2545, aboard the training carrier Joining Hands en-route in slip-space to High Charity; 0800 hours

Like my father, and his fathers before him, I was taught to hate humans.  No reason given other than the so called "prophets" call them abominations.  But, like all my brothers, we follow our leaders with our lives.  Normal warrior training was brutal, but I was so fortunate to have my father train me.  Trying to live up to my fathers reputation was unachievable for me mainly because he was a firm believer in the prophets and the great journey that would take all who believed to salvation.  I was not so convinced; I guess that was why my father was so hard on-
I soon felt great force push me down.

"*** it Ras'qunn!  Clear that thick head of yours; you're in the middle of combat training!" Grousek; my father was yelling at me; again.  I'm used to that.

"Forgive me fa-" I started until he interrupted me

"I'm not your father here!" He yelled

"Forgive me teacher, I was just pondering my thoughts" I apologized

"Not forgiven; if it had been a human; primitive as they may be; would have wasted no time to waste you" my farther said

"Understood" I replied

"For reasons I don't understand, the prophets wish to see you all; even you" He said pointing at me

He then stood up and said:

"So, I need to wipe you cretins into shape before we get there"

All of the elites said:
"Yes teacher!"

He then told everyone to leave; except for me.  I didn't like this.  Just then He took his hand; in what looked liked he was going to strike me; and put it on my shoulder.  I was deeply surprised by this.

"Ras'quinn; I may not like this, but you are the best elite here"

something great to hear from your father.

"Other than your clear head of yours, you are the most well trained elite of the group"

"Partly because you never stopped training me" I stated, he was not so amused

"Ras, because of this, I'm promoting you to captain"

I was speechless, my father never did anything like this to me before.

"I am honored teach-" I was interrupted by him saying:

"Just this once, you may call me father"

"I am honored father" I replied

We hugged for the first time in what felt like ages.  Just then the com flared on.

"Sir, we are five minutes away from exiting slip-space"

My father looked at me and said:
"Now remember, bow before the prophets, and let them speak first"

"I understand, and I won't let you down" I told him

I didn't know this at first, but many difficult trials lay before me; some that will put my faith to the test...

Chapter 1: The Prophets

I was so overjoyed, my father had finally allowed me to prove myself to him.  I can't fail; no, I won't fail. 

"Let me show you something" he said

He took me to his room.  He never let me in there.  Just then, he pressed his palm against the wall, and a section of the wall lifted up.  It revealed a gold suit of armor.

"Like it, don't you" he said

I opened my mandible to say words, but nothing came out.

"Same old Ras, always thinking, never saying." he said with a chuckle

"Do you what that is?" He asked

"No, sir" I never call him sir unless it was important

"This is my old uniform, from we first encountered the humans." He started to tell me

"As you can see, not a scratch on it"

I remember him telling me stories of how he took on entire platoons of humans, by him self, and kill every last one.  Certainly something to live up to.

"Ras, the time has come for you to don this armor and continue to uphold the respect of the family, and of course the covenant." He told me

"I'll give you some time alone"

I ran my hand down this magical armor, it felt and looked brand new.  It was also very shiny.  As I changed armors, I started thinking, how can I live up to my father?  I took the two swords, hung up like trophies, and put them on my belt.  I took one in my hand, and clicked it on.  I twisted my hand around, to get a full look and the sword.  It looked like every other energy sword, but this one felt different.  Just then, a grunt walked in.  He jumped at the sight of my holding the sword.

"AHH!! Don't hurt me!" the grunt yelled.  Not very heroic.  I clicked the sword off and asked:

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

He was still a little shaken and said:

"W-we have do-docked with High Char-charity.  You are w-wanted on d-deck."

"Thank you" I said and Put my hand on his shoulder; I had to bend a little.  I walked maybe five feet, and heard a *thud*.  Although I didn't look, I guessed he fainted, it made me laugh somewhat.  Those grunts are funny sometimes.  As I made it to the deck, I met with my two friends Di'anm and Flip, an odd name I always thought.

"A pleasure it is to see you Ra-, I mean Captain"

Di'anm said and put his fist to his chest.  As courtesy, I did the same.

As pleased as I was to see them, I asked:
"what are you doing here?"

"Well, Flip and me are now your bodyguards" Di'anm said

Just then, Grousek came out from the shadows and told me he personally assigned them.  I was a little skeptical.  Not that I didn't trust them, I just wouldn't trade my life for theirs.  Although, they seemed more than willing to do this, so I allowed it.

"Now, go meet the prophets." Grousek told us, and gave me a small shove.

Going through High Charity was like going through a maze, turn after turn, hallway after hallway.  I thought we were lost until we meet the brute honor guard.  I never fancied those barbarians.  They were much like humans, except tougher, and had a lot more hair.  I could swear I heard one growl as I walked by.  We now walked into a very dark room.  If it wasn't for the light in my helmet, I wouldn't be able to see a thing.  Just then, a light came down from above, and a figure appeared.  It was a prophet; which one, I couldn't tell.  Just then, He raised his hand in the air, and I knew that meant to knell, which we did.

"Who is the leader of this group?" he asked slowly

Without moving, I said:
"I am"

"Step forward" He said

I got up and moved until he raised his hand to tell me to stop.  He then pressed a button on his chair.  A small screen appeared in front of him, and said:

"Ras'quinn, age 20; a young age to be a captain; but looking at your records, I say you're more than qualified."

I didn't say a word.

"Due to this" he started.  "I will transfer you to one of the main fleets.  Do you have anything to say?" he asked

"Thank you for this honor, noble prophet" I said

"Good, your new commander is Evuan, who is in command of Burning Faith.  You will leave in 36 hours."  He told us

"Thank you, noble prophet" I said again

"You may leave now" He told us

Without words, Di'anm and Flip got up, and we walked out.

"So this is when the fun begins" Flip said.  Always an adventure seeker.

"Not even close" I said with a smile

(Part of)Chapter 2: The Journey begins

Year: 2552, on human planet, Overwatch

seven, it's been seven years since the noble prophets have sent me and my comrades on their noble journey to wipe out this abomination of a race, the humans.  We have been swift and deadly in our conquest.  Recently, our fleet discovered a human planet with some of our forerunner relics uncovered.  Our  Fleet-master; Djin'mi; tells us to find these items, and bring them back unharmed.  He tells us they can lead us to the fabled Forerunner structures; that will take us to salvation.  Failure; as impossible as was, was not an option. 

