Authors Note: Thanks to my beta for proofing this.
Disclaimer: Halo, Sangheili, Rtas, Thel/Arbiter and other canon characters belong to Bungie Studios/343 Industries. However, Original Characters, like Zeno, belong to me.
Chapter 1: The Stowaway
It had been a long day.
Zeno 'Ribal entered his quarters with a heavy sigh and gladly started stripping off the ambassador armor he was required to wear for meetings. He hated the armor, primarily due to the white color it was painted in: white clashed badly with his dark skin tone, washing out the details of his face. Zeno had no doubt this fact made it hard for the human dignitaries to read his expressions, which was already difficult for them due to his alien physiology. It could not be helped though, as white was the human's color for peace and one of Zeno's jobs was to keep that peace.
That and negotiating trading arrangements. The Arbiter did most of it during his time as ambassador, but Zeno could see why the Arbiter so eagerly jumped at the chance to dump this job on him at first opportunity: human politicians and businessmen were shrewd individuals. The amount of double talk, misleading terms, and so on was horrible and it took all of Zeno's mental skills to decode it all. Still, his dealing with human level of politics was now giving him an edge against the Sangheili politicians, which the council was obviously not enjoying at all. The humans enjoyed this immensely, as the humans had little love for the Sangheili High Council ever since the Kesi fiasco.
Ah, Kesi…, Zeno thought as he finished stripping down and stepped into the shower. You caused a lot of things to happen. Some things we never expected to happen.
The change that stuck in his mind the most was the change in his commander, Rtas 'Vadum. In a relatively very short amount of time, Rtas changed from a work-a-holic that usually outright refused to go on any kind of leave, to a man that spent most of his free time checking up on his new mate, Ella. Zeno also learned a lot more about Rtas' past he had never known before: he would have never even guessed that Rtas was once a victim of domestic abuse and that abuse resulted in a phobia of women. No wonder he never went on leave before, though now that phobia has been treated.
Still, Rtas' new family life left Zeno a bit envious, maybe even a bit bitter. Rtas hardly had time for him anymore, not that Rtas had been very approachable in few months preceding his assignment to the Cairo, which was about a year prior to when the Kesi problem was finally resolved. Rtas wasn't the only one to settle down either: the Arbiter had taken on a new mate, a petite female named Sari whom turned out to be Rtas' half-sister! Yes, a lot had come about, but none of it did Zeno himself any good.
He had thought isolating himself here at Earth would help his own pain, but thoughts of Miko still haunted him from time to time. Zeno had hoped the tattoo he got to honor Miko's memory would give him closure: which it did, but only for a short time. On top of the grief that assaulted him and the loneliness that stalked him were the nightmares
Usually, it was the dream about the blob hunting and devouring him, but sometimes he had one that involved the circumstances around Miko's death. In this dream, however, the Flood succeeded in taking over Miko's body and attacked him. Zeno could never bring himself to 'kill' the Miko combat form and eventually he would be killed by it and then become part of the Flood himself.
Regardless of which dream it was, he always woke up screaming and checking to ensure it was just a dream, that he was, indeed, still alone in his room. Afterward he would drink: he knew it wasn't good for him to do so for both his physical and mental health, but it was the only way he knew how to ensure he would fall asleep again. He certainly didn't bother telling anyone about the dreams either, as he was sure he would just be told they meant nothing and that it had to have been something he ate, or watched beforehand. Besides, his Sangheilian pride kept him from seeking out advice on such matters anyway.
All he could do was hope he didn't have either dream again tonight….
He was awakened by a sudden jolt. Only just managing to keep himself from crying out in surprise, he froze. More jolts followed, forcing him to brace himself against the sides of the crate to keep himself from banging against the sides and potentially alerting workers. What was going on?
Once the fog of sleep had mostly passed he was able to concentrate on listening. He heard voices and machinery. Considering the crate was constantly bouncing about now that meant only one thing: the ship had arrived at a port and the workers were now started to unload their cargo. His hearts started hammering with excitement.
