![]() The dreadnought begins firing on Site One, but it becomes clear to Mken the Sangheili have largely escaped. He realises that the dreadnought, if firing lightly, could wipe out the army without any risk to the relics, and orders all forces in the firing zone to jump into the tunnels which run below the dome. 'Xellus is confused by the evacuation, as he doubts they would use the Forerunner dreadnought as a last resort due to the army's proximity to the relics. 'Xellus watches as Mken's pod enters orbit, which his lieutenant Ernicka the Scar-Maker fires wildly at to no effect. Fleeing to his pod, he orders for a general evacuation. Mken however realises he underestimated Mken when an underground explosion knocks out power to the energy dome. Mken notices however that 'Xellus is not among them, and his Eyes spot him going down a ravine headed behind Site One's position, where Mken believes he is planning to take the San'Syuum by surprise. The battle begins with the Sentinels and Sangheili infantry engaging one another, as predicted. When the Sangheili finally go on the offensive, their three columns of infantry and tanks turn towards Mken's own position instead of Site One. Mken initially orders for his assassination by the Sentinels, but belays the order when he considers 'Xellus' keen mind to be of use in proselytizing the Sangheili race. A young officer who quickly rose through the ranks to a senior field commander, 'Xellus was sent to the colony after the San'Syuum incursion to reorganise its defenses into a more effective force. Observing the area further, he becomes interested in the Sangheili commander, Ussa 'Xellus. Lightly defended and with a large encampment of Sangheili nearby, Mken prepares Sentinels to attack. Satisfied with all he has seen, Mken begins coordinating the defense of the Site One outpost, a Forerunner complex shielded by an energy dome. The Sangheili too held this belief, and massacred a San'Syuum religious delegation for what they believed to be desecration. Observing the display of religion, Mken thinks back to the San'Shyuum Civil War which forced his people to abandon their homeworld of Janjur Qom due to persecution over willingness to interact with relics. He finds stone engravings of the Forerunners, crafted by the planet's extinct inhabitants, whose existence he suspects the Forerunner relics predate. Mken steps out with his Steward onto the Purple Line, a band on the planet where the planet's blue dwarf and red giant stars create a beautiful skyline. Rather than coordinate the battle from orbit as is typical, Mken departs from the Forerunner dreadnought and lands on the surface to oversee the battle. ![]() Mken 'Scre'ah'ben, High Lord of Sacred Relics, is leading the defense of San'Syuum science teams as they research Forerunner relics on a Sangheili colony the San'Syuum call the "Planet of Blue and Red". The novel opens in c.860 BCE, during the San'Shyuum-Sangheili War.
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