---

Vael’s meditation was interrupted by a visitor at his door. Naturally, he had received few since he had been staying on his planet. Some of the younger members of his team had chosen to indulge some of their curiosity on this world, but Vael himself had been content to keep to himself. He suspected that ONI had anticipated he and his team would behave just as Vael had been when they offered them the freedom of movement befitting a guest. It was for that reason that Vael did not mind allowing his team to defy their expectations and do as they willed. It would certainly cause some irritation for their handlers.

In any case, Vael allowed his guest to enter his quarters. The room was entirely unchanged from its state when the Humans had assigned it to him, apart from the large covenant storage crate near the back of the room that contained his personal belongings. He listened in silence to everything the Spartan Ben had to say to him, then stood himself to his feet once he was finished. Even out of armor, Vael still towered over the Spartan. Across his body were many marks of his long military service. Scars from gashes both deep and shallow, plasma burns, and the remnants of more than a few gunshots. Even were Vael a mute, his body alone could weave a compelling tale.

At first, Vael simply stared down at Ben with a stare that was hard to read. Even after he spoke, it was hard to say if he was being judgmental, or merely contemplative. ”You say your job is to punish insubordination and cowardice? You require this…deception and secret orders merely to punish the unworthy within your ranks? I still find myself confused on how your people have become so competent with the limitations you cast upon yourselves. But it is no matter to me what you do to your own people. Share whatever information your superiors have deemed necessary. You need only make sure to stay your hand against my warriors. If any should prove themselves unworthy of our ranks, then they will be mine to punish, not yours.”

"Oh, don't worry. I'd never attack a Sangheili in our group for those things. The UNSC's authority doesn't go that far, even though ONI seems to think that it should interfere with whatever it wants. For the record, I've always admired your people's ability to get things done. In any event, the information in question is that my standing orders supersede any particular directives I am otherwise assigned to on a mission. My superiors believed that you needed to be privy to this in order to explain my long periods of seeming absence. What I do is something my people- the human race- needs very badly yet cannot bring itself to admit. By necessity, what I do must be done off the record. The truth is a luxury my species can't afford. We're too weak to handle it, to paraphrase a centuries-old movie my people made."

Ben looked at Vael's armor, still unused. The armor was in a crate, but it was a container which Ben had seen before in Covenant barracks.

"And on one minor note, you may want to put your armor on when you absolutely don't need to have it off. God knows there are plenty of people who have it out for your species after what happened during the war. Like at Harvest. Or Reach. Or even Earth, although I suppose we should thank your people for glassing that part of Africa, since the Flood had landed there and anything to stop them was warranted. Rest assured that you're being watched by ONI even now, but that doesn't mean they're looking out for your safety."

"For the record, Harvest was glassed by the Jiralhanae. Not that many people care to draw that distinction, although I suppose most people lump all of the Covenant in as equally culpable for those glassings, regardless of the facts." Phong kept his speech limited to Ben's systems, so Vael didn't hear that.

After finishing up cleaning his weapons, the SPARTAN-IV could only stand to be in the quiet for another few minutes before, with a groan, he geared up and headed out. Well, specifically, he grabbed his knives and his pistol and headed out. Once his door was closed to his room and the lock had engaged, he turned to his handler as they approached and shook his head. "ONI can stuff it, Sergeant. And be sure to tell them I said exactly that when you have to report that I wouldn't allow you to accompany me on MY home planet." The handler, stunned by the way Lucas bluntly handled his approach, doesn't even try to follow him as he heads for the room of Aegis' Swords commander, pausing just in time to hear the SPARTAN-III finish his sentence.

"Rest assured that you're being watched by ONI even now, but that doesn't mean they're looking out for your safety." Ryker's snort likely caught the attention of the pair as he joined Ben in the doorway.

"Lad, if that isn't the understatement of the day, I don't know what is." Offering a bow to Vael, the SPARTAN-IV removes his helmet and offers a smile to him. "If you're up for it, Commander 'Virisusai, I was about to head down to the seaboard for some fresh seafood. Thought I'd stop by and see if you wanted to join me."

---

”My superior instructed me not to mention the parasite while on your worlds, since your leaders hide the reality of it from your people. I do not know why they feel that ignorance of the threat will protect them from it. Vael remarked.

