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By the ties had cos and the three San'Shyuuether on a balustrade just above the entrance to the vessel's hangar, the croas riveted As the acolytes' chorus faded, and Fortitude cleared his throat to speak, it seemed that every creature in the Covenant held its breath in anticipation of his words

"We are, all three of us, humbled by your approval--your faith in our appointment"

Fortitude could hear his voice reverberate around the towers, rattling stones that were the literal foundation of the Covenant He raised a hand to the Vice Minister and the Philologist, identifying each in turn "This is the Prophet of Regret, and this the Prophet of Mercy" Then, sweeping his hands up beneath his wattle: "And I, the least worthy of us all, am the Prophet of Truth"

The three Hierarchs leaned forward in their thrones, as low as they could go without toppling their s blazed even brighter as ilyphs manifested inside thehtened in his throne, the Prophet of Truth took ato tradition, he could have picked any na list of former Hierarchs' Most of the na But ultireatest burden--the one that would always reood of the Covenant and the truths he must never speak

Jenkins hadn't moved in the hours since they'd left the Tiara Not as the container flung free of its strand and hurtled toward a waiting propulsion pod Not as the two vehicles ca to match the container's spin Even the temporary nausea of a too-rapid entrance into Slipspace had failed to interrupt Jenkins' silent watch over Forsell, lying before him on the container floor

"He's stable" Healy closed his med kit The Corpsman had worked furiously to seal Forsell's shoulder with biofoaed bite But Forsell had lost a lot of blood "He'll be OK," Healy concluded, his breath blohite in the container's frigid air

Before they'd entered Slipspace, Lt Conature as low as possible to keep fro units suspended fro full blast But the cavernous space would take hours to warm

"How do you know?" Jenkins' voice was soft and hoarse

Healy reached for a nearby stack of folded blankets--began rolling the woolen squares and packing theainst Forsell's body to keep him immobile "Tell him, Johnson"

Avery had held Forsell steady while the Corpsrabbed one of the blankets and used it to wipe flecks of the recruit's blood and bits of biofoam from his hands "Because I've seen a lot worse" Avery's voice was gentle But his answer didn't see at Forsell's wan face, eyes briot left"

Avery kne Jenkins felt It was the sa in his aunt's icy apart realization that his hoone Captain Ponder, more than half the militia, and e of these losses was a heavy burden, and the only reason Avery wasn't as crushed as Jenkins was because he had learned to pack his feelings up and keep them hidden

But he didn't want to do that anymore

"No He's not," Avery said

Jenkins looked up, a question knitted in his brow

"You're a soldier," Avery explained "Part of a tealanced at Dass, Andersen, and the handful of other recruits sitting or sleeping inside the container "We're just colonialto take Harvest back And they're gonna need all the grunts they can get"

"Me? A marine?"

"If you want, I'll have you transferred to my unit"

The recruit's eyes narroith suspicion

"Let's just say the Corps owes me a favor You're militia But you're also one of the few people in the entire UNSC who kno to fight these sons-of-bitches"

"They'll want us to stick together?" Jenkins said

"Lead the charge" Avery nodded "I knoould"

Jenkins thought about that for a ht not only take back his planet, but do his part to keep other colonies--other families--safe as well His parents never wanted him to be a soldier But now he couldn't think of a better way to honor their memory

"OK," Jenkins said "I'm in"

Avery reached into his assault vest and rear He handed it to Jenkins "For you and Forsell When he wakes up"

"In theto his feet, "you can help me check the rest"

Avery watched Jenkins and Healy head off toward Staff Sergeant Byrne and the other wounded recruits closer to the center of the container Byrne ake and lucid when Avery had boarded the container at the Tiara, but now the Irishman was fast asleep--full of painkillers to keep hi

Avery looked down at Forsell's chest, rising and falling beneath his bandages Then he gathered a stack of blankets and walked to the elevator platform that would take him to the propulsion pod Inside the pod's cabin, Avery found Jilan

"Blankets," he grunted "Thought you ht need them"

Jilan didn't move She had her back to Avery and her hands spread wide on the cabin's ht from the panel's display created an emerald halo around her deep black hair Some of the strands had come free of her pins and curled down the nape of her neck

"I'll leave them here"

But as Avery dropped the blankets to the floor and turned to exit the cabin, Jilan whispered: "Two hundred fifteen"