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_________________________________________________________
This is a story of a Sangheli who changed the course of Covenant history forever. The Heretic.
_________________________________________________________

Step of Silence, Ninth Age of Reclamation, aboard Covenant destroyer "Joyous Apostle" in orbit above Basis and the ruins of artifact "Halo".

Ship Master Muda 'Onnomee sighed and clasped his mandibles. He and his ship, the Joyous Apostle, had been scouring Halo's debris field for Covenant survivors under the order of the Prophet of Humility. They had made a makeshift camp on Basis, which was littered with wreckage and debris from the destruction of Halo. Muda bared his fangs in anger the humans had defiled the Holy Ring, killed his brethren and destroyed it, along with most of the Covenant fleet in this system.

He had been here for several cycles now, and was growing increasingly edgy and eager to return to the front lines of the conflict. He asked his second in command, a veteran Sangheli called Tola 'Kamkamee what this status of the scanning was. Although there were more than a trillion floating objects out there, the Forerunner scanners they had obtained eons ago worked very well. The scan would be complete in a few units. 'Onnomee read the scanning monitor in front of him, written in the elaborate Covenant calligraphy.

There was something out there. Something was moving

Rotation ETA-CONDITION, Extract from logbook of 343 Guilty Spark. Transmitted/volunteered. Among ruins of artifact "Halo".

Oh dear. Everything is in a terrible state. Installation 04 has been destroyed, and I am left with nothing but a few Sentinels, Enforcers and thought propulsion. There is no protocol for this sort of occurrence. I must resort to my own thinking.....

Rotation Error. Time/date anomaly, suspected 1 week discrepancy between last logbook entry and current entry.

Excellent. It appears help is on the way.

END TRANSMISSION.

Step of Silence, Ninth Age of Reclamation aboard Covenant destroyer "Joyous Apostle", in geo-synchronous orbit above Covenant camp on Basis.

The Joyous Apostle was like a shining silver whale as it orbited gently above Basis, the light reflecting off it coming straight from the gas giant Threshold. The scanning room had seen something. Something that moved. Seraph fighters were now on patrol to find the exact location of this anomaly, and identify it as Covenant survivor, human scum or otherwise.

An entire wing of six Seraphs, teardrop-shaped Covenant fighters tumbled together in perfect formation as they sped towards the vague location of the target. Since it moved, scanners could not track it as well as a stationary or slower moving object. They had been given a relatively small area for searching though, and the Seraphs, commanded by the Ship Master himself, dodged to avoid a kilometre long piece of metal, one of thousands in Halo's debris field.

At the controls of his fighter, Muda 'Onnomee eyed the both his scanner and the space ahead. His training had told him one thing. Be prepared for anything. Suddenly the scanner showed seven blips, directly ahead of his position. He had just clicked his radio on to tell his squad when one of them was struck down by an enormous metal machine. The rest of the Seraphs immediately tumbled aside and narrowly missed the volley of laser and rocket fire.

'Retreat to the Apostle' Muda barked in his guttural tongue. The Seraphs sped back to the Joyous Apostle, the engine cones glowing bright as they flew. Muda knew that if there were Forerunner machines in Halo's debris field, chances were something else would be here too. He had heard the briefing from the condemned one, Orna 'Fulsamee, who had failed to protect the Holy Ring from the humans. He knew what to expect around the ring. An Oracle...

Deployment + 00.20.23 Enforcer FY 597, in debris field of artifact "Halo"

The Enforcer known as FY 597 had been deployed from standby status for only 20 rotations when the robotic mind spotted a hostile contact, a ship identified from databanks as a "Seraph". FY 597 took careful, computerized aim, and fired.

The unshielded, unaware Covenant ship burst into shattered pieces, venting atmosphere and plasma. The pilot, semi-conscious and almost dead, had pushed forward on his controls, and with the last ounce of life left in his eyes watched his Seraph dive towards the unsuspecting Enforcer...

Deployment + 00.21.23 Enforcer FY 597, in debris field, artifact "Halo"

FY 597 had seen the Seraph coming for him, on fire, venting plasma madly, and its computerized mind was sending reflexes to its engines. A second too late... The Seraph impacted on the Enforcer's right "arm", tearing it off completely and severing the engines on the back. FY 597 spun wildly, careering into a hundred metre long piece of metal. The shield held for a tenth of a second before the entire back of the Enforcer was crushed into oblivion.