Vael was not sure whether to be irritated or relieved by the arrival of Spartan Ryker. He had been content with the silence of his meditation, but it seemed the time for that had passed. He had permitted the Spartan to assist with many of his missions during the time since the battle on Sarcophagus. In truth, he had not expected the idea of Aegis team to survive, but he did agree with it in principle, for he believed in the Arbiter’s principles. He would not be here if he felt otherwise.

In the time that they were working together, Vael had treated Ryker exactly as Tar, Yalu, or any other warrior, giving him no trouble, nor special treatment. That said, he had not made a habit of socializing with anyone under his command, and he wondered what Ryker hoped to gain by making this suggestion. ”Is this a custom of yours I am unfamiliar with, or is there something else you wish to accomplish? The staff of this building already provide me with food.”

Ryker shrugs, roughing his hair with his free hand. "You could say it is a bit of a custom of humanity in as a whole. Before we took to the stars and encountered the Covenant, military units often became a small family, as they came to rely and trust each other explicitly both on and off the battle field, and as a result, they'd often do things such as going to meals together and other activities to build trust and cohesion. I figured you'd appreciate the chance to get some fresh air too, since I'm pretty sure you've been in your room far more than I have."

The SPARTAN-IV glances down the hall, where Vael's handler was sitting, talking into a cell phone and he sighs. "I can also get you a break from ONI's little watch dogs, if only for a couple of hours. Both Major 'Suumko and Commando 'Mdalak have been spending their time out amongst the city. Though personally, I think it's because ONI didn't think they'd actually spend their time outside of their rooms."

---

Vael let out a low hum. ”You may expect what you like of your customs from your own soldiers, but I warn you against expecting the same of me. I am here to fight for our alliance, not for cultural study.”

As much as he might have preferred solitude, however, there was some reason for Vael to want to leave. From what he had heard, it did seem more likely now that Aegis team might become a permanent unit, but Humans still confused him in many ways. Some of their behavior reminded him of Unggoy in how pointless they seemed, yet he could not deny their effectiveness overall. He worried that it would be unwise to simply deny that which he did not understand.

”Although, if my leaving would be to the irritation of my ‘handlers’…”” Vael grunted. ”I suppose that would be an acceptable reason to go.”

Approaching the large crate on the other side of the room, Vael unlocked it to retrieve his armor. Inside the container were essentially all of the personal effects that Vael cared to bring with him, though it was packed quite tightly. The largest objects were armor pieces, but it was not just his usual armor that was contained within. Alongside the normal armor he was retrieving, the others would be able to glimpse an older set. Pragmatically speaking, it was of higher quality than his Swords armor, but it was not what he chose to wear. Aside from armor, there were also other objects from his past, but most of those were not visible from the angle at which the Humans were looking.

In the early hours of the evening near the south eastern coast of New California, Spartan Aviza found herself among friends and family, both new and old. The sun was setting in the horizon and its fading golden rays of light created am amber glow upon the clouds that were slowly vanishing in the far distant sky. The scorching heat from the day still lingered around the area though soon the cool, soothing calm of that summer night would take its place. For the first time in many months or even years, Aviza felt at peace, she felt happiness that she was allowed to be on leave to spend time with those she cared for the most, and even someone she had begun to develop feelings for. All was right in her eyes, and the night was only just beginning. The sound of light hearted conversation tailed by sometimes laughter mixed with the music that came from the rear deck of Aviza's personal three hundred and fifty foot yacht she had named the Windrunner. Sitting upon a lounge chair and looking up at the night sky that was now filled with stars, Aviza merely let her mind go blank. "Aviza!" The voice of a woman could be heard from behind the lounge chair, breaking her state of calm and bringing her back to the conscious world. "Aviza, let's go grab some racks of ribs and other cuts from the freezers in the kitchen to make on the barbecue." A woman with short black hair was motioning for her fellow spartan friend to join her in helping prepare dinner.

"Sorry sorry, I was caught up with relaxing. People are already hungry though? We just ate three hours ago." said Aviza as she stood, adjusting her civilian cloths once she had. "Yeah, and people need snacks sometimes!" said the woman before Aviza quickly responded, "A full barbecue and smoke out is not a snack, Maya." said Aviza as the two of them walked through the group of gathered friends and family that filled the yacht. "Yeah and these are mostly Spartans, what do you expect to happen?" The two of them kept talking as they walked through the Windrunner and made their way to the kitchen, discussing how much food and drink a ship of mostly Spartans could put back in a short amount of time. When they arrived, Aviza felt even more uplifted than when the night had begun. "Tri-Tip, Brisket, Ribs, Tenderloin, Pork Belly, so many to choose from." said Maya with a smile spread across her face, "Yes well, I say we take a bit of each, that sound like a good idea to you?" Aviza responded with a smirk. The two of them gave a light nod of their heads in approval before grabbing a bit of each type of meat cut, then quickly headed to the large professional grade grill near the rear of the boat.

