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Chapter 5 - Catch Up
The outer part of the ring was grey and still as the Phantom skimmed across its surface. Approaching the edge, the two passengers saw a glow emanating from the inner side of the ring. As the ship came over the crest, the vast landscape opened before them. Looking left and right, the Spartan saw lakes, seas, deserts, open lands, valleys, and canyons as the horizons on either side curved upward. The Spartan saw more and more as he looked up the unending walls of the ring. The Phantom gently landed on a large snow covered mountain that appeared to reach up to meet them.
The Spartan and Elite stepped out into a quiet snowstorm. The air was thin not only because of the altitude but also because it was on the fringe of the Ancestral Ring. The Spartan took a few steps as the snow crunched under his feet and said, “The Phantom stays here?”
The Elite looked over to the Spartan and said, “The Phantom will be needed later. I cannot risk it being damaged in this endeavor. In any case, my house is not involved in this. I represent no one. I am alone in what I do. It is not something I expect you to understand, Spartan.”
The Spartan looked at the Elite and said, “I understand probably more than you will ever know.” Then as they began to walk he said, “Without help from your own and on a dangerous mission. It sounds like you have been named Arbiter but you are not wearing the armor.”
The Elite stopped and faced the Spartan as snow fluttered around his head. “You know of the Arbiter?”
“I know the Arbiter is selected for a task that is impossible. Has one been chosen for the mission you spoke of earlier?” the Spartan replied.
“One was chosen but for another task. One that he completed”, the Elite said as he continued to walk again.
“Then he died well”, said the Spartan.
“He lives still. It was he that sent me here with the Shadow of Intent”, the Elite said as he walked.
The Spartan stopped and said, “He lives? How? What was his mission?”
The two continued to walk down the mountain pass as the Elite told the Spartan of the happenings of the last few years. The Spartan listened intently as they passed from snow-covered mountains to green grass-covered hillsides. As the Elite finished the Spartan again stopped and said, “So many years. So much has happened.” Looking down at the mud trail from the melted snow below his feet, the Spartan said as if trying to convince himself, “The war… is over.”
The Elite stopped, looked over his shoulder to the Spartan, and said, “Our peoples have learned to work together. I carried troops of your kind aboard my ship and into battle along with my own. Many died. Most of those that died did so because of hesitation and a lack of faith in our alliance.”
Turning to the Spartan the Elite continued, “Before we continue, we must know that we can rely upon one another. As your Sun Tzu said, we must have the same goal. You showed uncertainty aboard my ship to remove your helmet. I understand your feelings. It would be untrue if I said I did not feel the same. But I am certain of myself and that I will not hesitate. I am not certain of you.”
The Spartan looked at the eyes of the Elite and saw his genuine concern. He understood how important it was for them to work together. Any doubt of intent or purpose of the other could mean the end for both of them. The Spartan raised his head and said, “Maybe I’ll surprise you.”
With that the Spartan turned and continued to walk down the mountain. As he walked away, the Elite stood and said quietly to himself, “That is yet to be seen.”
