Right, the plot is finally back on track. Quite a lot of dialogue this chapter, but I think there's been enough action over the previous few to justify it. I'm going to start tying some things together now, it should be good. Although, my final exams are very soon and they always take precedence, so I might not be writing too much. I'll do my best, though. Because I love you all that much. Thanks for reading. [b]Part 28 -- Signs and Portents[/b] The sky was aflame. And from his lofty pedestal in the skies, Sorran could see the stars go out one by one, blocked by a sheer multitude -- what seemed like millions -- of vaguely familiar ships hanging in space above, forming a solid wall. Silence, for a few moments. Then, comets fell. Except they weren't comets... they were the wrecked remains of ships, shot down in a cluster and allowing thin beams of light from the sun to gleam through the red and orange skies, casting a dangerous glow on the burning cities in the distance, impossibly huge cascading platforms of structures half-remembered. Sorran tried to find his feet, but was immobile, trapped by the clouds and helpless as he heard the screams come from the cities below. And the burning comets still fell, smashing into the ground of the blazing planet with the fury of forsaken angels, come to bring judgement reining down. Through the gap in the wall of ships, silhouettes basked in the terrible burning of the sun. Twelve lines, in perfect formation, moving swiftly closer. Ships broke off from the wall to engage, but they too swiftly fell down like falling stars. The lines stopped, some breaking off. One broke in two, drifting slowly away. Four remained, and slowly began to turn. The lines became rings. Four rings, the only sight visible outside the wall of ships shrouding the world in darkness. Sorran knew these rings. The sacred rings. Halo. And suddenly the light of the sun was drowned out in an even brighter glare, the silhouettes blanketed by the glow. A terrible sound, as if the world itself was tearing in two sounded, and suddenly all went black. The screams stopped, stifled. The world ended. [i]Not with a whimper, but with a bang. This... this is what I have done,[/i] a melodic voiced muttered bitterly, laughing with mocking scorn. Sorran awoke with a start, drenched in cold sweat. The light of the system's sun struggled to penetrate through the darkness of the room, managing only to throw a few thin streaks on the unforgiving walls. The Sangheili looked around for a few seconds, relaxing when he realised he was in his room. It had all been a dream... a nightmare, rather. And disturbingly lucid. [i]I need to stop worrying so much about the secret I hold,[/i] Sorran thought, knowing in all probability that his sometimes overly-imaginative mind had been playing up on him. [i]I'll take a walk and clear my head.[/i] * * * The Longsword cut its way deftly through space, weaving its way artfully through the debris and fighting between the battling ships some miles away. Drawing ever further away from the human ships. A few Banshees had broken off to intercept the human fighter but Ahkrin had forwarded them the appropriate codes, and they had promptly left to rejoin the battle. "You're as soft as a Huragok beneath that gruff exterior, aren't you Ahkrin?" Orpheus mused, looking at the Unggoy sat down in the aft portion of the small human ship. Ahkrin was sat in a chair opposite the unconscious Zharn, arms folded in a surly fashion and staring down at the ground with a brooding expression. "The humans would have been on us any second. I didn't have the time to kill them," he murmured hastily, a scowl playing across his tender face. The Jiralhanae nodded in mock understanding. "Of course, of course. Don't worry Ahkrin, if anyone asks I'll them them there were ten before you killed most of them," he laughed, staring out at the raging battle still ensuing between Cole's forces and the Fleet of Indolent Adulation. Cole was losing, just. And it was only through sheer force of strength that the Covenant forces were prevailing; Cole was outmanoeuvring them strategically at every turn. Orpheus stared at the great blocks of metal that were human ships in awe as they executed complex naval manoeuvres that would put even the most skilled Kig-Yar shipmaster to shame. "Imagine if they had the technology we have," Orpheus uttered grimly, shaking his head as yet another Covenant ship was destroyed by a human ship which knew its death was at hand, and instead of fleeing through the void it had flown into the Covenant vessel at ramming speed. "If they reverse-engineer our technology, the war will be over swiftly." "That's blasphemy," Ahkrin chimed in a sing-song voice, smiling. "Their worlds will be burnt to ashes before they can so much as discover energy shielding. The only way they