Rebirth: Difference between revisions

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For a moment after Riser awoke, he thought he might be in the land of the dead. Everything was dark and cold, and he could not move. Tiny lights winked on one by one, encircling his field of vision. Then an invisible hand loosened its grip and he could move his arms. He sat up, bumped his head, tensed all over then lay back again. This made him flick the whites of his eyelids and growl a threat way back in his throat. But nobody could hear him. He was lying alone in an enclosed bed. Lifting himself up a bit, through the hard clear canopy he could see hundreds of other beds in rows, and around them a great long chamber; cold, and blue, and dark. What he could see confirmed that these hard prison beds were occupied by ha''manush'' and cha''manush'' still asleep, Riser was awake.

For a moment after [[Riser]] awoke, he thought he might be in the land of the dead. Everything was dark and cold, and he could not move. Tiny lights winked on one by one, encircling his field of vision. Then an invisible hand loosened its grip and he could move his arms. He sat up, bumped his head, tensed all over then lay back again. This made him flick the whites of his eyelids and growl a threat way back in his throat. But nobody could hear him. He was lying alone in an enclosed bed. Lifting himself up a bit, through the hard clear canopy he could see hundreds of other beds in rows, and around them a great long chamber; cold, and blue, and dark. What he could see confirmed that these hard prison beds were occupied by [[Human|ha''manush'']] and [[Florian|cha''manush'']] still asleep, Riser was awake.

Slowly, reaching where he could to scratch, checking out skin, and fur, and ribs, and upper limbs, he remembered where he was: in the belly of a Forerunner sky-boat. ~~Forerunners~~ took us from the great Ark, said it was the only way to save us, to save everything.

Slowly, reaching where he could to scratch, checking out skin, and fur, and ribs, and upper limbs, he remembered where he was: in the belly of a Forerunner sky-boat. [[Forerunner]]s took us from the [[Greater Ark|great Ark]], said it was the only way to save us, to save everything.

"How do you feel?" A voice asked. He jerked, then looked to his left and saw a female Forerunner. She bore some resemblance to the Lifeshaper who came in dreams, but she was not ''that'' one. No one else could be the Lady.

"How do you feel?" A voice asked. He jerked, then looked to his left and saw a female Forerunner. She bore some resemblance to the [[Lifeshaper]] who came in dreams, but she was not ''that'' one. No one else could be [[Librarian|the Lady]].

The canopy of the bed opened. Riser climbed out slowly, with great dignity. This was serious. He had to show strength and calm. He had to be careful. Like all Forerunners, this female was much taller than the little Florian, taller by several hand-spans than any human. Her armor was decorated by silvery tassels that sparkled at her slightest move. Shimmering like rain over a campfire, she reached out to him. He drew back, but she was quick, from her hand flowed a bright, pulsing liquid jewel pattern. She manipulated this radiance with the sixth finger of her other hand.

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"The stiffness is to be expected," the Forerunner said, speaking his language as if born to it. Riser's fear grew. He did not want Forerunners to pay attention to him again. He wanted to leave.

The chamber reminded him of the ghost gallery on the Halo. Too cold, too clean, no smell. The Forerunner's arms bristled and he backed away from the tall female until his feet came to the edge of the platform. The Forerunner drew in closer. From what little he understood of Forerunner expressions, she appeared concerned. Perhaps she meant to be kind. He did not trust any of that, not yet. He knew all too well what Forerunners were capable of. They had once reduced humans to near-extinction. What cruel fate might they bring this time? "You are Riser," she said. The radiance flowed up and around him. His body was soothed, but his mind recoiled. This was the name his friends used, but he had not given her permission. "I have sad news, Riser. We have saved only a few of your kind, cha''manush''."

The chamber reminded him of the ghost gallery on [[Installation 07|the Halo]]. Too cold, too clean, no smell. The Forerunner's arms bristled and he backed away from the tall female until his feet came to the edge of the platform. The Forerunner drew in closer. From what little he understood of Forerunner expressions, she appeared concerned. Perhaps she meant to be kind. He did not trust any of that, not yet. He knew all too well what Forerunners were capable of. They had once reduced humans to near-extinction. What cruel fate might they bring this time? "You are Riser," she said. The radiance flowed up and around him. His body was soothed, but his mind recoiled. This was the name his friends used, but he had not given her permission. "I have sad news, Riser. We have saved only a few of your kind, cha''manush''."

She did not use that word properly. If most of his kind were now dead, or lost, or away from any spiritual center. Names had to change to reflect such loss. If so many of his people were dead, their name would now be k<nowiki>'</nowiki>cha''manush''.<ref group="note">The "k'" prefix signifies a click sound. This spelling is conjectural, although derived from the canonical spelling of [[k'tamanush|k'ta''manush'']].</ref> So the female Forerunner did not know everything. Chakas would have understood. Any human on Erde-Tyrene would have known how to voice respect for those now gone. But how far away gone? To far to reach? If he died on this sky-boat would he ever find the dead again? He shrugged out his arms.

She did not use that word properly. If most of his kind were now dead, or lost, or away from any spiritual center. Names had to change to reflect such loss. If so many of his people were dead, their name would now be k<nowiki>'</nowiki>cha''manush''.<ref group="note">The "k'" prefix signifies a click sound. This spelling is conjectural, although derived from the canonical spelling of [[k'tamanush|k'ta''manush'']].</ref> So the female Forerunner did not know everything. Chakas would have understood. Any human on [[Earth|Erde-Tyrene]] would have known how to voice respect for those now gone. But how far away gone? To far to reach? If he died on this sky-boat would he ever find the dead again? He shrugged out his arms.

"We were never many," he said looking around with a squint, "How many now?" At the female's direction the chamber's lights glowed brighter. He saw that other Forerunners were examining the sleepers, mostly bigger humans. He tried to count, but they, too, were not many. And these Forerunners were all ~~Lifeworkers~~, there were no fighters, none like the Didact. So few of anybody.

"We were never many," he said looking around with a squint, "How many now?" At the female's direction the chamber's lights glowed brighter. He saw that other Forerunners were examining the sleepers, mostly bigger humans. He tried to count, but they, too, were not many. And these Forerunners were all [[Lifeworker]]s, there were no [[Warrior-Servant|fighters]], none like [[Ur-Didact|the Didact]]. So few of anybody.

"How many are left of your people?" Riser asked in a low voice, not sure what he wanted to hear. She did not tell him that. Perhaps the truth was not good for her. Perhaps she did not know.

"My name is ~~Grow~~-Through-Trial-of-Change," she said. "The one known as Riser may call me Trial." Now, at least she was trying to follow the forms. He pursed his lips. "Trial," he said managing that name well enough. He raised his right hand and held out his fingers for her touch. She smiled. That she could smile struck him as odd. He never saw the Lady smile, not in his dreams. The Didact had never smiled. Bornstellar, however, had been capable but kind of twitch out the lips. This one, Trial, might be young then, like Bornstellar. She might not know much, but she was apparently in charge.

