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| - Two heavily armed Path Walkers escorted Shinsu down a maze of twisting passages that brought them deeper and deeper into the Salvation's Voyage. Everywhere they went, squads of dull-armored warriors paused in their duties to look their visitor over in cold appraisal. They passed through more than a few spacious holds where warriors attended to garages filled with Ghosts, Wraiths, and other war machines and at one point they even marched past a hangar packed full of Seraph fighters. The entire journey was completely unnecessary, of course. Shinsu could have been loaded onto one of the cruiser's rapid transit systems and been shot over to anywhere on the ship in no time at all. He suspected that Urei 'Cazal had arranged everything: the over-abundance of patrols, the inordinately full garages and hangars, this long, plodding march, as a means of putting him in his place. See the power at our disposal? the Voyage's crew seemed to be saying. And you presume to treat with us? Such pageantry was a waste of time and resources and Shinsu found it all utterly tedious. Shows of force had their uses of course; they could be useful for inspiring allies and deterring enemies. But it was more than a little disappointing that Urei had thought such a ploy might be enough to intimidate him. Such underestimation might prove useful in these negotiations, but it could also cripple any chance of the alliance the Cleansing Blade so desperately needed. Shinsu smiled at the thought of all the time and coordination that must have gone into preparing his tour of the Voyage. He hoped Urei had at least delegated most of that work to subordinates rather than plotting it all himself. At the very least, the display indicated that Urei was at least interested enough to talk. Had he wanted Shinsu dead, his warriors could have done the deed a dozen times over since he had first set foot aboard the Voyage. Shinsu's only defenses were his armor and the energy sword strapped to his hip--the only weapon he had brought aboard with him. The final hallway ended in a single door, which slid open only after one of Shinsu's escorts stepped forward for a full-body scan. The warrior turned back to Shinsu and gestured imperiously. "In." With a nod and a smile, Shinsu did as he was told. The room beyond the door was dark and barren, a rounded chamber with no furniture to speak of. No one was in it. Shinsu glanced back at the door he'd entered through. It was the only door in the room, and his two escorts followed him through it to take up positions on either side of the frame. The door slid shut behind them. "Interesting," Shinsu noted aloud. Within, he calmed himself as he'd done countless times over before every battle of his life. I do not fear death. This is not my time to die. "Wait here," the same warrior who had spoken before snarled. Shinsu hoped for Urei's sake this one wasn't representative of the whole Path Walker movement. Fools like him were not worth the risk of an insult. Shinsu calmly gathered himself up and sat down on the smooth floor. Whatever Urei had planned, he would meet it with poise befitting the commander of the Cleansing Blade. They were waiting for quite some time. The efforts Urei was going to humiliate him were beginning to weigh heavily on Shinsu's mind. Either this was no longer the Urei 'Cazal he had known, or the Path Walker's commander had taken his betrayal at Famul harder than he had anticipated. Neither option boded well for the negotiations. If they will ever even take place, he noted, glancing back at the guards. Perhaps he just wishes to torture me like this before he kills me... His hands tightened, but he willed them into relaxation. I do not fear death. This is not my time to die, he reminded himself. After another span of silence, a light in the center of the room winked on. Shinsu nodded to himself as the image of an armored figure sprang up from the light. A hologram. Of course. Urei 'Cazal towered over the seated Shinsu, his body magnified to twice its normal size. Like his followers, he had forgone flashy colorings or protrusions to denote his rank and his armor was instead a dark shade of grey. A large command cloak was draped over his shoulders and ran all the way down to the floor. His black eyes glared down at Shinsu from beneath his helmet. Shinsu looked up at his former commander and nodded. "Urei 'Cazal. It has been too long." The dark eyes narrowed. "Yes, I would say it has. I was wondering when I would have to waste time and resources purging you and your traitors, but now you've walked right into my arms. I must thank you for sparing me the effort." "You certainly went to a good deal of effort to keep me deceived," Shinsu noted. It was best to call Urei's bluff quickly, before things got out of hand. "Though I had hoped to be meeting with you in person." "Your skill with the blade is legendary, Shinsu 'Refum. Do you really think I would be so foolish as to put myself within its reach?" "You flatter me," Shinsu replied. "Though the farce you put on until now makes me think you may have taken the rumor a bit too much to heart. One might be led to believe you fear for your life." "A precaution born of necessity," Urei replied, not rising to the bait. "From what I have heard of you and your pack of renegades, that is not a concept you are unfamiliar with." "True," Shinsu admitted. "But we can abandon the pretenses, can't we? You do not plan to kill me, at least not yet." "Really?" Urei smiled down at him. "I have you hear at my mercy, surrounded by thousands of my best warriors. A word from me and the Voyage could vaporize your flagship in an instant. Your arrogance here has delivered the entire Cleansing Blade into my power. Why should I not destroy it all, here and now?" "Why should you?" Shinsu retorted. "You betrayed the Fallen. The ones who took you in after your little militia was wiped out. You were given a title, a new command, a key role in the revolution, and you cast it all aside the moment it suited you." I was your puppet, Shinsu