I finally finished it, it's been sitting on my desktop for so long, but i just never finished it. Well now i have hehe. Big shout out to Insidious Harbinger Who Beta'ed this fic and also is the owner of Darwin and the mentioned Exilius belongs to Exilo. Enjoy.
Friends in High Places
The ONI Operative paced in front of Darwin. He'd looked at the reports from the mission, and he wasn't impressed. He stopped in front of Darwin
"Private, you failed to assassinate the Brute Chieftain, then you suddenly appear on a ship that has been gassed because of a Rampant A.I. This does not look very good on your record on top of all that, an officer died on your watch." The Sergeant paused to see if Darwin would reply. Darwin remained silent; He kept his helmet polarized to hide the frown on his face. It wasn't his fault he was literally dropped into a mission he knew nothing about. The mission was worthless anyway. Just the humans showing off, pretending that they own the place. ONI was just looking for someone to blame for their cock up.
"Do you want the Covenant to win this war, Private Hudson?"
"No Sir." Darwin replied instantly.
"Then stop messing up!" The Sergeant snapped. "You have one more chance to redeem yourself. We need someone to infiltrate a Covenant ship and take care of a high ranking…Thing. We don't quite know what it is yet. But it is rallying their troops. So it needs to be dealt with. And guess what? That lucky person is you."
Darwin stood their speechless; he had to infiltrate a Covenant Ship? The Sergeant slapped him on the back. "At least you're not being dropped again. I heard about your first drop."
---
Two hours later Darwin touched down on the planet- He didn't even know the damn planet's name. But it was, at least cooler than the previous planet. It was a lush planet, rich with life. Thick dense forest, the tree climbed for the heavens above, twisting and turning letting beams of light breach the walls of leaves letting it fall to the floor, illuminating every tiny detail. The air was humid and damp; you could almost taste the water in the air. Darwin was thankful for the helmet and armour; it saved him from being eaten alive by the many bugs in the air. Slowly he made his way through the bushes until he came upon a small Covenant vessel. It was smaller than he thought it would be. He'd expected it to be a large ship with loads of guards, but that would draw unwanted attention. Slowly he made his way to the, unguarded entrance of the ship. The ship was empty it seemed. It was completely silent. Darwin cringed as his footsteps echoed on the metal; someone was bound to hear them. Slowly and carefully he made his way through the ship until he found the room he thought he was looking for. According to Intel the Higher the Rank the further away from the cockpit they are (To protect them from incoming fire). So when Darwin found the room furthest away from the cockpit he knew this was the room he was looking for. The door opened with a slight hiss and Darwin froze, the target was sitting down with her back to the door.
Wrath smirked; she knew something was wrong when the footsteps sounded different. These footsteps we're lighter than Exilius' and the Pilots. So she just knew. So she wasn't surprised when she heard an almost silent click of a gun. She jumped up and spun around, something most of her kind could not do, because of their lack of muscles. They were just wasting away on those thrones. Her blade was already ignited and pointed at the human's throat before he could shoot. She stared down her blade at the human before her. She resisted the urge to cut him down on the spot and grinned. "Well what do I have here?" She taunted. "A tiny -" She paused, realising the human was the same height as her. "A human? Why are you here?"
Darwin didn't reply, simply standing there, frozen, his eyes locked on the shimmering blade being held in his direction
Wrath giggled. "Don't be scared, Human just drop you're weapons and I'll lower my blade. Do we have a deal?" She lowered the blade a fraction.
Darwin still said nothing. He'd been caught, there was no avoiding that--and at this point, he'd rather not die. He'd heard stories of what the Covenant did to prisoners--he just prayed they were propaganda. Slowly, he let the only weapon he'd been given for this mission, a small pistol, otherwise known as a Go-Mag, fall from his hands, and clatter to the floor.
Wrath nodded and retrieved the weapon. She stared at it for a second before hiding it in her baggy sleeve, along with her blade. So, tell me what is your name?" She giggled. "If you don't tell me, I'll just give you one."
Darwin said nothing in response. He just stood there, thinking about an escape-route, and the...worm-necked alien. He sure wasn't going to give it a name, and underneath his helmet, he sized it up. If it didn't have a blade, he could have done this relatively easily, even without a gun.
So, simply, he stood there, saying nothing, growing quite worried. What had he gotten himself into?
Wrath sighed. " Be that way...Squishy, Yes i think i'll call you Squishy." She laughed at the nickname. " You look kinda Squishy, not Flood Squishy, just squishy squishy, like a hug squishy." She half said to Darwin, but most to herself
Darwin's training could not have prepared him for that. He looked up. This alien, from its general, frail appearance to its robes to its tiara, was...just, weird. And he didn't put too much faith into the translators, but..."Squishy"?
...did he really look squishy...?
