Author's Note: First Halo fic, so I hope I do the canon characters justice

Author's Note: Again, props to Kalshion for being my proof reader.

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Halo universe, which is the property of Bungie Studios. However, any non-Halo species (and characters made from them) belong to me.

Chapter 2: Sentient?

He was awakened by something thumping his chest. Opening his eyes he saw the creature with it's forepaws on the bed, it's tail twitching over it's head looking like it was about to whack him with it again: there was an urgent look on it's face. "What is it?" He asked, rubbing his head.

Arbiter! Are you there? Answer me! Came the voice of Rtas 'Vadum over his door com, sounding slightly panicked: there was a pound on the door just after. Quickly understanding, he reached up and pressed the appropriate button on his bedside console.

"I'm here brother." He said quickly before the Shipmaster decided to bust down the door. "What is going on?"

Thank the Prophets! I was trying to contact you for the last few minutes. Is everything alright? The Shipmaster replied.

"Sorry to worry you brother." The Arbiter said apologetically. "I'm fine, only just woke up."

Trouble sleeping again?

"At only at first."

May I come in Arbiter?

Arbiter paused a moment: obviously Rtas wanted to talk to him about something in private. He looked down at the creature, which had finally taken it's paws off the bed. "Yes, just give me a moment." He answered.

Of course Arbiter.

He switched off the console and stood up. No time to put on his armor, so he put on a simple robe instead. "Best you hide." He told the creature, which was watching him with both ears up. "He's a friend, but I don't know how he will react to you." It tilted it's head, apparently not understanding. Sighing and not wanting to try to drag it to a hiding spot with the Shipmaster waiting, he just went to the door to open it. He looked back just before doing so to find the creature had disappeared, though he thought he caught a glimpse of it's tail disappearing under his bed.

Relieved, he opened the door to reveal the white armor clad form of Rtas 'Vadum, whom stepped in. "Sorry to disturb you Arbiter, just wanted to see how you were doing before we returned to real space." He said.

"A little better now that I got some actual sleep." The Arbiter confessed with a sigh.

"Good. Everyone was starting to get worried about you." Rtas said. "The frequent outbursts, your shortened temper….some were starting to wonder if you had lost your mind."

The Arbiter winced. "I wonder that myself sometimes…." He said softly. "I feel like I've lost my purpose, my reason for existing."

"In truth, many of us feel the same." Rtas said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "With the Covenant gone, we are directionless and have to work things out on our own again. It's a time of transition for all of us."

"But what purpose does the Arbiter have now?" The Arbiter said slightly bitterly, starting a familiar tirade. "What purpose do I have now? Without this title I am nothing but a shamed Sangheili that no longer has a name."

Rtas visibly sighed and shook his head. "I don't know brother, only time will tell." He said.

"If I don't go insane before everything is worked out."

With another sigh Rtas replied. "Brother, some of us have been thinking about visiting the humans again, to see how they are doing. Perhaps it would do you good to come along, get away from it from those annoying Councilors for a few more days. Maybe they'll have some suggestions."

The Arbiter grunted, unsure. The only three humans he really got to know in any sense was Master Chief, Keyes and Johnson: Keyes was killed on the Arc, while Johnson last he heard was only just getting out of the hospital due to injuries from the Oracle's attack on the incomplete Halo. In regards to Master Chief, he didn't seem much the type to sit down and have a drink with, let alone discuss political problems. Between the other two, Keyes was the only one he knew would give him an honest opinion without some snide or sarcastic remark along with it, but she is dead. So he was left with no real human allies he knew well enough to talk to comfortingly. Well there was Cortana, Master Chief's tag along AI, but he doubted an AI like her could help him either.

"How can they help?" He said finally, doubtful. "They barely understood the Covenant and it's ways before we allied with them."

"You and I both have seen how they work, even if it is mostly on the battlefield." The Shipmaster replied. "They gave sound advice during battle and I don't see why can't do the same out of battle."

The Arbiter could tell he wasn't going to give up on the idea. "Very well, maybe a different atmosphere will help at least." He finally agreed with a sigh.

Rtas patted him on the shoulder, his remaining mandibles spreading in the Sangheili form of a smile. "I'll inform you of when this trip will be made Arbiter. In the meantime, take care brother."

"I will brother." The Arbiter watched him take his leave and he sank down on the bed with a sigh. A grunt underneath suddenly reminded him that the creature was hiding under the bed and he leapt up off of it. A moment later the creature crawled out from under it, a slightly annoyed look on it's face. "Sorry." He told it. "I forgot you were under there."

With another sigh he sat back down on the bed. "Seems they are going to send me some where else to 'keep me busy'." He grumbled. While he was certain Rtas was only trying to help, he knew he was only trying to stall for time while his people figured things out.

