In the dark void of space, a still darker, pointed dagger shot down like a spear, only visible by the stars it hid as it passed. Even though it was not cloaked, the Blackdagger was still hard to spot with the naked eye. The ship sliced its way through the thin, cloudless atmosphere of the desolate planet below, and then its nose curved upward as it maneuvered into a landing position. The dark, grayish sands of the place flew away beneath its shining hull as the landing gear dug into the desert. Beside this new arrival sat what appeared to be an old resident of the wasteland: a Longsword fighter. It was covered in dust on the underside from the blowing of the sand, and the windshield was completely obscured. Dustin wondered if the humans were still inside the craft.

            “Stay behind me,” said Dustin Echoes to his alien companion, “and keep your hands together. Act like I’m leading you by some cuffs. I don’t know why you wouldn’t wear the cuffs…”

            “I will never again be a prisoner of anyone,” said Rebas Noiproks, the Covenant Elite, “I will never again bow to anyone.”

            “All right,” Dustin said, “Your funeral. Let’s just hope the other humans fall for the prisoner bit.”

            Together the strange pair walked across the sand, the wind blowing in their faces. The area was dark and deathly cold. It was night on the great space rock right now, and the stars glittered overhead. Dustin had detected that the air was breathable on his way down, but he was wearing his Orbital Drop Shock Trooper suit and helmet just to make sure. He approached the Longsword fighter, “leading” Rebas behind him, and carefully knocked on the closed boarding ramp. There was no response.

            “You think they would have left their communicators running…” Diana’s voice commented inside Dustin’s helmet, “But I couldn’t contact them.”

            “They must be trying to conserve power,” Dustin said.

            “Or they want to make sure no one else finds them,” Rebas added.

            “Hello!” Dustin shouted, “Is anybody in there?!”

            “I detect the ship’s power coming online now,” Diana said.

            Dustin took a step back as the Longsword’s boarding ramp lowered. Standing there in the doorway was a miserable Marine wearing a grey standard camouflage uniform with armor plating on his chest, shoulders, arms, and legs. He had his helmet off, and he had obviously done nothing to improve his hygiene for days. He had black hair and a stubble of a beard coming. A long white scar ran across one of his eyes. But he was still a Marine, so he clapped his heels together and saluted.

            Then the Marine dropped back into a relaxed position and said in a gruff, dry voice, “I don’t know who the hell you are, but it’s sure nice to see another human. I just gotta ask one thing. Why in God’s name are you dragging that monster around behind you.”

            Dustin turned his head slightly to regard Rebas, and then he turned back, “My name’s Dustin Echoes. This Rebas Noiproks, a traitor Elite. I’ve spared his life because he is at war with the Covenant just like us.”

            The Marine raised his battle rifle a little bit and grasped it more firmly, “Come again?”

            “I said he’s a traitor,” Dustin replied.

            “Why don’t you just take off that shiny helmet o’ yours, Helljumper, and we’ll see what you really are…”

            Dustin reached up and removed his ODST helmet. He shook his head to free his ever-lengthening brown hair. It was nearly shoulder-length now. He wondered what the Marine thought of that. Though he hadn’t shaved in days himself, apparently.

            “I told you, I’m Dustin Echoes,” Dustin said, squinting at the man with his keen grey eyes, “I’m an agent of the Office of Naval Intelligence.”

            “You’re an ONI spook?” the Marine said with a laugh, “I never would’a figured that. All right, come on in. But I’m watching the alien.”

            “I will do nothing to harm you,” Rebas said, “Unless you try to harm me.”

            The Marine seemed to jump at the sound of the Elite’s deep voice reverberating inside the Longsword fighter. As he walked up the ramp, Dustin noticed three other Marines in the front of the ship start as well. All were armed and ready; they had been waiting for the older man’s signal to attack, obviously.

            “There’s four of you here?” Dustin asked.

            “There’s three more on the planet’s surface too,” the Marine said, extending his hand, “I’m Sergeant Tom Harris. The others here are Harry, Matt, and Beth.”

            The Marines all nodded, but their eyes were still on the Elite.

            “How long have you all been here?” Dustin asked, “and where is Sarah Morrison?”

            “Oh, we’ve been here a few weeks now, I reckon,” Sgt. Harris replied, “And I don’t know how ya knew about Miss Morrison, but she’s out there. We found some strange alien bunker here on the surface, so that was what we headed for when we landed. She’s inside there now.”

            “Does she have the Index?”

            Harris eyed the Elite warily, and the wrinkles around his eyes suddenly increased in number, “You sure you wanna be talkin’ about this around him?”

            “We’ve been fighting for the Index together this long,” Dustin replied, letting go of Rebas’s arms to show that the Elite was not actually restrained, “I trust him.”

            All of the Marines were holding their guns tightly now, ready to fire at a moment’s notice. Harris had not moved. He just nodded.

            “Well, I haven’t yet seen anything to beat that,” he said, “Don’t you guess he plans to turn on you?”

            “If you could see the way the Covenant are hounding this guy,” Dustin replied with a laugh, “then you wouldn’t ask me that.”

            The female marine near the front of the ship exclaimed, “The Covenant?!”

            “What’s this about the Covenant?” Harris asked, “Are they here?”

            “They have not attacked you?” Rebas Noiproks said.

            The man blinked and looked up at the tall Elite, “You’re the first one we’ve seen in nearly a month. All’s been dark and quiet and cold as death down here on this mis’rable excuse for a planet.”

            “They were waiting for me to get here,” Rebas said, nodding, “That must be it.”

            “But why would they do that?” Dustin asked.

            Rebas shrugged, or seemed to shrug, and replied, “Perhaps they feared we would learn of it if they killed these humans, and then we would flee.”

            “If they’re out there, why didn’t they just shoot you down?” asked a Marine.

            Rebas looked them all over one by one, his thin head nodding on his long neck, “If there is one thing that Urgas will not do, it is shoot me down in space. He will hunt me to the day I die, but he will not kill me in that way. He will face me in single combat, and single combat alone. And only one of us will walk away.”

            “Well, I guess havin’ this alien here did work to our advantage then,” Harris said, “But we’d better move fast now. They won’t be waitin’ any longer, I guess.”

            “I doubt it,” Dustin replied, “Take me to Sarah Morrison.”

            “This way.”