After invading a human city, we searched every building to find the holy objects.  The gods were not with us.  We could not find anything that wasn't made by these humans.  Since we found nothing, we took what survivors were left to a camp and...persuaded them to tell us where there were.  No one talked.  I grabbed one human, a female I think; all humans look alike; and pointed my rifle at her head.  I spoke their language, but, apparently, they didn't.  As I was about to pull the trigger, I heard:
"WAIT!" A human shouted

I throw the human to the ground and said:
"Tell me where the objects are...NOW."

"Fine; I'll tell you...on one condition" He said

"And what might that be?" I asked it

As I took a closer look at him; I guess; I realized that he, was an "ODST" as they were called.  I could tell by the armor he was wearing.  Battle reports stated that they were tougher; and more brave(foolish to me), than the other humans.

"A fight" He said

I would have fallen to the ground laughing; which is what some of my brothers did; had I not been trained to.

"No weapons, you win, I tell you what you want to know, I win, you let all of us go" He said

I heard some grunts whispering:

"do ya think he'll do it?"

"I thought elites were brave"

"Is he really afraid of a human?"

That was it.

"Fine; don't expect anything easy." I told him

"I was just about to say the same thing" He said with a smile

He then rolled up his sleeves; and thats when I looked at Flip, and said:

"This is where the fun begins"

Act 2 of...chapter 2

I was a little uneasy with this fight for a few reasons.  I hardy(and most others) every fight without some type of weapon.  Even in training, we use holographic swords.  Another was, why was this human wanting a fight?  does it honestly think it can win?  maybe he will cheat.  I never thought I would do this with a human; but...

"Wait" I said

The human looked puzzled, as did most of my brothers.  He lowered his arms and asked:
"What's the hold up!?"

"To make this a valid and truthful fight, we will fight under the code of sanghile" I told him

Some of my brothers were astonished by this.  Even though this was a human, a fight is a fight; and it deserves to be fair.

"And that would be?" he asked

"It is what we elites use in any fight scenario.  It is our oath." I started

"To put simply for you" I taunted, he was not so amused

"It basically says, we don't deceive the other in any way, and if done, my brothers will intervene and..." I started

"And what?" He asked

"Lets just say the fight will be over for some one" I said

I think I heard a gulp from him.

"a-alright, d-eal" he said

"But." He said

"You have to turn off your shield." He told me

"That way it's fair" He said

***; he had me there.  Even though I turned off my shield, I could see; and smell; the sweat dripping from him.  He was scared to death.  This won't take long.  I am knowledgeable in all forms of human combat; just in case something rare like this would happen.

He lifted his arms; as did I.  But I raised them as if I was holding a sword.  This wasn't going to be as easy as I thought.  Just then, he charged at me, and throw his left arm at me.  I went to block, but I forgot I wasn't wielding a sword, so I covered a smaller section than normal.  He directly hit me on my chest plate.  He managed to knock me back a unit; and knock the wind out of me.  I took a deep breath; bad idea.  He used his right hand to do what was called an "upper cut" and hit my bottom mandible and sent me fallen.  I hit the ground.  Hard.  I felt blood on my arm.  It was coming from a broken part of my mandible.  I popped it back into its socket and said:
"Alright, play time is over"

"Aww really?  And we were just getting started." He said with a smile

This human was pissing me off.  Time to get serious.  I got up and charged at him.  I then lunged at him from to far away.  Again, no sword.  He dodged it and punched me in the face; again.  I didn't fall, but my face was in serious pain.  I soon realized that I can't fight under normal elite standards.  Using what I knew about human combat, this ODST was using what was called "boxing".  Studying this I can-
I was hit in the chest.  I let my guard down again. 

*Stop thinking; you need to be more focused* I told myself

"And here I though this would be tough" He said to me

As he charged at me again, I studied his moves.  I concluded he would his right arm to attack me again; as it was most vulnerable; or so he thought.  As he was about to strike me; I used my right arm to throw off his arm.  He was stunned; perfect.  Using my left arm, I punched him clean in the in the chest and sent him soaring.  I could guess, but I must have sent him about 20 units.  I walked over to him; he was coughing very much.  I put my huff on his chest and said:
"Where are they"

"*cough* alright *cough*; I'll tell you.  Just *cough* get your foot off of me." He said

I moved my huff and put my face about a unit away from his and asked:
"Where are they"

"Here *cough*" He pulled out a piece of what was called "paper".  A devise used by humans to keep information.  primitive.  As I looked at it, I realized it had coordinates on it. 

"Captain said to keep this a secret; knew you guys were looking for them." He started

"I hate this, but a deal was a deal" He said

I felt something then.  Something inside.  Just then, one of my brothers picked him up, and took out his sword; and was about to free the humans head from his body; until I said:
"No"

He lowered his sword and asked:
"What are you doing Captain?"

"Let him go" I told him

"Why!?" He asked  "He is our enemy!"

"And I am your captain!" "Do as I say!" I ordered

He turned off his sword and released him.

"For fighting valiantly; I will let you go" I said

What about them?" He asked pointing at what humans were left.

"Fine" I told him

I then looked at my brothers and said:
"If any of these humans fail to reach the exit alive; all your heads will roll."

Some grunts started to run. 

After watching the humans leave, I took Flip and Di'anm to the coordinates on the paper the human gave me.  We came on a building reduced to ruble.  Something was different about this building though; it didn't have any plasma burns or scars on it.  I concluded that the humans destroyed it them selves to hide the forerunner relics.  Clever.  Maybe humans weren't as primitive as we thought.  Maybe.  After searching the grounds for ten minutes; we found a small covering.  I removed it and found and small hole.  I reached in and found what we were looking for and I pulled out a cylindrical rainbow gem.  It was beautiful.  I was completely invoked into the gem; until my com blared on.

"Ras'quinn, have you found it?" asked Djin'mi

"Affirmative" I  said

"Good.  We have new orders from the prophets them selves" He said

"One of our probes has recently found one of the humans stronghold known as Reach.  It is most likely their last; taking this planet will assure our noble quest succeeds" He told me

"Yes, Fleet-master" I said and turned off the com.

The time has come.  The Great Journey is at hand; and nothing will stop me.  Or so I thought.

