Page 9 (2/2)

"I knohat nishuheili ‘Telcam stil hadn’t answered hi e-heads"

He could tel which of thelare at him Intestinal parasite Tapeworm It wasn’t friendly , either

‘Telcahten up and look around

"The first that heili saw of huht you were arthropods with exoskeletons

Instead they found there were smal , soft, vulnerable, pink creatures inside Or brown ones I hope you can understand the analogy, even if it’s not flattering"

"That’s okay," Phil ips said He was happy to play the har the an aru a bit of fight "I expect you’ve worked out hinge-heads I’ve heard chuck-heads, too

You knohat a chuck is? It’s a little gripping piece on a dril that holds the bit It opens up just like your damned mouths"

Maybe it offended the to feel like a Sangheili when he spoke the language now, not just consciously switching into trying to think like theression about them Their anatomy didn’t help, because the way their heads were perered a subconscious reaction in huht, but it was more than just bad luck in the skeletal lottery They real y did thron chal enges and tel you where their boundaries were Phil ips had in of their species and their territorial approach to life, but now he found he’d stopped rationalizing and was just snarling back like any other Sangheilithe boys

‘Telca, cold look So did the others, even the ones who Phil ips knew didn’t understand ," ‘Telcainal question, no, you may not leave You’l be questioned by the Arbiter about where you’ve been I have little confidence in your ability to withstand that if he were to ask aard questions now that the coup has begun Apart froree you here reassures e I should have seen that co up but he wasn’t actual y scared any longer It was a strange feeling "She doesn’t even know I’uarantee your arms supplies?"

That seemed to focus ‘Telcam "You caot a radio, but it’s been daed" He pul ed the device off his jacket and held it up, suddenly re that there was a needle ive hied he was in too tight a spot for everyone’s safety

Jesus, what’ll set this thing off now? He wasn’t sure if he should wear it in case it ive it a try now?"

‘Telcam wandered over to hi to look casual and pissed off He didn’t dare let go of it He didn’t know if BB’s frag hands, and if the nerve agent was ejected, a dead ‘Telcaheili were susceptible to the sa the risk

"Look," he said "Da I suppose it saved h"

‘Telcaheili, the shipmaster they cal ed Buran, ambled across and took a close look at it, too It seemed to fascinate them

"You’re very lucky, wor you?"

‘Telcaods particularly want you to live Al theyou at my side"

Phil ips took it as another smartass reht, that weird otherness Damn, he real y et that he had only one ion He wasn’t too fussy about who ran things as long as they did it for the gods This was a holy war Phil ips bit back his autoods probably wanted him to cal hoe

"I have to let Osman knohere I am," he said

"Very wel " ‘Telcae four-fingered hands That was one of the things that stil caheili couldsophisticated with hands like that "I shal cal the ship and let you talk with her"

‘Telcam tapped a complicated sequence of symbols on the co end of those signals, but he’d never heard what it sounded like when the cal didn’t connect Now he knew It was a quiet continuous strea down

"The ship must be in slipspace," ‘Telcam said "We wil attempt to cal Osman later"

Please let her be on her way She has to know I’

"Okay" Phil ips made a conscious effort to relax and look irritated rather than concerned "So what happens no long are you going to keep e of clothes"

"Is that your ot sohtfal , our brothers in cities across Sanghelios wil be taking arainst kaidons who support the Arbiter, and I shal lead the direct assault on Vadam We have ships and we have sufficient arms We may not prevail immediately, but we shal take control within theinto that battle plan?"

"Okay," Phil ips said "I’l make the coffee Maybe play with an arum "

‘Telcam snorted like a horse and stalked back to the table Everyone see the same conversation with their opposite numbers in other keeps They seeh to take over a whole world, not even with the hardware that ONI had supplied

But they’re still floundering It’s been less than a year--a few months, that’s all--since the Covenant fell apart They’re still relearning how to organize the the shots