Disclaimer: Halo and Familiar of Zero does not belong to me. However, if the opportunity arises where I can claim those franchises in a bloody coup, I shall do it with all haste.
Edited 13/3/2013
Author's Note:
Thank you for reading another chapter. This one took longer writing than I thought. I would like to thank Guardian of the Box and his story "A Still More Glorious Dawn Awaits" for the inspiration with Tabitha. I also like to apologise for copying a few lines of text from Baka-Tsuki's translation of the light novel.
The most painful thing about writing this chapter was the cutting out of a few scenes which I think is interesting but doesn't fit the overall tone of the chapter. First time writing a story with an ACTUAL plot and not some one-shot done for English course. Forgive me again for some off moments.
Fanfiction is srs bs. *srsface*
I must say this now, the story is going to be more character orientated due to the new Saito and so not everything is going to be rosy and cheery like in the anime. Frankly, I was quite disappointed with a few things in the Familiar of Zero anime. I cringed quite a lot while watching the anime, especially the way Colbert survived and just coincidently saved the day.
I hated that.
So expect major plot derails, character deaths and a whole lot of nastiness before it gets any better. Basically FoZ gets GrimDarked.
Don't think that Spartan Saito would curb stomp everything. A story would be boring without some conflict in the game. Remember, any action has a reaction. So expect antagonists to step up their game because of a potent threat to their evil plans.
Also, since I'm an awful person at heart, I would not be releasing this regularly. Why you ask? Well, I'm just awful
Also, Microsoft Word spell check sucks like shit.
Madork Gunna: I'm honoured for you to review this and I'll make sure that my stories are up to that challenge.
Sigma-del-Prisium: Got your characters mixed up. Samuel and Saito are different characters. Sorry to get you confused. Samuel is the commander of the ship and leads Theta-Company, which Saito is part of.
Tavarian Ovarius: At last, someone who commented on the French *cringe*. Sorry about that, yeah, online translations are a bitch. Thank you for pointing that out, I'll use yours for my reedit in the future. Thanks for your comment.
Review for the Review God! Fanfics for his Fanfic Throne!
Louise woke up and groaned. Yesterday's event was not a dream.
Her familiar, Saito, had already woken up. She wondered if he had slept at all. Had he been staring at me through that blank face all night?
He had not properly addressed her as she had woken up. It was unbecoming for a noble woman like her to be not greeted as she deserved in the morning. There must be discipline.
"Address me, commoner!" she ordered. It was time to show him his place.
He did nothing.
"Stop fighting, dog, you are mine to command." Louise ordered.
The Spartan stopped and glared at the young magician. Louise stood defiant against the stare, but inside, she shivered at the blank inhuman visor. It appeared as if there was nothing inside, only a soulless automaton. It was unsettling.
"No" Saito merely stated.
Louise twitched and felt the urge to use the whip. How dare he show me, Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière, defiance! I am a noble! An aristocrat! And this…thing dares to disobey my orders!
She shook that thought. It would do nothing against its armour. Last nights "session" proved that it was a useless attempt. "Why don't you listen to me you…you…commoner?"
Saito sighed and then turned to his "master". "Good morning master. What would you want me to do today?"
That sounded so forced and bloody patronising.
Louise brought her hand to her face and groaned in frustration. Perhaps there was a spell somewhere…
Nobody moved.
It was not the fact that a golem familiar had taken a mage hostage, but rather, it could actually do such an act. This goes against everything they have been told of since they were young.
A familiar were not to turn against their masters.
"I repeat myself, tell me where I am, and she goes free."
Louise almost wet herself in fear if it wasn't for her immense reserve of pride.
She was a mage! A Vallière!
She almost blurted that out if it wasn't for the cold barrel of the gun pressed against her head. She gulped down her retort. That thing looked as if it could tear a person's head clean off from their shoulders.
Self-preservation triumphed before pride. She kept her mouth shut.
Saito scanned the faces of the children. They were unarmed except with small sticks of wood and an odd assortment of animals. The middle-aged man, most likely the teacher, held a long staff. The older man had a look of panic on his bespectacled face.