"My name is [[Growth-Through-Trial-of-Change]]," she said. "The one known as Riser may call me Trial." Now, at least she was trying to follow the forms. He pursed his lips. "Trial," he said managing that name well enough. He raised his right hand and held out his fingers for her touch. She smiled. That she could smile struck him as odd. He never saw the Lady smile, not in his dreams. The Didact had never smiled. [[IsoDidact|Bornstellar]], however, had been capable but kind of twitch out the lips. This one, Trial, might be young then, like Bornstellar. She might not know much, but she was apparently in charge.

After some hesitation, she cautiously extended her fingers to brush his own. With a grimace and clack of teeth, he grabbed her wrist and quickly scratched the back of her hand with one thick nail. The Lifeworker did not flinch, did not react at all. Not at first. The scratch quickly closed, but for a moment Riser smelled her blood. Her skin was cool, even cold. But she was flesh, not a machine, not a spirit.

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"There are words and ideas you need to know," the Lifeworker said, only then withdrawing her hand. She gave it a little shake which gratified him, and he curled his lips. Then she looked somber. ''Uh-oh'', he thought.

"You already have some knowledge," she said, "A new kind of ''geas''. Here is more." The radiant jewel grew. He tried to fend off its light, but something held him in place. He looked up at her steady, earnest face and forced himself to surrender without a scrap. Things were very different now as in other hard times he would have to be smart, and flexible, and think for all his people.

"You already have some knowledge," she said, "A new kind of ''[[geas]]''. Here is more." The radiant jewel grew. He tried to fend off its light, but something held him in place. He looked up at her steady, earnest face and forced himself to surrender without a scrap. Things were very different now as in other hard times he would have to be smart, and flexible, and think for all his people.

The jewel's light drew up around his head, entered his eyes and ears, spread down through his neck into chest, and body. He lifted his arms and saw his veins glow. There were so many, so alive, beautiful! And Riser was not afraid. The glow faded, his flesh turned opaque again. He stretched. He was different, but only a little. He did not remember the pain as sharply. That worried him. What else would he forget? "Where are we?" he asked. Trial sadly closed and sealed the empty prison bed as if she knew this is the last time it would ever be used.

"We are in a medical facility high above the second Ark, far outside the galaxy," she said, "A safe place. Humans will stay here for a time while we make preparations. Then, you will be returned to Erde-Tyrene."

"We are in a medical facility high above the [[Installation 00|second Ark]], [[Intergalactic space|far outside]] the [[Milky Way|galaxy]]," she said, "A safe place. Humans will stay here for a time while we make preparations. Then, you will be returned to Erde-Tyrene."

"And where will Forerunners go?"

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When the great sky-boat arrived at the Ark, Lifeworkers gathered all the humans and guided them through the immense cavernous hold to an awaiting cluster of smaller ships round and silvery like fat fish. Inside Riser's ship, it was dark and crowded and everyone and everything made strange noises. The k<nowiki>'</nowiki>cha''manush'' nervously held each other and clutched hands and softly cooed and trilled. Riser tried to calm them with his whistle-chirp song.

"I have been in these moving places before," he said in that musical form. "We can trust the Lifeworkers, they serve the Lady." Everyone needed to be calm so he told them what they needed to hear. The survivors look towards him for guidance. That he was used to. He had run the city of Marontik, large parts of it once. He had trained the young Chakas in the craft of thievery and deception, and he had bitten the Didact! Riser's chest swelled at that flying memory.

"I have been in these moving places before," he said in that musical form. "We can trust the Lifeworkers, they serve the Lady." Everyone needed to be calm so he told them what they needed to hear. The survivors look towards him for guidance. That he was used to. He had run the city of [[Marontik]], large parts of it once. He had trained the young [[Chakas]] in the craft of thievery and deception, and he had bitten the Didact! Riser's chest swelled at that flying memory.

The fish-ship opened its doors on a hill overlooking the edge of a strange village. Riser emerged first, theatrically stretched his limbs, and sniffed the air. The others stayed back for the moment. Clusters of metal huts had been arranged at haphazard fashion along a shallow twisty river. Smoothly trod dirt paths wound between the huts, but the air did not smell of animals or people, did not smell of breath and farts and sweat, of being lived in. The door coverings were also strange. Woven of some coppery shiny fiber, jarring and false. He chuffed. Typical. Forerunners had studied human villages and then copied them without understanding how they were used or what they were made of. They ruled the skies but knew nothing of what lay beneath.

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They were allowed a little rest and time to adjust before going into the new village. Food was brought by machines. It was not good food, but it filled their bellies. From where he squatted on the top of the hill, Riser could see other villages scattered across the landscape, and more fish-ships arriving to disembark their living cargos. He turned from horizon to horizon. The sides of this big place either fell out into darkness, or stretched up into the sky like a Halo stomped flat and shoved around. That thought reminded him of the last Halo he was on and he grew nervous again about what had frightened the Forerunners, why the great wheel had been made.

He wiped his hands and stood up beside Trial who was waiting patiently. "The Flood are all gone now, yes?" he asked. "Yes," she said. She began to say something more but did not finish. ''Something she doesn't want to tell me.''

He wiped his hands and stood up beside Trial who was waiting patiently. "The [[Flood]] are all gone now, yes?" he asked. "Yes," she said. She began to say something more but did not finish. ''Something she doesn't want to tell me.''

The Lifeworkers then guided the humans in groups through the village like children. Riser saw quickly enough that the Lifeworkers were in the charge of a tall female. Her name was Chant-to-Green.

The Lifeworkers then guided the humans in groups through the village like children. Riser saw quickly enough that the Lifeworkers were in the charge of a tall female. Her name was [[Chant-to-Green]].

"She is the new Lifeshaper," Trial explained.

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Trial and Chant explained that they would be living a ways away from the village as in a high tower jutting out of the side of a false mountain. ''A throne from which to watch their pets'', Riser thought, Forerunners arrogant even in their last days. But his position with regard to the new Lifeshaper was softening. He wondered how much like the Lady she would become, given time.

By the second wake cycle life had settled down to a routine. The people had moved into their houses and gotten used to the brown lumps they were fed. They walked from village to village in hopes of finding absent friends and family. Usually those hopes were dashed, but Vinnevra was in the next village over and when Riser found her they embraced and then backed away, embarrassed of the display. Vinnevra asked after Chakas. Riser did not have the heart to tell her what he had seen. There were other races here too. Some strong and sinewy, others squat and broad. There were even the San 'Shyuum he had encountered with Chakas and Bornstellar so long ago.