Step of Silence, Ninth Age of Reclamation, at Covenant base camp on Basis.

The Covenant camp on Basis was in disarray. What had turned into a routine search and rescue mission had now changed. Something was out there, and it wasn't friendly. All available Seraph and Archangel Pilots were ordered to be ready to leave at a moment's notice. The Sangheli and Unngoy left in charge of the ground forces were uneasy. Daily, sandstorms raked their camp, and even the Sangheli, in their ornate fabricated huts, weren't safe, lest of all the Unngoy, who simply had to find shelter under a turret or tarp and wait out the storm. Morale was low. They needed something to fight for. They would get it.

The Covenant communications centre, in a heavily fortified base on Threshold's moon, was in constant contact with both High Charity and ships in the field. As soon as the 5 remaining Seraphs docked in the Joyous Apostle, news of the Oracle's presence was broadcasted first to Basis and then onto High Charity, However, fate has a way of intervening, and it was at that moment that a flare from Threshold rendered all log distance comms from the Halo system useless. It also shorted out the long range Battle Network, making the task of contacting anything outside the system all but impossible with their systems.

Step of Silence, Ninth Age of Reclamation aboard Covenant destroyer "Joyous Apostle", in geo-synchronous orbit above Covenant camp on Basis.

Aboard his own ship again, the Ship Master wasted no time increasing patrols in the Halo system and finding out where in the massive debris the Holy Oracle was hiding. He included the area where they had been attacked in the patrol routes and sent quite a bit more firepower than needed on the route. Still, as the Prophets said "Better to pay for it now and not twicefold later". If he lost a few ships in capturing the Oracle, it meant nothing on the rewards that would be showered upon him when he returned to High Charity with the one they had been searching for all this time. The one that could unlock the secrets of the Halos.

Archangel Tango 4 (Translated roughly from Covenant communiqués and dialects) en route to Nav point 03, on patrol from Joyous Apostle.

As part of the new Unngoy training program, Takap had been taken from his pack just weeks after being born. Because of the young age in which his kind were conscripted from their homeward into the Covenant and their unique eating style, all Unngoy not into maturity would be issued with "food nipples", cheap, easy alternatives to a real pack mother. Takap himself was piloting a modified Seraph, called an Archangel, which Unngoy were trained in to bolster the losses sustained during the campaign at Reach and Sigma Octanus. More and more ships now were needed, as the humans had proven themselves capable of holding their own in even the most tenacious ground and space combat. Tall, green clad demons would jump into the heat of battle and slaughter thousand of his brethren, The only way for a comprehensive victory for Covenant forces was to take planets in orbit and burn them into glass.

Takap, one of the brightest new recruits in the Academy, had been trained in limited ground combat, but he was a pilot at heart. Although Unngoy never seemed to be at all better to Sangheli, they were used in numbers to confuse the human forces so the better, well armed Seraphs could destroy them.

Without warning, the diminutive alien noticed his scanner pulsing gently, indicating a solitary, small, contact right ahead. Takap had been there when the Huragok brought in the pieces of the downed Seraph, so he immediately sent a short range comm to his superior at the Joyous Apostle. Official wheels begun to turn and Takap was promised a squad of Seraphs as backup within minutes. That wasn't going to be enough time; however, so showing an unusual amount of bravery for an Unngoy, he activated his thrusters and moved closer to the object, claws steady on the firing controls....

"Hello! I am 343 Guilty Spark! I am the Monitor of Installation 04. Do you require assistance?"

The sounds echoed through the Archangel's speakers and Takap, with a trembling claw, radioed the Sangheli again "Contact! We got contact! Big BLUE thing! Help! Help!"

Units later the Seraphs arrived and 343 Guilty Spark, the Monitor of Installation 04, Holy Oracle of the Covenant was taken away.... He had some questions to answer.

Step of Silence, Ninth Age of Reclamation aboard Covenant destroyer "Joyous Apostle", in geo-synchronous orbit above Covenant camp on Basis.

Muda 'Onnomee was very confident as he strode down the corridors of the Joyous Apostle. The Oracle was captured, and he would reverently ply it with questions. This would be woven into his battle poem, and all generations of his family would know his name. First though, he needed to check both the status of the ship and the camp on Basis. His Sangheli came first, before himself.

His second-in-command, Tola 'Kamkamee, was wearing a smile when he approached 'Onnomee on the bridge.