            Sergeant Harris walked down the boarding ramp, the others trailing in his wake. They strode quickly across the blowing sand until the reached what appeared to be huge, low, flat grey rock. But as they drew closer, Dustin realized that it was metal. The door in the front was open, and another Marine was posted there on guard duty. He saluted as Sgt. Harris approached, and stepped aside, but all the time his eyes were on the red-armored Elite towering in the midst of the humans. One by one they filed in. The room was a bare, blank metal box. Dustin saw two more Marines sitting against the wall, loading their guns. They had obviously been asleep. There was also a computer on the far side of the room, and in front of it stood a woman in a navy uniform. She had short-cropped blond hair and attractive, aquiline features, though her mouth looked a bit thin and stern. Dustin took in the curve of her chin and her nose, her blue eyes and her eyebrows, and tried to compare her to Diana. No, he decided, they did not look alike. Diana was a goddess. Morrison was just a human. He actually laughed out loud at the thought.

            “What’s so funny?” Morrison asked in an imperial tone, “Wait… Do I know you?”

            Dustin straightened up and saluted. He was afraid it seemed half-hearted. It had been a while since he had practiced his salute.

            “Dustin Echoes, ma’am,” he said, “agent of the Office of Naval Intelligence. I’m…”

            “The Watcher,” she said, nodding, “What are you doing out here? You are risking your mission by coming here. You shouldn’t have done so. You should have contacted someone else.” Something in her tone softened when she added, “You’re too valuable to waste.”

            “That’s good to know,” Dustin replied, “But it wasn’t really my choice, coming here. It’s all his fault.”

            He nodded in the direction of his Elite companion.

            Rebas Noiproks nodded, “I am called Rebas Noiproks. I betrayed the Covenant many of what you call months ago. I have been running from them ever since, trying to throw them off my trail and come here.”

            “You could say we sort of ran into each other,” Dustin said, “And then he gave me the coordinates of this ring and told me his story, and here we are.”

            “So what is his story?” asked Sarah Morrison, “That’s not much information.”

            Rebas stood up straight and spoke quickly, “I am being hunted. I am hunted by my brother for betraying the Covenant. I am being hunted by the Covenant because I know too much. I know something that they do not wish me to know. I know that the holy rings are not so holy, and that this one malfunctioned. I know that it killed all of the Flood on its inner surface in a great blast. And I know that the information, the records taken of the malfunction, the way that we can defeat the Flood, is hidden in the Index. And finally, I know that you have it.”

            Sarah Morrison stared at him and blinked for a moment before replying, “Yes… Yes, it’s true. I find it so hard to believe.”

            “I believe him,” Dustin said with confidence, “He’s proven himself so far. But now you know why we’re here, so I have to ask you something… What are you doing here?”

“That’s classified information,” Morrison responded immediately.

“Oh really? Well, maybe I can get Diana to hack it out of your files somehow.”

“Diana? Well, it’s good to hear you still have her,” Morrison smiled, “I suppose you’ve been enjoying my company?”

“Yes, I heard she was created from your flash-clone,” Dustin replied, though he thought about touching on the fact that the two of them still somehow seemed quite different.

“You didn’t answer the question,” Morrison said with a short laugh, yet still in a commanding tone.
            “Tell her whose company you’ve enjoyed…” Diana’s voice said in Dustin’s ear, “Tell her the truth, Dustin. She is not me.”

“Are you so sure, Diana?” Dustin asked.

“What?” Morrison said, surprised.

“Dustin… Does she seem like me? Tell me the truth…”

“No,” Dustin answered.

“You aren’t talking to me…” Morrison said.

“Oh, right…” Dustin replied, “Well, I’ve enjoyed Diana’s company, yes.”

Morrison smiled, “I see… Well, I suppose it would not hurt to tell you the truth. The reason I came here to this Halo ring is because we received a distress call from a Covenant cruiser…”

            “You… heard the Covenant communications? But how?” slowly a thought dawned on Dustin, and another question burst out of him before he could stop it, “Is that how you knew about Troy?”

            “What are you talking about?” Morrison asked, showing no sign of being taken aback.

            “You know what I’m talking about!” Dustin retorted, “Troy! ONI sent me there for no apparent reason, just to wait and watch, and then along comes a Covenant armada and blasts the colony all to hell! That’s the only reason ONI could have had for sending me there. Somehow, they knew it was going to happen…”

            “Sometimes,” Morrison said, looking down, “Sacrifices must be made in war. I’m sorry it had to happen that way, Dustin Echoes.”

            He blew out a sigh, “So… I guess I was right then. You’re decoding Covenant transmissions…”

            Rebas Noiproks interrupted, “And you sacrificed the human colony on this Troy… to make sure that the Covenant did not know you were intercepting their transmissions.”

            Morrison’s eyes narrowed as she turned to face the Elite, “I do not like the way you say that, Covenant…”

            “I am not Covenant,” Rebas responded calmly.

            “We can’t be sure of that, can we?” Morrison said, standing up straight with her hands behind her back, trying very unsuccessfully to match the Elite’s height, or so it seemed to Dustin.

            “Enough of this,” Dustin said, “Look, you said you have the Index, right? So we know how to kill the Flood. Then let’s get out of here!”

            “Tell her to give it to you,” came Diana’s voice in Dustin’s ear once again, like the voice of some little angel standing on his shoulder, giving him good advice, “You can take care of it better than she can. You stay hidden, evade enemy forces… It’s your job. Your chances of escaping with the information successfully are much higher than hers. In fact, I calculate the probability as being…”

            “Okay, Diana, okay,” Dusin said, “But first we need to get out of here. We’ll worry about that later.”

            Morrison rolled her eyes, “I don’t like how easily you are distracted. But you have a point. Let’s go, men!”

            In single file, Dustin, Morrison, Rebas, and the Marines made their way out of the bunker. The sand and wind blew in their faces, and Sarah Morrison squinted and covered her eyes. Suddenly Sergeant Harris, who was leading, stopped dead in his tracks.

            “Look!” he exclaimed.

            One by one, they each looked straight up at the sky above. There was the Covenant cruiser… the Relentless Inquisitor. As they watched, a gaping hole opened in the belly of the beast, and a beam of purple light flowed out. It spread over them like a waterfall, bathing them in its eerie glow. Dustin felt his feet leave the ground…

            “Uh-oh…” he groaned.

            “You have a talent,” said Rebas Noiproks beside him as they both rose into the air, “for extreme understatement, Dustin Echoes.”

            Dustin looked up. The gaping black hole yawned wider and wider as they rose into the air. He could see the gleaming purple hull of the gargantuan ship now, see every detail on its surface. Then, suddenly, darkness enveloped them. The whale had swallowed them whole. Dustin felt himself stop rising. Lights flicked on all around him, revealing that he and the others were floating suspended in the air in the interior of a Covenant vessel, with its strangely organic-looking amethyst walls.

