My new story. Turns out I can write more than one at once without destroying my brain. I always thought if I put a second story on here, it would be another Avatar: The Last Airbender story.

I've loved Halo for ages, and ever since I've loved Halo I've loved the Covenant Elites. They were the coolest video game enemies I've ever faced, and I kind of fell in love with them when I read the Elite page on Wikipedia which talked about their strict code of honour. Maybe because so few people in real life care about honour, or even know that it exists.

So I decided to write a story about Elites. I hope it's good, and I hope a Halo fan - an Elite fan - out there likes it.

Oblivion

Chapter 1 - The Choosing

The Ship Master moved past the lines of unranked Sangheili in blue armour. Despite his height, build and muscled legs, his footsteps sounded only lightly on the floor. Some of the adolescents were staring fixedly at their feet. They had never been in such close proximity to a Sangheili of high rank. Indeed, it was unusual for a Ship Master to choose a crew himself. That job was usually left to a Major-domo or Lieutenant. But there were rumours that some misadventure had befallen the Ship Master's second-in-command. Galeg's vermilion armour and, more noticeably, notoriously short temper had been conspicuously absent from the Unparalleled Supremacy's crew in the weeks they had been landed on Sanghelios.

It was well known that the Supremacy's Ship Master stopped every so often to recruit a new crewmember from the Sangheili war academy. His disdain for lesser species such as the Unggoy and Kig-Yar was equally well-known, and who could blame him? Unggoy exhibited no honour in battle, no qualities of note except those of self-preservation and appetite. And Kig-Yar - those creatures were known to cause dissent on ships, exhibiting their own dislike for Unggoy by waiting in darkened corners and catching an unsuspecting Unggoy with the butt of a plasma pistol. The methane masks and breathing tanks of Unggoy were often found in the cargo holds of ships, usually together with some rather smelly bones.

The reasons were clear why the Ship Master preferred his crew to be of the Sangheili race. The only problems were those of ego. Virtually all Sangheili, while proud, honourable and willing to do anything to prove themselves in battle and demonstrate loyalty to a commanding officer, had no desire to engage in menial jobs - typically seen as the responsibility of the Unggoy - involving the day-to-day running of a ship. Regardless, it was considered a great honour to be selected for the Unparalleled Supremacy's crew, even if the position involved cleaning of hydraulics pipes. It was probably the reason so many young Sangheili, even those who had not yet reached adolescence, had applied for entrance to the war academy this year.

Rumour had it that the Ship Master would only be taking one with him. If that was the case the Ship Master gave away nothing to confirm it. Both the suns of Sanghelios were high and bright today, and light gleamed harshly off his armour, bright gold as befitted his rank, as he paced backwards and forwards in front of the row of twenty Sangheili.

Only the Sangheili who had achieved the academy's top twenty results had been selected to stand before the Ship Master, to the disappointment of many. Those twenty were standing straight and tall, none of them daring to move a muscle as perspiration gleamed off reptilian skin through cracks in blue armour.

The red of a Major-domo, Lieutenant, Captain or Squad Commander was something earned on the battlefield, awarded at the discretion of a commanding officer. The same applied to the gold of a Ship Master or Fleet Master, which was given more rarely. Every male Sangheili dreamed from infancy of someday wearing the white armour of the Lights of Sanghelios - the bodyguard class charged with guarding the physically frail ruling class, the San'Shyuum. However, those were hand-picked by the Prophets themselves, and it was unlikely that they would ever again venture this far from High Charity.

The Ship Master paused in his stride. His mandibles moved as he spoke. 'I know all of you by name.' His voice was rumbling and deep, like all male Sangheili, but seemed more imposing somehow. 'I know all of your results. I know all of you have given honour to Sanghelios in your training.'

None of the young males - or the female in their midst - moved, but there was an imperceptible air of escalated tension surrounding them. They knew the decision would be made soon.

The Ship Master continued. 'I know who received the highest score in the Academy this year, and I congratulate him. You have done your family proud.' He did nothing to single out the Sangheili student in question. 'But unfortunately, serving on a ship - serving anywhere, in fact - does not depend on good scores. It depends on hard work, on the ability to continue sweating for your prize even though your enemies laugh and mock you.'

The Ship Master tilted his head, and a corona of sunlight slid over the front of his helmet. 'There is one student here who has demonstrated this ability, far more than any other in the academy.' He began walking again. The faces of the Sangheili behind their helmets tightened in - fear? Hope? It was difficult to tell.

'This student did not achieve the best score. This student demonstrated that she has the ability to push past anyone standing in her way as if they were a snivelling Grunt.' The Ship Master paused in front of the young female. She kept her head fixed firmly ahead, not daring to move.

'Vassiminde Voro. I wish to take you as a navigation apprentice aboard my ship. Do you accept?' The Ship Master bowed his head.

The female Sangheili looked up at him. He was a good three handspans taller than her. For some bizarre reason, it appeared as if she would refuse.

Then she spoke. 'I accept your offer with the humblest of thanks, Ship Master. You have my gratitude, and I hope to serve you well.'

It was the traditional response, spoken clearly and well. The Ship Master nodded in approval. There was a pregnant pause, as if none of the observers was quite brave enough to cheer. Females among the Sangheili were seen as little more than brood stock, and it was certainly unheard of for one to graduate from the war academy, let alone be chosen for such a prestigious position.

Then the roar began. It was a subdued roar, not raucous and celebratory but tamed with surprise, that the Ship Master would choose a female. Gradually it increased, and as the Ship Master moved away with his new apprentice walking behind him, head bowed in respect, it became deafening.