He slowly walked towards Saito, his arms opened to show he meant no harm.
"Golem, put down your master, I command you!"
Saito concentrated his gaze at the professor. "You are not my master! We have fought for independence against its tyranny! The UNSC would not make us their slaves again!"
Bemused, the man calmly answered "We are not tyrants, or whatever is this…Ooenessee. This is the country of Tristain. We are a peaceful nation. Please release the girl."
Saito's eyes glared through his visor. "You lie!" He swept his gun around to face the professor. "I demand to know which planet I'm on and a ship to get off it."
Colbert tensed up as the firearm pointed towards him. In his past life, he was a soldier. Facing death was a part of life for him. He went into a combat pose, staff held firmly in his grasp.
"Please, I do not know what you are talking about but please releas-"
It was then Louise attempted to use her magic.
With the gun not pointed at her head, she had tried to use a minor force spell to push herself off the Spartan to escape. However, as is consistent with Louise the "Zero", it did not work as intended. Needless to say, the results were spectacular.
The explosion blew up Saito's energy shielding and pushed him back several meters and he landed on the ground. His handgun flew beyond his grasp. Alarms ringed inside his helmet and flashing red lights warned him of his vulnerability. He had not expected something like this to happen. Where had the little minx gotten the ability to take down a Spartan?
Louise was singed but unharmed as she had used a directional blast. But the force of it blew her away into the opposite direction. Without dignity, she landed on the ground face down and yelled out in pain.
Colbert took this opportunity to cast a paralysis spell at the Spartan. Saito was in the process to get out his boot knife and attack the older male when he felt his body went stiff.
Not again!
He knew it was not his armour malfunctioning as his HUD was still functional and his shields were recharging. It was his body, it was frozen stiff.
"What is this? What are you people?" Saito yelled out. Colbert walked up to the Spartan, his staff pointed raised. His face was a mask of calculated calm but his eyes were boiling with contained rage.
"No, it is you who are to answer. Who are you?" Colbert demanded, his staff unwavering.
Saito laughed. "Have the UNSC lost its senses? I know they were never forthright with information to the public, but even the most uninformed civilian know of the Spartans."
"What are you talking about? What is this "Ooenesee"?"
From the professor's face, Saito immediately knew that he was telling the truth. "You have not heard of the UNSC?"
Colbert shook his head and from the looks of the children, they were just as confused as their teacher.
"What about the Covenant, Reach, the UEG?" The words gave them further blank stares. "Please tell me you heard of Earth at least?"
"Earth, "Colbert said. "As in one of the elements of magic, that Earth?"
Magic? Four elements?
"Magic? What the hell are you talking about?"
Colbert looked as if he had been struck by a Warthog. It was almost impossible for a person to not know magic. From the lowliest plebeians to high-class nobles, magic has been the pillar of society in Helkeginia for over six thousand years.
"You're not from this world are you?" he said with a hint of curiosity. "I must ask you, are you a man?"
"If you mean this planet, yes, I'm off world, even if I don't know where this place is in the first place. And to answer your second question, yes, I am a human beneath this suit."
Louise had gotten up with the help from a red-haired, busty, Germanian female. She then pried her arms off, she needed no help. Especially from a Germanian witch!
She turned to stare at the confrontation between Professor Colbert and her…familiar. She could not believe what had just happened. Her familiar had attacked her!
She suddenly felt the need to whip something.
"This land is called Helkeginia, if that's what you mean. Currently you are in Tristein's Academy of Magic." Colbert said.
None of those places meant anything to Saito. But the word "magic" was thrown around without any context. The girl's explosive charge and the paralysis were not enough evidence that "magic" exists. For all Saito know, this was some sort of cult with access to advanced technology. That wouldn't be the first time that had happened.
Saito pondered on the events that led up to his predicament. The last place he recalled was aboard the Xanatos. The Halcyon-class cruiser was crippled by the three frigates and then boarded by ODSTs. He remembered the boarding action, the fighting on deck three.
