[b]Prologue[/b] The Sangheili, with some small trace of remorse, plunged his energy sword into the near-dead and groaning human, ending its pitifully weak life. A culmination of similar corpses lay scattered around him. The alliance between Sangheili and humans had broken down. Of course it had. A human Insurrectionist movement was the cause of it all. The Sangheili, thinking they were doing their new allies a favour had taken the liberty of exterminating the uprising. Humanity had not been pleased. Rioting mobs and even soldiers began attacking Sangheili. They had tried diplomacy at first, asking the human leader, the late Lord Hood, to issue a declaration stating any human who killed a Sangheili would be treated like they would if they had killed one of the fellows. But the fool wouldn't do it. Age had obviously addled his mind, for he said that he could sympathise with the killers of the Sangheili who had fallen to vengeful intent. Hood had never truly forgiven the Sangheili for their part in the Great War. R'tas Vadum', the exalted leader of their people, had attempted to reason further with Hood, and eventually resorted to threats when the human refused to accept his terms. Even those hadn't worked, and in anger, R'tas had unsheathed his sword and drove it into the guts of the traitor. The alliance quickly broke up there and then, angry at the loss of their leader, the humans retaliated even more so, declaring all out war on the Sangheili, and R'tas was nearly killed in the ensuing escape. But he had escaped, and was greeted as a hero. By all except the Arbiter. He had greeted R'tas not with warm feelings but with a fist in the face. He'd been of the opinion that R'tas had acted foolishly. R'tas had not responded aggressively to the Arbiter's taunts, but instead pleaded with his long time friend to help them through the troubled time. The Arbiter had spurned his wishes, claiming he wanted no part in this "insurrection." And with that, the Arbiter had boarded a Spirit drop ship, and left without looking back. The Sangheili sighed, brought back to the present. Both sides had sustained heavy losses. But it was too late to call a treaty now. Both races were waist deep in the others blood, and could not climb out. To end this fighting, they would need a miracle. [b]Part One - Awakening[/b] "Chief, Chief can you hear me? Dammit John, wake up!" Cortana's voice shouted, echoing in the Master Chief's mind. He could feel the temperature getting hotter, his limbs loosening as they unfroze. He felt that same feeling he did every time he emerged out of a cryo sleep, stiff, annoyed, and tired. "What's the situation?" He asked, climbing out of the pod. "We're about to crash into a planet of some kind, I just thought you should know. Anyway, it may be a good idea for us to leave. Now." He assessed the situation, his artificially accelerated mind racing through numerous problems and solutions. "Can you not bring the Dawn in slowly?" "I would, but the thrusters are in bad shape. If I activated them, there's a 80% chance they could blow." "Do we have any Pelicans, or a HEV pod?" He asked, already knowing the answer. "Nope, we're totally out, and we don't have a parachute on board either, no way getting off the ship, or what's left of it anyway." John could feel the surge as they entered the Planet's atmosphere, and knew they had to get off now, or die. "There's always a way" He said, walking over to the shattered edge of the broken ship. "Please don't tell me that you're....oh, you are, excellent." "It's the only way Cortana, besides, it went well last time; well, sort of." "[i]Last[/i] time? And what do you mean 'sort of'?" "Brace yourself" He said. Two simple words, then, he jumped. ********** The Elite approached the Zealot, Z'thanee with no little apprehension, he was known to take his anger out on anything in the nearby vicinity when given bad news. "Noble Zealot, my scouts have just reported seeing something in the sky, a burning comet of sorts, rushing down to the surface." "You interrupted me for this?" Z'thanee was tired of managing the outpost he had been appointed to govern, and as a result had developed a short temper. The smaller Sangheili Minor gave a noticeable flinch, something which pleased Z'thanee. "I thought it may be important, after all, the Humans use such methods to quickly deploy their troops." The Zealot paused, and leaned forward in his gravity defying chair. "You could be right there, for once. Take a lance of five and investigate the crash site, if you discover anything of worth, report it to me at once." The Minor lowered his head respectfully. "Yes, noble Zealot, it shall be done." ********** "Aim for that body of water!" Cortana shouted, indicating on his heads up display the ocean in question. Swerving to the side slightly, John snapped his arms to