When they arrived back at the main gathering which had formed near the grill, a few of the more rowdy guests cheered at them and swiftly headed over to help them prepare the food. After a few hours of grilling, all of the meat had been prepared expertly, as well as served to each guest who had wanted some of this early dinner both Aviza and Maya had prepared. Aviza had found herself sitting alongside Maya and a few others who she thought of as her best friends. They had been having a light hearted conversation about all the fun they had over the last few years after the war had ended and they finely found time to do the things they wanted. Maya suddenly stood up and motioned for everyone else to do the same, with her right hand, she raised her glass into the air and said "Let us all show our appreciation to Aviza here by having a cheers to great friends, great times, and a great retirement that we have all worked and sacrificed so much for. To Aviza, cheers!" said Maya, and the group that had gathered repeated "To Aviza!" A warm feeling of happy emotions washed over the Spartan who seemed to hold back a blush before her eyes fluttered open.

The warm feeling of happy emotions lingered for a few seconds once she fully awoke but quickly vanished as her mind snapped back into reality, all that had occurred was merely a happy dream of what could have been, something that she wanted. "Maybe once these missions are over, I will hold that gathering, for everyone involved as well as my family and friends." said Aviza under her breath, a ONI operative sitting next to her tilted her head, her short black hair following the movement of her head. "You alright Spartan Aviza? Need some water or ... ?" inquired the unnamed woman. "No I am fine, just had a dream and was commenting on it, how far out are were from Sydney, Australia?" asked Aviza, brushing off the comment. "We are roughly five out, you should prepare your gear, I mean you should consider checking your gear." said the woman, correcting herself. Aviza nodded her head in agreement, moving to her feet and checking over her gear with an expert eye. Everything was in order, and the Spartan moved to the front of the ONI D81-LRT Condor.

"Spartan Aviza, we are about to land outside of Sydney, Australia. The landing pad is where I was told to drop you off at, once I do so, you are free to do as you see fit apparently. Do you have any questions, comments, or requests?" asked the main pilot. "I do actually, where can I find the rest of my old squad?" inquired Aviza, before the pilot responded, "One moment please, I am just checking my information and ... alright I have the information you request, I will make the location for you on your data pad." said the pilot before finishing with one more comment, "Information has been sent, good luck out there Spartan." The ONI D81-LRT Condor touched down upon the landing pad and its rear door opening with a loud hiss. By the time it fully opened, Aviza was already moving, heading down the ramp and out into the fresh air. For a moment, Aviza merely stood and took in her surroundings before checking her data pad for the information she had requested. "Some of my squad is not far off, I wonder if they would mind if I visited them? Hmmm ... probably not."

Within a few short moments, Spartan Aviza had found her way to where Vael and some of the others were located. Approaching the door, she lightly knocked upon it, announcing her arrival. "This is Spartan Aviza stopping by to greet some friends of mine. Would it be alright if I come in?" inquired Aviza.

If Ryker recognized the older set of armor when he caught a glimpse of it, his face didn't betray anything. He didn't even speak again until the Sangheili was armored up and then he nodded. "Right then if we're all spiffed up and ready to go, I heard this place called Han's Crabbery is pretty good." As the SPARTAN-IV turns to leave, leading the Sangheili officer, and Ben if he wanted to go, to leave, a knock sounds and then a familiar voice speaks up.

Grinning like a mad man, Lucas opens it up to see Aviza on the other side. "Glad to see you came back, Aviza. We were getting ready to head out to have some seafood. Wanna come?"

Grikgar /Grik/ Seeker

// Unggoy Ultra // Demolitions and Artillery // Location: Sydney Australia

Grikgar hauled himself up once the human commander gave himself up. The ploy the human had used was very smart. Not only did he keep his cool but he was able to bluff his way through the entire encounter. Still, they had finished their mission with few casualty’s and all seemed to well enough for all of them. The brutes were destroyed and the humans scattered Grik was well aware that it would take them some time to recuperate their losses from this and reorganize. He did not expect to be returning to this place anytime soon.