"Sir" he said, in his guttural lanuege. "We have very good news!"
"What is it, my brother?" enquired Muda.
"We have located another gift from the Forerunners! A giant station, home to many new technologies and sure to contain gifts from the Gods!"
Muda stretched his mandibles even wider; this would truly be a great day. He would first ply the Oracle with questions, then go in a Seraph to explore this latest bounty from the Great Ones.

The cells that the Holy Oracle and his allies were in were protected by a containment field, rendering all attempts to escape, useless. Not even Sentinel or Enforcer fire could break through the Forerunner-harvested shields.

Muda barked orders to the two Elites standing guard on either side of the cell and they opened the Oracle's prison.

'Onnomee approached the Holy One reverently, and as if emanating from the Gods themselves, a voice sounded out.

"More questions? I do apologize, we must initiate containment protocol. The Flood are present on the facility in this system. The Halos must be activated if we are to end this outbreak".

"What do you mean Oracle?" the Ship Master asked, confused. "The Halos are the start of the Great Journey. Their divine power will rush through the galaxy, propelling all who are worthy along the path to salvation!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" the Oracle replied, sounding puzzled. "The Flood must not escape the installations. It appears that the facility was built to study the Flood. They are present there, and must be stopped. My creators designed the rings to remove all potential Flood hosts, including you, the Reclaimers, everything organic that has the appropriate calcium density, cognitive ability and mass to sustain the Flood, thereby rendering the parasite, harmless."

Muda slumped to the floor of the cell, not hearing anything more that the Oracle said. The Prophets have betrayed us, he thought. He wanted revenge. To strike down the Prophets from their leadership, restore sight to his blinded brethren in the false Covenant, and reveal the truth to all of them. First though he had to inspect the Forerunner facility orbiting above Threshold. He had a feeling it might come in useful....


Step of Silence, Ninth Age of Reclamation, near Containment cell 3, Covenant destroyer "Joyous Apostle", in geo-synchronous orbit above Covenant camp on Basis.

After being given the orders to open the Containment cell for the Ship Master, the Sangheli named Kanu 'Ronomee stepped aside and watched with interest as his commander interacted with the Holy Oracle. His curiosity turned to surprise than fear when he saw 'Onnomee near collapse on the floor. He wondered if he should call a medic, but then Muda got back up again, still looking shocked. 'Ronomee wasn't a master of reading Sangheli, but it was clear from the look on his commander's face that something had happened. It didn't look good.

Step of Silence, Ninth Age of Reclamation aboard abandoned Forerunner facility, in orbit above gas-giant "Threshold"

When Muda 'Onnomee touched his Seraph down in the hanger of the cavernous facility, the first thing he noticed the communications antenna that was present in the base. He could use it to broadcast his message to the Sangheli, let them know that the Prophets would sacrifice them all for nothing. A false promise of freedom from a doomed existence. All lies.

The commander of the Joyous Apostle then crossed to the control panel, decoded the Forerunner texts with his helmet and initiated the system wide Comm.
"All Covenant on Basis and the Apostle, prepare to relocate our centre of operations to the Forerunner facility. Bring all food, supplies and weapons we have."

He also initiated a systemwide scan for anomalies and noticed something that made his heart rate pulse. An enormous piece of Halo was slicing through space on a direct course with the Joyous Apostle. He activated his radio.

"This is Muda 'Onnomee, put me onto 'Kamkamee! Quickly!"
"Yes Commander, this is 'Kamkamee. What do you want me to do?"
"There's a piece of debris heading straight for the ship! Initiate evasive maneuvers quickly! I'll keep in touch with the Basis extraction."
"Acknowledged commander" replied Tola "Good luck"

Aboard the Joyous Apostle, 'Tola Kamkamee was worried. Although the warning had come early, it may be too late to avoid damage completely. He cursed himself silently. Fool. He had been so busy basking in his successes on this mission that he had failed to keep his mind on the job. A potentially fatal mistake.

"Bring the ship around to bearing 270, I want full power to the engines, cut all weapons and scanning systems and divert all auxiliary power to starboard emergency thrusters. If we can keep clear of this thing long enough we might get out of this with a small scratch to our stern."

Kamkamee surveyed the tactical data on his monitor. The ship was swinging around slowly to port, but it wasn't going to be enough. The debris, he quickly calculated, had enough mass to shut down the shields and crush part of the engines. He hoped it wouldn't do any more damage.

"Order all crew to the forward sections, seal all bulkheads and brace for impact" he snapped. "After the impact, divert all power to stern engines and make best speed to the facility."