The creature nudged his arm with it's snout and when he moved it the creature put it's chin on his leg, along with one of it's paws. He felt and heard sort of rumbling coming from it and it was looking up at him with those silver eyes with an expression he couldn't quite read. Gently he sat his hand back down on top of it's neck, just behind the head and found it's fur to be rather soft to the touch. Without thinking, he started to scratch it behind the ears and the rumbling became louder, the creature pushing it's head in the direction of his hand. "You like that." He stated, observing how it's eyes were now closed and it's lips pulled back in what looked similar to a human smile. "Well I can't do this forever you know."

In apparent response it opened one eye and looked at him with an expression that seemed to say 'wanna bet?'

Over the next couple of days, while the survey teams were studying yet another planet, the Arbiter found himself spending as much time as he could with the creature without looking suspicious. He found it's presence calming and soothing, plus it was nice to have a neutral party to talk to, even if that party couldn't talk and probably couldn't understand him fully. When he could, he got it meat from the kitchen, figuring it had to be better then the food rations he had it eating mostly.

The creature itself continued to amaze him with what it was capable of. It figured out on it's own how to dispose of it's own waste and, it seemed, how to open the door. It had given him a near heart attack when he came back to his quarters to find it gone only for it to enter on it's own a moment later. Fortunately it seemed to know the best times to go on these excursions, probably due to it's apparent acute sense of hearing: more then once it alerted him to someone being at his door before the intercom activated. What it was doing during those little trips he didn't know.

What he did know that it was just asking to get itself discovered by someone else. Fortunately, he was there when that eventually happened.

He and Rtas were having a conversation when it suddenly let itself in: he hadn't had a chance to see if it was in the room or not before hand. "Who dares enters the Arbiter's quarters without announcing themselves!?" Rtas had demanded as he turned sharply around only to see nothing at first. Then he looked down. "By the Prophets what is…"

"'Vadum wait!" The Arbiter barely caught his arm in time before had drawn his weapon to shoot it. "It means me no harm, nor to you if you don't do something rash."

The Shipmaster looked at him flabbergasted as the creature calmly strode in, eyeing Rtas with a cautious look before curling itself around the Arbiter's feet. "What is that thing?" Rtas asked, eyeing the creature warily.

"I don't know." The Arbiter confessed. "I discovered it hiding in the cargo bay a couple days ago."

"And you didn't kill it…or at least inform the rest of us so we can figure out where it came from? Arbiter…what has gotten a hold of you?" Rtas shook his head in disbelief. "There's still a chance we can find out what it's home planet is, I'll go look at the logs…"

"No!" The Arbiter was as surprised about his outburst as the Shipmaster was. "You…you can't take it from me…not now."

The Shipmaster looked thoroughly confused. "Why not?"

The Arbiter hesitated a moment, trying to find the right words to explain. "It has helped me…" He said softly. "In a way I don't understand just yet. Take it from me and I'll likely start to go insane again."

Rtas mandibles grinded together for a moment in indecision, staring at the creature the whole time. The creature was staring right back at him, eventually forcing him to turn away. "You have been a lot calmer these last couple days." He finally confessed. "I had assumed it was because you were getting more sleep."

"I believe this creature is the cause of that, though I am not sure how as of yet." The Arbiter admitted.

"Very well." Rtas said, a little hesitantly. "Your secret is safe with me. You may want to put a leash on it, lest someone else think it fresh meat."

"We are already aware of the risks." The Arbiter said.

Rtas gave him a quizzical look. "We? You speak as if this thing is sentient."

The Arbiter looked down at it, noting how it was still staring at Rtas with an intense look: it was like it understood him. "Sometimes I wonder if it is." He admitted and recounted to Rtas about the things it had done. Rtas only snorted at this.

"Mimicking, it's only mimicking you Arbiter." He said. "Don't give a walking rug that much credit."

There was a loud growl and before the Arbiter could blink the creature and pounced on Rtas, sending him crashing to the floor. Both of them could only stare at it stunned for a moment. The Arbiter was quicker on regaining his senses and pulled it off of Rtas before the no doubt embarrassed Shipmaster retaliated.

"That vermin! I'll…." A furious Rtas growled as he picked himself off the ground.

"Apparently, it understood what you said and took your comment as an insult." The Arbiter said plainly. The creature meanwhile had reassumed it's position at the Arbiter's feet.

The Shipmaster glared at the creature, which glared right back at him, the tip of it's tail twitching. "While I still doubt it's sentient, I will watch my words around it from this point on." He said bitterly after a moment. "At least until we know more about it. I'll take my leave."

After the Shipmaster had left the Arbiter looked down at the creature with an exasperated expression. "Next time try not to pounce on anyone of the crew that you think insulted you…" He said.

The creature looked up at him with such a look of innocence he could only sigh.