Zo Resken: Difference between revisions

Zo Resken was born a descendant of [[Mken 'Scre'ah'ben]], the Prophet of Inner Conviction in the early years of the Covenant. Resken began his career in the Covenant as a communications officer, and during this time he acquired numerous technological skills, many of which he would continue to employ long after leaving the post. At some point prior to the [[Human-Covenant War]], Resken encountered the future [[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret]] while the latter was the [[Ministry of Tranquility|Vice Minister of Tranquility]], and he had treated Resken well. Resken, unlike most of his kind, enjoyed the company of the [[Sangheili]] outside of his work, and would befriend many of them, notably [[Sangheili Field Commander|Field Commander]] [[G'torik 'Klemmee]] and his uncle, [[Sangheili High Councilor|High Councilor]] [[Torg 'Gransamee]], of whom Resken believed was in fact G'torik's father. He also served within the [[Palace of the Hierarchs]] as a buffer between the [[Prophet of Truth|High Prophet of Truth]] and the [[Prophet of Stewardship]], prior to the latter being given control of the [[Fleet of Particular Justice]]'s military assets.<ref name="bc15">''Halo: Broken Circle'', Chapter 15</ref>

Shortly after Regret's death, Resken met with G'torik 'Klemmee and Torg 'Gransamee in one of High Charity's [[Hanging Gardens]]. While listening for potential eavesdroppers, the three discussed recent events. Resken considered the possibility that the loss of Installation 04 was perhaps indicative of the fact that the Covenant was unfit to undertake the [[Covenant religion#The Great Journey|Great Journey]] at that time due to a lack of spiritual unworthiness, citing an [[Mission to Janjur Qom|event]] during the early days of the Covenant where they had lost a unique [[Luminary]] that may have propelled the Covenant on its path and its loss had been similarly mourned. When Torg blamed the loss of the Halo ring on a military failure, and G'torik subtly reminded him to be cautious of how he spoke to the Prophet, Resken told them to speak freely with him, as he sought to strengthen his allegiance with the Sangheili. While viewing sensor footage of the debris field of Installation 04, as well as the newfound Installation 05, the three conversed about Regret's assassination. While Resken had great respect for the Prophet of Regret, he could not help but be angry about his [[Battle of Earth|reckless attack]] on the previously-unknown [[human]] [[Earth|homeworld]]. G'torik informed Resken that a massive force of [[Type-52 Phantom|Phantoms]] had been sent to protect Regret, but had been withdrawn before reaching him, seemingly on the orders of the High Prophet of Truth. While the three speculated on the reasons Truth had pulled the Phantoms back, Resken was summoned to the [[Palace of the Hierarchs]] by the Prophet of Truth. Before leaving, Resken told the two Sangheili that he would try to tell them of anything he learned.{{Ref/Reuse|bc15}}   

The following day, while walking through one of High Charity's Hanging Gardens without aid from his anti-gravity belt or [[anti-gravity chair|chair]] following his ancestor [[Mken 'Scre'ah'ben]]'s example, Resken heard the Prophet of Truth's denouncement of the Sangheili over the city's broadcast system. Knowing that [[Great Schism|civil war]] had indeed broken out within the Covenant, Resken made for the exit but was stopped by a Jiralhanae [[Jiralhanae Captain|captain]] and a [[Mgalekgolo]] pair. The Jiralhanae told Resken that the Prophet of Exquisite Devotion had sent for him, and warned him that the Mgalekgolo would forcibly take him if he didn't comply willingly. Resken was allowed to retrieve his anti-gravity chair before being escorted to the [[Gravitational Refinement]] chamber in the [[Trial Court for Tools of Conquest]].{{Ref/Reuse|bc16}} Upon arrival, Exquisite Devotion had his Jiralhanae disable the weaponry in Resken's chair. Exquisite Devotion revealed to Resken that he had captured. To his horror, Resken recognised all three of them: [[Sangheili High Councilor|High Councilor]]s [[Duru 'Scoahamee]] and [[K'hurk 'Bornisamee]], as well as K'hurk's nephew [[Tilik 'Bornisamee|Tilik]]. Exquisite Devotion told Resken of the massacre of the Sangheili Councilors and their guardsmen at Installation 05's [[Control Room (Installation 05)|control room]], gleefully stating that Torg 'Gransamee and G'torik 'Klemmee had been part of the slaughtered group, before demonstrating his control over the rooms artificial gravity, slamming Duru onto his back. Devotion exclaimed that he would use the room for interrogation. Resken was forced to watch in terror as Exquisite Devotion crushed the Sangheili's hand. Exquisite Devotion revealed that he had, with the aid of several spy drones, overheard his conversations with Torg'Gransamee and 'Klemmee in the Hanging Gardens, and had in fact deliberately imparted information about the Sangheili the previous day, knowing that Resken would go on to tell 'Klemmee and the drones had confirmed the fact. Exquisite Devotion then revealed to Resken that the disgraced former Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, [[Thel 'Vadamee]], made [[Arbiter]] of the Covenant after his failure at Alpha Halo and who had been thought to have been killed by the Flood inside Delta Halo's [[Library]], had somehow survived and was leading an uprising of Sangheili against the Jiralhanae on the surface of the installation. Exquisite then ordered Resken to impart information regarding the Arbiter and his forces, as well as the missing G'torik 'Klemmee's whereabouts. Resken truthfully told him that he did not have any knowledge of Exquisite Devotion's demands. Unbelieving, Exquisite continued to torture Duru 'Scoahamee in front of Resken, slowly crushing the Sangheili's body from the knees upward until his whole body was destroyed and mangled beyond recognition. Resken was utterly sickened by what he saw but was forced to watch until Duru breathed his last. Exquisite Devotion then ordered [[Melchus]], Tartarus' second in command and the leader of the massacre of the Sangheili Councilors, to bring Tilik 'Bornisamee forward next. Exquisite then turned to Resken, telling him that only if he carried out the gruesome killing would he be allowed to live; should he refuse, Resken would be killed in the same manner. Resken briefly considered complying, if only to prevent Exquisite Devotion from taking even longer to kill him. Ultimately he could not bring himself to do it, resigning himself to his fate. Exquisite then ordered a pair of Jiralhanae to hold Resken while he finished killing the two Sangheili in the chamber.<ref name="bc17">''Halo: Broken Circle'', Chapter 17</ref>