He remembered his paralysis and the sight of the ODSTs taking down Dan. He wanted to strike out but his defective armour made him blind and helpless. Spartan-Commander Samuel must have escaped into slipspace; he remembered being blown out of the Xanatos and into its cold embrace.
It was an unsettling experience.
"If you are indeed a man, show us your face," Colbert asked.
"Sorry, frozen," he shrugged which didn't show, due to the restraints. "Look, we seemed to have gotten off at a bad start. But can you please release me from…whatever this is?"
Colbert stared at the fallen Spartan "I cannot set you free, lest you harm my students."
"I apologize for that, I was unsure of where I am and overacted. So can you please release me now?"
Wary, Colbert gripped the staff tighter. He thought over this and then decided. "If I release you, promise me that you would never harm the students."
Saito nodded. "Done."
The professor raised his staff.
Saito felt his bonds slackened. He stood up and stretched his neck felt a satisfying crack as his muscles loosened. It felt good to be free.
"Helmet," the professor said. "Remember our deal."
Saito thought for a second. Should he honour it?
Certainly there was nothing that could hurt him, he could attack now and find a way out of here. But then again, for a lack of a better word, the magician could've finished him off when he was down. He decided that there was no harm in trying to forge better relations with potential allies.
Saito then moved his hand the seals underneath his helmet and clasped it. It gave a sound of escaped air as it depressurised. He removed his Mark IV helmet and showed them all what was underneath.
They all gasped. The Spartan's face was a mask of scars and burns. The students cringed at the ghastly sight of scar-tissues criss-crossing his face. His left side was pink and puffy, a legacy from a glancing plasma bolt. There was no doubting that, even without his armour, he was a formidable warrior.
And he was human.
"Satisfied?" he said to Colbert.
"Yes." He nodded, staring at the man's abused face.
"Now, what do you want me to do?"
"You would accompany me to the headmaster's office." His face showed that he would not brook any argument.
He would make a fine soldier, Saito thought.
Feeling as if she was pushed to the sidelines, Louise interjected. "This is my familiar! Where he is going depends on me! I control this filthy com-I mean-familiar! Not you!"
Saito just stared at the little girl, not sure what to say. What is a familiar? What did it mean by control? He gave a look of puzzlement at the professor but the man just shook his head.
"Miss Vallière, you can accompany us as is your right as master. Please try not to interrupt or blow anything up in the process."
Louise nodded, satisfied that the professor acknowledged that the strange man was her familiar. Saito still looked blank.
"As for everyone," he addressed the crowd. "Go back to your classes! We have spent far too long outside."
Hesitantly, the second years went towards their classes, puzzled and bewildered. None of them would forget this day, when Louise de Vallière summoned a crazed armoured man into Tristain's Academy of Magic.
The headmaster nursed his cheek where Longueville had slapped him.
That slap still hurt, why was she being such a prude? Osmond mused. It was just some harmless teasing.
Contrary to popular believe, Headmaster Osmond was not as senile as people had thought him to be. He had draped himself in the disguise so he could seek refuge in audacity. It meant lowering of guards so that his enemies could underestimate him. Also, it became a convenient excuse to skip on paperwork.
He reached through his drawers and fumbled for something sweet. After all, what use is to be a powerful head magician who couldn't enjoy the small things in life?
After a long while of searching (the desk was fitted with a space extension charm) Osmond finally found his prize. "Ah, I found it!"
He held out the lemon drop between his fingers as if it were a precious jewel. "Look what I finally found, Chuchu," he said to his familiar, "the last lemon drop!"
The mouse squeaked in acknowledgment. Osmond stroked his familiar with a finger. "I'm going to put it in my mouth and there's nothing anyone can do to stop me."
There was a knock on the door. The voice of his secretary, Miss Longueville spoke. "Headmaster, there are some matters of emergency we need to speak of."
Things are not going my way.
"What is it, Longueville?" he said, dearly wishing to taste the delicious lemon drop.
"Professor Colbert wants to see you, he says it's urgent. It involves Miss Vallière and her familiar."