Chapter 3: Reach... and see how far you go

Di'anm, Flip, and me boarded The phantom and took off into space.  I witnessed the "cleansing" of a planet.  Another thing I didn't follow the prophets about.  The noble ones say that it purifies the planet, but I personally hate this idea.  Why would they destroy such beauty?  Surely the Forerunners didn't want to cleans a planet they ounce lived on?  Just then; I thought of the human I fought with.  He fought for his right to live.  He would have sacrificed his live to save the other humans.  Maybe he and the others lived.  Then I looked backed at the scorched land we left behind.  No; it was impossible.  That made feel unwell inside.

As we boarded the Burning Faith, I went to seek out the Fleet Master.  I was ordered to give him the Forerunner relic.  I went to the command deck and found Djin'mi.

"Very good Ras'quinn, the prophets will be most pleased" he told me

Mention of the prophets made me uneasy.  Djin'mi took notice of this and asked:
"Why so disappointed?  you have made the prophets proud"

"Yes; the prophets, may I speak with you in private?" I asked him

He was puzzled by this but told me to wait in the conference room.  Said he would be along shortly.  10 minutes went by; I was becoming impatient.  Just as was about to leave; he stepped in.

"Forgive me Ras'quinn; I had urgent business to attend too." He said

"Understood" I replied

As he took a seat, he asked:
"What do you have on your mind?"

As I took my seat I said:
"The Prophets"

"What about them?" he asked me

"I feel...that the prophet's minds are clouded" Wrong words to say to a Fleet Master

"WHAT!?" He said as he jumped out of his chair.

"Be calm Djin'mi" I tried to calm him down.  I didn't feel like losing my head.

"Explain yourself Ras" He stated as he folded his arms

"I was just merely wondering why the prophets have ordered us to kill the humans; and destroy the planets in which the forerunners stayed on." I told him

No reply.

"surely even you think that the humans are far more superior than those brutes." I stated

After hearing that, he walked up to the door and pressed a series of buttons.  Just then, the door turned bright red instead of light blue.  He then walked back to my chair and grabbed my arm.

"What are you-" I started

He then turned on his sword, and put it to my neck.

"Are you calling the prophets lier's?  Are you a heretic?  If so, I will gladly sever your head." He told me.

"N-n-no!  I believe in the oath!  I Live my life for the prophets!" I Shouted

"Good; hopefully we won't have to discuss this again" He said and throw me to the ground.

As he opened the door and left; Flip and Di'anm ran in to help me up.

"Sir; are you alright!?" Flip asked

I told them I was fine; but I probably will never be the same again.  Although they were persistent; I never told them what did happen to me and the Fleet Master.  For a week this went on; until we arrived at the planet.

The alarm blared and the three of us ran to the command deck.

"Ah; good timing Ras; I have a mission for you." He started

"It seems the humans have what is called "MAC" guns.  Despite their primitive technology; these weapons have destroyed numerous amounts of our ships.  We need you to take them out." He told us

"Understood" Was all I said

"Good." He said

"And I hope you remember your duties" he said with a certain tone

It made me feel unwell.  But never the less; I had to do my duty.  For this mission; I only requested Di'anm and Flip to come along with me.  As we put our suits on; Flip asked:
"Will you ever tell us what happened with you and the Fleet Master?"

I didn't have answer for him; so I told him:
"Soon; I promise"

He simply nodded, and we went back to our duties. 

"Hatch open; you are free to go" the com went

"Affirmative" I said back

As we went into space; I felt unusually comfortable, safe; free.  Just then I saw ships flying around, and realized this wasn't the time.  I turned on my jet-pack and joined the two, and made a course for the station.  As we landed on the hull; I told Di'anm to plant a charge on the hull.  He was our explosive expert.  After a few seconds; there was a huge explosion.  A *** good one at that I must say.

"Take point" I said

I took out my swords; Flip took out his special plasma rifles.  He made them so they recharge and fire faster.  While Di'anm only had a rifle.  Something lite; to carry more explosives.  We made our way to the upper deck; we heard more explosions.  More teams were arriving. 

"Quick; plant the charge so we may leave" I told Di'anm

"Cover me" He said

As he was planting the charge I heard a noise and my shield flared.  Humans; and they were shooting at us.  Luckily, the human only scraped my shield; causing only minimal damage to my shield and no damage to me.  Flip was providing covering fire and took out a human.  I then grabbed Di'anm's weapon(its not like he was using it) and opened fire.

As I was reloaded, I shouted:
"Hurry up!"

"Patience; only a minute now"

Just then more humans came; and I took cover behind a wall.  One was different though; it had large, bulky, green armor.  I fired a few shots at it...and they bounced off.  I saw a shimmer.  Shields.  Humans were getting wiser. 

"Done!" Di'anm shouted

"Good; we're leaving" I said and tossed Di'anm his weapon back.

"We can't go back; humans are allover there." Flip said while firring

"Then we'll make a new exit" I said

"How?" Di'anm asked

As luck would have it; I spotted an armory, with large human projectiles.

"Cover me" I said

Both Di'anm and Flip fired as I ran behind them and grabbed the weapon.

As I holstered the weapon over my shoulder; I shouted:
"Stand back!"

I pulled the trigger; and felt force push me back, then the wall exploded; and saw the deepness of space.  That pulled all of us forward and out into the blackness.  As the humans flew into space; prying and grasping for air; I felt pity for them.  Putting my pity aside, I spoke into the com and started:
"Mission acom-"

The bigger human came up and grabbed me.  This one was persistent.  As we fighting in space; the human grabbed my mask; to try and take me with him.  Like hell he was.  Fighting him off with one hand; I grabbed my sword and cut him open.  I watched as he floated and his blood flow out.  That is a death that no one should have to suffer.  I didn't want to, but I had no chose.  When Flip and Di'anm came and got me; I looked back and saw the station go up in flames.  I was about to say something when:
"Good work Ras, now come back to the ship" The Fleet Master said into the com

"Understood" I said with what breath I had

"This certainly is fun" Flip told me

We didn't know it yet; but that wasn't even close to what fun awaited us

Chapter 4: The thrill of the chase

"Welcome back" Fleet Master Djin'mi said as he patted me on the back

"Thank you, sir" I said, taking in as much air as I could, while putting my hand to my chest.   

"I take it your trip in space was delightful" Djin'mi said with a smile

"It was...eventful" I told him

"I see you faced the new type of humans" he started

I was puzzled for a moment; then I realized he meant the huge, green human.

"Yes sir; they are quite the formidable opponent" I said

"More than that; they seem to equal us in combat and tactics" He started

"But; they seem to have...halted many of our land operations that we have seen them on."