While Resken was being escorted by the Jiralhanae toward the rear entry of the chamber, he considered his options. Knowing that he could not use physical strength or his damaged anti-gravity chair to escape. Resken contemplated using the records hidden within his chair to bargain with Exquisite Devotion, as he had learned that [[The Refuge|the Refuge]], a [[Forerunner]] [[Shield world|shield world]] and holdout of a Sangheili [[Ussans|rebellion]] in the early days of the Covenant that was thought to have been [[Rending|destroyed]] by the rebels in an apparent mass-suicide in order to evade the Covenant, had possibly survived. He considered using this information to perhaps have Exquisite spare his life. As he began to realise that the information would be forcibly taken and he would be killed regardless, a group of Sangheili led by G'torik 'Klemmee, of whom Resken had believed dead, ambushed the party, swiftly killing the two Jiralhanae escorting Resken. G'torik revealed that he had survived by being knocked off the balcony, and had stowed away on a Phantom returning to High Charity. Resken knew one of the Sangheili with G'torik, a commander named [[Crun 'Brinsmee]] and was introduced to the other, an engineering officer known as [[Tul 'Imjanamee]]. Resken was forced to leave his anti-gravity chair behind as he would be unable to fit it through the complex network of pipes and energy conduits the group needed to pass through. Tul revealed that they were headed for a maintenance vessel that would allow the group to leave High Charity. Suddenly, a pair of Mgalekgolo arrived in the room. Resken told the Sangheili to go ahead while he distracted the Hunters, to which G'torik refused, telling him that they had specifically come to rescue the San'Shyuum. Exquisite Devotion appeared, ordering the Mgalekgolo to hold their fire while he addressed the rescue party. Exquisite told them to hand over Zo Resken, and he would let the others survive, to which G'torik refused. Exquisite then ordered his Mgalekgolo to open fire. The first volley of [[Assault cannon|assault cannon]] fire struck near Resken, knocking him over and burning the right side of the San'Shyuum's face. 'G'torik and Crun opened fire on several transmutation cubes near their attackers with their [[Type-25 plasma rifle|plasma rifles]], detonating them. The resulting explosion obliterated the Mgalekgolo pair and knocked Exquisite Devotion out of his chair. G'torik immediately made for the downed Prophet, and he killed the cruel San'Shyuum by cutting him into three parts with his [[Type-1 energy sword|energy sword]]. With the resulting chain-reaction threatening to consume the room, the group made for the exit, encountering the [[Huragok]] [[Sluggish Drifter]]. With the aid of the Huragok, the group made their way into a hangar bay, entering a small maintenance shuttle. As the vessel made its way out into the city proper, Resken witnessed the mayhem as the Great Schism consumed the planetoid, as well as the departure of the Prophet of Truth on board the Forerunner [[Anodyne Spirit|Dreadnought]]. The group watched in horror as the entire city was plunged into darkness as it's main source of power was severed, the final remaining Hierarch leaving to lead his remaining fleets to Earth, to seek out the [[Installation 00|Ark]]. Resken wondered aloud as to why he was leaving Delta Halo, to which G'torik replied that Tartarus was taking the [[Activation index|Sacred Icon]] to the control room. The Sangheili went on to say that the Arbiter was planning to stop him, as they had learned the truth of the nature of the Halo Array. He also reported that the [[Flood]] were rumored to be present as well. As the vessel left High Charity's dome, it rendezvoused with the supply vessel ''[[Journey's Sustenance]]'', captained by [[D'ero 'S'bud|Dero 'S'budee]] and the ship swiftly transitioned into [[Slipstream space|slipspace]], leaving the devastated ''holy city'' of the Covenant behind.<ref>''Halo: Broken Circle'', Chapter 18</ref>