By the second wake cycle life had settled down to a routine. The people had moved into their houses and gotten used to the brown lumps they were fed. They walked from village to village in hopes of finding absent friends and family. Usually those hopes were dashed, but [[Vinnevra]] was in the next village over and when Riser found her they embraced and then backed away, embarrassed of the display. Vinnevra asked after Chakas. Riser did not have the heart to tell her what he had seen. There were other races here too. Some strong and sinewy, others squat and broad. There were even the [[San 'Shyuum]] he had encountered with Chakas and Bornstellar so long ago.

Many strange others Riser did not know the names for. A whole spectrum of races and peoples mingling. This was not so unlike the afterlife after all.

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"We should have a wake for the old galaxy, and a birth-feast for the new!" The idea had caught on. All the villagers threw themselves into preparations. The Forerunners consulted with the humans on what foods to prepare and bring, and ended up with a reasonable facsimile of a spicy vegetable stew. Riser could not convince them that meat, even in facsimile, might be better still. Humans prepared their own delicacies from the newer fruits and plants from the surrounding hills. The Lifeworkers were improving the landscape, bit by bit with such details.

The mood was strange. So much had been lost, and the pinned up emotions quickly gushed to the surface as wild dance and howling songs filled with pain. The k<nowiki>'</nowiki>cha''manush'' sung a great epic of a warrior who many times tries to retrieve his love from the underworld, but never succeeds. Though the other k<nowiki>'</nowiki>ha''manush'' could not understand all the words, the message was plain: Life is passing, and death is eternal. Remember the past, but honor it in the present. Eulogies and dirty jokes crowded against each other. There was crying and laughing, and sometimes both at once. Vinnevra met Riser again. They shared memories of their time on the Halo. Riser listened aghast and thralled at what had happened to Chakas and Vinnevra, and her father before he had rejoined them. As well, he told her his experiences. Others listened and spread word. Before the assembled crowd with much encouragement, after Vinnevra was thrice rebuffed when she tried to escape, they ascended a scaffold and told their tale anew as a great adventure.

The mood was strange. So much had been lost, and the pinned up emotions quickly gushed to the surface as wild dance and howling songs filled with pain. The k<nowiki>'</nowiki>cha''manush'' sung a great epic of a warrior who many times tries to retrieve his love from the underworld, but never succeeds. Though the other k<nowiki>'</nowiki>ha''manush'' could not understand all the words, the message was plain: Life is passing, and death is eternal. Remember the past, but honor it in the present. Eulogies and dirty jokes crowded against each other. There was crying and laughing, and sometimes both at once. Vinnevra met Riser again. They shared memories of [[Halo: Primordium|their time on the Halo]]. Riser listened aghast and thralled at what had happened to Chakas and Vinnevra, and [[Gamelpar|her father]] before he had rejoined them. As well, he told her his experiences. Others listened and spread word. Before the assembled crowd with much encouragement, after Vinnevra was thrice rebuffed when she tried to escape, they ascended a scaffold and told their tale anew as a great adventure.

Half drunk with the fermented juice, Vinnevra quickly caught up with Riser as he sang and whistled and chanted. Pushing back for a moment the horrors they experienced, they piled wild tale on wild tale, all of it true, if embellished in the moment. "We faced ten thousand twisted monsters!" Vinnevra cried, "An army of diseased flesh! And leading them, a god-beast three hundred hands tall, all part of the schemes of the Master Builder! May he be forever eaten by flies!" She spat on the dirt, and ground it under her foot. The audience roared.

Half drunk with the fermented juice, Vinnevra quickly caught up with Riser as he sang and whistled and chanted. Pushing back for a moment the horrors they experienced, they piled wild tale on wild tale, all of it true, if embellished in the moment. "We faced ten thousand twisted monsters!" Vinnevra cried, "An army of diseased flesh! And leading them, [[Primordial|a god-beast three hundred hands tall]], all part of the schemes of the [[Faber|Master Builder]]! May he be forever eaten by flies!" She spat on the dirt, and ground it under her foot. The audience roared.

From dozens of meters surrounded by the raucous humans, Bornstellar and Chant-To-Green listened. She touched his shoulder.

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"The greatest of friends," Bornstellar said.

"Then we were prisoners in a village of ghosts!" said Riser, "With the Wolf-Moon coming closer, so close, bad Forerunners wanted to make everyone to ghosts, but I tricked them! I freed Chakas, so Chakas could save us all! Only the spirit inside Chakas could stop the Wolf-Moon!"

"Then we were prisoners in a village of ghosts!" said Riser, "With the [[Installation 07's failsafe planet|Wolf-Moon]] coming closer, so close, bad Forerunners wanted to make everyone to ghosts, but I tricked them! I freed Chakas, so Chakas could save us all! Only [[Forthencho|the spirit]] inside Chakas could stop the Wolf-Moon!"

Vinnevra looked far away in remembrance of their lost friend. Riser took a cup and filled it to the brim. "Remember Chakas!" He raised the cup over his head in toast. "I have never met a k<nowiki>'</nowiki>ha''manush'' so brave. May his spirit eternally watch over us, and keep us safe."

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"What happened to your birth family?" asked Riser bluntly.

Trial shook her head. "They were ~~Builders~~, dead before even the Flood arrived. A sudden implosion of a nearby star as they traveled between worlds. But before that time, when I told them I wished to be a

Trial shook her head. "They were [[Builder]]s, dead before even the Flood arrived. A sudden implosion of a nearby star as they traveled between worlds. But before that time, when I told them I wished to be a Lifeworker, to change ranks, they were very angry with me. They said they would cut me loose. Then, they were gone. I had to honor them, but also honor my own instincts. My fellows cut me loose, but the Lifeworkers took me in. This trial would change me, allow me to become who I am, and prepare me for the great struggle that followed."

Lifeworker, to change ranks, they were very angry with me. They said they would cut me loose. Then, they were gone. I had to honor them, but also honor my own instincts. My fellows cut me loose, but the Lifeworkers took me in. This trial would change me, allow me to become who I am, and prepare me for the great struggle that followed."

She put her hand on Riser's shoulder. "Take it from one even older than you, Riser. Life is little but trials. It is how we let them shape us that makes them into who we are. Forerunners failed their trial. Now it is the humans' turn to assume the Mantle."

She put her hand on Riser's shoulder. "Take it from one even older than you, Riser. Life is little but trials. It is how we let them shape us that makes them into who we are. Forerunners failed their trial. Now it is the humans' turn to assume the [[Mantle]]."

"We cannot do much worse," said Riser, then felt a stab of doubt.

