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"They could trade the infored to board Piety and kil the crew, so we have no guarantee that they didn’t make a note of her course from the nav computer"

Information was frequently currency, and it was always power, but there were times when Jul knew it could be both a weapon and a liability

‘Telcam said he picked up weapons shipments on a cleansed huate there, wherever it was Jul wondered if he was being selfish for putting his fear for his clan above the necessity of his duty, but there was such a thing as not risking the lives of the uninvolved any more than he had to The rest of his brethren would face the Arbiter’s vengeance if his coup failed

"If you’re asking ood idea to move her, too," said Forze "There’s no more defensible base than the one the enemy doesn’t know about"

"So where is this secret hiding place, then?" Raia asked Her tone suggested that she thought it was al a childish prank, that this brave talk of overthrowing the Arbiter was turning into a hobby toas your revolutionary headquarters is a teht in the middle of one of the most heavily populated states on the planet"

"I don’t knohere it is," Jul said "But it’s a planet that was cleansed of humans, so perhaps nobody pays any attention to it I would stil like to knohere it is"

‘Telcaun to feel he spent his entire existence waiting for the monk to shoithout explanation, but then he supposed that was the nature of an underground h, when Jul would no longer be wil ing to take things on trust He was a ship orders, not trailing along in the wake of others If things didn’t start to move er the Arbiter was left to soothe and cajole the population into accepting a false peace with the hualvanize them into action before the inevitable happened

"Wel , I have real work to do," Raia said, turning to go back to the keep "I’ decisive and o and turned back to Jul with a wary swing of his head "Perhaps we should unleash our wives on the Arbiter," he said

"They could glower at hiainst me"

It was Buran’s ship and he could take it back any time he pleased, but he seeain how the great Sangheili nation had co indecisiveness Eventual y the sound of another shuttle rumbled in the stil country air and announced the monk’s arrival

Jul identified it as a smal military transport this time, one of the old but stil serviceable Contrition-class Seeing the ship appear over the top of the quarry and confirave him a little satisfaction

‘Telcao door "I have just one warhead today, brothers I believe we can move that without the assistance of Jiralhanae" He had a very eloquent way of tel ing the "But I have another col ection to make now, so il have many more new rifles to Resolve to another location," Jul said, walking up the loading ramp to take one end of the lift-loader

‘Telcam looked past him at Buran "Do you share that opinion?"

Buran shrugged "There’s a lot to be said for covert bases, but it depends on how far your little hiding place is"

‘Telca which of theest troublemaker

"Where is this place of yours?" Jul asked

"I promised my suppliers that I would keep our rendezvous point to myself," ‘Telcam said "It’s not a -Yar can do with a little help from humans when they put their minds to it What nobody else knows cannot be accidental y discovered"

Did he just insult us? Jul wasn’t sure He hesitated to cal a devout servant a liar, however eccentric he thought ‘Telcaious vieere, and he’d come to admire the monk’s hardheaded warrior instinct He’d risen to the rank of field master; he understood humans exceptional y wel frorasped the idea that hu and would always be a threat, it was ‘Telca in Jul’s instinct told hi the risk he was taking

"I would like to come with you and assess this place," Jul said "There’s no reason why I can’t accompany you, is there?"

‘Telca "My suppliers are very nervous, as you’l appreciate I think they would be a little worried to see heili at the rendezvous point, especial y ones they haven’t learned to trust"

"Who are they?"

"Who do you think?"

"Tel -Yar None of theue with hu ant is for humans to kno divided our people are"

‘Telca "I realize the incident with Piety has disturbed us, brother, but we’ve always known that Kig-Yar are unreliable, undisciplined, and without honor Why this should unsettle you so much now I have no idea"

"This has already cost us a Huragok we sorely needed," Jul said, feeling a little childish for his retaliation "I trust nobody these days"

‘Telcam nodded politely "Indeed I understand"

Forze and Jul finished unloading the warhead, and ‘Telcaot back into the shuttle As the Contrition lifted off, Buran turned to Jul