            And they were surrounded by Covenant troops.

            “Close the doors,” said the deep voice of an Elite, echoing through the room.

            Like the lens of a giant eyeball, the doors under Dustin’s feet slid closed, and he and the other humans, and Rebas, dropped to their feet. Dustin looked around the room. On every side, between the stacked crates and parked Covenant ground vehicles, stood aliens in shining, multicolored armor. He looked up. Above them was a ramp extending across the length of the room. In the center of the ramp was a rounded area with a transparent circle in the center. In the center of this circle stood an Elite in golden armor, with a red-armored Grunt and a hairy monster that Dustin had never seen the like of before, standing beside him.

            “Jackals, Elites, Hunters…” muttered Sarah Morrison.

            “This will not be an easy fight,” said Rebas Noiproks, though there was no fear in his deep voice, “Stay beside me, Dustin Echoes.”

            “I appreciate the concern…” Dustin muttered, “But what makes you think we can fight them at all?”

            Rebas lowered his head and dropped into a fighting stance, “Because we have no other choice, except to die a coward’s death. The Covenant do not take prisoners. And they would never, ever spare me after what I have done.”

            “Why ain’t they movin’?!” shouted Sgt. Harris nervously, “W-what do they want? If they’re gonna kill us, why don’t they do it?”

            “Brother!” came a deep voice, very similar to Rebas’s own, echoing from the platform above, “I’ve been waiting for this!”

            Rebas looked up, and his red eyes widened, and then narrowed, “Urgas Konoproks.”

            “Konoprok-SEE,” replied the gold-armored Elite, staring down at them through the clear flooring of the platform, “Or you have you forgotten the title that you forfeited?”

            “I have not forgotten,” Rebas replied, “I simply do not acknowledge titles any longer! I bow to no one!”

            “You will bow!” Urgas shouted, “Dead or alive, you will bow! Surrender, brother!”

            “I know what happens to those who do,” Rebas replied calmly, “Where the will of the Prophets is concerned, there is no surrender. There is only obey… or die.”

            “You broke your oaths, Heretic,” Urgas said, “You denied the will of the Prophets! And for that… you will die. Come, make your way up here and fight me honorably!”

            Dustin looked at the Covenant all around them. He knew what would happen if Rebas left… they would die. The Elite was their best hope for survival. He was stronger, faster, tougher, more experienced, and more agile than any of them… and he had two swords and an energy shield. Dustin had seen how he could fight.

            “Rebas,” Dustin said with a hopeless smile, giving a short laugh, “You do know something, don’t you? You’re our only hope.”

            Rebas slowly turned to look at him. Dustin recognized then a look in the alien’s eyes that was almost… human.

            “I will stay,” Rebas said, “I will not abandon those whom I have sworn to protect, Urgas! And unlike the Prophets, these humans have not lied to me!”

            “So you would forsake your own kind for these weak, pitiful creatures?!” Urgas shouted, hissing, “You are farther gone than I thought, Rebas Noiproks. Very well. Soldiers, attack them, but leave Rebas alive!”

            The aliens began to move. Their weapons began to glow as they activated.

            “Holy…!” Sgt. Harris cried.

The fight was on.

Chapter Seven - To Bliss or Woe           

            The fight was a short and bloody one, but to Dustin, time seemed to slow down, and the battle seemed to take forever. Afterwards, he would recall it as nothing but a flash in time, remembering only a few brief moments of the bloody massacre.

It began when Rebas Noiproks activated his dual energy swords. Their glow lit the room even brighter, especially when several of the other Elites around them activated their blades as well. Rebas threw aside all pretense of caution and leapt at his foes with the ferocity of a demon. The Elites with swords attempted to surround him and disarm him, to block him from attacking any of the other Covenant soldiers, but it was no use. Rebas moved with the skill, discipline, and precision of an expert swordsman, but with the strength and speed of a monster. He cut through the Elite’s defenses with little trouble, and then killed them with no remorse. He knew his mission: he had to kill as many Covenant as he could to defend his allies, for he was the only one that the Covenant would not immediately destroy without a second thought.

“This is madness!” snared Thanatos the Brute from the platform overhead as he watched the spectacle, “Men, attack the Elite! Kill Rebas the Heretic!”

            “No, Thanatos!” Urgas retorted, giving the Brute a violent shove, “You will not take my victory from me!”

“You are no longer any use to us, Urgas Konoproks,” Thanatos said, baring his fangs, pure fiery rage burning in his bloodshot eyes, “The time of the Elite is over… The Age of the Brute… has begun!”

For a second, Urgas quailed, intimidated by his smaller foe’s immense muscles as they tightened and thickened, and as his grey-brown fur stood on end like Hunter spines. This gave the Brute enough time to barrel into Urgas with his shoulder, knocking the Elite off his feet. Dordap the Grunt, who was also on the platform, cried out for mercy and ran away as fast as his tiny legs would carry him. Urgas landed hard on his back, the wind knocked out of his respiratory system. With a deep, throaty war cry, Thanatos drew out a pair of short, curved blades… blades broken off the back of Brute Shot rifles, which he often used in battle… and leapt at Urgas, hoping to land on top of him and cut him to ribbons. But Urgas was no coward, no fool, and certainly no weakling. He brought up his strong hind legs and waited. When Thanatos landed on the Elite’s hoofs, Urgas kicked with all his strength, sending the Brute flying off the platform… and into the fight below.

“Elites!” Urgas shouted, “That traitor tried to knife me! Kill him!”

While this fight took place above, the humans had not fared well. The Elites soon learned that fighting Rebas was no use; it would be better for them to attack the humans, and after they were all dead, flee the room so that Urgas could have the duel he desired. The humans had been faring well against the Jackals, but when the Elites suddenly turned on them, they had a much harder time. Gunfire flashed through the room in a blinding display of blinking lights, whizzing bullets, and flashing plasma blobs. Purple and red blood intermingled on the floor, staining it almost black, as human and Covenant fell in a heap together. Meanwhile, from behind, Rebas kept up his steady slaughter.

Early in the battle, a Hunter had gone straight for Dustin Echoes. Dustin noticed the glowing gun arm aimed for him, and, having once again donned his ODST helmet, Dustin barreled straight forward. The massive alien was taken by surprise when the Human showed a desire to fight him melee, but it was more than ready to oblige. With a deep growl, seemingly coming from somewhere deep in the creature’s clanking armor, the Hunter raised its shield arm and brought it down at the puny human. But Dustin was quicker, and he rolled forward, right under the Hunter’s shield, and stood up behind it. He turned and aimed his two SMG’s for its exposed back. Bullets rained into the creature’s orange flesh, sending blood spraying out. The Hunter gave a cry and fell forwards, dead.