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One morning without any warning, a portal was created just above the false lands of the Ark. Forerunners went from village to village, gathering up the humans, taking them into the hills, guiding them into the round silvery fish-ships. It was time to return to Erde-Tyrene. Groups of the different humans would be seeded at selected locations. According to Trial and Chant, this was the way Forerunners would help reawaken and reseed humanity's birthworld. Riser did not ask if Forerunners could stay and help sooth the inevitable crowds of angry ghosts. More parties, perhaps, more drinking and songs. But even the Lifeworkers remained stubbornly ignorant to such difficulties. Perhaps, he decided, it would be best to not go back where all the ghosts would recognize him.

"Can you put my kind on a fine green island in the middle of an ocean?" he asked Trial. "I was raised on the grasslands in the dry and the heat, but I've always wanted to live on an island bigger and better than the one in Djamonkin Crater, where I could walk along the restless beach and feel the sun on my skin all day between the splashing of waves and the storms. Some place that I could explore in my lifetime, and pass that knowing along to my children if I am to have any. And if I do, I will tell them how we once made little walled mazes on another island far, far away, and they will help me gather stones and build." The words just seemed to tumble out of him, a great vision, a beautiful destiny away from all those ghosts. Which of the unhappy spirits seek him out, he thought, then those walls, so many walls, would confuse them, and he could sleep peacefully.

"Can you put my kind on a fine green island in the middle of an ocean?" he asked Trial. "I was raised on the grasslands in the dry and the heat, but I've always wanted to live on an island bigger and better than the one in [[Djamonkin Crater]], where I could walk along the restless beach and feel the sun on my skin all day between the splashing of waves and the storms. Some place that I could explore in my lifetime, and pass that knowing along to my children if I am to have any. And if I do, I will tell them how we once made little walled mazes on another island far, far away, and they will help me gather stones and build." The words just seemed to tumble out of him, a great vision, a beautiful destiny away from all those ghosts. Which of the unhappy spirits seek him out, he thought, then those walls, so many walls, would confuse them, and he could sleep peacefully.

She smiled. "Oh, there will be children, and it's the very reason you were saved." She assumed a thoughtful look, then flashed an image from her ancilla. "There is one place that might be suitable." He saw a beautiful beach, black sand flecked with white rocks. Then she showed him another place, a deep jungle island, very warm and moist and green. "We can place your kind on many islands," she mused, "There will be tiny elephants on this one. Just your size."

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The slipspace gate spun wide in the sky above, a dark blue bubble that burned brighter than the artificial sun. The ships lifted off, the wind of their wake blowing through the abandoned villages. One by one, they rose to this passageway. And so the humans were returned to where it had begun so long ago: Erde-Tyrene.

The fish-ships emerged from a dusty plane, not far from where Marontik had once been. An enormous Forerunner machine, splayed open, partially buried in the earth. Surrounded by a frenzy of clouds and rain as the energy of the portal whipped up winds. These ships paused, and disembarked many. On the ice sheets of the north they left others following patterns established before, by the Lady. Each ship charted a different course according to her plans, and according to some ''new'' plans. Trial's and Chant's, and Riser's. And so brought humankind, those few that remained, both to old and new corners of this ancient, haunted world.

The fish-ships emerged from a dusty plane, not far from where Marontik had once been. [[Portal at Voi|An enormous Forerunner machine]], splayed open, partially buried in the earth. Surrounded by a frenzy of clouds and rain as the energy of the portal whipped up winds. These ships paused, and disembarked many. On the ice sheets of the north they left others following patterns established before, by the Lady. Each ship charted a different course according to her plans, and according to some ''new'' plans. Trial's and Chant's, and Riser's. And so brought humankind, those few that remained, both to old and new corners of this ancient, haunted world.

A craft bearing the k<nowiki>'</nowiki>cha''manush'' touched down on a long and glorious beach. The sun was just beginning to set in the west. This was the real sun, turning orange and yellow and red, even briefly green as it fell behind layers of dust along the horizon. Riser stepped out of the fish-ship and touched true ground, true dirt, broken leaf litter, black sand, for the first time in far too long. For a moment, he was afraid. He had changed so much! But he walked towards the waves, lapping on the darkened wet of the tideline, and stood there, toes digging into the moist sand, and then, he hooted softly to himself and smiled.

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"We will do what we can with what we are given," Riser said. "But what of you? Where will the Forerunners live?"

"I do not know," Bornstellar said, "Not yet. All I know for certain is that we cannot return to these places. We have already ~~(?)~~ too much in the affairs of others."

"I do not know," Bornstellar said, "Not yet. All I know for certain is that we cannot return to these places. We have already meddle too much in the affairs of others."

Riser grimaced. "Forerunners refusing to meddle? Is that a promise?"

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The sentinels guided the oblong across the dock and down to another unfinished structure still being shaped as they watched. Constructor machines like spiders spun hardening cocoons of metal around slowly ascending frameworks. Then Riser understood. From below the rock and sand out of the Ark's deepest foundation, a massive ''tomb'' was being prepared. A void had already been cleared to receive the coffin. Sentinels dragged it to the edge of the void, a strange grave at a place where there was no real dirt, no real planet, and latched into the waiting frame. The oblong coffin's blue lines flowed outward spreading into the confining struts. Riser puffed out his cheeks and looked up at his tall companion. Bornstellar was observing the ceremony with a gray, grim face. Hard to read. All Forerunner fighters looked gray and grim to the Florian.

When all was ready, Bornstellar raised his arms to address the tomb. "Ancilla 05-032 of the designation Mendicant Bias, you have colluded with the greatest enemy of the Mantle."

When all was ready, Bornstellar raised his arms to address the tomb. "[[Ancilla]] 05-032 of the designation [[05-032 Mendicant Bias|Mendicant Bias]], you have colluded with the greatest enemy of the Mantle."

A deep voice issued from the coffin and was amplified across the platform, echoing from the ship, the dock, the tomb, even now being given its final touches:

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"Why was I spared, then?"

"You are brought here to be sentenced. You have not been immediately destroyed because you may yet be needed. Your intimate knowledge of the Flood makes you invaluable should they return, but we can never trust you, never again allow you any latitude. You will be entombed here. Your processes locked, frozen into a single thought for all eternity: absolution. Should you be needed, you will be reawakened. Should there be no need, you will be buried here until the end of Living Time."

"You are brought here to be sentenced. You have not been immediately destroyed because you may yet be needed. Your intimate knowledge of the Flood makes you invaluable should they return, but we can never trust you, never again allow you any latitude. You will be entombed here. Your processes locked, frozen into a single thought for all eternity: absolution. Should you be needed, you will be reawakened. Should there be no need, you will be buried here until the end of [[Living Time]]."

"Then I will serve as a monument to your sins. That is what you wish for."