would win this war would be if the Forerunners themselves intervened. And they care not for the heretical humans." "I don't know, Ahkrin. Their determination frightens me; I think that if I challenged one half my size to a duel to the death, it would accept if the duel would allow a few of its fellows to escape. Sometimes they seem even more prideful than your kind." "Don't let Zharn hear that, he would see it as an insult to the Sangheili and make it his personal mission to challenge every single human in existence to a duel," Ahkrin answered, quite sincere. He looked across at his friend, who looked almost tranquil, aside from the large bump on his head where Ahkrin's rifle had struck. "What did you do, Sangheili?" Orpheus asked suspiciously, cutting straight to the point. "I saved us from certain death," Ahkrin answered just as bluntly, shaking his head. "Zharn is a far better person than I. And that betterment would have killed him." "It might kill you, now," Orpheus told Ahkrin with the faintest hint of a weary smile. Ahkrin shrugged. "Well, when he does try to kill me you'll restrain him." "Oh, really?" "That's the only reason for me not leaving you behind on the [i]Everest[/i]," Ahkrin chuckled, and Orpheus joined in with the laughter, before adopting a more sombre expression. "Your disposition towards me has changed considerably recently, Ahkrin, but not too long ago you hated me. Why was this?" "... I didn't hate you," Ahkrin muttered with embarrassment and turned to look out of the window at the terrifyingly beautiful battle raging outside. "Sangheili, I would sleep at night in our camp with my shielding activated for fear you would drive a blade into my sleeping body. You hated me. What did I do wrong?" Ahkrin pounded the table they were sat around angrily, sending a few rickety rivets falling to the floor. He stared angrily into the dirty depths of the steel. "You were born a Jiralhanae, Orpheus." "... you have a vendetta against us?" Orpheus asked, surprisingly not angered by a statement Ahkrin would have considered offensive if directed at his own kind. The Sangheili, still not able to meet the Brute's eyes, let his shoulders rise and fall heavily, looking up to the right as he reminisced. "I was six, still in my family's household. My father's brother was the Field Marshal at Jagren." "Oh," Orpheus realised, falling heavily back into his chair. The two Unggoy too were listening in, and Ahkrin didn't even have the heart to tell them to mind his own business. They wouldn't understand most of it anyway. He sighed. "It was his fault the Jiralhanae uprising began. He panicked when a mob of your kind were outside the outpost, angered at some trivial matter; I think a Sangheili had struck a Jiralhanae for touching his blade. My uncle... he'd been born into the position of Field Marshal, and whilst he was legendary at training warriors, in the field he would panic. When an angered Jiralhanae pounded the door of the outpost, he thought they'd opened fire, and ordered that the fire be returned." "Ahkrin--" Orpheus began sympathetically, his eyes morose. Ahkrin shook his head. "Of course, the Jiralhanae had done no such thing, and were massacred. That's how the uprising on Jagren began, and thousands died before the Covenant was able to put a stop to the fighting. The Hierarchs at the time had no other way to end the conflict than punish the Field Marshal and his family... and satisfy the rage of the Jiralhanae. I watched as everyone in my family; my mother, my sister, my older brothers, my mother's sister - everyone was executed save me. I was left alive on account of my age, and was thrown out onto the streets." "... what happened then?" Orpheus asked softly. Ahkrin shook his head. "Zharn's house took me in as one of their own; our two houses had long been friends. I was always a source of embarrassment for them though; they'd never admit it but I knew. My very existence was shameful, and Zharn's house lost a lot of standing as a result of my adoption by them. When I was of age I left to save them further shame and joined special operations; they don't care about your past, as long as you can kill without mercy. I didn't have a whole lot of mercy in me back then, Orpheus." "And Zharn joined with you?" Orpheus questioned. "No. It would be another eight years before I saw Zharn again. And a good thing I recognised him too, or he'd be dead. That... that is a story for another time, though. You know now why I hate your kind; they cost me everything." "I'm sorry I made you relive that, Ahkrin. It must have been terrible." "It was. But you weren't even alive then, and it would be petty for me to be hostile towards you as a result of ancient history. So forgive me if I am ever horrible towards you, Orpheus. I do not mean it." [Edited on 04.09.2011 4:30 AM PDT]