"We're running at two hundred and fifty percent sir," the Engines officer remarked, "Reactor overloading in five minutes."

Five minutes didn't matter, mused 'Kamkamee. In five minutes, they would either be dead, or on course for the Forerunner station.

As they watched, the giant, chunky piece of debris smashed against the shield, sending shockwaves through the ship. The shields overloaded with the pressure, and the metal smashed through, crushing one engine through the armour and hull. As it was, it didn't do much damage, but the Engine had poked though layers of hull, piercing the reactors. Secondary explosions blossomed throughout the back of the ship, and it was fortunate the most of the crew had been up front. They would've been vaporized.

'Kamkamee picked himself up off the floor and winced at the lack of power for the ship. The emergency reactors strained to overcome the sudden loss and with not a bit of effort, stabilized the ship.

"Status?" 'Kamkamee ordered.

"Sir. We've lost contact with the lower and back parts of the ship. Bridge and forward sections operating normally. Containment cells have held. The secondary reactors managed to get online before the power ran out. All crew in forward areas accounted for. Engines.... Gone sir. We can't move the ship."


Step of Silence, Ninth Age of Reclamation aboard abandoned Forerunner facility, in orbit above gas-giant "Threshold"

Muda 'Onnomee had been watching both the Basis evacuation and the trouble with the Joyous Apostle. He had been worried when the debris hit, but judging by the short range comms coming from the ship, 'Kamkamee and the crew were alright. The Phantoms, dropships and fighters streaking from Basis had all got to the facility safely.

What was more worrying was the fact that the Joyous Apostle. Stranded in the debris field, had no way of getting to safety. There was only one choice. Evacuate the ship.

"Kamkamee, this is Muda. I want all the crew out of that ship immediately. Bring whatever weapons, tools and supplies you can. Also bring the prisoners." An edge of bitterness entered his voice as he thought about the truth that the Oracle had revealed.

As he was talking the doors opened and dozens of warriors from Basis had entered. He gathered his Sangheli generals and asked them to gather all the troops in a large room. After he had made the preparations he turned to the scanners and saw a large convoy of freighters, transports and fighters coming from the crippled destroyer. As he watched, the ship tumbled, listless, to crash into large sections of all that had once been Halo.

He felt an unfamiliar show of emotion coming to him. He had served on the Joyous Apostle for much of his military service, and he was sad to see the ship finally go, not by the humans, or the Prophets, but by nature itself.

Step of Silence, Ninth Age of Reclamation, in Covenant briefing room aboard abandoned Forerunner facility, in orbit above gas-giant "Threshold"

By the time the convoy from the crippled Apostle had arrived, the Ship Master was getting ready for his briefing to the warriors. He had turned on the Forerunner communications system in the facility and had succeeded in getting a link to the Prophet's Inner Sanctum broadcast system in High Charity. Every word he said would be picked up by the Prophet Hierarchs themselves. It was time to show the Covenant who they were dealing with. Muda 'Onnomee was no more. He was now the Heretic.

With a sigh, the Heretic started his speech. The Sangheli stood to attention, and watch with rigid faces as he begun. The Unngoy, seated in the middle of the room, were fidgety but calm. They were all listening intently as he explained the truth.

"You all know who I am," he said. "I was the Ship Master of the Joyous Apostle, on which you all were stationed. Upon that ship, crafted by the hands of my brothers, I learnt something. Our Prophets are false! Open your eyes my brothers! The Great Journey is a lie! The Holy Oracle told me this. If we found another of the sacred rings, if we activated it, we would not be on the path to salvation! We would all die!"

The Heretic saw the looks of shock on his Sangheli before they composed themselves. They had long since learned to obey his orders.
He continued with his speech, outlining the rest of what the Oracle had told him about the parasite and Halo. He then edged onto a new topic.

"We must strike against the Covenant, burn down High Charity and kill the Prophets! They have lied to us and our ancestors for long enough! Now is the time for vengeance!"

The Sangheli agreed wholeheartedly with what he was saying. They too, had been led on a belief that was a lie. The Unngoy were stamping their feet and looking ready to take on the entire Covenant army. He had done well.

"Get some rest," he said, "Tomorrow we begin"

___________________________________________________________
Though he didn't know it, the Heretic and his allies was destined for a great part in the upcoming civil war that would change the history of the Covenant, and indeed the galaxy forever. But that is another story...
___________________________________________________________

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