The group rallied and left quickly, a response from the planets defense system was well on its way. The following weeks were filled with down time as they waited for further orders. His team was itching to get back to the fight as the remaining covenant continued their fight across the galactic scene. Soon they found their team was put on pause and Vael took his soldiers back to the stars to continue the fight.

The Unggoy Ultra was only operating with them for a few months before receiving a request to return to his home planet. It was a strange request but one he accepted. It was after all to assist in the creation of a new vehicle specifically for Unggoy. Grikgar had never been to his home world before as he was born on the Seeker of Truth. Still, he would find the next few months interesting none the less.

On top of working on the new vehicle the researchers were calling “Goblin” using a human term for some mystical creature in their history. Grikgar was continuing to train in small arms, long range fire support, new infantry artillery weapons, artillery vehicles, and hand to hand combat. The last mission made him realize where he was lacking in combat and knew where he needed to broaden his scope of skills. Other than training with a few elites that were around and beating them as well as engaging the odd Kig-Yar pirates in the system, Grikgar’s stay was interesting but not entirely too dangerous.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shaking back and forth for a moment the Unggoy checked his air supply for a moment. His shuttle had just entered the atmosphere and was making its way down toward the city where he met his former companions so many months ago. He had received the notification to return to Aegis team during the final testing of his personal combat vehicle. As late as he was at least he was here. The humans were kind enough to have a handler meet him so that he may be able to travel the city streets without too many issues.

Sometimes a group of angry humans could quite possibly gang up on him and cause an incident. Although Grik didn’t think he would be the only one to be injured if it came to that. Most of the other spices of the former covenant had intimidation on their side through sheer size or demeanor. But Unggoy where after all about the same height as a human just built to be a bit bulkier.

The handler didn’t say much only that his things were stored and would be available once they were on mission and that he would take him to where Vael would be. Buy the look of the human and a few others once he stepped off the shuttle he knew they wouldn’t be much for conversation. He was almost certain that no one would be able to distinguish his rank by the colorations on his combat harness but at least they didn’t want to talk too much either.

Although he didn’t have his full sealed combat suit that was even upgraded to include grav-boots making it a completely sealed suit, it also had a better personal shield in it now and it wasn’t as experimental. This was thanks to the researchers from his home world. The shield was comparable to the strength of an elites now and one of their next projects was making more of them for the better trained Unggoy.

The ride to where the commander would be staying was quiet but it allowed the grunt to look out the window and see all the different people and sights in the city. Human settlements were always interesting, from food, to language, to smells, sounds, and architecture. The car they were in soon came to a stop ending his site seeing for now and the handler motioned for him to follow. Turning a few corners the two came across someone that looked familiar.

It would seem that the others were already getting together and he quickly waddled past his handler and up to his squad mates. “Hello, does this sea food include crab?” almost as if they only saw each other the other day Grik completely skipped the formalities and went straight to food. After just getting planet side an hour or so earlier, he was quite hungry for some human food that was always much more palatable than nutrient paste.

---

Again, Vael could not help but to feel irritation at the amount of attention he suddenly found on himself. Were all of these people looking for him, or each other? He had no grievances with working alongside them, but they were not on a mission at this moment. Still, he did not voice most of his thoughts. This was not his world, and it did provide an opportunity for him to learn more about how he could expect his allies to behave. When their missions brought them to Sangheili worlds, he would need to instruct them on what would be expected of them.

”Is it customary to crowd a guest in his quarters?” Vael remarked as he once again locked up his storage container. Now properly armored, he moved himself past the others towards the open door. ”If so many of us are here, I do not expect it will be long before we are called for the briefing. If you have somewhere you want to bring me, Spartan Ryker, then I will follow you for now. Otherwise, I will wait in your military’s headquarters.”

The two Sangheili, Tar and Yalu, took a path that led out across another broad grassy lawn. Earth's singular sun was not lacking today. Each distant bed of multicoloured plantlife leapt out from either side of their eyes with reflected light.

For all of Tar's deliberate voice, Yalu took longer than he wanted to respond. Sangheilios could have been described as exciting, but not in the way Tar implied.

"Where do you call your homeworld?" Yalu asked.

“Brissekh.” Tar replied after a moment’s hesitation. Her home accent showed up through the pronunciation. “My bloodline settled it centuries ago. It is not...quite like Sanghelios, but it is still wild and bountiful.”

This felt strange to Tar. She hadn’t had many proper conversations with her team, and didn’t intend to make a habit of it. You never knew when they’d have to part ways again. But she wasn’t sure how to disengage besides running into the carefully manicured undergrowth.