I made it…, he thought, joy filling his hearts for the first time in months. I actually made it!
Reality set it quickly, dulling his mood but not by much. He had to get out of this crate without being detected first. After that, get his bearings, assume a new identity and find work….
Then he heard something that puzzled him. While he could hear Sangheilian voices, they were speaking in human, which meant there were humans here. What were humans doing here? This was supposed to be Sangheili colony. Without his armor and thus translator, he could not understand most of the human speech, but he did catch a couple of words he did understand and his hearts sank.
Earth. Cairo.
No, no, no! he thought, starting to panic. This is all wrong! The ship was not supposed to go to Earth!
The ship must have had a last minute schedule change, but either way, he was screwed. The people here would send him back for sure. What was he going to do?
Calm down…Calm down, he told himself, taking deep breaths. Just sit tight and wait for them to finish unloading and everything to go quiet. Get out and figure things out from there….
His crate did finally stop moving after a few moments, but things were taking a long time to go quiet. A couple of dockworkers, both humans he could tell, kept lingering by his crate. He only understood one word out of their conversation: agyat. Oh blood, they must be taking inventory… he thought, panic really setting in now. Please do not open the crate…please….
He would not get his wish.
The moment the lid of the crate lifted, he reacted out of a combination of reflex and sheer panic. He leapt out of the crate, surprising both dockworkers. His landing was less than gracious for one of his species, stumbling and falling onto his face: his legs were a bit rusty after being cooped up in that crate for so long. By the time he got his legs to cooperate, the dockworkers were shouting in alarm. He only had one choice now: run.
"No!" he shouted in his native tongue as he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. "I will not go back! I will not go back to the Shadow!"
Zeno was just getting ready to go to bed when Sesai, the station's AI, popped up on a console next to his bed. Most human AIs took on a human form, but this one took the form of what the humans referred to as an eastern style dragon. Serpentine body, short three-toed legs, a mane of fur around the head, with a ridge of it going down her back and ending in a tuff, whiskers on her snout and a pair of horns behind her eyes: humans certainly had interesting looking mythological creatures.
"What is up, Sesai?" Zeno asked, pausing in his bedtime preparations.
"I have just received a report of a stowaway on one of the recently arrived supply ships, Ambassador"
Zeno winced faintly. "Sesai, I have asked you to only refer to me as 'Zeno' when I am in my private quarters. Plus, I do not see why you are telling me about a stowaway: that is a matter for the security teams."
"Protocol dictates that you be referred to as 'Ambassador' regardless of your personal tastes, Ambassador." Zeno could hear a bit of cheekiness in the AI's tone, much to his annoyance. "In regards to why I am informing you of this event: have you forgot that you are also responsible for the behavior of any Sangheili that visit this system?"
Zeno sighed as he remembered: yes he was indeed in charge of settling any problems his fellow Sangheili caused. Then he blinked and looked at the AI fully when he caught on to why she reminded him of his fact. "The stowaway is Sangheili?"
"Affirmative, Ambassador."
"That is rather unusual. Even a lowly serf would not even think of doing such a thing. It would be considered dishonorable."
"Regardless, he has yet to be apprehended. Security has him cornered in one of the storage bays. Unfortunately, this particular bay is stocked with items that are quite flammable and volatile, so security is hesitant to rush in."
"Not to mention they likely do not want to risk him using such materials to prevent his capture." Zeno mused. "Any idea on motive?"
"No, but security is assuming this individual is an escaped convict."
"Has he attacked anyone?"
"Negative. He just ran without so much as making a threat. Though he was reported to scream 'I will not go back. I will not go back to the shadow.'"
"Well, I can see why they are assuming he is a convict in that regard. However, there are no Sangheili prisons named with the word 'shadow' in it, at least ones that are still in operation anyway."
"The word could be symbolic instead," the AI offered.
"Perhaps, though my people are not known for vague symbolism." Zeno paused and thought a moment. "Are there cameras in that storage room the individual is hiding in and do you have access to them?"