Wrath giggled and she pointed to herself. "And my name is Wrath, but my friends call me Har."
Darwin didn't mean to make a noise, he sort of just slipped. Maybe it was nervousness, maybe it was fear, maybe it was confusion. Maybe it was just an extreme feeling of awkwardness, on his behalf, at the situation. "...Uh-huh..."
Wrath smiled comfortingly, well what she thought was comfortingly. "Jeez Squishy, I'm not gonna bite. Lighten up a little. I said i won't hurt you, You need to watch Exilius for that. But he won't touch you if I tell him not to."
Darwin had heard one Covenant name before this "Har"--it had been a Brute's name, 'Taurus'. It had sounded remarkably similar to the name his target had just said...which insinuated there was a Brute onboard, somewhere, and supposedly it was likely to hurt him. Alarmed, his head turned to the door, backing away from it slightly, as if worried that a Brute might charge in at any second.
Wrath shook her head and giggled slightly. "Relax Squishy, you're making me nervous." She pointed to the chair. " Sit." She commanded. Darwin looked up at hear. He was beginning to sweat bullets underneath his helmet at the whole situation, but slowly he complied, inching for the chair. He gingerly reached out a hand and touched it slightly, half expecting to suffer an electric-shock. When nothing came, he slowly and worriedly took a seat, his eyes now focused upon his target through his visor.
Wrath pulled up the other chair in front of him and sat down. She smiled.
"Listen, I will make you a deal Squishy, I won't hurt you, or none of my men will, if you don't hurt me. Do we have a deal?" She stuck her hand out and smiled warmly.
Darwin stared at the tiara-wearing alien...He didn't know if he could trust it. In fact, he doubted he could, but he didn't have many options at the present time. And he wasn't eager to die. So he stuck out his hand, and shook the frail alien's arm--but he shook it Roman-style, wrapping his hand around the alien's wrist, and expecting it to do the same. This had initially become famous because it was a warrior's way of checking there was no dagger hidden underneath the armour around the other's wrist; Vaguely, as he gripped, he searched for the shape of his, or its, weapon--but, nothing. It must have slipped down its sleeve. So he gripped firmly, before releasing. Body-contact with the aliens felt weird.
Wrath didn't know this strange hand shake thing, must be a human thing. She grinned none-the-less.
" Glad you see things my way Squishy, Father will be so pleased when i give you to him." She clapped her hands excitedly. " Oh he will be so proud of me."
Underneath his visor, Darwin's eyes widened. Father, who was her father? He didn't like being regarded as a...gift. He wasn't a present, or some bartering instrument.
He stayed quiet, trying to appear calm and collected. Could he take the alien? Maybe...if he was quick enough...if only he could get the blade off of it! It looked about as muscular as a twig...
"Or, i could keep you for myself..." Wrath mused. "I mean...No one would mess with me if i had Exi and Squishy..." She stood and started pacing. "And father would still be proud of me." She almost jumped for joy. "Yes, I'll keep you. I shall call you Squishy, and you shall be mine." She grinned wider.
'Keep pacing', Darwin prayed, not really paying attention to what the alien said--although, from what he heard in the back of his ear, it was continuing to define itself as a very, very weird specimen. If it looked away for long enough, maybe he could get the jump on it, twist its neck, and get the hell out of here.
Wrath fiddled with her sleeves slightly. She stopped with her back turned to Darwin. "So Squishy, do you have a face?" She turned and grinned. "Or do I have to take the helmet of you myself?"
Darwin saw his chance. He poised, ready, but froze. He had no idea what she was doing, she could be readying her sword, with her back turned. And he'd only get one shot at this...he wanted it to be good. So, slowly, he raised his hands, and unsealed his helmet, lifting it up-and-off of his head, and holding it in front of him, to his stomach, his eyes staring at the alien. He felt quite uncomfortable.
"Oh, you look different than what I thought, Squishy" She giggled. "But still squishy, Squishy. I would hug you if you wouldn't stab me in the back first chance you get."
Darwin stared at it, still silent. Slowly he raised a hand to his forehead, wiping away a bead of sweat, before lowering it. He wasn't sure he would have that chance, at ALL, now...
"Even if you do kill me, you won't escape here alive. Exi would hunt you down and give you a slow, painful death." She giggled, she didn't mean it to be sadistic but it must have come off that way to Darwin.
...this was getting much worse and worse.
Darwin stammered for a second, pondering what he could say. Reasoning with an alien was, ridiculous, but he didn't have very many options.
"...Uh..." He said, still thinking, to his mission's target.
" Do you actually have a voice?" She walked forward and poked him on the forehead. " Speak, Squishy."
"Oy," He replied, retracting as much as he could in the chair from her touch. "Refrain. ...Please." Well, at least he had something SAID, anyway.
