CHAPTER ONE
"Were it so easy." Mumbled the Arbiter. He and Fleet Admiral Hood stood on the war torn plains of Kenya, Africa, in front of the monument to those lost in the Covenant-Human war. He shook hands with Hood and he started to work his way back to his phantom, which had a green hide to represent the Covenant Separatists.
When the Elites came to the humans aid after the crash of the Flood-infected ship that crashed into Voi, the Elites proceeded to glass the continent in an attempt control the Flood. It had worked, and they went through the portal to the Ark. As the Arbiter walked to his phantom, he thought he saw some motion down the hill near the portal. He looked at it but saw nothing, and his phantom took off toward Shadow of Intent.
"Things look so different without the Prophets’ lies clouding my vision. I would like to see our own world-to know that it is safe," said Shipmaster Rtas ‘Vadum.
"Fear not. For we have made it so," said the Arbiter, has he raised his fist to his chest. He was staring at a holographic projection of Earth.
"By your word, Arbiter," said has he risen his fist to his chest.
As the Arbiter took a seat in the chair used by the Prophets, he said, "take us home." Shadow of Intent began its long journey home to Sanghelios. Because of slipspace travel the Carrier could make it home in just a few days.
Two days into their long journey home, the Arbiter was aware of a foul stench that had plagued the ship since the beginning of the journey. Has the Arbiter walked down the hallway to his quarters he could not lose the feeling that he was being watched. When he started to walk he thought he heard shuffling feet, and when he stopped he could not hear anything. He turned a corner and waited. The shuffling got louder and when it came around the corner he was suppressed to find a grunt to be following him.
"What are you doing grunt?" asked the Arbiter. He had his energy sword out and at the ready. "We had tough times, why were you following me?"
"I…I…I just wanted to be in the presence of the holy Arbiter. The grunts onboard speak very highly of you sir, and I just wanted to see your holiness," squeaked the grunt. He was trembling all over and his orange methane tank showed that he was not very high in the status of his class.
"Very well, but go back to your quarters, I am weary and I must get some rest," growled the Arbiter, and with a quick shake of his sword he put it away. Has he resumed his walk back to his quarters he stopped. He stood there in thought, "A grunt would not make that sound while walking, so what did?" He was so deep in thought that he did not realize the luminous shadow moving closer to him. He looked up to so see a giant hammer going straight for his head.
"Your kind shall pay for what you did to mine!" screamed the Brute Chieftain. He brought the hammer over his head to smash the Arbiter, but he side stepped it and ripped out his sword handle. The Arbiter side stepped all of blows and punched the brute in the stomach with the handle. As soon as his fist made contact with the brute the sword flared on and erupted out the other side. The brutes eyes shot open and blood shot out of its’ back onto the ceiling. He started to cough and he spewed out a greenish waste.
The Arbiter pulled out the blade and it winked off, and he signaled for a clean up crew and for the rest of the ship's crew to be on alert for anymore brutes. As the Arbiter walked away he thought he saw the body twitch but that was just the trick of the light so he went on his way.
"I’m telling you, I got to see the Arbiter, he had on his magnificent armor and he had his energy blade out!" barked one of the clean up grunts.
"You lie, you say you followed, but you didn’t!" shouted another one, "Hey wait, is this not wear the brute is supposed to be? All I see is gore. Oh well, mind as well we clean it up." The grunts were to busy cleaning to notice the small trail of green waste going into a matinance tube. Little did they know, that little mistake may have cost them their life.
"All personnel report to your stations, intruder alert, intruder alert! Weapons must always be at the ready!" shouted Rtas over the intercom. "Ah, good, Arbiter we have a situation. The brute you supposedly killed is not dead, but he is not alive either…we have found trails of green waste around the ship and small grunt patrols have gone missing. What I believe is that the brute was infected by the Flood. Samples of the waste matches that of the spores found on the Earth continent, and it is spreading around our ship. All chambers of the ship have been locked down but no one is aloud to leave their stations, understood?" he growled. He leaned over the intercom; "any and all suspicious behavior is to be reported immediately. Once we get to Sanghelios, we shall drop out of slipspace and hold position above the planet. No one is aloud to leave the ship understood?" he asked over the intercom. His control panel lit up with a row of green lights indicating that they understood.
"Shipmaster, sir, that brute was not infected by the Flood, when it attacked me, it shouted ‘your kind shall pay for what you did to mine’ and then it attacked. It was hard to tell but it did not look infected," said the Arbiter. He was thinking when it hit him, "the voice! The voice was much lower than a normal brute…it must have been infected, I have never heard of a brute that sounded like that."
While the Elites worked in the bridge one of the green lights winked red. Then another, then another, until about three more lights winked off. Then static busted in over the intercom and then screaming, "THE FLOOOOOOOOD!!!!!…..Shoot….keep sho….ARGGGG!!!!" and then banging came from the main door. "Everyone, form a defensive perimeter around the Shipmaster! Protect him at all costs. We have fought the flood before, we can do it again!" shouted the Arbiter. The banging continued and then screaming and then nothing…BOOM! The door blew open and Flood infection began to poor in. The Elites and grunts opened fire and they killed most of them until a loud screeching noise echoed down from the hallway.
"JUGGERNAUT! Everyone find cover!" yelled the Arbiter. From the smoke a huge tentacle flew in and grabbed a grunt and flew back out. Screaming could be heard and then another tentacle flew in and grabbed the Arbiter, and ripped him out of the bridge. As it drew him closer he saw what they were fighting. This juggernaut was the brute that he had thought he killed. It reached up with its mighty arm to crush him but the Arbiter cut himself free, cut out the legs of the beast and stabbed it where the infection form was at. The rest of the crew began to kill the rest of the infection forms.
It was not until after would they get a call from the Misery and Deception about the Flood coming over on life pods from the Shadow of Intent. Misery and Deception lowered their shields so that the other ships would destroy it, but it was too late. The Flood took control of the ship and sent it straight on a collision course with the planets major city. This marked the beginning of the Sangheili-Flood war.
