Story[]Prologue[]
"Good," said Urei 'Cazal. "Be quick, while our enemies are distracted by the Covenant. And be wary...they have Spartans on their side." 'Geran bowed, and left the room to assemble his Sangheili. The doors hissed shut behind him. Urei sighed. It had been almost two age phases since the Fallen were disbanded. His brothers, his allies, and his fellow leaders were all dead. Outsiders found with connections to the separatist group had been dealt with in a manner more ruthless than he could have guessed. Even the least courageous of the faction had stood for their beliefs fearlessly rather than spending the rest of their lives in hiding. The only blessing was that his enemies had all thought he was dead. And it was a good thing too, for he had many enemies. But Urei didn't intend on hiding forever. He was going to reveal himself once again once the Path Walkers became powerful. Although he secretly shared none of their beliefs about the Great Journey, they were resourceful, no doubt about it. But he would continue to work towards his goal to sever the ties in the Interspecies Union, and bring honour back to his species as he had always sworn to do. But for now, Urei had to act as if he had a common interest with the Path Walkers. And that, unfortunately, involved several things he opposed. One of them was finding the Spartan, Simon-G294, who had broken into a facility held by the Path Walkers on the planet C329t several months ago and taken Moru 'Ostal, a young but crucial member to their faction. Most of the humans that had been captured by the Path Walkers claimed that they didn't know a Spartan called Simon, and the ones that did said that he had been a traitor. It was impossible that a traitor would take such a risk to causing them such inconvenience, so they were probably lying, and trying to hide the demon. Furthermore, the Path Walkers planned to start a war between the IU and the Covenant, a decision that made Urei slightly uneasy. Although there was an obvious tension on both sides, there was no large-scale conflict between them yet, but many said that it would be easier to fight an enemy that was pitted against many others. And the IU certainly did have a lot of things to worry about right now; from human rebels to the Covenant, they would have difficulty focusing their efforts on overcoming the Path Walkers. But forcing two factions into waging a war without leaving traces of one's own involvement would be tricky; it would take years of planning to perfect. And Urei wasn't really keen on the idea anyway. He didn't like the fact that they had to make attacks on Sanghelios either, but more or less he didn't have much of a choice. If he lost support, he would lose power, and his hopes of accomplishing his tasks would be near impossible. He had to make his moves carefully too, so that he didn't make his intentions too obvious, but didn't become a puppet to the Path Walkers either. Very tricky. Urei sighed again. Things had become very difficult for him indeed.
Chapter 1[]
Cyla 'Cazal, the spouse to the legendary albino, Autel 'Vadam. There were possibly others, of course, but it was a lead. 'Geran hadn't told his leader about his plans, because he wasn't sure whether Urei would oppose a kidnapping of his own sister. But once she was brought to him, he would hardly have reason to let her go. He would be resentful, of course, but 'Geran could always claim that he had taken her without knowing her identity. And it would be revenge. Autel had paid him great insult a long time ago. 'Geran once had many followers in his persistent beliefs about the Great Journey, despite the tidings of the Sangheili returning from the final battle of the Covenant schism, the ones who said that the Journey was a lie all along. But the albino had taken his words and turned them against him, and as a result the Interspecies Union had triumphed. 'Geran would break Autel, a little at a time. And when the time came, he would personally kill the ignorant nonbeliever. As for Urei, the Commander could sense something about him that was slightly...off. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but their seemingly passionate and cunning leader was a bit shady. As if he was hiding something. Of course, everyone knew about the fact that he used to be leader of the Fallen. But many of them never knew whether the separatist group believed in the Great Journey or not. All 'Geran heard was that they wanted to turn against the humans, but he himself had to find out what Urei's intentions were. So this would be a test, to see what their leader would do in the face of a personal issue. He himself didn't intend to be a second-in-command forever either. As a former politician who had served in the Covenant before the schism, 'Geran knew how to play his cards right. And once the Interspecies Union was no more, he would rise up and take over as leader of the Path Walkers. They needed one that wasn't as doubtful and shifty as Urei. It would be a while before the opportunity arose, but the Commander was willing to wait.