thought grimly. Little more than a leashed pet for you to trot out whenever you needed to impress some merchant or dissident. Your own private Black Knight. His informants within the Path Walkers told him that the Path Walkers already knew of Urei's past. It would be useless to threaten him with that knowledge. Useless in some regards, that was. "I was not the first to see the Fallen for what they had become," Shinsu said cooly. "Only the first to act on it." "Yes, you certainly 'acted.' You slaughtered half the warriors under your command and threw your lot in with alien pirates. Your actions on Famul were the ruin of the entire movement!" Urei couldn't see his face behind his closed helmet, but Shinsu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Now you lay the deeds of others at my feet. It was the humans who destroyed you, not me." "Famul was to be our lifeline," Urei said furiously. "You knew that when you were dispatched, yet you showed your true colors and took it for yourself." "If you send our audience away, perhaps we can speak more candidly," Shinsu suggested. "These theatrics are beginnings to bore me." "The theatrics, as you call them, are the only thing standing between you and a swift death," Urei warned. "The Journey does not tolerate those who betray their masters." Shinsu lowered his head. "Then have these pure warriors withdraw so that this penitent sinner can repent his wickedness," he said slowly. Unless he had wildly misjudged Urei's intentions, they could begin this meeting in earnest only once they were free of prying eyes. For a single, prolonged moment there seemed to be a chance that Urei really had changed his tune since the death of the Fallen. The Path Walker's commander glanced up at the two guards, then back to Shinsu, and then back to the guards. He pursed his mandibles. "Leave us," he ordered. "There is no need for protection when there is no threat." Without a word, the two warriors turned and marched from the room. The door slammed shut, sealing Shinsu in alone with Urei's hologram. Urei gave Shinsu a withering look. "You have yet to explain Famul to me, Shinsu. I trusted you, and you betrayed me." "Yes, you trusted me," Shinsu admitted. "That was your mistake." "Why? What did you hope to gain from it?" "I believe we dispensed with the pleasantries when your newest pawns left the room. Look at me now, and decide for yourself what I gained from leaving the Fallen." "You live," Urei admitted. "Had you remained loyal, you most likely would have died along with the others. But with Famul's resources, we might not have been so concentrated in one location. The Fallen would have lived on." So his suspicions were at least partly correct. The opening move was successful, and now the rest of this conversation might very well decide the success or failure of the Cleansing Blade. Shinsu removed his helmet and rested it in his lap. "Tell me, Urei," he said quietly. "Did the Fallen deserve to survive?" "You dedicated your life to the cause," Urei replied. "Your comrades fought and died in the service of the Fallen. I would have thought that would be answer enough for you." Shinsu hadn't been ready to have the Sons of the Preserving Blade used against him. It took every muscle in his face to keep the pang that shot through his chest from registering. I musn't underestimate Urei. Not now, not with all that is at stake. "The Fallen were your best chance to avenge your comrades, your clan, your father," Urei continued. "Your only reason to betray them--" "Was that they were unworthy to lead our people into the future," Shinsu cut in. "I should have seen it long before Famul. Their methods were crude and wanton. They had no honor." Urei looked at him appraisingly. "My sources tell me the Cleansing Blade is not exactly pure either." "Our methods are done in the name of correcting the harm that has been done to our people since the Schism." It was true, for the most part. Shinsu had every intention of tearing down the criminals and assorted scum he had thrown his lot in with the moment their resources were no longer needed to reclaim the homeworld. "We cast aside honor so that others will not have to, and expect no recognition for our sacrifice. The only reward I will take for myself is the destruction of the Vadams. Why do you think I have returned to you now? Or would you prefer to keep yourself surrounded by these archaic fools?" "Oh?" Urei's face was impassive. "If you truly believe in the lie that has led our entire race to ruin over so many Ages, then I have nothing more to say to you." Urei was quiet for some time. Finally, he nodded. "A lie," he said quietly. "But a lie that suits my purposes all the same. The Fallen will be rebuilt in time, and this time I will not let butchers like Isto 'Vadum distort its purpose. I had hoped for time to rebuild before war resumed, but events moved faster then I would have wished." He shook his head. "The Path Walkers will suffice for now." "But you will need them disposed of eventually," Shinsu noted. "And it wouldn't do for them to claim the glory of liberating the homeworld." He watched Urei carefully. He had begun to show his hand, or at least the hand he wanted Urei to see. How the Path Walker's commander responded would decide the success or failure of this endeavor. "You propose an alliance," Urei said carefully. "I suppose this has something to do with the forces I hear are rallying around Famul?" Here it was. The moment where this endeavor could flourish or perish. The Path Walkers could not be won with money, intimidation, or mutual cooperation as the Cleansing Blade had won so many other individuals and organizations. More importantly, Urei 'Cazal would not be won over by anything other than an outcome that kept him and his own on top. "Yes," Shinsu said. "I am gathering together a fleet of Jiralhanae, Kig-Yar, and all who might have a grudge against our people. The Cleansing Blade will give them all the resources they need to overrun Sanghelios and topple the Vadam regime." Everything hinged on how Urei would react. Any other