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Tales of the Arbiter : Chapter One
Posted By: pj-NYkr90<redcatwoman63@peoplepc.com>
Date: 27 June 2005, 4:11 am
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The cheers fill the audience chamber. Their roar is overwhelming. Once the proud commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, Supreme Commander Ermana 'Ulnae strides in shackles to the presence of the Hierarchs of Truth and Mercy. Regret is visible on a hologram. Once he arrives at the end of the hall, his Brute escort and Tartarus fall out to the left and right. Tartarus chuckles to himself over the situation.
"Heretic," yells one of the Council Prophets. Sangheili Commanders, donning their elaborate headdresses discuss the severity of 'Ulnae's failings. Lesser members of the sacred Covenant crowd the entryway thoroughfare, watching the view screens. Though the mood of this meeting is severe, many of the lesser forms are here just to see 'Ulnae's suffer.
As he approaches the Hierarchs, the crowd hushes. The noble Prophet of Truth begins the trial.
"Why are you here?" he inquires in a cold voice.
"You have summoned me to stand trial for the atrocity at Halo." The crowd is angered and roars, but the Prophet of Mercy raises his hand. Once again, the crowd silences.
"Tell me; how many enemy ships escaped their orbit above that cesspool of a world and fled to Halo?"
"There was only one ship."
"One? Are you sure?" inquires the Prophet of Truth.
"Yes, they called it…the Pillar of Autumn.
"Why was it not destroyed, with the rest of their fleet?" asks the Prophet of Mercy in a tone that chills the Commander to his bones.
"It fled as we set fire to their planet. But I followed with all of the ships in my command," informs the Commander as if those statements will serve to free him of this.
"When you first saw Halo, were you blinded by its majesty?" inquires the Prophet of Truth.
"Blinded?" repeats the Commander, in a bewildered voice.
"Paralyzed? Dumbstruck?"
"No," he replied reassuringly.
"Yet the humans were able to evade your ships, land on the Sacred Ring, and desecrate it with their filthy footsteps?" says the Prophet of Regret.
"Noble Hierarchs...surely you understand that once the parasite attacked…,"he replies in a persuasive voice. The Council hears his plea, but will have none of it, however. There are outcries and shouts about 'Ulnae. As their patience with 'Ulnae lessens, Tartarus laughs at him under his breath.
"There will be order in this Council!" orders the Prophet of Mercy.
"You were right to focus your attention on the Flood, but this Demon, this 'Master Chief'…" starts Truth.
"By the time I learned the Demon's intent," explains 'Ulnae, "there was nothing I could do." The memory of the Sacred Ring pierces his heart. In shame, he bows his head. The Commander sees Regret lean over to Truth. He says something, but all the way over here, it remains inaudible. Truth rights himself.
"You are one of our most cherished instruments. Long have you led your fleet with honor and distinction, but your inability to safeguard Halo...was a colossal failure," says Truth.
"Nay, it was heresy!" shouts one of the Prophets from above. Others jeer and yell at the Commander.
"I will continue my campaign against the humans."
"No! You will not," says Truth, quickly assuring 'Ulnae that he will be dead in mere minutes. His Brute escort moves to his side. Quickly, he shoos them away, his last show of pride before his public execution. He turns and begins the longest walk of his life.
"Soon the Great Journey shall begin. But when it does, the weight of your heresy will stay your feet, and you shall be left behind." Regret's hologram flickers off and the other two Prophets retire down the lift to their chambers.
The Commander is led to a great balcony, overlooking the rest of High Charity. He is then taken forcefully to the energy restrains. Crowds of spectators anxiously await the public execution. Grunts chant in unison, "Heretic! Heretic! Heretic!".
"You've drawn quite a crowd," notices Tartarus in his gruff voice.
"If they've come to hear me beg, they'll be disappointed," replies 'Ulnae defiantly.
"Are you sure," retorts Tartarus. Turning on the energy restraints, 'Ulnae holds back the howl of pain inside of him as best he can. The torture ensues for one standard hour. When it is finished. They remove his once polished and well groomed command armor. The helm he once wore with pride is tossed to the floor; the cuirass which served as a badge to his fortitude is ripped from his chest. When the former commander thinks it is over, Tartarus reveals a vicious brand of crystalline metal. Moving toward him, he ignites the internal fire and then forcefully embeds the brand into his venerable flesh. He holds back the pain for a moment, but the scorching heat melts the Mark of Shame into his flesh. It is unbearable. The pain festers inside of him until he can hold it no longer. He cries out in agony, and is then beaten unconscious.