his side, and prepared himself for what would come. With a huge crash, the Spartan cut through the water and sank several dozen metres below. Luckily the water was very deep, so he avoided major injury. He swam up to the surface, and crawled onto the rocky shore. "See? No problem." John said, collapsing onto the floor. He looked up into the ruby red sky. He could see no trace of the Dawn, it must have disintergrated in the atmosphere. "So, how long was I under ice for?" "I'd say about two months, give or take." Two months? It wasn't as bad as he had been expecting, but it was still quite a long time. "Any idea where the hell we are?" He asked, surveying the scenery around them. The vegetation in the area was tall, and strange birds could be seen up in the sky. "Your guess is as good as mine. No where near Earth, but we're still in it's galaxy." That was a relief. John had been worried they might have been sent to a dark, unknown corner at the edge of the universe. "We'd best set up camp." John said, already snapping branches of trees to start a fire. "Agreed, tomorrow we can do some scouting around, see if this planet has any advanced life on...wait." "What is it?" The Chief said, slowly drawing out his weapon. He was still carrying the Spartan laser Johnson had used before his death, the one John had used to kill the Monitor. Johnson had made a few modifications on it, placing a nuclear battery inside; expensive, but effective. The laser's charge would last a long time, he could fire a hundred shots and not even waste one percent of the battery. "I'm picking up multiple figures heading this way, odd, my sensors are showing them as Elites." "Really? That's a relief then." John lowered his weapon, things were turning out perfectly, if Elites were here then he'd have a way to contact Earth, and Lord Hood. "Chief, I wouldn't relax just yet, I've hacked into their com chatter and they seem to be on the offensive." How strange, thought John, surely their HUDs would show him as human. He raised the weapon again, finger resting upon the large, black trigger of the Spartan laser. Suddenly, six Elites burst into his small camp, all holding Covenant Energy swords, adapted from Forerunner technology. "Demon..." One of them growled, advancing upon him in a menacing manner. John slowly backed away. He could only see five Elites now, hadn't there been six before? "Whoa, easy there. I'm human!" The Elites began to laugh, a deep, intimidating one. "You have been gone a long time Demon, things have changed." "What the hell are you talking about? Where's the Arbiter?" John challenged, hands gripping ever tighter upon the laser. "All will be explained shortly Demon, but for now, I grow tired of this talk," he turned to face the others. "Take him". John didn't care if they still had an alliance or not, all he knew now was that he was in danger, and so was Cortana. His combat instincts kicked in, and he readied himself for action. Four of the Elites charged as one, the one who had done the talking hanging back, with a sneer upon his sharp face. The Chief held down the trigger, and the Spartan laser's end glowed a deep, vibrant red, then discharged. A beam of concentrated light hit one of them square in the chest, burning a hole through the alien flesh. With a whisper, the Elite silently fell to the ground. The remaining ones cried out at the loss of their 'brother', and one lunged directly at John, aiming for his heart. Reacting quickly, John hit the ground and rolled away from the lunge, ending up directly behind the attacker. With a grunt, he crashed the butt of the Spartan laser into the Elites chest, puncturing the thick lungs inside. Wheezing, and crawling desperately along the ground, the Elite began to move around in circles, frantically trying to draw breath. As one final attempt to do so failed, the Elite collapsed, and moved no more. John was confident he could win, the Elites were of a low rank, and only two, not including who he assumed to be the leader, remained. He still couldn't see the sixth Elite who had mysteriously vanished earlier though. He charged his laser, and another beam came forth, this time burning into the side of one of the Elite's head, killing him instantly. The remaining one was backing away now, fear present on his face, and the leader's confident sneer had vanished, to be replaced by a uncertain scowl. Suddenly, he heard the sound of an active camouflage deactivating behind him, and before he could retaliate, the strong fist of the sixth Elite hammered into the side of John's head, knocking him to the ground in a daze. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the sight of two Elite's rushing towards him, victory clear in their expressions. "Welcome to Sanghelios Demon," he heard one faintly say, then, darkness. [Edited on 09.13.2010 3:31 PM PDT]