"What do you mean?" I asked

"They have destroyed all ground combat units that they came in contact with" He told me

I; and many others who did not know this fact, dropped our jaws and were speechless.

"Luckily; since their primitive technology can not stand up to ours; we glassed the worlds they were on." Most of the crew applauded and cheered; not me.

Just then, Djin'mi walked up up to me and said: 
"No one, defies the covenant, no one"

We elites normally have no fear; but he managed to get a gulp out of me.  My two comrades noticed this; although they didn't say any thing, I knew something was up with them.  Luckily, before they could do any thing, the alarm blared.

"Report" the Fleet Master said into the com

"Sir; a human vessel is jumping into slip-space; attempting to flee!" An elite said back

Djin'mi growled at this.  But; came up with a plan.

"Have half the fleet stay behind and take care of this human planet; while the rest, with me, will pursue the human ship" He told the elite

"Understood, Fleet Master" The com went before it shut off

He then turned to us and said:
"lets show these humans what happens when they mess with the covenant"

Everyone cheered and roared.  As we jumped into slip-space; I went to my room; think.  I do this a lot as many have said.  For days, I never left my room.  I thought for those days, about the humans, the covenant, and the prophets.  No matter how much I thought; I never came to answer.  This made me frustrated.  Then one day; someone knocked at the door.  I was not in the mood for anyone, but I opened it anyway.  It was Flip. 

"What are doing here?" I asked

"well, you did promise you would tell me what happened with you and the Fleet Master"

*** it; An elite always keeps his promise; at least; thats what my father kept telling me.

But I had too, he was my best comrade, and I never kept secrets from him.

"Fine; if you wish" I started

I told him about how I felt about the covenant, and the humans.  How I presented my ideas to the Fleet Master, and how he was displeased.  At first, I thought Flip felt the same way as Djin'mi, until he said:
"You have great points Ras'quinn; if only others can see as you do"

"Thank you; my friend" I said with a smile

"I will follow you no matter what" he said

I was also about to say something when, the alarm went off.

"All crew report to command deck immediately" Djin'mi said into the com

I looked at flip, and he looked at me. We both nodded and headed to the bridge.  As we entered; we saw the main view screen, and what it showed.  It was a "Halo". The Forerunners gateway to the great journey. 

"We have received word from the prophets that they will arrive in a few days to see our discovery." Djin'mi told the crew

many of the crew started to pray and bless the prophets, but still not I.  It was amazing, but a question boggled my mind; why would the forerunners construct an object to take them to the great beyond?  The Fleet Master had ordered us to wait for the humans to come to the ring and destroy them before they could do damage to the holy relic.

For hours we waited; and many grew impatient.  As we growled and hissed about how the humans would destroy their most holy object, we had heard that the human vessel was approaching.  Because we couldn't blast them out of existence; due to the fact we may harm the ring; we were ordered to board the craft and destroy them from the inside.

But my team had different orders.  We were told to go down to the surface, and find the control room.  I took the best elites we had and left the ship.  As we entered the rings atmosphere, I felt a strange sensation.  Like something terrible was going to happen.

Little did I know what I was getting into...

Chapter 5: Holy...or is it?

I looked at my hand picked team, and saw Di'anm.  He looked at me, puzzled, and asked:
"Something troubles you captain?"

I had realized I had not spoken my true feelings to him.  I pondered how he would react.  Would he accept my thoughts as Flip had done; or be as irrational as the Fleet Master and declare heresy?

"Just eager to complete the mission" I told him

He just nodded.  I acted like a coward.  An elite should have no fear.  But for once in my life, I was frightened behind belief.  He was second only to me, a valiant fighter, and my best comrade.  Only time will tell.

Aside from my brief discussion with Di'anm, the drop-ship was completely silent.  Usually there was chatter about what we would do once we got there, mission objectives, and formations they would do.  But nothing; silence.  I wondered if they were thinking the same as I.  That the Holy ring had something evil about it.  We elites have good instincts; or in this case; bad.  For what felt like ages in the awkward silence; we landed on the ring.  After dismounting off the ship; and seeing it fly back into the stars, my com flared on.

"Ras, we will hold off the humans while you complete your objectives" An elite said

"Understood" I replied

"And may the gods be with you"

I was about to say something, but the com went silent.  I pressed a button on my helmet, and words appeared on my visor.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE- Find the central control room to the ring.  A wait further instructions when done.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE- Find a LZ for base emplacement.

Both would be difficult to achieve since this ring is gigantic.

I turned off my visor and looked at my five spec-ops team.

Di'anm, of course, was my explosives expert.  He had so many explosives on him, he could blow a cruiser.  Flip, was my search and destroy elite.  He has the latest in active camo that blends into the environment more, and has his personal rifles.  Do'min and Do'mon were twins who do everything together.  Both graduated at the same time, and were the same rank.  They were also excellent marksmen.  The duo could take out any target with their standard beam rifles.  And Feng.  He was the close combat expert.  He even managed to beat me in even combat exercise.  He is often hot headed; which was the reason why I was promoted while not him.  He was not so pleased with this.  I told them our objects; and asked them which to do first.  It was numinous; we find an LZ.  We had no vehicles; so we had to use our feet. 

For hours, we searched.  During those hours, I looked at the beautiful landscape.  The wonderful air, trees, running water; it was all so calm.  It made me miss home.  We had gone without stopping, but we became tiresome soon.  As we were about to give, and rest, we spotted a perfect LZ.  It was a mountain with a mostly flat top that would be perfect for a base; and edges that made it difficult to climb.  Which is was.

We climbed all the way to top with again, no stopping.  After making it to the top, I placed a beacon.  After five minutes, drop-ships came from the sky and dropped off parts of a base, troops, and vehicles.  After all this, I looked at my team and decided that we needed some R'n'R.  For a day, I relaxed and renewed myself.  For hours, I thought I should tell Di'anm my thoughts.  Now was the best possible time, so, I called him to my corder's.  As I sat and waited for him, my com started again.

"Ras, we have a problem" An elite said

great, just what I needed

"What is so urgent?" I asked

"One of our search teams did not check in, we presume that they are underground and their coms do not work" He started

"We need you to confirm this; here are their last known coordinates"

I had other problems, but I could not say no.

"Understood" I replied

"Oh, be warned, humans have been spotted around there"

The com went silent.  Just as I was about to get up, Di'anm walked in.