“Where is your Keep?” She asked, keen to take the attention back off herself.

"Raithos, Sanghelios," Yalu answered flatly. "Isolated, well defended, never a strategic priority in history. My people are not exciting, I fear. Their philosophy is not as glorious."

Tar huffed gently - she admired the candour. “Every great civilisation needs administrators, adjudicators, artisans...witnesses. To balance the scales between prosperity and pestilence. My own Keep could learn much from yours, I think.”

Yalu guffawed. "I would agree with you, but willingness is another matter entirely. One must prefer not to slay those they defeat in that place."

They passed by a red marble fountain, atop which stood a statue of a small human holding something up and away from a water bird.

"I take it your keep conducts themselves differently," Yalu said. "Commandos like yourself do not come from monastic places."

Tar studied the sculptures, her hand idly swishing through the water in one of the small satellite fountains around the edge. She hadn't the faintest idea what the arrangement was supposed to symbolise.

"My people are naturally suspicious. Family feuds have been passed down through so many generations that the original offence is lost." She watched a Pelican drop ship fly overhead.

"Even the war failed to bring us together, until a Brute ship arrived right above our heads." Tar's mandibles flexed and she growled at the mere thought of that day.

Yalu flicked an eye briefly down at Tar beside him. He then looked ahead and sighed through his nostrils. "...This garden may not be 'exciting,' Commando 'Mdalak. But I recognise it is a place of peace. Unless you are at peace with those events in your past, I will not ruin it today."

Tar traded that look with Yalu, and realised she’d said too much. She flexed her fists and changed the subject as they started walking again. “Where did you serve? Before Aegis?”

"Hm, plenty of places for the Swords of Sanghelios," he recalled, looking up to the blue sky. "The past few years before Commander Virususai, I was a fireteam lead. Under Ultras 'Sutek and 'Kartar in Khael'mothka. Peacekeeping missions. Hunting Covenant remnants around Rahnelo before that, under Ultra 'Boset. Mostly assaulting Covenant cells, disconnected from that bloodthirsty 'Mdama. The previous Ultra on Rahnelo before that -- his name escapes me -- commanded me for only three months before transfer."

Tar nodded, looking ahead but genuinely interested now. There were still many things about the conflict that she did not understand. If not from a tactical point of view, then an ideological one.

"And...before that?"

Yalu breathed in. Just then, a jet black Pelican drop ship with sky-camo on the underside soared over their heads. It was relatively quiet despite the breakneck speed it was travelling at, and didn't look to Tar like the regular model.

The Pelican dragged its tail around the garden to their left, circling them while losing speed until eventually it lowered onto the grass with its cargo bay facing them. "Could've parked closer than that…" Tar's handler muttered, raising a flat hand to his eyes to see who was watching them from inside the craft.

Yalu caught the hint it was their ride. "Before that is the story of a different Major," Yalu answered Tar. "That may have to wait for next time."

The mission had gone smooth enough, with the URF fucklet in their captivity Ray let out a sigh of relief knowing the job was done. Elna remained ever vigilant and on guard as per usual though over the months that would interlude before their next encounter Elna would attend some specialized training with the ONI Security Forces. For Ray he returned to the office working on other cases in the meanwhile and working his paper pushing skills to the max, though the two would reconvene later on to continue their fight against the bad-evil of the universe - the two still harbored some kind of xenophobia against the genociding races of the Covenant-turned-Swords. Regardless the two had some kind of RnR before their return to this strange outfit.

While the two were transported separately they both found themselves at their own respective rooms, only Ray would be the first to leave in this instance heading to the briefing where he was eventually found by Elna. "Fancy running into you here." Ray said as Elna snorted to respond. "Well PO, if you're here then the rest are bound to be around here aswell." She said expecting the arrival of the team eventually, the two had gotten there later then the rest so perhaps the fanfare was already over?

---

For the members of Aegis team, there were several more hours of waiting in which they were free to do as they pleased, but once they were called to duty, they all quickly returned to HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6. Many of the members of Aegis team from the previous mission were here, though Vael did note that the team was smaller than before. Some, it seemed, had not been recalled after being reassigned.

The team was led to a secure room on one of the upper floors for their briefing. Last time, due to his rank, Vael had been the one to coordinate administrative concerns with the Humans, but as Vael had been fighting in the field for months, that task had fallen to another. For Vael, it suited him fine to be able to focus more on his missions than dealing with ONI.