Very...Potent =]

[b]Part Two: Trial[/b] When John came to, he was standing in a hall, one filled with thousands of Elites, as well as numerous Grunts and Hunters who had remained loyal to them at the time of the Great schism from the Covenant. He turned his head, and noticed before him several Elites, towering over him. He suddenly realised he was on the floor, supported by his knees, and stood up. Noticing this, several Honour Guards rushed up to him and bashed him with the blunt end of their staves, sending plasma coursing through his body. He fell to the ground again. John was still in his Mark VI armour, evidently the Elites had been unable to find the codes needed to release the titanium plated joints. A rough hand grasped him by the shoulder, and hoisted him up. Several metres in front of him, atop of the jewel encrusted marbled stairs were three Elites, sitting upon glowing gravity chairs. "Demon", the one in the middle began. "You are brought before the High Council, so we can decide your fate." There was uproar among the rest of the Elites, he heard the phrase "Kill him" used many a time. "Silence!" The one on the right ordered. He received it in an instant. The middle one, who he assumed to be the leader, began speaking again. "The situation here is..." He searched for the right word, "complicated." John had held his tongue until now, but he couldn't stay silent any longer. "What the hell is going on?" He asked. The middle Elite sighed, he seemed to be old. John hoped he was wise too. "Due to a multitude of events, we are once again at war with your species. We would have preferred to avoid it, but our honour demanded it." "You never learn do you? There is nothing honourable about war, only suffering can come from it." The one on the left spoke for the first time. "That's rich, coming from you Demon. How long does it take you after battle to wash the blood off of your hands?" John lowered his head. The Elite was right, despite how misguided he seemed. "Enough please." Said the middle one. "We will get no where like this." "Yes, Kaidon A'trinr." The left Elite spoke, he sounded bitter, envious perhaps. "Now, even though we bear you no ill will Demon, it was not you who started this war, we cannot let you go free, you are loyal to the Humans." "We should kill him and be done with it!" A Councillor in the crowd shouted. "No. There is no need for that, we are civilised beings are we not?" "More so than him..." The Elite on the left said. "High Councillor K'zath, if you cannot keep your spiteful comments to yourself, I shall have you flayed." Spoke the Kaidon. John had had it. "Enough with this crap, where's the Arbiter? I thought he was in command." The three Elites gave a visible squirm, they were obviously uneasy about the subject. "The Arbiter chose to...travel his own path, rather than fight in the war. He is a coward." The Kaidon said. "I think not, you and the rest of the Elites are the real cowards, you and your false sense of honour. It's no wonder the Prophets replaced you with apes, they had more guts than you." John said, provoking them. A new chorus of "kill him" broke out across the hall. "Enough taunts Demon, my patience grows weary. There are hundreds in here who would happily rip you to pieces, and throw your mangled body of the cliff edge. However, it is not for them to decide. I have chosen to place you in a cell, you shall be treated as a guest, but you are not allowed to leave this city, and can go no where without the presence of at least fifteen guards of the highest rank." "You can't hold me in a prison forever." John said, knowing that Cortana could disable any security system the Elites had cooked up. Speaking of which, where was she? "I assume you mean your Construct will free you." The Kaidon began, a smug grin on his worn face. "And that she could...if she were alive, that is." The room turned cold, and darkness crept into the room. "What have you done to her?" John demanded, shaking with fury. "It matters not, she was only a machine. Our Engineers destroyed her, she was too much of a risk." The Elite said hurriedly, suddenly nervous. "You killed her?!?" Blinded by fury, John wrenched free of the Honour Guards holding him. They raised their staves to knock him down, but with lighting reflexes, the Spartan grabbed one, turned it around, and swung it in an arc, once. Two heads toppled to the floor. "Stop him!" Shrieked A'trinir, and several more Honour Guards entered the fray. He killed one, stabbing it in the neck, and felled another with a glancing blow from the Stave's side. More and more rushed forward, and eventually John was subdued by sheer numbers, over five dozen Honour Guards surrounding him. He was knocked down by a blow to the head, and everything became a blur. "You are lucky I am lenient Demon!" A'trinr shouted after him, as he was taken away. "After such an event, most would change their minds about only throwing you in a cell!" He saw himself being dragged through a door, then once again blacked out.

holy s***! that was amazing!

I went into this thinking...Yeah I want more ODST...I was wrong I want more of both mainly this its friggin epic