He groaned. "What has she done this time?"
"I honestly don't know how to explain it, headmaster. I think you should ask Professor Colbert that."
Sighing, he put down the lemon drop away. There would be time later. "Send them in."
The door opened and Professor Colbert walked in with Louise and her…what in Holy Founder is that?
The person in question was a very large man wearing a very large suit of armour. Osmond would've sworn that he was a golem if it had worn that helmet tucked under his arm. What drawn his attention to him was his face. Its scalp was shaven and its jaw was sculptured as if from stone, like the fabled statues lining the Romalian capital.
However, the features were marred by the large scars and burns. What was especially distracting was the red patchy skin on the left side of his face which looked as if it was plastered with artificial skin.
"Headmaster," Colbert addressed. "We may have a problem."
"And who is this gentleman here, if I may so ask?" said Osmond, eyeing the stranger suspiciously.
Colbert answered. "This, headmaster, is Louise de Vallière's familiar. She summoned him during the ritual," he paused, choosing his words carefully "then proceeded to take Miss Vallière hostage. We managed to come into an agreement and so no one was hurt."
Suddenly his lemon drop was forgotten, Osmond stared sharply at the armoured man and then to Louise.
"What?" he exclaimed.
Louise cleared her throat and said. "This commoner happened to be my familiar by some error in my summoning. I ask you to please, let me redo the rituals to receive my rightful familiar, most preferably one that of a docile, powerful and beautiful, like a dragon or a Griffon!"
Osmond raised an eyebrow. "And just how did you summon this," he glanced towards the armoured man, which was standing patiently and with a slightly bemused expression "such an interesting familiar?"
Louise shrugged. "I do not know, headmaster."
He turned towards the Spartan. "Who are you, stranger, and how did you arrive in Tristain?"
Technically, he was not supposed to give away details away like this, but since his allegiance was switched, he didn't need to keep his lip shut from sensitive information. But he had been defying and breaking UNSC law anyway for the past few years. Usually and often with a weapon at hand.
"My name is Saito 432, Spartan III Theta-Company, formerly of the UNSC military. As for how I arrived here, I frankly don't know. The last thing I remembered was that I was aboard my ship when we were attacked. My commander escaped into slipspace and…well here I am." Saito answered.
The magicians in the room had so many things to say. Dozens of questions were forming in their minds as Saito's words sunk in.
"So Saito 432, what is this "Ooenesee", is this some sort of country? You spoke that you were in a ship when you were attacked, is your country far away?" Osmond asked with peaked interest.
"The UNSC," Saito said with contempt "is an acronym for the United Nations Space Command. This is the government in which I was part of. It is a coalition of hundreds of planets beyond the stars, all colonised with humans. The ship I was in allows me to cross the gulf of space between planets and slipspace allowed us to travel in a short amount of time."
Colbert interrupted him. "Preposterous! There is no such thing. Who would believe that an entire culture of people could live all the way up in the sky?"
"Professor, please sit down." Osmond ordered in a quiet voice. Colbert seemed to notice his interruption and sat down sheepishly. "Please continue."
"I was a soldier in its military as part of the Spartan program. Where I came from, the UNSC had been engaged in a thirty-year war against an alien hegemony known as the Covenant. It was a devastating war, billions die and entire planets were burned. "
"Why did this war start?" the headmaster asked.
"I don't have any idea. ONI guessed that it had something to do with their religion. They see us as "heretics" and that we "despoiled" their god's holy artefacts. All we know is that we are plunged into a war of extermination, genocide."
It was Louise turn to speak. "I'm unfamiliar with that word, "genocide". What does it mean?"
"It means to destroy a nation or an ethnic group. And when I mean destroy, I meant everything and everyone, down to the youngest babe and the oldest man." Saito answered.
"Genocide", "extermination", these words did not make sense to her. What use is to completely exterminate every single one of your enemies, including women and children? How can a race dictate to another race that their entire specie was to be wiped out due to the crimes of merely existing?
What kind of elemental force could allow billions to be killed just like that?
