[b]DESTINY ASCENDANT
Main Hangar[/b]

"Then I fear we have no deal. It is a shame that history will remember you as an imbecile who gave up on this historical oppurtinity." Kindal smiled under the mask as he turned away from the fleetmaster and focused his attention on Muriel. "Excuse my earlier transgression of proper manners. The art of diplomacy is often shrouded by the mists of war. It is now clear to me that this hangar houses only one xeno of heretic mind." Kindal glanced at the fleetmaster before continuing his speech. "I will be sure to answer all of your questions related to my actions later, but I have to deal with the Covenant menace before that." Kindal turned towards his droids and gestured towards the fleetmaster and his envoy. The combat husks quickly turned on their heels and now aimed towards the Covenant escort. They stood between the hostiles and the Overseer in case shots were fired. "I need but a few secondss while I quickly contact some of my kin."

Kindal crossed his arms and closed his eyes as he let his minds slip into the Shroud. The hangar bay seemed to be so distant, the only detectable sources of psychic energy were the xenos around him, but they were only faint lights in the darkness of the mind. But in the distance shone a star a thousand times brigther than any Kindal has seen before in the Shroud. His mind crossed the infinite seas in haste, the limitation of physics not applying to his psychic self in the Shroud. As he approached the source of the bright light he felt his mind going numb from the immense power. But he pushed on towards the great light, knowing it will not harm it's own kin. He was suddenly brightened as the light expanded into a grandiose ball, a supernova of psychic energy that lit up the Shroud like a beacon for thousands of light years. His mind recoiled back into his body, sending the Overseer to his knees as the exhaustion of his psychic self spread through his muscles.

He looked up at Muriel with a faint smile behind his mask. He stood up slowly, carefully straightening his robes. It has been far too long since he used his psychic powers. The exhaustion on the mind of a simple gashathi was still immense after long periods of slumber. He felt his body ache, but Kindal turned towards the captain once again. "Do not be alerted captain, I am but exhausted after using my powers. We shall soon talk in the purifying light of my superiors."

[hr]
[b]AURORA
Inside the Vault[/b]

Nyugen listened as the xeno tried to get out of the Vault using the chance he gave him. He just smirked in response. All xenos are the same: you lend them a hand, they take your whole arm. The sole expection is the Gashathi, the race who helped them to reach the starts and establish a rule of their own. And this day, he shall honour them. "I don't think that's gonna happen pal. I need you as leverage, not as a runaway. Put down your weapons and we won't kill you. That's the full extent of the deal." He cancelled the holo projection and pointed at the prisoners with his empty hand "We'll handle those two once you made up your mind." With that, Nyugen formed back into line, and readied his pistol at the xeno. He began to stream a countdown to his squad. He gave the xenos ten seconds to react, or else they would open fire. He checked behind his back, and examined the lines of Vixar with their guns at the ready. They were all focused on the covenant troops, no doubt calculating the firing angles and tagging potential hazards. 

The countdown was halfway through when the earth began to shake violently under the foot of those in the room. Nyugen signaled for a quick retrat onto the stairs and the lines moved back to avoid the full extent of the large floor. A smoke-like substance emerged from small cracks the began to appear, and the internal computer began analyzing the material. It was just water vapour, but it quickly raised the humidity of the air inside the room. Slowly but surely the small cracks started to take form: a spiral door was opening up in the middle of the room. Bright white light shone through the opening, and Nyugen signaled for the first row to slowly move up to it. He kept his weapons aimed at the Covenant troops, but he was more focused on the door.

