<boring stuff>
The following story is copyrighted material and all rights belong solely to the author. Any reproduction or republication of any or all of this publication without the explicit and expressed written consent from the author is strictly forbidden.
</boring stuff>
Chapter 17 - Release
“Lies!” the Elite yelled, causing the Brute to blink and again look to his captor’s blade. “The Hierarchs betrayed us. They are the ones that deceived us about the humans and the purpose of the Ancestral Rings. They would have laid waste to the entire galaxy. Not just killed the humans but all of the Covenant Races, as well. They would have left nothing but the Flood.”
The Brute argued back, “The Hunters would have survived and taken care of the Flood. We would have defeated them and won our passage in the Great Journey!”
“Fool!” the Elite countered. “The Hunters would have been killed along with all of us. How can a victory be attained if there is no one left to be victorious?”
“The Flood would have been defeated”, the Brute demanded.
“But at what cost?” the Elite shouted but then paused to continue in a more calm manner. “We found evidence in the Ancestral Rings and upon the Ark that the Flood were defeated before. They just hid in the rings and waited for their time to rise again. If the Hierarchs had succeeded, the Flood would have slept until there were others to feed upon. That is not victory for us, that is victory for the Flood.”
Gesturing with his blade, the Elite continued, “And you are a blind fool to refuse to see the truth. A fool that allowed himself to be captured and made into a slave. We will not allow the Brute tribes to start taking slaves again to do their evil deeds. We stopped your ways of indentured servitude once and we will do it again!”
The Elite then leaned his head and shoulders back with the Energy Sword still in place. Looking right in the Brute’s eyes the Elite gained better leverage to behead his enemy.
The Brute recognized the movement and quickly said, “You’re right, we were better without slaves. I am a slave now and see that we were stronger together instead of being divided, fighting amongst ourselves. You can kill me and release me from my service. But if you free me, I can help you free those that my Chieftain has captured. I can help you free the slaves again!”
The Elite looked deep into the Brute’s eyes. He was hesitant because he knew of the treachery of their race in past encounters. But he looked for anything that could tell him any truths about this particular Brute.
“You would do this? You would free the slaves from your Chieftain’s rule?” the Elite said as he drew his head closer.
The Brute looked at the Elite and said, “If I do not, you can mark me as a coward and kill me.”
The Elite looked deeper into the Brute’s eyes. He knew of the Brute tradition of being marked as a coward. If a Brute refused to use every part of itself to fight an enemy, then they are of no use to its tribe. The Brute was sometimes allowed to live as the coward he was but paid a heavy price. The Elite had only seen it once before. It was a sight he did not like to remember.
He had also seen the mark the Brute wore on his face now. It was the mark of a member of a conquered tribe, one that could never gain a position of authority in this new tribe. It was also the mark of one that committed a traitorous act in the tribe and could not be trusted. The Elite considered that deeply. It could mean that the Brute was trustworthy, since he may have been marked as a traitor for standing against the tribe’s decision to go back to the old ways. He had known too many Brutes to have faith in that but then he remembered the General’s words of mercy.
Jumping backward off of the Brute keeping careful watch on his captive, the Elite commanded, “On your knees and face away from me.” The Brute squinted his eyes slightly and slowly did as he was asked. Facing away from the Elite, the Brute again pleaded, “I can help you free the others! There are many more! They are planning to destroy the humans on this ring and leave a contingent here to use as a base! The Chieftain will use this to grow his armies! You will not stop him without my help!”
The Elite pointed the sword to the back of the Brutes neck. Taking one point of the weapon, the Elite carefully burned into the power center of the locking mechanism of the collar. Sparks flew out as the Brute flinched and begin to cover his head with his hands. With a quick move, the Elite placed the collar between the two shards of the Energy Sword and twisted, cutting the lock from the collar. The collar crackled and slid off the Brute.
“An Elite kills his enemy while looking into his eyes, Brute. Never from behind”, the Elite said with a distinct tone.
The Brute breathed heavily, blinked his eyes, and waited with his hands still up near his head. He then looked down in front of himself at the broken collar below.
“I’m free?” the Brute asked slowly. “Free to go?”
The Elite stepped back a few paces and said, “You are free to go and do as you claimed. Release the others from the servitude of your Chieftain.”
The Brute got up and turned to the Elite. The Elite kicked the light blue-green helmet to the Brute’s feet. The Brute slowly picked up the helmet into his hands and took a few steps to the side. He then stopped, looked back and forth to the Elite and his escape, and said, “What about my weapon?”
“You have your life, be thankful I am that generous”, the Elite warned.
The Brute looked at the Elite for a moment and narrowed his eyes. The Elite watched the Brute carefully with his blade ready. The Brute then turned and ran through another doorway in the opposite direction of the Elite’s entrance and disappeared.
The Elite walked up to the Forerunner device and said to himself, “Now, let’s see if the Oracle was correct.” The Elite de-energized his sword and began to access the holographic controls. Pausing momentarily as if remembering his instructions, he carefully continued his task.
The Forerunner device was dented and scarred from the Brutes frustrated attack and the display flickered. Suddenly, the hologram disappeared and a panel emerged from the device sliding toward the Elite in jerks from the damage.
Looking down, the Elite saw his goal. Grabbing it quickly the Elite said, “I am coming, Spartan” and ran back the way he came.