Louise looked around the room; she had expected Colbert and Osmond to have the same look of horror. Instead, she only found sadness, they had heard of these things before. Colbert had done…things…in his army days that had caused him great shame, even to this day. Both Colbert and Osmond knew enough of their histories, of their "glorious" founding father and holy founder, Brimnir, to know that nothing was different even in another world.
Black, pathetic shapes huddled together. Villagers burnt crisp by the inferno…
Colbert shook his head. They were in the past.
"And what was the outcome of this war?" Osmond asked. He felt uneasy hearing of this.
"We won, I guess" Saito shrugged "though how I don't really know. Somehow, we made allies with one of the enemy factions who had split off from the Covenant. There was a civil war going on for them and so the Covenant doesn't exist. We moved in and gained the initiative."
Colbert added his own observations. "You said "formerly" part of the military, and you said you were part of the UNSC. Does this mean you're retired?"
Saito chuckled which unnerved the room. "I did not retire, professor, I rebelled."
This shocked everyone. "Y-you rebelled?" Louise said.
He craned his head towards Louise and looked into her eyes. "Yes, I rebelled, and I have not regretted it since. You would not want to hear the things I had done under the UNSC, nor the way they had justified it in the name of justice. I would like to not be pressed into that part of my life. The UNSC is finished. Civil war bloomed in our planets as well as those of our former enemies. My commander ordered us to create our own destiny and we complied."
The Spartan's tone had darkened and this was a sign meaning that there was to be no further conversation on that particular subject. Colbert and Osmond understood that one must have secrets that needed to be protected.
Louise, however, was too incensed about her familiar not telling her everything. She was to speak her thoughts out when she caught the icy cold look on Saito's face. For the second time that day, common sense triumph over pride. She pursed her lips and willed her body not to shout out.
Saito decided to ask a question of his own. "I have told you of my story, now it is my turn to ask you my questions."
"What do you wish to know?" Osmond asked.
"I wish to know where I am, and what is "magic"?"
Osmond stared at the Spartan as if he had just grown an extra head. "You do not know what is magic?" he said with incredulity.
"Where I came from, magic does not exist."
Osmond shook his head in amazement. Could there be an entire civilisation of billions living beyond the stars living without the use of magic? "Forgive me but…this is quite a lot to take in."
"I think we are in the same position." Saito remarked.
"Tell me, Saito, where would you go now?"
Saito sighed. "I was hoping that you would know. Do you have the means to get off this world and back to mine?"
Osmond sat back and toyed with his beard. "I'm sorry Saito, but I can do nothing. But there is a matter we need to discuss about you appearing here. You see, you are Louise's familiar and therefore you are her possession."
Saito lurched forward. "I'm to be her what?"
Osmond blanched and Colbert looked unsure how to act. Louise just held a mask of indignation.
"That is right," Louise said smugly. "You are my familiar, whether you like it or not! It is a magically binding contract, stating that you must become my servant! "
Saito stared at the girl as if she had turned into a cat. He wouldn't be surprised if she could, magic existed after all.
He then looked back at the two professors. "I'm to be her servant?" He pointed at Louise, who was steaming with anger at the disrespectful treatment from her familiar. One can almost see the steam lines coming out of her head.
The professor and headmaster looked uncomfortable. "Yes," the headmaster said. "As long as you bear that mark in your hand, you and Miss Vallière are bound together as familiar and master."
"What if I refuse?"
"Well, we…don't know. This had never happened before. Whenever we summon a familiar, they were always loyal to their master. Today was the first time something like this happened. "
Saito was thinking. He was trapped in a world with backwards technology but gifted with fantasy-like magical powers. He has no means to return to his world, nor can he contact anyone for rescue. He could not fight his way out of this situation and there were no objectives for him to complete.
He was lost.
Then he pondered. What was there for him to return back? Every day was just another battle, another pointless death. Commander Samuel was designated a traitor along with the entire Theta-Company. The UNSC they had expended a lot of assets eliminating the rogue Spartans and were not afraid to expend more to eliminate them. Unrest bloomed across the human colonies.