"Quiet," snapped Special Operations Commander Autel 'Vadam. The IU forces here had pushed the Covenant forces back for the time being, but there was no sign that they had given up. And there was someone in particular he was looking for. Someone who was also looking for him. The Judicator. "Excellency, they are heading towards the forests," Special Operations Officer Kei 'Oltem reported. "Phoenix Team and a Marine force will intercept them." "Good," said Autel. He felt uneasy, but couldn't decide why. Maybe it was the fact that his team was in the State of Vadam, where the people he cared about most were. If the Covenant made it into the cities, catastrophe would follow... The Covenant forces were unlikely to come back for a while. So why was he so nervous? It had been a while since his stepbrother Taszar had heroically retrieved the Forerunner artifact, the Light of the Abyss, before it fell into the clutches of the Fallen. And Phoenix Team had struck the separatists a killing blow, disbanding them for good. But this conflict was far from over. The open war against one of the factions had ended, but more were likely to come. And it just got worse all the time. For the tenth time, the albino wished that the IU military units on Sanghelios consisted of more Spartans. At the moment, there were only four of them, and although they had been a major asset, Autel would have been more reassured if their numbers were larger and more widespread. They could actually push the Covenant back, instead of simply holding them at bay. A thin purple lance flew through the air, striking one of the Sangheili in the back of the head. Reacting instinctively, the Special Operations unit ducked behind cover as a second particle beam narrowly missed 'Oltem, who had moved just in time. "Sniper!" the commando snarled. "Deploy grenades," Autel ordered. A dozen plasma grenades were activated and thrown over the treeline. The unit moved out of cover as they detonated. Looking around quickly, the Commander saw that two of the enemy Sangheili were killed. The survivors, taken by surprise, were taken down by the Special Operations unit through superior numbers. "Path Walkers," one of the Sangheili said, examining the bodies. Turning to Autel, he said, "They may have infiltrated the State, Excellency. Orders?" Autel did not hesitate, although the dread was filling him now. "We will return to the cities. Quickly!"
She froze. Before she could decide on what to do, her bedroom door was kicked open, and four armoured Sangheili rushed in. Cyla, who had been knocked to the floor, was grabbed tightly around the wrist and dragged upright. She realized who they were. "Path Walkers," she breathed. "You are coming with us," the leader growled. Something hit Cyla on the back of her head, and she lost consciousness.
The albino groaned when he saw the door hanging ajar. It looked as if it was forced open. Rushing inside, he saw that Cyla's garments still lay on the floor. Feeling the fear filling his veins, he looked around, fearing to find a limp hand, or blood on the floor. After a thorough search however, he was certain that she wasn't in the house. The Sangheili Commander didn't know whether to be frightened or relieved. Cyla wasn't here, but whether she was alive was still yet to be determined... Autel heard 'Oltem's voice on his COM. "Excellency, our first patrols have returned. We have found no Path Walkers." "Maintain your vigilance," he said in a voice he hardly recognized. "There is...something I must attend to." He could ask his team to help search for Cyla. But there were others in danger here, and he knew that the best thing for them to do was protect any other potential targets. Besides, he knew someone who could help him look for her.
As he entered the battlefield, the albino saw bodies of Covenant and IU soldiers alike strewn all over the ground. There were some still standing, but some of them were so distant that he couldn't tell whether they were friend or foe. He saw a Marine standing over a wounded Jackal, who was making hissing feebly and trying to crawl away. The human was aiming a rifle at the alien's head. "Where is Spartan-D339?" he asked the leatherneck. The latter looked up, slightly surprised at the Sangheili's appearance. He pointed towards one of the groups standing near a rock cluster. Autel nodded in thanks. As he ran off, he heard the Marine's gun discharge, and the Jackal's hissing stopped. Wings' back was turned to him. "Police the bodies," he was saying to his team. "Spartan!" Autel called. The MCPO turned. "What is it, friend?" "They took her...they took Cyla!" Wings shifted. "Ocean, is Vena safe?" Autel froze. He had been so worried about Cyla that he forgot what Vena was doing. He waited for the answer... "She is." Wings turned to him. "We'll find her. They want to draw you into a trap." Autel nodded, still breathing heavily. "We'll get her together. I'll get two other teams with us and we'll hunt her down ourselves. They'll be sure to have a trap laid for you." He nodded again, feeling the relief flow through him. He knew that when the Spartan made a promise, he kept it. "Thank you, my friend. Again." Wings shook his head. "It is only what you should expect from me."