Very short this part, I was thinking about editing it into Part Two, but for some reason decided against it. I'll post Part 4 after I get a reply or two. It's very interesting.... Part three: Assassination "How much are you willing to pay?" The Assassin asked, with nods from his two partners. "When I become Kaidon, you can have whatever you need" "You do realise that if we fail, or honour compels us to reveal who you are, and you pay the price?" The Elite in the shadows waved him down. "I know the rules of succession. Do not fail me." The Assassins bowed their heads. "We shall do our best." They scurried off into the night, ready to kill. High Councillor K'zath smiled, things were turning his way. ******* John was tossed into the cell, barley coherent. He just about heard an Honour Guard growl something in his face, then saw them leave. He surveyed the cell. He wasn't bound in any way, other than the powerful energy barrier in place of a door. John suspected that inside the alien walls lay similar, wafer thin barriers too. The world began to come back to him, and he slowly stood up. He tested his theory, and with a grunt, kicked the wall, shattering the thick metal. Through the crack, he saw blue. It seemed he was correct. After waiting around for what seemed like hours, dinner came. It was a Grunt who brought it, under the protection of Honour Guards. After the barrier was deactivated, the small alien placed the meal down, never taking his eyes of John. "Boo!" the Spartan said. The Grunt couldn't have run away faster if there was a pack of hungry Jackals on his tail. The barrier was erected again. It looks like things were going to get very boring very soon. But it was fine. John could wait. One day, someone would make a mistake, and that would be when he would break free. There was still that Energy barrier to think about though. Things would be so much easier if Cortana were with him. ********* The Assassins stole through the dark corridors of the Citadel, silencing all they came across. They were close to the Kaidon's chambers now, and they could hear the footsteps of the two Honour Guards up ahead. They were talking to each other. "A tough day today, I was worried when the Demon went insane in the hall." One said, as he passed the other. "Indeed, but he is locked up now, where he belongs." The two guards parted ways, each going to patrol a different end of the corridor. As one approached the assassins, they chose that moment to strike. Without a sound, they fell upon the Honour guard, who gave a startled cry before succumbing to death. The other one paused in his tracks. "Malthusian? What is it?" The three assassins veered around the corner, and stabbed the guard in the head with the small plasma daggers they carried. The entrance to the Kaidon's quarters was now empty. One went over to a terminal, and began hacking into the door controls. As he finished, the door slowly slid open, silently. They crept into the room, and saw Kaidon A'trinr asleep in his chair, head slumped slightly to the side. Creeping up behind him, they raised their daggers to strike. Suddenly, as a dagger flew down through the air, the crack of an energy sword was heard, and A'trinr blocked the dagger with it's side. "So, yet another assassination attempt." He said, standing up. "Let me guess, K'zath? Yes, it would be him, I have seen the way he looks at me when I hold council, craving more power." "May you die with honour" One of the assassins said. "Haha, we'll see" A'trinr smiled, knowing he was far too old to win. But he had accepted this would happen a long time ago. He was ready to die. His only regret was that the Demon was now in danger, despite his best efforts to have it otherwise. ******** Hours later, John was awoken by someone descending the stairs down to his cell. It was an Elite minor, not an Honour Guard for a change. The tired Spartan rose. "Demon. Kaidon A'trinr is dead. High Councillor K'zath has succeeded him. The Elite paused. "His first decree as Kaidon is that you are to be executed one week from now...I'm sorry." It looked like John's luck had finally run out.

This is a post or two can I have more now please?

Yet another good story. I'm starting to like this Gallery forum thing ^^ Keep it up, mate!

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Matt Eddy holy s***! that was amazing![/quote]

I <3 your writing.

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] TW InKoGnIto [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Matt Eddy holy s***! that was amazing![/quote][/quote] ditto :)