Vael had, at least, been briefed on the changes to his duties and the command structure of Aegis team. When they entered the briefing room, they were met with both a familiar face, Major Alice Robinson, as well as her Swords counterpart Commander Ethat ‘Lacalu. From what Vael knew, he was a veteran of multiple wars much like Vael, though he was a younger warrior than himself. However, he had more of a mind for political matters than Vael, so it suited him just fine to relinquish some of those responsibilities to him. Ethat had previously been an officer in the Anvil Initiative, a cross-species training and evaluation program between the UNSC and Swords of Sangheilios. It and Aegis team both existed under the umbrella of Project: CRUCIBLE.

Ethat did draw Vael’s eye as he entered the room. His armor was unusual, like nothing Vael had seen before. It appeared to be Human-made, but crafted specifically for a Sangheili. Nevertheless, Vael cared more for focusing on the task at hand. As soon as the team was gathered, Major Robinson wasted no time in starting the briefing.

”Aegis team, I hope you’ve already handled the reunions, because we need to move fast on this one.” The Major began right away. ”Jul ‘Mdama’s Covenant is expanding and pushing more aggressively, and we have a mission to slow them down. However, it’s more complicated than just hitting a target, which is why we need Aegis. Shih…” She said, gesturing to the holo-projector on the table between them all.

The AI that had been attached to the team had made a return as well, it seemed. Her avatar appeared at the end of the table before she brought up a projection of a lush, mostly undeveloped colony world. “With their increased expansion, the Covenant has been pushing to secure resources to fuel that aggression. Most of the established manufacturing and mining centers are either well-defended, or already contested. This is Brissekh, a relatively young Sangheili colony world. Until recently, the Kaidon of the predominant state, Falx ‘Mdalak, was a firm ally of the Arbiter. However, a recent coup has shifted the planet’s allegiance to Jul ‘Mdama’s Covenant. Now, there is a Covenant fleet in orbit that has flown in a large number of Scarab-class excavators to to strip mine more remote sections of the planet. Normally, our goal would be to neutralize the mining platforms, but discussions with the Swords have opened up other options.”

The Swords representative, Ethat, brought up the dossier of the planet’s new Kaidon. “On most Sangheili worlds, a keep’s Kaidon is elected by a council of elders, but for smaller colonies, like Brissekh, the position can be passed through bloodlines. The new Kaidon is Uztel ‘Mdalak, the youngest son of Tarkr ‘Mdalakai. We believe he formed an alliance in secret with the Covenant, then led his elder brother into an ambush where he was either captured or killed. Now, Uztel is Tarkr’s sole remaining heir…save for one.” He explained, casting his gaze across the table straight at Tar ‘Mdalak.

Tar and Yalu flew directly to the HIGHCOM facility from the botanic gardens aboard the ONI Pelican. Everything about the craft screamed ‘CLANDESTINE OPS’, yet the only person waiting for them in the troop hold was anything but that.

As far as Tar could gather, they were a fit middle-aged male, with thick greying hair on their head and circular reflective sunglasses covering their eyes. They wore a loose, bright orange shirt that depicted white flowers and other strange vegetation. It was open down the middle, exposing a compact tactical vest with a pistol strapped to the front, and a white t-shirt that was daubed with sweat marks. The man also wore black shorts that ended just above their tanned knees, and transparent flip flops on their feet.

“Welcome to Sydney.” The man hollered over the noise of the engines, holding onto an overhead railing as they took off. He didn’t say another word, and once the two Sangheili and their handlers stepped off onto one of the Facility’s landing pads, the Pelican screamed off again immediately.

Tar walked with Yalu through the installation until they arrived at the briefing room, where she noticed a significant contingent of Aegis Team had already assembled. She nodded politely to them, uneasy around so many people in this confined space.

Nevertheless, she gravitated towards the front of the pack when the briefing began. This meant that some of her team may have noticed her body language change as soon as her homeworld was mentioned. She gripped the high conference table in front of them with both hands, eliciting a soft scrape of complaining metal. Otherwise, she was silent.

As soon as the AI mentioned a “coup”, a low, barely audible growl emitted from the Commando. It bubbled away under the surface as the machine described unbelievable atrocities against Brissekh’s sacrosanct beauty. Tar didn’t understand how this could’ve happened. No one on the Council held enough support to dethrone her older brother by themselves. And none of the Elders were trusting enough to keep this kind of treachery a secret for long.