Sometime later, the ''Journey's Sustenance'' arrived in the [[Ussan system]], a star system marked as forbidden by the Covenant, and so considered by D'ero to be safe. Upon arrival, the group shed all their Covenant titles and honorifics, signifying their split from the empire. As the group considered their next move, Resken wondered about what would happen to the Sangheili on the vessel as most of them had only ever known the Covenant, and wondered if those still on their homeworld of [[Sanghelios]] would even believe the treachery committed by the San'Shyuum against their own people. While the group sought guidance from Resken, he told them that he was no longer a Prophet, having shed the title due to his abandonment of the Covenant. He expressed sorrow that he had been unable to speak with the Arbiter before departing from the [[Coelest system]], to which Tul 'Imjanam replied that he had received notice from [[Special Operations Commander|Commander]] [[Rtas 'Vadum]] that he and the Arbiter had succeeded in stopping Tartarus at Delta Halo's control room, but the [[Battle of Installation 05|battle]] at the installation was ongoing. Remorsefully, Resken told the group that the schism was the 'third vector of chaos' theorized by his ancestor [[Mken 'Scre'ah'ben]] in his writings. The first and second vectors had proven to be the [[Human|humans]] and the [[Flood]], and the third and final was the civil war - the death knell of the Covenant. As D'ero angrily declared that all who had aligned with the Prophet of Truth and the Jiralhanae should be destroyed, Resken swiftly changed the subject, asking the Sangheili what he knew of the system they found themselves in. When D'ero mentioned the name of the system, Resken immediately recognised the name from Mken's writings. He expressed a desire to explore the system, to perhaps find surviving descendants from the Sangheili [[Ussans|rebels]] who had been thought destroyed by the Covenant. While Tul considered that the group return to Installation 05 to aid the Arbiter, Resken responded that they must remain, as they would not be able to win every fight, a lesson that the ancient rebel leader, [[Ussa 'Xellus]] had learned.<ref>''Halo: Broken Circle'', Chapter 19</ref>

One day, as Resken was studying the latest collection of relics the ''Journey's Sustenance'' had collected from the system, G'torik arrived and informed him that Tul had decoded a set of subspace communications, revealing that the Covenant had been [[Battle of Installation 00|brought to an end]], as well as the death of the [[Prophet of Mercy]], the [[fall of High Charity]] to the Flood and its [[Raid on High Charity|subsequent destruction]], the deactivation of the Halo Array at the [[Installation 00|Ark]] by the [[John-117|"demon"]] and the Prophet of Truth's death at the hand of Arbiter Thel 'Vadam. G'torik also confirmed [[Treaty of 2552|the alliance]] of the Sangheili with the humans at the close of the [[Human-Covenant War|war]] and the true nature of the Halo Array. Resken mused that his ancestor's prophecy had proven correct in its prediction of the Covenant's end, as well as the similarities between the end of the Forerunners and the Ussans. G'torik told Resken that he had learned of the Arbiter's return to Sanghelios, and his [[Blooding Years|efforts to unite]] the various keeps to his [[Swords of Sanghelios|cause]]. Resken felt some inward jealousy toward his friend, knowing that he and the others could return to their homeworld while he himself had no world to return to. Resken was completely shaken by the knowledge that he might well be one of the few remaining San'Shyuum left in a galaxy where many now hated them, and had no safe place to return to, following the destruction of High Charity. Refusing to give up his search of the Ussan system, Resken reminded G'torik of logs discovered from others who had spoken to [[Kig-Yar]] [[Pirate#Kig-Yar|pirates]] that reported discovering larger artifacts in the system, with one claiming to have been fired upon by something within the asteroid belt. Despite this, Resken resolved to agree with the rest of the group should they decide to depart for Sanghelios, noting that he didn't have any real authority over them. Suddenly, D'ero summoned Resken, claiming to have found something the San'Shyuum would want to see. Upon arriving at the bridge, D'ero magnified the ships sensors, revealing a previously-undetected artificial object larger in size than the ''Journey's Sustenance'' - in truth a part of the disassembled [[Shield world|Shield World]] [[The Refuge|0673]].{{Ref/Reuse|bc20}}