Two of the Path Walkers placed Cyla's unconscious form none-too-gently onto the prison cell's floor. A third Sangheili walked into the brig with Urei. "You called me here, Commander?" he asked. "Yes, Excellency," 'Geran replied, trying to hold back a smug grin. "I think you will find that she will be an abundant source of information to our needs." Urei moved around him, looking at who it was. He recognized her almost instantly, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Is there a problem, Excellency?" The former was still staring at her. "No...not at all. Well done, I..." he turned to look at 'Geran, and there was a spark of defiance in his glare. "What makes you say that she will tell us what we need to know?" "My soldiers have observed her. She is in contact with the Spartans present on Sanghelios." Technically, it was true. And she did know something. 'Geran intended to find out in due time. "Do you know what her name is?" the leader asked in a seemingly casual voice, but the Commander caught the edge to it. "No, I am afraid not, Excellency. But I can assure you that we will discover everything she knows." Helpless to say anything otherwise, Urei nodded, and walked out of the room. 'Geran activated the energy barrier on the cell, and followed him, saying to the guards, "I will inform you when she is to be interrogated."
Autel absently found himself walking through a forest, wondering what he could do. It felt wrong to just wait around until the Path Walkers did something worse. He had to think of a way to stop them... "Father, come with me." The Sangheili commander turned around in surprise, to see Vena standing behind him in a clearing. She was wearing a uniform, which gave her a more masculine look, but he could recognize his daughter by the resemblance in her face and her pale eyes. "What are you doing here?" he hissed, glancing around in case there was anyone watching them. "Forgive me, but I could ask the same of you," she replied calmly. "It is hardly safe to wander into a forest alone these days." "Wings hid you for a reason," he said, still watching for movement around them. "Go back!" "There is no one around, father. Follow me." She walked quickly but gracefully, not getting her uniform snagged or ripped even once by a branch. Autel stared after her in disbelief for a few seconds, and reluctantly followed. When they were far enough away from the clearing, she sat on one of the boulders. He sat down next to her. "You wanted to see me." Vena didn't ask, but said it. As if she knew this already. And so I have, he thought, half-guiltily. He had not seen her for a while now, and it was reassuring to see her alive and well. As he thought this, he wondered if it was his own thoughts that drove her to see him. I would not be surprised... "What is on your mind?" This time it was a question. Autel didn't address the topic at first. "I am glad to see that you are safe." "Wings will not let me come to harm," she replied. "But I know that is not enough to reassure you." "The dangers become worse by day," he agreed. "I know. Mother has been kidnapped." Autel couldn't help but be surprised. "How did you—" "There is no point in asking me, father," Vena said with a slight smile that held a trace of sadness. "You are hardly a stranger to what I can see." The albino nodded, thinking. He had often shared moments like these with his daughter when she was younger, and she always astounded him with something. Looking at her now, he could see how fast she was growing up. Yet she always seemed to hold some kind of maturity to her, something others didn't have, not even the most extraordinary males on Sanghelios. Not for the first time, he wondered just what she would be like when she became a warrior. Vena spoke again, this time more softly. "Someone very close to you is about to die." Autel turned to look at her in shock. His first thought was Cyla. "You mean—" "I do not know the details. Nor do I know who it is. But it is what I see, and I know that it will happen soon." The Sangheili Commander didn't know what to say. His daughter stood up, and began to walk away. "I must go now. I will speak to you again if you wish to seek me out, father." Vena disappeared into the cluster of trees, leaving Autel feeling more worried than ever. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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