“The bigger they are, the louder they fall!” Dustin felt he simply had to exclaim.

The creature’s blood had splattered on Dustin’s visor, and he brought his sleeve up to wipe it off. As he did so, the second Hunter came for him with a furious roar. The alien’s heavy shield struck him on the back, sending him flying against the wall. Dustin hit the wall hard, and then fell to the ground, dazed. He looked up, the world swimming before his eyes, in time to see the Hunter lower its gun arm and begin charging its weapon. But as he tried to move, expecting death at any second, Dustin saw a tiny blue light appear in the Hunter’s belly. The creature gave a cry and straightened up. The blue light in the orange flesh moved across, drawing a thin line. Blood poured out of the wound like a waterfall, and the Hunter fell over backwards. As it crashed to the ground, Rebas brought his sword out of its back and dodged its falling body.

“It would seem you are right,” said the Elite, almost smiling “He made a lot of noise, my friend!”

Dustin stood up and turned back to the battle. He shot down another Jackal that was charging its gun to fire at Sarah Morrison. The woman was crouched on the ground, shooting her battle rifle in short bursts, aiming for the heads of the approaching Elites. The Elites had backed the remaining humans into a corner and, as Dustin watched, they began to tear them apart with their energy swords and plasma rifles… But then something unexpected happened. A massive ball of muscle and fur came falling out of the sky, landing right between the Elites and their prey. Then Urgas’s order was heard echoing through the room.

“KILL HIM!”

The Elites changed targets… and attacked Thanatos. The Brute gave a terrible, bloodthirsty war cry and began slashing his blades in a furious frenzy. Dustin had thought the way Rebas fought was amazing, but this Brute was equally so. His fighting style was not disciplined, agile, and precise, like Rebas’s, but instead it was fast and furious, using brute strength and blind rage instead trained skill. The Brute tossed one of his swords into the chest of an Elite gunner and was rewarded with a spray of purple blood and a falling body. Then, without pause, he used his free hand to grab the wrist of another Elite, wrenching the plasma sword from its grasp. With his remaining blade, he sliced the throat of an approaching foe even as he kicked away the Elite that he had just disarmed and stabbed him with his own energy sword. Dustin could only stare in astonishment at the fast-moving battle and spraying blood.

Then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Thanatos simply tossed the remaining Elites aside and barreled out of the room on all fours like an ape, smashing through a group of Grunt reinforcements that had just been entering. An Elite followed him, killing a few of the Grunts on his way out in pure rage. The last remaining Elite threw back his head and gave a throaty roar. His shields were gone. Dustin aimed his SMG’s at the alien’s back, but the Elite still had time to draw out a plasma grenade and toss it at the Marines before he was cut down from all sides.

The great blue explosion lit the whole room… and destroyed all the remaining humans in a single blast. Dustin blinked until his vision cleared… and all he now saw standing was Rebas, perched over a pile of dead Grunts. All of the humans lay sprawled on the floor with the blood and the corpses. Dustin walked up and looked closely at each Marine’s body. One by one, he confirmed that each of them was dead. When he came upon the body of Sgt. Harris, the man’s eyes opened, and he looked up at him.

“Am I… okay?” he said, but he did not wait for reply before he went on, “The Index… Sarah has it… Take it… from here. Get away.”

“Okay, okay. Calm down, Sarge!” Dustin replied as he crouched down to inspect the plasma wound in the man’s side.

The Sergeant was wheezing for breath now, “No… get…”

And then, in mid-sentence, he died. Dustin checked to make sure, and then he reached down, closed the Marine’s blank, staring eyes, and moved on. Sarah Morrison was the next person he came to. Her medium-length blond hair was a mess now, flying wildly and cached with blood where she had fallen on the ground. Dustin checked her pulse and confirmed that she was still alive, just unconscious. He reached down and tried to awaken her, but he got no response.

“Urgas!” Rebas suddenly shouted, startling Dustin, “Are you up there?! Come down and face me! I am ready!”

“Shut up, you idiot!” Dustin shouted, “Get over here and help me!”

“No, I must face him!” Rebas replied, still looking at the ramp overhead, “I must end this; I must be free of him!”

“Then we’ll all die for nothing!” Dustin retorted, “Now get over here and carry Morrison here for me!”

The Elite shook his head and looked down. His chest was heaving. It seemed to take a moment for the bloodlust to wear off of him, and then he settled down into his usual attitude. He breathed a heavy sigh and walked over to wear Dustin was standing. The Elite lifted the body of Sarah Morrison off the ground as easily as if she had been a plasma rifle. Slinging her over his shoulder, he turned toward the door that the Brute had exited through. Dustin took one last look around the room. It was the first real ground battle, between people on foot, that he had seen. He felt like had to pay his respects to the dead soldiers somehow, to say something…

            “Four times fifty living men, and I heard neither sigh nor groan, with a heavy thump, a lifeless lump, they dropped down one by one. Their souls did from their bodies fly; they fled to bliss or woe. And each soul, it passed me by…”

            “Come human, let us go.”

            Dustin turned. Rebas stood impatiently waiting in the doorway, holding Sarah Morrison. Saying nothing more, Dustin ran to catch up with the Elite, who now started off down the hallway. They made their way along silently, heading for the ship’s hangar. They met some resistance, but were able to dispatch it with relative ease. Perhaps, Dustin thought, now that Thanatos and Urgas were openly hostile, the entire ship was at war with itself, and that was causing a suitable distraction to allow them to escape. When they reached the hangar, all was silent as death. There sat one of the Covenant’s large U-shaped dropships, floating between a pair of boarding ramps.

            “Can you fly one of these?” Rebas asked as he gently lay Sarah Morrison in one of the dropship’s seats.

            “Yes,” Dustin replied, “They taught me how in training…”

            “Good. Then fly it out of here. I still have something to do.”

            Dustin’s eyes widened, “Are you going after Urgas? You’re crazy! Get in the dropship, Rebas! Don’t throw your life away!”

            “I am not throwing my life away,” the Elite replied calmly.

            “Rebas!” Dustin shouted, “Don’t you get it? You said you bow to no one, but you’re wrong! You still follow the Covenant by following their traditions! What makes you think you have to fight Urgas? To regain your honor? That honor is a Covenant idea! Banish it from your mind, and live free of the Covenant completely! That would be a true victory!”