"You requested my presence?" He asked

"Yes..." I started

Should I tell him now?  What about the mission?  The gods were certainly not with me.

"Gather the team; we have another mission" I told him

I hate lying, but this would have to wait.

"Understood" he said and put his hand to his chest

"Have them at the entrance in less than five minutes"

He left, which gave me a few minutes to myself.  I chose missions over the well being of my best comrade.  Would I continue to do this?  I hope this never happens again.  after my thinking period; I meet the team at the entrance.  As we boarded the phantom, I debriefed them as usual. 

"The drop-ship will drop us off fifty units away from the entrance to the underground" I started

"As before, we will have no vehicles-" I was interrupted

"Just the way I like it" Feng; hotheaded as usually

"Or air support; we're on our own once we drop" I said

Just the way I liked it; quick, and quite.  I wanted this to go off without much commotion. 

"And, if you see humans, take them out quietly; no big messes"

Feng was unhappy about this, but I ignored him for the moment.  As we approached the drop zone The area became more and more fog intense. I had that bad feeling again.  something was not right.  The ship was hovering a few units above the ground when the pilot said:
"This is as far as I take you"

We jumped off and went into formation two.  Flip went first and went camo to check the near surroundings, then the Do brothers went, to check high spots, then Feng and me to cover them, and lastly Di'anm.  As the phantom left, I say a bush move.  I tapped Feng who tapped the Do twins and readied ourselves.  As the camo faded, I saw Flip give the signal meaning the path was clear.  We moved in my special formation.  Do'min covered the back with Feng, the middle was Di'anm and Do'mon, and Flip and I covered the front.  As we walked through the heavily wooded and fogged area, I thought again.  What were they doing out here?  What was out here?  As these thoughts raced through my head, we came upon an entrance to some forerunner cave.  As I looked closer at it, I saw the bodies of grunts, jackals and humans around it.  There was a fight here; and by the scent of the humans weapons, was not along ago. 

"Flip, check the bodies" I said

"Do'min, Do'mon cover the rear"

"Understood" they said in unison

"Captain, all are dead" Flip reported

***, too late. 

"Feng, Di'anm, and Flip with me; we're going in"

"Do's, stay here and shoot any humans that come through here" I said

"Yes captain" again, in unison

"Good, lets move" I said and pointed to the others

As we moved through the tunnels, there was a foul stench in the air.  But it wasn't from any human weapon; it just smelled foul.  We walked for a few minutes and saw another body; it was an elite's.   He had a gapping hole in his chest.  As we looked at it, Di'anm asked:
"What the hell did this?"

"It doesn't look like a human did it" Flip said

"Something came out of him" Feng said

"But what could have done this?" Flip asked

"If we keep moving; we'll find out" I said

I will avenge your death, comrade.  We kept moving and came upon a single human.  He looked scared out of his mind.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!!" He shouted

"YOU"LL NEVER TURN ME INTO ONE OF THOSE MONSTERS!"

He was shooting in all directions; something happened here. 

"This is a bothersome; may I take him out?" Feng asked

I looked at the human; he was stricken with fear, and in no shape to fight. I have honor, and I will not ashame myself to this defenseless human.

"No, we'll go around him" I said

"What!?" Feng was angered by this

"We will go camo and go around him; and thats an order" I said

I heard a grrr from him.

"Yes, sir"

As we turned camo, I went up closer to the human; he was shaking uncontrollably.

*What the hell is down here?* I thought    

I would soon find out.  We came upon a door littered with bodies; all with holes in their chest's.

"Feng, Flip; take point"

"Di'anm open this door" I said

"I can't promise it will be quite" He replied

"Just open it" I scolded

Something was on the other side of this door; and I wanted to kill it.

"Clear!" Di'anm shouted

As the door blew open, I had the feeling.

"Bring it" I said

And thats just what it did...

(Part 1)chapter 6:the truth hurts... a lot

As the dust settled, I raised my arm and two fingers.  Meaning I was to go in alone, while the rest of the group remains here and waits for my signal.  As I stepped into the hall of death, I could smell its foul oder all over the room.  But that wasn't all. There was a noise.  Not a loud noise, but painful.  It bored into my brain, and I felt an extreme pain there.  There was no physical pain, but I almost fell over.  The noise, it was horrible.  This room had something evil in it. 

Just as quickly as it came, it left.  Gaining back myself, I took a second to recoup myself.  Calm and clear heads win battles, as my father would say.  Unfortunate I did not have this.  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a body on the floor.  I ran over to it, rifle pointing out in front, and bent down to check it.  It was a human body.  Although, something seemed odd about the human, it looked nothing like a normal human.

I took another look around, and saw nothing else.  Assuming he was dead, I got up and started to the door.  The noise, the horrid noise was back.  Now it was louder than ever, and the pain was unbearable.  I almost keeled over again.  As I got up, the noise became louder and louder.  It was getting closer; what ever it was.  As I turned around, the human body was gone.  I simply thought the noise was messing with my mind.  Just then I looked up, and saw the human 10 units in the air, lunging at me.

I fired a few shots into his chest, nothing.  It kept coming.  I fired a few more shots, it still approached me.  As it was about to strike me with its unusually long arm, I pulled out my sword and plunged it straight into its chest.  As it slid off my sword and for to the floor, it muttered a word.  It was difficult to understand, as it was raspy and scattered.
"Run"

I did not understand this... at first.  As I was about to leave, the noise crept into my head again.  It didn't seem loud, just numerous.  From the sky, hundreds of small ball-like creatures jumped down upon me.  I put my sword back and took out my rifle and open fired.  They were easily killed, only one shot made the *pop*, so to speak.  Although they were easily killed, they were large in numbers, and that was the problem.

"Back up now!!" I shouted into my com

Feng, Di'anm and Flip entered the room, and were paralyzed.  I assumed it was awe, but it could have been fear as well.

"Open fire!" I yelled at them

It took a moment, but soon the horrid noise was drowned out by the sound of hot plasma, and over heating of rifles. 

"By the Forerunners!  What are these abominations!?" Feng shouted

I had a memory at that moment.  In my younger days at the academy, I had heard tales of such creatures.  A ship-master, I believe, was apparently the only the supposed survivor of his crew.  He said that some impure creatures attacked and killed them.  Many of us thought he was simply mad.  Now we know why he became mad.

"Ras, look out!" Is what brought me back to reality.  As I came back, I saw another one of those creatures lunge at me again.  I couldn't do anything; it was too late to pull out sword, and firing at it wouldn't do much.  I was staring death in the face.  Nothing left to do other than wait. 