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-For a moment after Riser awoke, he thought he might be in the land of the dead. Everything was dark and cold, and he could not move. Tiny lights winked on one by one, encircling his field of vision. Then an invisible hand loosened its grip and he could move his arms. He sat up, bumped his head, tensed all over then lay back again. This made him flick the whites of his eyelids and growl a threat way back in his throat. But nobody could hear him. He was lying alone in an enclosed bed. Lifting himself up a bit, through the hard clear canopy he could see hundreds of other beds in rows, and around them a great long chamber; cold, and blue, and dark. What he could see confirmed that these hard prison beds were occupied by ha''manush'' and cha''manush'' still asleep, Riser was awake.
+For a moment after [[Riser]] awoke, he thought he might be in the land of the dead. Everything was dark and cold, and he could not move. Tiny lights winked on one by one, encircling his field of vision. Then an invisible hand loosened its grip and he could move his arms. He sat up, bumped his head, tensed all over then lay back again. This made him flick the whites of his eyelids and growl a threat way back in his throat. But nobody could hear him. He was lying alone in an enclosed bed. Lifting himself up a bit, through the hard clear canopy he could see hundreds of other beds in rows, and around them a great long chamber; cold, and blue, and dark. What he could see confirmed that these hard prison beds were occupied by [[Human|ha''manush'']] and [[Florian|cha''manush'']] still asleep, Riser was awake.
-Slowly, reaching where he could to scratch, checking out skin, and fur, and ribs, and upper limbs, he remembered where he was: in the belly of a Forerunner sky-boat. Forerunners took us from the great Ark, said it was the only way to save us, to save everything.
+Slowly, reaching where he could to scratch, checking out skin, and fur, and ribs, and upper limbs, he remembered where he was: in the belly of a Forerunner sky-boat. [[Forerunner]]s took us from the [[Greater Ark|great Ark]], said it was the only way to save us, to save everything.
-"How do you feel?" A voice asked. He jerked, then looked to his left and saw a female Forerunner. She bore some resemblance to the Lifeshaper who came in dreams, but she was not ''that'' one. No one else could be the Lady.
+"How do you feel?" A voice asked. He jerked, then looked to his left and saw a female Forerunner. She bore some resemblance to the [[Lifeshaper]] who came in dreams, but she was not ''that'' one. No one else could be [[Librarian|the Lady]].
 The canopy of the bed opened. Riser climbed out slowly, with great dignity. This was serious. He had to show strength and calm. He had to be careful. Like all Forerunners, this female was much taller than the little Florian, taller by several hand-spans than any human. Her armor was decorated by silvery tassels that sparkled at her slightest move. Shimmering like rain over a campfire, she reached out to him. He drew back, but she was quick, from her hand flowed a bright, pulsing liquid jewel pattern. She manipulated this radiance with the sixth finger of her other hand.
@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 "The stiffness is to be expected," the Forerunner said, speaking his language as if born to it. Riser's fear grew. He did not want Forerunners to pay attention to him again. He wanted to leave.
-The chamber reminded him of the ghost gallery on the Halo. Too cold, too clean, no smell. The Forerunner's arms bristled and he backed away from the tall female until his feet came to the edge of the platform. The Forerunner drew in closer. From what little he understood of Forerunner expressions, she appeared concerned. Perhaps she meant to be kind. He did not trust any of that, not yet. He knew all too well what Forerunners were capable of. They had once reduced humans to near-extinction. What cruel fate might they bring this time? "You are Riser," she said. The radiance flowed up and around him. His body was soothed, but his mind recoiled. This was the name his friends used, but he had not given her permission. "I have sad news, Riser. We have saved only a few of your kind, cha''manush''."
+The chamber reminded him of the ghost gallery on [[Installation 07|the Halo]]. Too cold, too clean, no smell. The Forerunner's arms bristled and he backed away from the tall female until his feet came to the edge of the platform. The Forerunner drew in closer. From what little he understood of Forerunner expressions, she appeared concerned. Perhaps she meant to be kind. He did not trust any of that, not yet. He knew all too well what Forerunners were capable of. They had once reduced humans to near-extinction. What cruel fate might they bring this time? "You are Riser," she said. The radiance flowed up and around him. His body was soothed, but his mind recoiled. This was the name his friends used, but he had not given her permission. "I have sad news, Riser. We have saved only a few of your kind, cha''manush''."
-She did not use that word properly. If most of his kind were now dead, or lost, or away from any spiritual center. Names had to change to reflect such loss. If so many of his people were dead, their name would now be k<nowiki>'</nowiki>cha''manush''.<ref group="note">The "k'" prefix signifies a click sound. This spelling is conjectural, although derived from the canonical spelling of [[k'tamanush|k'ta''manush'']].</ref> So the female Forerunner did not know everything. Chakas would have understood. Any human on Erde-Tyrene would have known how to voice respect for those now gone. But how far away gone? To far to reach? If he died on this sky-boat would he ever find the dead again? He shrugged out his arms.
+She did not use that word properly. If most of his kind were now dead, or lost, or away from any spiritual center. Names had to change to reflect such loss. If so many of his people were dead, their name would now be k<nowiki>'</nowiki>cha''manush''.<ref group="note">The "k'" prefix signifies a click sound. This spelling is conjectural, although derived from the canonical spelling of [[k'tamanush|k'ta''manush'']].</ref> So the female Forerunner did not know everything. Chakas would have understood. Any human on [[Earth|Erde-Tyrene]] would have known how to voice respect for those now gone. But how far away gone? To far to reach? If he died on this sky-boat would he ever find the dead again? He shrugged out his arms.
-"We were never many," he said looking around with a squint, "How many now?" At the female's direction the chamber's lights glowed brighter. He saw that other Forerunners were examining the sleepers, mostly bigger humans. He tried to count, but they, too, were not many. And these Forerunners were all Lifeworkers, there were no fighters, none like the Didact. So few of anybody.
+"We were never many," he said looking around with a squint, "How many now?" At the female's direction the chamber's lights glowed brighter. He saw that other Forerunners were examining the sleepers, mostly bigger humans. He tried to count, but they, too, were not many. And these Forerunners were all [[Lifeworker]]s, there were no [[Warrior-Servant|fighters]], none like [[Ur-Didact|the Didact]]. So few of anybody.
 "How many are left of your people?" Riser asked in a low voice, not sure what he wanted to hear. She did not tell him that. Perhaps the truth was not good for her. Perhaps she did not know.
-"My name is Grow-Through-Trial-of-Change," she said. "The one known as Riser may call me Trial." Now, at least she was trying to follow the forms. He pursed his lips. "Trial," he said managing that name well enough. He raised his right hand and held out his fingers for her touch. She smiled. That she could smile struck him as odd. He never saw the Lady smile, not in his dreams. The Didact had never smiled. Bornstellar, however, had been capable but kind of twitch out the lips. This one, Trial, might be young then, like Bornstellar. She might not know much, but she was apparently in charge.