            “You are right, Dustin Echoes,” Rebas sighed, “You are right. But it is hard to break with that part of the Covenant. It is a part of my heritage. It is a part of me. But that is not the real reason I must leave you now. I do this to save us both. If we get to the surface and try to escape in your ship, this cruiser will shoot us down. I leave now to prevent that, so that you, at least, and the Index, may escape…”

            Dustin stared at the Elite for a moment, breathing hard, “Very well, Rebas. You’re right. I… I don’t know what to say. I never thought I’d see a traitor Elite. And I never thought I would fight alongside one… but I truly never, in my strangest dreams, thought that I would actually care about one dying. But now I do. I guess even some of you aliens are human too, after all.”

            The Elite cocked his head to one side, “Despite your intention, I actually find that remark… rather insulting.”

            Dustin laughed, “What I mean is, Rebas, it has been an honor to fight with you. And I will make sure that the humans hear of what you’ve done, about how you sacrificed yourself for a greater cause… something both sides should be able to appreciate.”

            Rebas nodded once and replied, “And I am honored to have known you, Dustin Echoes. If you are any indication, I truly hope that the Prophets do not succeed in obliterating your species.”

            Dustin gave a short laugh, “Well… that’s a grim statement, but thanks, I guess.”

            Rebas turned to leave, “Now go, Dustin Echoes! The path before me is clear! Leave while you still can!”

            Dustin watched as Rebas ran off, the lights glistening on his crimson armor, his strange legs making long strides as he sprinted toward a distant doorway… and disappeared. Then the human turned back to the Covenant Dropship and crawled inside. Once he was in the pilot’s seat, he closed the hatches and activated the engines. The long, awkward ship made its way out of the hangar doors, flying through the shields and into the darkness of the deserted alien planet. Dustin had trouble piloting the craft; it was tougher than he had expected. The Blackdagger was not immediately visible. The Iniquisitor, it appeared, had moved a good distance away from where it had first picked up the humans with its gravity beam. But Dustin finally found the two human ships, the Blackdagger and the Longsword, side-by-side in the distance. He tried to bring the Covenant dropship down for a landing, but he wasn’t sure how, so he was forced to make a crash-landing. He brought the ship down low as slowly as he could, and then he shut off the engines. The entire vessel dropped like a rock.

            Dustin opened the hatches and crawled out of the ship. Gazing out at the sandy terrain, he saw the Blackdagger and the Longsword fighter still there waiting for him. He heard someone sigh behind him. Turning, he saw Sarah Morrison rising slowly out of her seat. She rubbed the back of her neck and limped toward him.

            Dustin put an arm around her to support her as he led her toward the Blackdagger, “Are you alright?”

            “I’m… okay,” she replied, and, feeling of her pocket, she added, “And I still have the Index.”

            “Dustin!”

            At first Dustin thought that it was Morrison who had shouted his name so emotionally, but then he realized that the voice was coming from inside his helmet. It was Diana.

            “It sure is good to see you, Dustin Echoes! I thought you were dead! I didn’t know what to do… I…”

            Dustin sighed, “Don’t worry about it, Diana. I’m okay now, and I still have the Index.”

            Morrison had apparently heard Diana over the commlink, for she commented, “Are you sure there isn’t something wrong with your AI unit? She sounds awfully emotional.”

            “She’s fine,” Dustin replied. He suddenly felt terribly afraid of Morrison thinking that Diana was going rampant. He didn’t want to lose her; she had been his only companion for so long.

            Suddenly a great, powerful roar rose up in the night, echoing against the dark, looming mountains all around them. The two humans stopped dead in their tracks. Simultaneously, they turned to look. Thanatos, the monstrous Brute that had slaughtered all those Elites, was crawling out of the wreckage of the Covenant dropship.

            “The Index is MINE!” he shouted, and then, in one great leap, he was right on top of them.

            They did not have time to run. They barely had time to react. Thanatos landed right behind them and, grabbing them both, flung them in opposite directions. Dustin scrambled to his feet in time to see Morrison draw out a pistol, but Thanatos just as quickly knocked it away with the back of his hand. Then the Brute grabbed Morrison’s head between his huge hands and twisted it sharply, snapping her neck as easily as if it had been a dry twig. Her body fell down like a limp rag doll.

            “NO!” Dustin shouted, opening fire with both of his SMG’s.

            Thanatos ignored the spray of bullets as they struck his armor and his flesh. He jerked the Index out of Sarah Morrison’s pocket before turning, drawing his blade, and barreling down on Dustin. Dustin gritted his teeth planted his feet, preparing to dodge. And he did dodge, just in time. As the Brute passed, Dustin cut into his side with his combat knife. Thanatos gave a howl of pain and rage. He straightened up and turned on Dustin, knocking the weapons out of his hands with the same backhand swipe he had used to disarm Morrison. Then he kicked the human in the chest, sending him sprawling.

            Thanatos put one foot on the dead body of what had once been the ONI officer Sarah Morrison. He raised himself up into a commanding position and spoke into his commlink.

            “Inquisitor, this is Thanatos. Fire on the human vessels on the surface. Now!”

            They all looked out at the distant horizon, where the huge Covenant Cruiser was looming over the mountains. A row of bright lights lit the underside of the Relentless Inquisitor. So they had responded to the Brute’s command. Perhaps, Dustin thought, Urgas was dead. Perhaps Rebas was dead too. Dustin could only wait for the end now. So he stared at the sky to watch the spectacle… one last time. At least, he thought, he would finally get to see it from this point of view. The glow of the plasma cannons intensified… and then exploded.

            Inside the ship.

            “The shields…” Diana said through Dustin’s commlink, “They did not drop the shields before firing! They fired inside their own shields!”

            As Dustin watched, the Covenant ship tore itself apart. Explosions ripped through the hull, spreading like wildfire. The plasma cannon backfire had caused a chain reaction. Piece by piece, the Relentless Inquisitor ignited… and was destroyed.

            “WHAAAT?!” screamed Thanatos, drawing out a plasma pistol, “Impossible!”

            Dustin rose to his feet, pain racking his body as he tried to lift his SMG, “Give me the Index, Thanatos, if you want to live!”

            “Fool!” the Brute shouted, “If the Prophets cannot have the Index, NO ONE WILL!”

            With that he tossed the tiny, thin metal object into the sand. It was so small and fragile, Dustin thought, to contain something so important. Dustin ran forward, firing his SMG at the Brute the whole time, trying to save the Index. But Thanatos lowered his pistol, which he had been charging, and let fly the powerful, fully-charged green plasma bolt. It struck the Index full in the center. The insignificant object flew to pieces, and the sand where it had been was burned to glass. The key to killing the Flood, the thing that they had fought for, that the Marines had died for, was gone. And Thanatos laughed.