I closed my eyes, waiting for something that would not happen.  A sword came out of nowhere and cut him in half. 

"Clear your head Ras!" Feng yelled, and went straight back into slicing those creatures. 

I looked at the remains of the corpse, and realized who it was.  It was Shimn, the leader of the group we were sent to find.  He was horridly disfigured.  These things turned him into a monster.  This is an enemy we could not face by ourself, so I gave the order:
"Retreat!"

Hardly ever do elites say this, but right now, my brothers lives were more important than honor.  And they felt the same way, as they did not hesitate to run.  It was hard running back wards and shooting at an infinite enemy.  As we were back tracking, we came across the single human survivor.  The others ran passed him, but I paused a moment. 

The thing were coming, cause death as they passed, and this defenseless human was here.  Almost as bait.  The memory of the other human, the one I fought, came to mind.  I promised him and the others freedom, but I lied.  But this was different, I had the chance the to save him.  But, would I?  He is my enemy, it goes against everything I've been taught.  But no one deserves a death like that, as a monster.  What was I to do?  Leave him, like my other brothers would do, or save him and lose my honor?

This question was complex, but had a simple answer.  And I knew which one it was... 

Part two

Leave him.  What was the point of risking my life to save an enemy?  This human was not worth it.  I will leave them, as did the forerunners have.  As I turned away though, I had a memory.  It was with the human I faced in unarmed combat some time ago.  He risked his life to save many he did not know.  A worse fact, I had promised him safety, when only he received death in the end.  Where was my honor there?  As these thoughts waged war in my head, the parasite was coming still, ever growing closer to my demise.  I quickly grabbed the human and placed him on my shoulder. 

"What the hell are you doing!?  put me down!" he shouted while kicking and screaming

If I could not save the other human, I can repay his death with this humans' life; however bothersome he was.  But I had a dilemma; how can I repay a life if I am dead?  The flood were coming and I had no time to waste.  I started running.  I didn't know where, but I was just running.  The Forerunners were wise to make this place into a labyrinth, in case the parasite ever broke out.  But it was most troublesome when you were trying to escape from them.  Running from hallway through hallway, seeing no end in sight, I prayed the Forerunners looked after me.

As it turns out, someone was watching over me.  After what felt like a Milena, I finally came across the entrance from with I came.  I saw my comrades there; and from what I could make out, Di'anm was shouting at me.  I could not understand him as I was too far away.  Just as I was only ten units away from the exit, a huge force sent me and the human flying through the air.  As I went flying through the air, I figured what Di'anm was trying to tell me.  I landed thirty units away from everyone, and landed in a soft marshy area.  It was good, it softened the blow.  However, I wasn't as lucky as I originally thought.  The human landed right on top of me with a nice *thud*. 

"ohhh, my back" the human said as he got up and ran his hand up and down his back portion of his body.

His back, my whole body.  I couldn't move for what felt like a minute.  My group then rushed over to help me up.  As Di'anm and Flip picked me up, Feng took the human in one hand, and his sword in the other.

"What the hell is a human doing here!?" Feng asked while looking at me

"He...is...with me" I said with all the breath I could muster

"That is why you almost became food for the parasite!?  To save a human!?" Feng questioned

There was more reason to that, but I didn't want to go into detail about this.

"My own reasons, now let him go" I said

"But-" he started

"That is an order" I said 

Feng growled, but let the human go.  The human was till frightened, but now, more confused to why he was still alive.  As I gained my strength back, Flip got me up to date with some news.  The humans had over run our base at the mountain, and a staged assault on it was planned.  But worse news was that a human with some different armor was attempting to destroy the ring and teams were spread thin to stop him.

"We have called in a phantom to take us to Burning Faith for further orders." Flip stated

Good, I need to...talk to the ship master.  We waited for hours for the phantom, we became impatient.  The rest of the group still wondered why I saved the human.  I still gave no answer.   After waiting a little bit longer, the phantom showed and picked us up.  The pilot was skeptical about the human, but I told him the ship master requested a human for interrogations.  After leaving the atmosphere of the ring, and landing on the ship, I took the human to my corridors.

"Stay here, and do not touch anything" I told him

He simply nodded, so I went off to find the ship-master.  As I walked the halls, I felt a tremendous rumble.  I quickly open my com:
"Report!" I shouted

"Sir; the ring, it has been destroyed!" An elite said

I was speechless, I didn't know what to do.  I didn't believe him, so I ran to the closet transparent wall, and saw the total destruction for myself.  My com flared on again:
"Di'anm, there is am object approaching the ship, it is made of forerunner origin, see what it is, so we do not disappoint the prophets any further." the ship master said

I quickly put on my anti-gravity suit and went to check out the object.  It appeared to be metal floating eye. But it could speak as well:
"oh, hello.  My name is 343 guilty spark, and I am a genius"

From that moment on, my destiny was forever changed...

chapter 7: The begging of one thing, is the end of another

As I floated in space, wondering what this object was, it talked to me.

"My name is 343 guilty spark" he stated

"You already told me your name" I replied

"Did I?  Odd, after a few Millie, your mind seems to, fade" 343 told me

This '343 guilty spark' obviously is human, as it seems to as intelligent as them.  A Milena?  I never knew humans had such technology back then.  I shall ask the human I found about this...thing. 

I brought the A.I. to the ship, were I was greeted with the presence of the ship master; and holding the human in his left hand.  This would not go well. 

"care to explain this, Ras?" Djin'mi asked

I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, the A.I. interrupted me:
"A reclaimer! oh thank the creators!  I thought you were all killed in the explosion"

So, it was a human A.I.  But why did it refer to him as a reclaimer?

"Ras, what is that?" the ship master questioned

I again was interrupted by the A.I.

"My name is 343 guilty spark, and I am...or was, the monitor of installation 04"

"By the gods! the oracle!" the ship master shouted

"please forgive me, I am humbled by your presence" Djin'mi stated

He then pushed a button on his helmet.

"All crew members, report to hanger 07, there is a forerunner relic on the ship" he said into the com

In less then a minute, the entire crew of Burning Faith was in the hanger.  Needless to say, it was quit crowded.  As they filed in, many got on there knees, and prayed.  As he spoke, the entire ship was quite, not one sound could be heard, other than his voice:
"Why thank you, I am a genius" he laughed as he said it.