He made a decision. Primary objective right now is to find safe haven and gather information on current whereabouts. When a base of operations could be found, Saito would contact Theta-company or any of the privateer forces willing to get the services of a lone Spartan.
"There is no way for me to go back. I could fight my out, but that would be counter-productive, not to mention stupid."
He turned to Louise. "I guess I'm to be your familiar."
The two walked silently through the castle. Saito had been told by Osmond that the students would be unnerved to see his helmet's blank visor. His scarred face would be a better alternate for him.
"Over here, servant," Louise motioned towards the door by the end of the corridor.
She opened the door to reveal a well furbished room. There was a four poster bed, a table and a few chairs. It was certainly bigger than any room Saito had been in. The accommodations aboard the Xanatos were not exactly spacious.
It seemed so…burgoise.
Louise sat down on a chair. She tilted her head and examined the Spartan with a look of contempt. "You took me hostage," she said simply.
"Yes I did. I apologise again, that was a mistake and-"
Louise whipped him with a riding crop. He did not expect that.
"You dog! You are my familiar and you made me the fool in front of everyone!" The whipping continued.
Saito after all this time stood against the barrage of attacks. In all honesty, he did not know what to do. He never dealt with a young teen that has an ego the size of a super-carrier. He knew he was supposed to do something. But apparently, he was her familiar, and he was to act like one. What a familiar actually entails him to do, however, was completely lost to Saito.
So he stood there and weathered the assault. It was a good thing that she was just up to his chest. He would hate to get that crop in his face. He had enough scars already.
"Stupid insolent dog!" She continued the verbal insult.
"Dirty Mongrel!"
"Good for nothing familiar and commoner!"
"Why did I not get a griffon or a dragon?!"
In another universe, Saito would've been balled up in pain, and maybe in pleasure, at the ferocious whipping from this pink haired girl.
He was getting tired of this and felt that Louise was too. Her attacks were less ferocious and her arm was tiring. She was panting more due to exertion and her face was red not from anger. In the end, Saito decided to intervene. "Stop now, child."
This seemed to get her even angrier, if there was such a thing. "How dare you call me a child? I am seventeen!"
Saito was surprised. "You're seventeen? I'm sorry; I thought that due to your size, that you were at the most, fourteen. I thought you were some sort of prodigy at your age. I apologize again."
That seemed to put her to the edge and Saito experienced further "beatings" from the fearsome riding crop.
After a long while, Louise stopped and panted. It seemed she had expended all her rage of the day towards Saito.
"Alright, I…will…I will think that I shall tell you what a familiar is supposed to do." Louise said, between breaths.
Saito listened intently, it was about time somebody tells him what his role is, even though it was coming in from his sadistic mistress. "Tell me."
"Say, "What is your will, o gracious master?""
Saito visibly cringed. "What is your will, o gracious…master?"
Spoken like a true slave, he thought bitterly. He almost expected her to order him to kowtow.
The look of triumph on her face could power a Halcyon-class cruiser. "Well, as a familiar, you are to act my every wish. It is a familiar's role to protect their master from harm while they cast their magic. I see you are a warrior and so you can do that job perfectly."
Doesn't sound too bad.
"Also, another aspect of a familiar is to also perform personal service to their masters. This includes cooking, cleaning, laundry and attending to their needs. You got that, servant?"
Wait, what?
"So basically, you want me to be your personal slave?"
Louise had an indignant look on her face. "Of course not, we Halkerginian nobles would ever sloop so low as to use slavery. Forcing a human being into our service is beyond us."
He was confused. "Then what do you consider me as?"
"You are my familiar," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Familiars are not human beings and so do not count. You are summoned and bound by magic to be my servant."
"I…do not count as a human being?" Saito said amazed. In truth, he did not know whether or not to be amused or be seriously pissed. After all, he had spent the good years of his life fighting an alien juggernaut just because he was a human.
"Well, you are technically a human. But you are foremost my familiar, human second."
Saito merely sighed. This day was too strange for him to comprehend and so he just wished for it to end.