            But then his berserk state began to wear off, and Thanatos felt the pain of Dustin’s bullets. After looking down at his bleeding body, Thanatos turned angrily toward Dustin, as if seeing him for the first time. The human was reloading now. Thanatos gave a roar and leapt for him. Dustin dropped down and rolled forward, under the flying Brute. He stood up quickly and fired a few more rounds into the creature’s back. Bullets seemed to have no effect on this monster! He was bleeding from upwards of twenty places now, or so it seemed, but he still was not hurt! Thanatos turned, grabbed Dustin’s wrist, and crushed it in his iron grip. Dustin cried out in pain and dropped his SMG. Thanatos threw back his head and laughed… But as he did so, Dustin picked up his combat knife and jabbed it deep into the Brute’s neck. He was rewarded with a cry of pain. Again and again he lunged forward, jabbing the blade deeper and deeper. Thanatos staggered backwards, blood running freely down his chest. Then the Brute tossed Dustin away. Thanatos staggered, choking on the blood that was gurgling from his throat. He thrashed around for a few more seconds, screaming, as if he were trying to fight off Death as it came for him… but finally he fell down in the sand with a thud. Dustin coughed out a painful laugh as he watched.

            “The bigger they are…” he croaked out.

            “Dustin, get in this ship, now!” Diana scolded him.

            “I’m coming… Diana…" Dustin said, coughing, and then he breathed a sigh, "I'm coming..."