Wrath giggled. "Yay, you talk! Here i was thinking you were stupid...Well you got caught by me...that is pretty bad..."
"...Uh-huh..." Darwin replied, his brow creasing slightly as the alien unintentionally, or perhaps intentionally, made comments about his intelligence. "...If you aren't going to kill me, um...Ma'am?" ...please be right, please be right....
"Could you just, ah...well...?"
"I told you, I'm not going to hurt you Squishy. Silly Human." Wrath giggled again and stuck her tongue out. "And I am going to keep you." She paused. " Yes I am female."
Darwin blinked at what would be considered childish behaviour. "Are you sure that's...wise?" He asked. Truth be told, he had been edging towards a way of trying to say 'we should both go our separate ways', but hadn't been sure how to come across.
"How so? I can do what I like with you. I now own you, So deal with it." Wrath giggled and sat down on the other chair. "Now Squishy, are you going to behave?"
"Uh..." Darwin inadvertedly scratched the back of his neck. "...I mean, would it be smart for, either of us? I can just, leave. No trouble, I'll just go." He stammered slightly. "I didn't think the Covenant took prisoners."
Wrath shrugged. "I'm not just any random Covenant member. And I can't trust you Squishy. You could leave and then go murder one of my friends."
"Well..." Darwin stopped himself from saying 'you could leave and go murder some of mine'. He was, caught. "That makes two of us," He said
"I don't take part in the fighting, too much bloodshed it's unnecessary. It's a waste. I just want everyone to be friends." Wrath smiled softly. "And I just want my Father back."
"...Well..." Darwin had no idea what to say. This was, odd, certainly. "I'd like mine back, too."
"I like you Squishy." Wrath said suddenly. She stood up and smiled. "You can go, but on three conditions."
Darwin nearly jumped. "Okay," He said, eagerly.
"First" Wrath began, "I want you to promise that you will come and visit me occasionally. Second, don't kill any of my friends. Third, if, If you have to, try not to make it painful, please." She stared at him. ." Do we have a deal, Squishy?" She held out her hand again.
Darwin was tempted to point out he had no way of visiting, and he had no idea what 'friends' meant, and he would make it painful if the damn well pleased, and no Covie would tell him otherwise. But that would elongate the conversation. And if he left he would never have to sit here with this alien again, feeling like a Brute was about to run in and bite his head off.
"...Deal...?" He said slowly, reaching a hand out and shaking the alien appendage. "...How do I know you'll keep it?"
Wrath thought for a second. Slowly she spotted his shoulder plate that has his information on. She reached into her sleeve and pulled out her blade. Darwin's eyes widened. She was going to kill him.
"Stay still, I'm not going to hurt you." Wrath muttered. She walked forward and carefully removed the plate.
"You'll just have to trust me." She waved the plate in front of him. " So I don't forget you." She said softly. Then she proceeded to tear a part of her sleeve. "Give this to your superiors. We all look the same to them, they won't tell the difference. They will believe you killed me. Mission Accomplished."
Darwin was about to object, but, hell, he wasn't about to complain. Hesitation and fear barely managed to overpower his eagerness as he reached out for the tear. Then he paused, frozen in concerned realization. "You mentioned a Brute," He said
Wrath nodded. " Exi!" She exclaimed.
"What--no, no, not what I meant! At all!" Darwin exclaimed, rising halfway out of his chair in a panic. "I mean how do I leave without getting...eaten!?"
Wrath giggled. "Oooh, I knew that." She pointed to the door. "Same way you came in? I can distract Exi."
"O...okay," Darwin replied. He reached up, slapping the ODST helmet back onto his head, and letting it seal. "You can keep the gun," He said. "Should I go now?" He motioned to the door.
Wrath nodded and smiled at him. "See you around Squishy. Take care of yourself."
Wordlessly, Darwin turned, bolting out the door faster than he would have thought possible.
He didn't stop, all the way back to his exit. Sprinting, practically vaulting over crates in the hall. Brutes had good smell...he wanted to get the hell out of here.
Darwin never particularly forgot the mission. He resented the aliens for obvious reasons, just as all humans did, but he supposed he had too felt in some way thankful, or maybe lucky. He doubted he would have met a similar fate, with other targets he might have been assigned.
He didn't know exactly WHO to thank. Straightforwardly, as he ran, he had been...not very interested, in the alien's guidelines. He just wanted to get to safety.
But truth be told, he thought about it occasionally.
Through the rest of his time as a soldier, he never actually came across another Prophet. If he had, he wasn't sure what he would have done--but he never had to break his rule.
He forgot about his shoulder plate in the rush--which wasn't easy to explain to his superiors, even though they bought the sleeve-thing--but he didn't directly 'contact' the Prophet again--
Not until they happened to bump into one another, sometime later.
Fate was odd.