+"My name is [[Growth-Through-Trial-of-Change]]," she said. "The one known as Riser may call me Trial." Now, at least she was trying to follow the forms. He pursed his lips. "Trial," he said managing that name well enough. He raised his right hand and held out his fingers for her touch. She smiled. That she could smile struck him as odd. He never saw the Lady smile, not in his dreams. The Didact had never smiled. [[IsoDidact|Bornstellar]], however, had been capable but kind of twitch out the lips. This one, Trial, might be young then, like Bornstellar. She might not know much, but she was apparently in charge.
 After some hesitation, she cautiously extended her fingers to brush his own. With a grimace and clack of teeth, he grabbed her wrist and quickly scratched the back of her hand with one thick nail. The Lifeworker did not flinch, did not react at all. Not at first. The scratch quickly closed, but for a moment Riser smelled her blood. Her skin was cool, even cold. But she was flesh, not a machine, not a spirit.
@@ Line 43: / Line 43: @@
 "There are words and ideas you need to know," the Lifeworker said, only then withdrawing her hand. She gave it a little shake which gratified him, and he curled his lips. Then she looked somber. ''Uh-oh'', he thought.
-"You already have some knowledge," she said, "A new kind of ''geas''. Here is more." The radiant jewel grew. He tried to fend off its light, but something held him in place. He looked up at her steady, earnest face and forced himself to surrender without a scrap. Things were very different now as in other hard times he would have to be smart, and flexible, and think for all his people.
+"You already have some knowledge," she said, "A new kind of ''[[geas]]''. Here is more." The radiant jewel grew. He tried to fend off its light, but something held him in place. He looked up at her steady, earnest face and forced himself to surrender without a scrap. Things were very different now as in other hard times he would have to be smart, and flexible, and think for all his people.
 The jewel's light drew up around his head, entered his eyes and ears, spread down through his neck into chest, and body. He lifted his arms and saw his veins glow. There were so many, so alive, beautiful! And Riser was not afraid. The glow faded, his flesh turned opaque again. He stretched. He was different, but only a little. He did not remember the pain as sharply. That worried him. What else would he forget? "Where are we?" he asked. Trial sadly closed and sealed the empty prison bed as if she knew this is the last time it would ever be used.
-"We are in a medical facility high above the second Ark, far outside the galaxy," she said, "A safe place. Humans will stay here for a time while we make preparations. Then, you will be returned to Erde-Tyrene."
+"We are in a medical facility high above the [[Installation 00|second Ark]], [[Intergalactic space|far outside]] the [[Milky Way|galaxy]]," she said, "A safe place. Humans will stay here for a time while we make preparations. Then, you will be returned to Erde-Tyrene."
 "And where will Forerunners go?"
@@ Line 67: / Line 67: @@
 When the great sky-boat arrived at the Ark, Lifeworkers gathered all the humans and guided them through the immense cavernous hold to an awaiting cluster of smaller ships round and silvery like fat fish. Inside Riser's ship, it was dark and crowded and everyone and everything made strange noises. The k<nowiki>'</nowiki>cha''manush'' nervously held each other and clutched hands and softly cooed and trilled. Riser tried to calm them with his whistle-chirp song.
-"I have been in these moving places before," he said in that musical form. "We can trust the Lifeworkers, they serve the Lady." Everyone needed to be calm so he told them what they needed to hear. The survivors look towards him for guidance. That he was used to. He had run the city of Marontik, large parts of it once. He had trained the young Chakas in the craft of thievery and deception, and he had bitten the Didact! Riser's chest swelled at that flying memory.
+"I have been in these moving places before," he said in that musical form. "We can trust the Lifeworkers, they serve the Lady." Everyone needed to be calm so he told them what they needed to hear. The survivors look towards him for guidance. That he was used to. He had run the city of [[Marontik]], large parts of it once. He had trained the young [[Chakas]] in the craft of thievery and deception, and he had bitten the Didact! Riser's chest swelled at that flying memory.
 The fish-ship opened its doors on a hill overlooking the edge of a strange village. Riser emerged first, theatrically stretched his limbs, and sniffed the air. The others stayed back for the moment. Clusters of metal huts had been arranged at haphazard fashion along a shallow twisty river. Smoothly trod dirt paths wound between the huts, but the air did not smell of animals or people, did not smell of breath and farts and sweat, of being lived in. The door coverings were also strange. Woven of some coppery shiny fiber, jarring and false. He chuffed. Typical. Forerunners had studied human villages and then copied them without understanding how they were used or what they were made of. They ruled the skies but knew nothing of what lay beneath.
@@ Line 105: / Line 105: @@
 They were allowed a little rest and time to adjust before going into the new village. Food was brought by machines. It was not good food, but it filled their bellies. From where he squatted on the top of the hill, Riser could see other villages scattered across the landscape, and more fish-ships arriving to disembark their living cargos. He turned from horizon to horizon. The sides of this big place either fell out into darkness, or stretched up into the sky like a Halo stomped flat and shoved around. That thought reminded him of the last Halo he was on and he grew nervous again about what had frightened the Forerunners, why the great wheel had been made.
-He wiped his hands and stood up beside Trial who was waiting patiently. "The Flood are all gone now, yes?" he asked. "Yes," she said. She began to say something more but did not finish. ''Something she doesn't want to tell me.''
+He wiped his hands and stood up beside Trial who was waiting patiently. "The [[Flood]] are all gone now, yes?" he asked. "Yes," she said. She began to say something more but did not finish. ''Something she doesn't want to tell me.''
-The Lifeworkers then guided the humans in groups through the village like children. Riser saw quickly enough that the Lifeworkers were in the charge of a tall female. Her name was Chant-to-Green.
+The Lifeworkers then guided the humans in groups through the village like children. Riser saw quickly enough that the Lifeworkers were in the charge of a tall female. Her name was [[Chant-to-Green]].
 "She is the new Lifeshaper," Trial explained.
@@ Line 125: / Line 125: @@
 Trial and Chant explained that they would be living a ways away from the village as in a high tower jutting out of the side of a false mountain. ''A throne from which to watch their pets'', Riser thought, Forerunners arrogant even in their last days. But his position with regard to the new Lifeshaper was softening. He wondered how much like the Lady she would become, given time.
-By the second wake cycle life had settled down to a routine. The people had moved into their houses and gotten used to the brown lumps they were fed. They walked from village to village in hopes of finding absent friends and family. Usually those hopes were dashed, but Vinnevra was in the next village over and when Riser found her they embraced and then backed away, embarrassed of the display. Vinnevra asked after Chakas. Riser did not have the heart to tell her what he had seen. There were other races here too. Some strong and sinewy, others squat and broad. There were even the San 'Shyuum he had encountered with Chakas and Bornstellar so long ago.