Chapter Eight - Brother Against Brother                         Rebas Noiproks walked slowly down the corridor, holding his two deactivated blades in his hands. The eerie lights shone on his armor, making reflections on the strange purple walls as he passed. His tiny yet keen red eyes scanned each connecting hallway, each door, and every shadow, for an enemy. He paused. Small feet were shuffling in the corridor ahead on his right. As he drew closer, the Covenant emerged. It was a group of mixed aliens: Grunts, Jackals, and two Elites. Rebas activated his blades.             He moved in on the Jackals first, since they posed the most threat besides the Elites, but he could take them down quickly. He took the first two down in two slashes; one to knock aside the shield, and another to stab its owner. The next two Jackals and the Grunts then opened fire while the Elites looked on. Still Rebas advanced down the hallway, expertly dodging the plasma blasts, and the few shots that hit him not getting past his shields. In a flash, he was on top of them. He leaped with his powerful legs and landed atop a Grunt, stabbing him as well as crushing him. Dodging another blast, he began cutting apart the Grunts. The Jackals were behind him, charging up their pistols. Rebas twirled about and rolled straight between them, so that their blasts hit each other’s shields. They stared at one another in confusion for a moment before Rebas removed both their heads.             With all the Jackals dead and only a few Grunts remaining, the Elites moved in. Their plasma rifles were harder to dodge, and Rebas’s shields took several hits. With a roar, he lunged at one Elite, stabbing him through the chest, piercing shield, armor, and flesh in a single great blow. The second Elite, seeing his companion’s demise, activated an energy sword. He took a heavy downward slash at Rebas’s head, but the traitor looked up and grabbed his assailant’s descending arm in his jaws. His teeth did not pierce the Elite’s armor, but he was able to shove the arm aside so that the blade did not hit him. Then he swung at his opponent’s chest and spilled his guts. Taking out two of the remaining three grunts with ease, he advanced on the third. This Grunt fumbled with a plasma grenade, but Rebas sliced off his hand before he could activate it. Then he proceeded to slice off the ends of the Grunt’s gas mask and breathing apparatus, in quick, precise cuts. The creature gagged and gasped, dropping to his knees and clutching his throat. Then he died.             Rebas moved on. It did not take him long to find his way to the ship’s bridge, and he met little resistance on the way. Cautiously, he moved toward the door that led to the Relentless Inquisitor’s main control room. He had to think carefully about his next course of action. Should he enter the bridge and attack, or try to find a more subtle way to disable the ship? It was then that he recognized his brother, Urgas Konoproksee, in the captain’s chair, seated high atop the rest of the crew. No, he decided, there was no need for subtlety.             “Urgas!” he shouted boldly, striding into the room, right in front of the platform on which Urgas sat, walking between him and the Grunts at the control panels, “You wanted me to come find you! Well, here I am!”             The aliens in the room moved for their weapons, but Rebas did not budge. He knew his brother would not let them cut him down, and he was right.             “Stop!” Urgas shouted, rising, “Put away your weapons! This is a personal fight between Rebas and myself. We will settle this honorably.”             Rebas deactivated his energy swords and tossed one away, sending it clattering across the floor under the platform, “Then clear the bridge, brother, and let us settle this once and for all.”             Urgas nodded and gave the order. The Grunts scampered out as quickly as their feet could carry them, but the other Elites twitched their mouthparts and looked nervously at each other, reluctant to follow the command.             “But… Commander,” said a red-armored Elite on Urgas’s right, “No one will be piloting the ship. And what of Thanatos the Brute? If he is still loose in the ship…”             “I gave you an order,” Urgas said simply, in a low and threatening voice.             The Elites nodded. One by one, they left the room. The hum and beeping of the control panels were now the only sounds in the room. Urgas Konoproksee looked down upon his heretic brother below. Then he leapt down off his platform and activated his energy sword. Rebas did likewise.             “On you guard!” Urgas shouted, and then he attacked.             The two blades made a faint, deep humming sound as they swung through the air and clashed in a display of light. The two Elites fought in a fencing style, far apart, arms extended, moving in slow circles. This method of fighting was far different from the mad frenzy that most Elites flew into when using their energy blades against the humans. When facing another Elite in single combat, training and discipline took the place of rage. Still, as the fight intensified, emotions began to rise.             The fight was turning to Urgas’s advantage. Rebas was unused to fighting with only a single energy blade, and it had been a long time since he had faced an opponent similarly armed. His brother’s jaws remained shut tight as he skillfully dodged and deflected Rebas’s blows. Rebas, on the other hand, was starting to pant, and his mandibles opened and closed with his breathing. Moving in for another offensive, he attempted to push Urgas’s defenses aside, get in close, and risk a kick or other physical attack to knock his brother off-balance. But Urgas anticipated this, so he dodged wide when his brother slashed, and came at Rebas’s exposed side. Rebas saw the maneuver just in time to escape getting cut, but his shields flickered as the very tip of the energy blade grazed them.             “You are slowing, Rebas,” Urgas taunted him, “Perhaps you tired yourself out slaughtering your kin to save your human friends?”             Rebas deflected a few more of Urgas’s half-hearted attacks before the action paused long enough for him to reply, “The Elites I killed… are the ones that the Prophets… and commanders like you… sent to their deaths.”             “Still as set in your ways as the day you declared your heresy, I see,” Urgas snarled.             With that, the gold-armored Elite leapt in for a fast offensive. Rebas ducked under his slash and came up behind him, but as his blade swung for Urgas’s back, the Elite turned around in a blink and deflected it. For a moment the fight reached its highest climax, with blades flying in a flurry of lights and combatants growling in a frenzy to finish the duel quickly. But then they again parted and began to circle each other, breathing hard.             “You are growing desperate, brother,” Rebas said, “You wish to finish this. I have to wonder, why?”             “I have a mission,” Urgas replied, “I cannot be delayed here for long, or that Brute might find the Index before I do.”             “Fighting for personal glory as usual,” Rebas said with a mirthless laugh, “So much for the greater goals of the Prophets.”             “You know nothing of my goals!” Urgas snarled.             Again the gold-armored Elite made a series of fast attacks at his red-armored opponent, and again Rebas dodged and deflected them all. Now the tides were turning; Urgas was beginning to tire. In a moment, Rebas thought, it would be all over. But he was wrong. It happened in an instant: their blades became tangled. The gap running down the middle of each sword caused the problem. As Rebas attempted to deflect another of Urgas’s blows, half of his sword’s blade ran down the gap in the middle of Rebas’s blade. For a moment the two struggled, pulling left and right, trying to disarm each other. But Urgas was stronger. Putting all his weight behind him, he gave a great twist that jerked Rebas’s blade out of his grasp, sending the sword flying.             Urgas laughed, and then he proceeded to madly slash at his disarmed opponent. Rebas ducked and dodged three swings, then leaped backwards. His back struck the captain’s platform of the ship. Urgas growled and gave a great downward slash, but Rebas quickly slipped under the platform. As he did so, he grabbed his second sword, the one he had kicked there before the fight began. Urgas leaned down to peer under the edge of the platform just as Rebas came sliding out. His foot struck his brother’s face and sent him sprawling. Rising quickly, Rebas activated his sword. Urgas shook his head and growled, advancing once again. Coiling his muscles for a spring, Rebas leaped just as his brother took another slash at him. He jumped up onto the platform above. Urgas jumped to follow him, but landed precariously on the edge of the platform. Rebas saw his opportunity. For a second the two of them fought, but Urgas was off-balance and unable to deflect his brother’s last attack. As he slipped and fell backwards off the platform, Rebas’s sword cut into his side. Rebas stepped slowly up to the edge and looked down. Below him, his brother lay in a pool of purple blood, a terrible gash running across his gut. Urgas coughed up blood as he deactivated his blade. Urgas’s head swiveled down to inspect his mortal wound. He looked surprised, Rebas thought. He waited for his brother to speak. When Urgas finally was able to form the words, they were not what Rebas had expected.             “Thank you,” he said. And then he died.             Rebas stared at his dead brother. Why had he thanked him? Because he had won, Rebas thought to himself. Who had won was not important to Urgas. Honor, as Rebas had told Dustin Echoes, was strong in his bloodline. Urgas did not care who won, so long as it was an honorable victory. And perhaps, Rebas thought, just perhaps, his words had made Urgas regret his zealous loyalty to the Prophets. Rebas shook his head and jumped down off the platform, taking his brother’s sword. There was no time to waste. Then he paused. There was still one thing he needed to do here on the bridge. He had to alter the ship’s shield settings.             When the Covenant re-entered the bridge, the red-armored Elite commander, Urgas Konoproksee’s subordinate officer, was the first to step through the doors. “Urgas Konoproksee is dead,” he said as his eyes landed on the body at the foot of the Captain’s platform. He ordered everyone to return to their posts, even as he walked past Urgas’s dead body. He was the leader now, and he had a job to do. He stepped up onto the platform and looked around the room, issuing orders for the removal of Urgas’s body and to begin searches for the killer, Rebas Noiproks no doubt. Then he received a message on the commlink.             