And suddenly two seemingly separate plot threads cross paths. Enjoy. [b]Part 23 - Turnabout[/b] "Why did you save me?" "It seems I felt a need to deliver upon my foolish act quota for the month," Sorran answered sardonically, sitting down next to the Sangheili he had rescued from the zealous Prophet the day before. "Foolish or no, you saved my life. And risked your own to do so. If you hadn't, I would be lying at the bottom of that lake." "I suppose you are right," Sorran mused, a small smile creeping across his still aching jaw. Had he not chosen to intervene yesterday, the Sangheili he was talking to would be dead. And despite the hopes of Jajab and even Restraint, Sorran knew deep down that there was no Great Journey. The promise of the Sacred Rings had been a lie, and everything divine about the Forerunners had been too. But what had happened to them? If they hadn't ascended to godhood, then what had become of them? And why would they build the Sacred Rings to destroy all life in the galaxy? Surely one would have to be truly evil to do such a thing... were the Forerunners not the benevolent beings the Covenant thought them to be? "My name is Pel, incidentally," the Sangheili interrupted his deep thoughts suddenly, startling Sorran a bit. His hand was outstretched. The Honour Guard hesitated for a moment, before grasping it firmly and squeezing tightly. "Sorran," he told Pel, drawing his hand away. This was the most common introduction amongst the Sangheili. Amongst close friends a small cut would be made in each Sangheili's hands as they grasped each other. Blood was important amongst them; it signified life, battle and honour. To exchange one's blood with another made them incontrovertible brothers. Sorran had only ever done this with Zharn and Ahkrin. Yet he would never see the friends he called brothers again. Nor would he ever see Savara again. He shut the thought of her out before they could flood him with emotion. "Well met, Sorran. Indeed, the gods must have been smiling down upon me when they sent you. A sure sign that what I was preaching held truth within it." Sorran blinked, and swore within his mind. He had forgotten that this Sangheili was deeply religious, enough so to risk his life preaching about his slightly modified version of the belief in the Forerunners and their Journey. "How long will you be with us, Pel?" Sorran asked, and the smile on the other Sangheili's face faded slightly. "Until I am fully recovered. Restraint has promised me sanctuary until then. I cannot believe that of all the Sangheili who could have rescued me, it was the Honour Guard of a former Hierarch who did so!" "The Minister is a great man," Sorran muttered, turning to look out of the window. Restraint's manor was situated in the Councillor's district, and dwarfed the rest of the other Councillor's houses. The Forerunner Dreadnought, the centrifugal focus of their worship which held the key to the Great Journey, loomed just a few miles in the distance. This district was even closer to it than the Religious District of High Charity. The artificial sunlight shone brightly, illuminating the large chunk of rock which was all that remained of the Prophets' homeworld. Coupled with the numerous flora and lakes situated around the station outside of the central hub city, High Charity had a distinctly terrestrial feel to it. Sorran distantly remembered all this from his scholarly studies. Amongst the Sangheili he had had few peers. It all seemed to be a lifetime ago. "Unlike Truth and his bastard lapdogs, Regret and Mercy. What's your opinion on the war with the humans, Sorran? I suppose you haven't fought in it, being an Honour Guard on High Charity." "...Right," Sorran finally replied after some hesitation, knowing that it would seem suspicious if he told the truth. Honour Guards were usually selected in childhood. In all honesty Sorran was a protector of Restraint's secret if things should go wrong rather than a protector of the Minister himself. Sorran was a good enough warrior but knew he didn't compare to the likes of Zharn and Ahkrin, and knew that there were many far more skilled than those two. "Even so, you must have seen the 'casts and heard the news about the war. This isn't assimilation we are doing, Sorran. It's genocide. Our Lords did not want this. And if we continue down this path then it shall take us away from that of the Journey's." "Maybe so. But what can one Sangheili do?" Sorran demanded, head falling into his gauntleted hands. It was a question he had asked himself many a time over the past few weeks, albeit for different reasons. Pel sighed heavily too. "Nothing. You saw what happened yesterday, Sorran. That Prophet would have had me killed simply due to me speaking out." "Leaders don't like it when you contest their words," Sorran answered tartly. Pel shook his head. "Perhaps not, but at least the humans allow it." "They [i]what?[/i]" "I jest not. When serving in the military as we lay siege to their farming colony, Harvest, I came across records which seemed to explain the human governmental system. I believe it was a school I found them in. Apparently the humans vote for their leaders, and are allowed to speak freely without fear of being punished--" "You must be mistaken. They all follow the orders of their military leaders, and disobeying gets them a 'court martial,'" Sorran retorted, recalling a little bit of what he had witnessed whilst in human captivity on Eridanus II. "They're under an Emergency Military Government now, because of us. We're destroying everything they are little by little." "How much longer do you think they will last?" Sorran asked Pel, who seemed well-informed about this subject matter. The Honour Guard had forgotten about his hatred of this petty war recently, but speaking with the other Sangheili brought it flooding to the surface. "Each of their worlds falls within less than a quart of a cycle, and every counter-attack they initiate consists of fewer and fewer ships. But finding their worlds is a challenge, due to what they call the Cole Protocol." "I've heard of it," Sorran answered, moving to a basin and pouring himself a goblet of water to wet his dry throat. "I've seen ships which could easily escape our fleets turn back to destroy a navigation centre, even when it means that they themselves will die. Their resolve is remarkable. I know few Sangheili who would do such a thing," Pel gave Sorran a meaningful look, and the Honour Guard rolled his eyes. He wasn't a hero. His conscience got the better of his logic at times, much to his despair. "I wonder why they have not been allowed to join the Covenant then," Sorran mused, when suddenly he underwent an epiphany. [i]Do they know the truth about Halo?[/i] That would explain why Truth wanted them all dead. But he couldn't discuss this with Pel. He had to find Restraint and converse about the revelation with him. Perhaps the Minister knew more. "I must go now, Pel, and attend to me duties. Will you be okay?" "I think so, I should get back to my worship anyway. Thank you for speaking with me, Sorran. I appreciate it." "Any time," Sorran nodded, his brow darkening as he turned away. Pel seemed like a nice enough fellow, but he was as blindly devoted as religious zealots came. Once he would have admired that in a Sangheili, but now it just seemed like a huge flaw in character. [i]He can never learn the truth. Even I had trouble coming to terms with it, and I was never too caring about the Great Journey anyway. But if Pel discovers that everything that makes him who he is is just one giant farce... I fear for what he shall do, to others and himself.[/i] The door swung shut as Sorran left, and he could faintly hear the chanted prayers of Pel through the thick walls.