Here is Part 4, hope you enjoy the revelation. [b]Part four: The Unkillable man....[/b] [b][i]2 months earlier, Installation 04...[/i][/b] Sergeant Avery Johnson awoke to an unpleasant surprise. A Flood infection form was attempting to burrow it's way into his torso and hijack his nervous system. Evidently, it was having trouble. With an explosion of pain, Avery drew out a Magnum .44 from his belt, and fired a bullet, the sound of the shot echoing in his sore ears. The Infection form exploded, splattering him with the dead biomass. Avery stood up. He was slightly confused as to why he was still alive. That crazy Monitor had hit him square in the chest, surely it would have killed him. Yet here he was, live and kicking. For the first time since he had partook in it, Avery was glad he had volunteered for the Spartan I program, all those years ago. It made no difference in the end though, he supposed, he would die when Halo detonated anyway. He could see no sign of the Chief and the Arbiter, hopefully they were already on board the Dawn, powering up her engines. Suddenly, he heard a shimmering noise behind him. He turned around, and came face to face with the last thing he wanted to see. Another Monitor, but different than Spark. Golden, more regal. "Great, another Light bulb." He growled, popping a cigar from his belt into his mouth. "You here to fire a laser at me too?" The Monitor appraised him for a second, then dryly replied. "Hardly. I am 032 Mendicant Bias, Grand Monitor of Installation 00." After several moments of indecision on whether to believe it or not, Avery decided it didn't really matter anyway. "Yeah? Well I guess that's some good news. I suppose it'll be nice to have some company in my last moments before this thing goes boom." A series of sounds came from the Monitor, Johnson could have been wrong, but it almost sounded like it was laughing. In an artificial, clunky way. "Why so pessimistic Sergeant?" Mendicant asked, curious. Johnson walked to the edge of the control room, looking down into the chasm below. The darkness he saw seemed to sum up his life, empty. "It's called realism Light bulb, you robots seem to have trouble understanding it." It laughed again. "Oh, don't worry Reclaimer, I understand the situation perfectly. What I don't understand, however, is why you seem to think there is no way out of it." "Look around Light bulb. This whole place is about to blow, and you're standing, I mean floating there laughing." Johnson told the Monitor, growing tired of it. "You are right there. Installation 04, and indeed, my own Installation 00, or what you call the Ark, is about to be destroyed. But that doesn't mean we have to be." A pause, then. "What do you mean?" Instead of giving him a direct answer, Mendicant Bias chose to instead be ambiguous. "Do you know why my former masters built the Halo array Sergeant?" "Who do you think I am, an ONI Spook? Something to do with stopping the Flood." Avery said simply. "You are correct, in a way. Originally, however, Halo was conducted not to destroy, but to preserve the Flood. Think, Sergeant, a life form which, from a single spore, smaller than a grain of sand, can destroy an entire empire. What a weapon that could be against my master's enemies, if controlled properly." "Let me guess, the plan backfired?" Johnson guessed, and from the sounds of approval the Monitor made, it seemed he had guessed correctly. "That is exactly what happened Reclaimer. The Flood had an aspect to them my masters hadn't predicted." "And what was that?" "The Gravemind." Mendicant said, in a strange tone of voice. "But look, even as we speak, Halo's inevitable destruction draws ever closer. We shall resume this conversation another time, for now, we must leave." "And how exactly do you plan on doing that? And shouldn't I be falling into a deep, dark chasm right about now? Last thing I saw before I blacked out was this place falling to bits." Avery asked, sceptical. "I still have some power Reclaimer, despite how fractured I am. Every structure my masters built had a transportation grid built into them, to cut down journey time, and for use in the event of an emergency. Usually, it can only be used to get around the same structure. However, in my case the rules are slightly different." It paused, then said, "Are you ready?" Johnson didn't like the idea of leaving without knowing what had happened to the Chief, but he knew he had no choice. "As ready as I'm ever gonna be." A blue nexus surrounded both of them, and in an instant, they were gone. [Edited on 03.11.2009 4:47 PM PDT]

Wh-what? OMFG Johnson! and Mendicant Bias? I've heard that before somewhere, but where?

cool!

It was good, I enjoyed that part but the Control Room was destroyed after John activated it. And its called Installation 04 II but hey, nothing is perfect. I'm looking forwards to the next part.

Afreakingmazing

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] random no337 Mendicant Bias? I've heard that before somewhere, but where?[/quote] The Terminals and Contact Harvest explain it, but don't worry. We shall learn a little more about Mendicant soon... I've begun writing Part five, I was going to release it, but decided it was too short, so I'm merging what was going to be Part six into it. [Edited on 03.11.2009 4:52 PM PDT]

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Wolverfrog [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] random no337 Mendicant Bias? I've heard that before somewhere, but where?[/quote] The Terminals and Contact Harvest explain it, but don't worry. We shall learn a little more about Mendicant soon... I've begun writing Part five, I was going to release it, but decided it was too short, so I'm merging what was going to be Part six into it. [/quote] You can PM it to me if you want so i don't have to wait lol

Your awesome.

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."

Who's Master Chief? Some guy...Or something... Great chapter :D

wow saying really good and well done dont come close simply amazing!

A very interesting idea indeed, Wolverog. The thing that struck me most was your spectacular dialogue; it's haloish. Very haloish. A few punctuation errors here and there, but you know I just like to nag ;). Great story, hope to see more of it soon.

Great again.

