"But I'm sure that if the Covenant [i]does[/i] end, you'll be one of the first to motion that we change the decrees of the prophets... including the law of bastardy," Ahkrin cut right to the core, and was rewarded by a noncommittal shrug. "Perhaps," Jeann'ee ground out. "But think, my friend--" "I'm [i]not[/i]--" "Your house might become great once again. Its lands, allegiances and wealth restored. You would have your pick of the fairest women in the worlds. Or men." "Wait, what?" "You'd be amongst the greats of Sangheili society," Jeann'ee plowed on, ignoring Ahkrin. "We both would. All you need to do is help me convince the oracle that he [i]must[/i] step in as he has never done before, to set aside these neophyte prophets and lead our people back to the Path." [i]I have no need of a machine's attributed divinity to end the Covenant,[/i] Ahkrin thought to himself. [i]If I want to topple the hierarchs, all I need to do is broadcast the truths left on Restraint's data crystals. But at what price would that freedom come?[/i] A price of blood and fire, undoubtedly. As much as Ahkrin wished he could trust the people to do the right thing, he knew all too well that people were collectively idiots. A great mind would not have his voice heard amongst a legion of fools. If he so quickly cut away all that kept those fools in line, there would be blood spilled aplenty and enough instability that the humans might achieve victory. Then it would all be for nought. No, there was a proper way to go about this. Sow the seeds of doubt, wait for the crops to grow in the minds of the people and not be harvested before their time. This was a view Jeann'ee did not share. Ahkrin did not dare tell him of the secrets he held, for he knew they would not be kept. Jeann'ee didn't care about how many people died in the process, as long as his goal was reached. And as long as he could cast aside his peasant-mother's name and take the noble one of his father's house. A petty jealousy of his mighty half-brother was what drove him, altruistic pretences be damned. "That is a path you must walk alone," Ahkrin finally said, and he felt a little pang of guilt when he saw the disappointment in Jeann'ee's face. The man did not see things the way he did. He never had. That's why Ahkrin had finally quit the life Jeann'ee still lavished in; he never could lock away his conscience like his once-partner had been able to. "So what [i]do[/i] you want to see the Oracle for?" Jeann'ee quizzed, not for the first time. "I cannot figure it out." "Scholarly interest," Ahkrin jested, and that earned a chuckle at least from Jeann'ee. "The day you become a scholar is the day I become a magistrate. Fine, keep your secret. I will find out soon enough, once we see him." "You might regret it afterwards," Ahkrin cautioned. [i]I know I certainly will.[/i] Before Jeann'ee could follow that up, they reached the south-eastern entrance to the dreadnought. For the first time in a long time, Ahkrin found himself beholding the beautifully simple architecture of the Forerunners up close. A great hatch stretched up to three times their height, making him wonder again how tall their 'gods' had been. Were the heights of their structures because they too were tall, or was it the result of a species-wide inferiority complex that prompted them to build so grand, much like the great pillars of fire the unggoy built on Balaho? Whatever the original opening mechanism had been, it had been torn away due to a lack of compatibility and replaced with Covenant-issue magnetic sealers, activated by a standard panel rife throughout the empire. An unseemly bastardisation, almost as if they'd clawed their way inside. Jeann'ee went over to the console, and input a code with practiced efficiency. A moment later there was a welcoming hum, and the doors slid open; a soft blue glow spilled out into the dark from within, throwing them both into a heavenly light. "How did you know the code?" "It involves kidnapping, torture, and a few friendly drinks after," Jeann'ee smirked, patting Ahkrin heartily on the back. "Not far now, brother. If the gods are on our side, we'll make it to the Oracle before the humans mobilise and kill us all." Jeann'ee bounded forth into the dreadnought, and was soon lost within its blinding glow. Taking a final look up at the ominous view of the UNSC fleet, Ahkrin checked his weapons and followed after. [i]Don't worry, Jeann'ee. I'll kill you long before the humans do.[/i] * "Ahkrin?" Sorran dared over the wide-band frequency, encrypting the transmission as best he could with what he had. He waited a full minute, but there was no reply. [i]What a mess I've made,[/i] he lamented in his guilt as he heard screams of chaos throughout the once-quiet city, as thousands sought to find family and escape from the station. Still more accepted their fate, and merely stood with eyes facing the skies, waiting for that fateful moment when the UNSC ships would descend upon a near-helpless High Charity and raze it to the ground. High Charity [i]should[/i] have jumped with its guardian fleet; Sorran had configured the impulse drive so its radius would encapsulate the armada of destroyers and corvettes. He'd expected that upon arrival at Harvest, the humans would see the Covenant fleet and decide to wait for them to make the first move; a move the Covenant wouldn't make due to High Charity being at risk. It would sow some discord throughout the city; channels would become cluttered, and hopefully in the chaos he'd be able to find and rescue Savara with none being the wiser. If all had gone to plan, no blood would have been shed on either side. [i]But that damned Huragok[/i]... just as he'd been about to initiate the jump sequence, there had been a flash of neon and he'd found himself knocked aside by one of the deceptively docile-looking creatures assigned with watching over the engines. Before he'd been able to right himself and deal with it, the Huragok had already interfaced with the auxiliary drive and done its best to halt the void-jump. Not well enough. Instead, all it had done had been to disable the extension field, so that when High Charity had jumped, it had left its guardian fleet behind. So now they were left hanging here in enemy space with damaged impulse drives and too-few Huragok to fix them in a timely manner, helpless until a relief fleet arrived. Still... the humans hadn't made their move yet. Not even a scout craft had been sent forth to assess the situation. Did they know that High Charity was of the Covenant? No, of course they did. Even if it weren't for the recognisable architecture, all seamless curved lines and purple, they would have tagged the IFF as theirs. Strange. Did they think the station was powerful? They'd be dead wrong; from the station's inception, it had been designed as a vessel of government and worship, not war. [i]It's been over an hour since High Charity jumped, and the humans haven't so much as sparked an engine. It's almost as if they're extenuating the crisis to its last possible instant, holding off from engaging for as long as possible. But why?[/i] Sorran shook his head, dismissing the thoughts before they spiralled out of control. He'd been known to lose himself in his mind for hours in the past, and that wouldn't do now. His first priority was Savara. "Ahkrin?" he chanced once more. No answer, but that didn't mean he hadn't been heard. "If you can hear, I'm sorry. I should have stayed with you, finished what we'd set out to do. But I could really use your help right now." Still nothing. Sorran sighed despondently, and continued his stride down the street. He struggled to move with the crowd, painfully aware that the frenzied march of the panicking people could easily turn into a trample at any second; as soon as the humans made their move, the station would explode into anarchy.