More like arrogant, I thought.  It was best not to speak now.

"But, may you please put the reclaimer down, it is delicate"

Everyone looked puzzled, no one was holding anything; other than the ship master.

"The human?" he questioned, and raised him up a little more

"why of course!  Now please put it down, we have much to do" guilty spark said

"What can you do with this...human" ship master stated

"protocol; of course" the A.I. replied, as if we knew what he was talking about

"We must hurry, the flood has broken out, and we must activate the array..." he started

"You mean, the Halo?" he questioned

"Halo?  We do you use such inaccurate terms.  We must get this reclaimer to the nearest ring, as protocol dictates" he went on

"To prevent the flood from spreading, of course"

"What about the Forerunners?"

"Do you know nothing?" he seemed enraged by this

"My creators built the array to stop the flood, before they consumed all sentient beings in the galaxy"

"What about the Great Journey!?"

"Great Journey?"  Why do you insist on using such inaccurate terms"

The Ship master became frustrated, and threw the human to the ground.  I heard a cracking sound.

"AHHHH!  My arm!" he shouted

Those were his last as the ship master took out his sword and stabbed him in the chest.

"What are you doing!" I shouted

As he took his sword out he said:
"He was a heretic, that was the death he deserves"

"But the Oracle-" I started

"That is no Oracle, it is a fake, designed to take us off the Great Journey"

"Get rid of it Ras"

I could not believe this.  He was denying logical facts.  How could he call it lies?  How could he be so blind?

"Ras!  Do as you are told!" he shouted

I can't do this.  I was taught to go by the prophet's will, and be rewarded.  But now, this thing, this A.I. speaks of what could be the truth.  But the Prophets, why would they lie?  What was truth, and what was lies.  My head was in pain, so many thoughts, it could not handle the information.  The humans, were they forerunners?  The questions with no answers, it made me scream.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Then, it happened; I knew what I was to do.

"no" I said

"WHAT!?"

"The Oracle, it speaks the truth." I said, and pointed out the A.I.

The entire crew was awestruck.  How could I go against the prophets?

"How dare you Ras!  How can you deny the prophets!"

"How can you deny the truth!"

"The prophets are the truth!  They will lead us to salvation!  What you say is heresy!"

"No, what I say is, you are blind, and must see the light" I said

I run up to him and threw him to the ground.  I put my foot on him his chest he said his final words:
"The prophets will, shall be done!"

"Not if they are dead" I said and put my sword in his chest

The crew was still, not a single movement.  I took my sword out and said:
"My brothers!  You see what the prophets have done!  They have lied to us, and it has made us betray one another!"

Most of the crew still seem displeased that I killed the ship master.  I had to act fast, if my fate was to be different than Djin'mis'.

"The Oracle, it speaks the truth.  Why else were we to kill the humans?  Why didn't we allow them to join?  Because the prophets, they knew the humans were the gods children"

"Reject the lies!  Do not sacrifice your lives for them anymore!  The prophets reign ends now!"

The crew was in thunderous uproar.  They cheered for the truth.  The veil was lifted, and we were set free.  Although, some still rejected the truth.  One elite came up front and faced everyone and spoke.

"How can you listen to this heretic!  He killed the ship master!  The prophets-" His last words, as I plunged the sword into his head

"Those who do not accept the truth, must die." I said

"Splendid!" guilty spark said

The time has come; the Great Journey is over, and the lies will die with the prophets...

chapter 8:the sins of the father; the retribution of the son

*The crew of the ship Burning Faith discards their old armor, and dawn their older, pre-covenant armor.  The stolen ship en-barks on a crusade around the galaxy reveling the truth to the rest of the covenant.  Those that still didn't believe, were killed.  Ironic eh?  The ship Burning Faith goes to the elite home world to inform the rest of their brothers about the prophet's lies.  Unbeknown to them, the ship joining hands is in orbit around the planet.*

"Sir, we have arrived at our home world" An elite stated

"Excellent, prepare to land.  We must inform the rest of our brothers of the prophets heresy."

"By your word" He replied

The time had finally come, the prophets rein will fall.  We will finally be free from the oppression of those lier's.  As the ship approached the planet, the scanners went off.

"Sir, enemy ship in orbit!" An elite shouted

I didn't want to kill any more of our brothers. Normally, our swords vaporize any material they come in contact with.  My sword was used so much, blood was stained into it.  The blood of my brothers.  I didn't want to fight, not anymore. 

"Get the communications up.  I want to contact that ship" I said

"it shall be done" he replied

"Sir, they are not responding.  They are blocking our communications" The elite stated

"What!?  Who is in command of that ship?" I asked

"Sir, it is Grousek..."He started

I was paralyzed.  My father.  I had spoken or thought of him in ages.  What would he think of me now?  Killing our own kind, and being against the very thing he fought for. 

"Sir, we are receiving a transmission" The elite said

"Heretics aboard your commandeered ship, prepare to burn for your sins" Grousek said.

Just then, streaks of hot plasma hit the ship and caused it to shake.  A few of the elites few to the floor.  I remained where I stood.  Still frozen at the fact my own father, the one who gave me birth and a place in this universe, would open fire at his own son.  I was still shaken at this fact, but I managed to say:
"Status report!"

"The gods were with us.  The plasma torpedoes only skimmed the ship.  Had it made full impact, we would be with the gods now." The elite started

"Our shields are down to 20%.  Another hit, and we are finished, sir" He finished

I thought long and hard with what time I had.

"Prepare weapons.  Aim for a weak point, but don't destroy the ship.  I wish to board it" I had said

"Alone!?" An elite question

"This is between me and my father.  I must go alone."

"Sir, by the gods, at least take us with you!" Flip said

Di'anm was silent, but he raised his arm to his chest.  If only I could take them.  They were my comrades, my friends.  They would fight and die for me; which is the reason why I can't take them with me.

"I am sorry, I will not allow it." I replied

"But Ras-"He started

"Stay here, please.  Should I not return, I leave you in command." I told him and placed my arm on his shoulder.

He simply nodded.  And, although he would never Emmit it, I saw the tears in his eyes.  This was harder on him more than I thought.  More of a reason I shouldn't take him.

I turned to the control master.

"Fire the weapons on my mark" I told him

"Yes sir"

I went to the bay and boarded a seraph.  I was not fluent in flying this type of vehicle, but it was more maneuverable than a phantom.  I spoke into the com:
"Fire; now!" I said

The ship fired a plasma torpedo into an empty space in the Joining Hands hull.