But the curiosity didn't last long, as a familiar silhoutte slowly ascended on a alrge elevator in the middle of the opening. Nyugen wanted to move back to the formation, but a sidden sense of pain came over his body. It felt like every single one of his muscles hurt the more he was trying to move them. His body wouldn't move, and he was stuck in the pose he took up earlier. He peeked around to see both the enemy forces and his allies next to him stuck in a similar manner. Nyugen wanted to take a look at the state of the other Vixar, but he couldn't move his head. He tried to speak up, his mouth numb and barely able to form words. He painfully ushered a few words into the comms, his gaze stuck on the slowly ascending figure. "Squad, report in." To his surprise a much more fluid answer came from the leader of team Alpha who stayed back at the opening. "Sir, what is happening? It seems like everybody is paralyzed out of the sudden. Not even Misha can move." Nyugen wanted to answer, but he was too late to form any words as the silhoutte finally emerged a few meters away from him in the middle of the room.

The stature of a Gashathi is something you don't forget. It towered above the smaller Vixar forces and even the Covenant troops. Whoever he was, he was unordaniraly tall even for a Gashathi. A dozen armed figures stood about waist height next to the Gashathi, still taller in their armor than most of the Vixar. It took some time for Nyugen to realise who these aliens were: Genshati Royal Commandos ,the lapdogs of the other Gashathi who were supposed to escort Kindal instead of the Fanheim. Their slim angelic stature could be seen even through the armor as they stood next to the Gashathi with their weapons drawn. Nyugen muttred to himself in confusin. "What the heck-"

The voice of the Gashathi boomed through the room like an explosion. "Silence you worthless meatsack. You dare corrupt our tounge by taking it upon your heretic mouth." Nyugen was filled with pain all over his body, his mind struggling from the attack of the Gashathi. It was no ordinary Praetorian, this guy was a Hirule. No wonder he had the ability to single handedly paralyse the entirety of the Vault. The Hirule looked around in silence as the Genshati commandos moved out towards the stiarcase and the entrance, no doubt having psyionically received their commands. 

The Hirule spoke up again, concern in his sound. "I was awakened by my bretheren, but I only see inferior specks of cosmic dust like you at my Sanctuary. Your presence eludes me, and I can feel that my kin is not here. Their words will measure the worth of your pathetic lives. Until proven otherwise, you are all considered foes." He finsihed his sentence and his gaze eluded everyone in the room as he moved towards the entrance. Nyugen's body move on his own as it made way for the Hirule to advance. "More of your pathetic species converge on our sacred Sanctuary. I, Hirule Mak'shaL of the Gashathi Rule will take you as prisoners and test subjects until your forces are either pulverized or subdued. You should be happy to serve me in the future." The Nyugen was finally able to look around, but his body moved on its own. The Vixar lines and the Covenant forces all marched onto the platform, their faces anxious or scared as the situation further escalated. In less than a minute, the entirety of the Vixar and Covenant forces stood uncomfortably close to each other on the platform. The Jedi and the Sith were still carried by Covenant troops.

Then Misha came through the doorway leading to the staircase, on leash and controlled by several of the Genshathi. But it seemed like she was smaller. Much smaller. Nyugen had no idea what the did to Misha, but the Vulkhar appeared to be near a third of it's original size. The Genshati forced her upon the Floor of the Elevator and then injected a large shot of sedating units into her neck. Misha plopped down on the floor in an instant, and the elevator began to descend and the spiral door began closing above them. The Hirule focused his gaze on Misha and spoke up after a brief inspection of the Vulkhar. "One of you pitiful races managed to tame a Vulkhar, a proud banner beast of the Gashathi. Either you wish for your death, or you truly are connected to our kin." The spiral doors closed above them, and the unbearable pain in their muscles started to alleviate. The Hirule looked around one more time, his gaze almost petrifying those around him. "I give you a chance at redemption. Even if you have violated the Gashathi's immortal empire, you may yet be of use to me as servitor races. Act obedient, and you will live to serve under the new great empire of the galaxy." Nyugen knew this could mean almost anything, but he didn't want to risk disobeying the Hirule. It is never a good idea to defy the will of a being whose psychic power can make your nose bleed just by being in your presence. He just watched as the elevator silently descended into the depths of the Sanctuary.