To the sound of footsteps, 'Ulnae awakens. He can see that he is walking through the planetoid's brig. Two Brutes are dragging him. A conversation between two Brutes can be heard, but 'Ulnae is too out of it to understand. They arrive on the gravity lift that descends to the Mausoleum of the Arbiter. Walking through the rows of stone faced and solemn Honor Guards, Tartarus arrives at the Mausoleum with the Commander in tow. The door opens and the group arrives to see the Prophets of Truth and Mercy. At this moment, 'Ulnae opens his eyes and sees the Mausoleum.
Soon after entering, Tartarus and his Brutes kneel in honor. "Noble Prophets of Truth and Mercy, I have brought the incompetent one."
With a flick of his hand, " You may leave Tartarus." He looks up with a bewildered look at Truth. "And take your Brutes with you."
"Release the prisoner," orders Tartarus. They rise and leave. Lifting himself from his knees, 'Ulnae feels the Mark of Shame that now resides upon his chest.
"The Council decided to have you hung by your entrails and your corpse paraded through the city. But, ultimately, the terms of your execution are up to me," Truth informs 'Ulnae.
" I am already dead," he replies in a solemn voice.
"Indeed. Do you know where we are?"
"The Mausoleum of the Arbiter," answers 'Ulnae confidently.
"Quite so. Here rests the vanguard of the Great Journey. Every Arbiter, from first to last. Each one created and consumed in times of extraordinary crisis."
"The Taming of the Hunters, the Grunt Rebellion . . . Were it not for the Arbiters, the Covenant would have broken long ago!" adds Mercy.
"Even on my knees I do not belong in their presence," announces 'Ulnae.
"Halo's destruction was your error, and you rightly bear the blame. But the Council was . . . overzealous. We know you are no heretic. This is the true face of heresy, one who would subvert our faith and incite rebellion against the High Council." One of the Prophet's long finger strides across his chair to a button. Pressing it, a little hologram of an Elite wearing different armor appears. He begins to speak.
"Our Prophets are false! Open your eyes, my brothers! They would use the faith of our Forefathers to bring ruin to us all! The Great Journey is-" The hologram is silenced.
"This heretic, and those who follow him, must be silenced."
Mercy makes another addendum. "Their slander offends all who walk the Path."
"What use am I? I can no longer command ships, lead troops into battle-"
"Not as you are. But become the Arbiter . . . And you shall be set loose against this heresy, with our blessing." A large container pod floats into the center of the room, opening to reveal a suit of ancient armor, surrounded by blinding white light. After the initial blinding shock, his eyes adjust to the brightness and he clearly sees the armor. The helm resembles the beak of 'bird', creatures seen on Human worlds. A pauldron on the right shoulder as well as many unique etchings and calligraphy in the metallic gray metal help to characterize this as the sacred armor of the Arbiter. 'Ulnae turns back to Truth.
"What of the Council?"
"The tasks you must undertake as the Arbiter are perilous, suicidal. You will die, as each Arbiter has before you. The Council will have their corpse," answers Mercy. The Elite rises, and walks toward the armor. He pauses before it, and looks above him to at the pods containing the corpses the past Arbiters who fell before him. Reaching up, he takes the helmet of the Arbiter, dons it upon his head, then looks to the Hierarchs.
"What would you have your Arbiter do?"
Soon enough, the Arbiter is in a Phantom dropship, heading for the Heretic base embedded in one of the many Forerunner gas mines based in the upper atmosphere of the gas giant. They pass the remains of the giant ring. The Spec Ops Commander, Half Jaw, walks through the dropship and talks to his Sangheili troops. Several Unggoy line the center. Several minutes later, after he is done talking to his troops, Half Jaw approaches the Arbiter.
"This armor suits you, but it cannot hide that mark," announces Half Jaw.
"Nothing ever will," retorts the Arbiter.
"You are the Arbiter, the will of the Prophets. But these are my Elites. Their lives matter to me. Yours does not."
"That makes two of us." Half Jaw gives the Arbiter a respectful 'humph'.
The dropship begins its descent into the plant's atmosphere. 'Ulnae checks over his gear one last time. He opens the battery chamber of his plasma rifle and tampers with the magnetic field dampeners to increase the rate of fire. He straps his needler to the equipment mesh on the armor. He checks his grenades and lastly, he draws his plasma blade.
"I shall brandish you with honor today. You will slay many heretics," he declares to himself. The dropship finally arrives at the landing zone. The Arbiter jumps into the gravity lift. Arriving on the surface of the gas mine, 'Ulnae promises himself to kill the Heretic Leader as retribution for his failure at Halo. He would serve this self appointed conviction until he or his adversary fell. Many of his Sangheili brethren continue on towards a ramp that descends into the bowels of the installation. No better way to get started. Following, his eagerness for the kill reached a pinnacle.
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