A deep voice rumbled over the speakers: “Inquisitor, this is Thanatos. Fire on the human vessels on the surface. Now!”             For a second, the two Elite’s on the platform looked at each other. Then the red-armored commander nodded.             “Do as he says. Begin charging the plasma cannons.”             Rebas ran back down the halls of the ship. He had to escape quickly. If his assumption was correct, the Covenant would be firing at Dustin soon, if they had not done so already. And due to his “modification” of the shield settings, that would mean the end of the Relentless Inquisitor. Finally, he reached the hangar. Making his way toward one of the Seraph fighters, he saw a Grunt opening the hatch.             The Grunt turned and squealed, “Please don’t kill me!!!”             “Why shouldn’t I?” Rebas asked, “Speak quickly!”             “Dordap,” the Grunt said, “I am Dordap, slave of the honorable Urgas Konoproksee. But now he is dead, so Dordap is your slave! And he wants to get out of here, just like you!”             Rebas saw no reason to argue, so he nodded, “Get in the ship.”             The two of them climbed in the large, teardrop-shaped purple fighter and closed the hatch. The engines began to glow as Rebas turned the ship about. As he exited the hangar doors, he heard the Grunt behind him squealing.             “The guns – they’re charging!”             The Inquisitor then fired its plasma cannons. Rebas gunned the engines as the first explosion ripped through the cruiser behind him. At last, the renegade Elite thought as he watched the ship tear itself apart … at last, he was free. Epilogue - A Sadder and a Wiser Man                        Dustin struggled to lift himself up, but he stumbled and rolled back down in the sand, wincing in pain. When he looked up, the Blackdagger seemed a great distance away. Then, looking at the sky, he beheld another ship approaching… a Covenant Seraph Fighter.             “Oh Hell…” he groaned.             “Dustin!” Diana’s voice cried impatiently in his ear.             “It’s no good, Diana,” he replied, “I can hardly move. It’s over.”             The Seraph touched down, and the hatch opened. A Grunt climbed out, followed by an Elite. The Elite then ordered his smaller companion to get back inside as he walked out to meet Dustin. As he approached, Dustin recognized something familiar about him. All Elites looked the same to Dustin, but this one was unique because of its distinctly red eyes. He had only ever seen one other Elite with eyes like that before…             “Rebas?” he asked hopefully.             The Elite nodded its elongated, armored head and replied, “Yes.”             Rebas Noiproks surveyed the planet’s surface. He saw the Longsword fighter, the Blackdagger, the wreckage of the Covenant dropship, the dead body of the human woman, and finally, the body of Thanatos, with a knife stuck in his throat all the way up to the hilt. He looked back down at Dustin.             “You slew Thanatos the Brute?” he asked.             Dustin gave a short laugh and grinned, “Yeah… And as you would say, in single combat.”             “Congratulations; your species continues to surprise me.”             “Thanks… Hey, can you give me a hand?” Dustin nodded in the direction of his ship, “I can’t walk very well. I think that ‘Thanatos’ broke something.”             “Yes,” Rebas said, helping Dustin onto his feet.             The two walked out over the wastes, both feeling rather awkward. Once they were inside the Blackdagger, Dustin sat down in the pilot’s seat and blew out a sigh.             “Rebas Noiproks… I have a request,” said Diana over the ship’s speakers.             “What is it, computer?” the Elite replied.             Diana paused before asking, “Can you carry the body of that female human in here… and lay her down in the cryo-tube?”             “What…?” Dustin began, but Diana interrupted him.             “I just can’t leave her body out there to rot in the desert! She’s… me, Dustin!”             “Right,” Dustin said soothingly, “Of course, Diana. It’s not a problem. I understand.”             “Very well,” Rebas said, turning and walking back outside.             Dustin staggered back into the back of the ship and sat down on the bench there. He began painfully removing his Orbital Drop Shock Trooper armor as Diana scanned him for injuries. Rebas soon returned, carrying the body of Sarah Morrison over his shoulder. He laid her down gently in the cryo-tube, and Diana closed it. Dustin looked through the view window at the woman’s face. It was surprisingly peaceful-looking, unlike the visages of most of the soldiers that died in the Relentless Inquisitor. There were external no signs of injury on her body. Perhaps she could be healed? The thought only crossed Dustin’s mind for a second. It was unlikely.             “So this is where we part ways, Dustin Echoes,” Rebas the Elite said suddenly, “I will leave, disappear into the shadows. A ‘Grunt,’ as your species calls them, whom I met on Urgas’s ship, has informed me of the location of a group of heretics… traitors to the Prophets. Perhaps I will find them and join their cause. It is good to know that there are others out there who share my views.”             Dustin did not take his eyes from Sarah’s face in the cryo-tube as he replied, “Yeah… there are those out there who share my views as well. Unfortunately, they aren’t the UNSC… and they certainly aren’t ONI.”             “So what will you do then? You will not take the Index back to your people?”             Dustin looked up at Rebas helplessly, “I… I’m sorry, Rebas. But the Index… Thanatos destroyed it.”             Rebas’s expression did not change, but his shoulders sank at the mention of this news.             “Then it has all been in vain,” he said.             “No, not entirely,” Dustin replied, smiling a little, “I’d do it all over again, in fact, if only for the memory. I’ve never known an alien like you. I never thought I would. Besides, I’m used to not getting much out of my missions.”             Rebas nodded, “For the memory then. I believe that I can live with that. So what will you do now?”             “Go home. Tell my people about what happened. Just like always… Unless you want to change the story, that is. So what do you want me to tell them? That you died? Or should I just leave you out of the story completely?”             “No, do not do that,” replied the Elite, “Tell your people my story. And if you really see it as wiser to lie, then you may tell them that both my brother and I died in this battle. But truly, I do not see why you should wish to lie. Would it be so bad to tell them that you let me go? Perhaps you could set an example for your people as I have set an example for mine.”             “Well, ONI certainly wouldn’t like that,” Dustin said, “But guess what? You’re right. There’s no reason to lie. To Hell with ONI!”             At this, Rebas actually let out a short laugh.             “Well then, I guess this is goodbye,” Dustin said, “because I think it’s pretty safe to say we’ll never see each other again.”             “There is only a slim possibility,” Rebas agreed, “But that is enough for me. I will return to my ship then, and hope that my companion there is telling the truth about the heretics. Perhaps then I will once again find a cause worth fighting for. I do not think however, that I will ever again consider any cause worth dying for.”             “I never have, Rebas,” replied Dustin Echoes, “I never have…”             Later, both ships, the Covenant Seraph fighter and the Blackdagger, rose side-by-side from the sands of the mysterious planet, and shot out into the atmosphere. As they passed into space, both pilots looked at each other, or each others’ ships, for the last time. Dustin stopped for a moment to watch Rebas’s ship make the jump into Slipspace. As he stared out at the stars, the vast ring-world of Halo, and the disappearing Covenant fighter, he blew out yet another long sigh.             “You’re going to recite more distorted poetry, aren’t you?” Diana’s voice asked teasingly, “You pass, like night, from land to land, but you have strange power of speech…”             Dustin nodded and smiled, “Hey, you know it just as well as me. So you do it. Go on…”             Diana obliged him immediately, “The Elite, whose eye is bright, whose face you used to abhor, is gone. And now the wanderer, turned from the darkened shore. He went like one that hath been stunned and is of sense forlorn. A sadder and a wiser man he rose the morrow morn.”             “And I will,” Dustin said, “Set course, Diana, for Earth. It’s been too long since I’ve seen her.” In a dark metallic office filled with dark metallic war trophies, lit by the harsh yet insufficient glare of artificial illumination, Dustin Echoes confronted his superior officer. They were both wearing the white ceremonial uniforms of Navy officers, though neither of them truly held such a rank. Dustin had told the man everything, omitting few details other than those that told of Diana’s possible malfunctioning. The officer had listened silently to the whole story. Now, as he reached the end, the officer finally spoke.             “So, you just let this Elite go?” he asked.             “Yes, Sir,” Dustin responded, “Would you not have done the same?”             “No, I would not have,” the man responded bluntly, “We will discuss that later, however. For now, you may go.”             “What about the body of Sarah Morrison?” Dustin asked, “Will she be buried?”             “That’s classified information,” the officer replied emotionlessly, “Suffice to say that Sarah Morrison had plans if anything like this were to happen to her. We are going to follow those plans.”             “And Halo, Sir?” Dustin asked, “What about the other Halo? The information that was in the Index, the information the ring might still contain somewhere, could save millions of lives. It has to be researched.”             “It will be, Dustin Echoes,” the man replied, “The best men in the field are working on it as we speak.”             Dustin narrowed his eyes. He once again felt sick of ONI’s secrecy, especially to him. He replied to the officer’s answer with another question: “Who?”             The officer narrowed his own eyes in response: “The best. Men.”