+By the second wake cycle life had settled down to a routine. The people had moved into their houses and gotten used to the brown lumps they were fed. They walked from village to village in hopes of finding absent friends and family. Usually those hopes were dashed, but [[Vinnevra]] was in the next village over and when Riser found her they embraced and then backed away, embarrassed of the display. Vinnevra asked after Chakas. Riser did not have the heart to tell her what he had seen. There were other races here too. Some strong and sinewy, others squat and broad. There were even the [[San 'Shyuum]] he had encountered with Chakas and Bornstellar so long ago.
 Many strange others Riser did not know the names for. A whole spectrum of races and peoples mingling. This was not so unlike the afterlife after all.
@@ Line 195: / Line 195: @@
 "We should have a wake for the old galaxy, and a birth-feast for the new!" The idea had caught on. All the villagers threw themselves into preparations. The Forerunners consulted with the humans on what foods to prepare and bring, and ended up with a reasonable facsimile of a spicy vegetable stew. Riser could not convince them that meat, even in facsimile, might be better still. Humans prepared their own delicacies from the newer fruits and plants from the surrounding hills. The Lifeworkers were improving the landscape, bit by bit with such details.
-The mood was strange. So much had been lost, and the pinned up emotions quickly gushed to the surface as wild dance and howling songs filled with pain. The k<nowiki>'</nowiki>cha''manush'' sung a great epic of a warrior who many times tries to retrieve his love from the underworld, but never succeeds. Though the other k<nowiki>'</nowiki>ha''manush'' could not understand all the words, the message was plain: Life is passing, and death is eternal. Remember the past, but honor it in the present. Eulogies and dirty jokes crowded against each other. There was crying and laughing, and sometimes both at once. Vinnevra met Riser again. They shared memories of their time on the Halo. Riser listened aghast and thralled at what had happened to Chakas and Vinnevra, and her father before he had rejoined them. As well, he told her his experiences. Others listened and spread word. Before the assembled crowd with much encouragement, after Vinnevra was thrice rebuffed when she tried to escape, they ascended a scaffold and told their tale anew as a great adventure.
+The mood was strange. So much had been lost, and the pinned up emotions quickly gushed to the surface as wild dance and howling songs filled with pain. The k<nowiki>'</nowiki>cha''manush'' sung a great epic of a warrior who many times tries to retrieve his love from the underworld, but never succeeds. Though the other k<nowiki>'</nowiki>ha''manush'' could not understand all the words, the message was plain: Life is passing, and death is eternal. Remember the past, but honor it in the present. Eulogies and dirty jokes crowded against each other. There was crying and laughing, and sometimes both at once. Vinnevra met Riser again. They shared memories of [[Halo: Primordium|their time on the Halo]]. Riser listened aghast and thralled at what had happened to Chakas and Vinnevra, and [[Gamelpar|her father]] before he had rejoined them. As well, he told her his experiences. Others listened and spread word. Before the assembled crowd with much encouragement, after Vinnevra was thrice rebuffed when she tried to escape, they ascended a scaffold and told their tale anew as a great adventure.
-Half drunk with the fermented juice, Vinnevra quickly caught up with Riser as he sang and whistled and chanted. Pushing back for a moment the horrors they experienced, they piled wild tale on wild tale, all of it true, if embellished in the moment. "We faced ten thousand twisted monsters!" Vinnevra cried, "An army of diseased flesh! And leading them, a god-beast three hundred hands tall, all part of the schemes of the Master Builder! May he be forever eaten by flies!" She spat on the dirt, and ground it under her foot. The audience roared.
+Half drunk with the fermented juice, Vinnevra quickly caught up with Riser as he sang and whistled and chanted. Pushing back for a moment the horrors they experienced, they piled wild tale on wild tale, all of it true, if embellished in the moment. "We faced ten thousand twisted monsters!" Vinnevra cried, "An army of diseased flesh! And leading them, [[Primordial|a god-beast three hundred hands tall]], all part of the schemes of the [[Faber|Master Builder]]! May he be forever eaten by flies!" She spat on the dirt, and ground it under her foot. The audience roared.
 From dozens of meters surrounded by the raucous humans, Bornstellar and Chant-To-Green listened. She touched his shoulder.
@@ Line 205: / Line 205: @@
 "The greatest of friends," Bornstellar said.
-"Then we were prisoners in a village of ghosts!" said Riser, "With the Wolf-Moon coming closer, so close, bad Forerunners wanted to make everyone to ghosts, but I tricked them! I freed Chakas, so Chakas could save us all! Only the spirit inside Chakas could stop the Wolf-Moon!"
+"Then we were prisoners in a village of ghosts!" said Riser, "With the [[Installation 07's failsafe planet|Wolf-Moon]] coming closer, so close, bad Forerunners wanted to make everyone to ghosts, but I tricked them! I freed Chakas, so Chakas could save us all! Only [[Forthencho|the spirit]] inside Chakas could stop the Wolf-Moon!"
 Vinnevra looked far away in remembrance of their lost friend. Riser took a cup and filled it to the brim. "Remember Chakas!" He raised the cup over his head in toast. "I have never met a k<nowiki>'</nowiki>ha''manush'' so brave. May his spirit eternally watch over us, and keep us safe."
@@ Line 237: / Line 237: @@
 "What happened to your birth family?" asked Riser bluntly.
-Trial shook her head. "They were Builders, dead before even the Flood arrived. A sudden implosion of a nearby star as they traveled between worlds. But before that time, when I told them I wished to be a
+Trial shook her head. "They were [[Builder]]s, dead before even the Flood arrived. A sudden implosion of a nearby star as they traveled between worlds. But before that time, when I told them I wished to be a Lifeworker, to change ranks, they were very angry with me. They said they would cut me loose. Then, they were gone. I had to honor them, but also honor my own instincts. My fellows cut me loose, but the Lifeworkers took me in. This trial would change me, allow me to become who I am, and prepare me for the great struggle that followed."
-Lifeworker, to change ranks, they were very angry with me. They said they would cut me loose. Then, they were gone. I had to honor them, but also honor my own instincts. My fellows cut me loose, but the Lifeworkers took me in. This trial would change me, allow me to become who I am, and prepare me for the great struggle that followed."
-She put her hand on Riser's shoulder. "Take it from one even older than you, Riser. Life is little but trials. It is how we let them shape us that makes them into who we are. Forerunners failed their trial. Now it is the humans' turn to assume the Mantle."
+She put her hand on Riser's shoulder. "Take it from one even older than you, Riser. Life is little but trials. It is how we let them shape us that makes them into who we are. Forerunners failed their trial. Now it is the humans' turn to assume the [[Mantle]]."
 "We cannot do much worse," said Riser, then felt a stab of doubt.
@@ Line 254: / Line 253: @@