Shortly after arriving on the Refuge, V'ornik contacted [[Xelq 'Tylk]], the acting commander of the Refuge while the [[Kaidon|kaidon]], [[Bal'Tol 'Xellus]] was engaged in a [[Floatfighting|floatfight]] match with the leader of the rebellion, [[Oska 'Meln|a Sangheili]] going by the name of 'Kinsa. Xelq permitted the group entry, allowing Sluggish Drifter to repair the long-deactivated [[Monitor|monitor]] of the shield world, Enduring Bias. The monitor proceeded to save Bal'Tol from death at the hands of [[V'urm 'Kerdeck]]{{Ref/Reuse|bc21}} before killing 'Kinsa  when the rebel leader attempted to destroy Enduring Bias with his [[Mec-missiler|mec-missiler]]. Zo Resken later accompanied Enduring Bias, Sluggish Drifter, Xelq, G'torik, Tul and a group of eight [[Refuge Security|patrollers]] on a section-to-section shuttle headed for [[Section Five]] of the Refuge, where the remaining rebels were located. While both Resken and Xelq considered if Enduring Bias would be able to deactivate the repellent field over the airlock into Section Five, the monitor assured them that he could, easily bypassing the field. Resken warned Xelq that there could still be rebel holdouts that would not yield the territory they had gained. As they entered the section, Resken was overcome with joy at having discovered the very colony that his ancestor Mken 'Scre'ah'ben had encountered during the earliest days of the Covenant. He was fascinated with both the Forerunner technology as well as the Ussan innovations to the pre-existing designs. After leaving the vessel in the hangar, Resken and the rest of the heavily-armed team made their way into Section Five. As Enduring Bias burned down rebel mec-missiler bolts with his laser weapon, the two patrollers armed with [[Rocket launcher|rocket launchers]] killed the attackers. Resken ensured that Enduring Bias was recording everything that was happening; the San'Shyuum knew that the group was making history, and wished for the rest of the colony to witness the downfall of the 'Greftus Faction. Eventually the group entered the [[Hall of the Godminds]]'s scripture garden. Resken was immediately hit by the foul smell of unwashed clothing and raw sewage. He was somewhat saddened to see some of the sculptures had been knocked down. Upon discovering the desecrated sculpted busts of the Refuge's founders, [[Ussa 'Xellus]] and his spouse [[Sooln 'Xellus|Sooln]], Resken surmised that the busts had been vandalized due to their clan ties with Bal'Tol. As the group attempted to enter the main Hall of the Godmind building, they were immediately assailed by weaponsfire from rebels entrenched within. As the rocket-launcher equipped patrollers returned fire, Enduring Bias ordered them to cease fire, as they would damage the machinery. Instead, the monitor entered the building himself, using his repellent field to absorb enemy fire while surgically neutralizing threats with his laser beam. Most of the rebels surrendered, while those that refused were killed. The group then prepared to move on to the damaged protein synthesizer that was the source of the [[Blood Sickness]] illness that plagued the colony.<ref name="bc22">''Halo: Broken Circle'', Chapter 22</ref>

Unlike most San'Shyuum, Zo Resken enjoyed the company of Sangheili outside of his work and managed to befriend some of them, similar to the [[High Prophet of Regret]] in this regard. He also had a sense of honor, and was unwilling to torture Sangheili prisoners, preferring to die instead.{{Ref/Reuse|bc17}} Unlike many members of his species, Resken's title was not ironic: prior to the Great Schism, he had began to see the numerous faults in both the Covenant religion and it's leading members. He realised that if the Prophet of Truth would carry out his schemes to replace the Sangheili, one of the core founding species of the Covenant, and incite civil war in the very presence of a Halo ring, itself central to the Covenant's religion, then other parts of the Covenant's origin might be false.{{Ref/Reuse|bc16}}

Resken was also very determined, scouring the Ussan system for the Refuge for much of a solar cycle after the [[Fall of High Charity|fall]] of High Charity, even as the rest of his crew grew weary from the search.{{Ref/Reuse|bc20}} At his heart, Resken was a true historian, expressing wonder at the Forerunner designs of [[The Refuge|the Refuge]] as well as the additional Ussan innovations to the existing Forerunner technology. This was ultimately his primary reason for remaining on the Refuge after its reassembly process had been completed, wishing to commit the rest of his lifetime to studying the vast array of Forerunner history on the shield world.{{Ref/Reuse|bc22}}