"I guess I am your…familiar, master." He said reluctantly.
She beamed. "Good that you understand your place. It is late and I do not want to be tardy for breakfast. I'm off to sleep."
"Hold on, I see a sudden lack of beds, where do you expect me to sleep?"
"You are a familiar and a useless commoner, you are to sleep here." She pointed down.
The floor was wooden but was laced with straws for warmth. It didn't look any comfortable for anyone to sleep in. But then again, he was a Spartan; he had slept in worse places before. It sure beats muddy trenches.
Louise then brought her hand up to the top button of her blouse. One by one, the buttons came undone. Soon she was down to her underwear.
Saito raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"
Louise answered as if it was the most obvious thing. "I'm going to sleep, so I'm getting changed."
Saito just shrugged. He was used to seeing his brothers and sisters from Theta-Company undress during trainings and group showers. But he knew that social rules outside the military dictate that you should not undress while in the presence of a stranger.
"Oh, and these. Wash them for me tomorrow." Several items came flying over to land softly beside him. He picked them up, wondering what they were.
A lacy camisole and matching panties. He blinked.
Did she want to make a statement with flinging undergarments at him? Perhaps she wants him to keep it as a sign of his loyalty? A local custom perhaps?
"That's for you tomorrow. I want you to clean it for me. You're my familiar, right? Laundry, cleaning, other menial tasks - they're naturally your job."
She slipped into her bed and pulled the covers. "Oh, and nights out." She clicked her fingers and the lamp went out.
The lamplight was magic too, it seemed.
Saito realised he was still holding Louise's undergarments in his gauntlets. He flung them away in disgust. This was hardly fitting with the image of a Spartan.
How the mighty had fallen, he thought bitterly.
He sighed. The darkness was not a necessary hindrance due to the augmentation of the Spartan. He was able to see in the dark quite clear.
It just so happens, the twin moons on this planet were in full bloom. He had to admit that looking at them, one bright purple and the other shining silver, was strikingly beautiful. In fact, he had to confess to himself that he felt…peaceful. It was not a feeling that was commonly experienced in the Spartan's mind.
That, ironically, unnerved him.
He did not feel safe enough to get himself out of his armour. It would have to be morning before he would even get a proper maintenance. The glitches in his HUD were becoming a nuisance and so he took down a variety of interfaces to smooth processing power. Shielding too was pulled out, and so he had to rely on the armour to protect him.
He made sure that the Stomper was held in its leather holster. The trophy weapon was his only firearm he had access to and almost impossible to scrounge for ammunition. He needed to conserve it for emergencies.
Saito could remember the first time he had met the weapon. He remembered the surprised look on the ONI agent's face as a Spartan appeared to end him. Saito remembered the tremendous bang as it impacted in its shields. It had actually managed to knock him back a few inches. Not bad.
He had taken the Stomper away from the dead agent. The weapon felt satisfying in his hands, almost soothing.
Now Saito had to rely more on basic knife work. He slid his combat knife out and stared as the moon light reflected on its bright metal. Normally, he would have dulled it so that there would not be light coming off it.
Saito never really did much with knife work. Other members of the Spartan family were more adapt to hand-to-hand combat. Lily was one; he remembered the sight of the bald headed girl, the youngest out of all of them. She was a master at killing at close range, only matched by Dereck and his stolen energy blade.
He wondered now, what had happened to his brothers and sisters out there? Where they slaughtered as they entered slipspace? They should at least have died fighting, like a true Spartan.
He then wondered. Would he ever find his way out of here?
He needed some sleep. His "mistress" wanted him to do the laundry. It was all he could do to stop himself from immolating the entire castle. With a sigh, he placed his helmet back on and began to sleep. And dream.
The old man was dying, Saito noted. The bio scanner in his HUD clearly showed that his heart rate was slowing down at a dangerous pace.
The bloodied hole in his chest was also an excellent indication as well.
"I…I deny you…invader."
The old man had crawled from the main cave complex. Saito tracked the blood stains leading to the tunnels. He did not raise any hostilities when the Spartan approached, just a small sigh.