"Sir, you only have 30 seconds until the shields recharge and cover the hull" An elite said

"Understood" Was my reply

I took off from the hanger bay...awkwardly.  Controlling a seraph was harder than I previously thought.  Although I had a rough start, I quickly get the hang of it.  I maneuvered past the plasma bolts shooting at me.  One scarped the shield, but I was alright.  I flew into the opening just as the shield recovered.  Thank the forerunners.  The thanks was short lived, as the crew members opened fire at my vessel.  I knew the shields would not hold for long.  But I didn't want to kill anymore, but what was I to do?  I began to think with the little time.  I could go camo; but then they could use thermal vision to see me.  Grenades?  Again, no killing.  Then it hit me.  A combination of the two.

Using the few grenades I had, I threw them in random areas, to distract them.  Once the firring stopped, I went camo.  I came up to the first elite, and instead of killing him, I knocked him out.  I continued doing this until they were all "finish".  I then preceded to the command deck to find my father.  He wasn't there.  I looked through the entire ship, and didn't find him.  I came up to the last room of the ship; his room.  He was there, waiting for me.

"So, the failure returns" He started

Charming as ever.

"I have returned to pass on the truth" I told him

"You and the rest of the heretics spread lies!  Have I taught you nothing!" He shouted

"You are the fool!  Following the lies of the prophets!"

"What you say is heresy!"

"What I say the truth!  Even thing you know is a lie!  Even the cake!"

He just stood there for a moment.  Not moving, nothing.

"I see now, that you have not failed me..." He started

I was shocked.  Had he finally accepted me?

"I have failed you" He said

No; it was to good to be true.  He took out his sword, and went to lunge at me.  I quickly grabbed my sword and blocked the lunge.  It was about a unit away from my face.

"What the hell are you doing!?" I shouted

Still pushing, he said:
"Fixing my mistake"

I was appalled.  A mistake?  How could my own father say that to me?  I was losing my concentration, and the sword was getting closer to my face.  He was much stronger than me, and pushing me down.  I could barely hold him off.  I was pushed down on one knee, struggling and shaking to hold him off using both hands on my sword.  As he leaned over me, I could see vapor coming off the sword.  It came from his tears.  He was crying.

"I have failed you, son.  And I am sorry"

Still holding him off, I said:
"Repent!  Save yourself from the lies!"

"I am"

He pushed harder.  I could barley hold him.  My arms were given way.  I had only one chance left.  I diverted all my strength, and pushed his sword to the left.  It sent the sword flying.  He was stunned, and I pushed my sword through his stomach.  As I got up, he said his final words:
"Why... son, why?"

Not looking directly at him, I replied:
"Because I failed you, and you failed to see the truth..."

With that, I pulled out my sword, and watched him fall to the floor, seeing the blood flow out of him.  I dropped my sword, and fell to my knees.  I screamed; for what felt like years.  I could fell the warm tears flow down my face, and vaporize as they touched the energy sword.  I was angry, fuming; I punched the wall next to me.  Just then, the wall flew up, to reveal the hidden closet, where he had given me that armor, seven years ago.  I got up, wiped whatever tears remained on my face, and took off the armor that was stained in blood.  The blood of the original wearer.  Stained in blood of the many enemies he had slain, now the owner's.  I put the armor back it its original place, and closed the door.

I looked back at my father's corpse, thinking about what I had done.  Then I realized something:
"You had failed my father, and I redeemed you"

I bent down to close his eyes saying my final words to him:
"Now you shall see the Great Journey is a myth"

I picked the body up, and put it in an escape pod.  I launched the pod and raised my fist to my chest, crying again.  I stopped myself, and went to grab my sword, still stained in blood.  As unfortunate as it may be, no one will stand in my way of spreading the truth; no one...

Chapter 9: An old enemy

Aboard High Charity; inside the Prophet's Council room

The prophets were gathered in their council room.  They were discussing about the tragic event that happened to their Halo.  Truth sat at the top of table with Regret at his left, and Mercy at his right.  As they discussed and argued, a camera nod approached the council.  The council became silent as the nod projected a hologram of  the elite, Ras'quinn aboard the Burning Faith.  The council was confused.  Who was this elite?  Why is the nod here before the council?  Isn't this matter meant for the Royal Guards?  Truth quited them by raising his hand in the air:
"Silence my brothers.  I shall handle this matter with Regret and Mercy."

"Isn't this a matter for the entire council?" A minor prophet asked

"Do you dare question my order?" Truth answered backed

"Of course not noble one" He replied and bowed

All the of the council filed out save for Regret and Mercy.  As soon as the last of them left and the door closed, Truth's expression became furious.  Regret was the first to speak:
"How did he discover the truth?"

"We must silence this unless we want another rebellion" Mercy interjected

They watched further into the Hologram, and soon came another image.  It was round and floating.  They knew what it was, and their worse fears had been realized.

"The Oracle!" Mercy said

"If they share this information with others, we will lose our power!" Regret stated

"They will surely have our heads for this" Mercy became shaky

"Truth, you remain silent.  What do you have to say for this?" Regret asked

Truth was still silent.  He turned his chair away from them, and pressed a button.

"You may now enter" Truth said into the com

"Who are you speaking too?" Mercy questioned

"The answer to our problems" Truth said with a maniacal smile

Just then, A brute entered the room.  He was not like the others.  He was slightly taller and seemed more muscular than the others.  He had full grey hair from head to toe and had a more pronounced voice than his other chieftains.

"What is the prophets whim?" He got on one knee and questioned

"We have a task for you" Truth said while pointing his hands at the other two.

"A task that will grant you and your brutes our respect once again" Truth said

"Say it, and I will sacrifice all for you" He said, still bowed

"This elite, this heretic, spreads lies and we need him silenced" Truth said pointing at the hologram

He growled at the very mention of "elites".  How they thought they were better than his brutes, and how they took their righteous place at the prophet's side.  The all deserved to burn in hell.

"Where is this traitor?" He asked

"He was last seen with his traitorous crew above their home world"

"I will gladly take this task for you" He spoke

Truth smiled again.

"If you should complete this task, we will grant you brutes your righteous place at our side" Truth said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"It shall be done" He said

"Good, now go forth with our blessing"

He rose, and went for the door, when the high prophet spoke again:
"Bring your race honor once again, Tartorus"

Well...all comments welcome!  hopefully I got it right this time!