Tar’s growl stopped when the Sangheili in strange armour began speaking. She sat in stunned silence when he mentioned her younger brother, then snarled out loud as this stranger alleged that her Falx had fallen. A moment of silence sat heavy over the room.

Then, quick as a flash, Tar balled up her fists and smashed them both into the top of the table and creating large divots with a cacophonous racket. She followed up by giving the large metal conference table a mighty shove; it was bolted to the floor, but some of the stanchions bent which made the table list slightly.

“THAT LITTLE WORM!” Tar roared, filling the room. She pointed a finger at this strange Sangheili across from her. “Do you lie? Tell me now. How do you know this?”

---

”Save your fury!” Ethat snapped back at Tar, though he quickly returned to a calm demeanor. ”You will need it. We have a spy among Jul ‘Mdama’s ranks who learned of a deal on Brissekh before it happened, though he was in no position to stop it. The Covenant were preparing their mining platforms before the coup even took place. There are many on Brissekh who suspect Uztel’s treachery, but it cannot be proven, and our spy cannot reveal himself. Immediately after seizing power, Uztel used Covenant forces to seize control over the smaller states on Brissekh, bringing the planet under his rule.”

Ethat zoomed the display in to Mdalak keep itself, along with the surrounding area. ”Our goal is straightforward, but does rely heavily upon you, Commando Tar ‘Mdalak. If Uztel is killed, or otherwise dishonored and removed, then you will be your father’s sole remaining heir. You will gain the rank of Scion, and you will have the right to administer Mdalak keep. The Arbiter has more support on Brissekh than Jul ‘Mdama. It is not enough for them to be willing to act against their rightful Kaidon, but you have a legitimate claim to the keep as well. If you declare your allegiance to the Arbiter, we believe there will be enough willing to follow you…once Uztel is deposed. You are female, so he will likely use that as an excuse to refuse a direct challenge of combat from you, so we will have to force him into battle.”

For the most part, Lucas had just been listening to everything and taking in the details, watching the information scroll across the readout and observing the offered hologram of the planet and then the fortress. Despite himself, his days on the ONI black ops squad had him looking for patrols and their routes, important resources that they could cut off to bait out their target, places of trouble that would force the target into the open as well, ambush points and lastly, and perhaps one of his old teammate's favorites, sniper vantage points. Not even Commando 'Mdalak's outburst drew his attention away as he looked over everything and, as the new Swords liaison finished speaking, the SPARTAN-IV finally broke his silence.

"Then we need to disrupt whatever is his focus. We know the Covenant brought in mining platforms and Scarabs. A small team can't do much against those, that's common sense. But we can disrupt convoys and transportation. We make it seem like we're bigger than we are and we can draw out Commando 'Mdalak's younger brother readily, especially if his honor is brought under scrutiny. From there, it would be a simple matter of making sure the Covenant doesn't interfere with their duel, though I use simple loosely. We're looking at the forces of a small fleet against a small team of us. My only question is where do the duels usually take place."

---

Major Robinson brought up an intelligence report on Uztel ‘Mdalak and quickly distributed it to Aegis team. [color=violet]”Unfortunately, we have good reason to believe that trying to take advantage of Uztel’s honor or pride will not work in this case.”[/violet]

”He has neither…” Ethat briefly interjected.

”Our psychological profile of Uztel suggests that he will prioritize his own safety. Whether by the Covenant’s instructions, or his own choice, he has not followed usual patterns of Sangheili behavior. There are means by which he could have challenged his brother legally. Either by challenging him in combat, or even by sending an assassin for the Kaidon to fight. In either case, failure would have meant his own death, so there would have been risk for him. The kind of trick he used to depose his brother would be seen as cowardly among the population. We do believe his rule is untenable in the long-term, but the Covenant will have what they want from the planet by then. The Major explained.

Ethat nodded, letting out a slight, low growl. ”Yes, his cowardice will destroy him in time, but we need him removed now. Uztel is a young, inexperienced warrior, and he knows he is no match for his sister. He will use any excuse he can to avoid fighting her. The only way he fights is if we break down the doors of his keep and force him to pick up a blade.”