Sangheili would recoil from this plan, would call for his immediate execution and the destruction of the Cleansing Blade. Any other Sangheili would never direct aliens at the homeworld. But Urei... Urei nodded. "The Vadams will be humiliated," he murmured. "Discredited. Of course, even if your forces succeed, the response from other sectors will quickly liberate Sanghelios." Shinsu clicked his mandibles. "Perhaps. But they seem to currently be at war..." "Very true. I may very well work that particular snag into a victory for us both." "When the homeworld is finally liberated, the Vadams will be gone and any vestiges of their supporters that remain will be unable to suppress the move to sweep away the shackles they placed on our people." Shinsu sighed and shook his head. "The Cleansing Blade, myself included, will be revealed as the shameful traitors who instigated the attack. We will slip away into the shadows, never to be heard from again." "Perhaps," Urei said thoughtfully. "Though there may be uses for warriors of your capabilities once I have reformed the Fallen and brought order to the planet." "Perhaps." Shinsu highly doubted that. The Blade would be too busy using their exile to root out the rest of the elements that had corrupted the Sangheili since the Schism... with Urei 'Cazal being chief among them. You are no more worthy to lead our people into the future than Thel 'Vadam is. Urei was too steeped in schemes and plots to become the beacon the Sangheili needed to lead them to glory. If Shinsu and the Cleansing Blade were to be offered up as sacrifices to feed the new order, than Urei would not be far behind them. We sacrifice our honor to bring it back to the Sangheili, not so one just as dishonorable as ourselves can take power. "There is another matter that has come to my attention," he said aloud. It was time for another loose end to be contained. "The loss you suffered when this war started." "Moru 'Ostal." Urei nodded slowly. "I shouldn't be surprised that you know, should I?" "I will be blunt," Shinsu replied. "The Cleansing Blade has agents everywhere." "So I see." Urei didn't ask about infiltrators within the Path Walkers, but Shinsu made a note to alert his Path Walker agents of the heightened suspicion he would surely have from now on. "What does the 'Ostal boy have to do with you?" "Nothing. I'm more interested in the data file he had in his possession when he was abducted." Urei's eyes narrowed. "It wasn't returned to his father?" "One of the mercenaries who attacked your compound is a human named Mordred. He currently has the file in his possession." It was a huge risk, bringing the Path Walkers in on this particular hunt. When Shinsu had hired David Kahn and Mordred through Idat 'Ostal, he had been operating under the assumption that the file would be on Moru's person when he was brought in. Of all the things that could have gone wrong it was a small one; the Path Walkers had been drawn into a premature war that had both the human and Vadam governments distracted from the Cleansing Blade's movements. "That file..." Urei looked at Shinsu meaningfully. "Contains enough funds to supply both of our efforts for a very long time," Shinsu agreed. "I know where Mordred is, and I have reason to believe to believe he has the file with him. I propose you join the Cleansing Blade in its efforts to retrieve it. A show of goodwill." "We split it in half then," Urei said firmly. "A show of goodwill, as you say." It was a better cut than Shinsu had been expecting. "Agreed, so long as you do not mind accompanying me to the homeworld. Because that is where Mordred is now." "Is he connected to the recent human attacks there?" Shinsu remembered Pula's latest report: Mordred was indeed confirmed to be with Venter's rebel fighters. "In a way. We will need to move quickly. He will be in government custody very soon." "Then that is where we will take him," Urei said. "Wherever he is, the file will not be far away." There it was. Idat 'Ostal's silence had already been ensured and Shinsu's hand in orchestrating the current war was forever blotted out. Now I need only be watchful to ensure that our new allies do not make the first move when the time comes to turn on them as well. "Just remember, Shinsu," Urei said, a hostile edge creeping back into his voice. "I have not forgotten Famul. You will answer for that someday." "Answer for it?" Shinsu laughed aloud. "I answer for it every day, along with every other foul act I have wrought in the name of our people's future. I will never stop answering for it." And for once, that was the whole truth. His soul had, it turned out, been a small price to pay when measured against all the Sangheili stood to gain from his actions. "There is one more matter I must discuss with you," Urei continued. "My sister, Cyla..." "She is Autel 'Vadam's mate." Shinsu clicked his mandibles impatiently. "What of it?" "She has no stake in your vendetta against Thel 'Vadam and his spawn. I will not see her harmed." "As you say," Shinsu said calmly. "She is not of his bloodline. When the Vadam keep burns, I will deliver her back to you." Urei nodded. "Then you have my thanks." Shinsu had told so many lies that this last one did not even require a conscious effort to pull off. Cyla 'Cazal had borne the Vadams children; by ancient custom, that made her as much a part of the bloodline as Thel or Autel. If the Vadams were to be truly expunged, she would have to share the fate of the rest of the keep. It turned Shinsu's stomach, but how many countless innocents were about to die as a result of his plans? How many had already died? There had been no mercy for Cena 'Zandan when the Vadam government had ordered her to betray and murder Shinsu. He had made the oath to purge the Vadams in blood, on the graves of his mother, master, lover, and comrades. If I falter now, I am lost. Besides, he had a feeling that by the time he had finished purging the Vadams, Urei would have much more pressing matters to deal with than the fate of his sister.
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