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Someone leaned forward from the tier above and behind hih Council noe’ve kicked out the San’Shyuulobal capital to row a damn beak"

It was Forze, another shipmaster without a ship "Do we even need a council?" Jul asked "Al we need to worry about is holding an are that"

"Of course we need a council The only reason we didn’t have one was because the San’Shyuum told us what to do, the--"

He was interrupted by a growing rumble of murmurs as the doors on the lower level opened Jul looked down from his second-tier seat to see Levu usher in the Arbiter, Thel ‘Vada his pet hu?

‘Vadained Somehow Jul had expected someone iconic, unreal, as befitted a fleet coger He see Sanghelios together whether it wanted him to or not

"Brothers, it’s time to listen to what Thel ‘Vadaracious while he speaks"

"Has the huiven you perenerous of hi around the chaht his fist down on the balustrade with a crack "Courtesy, brothers Hear the Arbiter out He has the floor"

‘Vada his et," he said "I’ain As such, I’ve cos aboutopinions on both sides

But this is not the time for another civil war We have to rediscover what unites us And we have to repair the fabric that the San’Shyuum have left in tatters We ain for the first time in mil ennia"

It was hard to object to any of that ‘Vada like a politician, bland and conciliatory, switching back and forth between the fore of authority and a comradely, I’ to e, but he also wanted to see if the elders froer, more powerful keeps would reveal their positions first

A voice drifted down from one of the upper tiers "Now, Kaidon ‘Vada we don’t know"

"We think we’ve lost the gods, but we haven’t," ‘Vadam said "We’ve lost ourselves Mil ions of our finest, our younghumans, but in the Great Schism Are we insane? Our bloodlines have been weakened and our ships have been lost in a civil war, al because ere deceived into loyalty to the San’Shyuum Brothers, we must consolidate e have, whether flesh and blood or machine, before we can decide on a common purpose But it wil be our purpose Not another empire’s"

"Perhaps our purpose is just to survive without being exploited by false prophets," Levu said

The Arbiter made sense There had been a time when the San’Shyuum had made sense, too Jul wondered if he could actual y speak up now, but the words for the chamber

"What do you plan to do about the huods, they’l return to their colonies and rebuild theet e did to them and how much they loathe us"

"We’l consider that if and when it happens"

"Instead of finishing theth?" There It was out in the open now "We should regroup nohile their guard’s down, and exterminate the threat once and for alUnless you’re too fond of them as pets, that is"

The chamber was horribly silent now Jul could suddenly hear the slow shuffling of boots as elders squirmed He expected Thel ‘Vadaether a couple of ti he should have told Jul but chose not to

"The hu twice and expects things to turn out differently" ‘Vadaht have escaped your notice that we never ed to defeat theo" Then his expression changed, as if he was steeling hi We need to stop because we can’t rebuild without stability

Therefore I plan to reach a peace agreement with the humans, to formalize what has already taken place Both sides have final y run out of blood to shed, brother"

"But you can’t do deals with huotten already?" Jul was appal ed Not pressing ho in? That was close to treason "They’re liars and thieves Al of them"

‘Vadam walked over to the balustrade that separated the floor of the chamber from the first tier of seats to look up at Jul It wasn’t a threatening gesture It see elder of a smal keep, looked like at closer quarters

"There are honorable hu his hands on the balustrade "I’ve fought alongside them None of us would be alive now if there weren’t But I plan to agree to a treaty, not because I have any fondness for huhelios" He pushed away from the balustrade and walked back into the center of the chaain, the hero of the fleet "The law is clear If anyone disagrees, you have a real right"

Jul sat there for some minutes after the address ended The rest of the elders filed out and he found hi at the empty chaeting with his holster

"I think we’re going to live to regret that," Forze said

We? Jul had felt like the lone voice of reason "Chal enging hi the humans off the hook"

"So … are you with me, then?"

As soon as Jul said it, he realized he wasn’t even sure ith s he’d said about his enemy, humans were not al the same, Thel ‘Vadao back to doing what they’d always done as soon as they recovered their breath Jul had to galvanize the Sangheili into stopping humankind while they stil could

"Yes, I’ot up and wondered hoould explain this to Raia

"I’l think of so," he said

THREAT ANALYSIS WING, BRAVO-6, SYDNEY: JANUARY 26, 2553

Mal Geffen had never liked corridors, especialy dimly lit ones

It was a weird phobia for a man as happy to freefal into the pitch-black unknown or drop froiven up trying to fathom it out He just knew that he didn’t like what he could see, or couldn’t see in this case The double doors at the end of the passage were picked out by e, the kind you had to fol ow in the event of a fire

"You stil with me, Vaz?"

Vaz’s parade boots clicked behind hio deaf…"