"Why…why have you come here to fight?" He managed to gasp out weakly.
Saito was impassive. It was his job not to be sympathetic to those he killed. The old man was just another number in his kill tally in his short life as a Spartan. He had now amassed a kill streak of triple digits.
Blood was pooling onto the sands of Kuru Kum, the great desert continent of Bir Yerde. It had been a quick operation; deal with secessionists holding out in their mountain strongholds. For a year, the rebels had been harassing the local UNSC garrison, pulling important assets from the units earmarked for the Eastern Rim theatres.
The local defence forces had been less than competent in flushing out the resistance. Desertion rates among the colonial militia were high with entire companies turning over to the other side.
It seemed that the cost of using regular marine and army units were too much and time consuming. Covenant offensives were threatening the rest of the Outer Colonies and the loss of Admiral Cole was a huge blow for the UNSC.
So they sent in the Spartans.
It had been quick, efficient and devastating. They needed no preliminary bombardment by clumsy artillery, no extensive lines of logistics, and needed no permanent bases. They needed no sleep and very little food.
They had acted with precision, with Theta-Company deployed throughout the mountainous regions of Bir Yerde. Each stronghold was systematically destroyed by the Spartans. All prisoners were executed on the spot; they had no time to waste.
Kuru Kum was cleared in a week.
"You have rebelled from the UNSC," Saito stated calmly to the dying man "therefore you have turned from humanity."
The old man merely smiled and laughed. The laugh turned into a violent cough as blood specked out of his mouth. Death was near. "You fascists, we have fought for freedom against your oppression. You invaders have come all the way here and take our food and our children, to feed the UNSC war machine. We do not want to fight your wars; we just want to be left alone."
"The Covenant fights against humanity, not just the UNSC. We fight for what's the best for humanity."
"And do you believe that?" The old man gave a sad look towards the Spartan. "How many of my people have you killed, how many of my family? We just want to be left alone."
Saito did not answer. A ping in his HUD showed that someone was trying to contact him. Saito activated the unit radio. "Theta-3, here."
A grizzled mechanical voice answered him, it sounded like a man chewing glass. "This is Theta-1, all purging operations are completed. Army units are en route to sweep for stragglers. A Falcon will pick you up."
"Affirmative, Theta-3 is in the process of finishing off the insurrectionists."
"Do not waste time on needless killing, the Xanatos departs in 0200 hours. Make sure you get back, Saito." The radio link went dead.
Saito turned over to face the old man. He pulled out his sidearm, an M6D, and raised it towards him. The old man face's betrayed no emotions whatever, just a dejected look of resignation. "Finish me; there is nothing left for me."
"Die well." He pulled the trigger.
A single gunshot echoed through the cave.
Lexicon
Spartan-Commander
The rank of a Spartan-Commander is a special rank given for the Spartan III as a way to bypass the power struggles between ONI, the UNSDF and the UEG. This allowed the Spartan III program to have jurisdictions over the navy, army and intelligence agencies.
They are the equivalent of an Upper Rear-Admiral in the navy and a Major-General in the army. However, due to the power blocs in the UNSC hierarchy, higher ranking commanders would be subservient towards Spartan-Commanders due to intimidation from their patrons. This essentially turns a Spartan III task force into an independent formation, answering only to their political masters.
The most powerful would be the Spartans under Parangosky, the head of ONI Section-3. Spartan-Commander Samuel was taken out of Ackerson's original Spartan III group after Operation Torpedo to lead Theta-Company. During this time, he forged Parangosky's Spartans into an effective, if brutal, fighting force. He took not only Covenant War orphans but victims of UNSC reprisals into his ranks.
Spartan-Commanders usually command naval ships for their own use. These are important assets which are not to be easily commandeered. They would be hard-pressed to acquire anything larger than a Halcyon-class Cruiser. Often, ONI provides prowlers for the commander's use. Most use them as insertion crafts to send small teams behind lines for subterfuge missions. However, commanders who favour shock tactics employ larger ships.