 One morning without any warning, a portal was created just above the false lands of the Ark. Forerunners went from village to village, gathering up the humans, taking them into the hills, guiding them into the round silvery fish-ships. It was time to return to Erde-Tyrene. Groups of the different humans would be seeded at selected locations. According to Trial and Chant, this was the way Forerunners would help reawaken and reseed humanity's birthworld. Riser did not ask if Forerunners could stay and help sooth the inevitable crowds of angry ghosts. More parties, perhaps, more drinking and songs. But even the Lifeworkers remained stubbornly ignorant to such difficulties. Perhaps, he decided, it would be best to not go back where all the ghosts would recognize him.
-"Can you put my kind on a fine green island in the middle of an ocean?" he asked Trial. "I was raised on the grasslands in the dry and the heat, but I've always wanted to live on an island bigger and better than the one in Djamonkin Crater, where I could walk along the restless beach and feel the sun on my skin all day between the splashing of waves and the storms. Some place that I could explore in my lifetime, and pass that knowing along to my children if I am to have any. And if I do, I will tell them how we once made little walled mazes on another island far, far away, and they will help me gather stones and build." The words just seemed to tumble out of him, a great vision, a beautiful destiny away from all those ghosts. Which of the unhappy spirits seek him out, he thought, then those walls, so many walls, would confuse them, and he could sleep peacefully.
+"Can you put my kind on a fine green island in the middle of an ocean?" he asked Trial. "I was raised on the grasslands in the dry and the heat, but I've always wanted to live on an island bigger and better than the one in [[Djamonkin Crater]], where I could walk along the restless beach and feel the sun on my skin all day between the splashing of waves and the storms. Some place that I could explore in my lifetime, and pass that knowing along to my children if I am to have any. And if I do, I will tell them how we once made little walled mazes on another island far, far away, and they will help me gather stones and build." The words just seemed to tumble out of him, a great vision, a beautiful destiny away from all those ghosts. Which of the unhappy spirits seek him out, he thought, then those walls, so many walls, would confuse them, and he could sleep peacefully.
 She smiled. "Oh, there will be children, and it's the very reason you were saved." She assumed a thoughtful look, then flashed an image from her ancilla. "There is one place that might be suitable." He saw a beautiful beach, black sand flecked with white rocks. Then she showed him another place, a deep jungle island, very warm and moist and green. "We can place your kind on many islands," she mused, "There will be tiny elephants on this one. Just your size."
@@ Line 270: / Line 269: @@
 The slipspace gate spun wide in the sky above, a dark blue bubble that burned brighter than the artificial sun. The ships lifted off, the wind of their wake blowing through the abandoned villages. One by one, they rose to this passageway. And so the humans were returned to where it had begun so long ago: Erde-Tyrene.
-The fish-ships emerged from a dusty plane, not far from where Marontik had once been. An enormous Forerunner machine, splayed open, partially buried in the earth. Surrounded by a frenzy of clouds and rain as the energy of the portal whipped up winds. These ships paused, and disembarked many. On the ice sheets of the north they left others following patterns established before, by the Lady. Each ship charted a different course according to her plans, and according to some ''new'' plans. Trial's and Chant's, and Riser's. And so brought humankind, those few that remained, both to old and new corners of this ancient, haunted world.
+The fish-ships emerged from a dusty plane, not far from where Marontik had once been. [[Portal at Voi|An enormous Forerunner machine]], splayed open, partially buried in the earth. Surrounded by a frenzy of clouds and rain as the energy of the portal whipped up winds. These ships paused, and disembarked many. On the ice sheets of the north they left others following patterns established before, by the Lady. Each ship charted a different course according to her plans, and according to some ''new'' plans. Trial's and Chant's, and Riser's. And so brought humankind, those few that remained, both to old and new corners of this ancient, haunted world.
 A craft bearing the k<nowiki>'</nowiki>cha''manush'' touched down on a long and glorious beach. The sun was just beginning to set in the west. This was the real sun, turning orange and yellow and red, even briefly green as it fell behind layers of dust along the horizon. Riser stepped out of the fish-ship and touched true ground, true dirt, broken leaf litter, black sand, for the first time in far too long. For a moment, he was afraid. He had changed so much! But he walked towards the waves, lapping on the darkened wet of the tideline, and stood there, toes digging into the moist sand, and then, he hooted softly to himself and smiled.
@@ Line 282: / Line 281: @@
 "We will do what we can with what we are given," Riser said. "But what of you? Where will the Forerunners live?"
-"I do not know," Bornstellar said, "Not yet. All I know for certain is that we cannot return to these places. We have already (?) too much in the affairs of others."
+"I do not know," Bornstellar said, "Not yet. All I know for certain is that we cannot return to these places. We have already meddle too much in the affairs of others."
 Riser grimaced. "Forerunners refusing to meddle? Is that a promise?"
@@ Line 315: / Line 314: @@
 The sentinels guided the oblong across the dock and down to another unfinished structure still being shaped as they watched. Constructor machines like spiders spun hardening cocoons of metal around slowly ascending frameworks. Then Riser understood. From below the rock and sand out of the Ark's deepest foundation, a massive ''tomb'' was being prepared. A void had already been cleared to receive the coffin. Sentinels dragged it to the edge of the void, a strange grave at a place where there was no real dirt, no real planet, and latched into the waiting frame. The oblong coffin's blue lines flowed outward spreading into the confining struts. Riser puffed out his cheeks and looked up at his tall companion. Bornstellar was observing the ceremony with a gray, grim face. Hard to read. All Forerunner fighters looked gray and grim to the Florian.
-When all was ready, Bornstellar raised his arms to address the tomb. "Ancilla 05-032 of the designation Mendicant Bias, you have colluded with the greatest enemy of the Mantle."
+When all was ready, Bornstellar raised his arms to address the tomb. "[[Ancilla]] 05-032 of the designation [[05-032 Mendicant Bias|Mendicant Bias]], you have colluded with the greatest enemy of the Mantle."
 A deep voice issued from the coffin and was amplified across the platform, echoing from the ship, the dock, the tomb, even now being given its final touches:
@@ Line 325: / Line 324: @@
 "Why was I spared, then?"
-"You are brought here to be sentenced. You have not been immediately destroyed because you may yet be needed. Your intimate knowledge of the Flood makes you invaluable should they return, but we can never trust you, never again allow you any latitude. You will be entombed here. Your processes locked, frozen into a single thought for all eternity: absolution. Should you be needed, you will be reawakened. Should there be no need, you will be buried here until the end of Living Time."
+"You are brought here to be sentenced. You have not been immediately destroyed because you may yet be needed. Your intimate knowledge of the Flood makes you invaluable should they return, but we can never trust you, never again allow you any latitude. You will be entombed here. Your processes locked, frozen into a single thought for all eternity: absolution. Should you be needed, you will be reawakened. Should there be no need, you will be buried here until the end of [[Living Time]]."
 "Then I will serve as a monument to your sins. That is what you wish for."