Jul 'Mdama was, above all else, disoriented. After three years of devotional prayer and exploration, the Forerunner shield world of Requiem finally opened its doors to him and his congregation of worshipers. Though knowing that the arrival of the human demon had likely done more to trigger the opening of Requiem, Jul emphasized their efforts more than the sudden arrival of the human and his Covenant accepted it. While he did send troops to find and execute the demon, he focused most of his efforts on finding the real reason he and his flock ventured to Requiem all of those years ago: to awaken the Didact. Now the Didact had been found and frustraingly the demon had a role in the revival, so all Jul 'Mdama could do was bow and offer his worship if possible. Yet no sooner had the Didact emerged from the Cryptum did he retreat back into his tomb and vanished from where it once stood.
As Jul attempted to gather the forces who remained near him, the Cryptum began to glow a ghastly orange and teleported them from the sanctuary where they were. Suddenly, they were outside and near the rocky outcroppings where the pylons that shielded Requiem’s core loomed on the horizon. Violent tremors began to shear sections of earth apart, thus prompting Jul and what forces made the transition with him to run. Try as they might to flee, none of his men had made it with Jul when he finally approached a Banshee that had somehow survived the chaos. Jul dashed to the craft only to have the surface beneath him give way.
“Raia…,” Jul could only mutter as he fell to the emptiness below, “I failed you.”
Jul awoke in a sweat. He had no remembered passing out, only falling to his certain death.
“Am I dead?” Jul asked himself as he arose from the floor.
“No,” said a unknown yet commanding voice.
The Covenant leader looked up and saw a massive figure sitting with its back turned to him in a meditative manner. Immediately, Jul knew it had to be the Didact. With his sense finally flooding back to him, Jul observed the environment he now found himself in. The room he and the Didact resided in was domed in shape and pulsating lines of orange hardlight radiated from every conceivable angle. He could make out images that the Didact was constantly pulling towards himself and then pushing away in a hasty nature.
“Speak, Sangheili,” the Didact commanded, “I have little patience for one such as yourself while I have so much to do.”
Instinctively, Jul bowed and said, “Oh holy Didact, I am Jul 'Mdama, Sangheili Shipmaster of the Covenant. I have come to your world of Requiem seeking your wisdom and sacred treasures that you may possess. Humans threaten my people and your aid will be a light in our darkest hour!”
The Didact chuckled in a mocking fashion, “Shipmaster of the Covenant, eh? Am I supposed to be impressed?”
That stopped Jul dead in his tracks. Meeting the Didact was not going as he had planned, not one bit. It seemed as though the Didact held nothing but disdain for him and his cause. Before Jul could reply with anything, the Didact rose and walked towards him. Even when he had been sitting down the Didact was an imposing figure, now he dwarfed 'Mdama as a mountain does a hill.
“Listen to me, Sangeili,” the Didact said, “I care not for your platitudes. Your bowing in my Cryptum’s chamber spoke volumes of your intent, but I do not believe the sincerity of what you say.”
“Great Didact,” Jul stammered, “Please forgive any transgressions I may have projected onto…”
The Didact raised his gigantic gauntlet to interrupt Jul mid-sentence and gave a sign of annoyance tinged with pity.
“Keep your hollow religious quibbles to your followers,” the Didact replied, “I’ve known all manner of fanatics and preachers during the time of my people and you do not strike me as a true prophet. Am I incorrect?”
“You are not, Didact. I uttered honeyed words to my Covenant to unite them under my banner against the humans, but I admit that I falter in the ways of the Great Journey.”
Raising a brow in curious study, the Didact asked, “What is this Great Journey you speak of?”
