A Lasting Peace

Security personnel escorted the media ruckus out of the room. Now there were only high-level officials from all sides, along with the most elite security personnel. Lord Hood was at my right and, along with a contingent of SPARTAN-IVs near the door, offered me a sense of safety and security. However, one of ONI’s top operatives, Jilan al-Cygni, was at my left, which undermined all of that. All of us sat at a round conference table, which was considerably large and took up space in the center of the well-lit room. Sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows of what used to be one of the city halls on the planet.
I could feel the tension in the air, especially between the Erdellians on my far right, and the Sangheili on my far left. Admittedly, some of that also came from Hood and al-Cygni, and my delegation as well, directed primarily at the Sangheili. I couldn’t fault them for that. I couldn’t fault myself for that, either. Out of all of us, though, it seemed that the one person with the most confidence was the Erdellian Emperor. He stood near the window, staring out of it and at the city before him, containing mostly Sangheili architecture. Virtually all of the old human buildings were demolished in the Covenant occupation.
One of the Erdellian delegation spoke to the Emperor using a word I couldn’t catch. It certainly wasn’t any human language. The Emperor turned around, his armor making a slight creaking noise. He smiled and walked back to the table with a certain stiff gait.
“Forgive me,” said the Emperor in English, which surprised all of us. He spoke with a very thick accent, and was rather careful in his speech, but he had a command of the language similar to that of a non-native speaker. “I am an old man, and in my advanced age I have learned to appreciate sentimentality. Yes, I believe that any man…” He looked at me. “…Or woman, who reaches their twilight years will appreciate the beauty of the Universe.”
“Beauty, hmm?” uttered al-Cygni. “Found something beautiful out there? In that city? That wasn’t a Sangheili city, you know. That used to be human. The whole planet was once human. Then the Covenant came. Mu used to be one of the most prosperous Outer Colonies in the UEG. Now the only humans on this planet are the ones in this room. All those millions of people… just gone. Vaporized. And that was just Mu. There are hundreds of other examples of planets being wiped clean of their human populations.” She quickly turned her vision to the Arbiter. “Because of the Covenant.”
“Colonel, please,” said Lord Hood.
“We are willing to extend a hand of peace towards Humanity,” said the Arbiter. “A lasting peace.”
“You must also at least acknowledge the suffering of Humanity during the war against the Covenant,” said one of our delegates, Jan Svoboda. “Every single human in this room has lost a loved one due to the war, either through direct combat or the indirect effects of the conflict. My son… my own son…” Svoboda’s voice cracked a bit, and he seemed on the verge of tears. “My dear Petr died defending Camber.” Svoboda looked directly into the eyes of the Arbiter. “You might know him intimately. He was a member of the 3rd Battalion Reserves. You and your forces waited for them to arm themselves before you cut them down like weeds in a garden.”
“I wanted to face him honorably,” said the Arbiter.
“He should not have had to.”
“Jan…” I started.
“Come now, Ruth, don’t tell me you haven’t lost someone in the war.”
“I have, Jan. I have. My brother was captain of the Leyte Gulf when the Covenant destroyed it. All hands lost. And my sister died on New Canada. And don’t think for one second that I don’t get sad, or angry, or bitter about them not being there to see their kids grow up, because at times I do. I do, Jan, because I’m human, dammit. But… I am learning to move on from their deaths, to let the past be in the past, and to live for the future. And I want the future to have no more wars between us and the Sangheili. And no future conflicts with the Erdellians. I don’t want more Leyte Gulfs, no more New Canadas, no more Mu’s or Reaches, none of that. Each and every single human life lost represented hopes, dreams, and aspirations snuffed out. A possible bright future eliminated. A wealth of knowledge and experience wiped out. Let’s not repeat that on such a massive scale, or indeed, any scale. The blood and carnage of the past must remain there, and we must establish what the Arbiter suggested: a lasting peace. Not just for us, but for our children, and our children’s children.”
“I agree,” said the Arbiter. “I am willing to accept the fact that Humanity suffered greatly during the conflict, and we are willing to cooperate with our new Human friends.” He paused. If I wasn’t mistaken, it seemed to me that he looked somewhat guilty at this moment. “The war,” he continued, “is an undoubtedly regrettable stain on our past, but I am hopeful that this meeting will herald a new age of friendship and cooperation.” The Arbiter then looked at the Erdellians. “For all parties present.”
The Erdellian Emperor looked to the people beside him. They were totally silent, but seemed to be in deep conversation, nodding at certain intervals.
“I have already sent the order to cease all offensive operations against Xyphonite forces,” said the Emperor. “We will sheathe the sword. Our soldiers will return to their homes, and peace will reign in the galaxy once again.” Then he looked at me. “I look forward to further cooperation with humanity, Doctor Charet.”
“And I with yours, Emperor,” I said.
Category:The Weekly