Halo: Honour and Home

Chapter 1 - Sanghelios
The moons Qikost and Suban disappeared from the view of the crew of the Shadow of Intent. The mighty ship was in Sanghelios's orbit, the red planet's appearance making the crew relaxed. Rtas'Vadum, the Shipmaster of the Shadow of Intent, was the most relaxed out of all the crew. Minutes earlier, he had let out a sigh of relief and laid back in his metal seat upon seeing Sanghelios. Rtas had not said anything for several minutes, still savouring the moment. Thel'Vadam, the 20th and current Arbiter of the Sangheili, was not so relaxed. He had his arm against the wall and his hand on his head. His head was filled with thoughts, thoughts about what his people would think of him becoming Arbiter. He had to be disgraced in order to achieve such a high rank in Sangheili society. All he could think about when he saw Sanghelios was his past. The time he suffered an injury and had a doctor visit him and the time when he failed to protect Installation 04. ''What will they thnk of me? As an Arbiter, or as a disgrace?'' Thel asked himself in his head. A Sangheili crewman, Haru'Teku, placed his right hand on Thel's armoured shoulder, which was the colour of copper and bronze. Thel turned his head to his right to see Haru. "Arbiter, what is the matter?" asked Haru. Haru wore a red Sangheili Combat Harness and carried a Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol. "I fear that my people will reject my presence." answered Thel, a tone of sadness in his voice. "There is nothing to fear, Arbiter. We have accepted you, why won't your people?" questioned Haru, taking his hand away from Thel's shoulder. Rtas sat forward upon hearing a female Sangheili say that they have entered Sanghelios's atmosphere. "Everybody, take a seat and hold on to something! We are entering the atmosphere!" he exclaimed to his crew. Before Thel could answer, Haru walked away to take a seat. Thel walked over to Rtas and placed a hand on his seat. "It is good to finally see Sanghelios in all its glory." Rtas said to Thel. Thel remained silent as the continent of Yermo appeared past the clouds that the Shadow of Intent had to pass through. Yermo was slightly smaller than Europe on Earth, but still had a large population. The Shadow of Intent was approaching the Iruiru Region, where the State of Vadam resided. Within the State of Vadam was the famous War College whre young and teenaged Sangheili train to become fierce warriors. The Shadow of Intent cast a shadow over the several buildings in the State of Vadam, catching attention from the Sangheili below. They all cheered as the flagship past over them. Students at the War College ran out and joined the crowd, cheering for the Shadow of Intent. Not far away was a multi-peaked mountain with a castle-like structure attached to it. This was Kolaar Mountain, Thel's birthplace. The crowds managed to catch a glimpse of Thel onboard the ship, and was soon followed by joyous chanting. Thel looked down at the crowds to see the Sangheili people chanting his name. The buildings of the State of Vadam were tall and beautiful in design, meant to honour Sanghelios and its people. The Shadow of Intent approached Kolaar Mountain, sparking memories in Thel's head. Thel was a young one when he heard the death of the 18th Arbiter, Ripa'Moramee. As a child, Thel always thought of Ripa as a role model, but recently, he had lost interest in Ripa for he was dedicated to serving the Hierarchs. The Shadow of Intent flew over the castle-like structure, which was the Vadam Keep. The ship attracted attention from the residents inside, who rushed out onto a large balcony to witness the ship overhead. Thel looked down at the keep and saw several familiar faces. His father, Rosh, his mother, Lidna, and his nephew, Tiza. He then glanced at the thing in Lidna's arms, a small Sangheili youngling. While Thel was the Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, his mother has had a baby. Thel let out a small tear and a small smile upon seeing his new sibling.