Halo: Outcasts by Troy Denning;

Author:Troy Denning;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2023-08-08T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

Thirty centals after dropping through the same hole that had swallowed the human civilians before he arrived, Thel ‘Vadam and his landing party were deep inside the tel, trying to catch its retreating residents without being ambushed. If he was fortunate, they would be willing to talk. If not… he still had thirty loyal warriors at his disposal.

The air in the tunnel stank of metal and acid, an odor familiar to him from the mining operations he controlled on Sanghelios and Suban, and it was not the only evidence that more lay buried beneath the tel than ancient ruins. As they advanced down the passage, the walls released wisps of strange gray powder that deposited itself on their armor like electroplating. When he tried to wipe it off his goggle lenses so he could see clearly, the substance clung to his fingertips, building up into crusty layers that had to be scraped away with a knife. But if he left it alone, the coating grew so thick that, were it not for the thermal-imaging display inside his goggles, he would not have been able to see his own hands—let alone anyone waiting in ambush.

The image of a female warrior separated from the wall ahead and stood waiting for ‘Vadam and Varo’dai, who was walking at his side. The rounded brow and oversize mandible guards on her helmet identified the figure as one of the Varo rangers whom Varo’dai had sent forward to scout the location of the tel inhabitants.

“That did not take as long as I feared,” Varo’dai said. She was so close in the tunnel confines that her and ‘Vadam’s shoulders touched. “Perhaps your bargain with the Spartan will work to our advantage after all.”

“I did not strike a bargain with Spartan Vale. Was the Oath Warden not translating for you and Kaidon ‘Talot, or were we beyond the range of his eavesdropping instruments?”

“You were in range. He said you agreed not to interfere with the Spartan’s search for the weapon.”

“And she agreed not to interfere with ours.”

“How is that not a bargain?” asked Crei ‘Ayomuu. Along with Ghe ‘Talot, he was following close behind them. “You exchanged promises. Any Oath Warden on a Sangheili world would take an enforcement contract on that.”

“We only confirmed the terms of our existing alliance.” ‘Vadam allowed his tone to grow short. “But why does this concern you? There will be no fighting between us. That is what matters.”

“Then you expect the Spartan to honor her word?” Varo’dai asked.

“I do. She values our alliance as much as I do.”

“Yet you have commanded us to remain comm silent,” Varo’dai said. “Because you fear the Spartan and her ODSTs will track our progress by eavesdropping on our communications.”

“Spartan Vale is very resourceful.”

“But not very honorable,” Varo’dai said. “Forgive me, Arbiter. She wants the weapon for the UNSC as badly as you want it for us, and human treachery knows no bounds. Are you certain it is wise to trust her?”

“I am certain you think it is not.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.