. Luckily for him, it was what the humans called a "dumb" AI, willing to serve the commands of any who held the access code. The Spirit had had one installed whilst the Sangheili were at peace with the humans, to help maximise combat efficiency. In return, his race had shared with the humans the secret of large scale energy shields. The Arbiter sighed. There was so much potential in the now dead alliance, together, they could have revealed the very mysteries of the universe, nothing would have been able to stop them. Now though, they were once again at each others throats. But Thel refused to believe that a solution couldn't be found, some way, he would stop the fighting. But first he needed to talk. "Construct, would you kindly set the coordinates for Sanghelios please?" He asked politely, disregarding the fact that he didn't need to speak to it with tact, as he had done with Cortana. Thinking of Cortana made him think of the Spartan, and of his sacrifice. Thel was unsure what had happened as the Ark's portal had collapsed, but according to both Sangheili and Human scientists, he could still be alive. Where though was an entirely different matter. "Yes sir Captain" The program said in response to his command, applying a human rank to him. Sitting down in the large chair in the Spirit's control deck, the Arbiter braced himself for the oncoming slip space jump. Hopefully, the journey home would be an uneventful one. ********** A nimbus of light surrounded the peaceful clearing for the fraction of a second, then was gone, leaving the outline of two figures. "Well," Mendicant Bias began, "A most excellent trip." Johnson was on his hands and knees, breathing heavily. He felt like he could sleep for a week. "If you so Light bulb, if you say so." He took a look around. Life was present everywhere, green bushes, tall trees, strange birds flying in the distance. This was Eden. "Now Sergeant, we have much to do." Mendicant said, drifting around and disappearing into a structure nearby. Avery followed, his footsteps echoing on the strange, metal surface he was standing on. "Wait up there, where are we?" The Sergeant asked, still gasping for breath. The injury Spark had inflicted upon him was quite potent. "An ancient grove my masters built aeons ago, a tranquil place where one can rest and be at peace. It is one of the few structures my masters built on this planet that has not been desecrated by the Sangheili living here. But where are my manners? You are hurt, and require medical attention. I shall summon a healing unit at once." A loud pulse rang through the air, and suddenly out of a small opening in the wall a small sentinel like construct emerged, minus the laser. "Whoa there," Johnson said as the small machine began patching him up, "What do you mean by Sangheili? Ain't that an Elite?" The Monitor gave another chuckle. It wasn't as annoying as dear old Spark had been, but still... "Indeed Sergeant, that is the name humans have applied to the species. So, now that you know that, can you guess where we are?" Johnson thought for a second. He then thought of an answer, and his face registered disbelief. "Correct Reclaimer." Mendicant said smugly. "But I didn't even say anything!" Avery protested. "Ah, but your expression told otherwise. We are indeed on Sanghelios" "Wait, why? Wouldn't Earth have been a better place to go?"" Mendicant drifted outside and looked up at the blazing sun in the distance. "Can you see that Sergeant? That beautiful, blazing beacon of hope, inspiring all who behold it. It makes me glad to exist, as it should you." Johnson half squinted at it, it had a vibrant violet hue. "Why is it purple?" Johnson asked. "Unlike Sol, or the Epsilon Indi star you are used to Sergeant, the Sun shining upon this planet is very different, in that it is made up of highly concentrated Plasma." "Seriously? That would explain how the Covenant never seemed to run out of ammo for their weapons then." "And it is also the main reason my masters were interested in this Planet, to harness the immense energy for their own use, for example, the Halo Array was originally built using power from that Sun; when my masters were eventually forced to leave as the Flood outbreak grew ever larger, they left their power storing structures behind." "So, what was the deal with the Flood?" Mendicant Bias looked once again into the sky. "That, Sergeant, is a discussion for another time. Now, if you would let me finish?" Johnson, abashed, muttered an inaudible apology. With it's advanced Forerunner technology, Mendicant heard it anyway, and was satisfied. "The Elites discovered these structures when they were still in the tribal stage, and thus their religion was born, with my masters as it's epicentre. It seems foolish if you possess the knowledge I do, but I can understand why my master's were interpreted as Gods. They were rather advanced, after all. Indeed, it was them who first gave life to this rock. In essence, they created the Sangheili" "Okay, enough talk. The history lesson was nice and all, but why did you bring us here?" The Monitor looked perplexed. "Why, to rescue him of course." It said impatiently. "Rescue who?" Avery queried, puzzled. "You haven't figured it out? Very well, I shall tell you. You know him best as the Master Chief."