The Major zoomed out the projection to once more show the planet as a whole, as well as highlighting the fleet in orbit, and another point of interest in geosynchronous orbit on the opposite side of the planet. ”Spartan Ryker is correct that your team alone will not be able to carry out a frontal assault. This is why the Swords of Sanghelios are dedicating a small fleet to this operation. Though, our aim is not to destroy the enemy fleet. Now that the Covenant have established themselves here, Uztel has joined his planet’s military with the Covenant’s forces, and they are…honor-bound, as they might say, to follow those orders. Many of the ships, and the mining platforms, are being operated by Uztel’s forces. If Commando Tar becomes Scion, they will then be bound to follow her orders. There will still be fighting afterwards from ‘Mdama loyalists, but we believe there is enough support for the Arbiter on Brissekh for the Swords to retain most of the fleet and mining infrastructure. Your mission, Aegis, will be twofold. The Covenant have installed heavy anti-air cannons in the mountains near to the keep, but only the largest needs to be disabled, as it is the only one capable of destroying our Blockade Runner in time. Your team will insert nearby, deploy a communications jammer, then move to disable the largest cannon. Once that is done, you will be able to return to the ship to be dropped, along with reinforcements and armored support, right at the keep’s front gate. That will bypass most of the outer defenses and give you a straight shot at Uztel.”

Despite himself, Lucas grinned a true and genuine grin at the mention of the youngest 'Mdalak lacking many of the usual Sangheili traits that every human who fought in the war got used to seeing, but he did not speak again until the plan was laid out. Overall, he wasn't sure why he'd suggested anything with the way that it was being handled, but there was one last thing he could do. "Major, do we know who the Covenant leader besides Uztel'Mdalak is? While the bulk of the team helps Commando 'Mdalak deal with her brother's treachery, I could, with or without help, remove them from future play, or at least plant a tracker to find a more meaningful target."

---

Ethat hummed, exchanging a glance with Major Robinson. ”Possibly. Our informant did identify a Covenant zealot Uztel contacted. He is now overseeing the mining operations on the planet personally. He is not in the keep, so he was not vital for the mission, but I would rather ensure he does not return to the Covenant. He has shown himself as being devious and resourceful, so it would be a victory to deny Jul ‘Mdama his service.”

”You and I can discuss that idea in detail on the ship.” Robinson said to Ethat before returning her attention to Aegis. ”As I have said, Aegis team’s mission is straightforward. You will deploy the communications jammer, disable the anti-air cannon, then return to the ship to join the assault. However, timing is crucial.” Robinson turned the group’s attention to the point of interest in geosynchronous orbit on the hologram. ”We have learned that the Covenant has installed a small listening station here to cover gaps in sensory coverage from their fleet’s position on the other side of the planet. They believe it is hidden, which we will use to our advantage. Our fleet will approach the planet in stealth, but we will allow it to be detected by this listening station. The Covenant will likely believe they have discovered our plan and send their ships to intercept. Or at least, they will have to send enough that our Blockade Runner will be able to make it to the surface undetected. It will set down some distance from the keep, outside sensor range. It is vital that neither the ship, nor your team, be detected before the communications jammer is deployed.”

Once again, Shih’s avatar appeared in the middle of the table. ”I will be operating the jamming program personally. At first, I will only keep its range limited to the anti-air cannon, but while your team is working on the first objective, I’ll be listening in on transmissions between the keep and the Covenant fleet. Once we begin the attack on the keep, I’ll extend the jammer’s range, as well as mimicking normal transmissions up to the fleet above. Essentially, I’ll be pretending to be the keep, as far as the fleet is concerned. That should buy you time to carry out the attack, but I won’t be able to keep up the deception forever, so try not to take too long to finish the coup.”

Even trying as he did to remain quiet on the pelican ride back to base, Yalu's curiosity got the better of him. Tar had to listen to whatever conversation their handlers and pilot would allow about what the 'sea food' was in the local area. Yalu was still not sure by the time they landed whether he had missed out by declining Lucas' invitation with the others.

The dilemma faded to nothing in Yalu's memory when he entered the briefing room with the rest of the team. He gave nods to those he was familiar with on the team, opting to stay standing with arms crossed behind shorter members of the team. The light of the holograms above the table shone in his eyes.

Brissekh. He turned an eye to Tar right before she boiled over. It was a surprise that made him flinch. Yalu guessed if anything would make the quiet 'Mdalak loud, it would be this.

As for the plan itself, Yalu had to temper his expectations about Tar's use infiltrating the keep. It would be a much more crude frontal assault. He could not say they did not have a good reason to do so. It was a Kaidon's responsibility to defend his keep. This Uztel 'Mdalak could not run from it forever. Unless, of course...

"And if the target withdraws from the keep, should we pursue or attempt to secure the keep ourselves?"