Here's Part Six, enjoy. [b]Part Six: Home sweet home[/b] "Now exiting Slip Space Captain. May I advise you to lie down?" A quick, wave of dismissal said otherwise. Thel Vadam' leaned forward on the edge of his chair. Suddenly, the great swirling cosmos around him morphed into a tranquil, black space. Before him was his beautiful Sanghelios, his home. It had been so long. "Excellent. Construct, set us down near the state of Vadam. I have an old friend there I wish to meet." "Roger that sir." The Artificial intelligence said coolly, devoid of all emotion. "Oh, and engage the stealth systems, all of them. We don't want anyone to know we're here." There was a faint shimmering sound, and suddenly, the Ship vanished. It was always unnerving when it happened, no matter how often you had done it. To drift through space, unable to see your vessel always shook the Arbiter up. They bypassed the Planet's defences unseen. The stealth system drive aboard this Spirit was an advanced one. Indeed, the Sangheili had so far been unable to devise a method to detect it. The Spirit descended slowly upon the luscious surface of the Planet. Unlike the Humans Earth, Sanghelios was still bright and blooming, full of life. This was because his race refused to take too much from a Planet their Gods had left their mark on. Most of the Sangheili's resources were harvested from neighbouring planets. As it's Engines cooled down, and the Spirit's side doors opened, the Arbiter climbed out and set foot upon his birthplace for the first time in years. To the north he could see the Great Citadel of Vadam, the place he had once ruled as Kaidon, before he got mixed up in The Covenant. Saran C'rtrag lived there, Thel needed to see him. But he couldn't just march straight in, not as he was dressed currently. He would be instantly identified as the Arbiter. Who knew what heinous price the Sangheili had placed upon his head? He would need new armour. *********** R'nas N'three left the temple early in the morning. Even with the abolishment of The Covenant, the Elite's were still firm believers in the ancients divinity, and thus kept worshipping them. He had just been to a sermon, a long one delivered by an Unngoy Deacon. Whilst the Sangheili usually treated the pitiful race in disdain, the Deacons were different, touched by the power of the ancients, with words of wisdom to all, be them Unngoy or Sangheili. He walked down the marbled streets of the citadel, basking in the sun's violet glow. Remembering to don his red, shining armour in case of a bandit attack, R'nas left the gigantic gates of the citadel and took a step outside into the beautiful forests of Vadam. Every dawn, after worship, N'three enjoyed walking around the pleasant vale surrounding the city, breathing the fresh, morning air. The Elite followed the river embankment down to his favourite spot in the whole forest, a tranquil sanctuary where one could be at peace. Traces of the ancients were all around him, the strange carvings in the aeon old trees, the way nature sung of their presence. It was beautiful. He sat down at the edge of the bank, and began to meditate. Suddenly, a large shadow was cast upon R'nas' form, unknown to him, with his eyes tightly shut. He felt a heavy fist swing into the side of his jaw, knocking him senseless to the floor. He blinked once, then faded into unconsciousness. *********** Bending over his unknown victim, Thel Vadam' began to methodically strip the dazed Elite of his armour. Luckily, underneath was a plain white robe, a testimony to the Elite's religious beliefs. Taking off his honoured, traditional armour the Prophet of Truth had originally gave to him, he began to place upon his body the armour of the Major he had felled. It would look a bit strange, Thel decided, for one as tall and imposing as him to be a mere Major, but it would have to do, for now. He could always stoop a little bit to make himself look more insignificant. Taking the time first to place the armour of The Arbiter inside the Spirit's cargo hold, Thel the Major set off for the Citadel. ******** Far beneath the Great Citadel of Vadam, in a sprawling network of artificial network of underground catacombs, John waited in his cell. Waited for the final moment. He had accepted the inevitable, no one was coming to save him, A'trinr, perhaps the only Elite who since crashing had shown him some small kindness, was dead. Sometime later in the day, or perhaps night, as it was impossible to tell this deep underground, an Elite brought him his daily meal. Gone were the classy steaks he had been given, now he got what was basically watered down paste, barely enough to keep him going. "Eat up maggot," The Elite sneered, "We wouldn't want you to die before the execution." Before leaving, John was administrated a heavy kick by the Elite, one which caught the Spartan in his side. How easy it would be for him to stand up now and break the Elite's spine, John mused as he looked at his jailer. But that wouldn't solve anything, he decided, there were legions of Honour Guards just outside, waiting for an excuse, any excuse, which would permit them to make John taste steel. Instead he waited, conserving his strength. He wasn't going to go out without a fight, no sir. Patiently, he awaited his fate.

Sorry for the double Post, Forum error. [Edited on 03.15.2009 6:53 AM PDT]