"Yes and of course." Sesai sounded slightly insulted. "What do you think I am?"
"An annoying holographic lizard."
"Very funny, Ambassador."
"Yeah, yeah. Can you bring up a feed showing this guy for me, please?"
"Only because you asked politely."
A moment later, a live feed from a camera, obviously from the storeroom where the stowaway was holed up, appeared on the console. In it, he saw a young male Sangheili tucked away in a corner, behind a couple of large crates marked 'high explosives'. At first, Zeno thought it was Miko sitting there, the skin tone of the male's skin so similar, but then he realized this male lacked the mottling on his back Miko had, not to mention Miko has been dead for about four years now.
Shaking his head of the memories of his dead lover, Zeno concentrated on the individual on the screen, looking for clues of disposition and motive. The male had his legs up against his chest, which his head buried in crossed arms on top of his knees. The audio wasn't that great, but he thought he heard sobbing. Zeno did not know what was going on with this man, but his instincts told him that this man was no escaped convict.
"Sesai, tell the security team to stand down and to not do anything rash. I am on my way," he said, quickly throwing on a pair of civilian clothes.
"Ambassador?"
"That man is no criminal…His body language is all wrong. He looks more like a frightened kid."
"As you say, Ambassador. The security team has been informed."
"Thank you, Sesai."
The walk to the site only took ten minutes, but it felt like forever to Zeno. He knew the security team had to be getting antsy: ever since the attempt on the Arbiter's life nearly three years ago, they took the protection of their Sangheili dignitaries very seriously. Because of this, Zeno knew he would have his work cut out for him to convince the security team that he the stowaway was no threat and to let him handle it.
"Ambassador," one of the humans, the captain of this security team, said when he arrived. "Sesai told us what you believe, but with all due respect, sir…."
"With all due respect, Captain," Zeno interrupted. "I spent over a decade working in reconnaissance, studying people and gathering information: if anyone here can judge this individual's intent with little information to go on, it would be me."
"Understandable, sir, but the potential threat…."
"Captain, that kid was doing nothing but just sitting there and I bet you that is what he is still doing. If he was intending to blow anything up or cause anyone any harm, he would have done so by now."
"And you are sure of this?"
Zeno sighed and said. "Sesai, the feed please."
-Yes, Ambassador.- Sesai's voice said from the console next to the storage room door. In a moment, the live feed appeared, and indeed, the man was in the exact position as before.
"Does this man look like a threat to you?" Zeno said, gesturing to the feed.
"Well I'll be damned," the captain said. "I have never seen an Elite huddled in a corner like that before."
"If you go in there with your guns raised, you may cause him to panic," Zeno pointed out. "You know how frightened, cornered animals can be. Frightened, cornered sentients can be even worse."
"Point taken, Ambassador. What do you suggest we do?"
"Let me go in there and talk to him," Zeno said. "I am in civilian clothing and unarmed, I would not be as intimidating as one of you, or an armored Sangheili."
"I do not know, Ambassador…."
"If he does turn violent, I am proficient in unarmed combat: I can handle myself. Plus, you can watch how things are going on the feed."
"Alright. You convinced me. Here," the captain handed him an ear piece. "So we can communicate, in case you need anything."
Ugh, I hate these things. Zeno thought as he inserted the device into his right ear hole. Unfortunately there was no choice, considering he didn't have his armor.
-I will guide you to where the stowaway is hiding, Ambassador.- Sesai's voice suddenly said through the ear piece, making him jump.
"Dammit, Sesai, do not do that!" he growled, a couple of the humans chuckling.
-My apologies, Ambassador.-
Zeno sighed and shook his head. "Alright, I am going in. Wish me luck."
The humans simply nodded and he opened the door….
Things just kept getting worse and worse.
He took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in this storeroom, with no way out but the way he came in. Now the security forces of this station were outside the door, likely planning on how what to do next. A part of him was telling him to just step out there and give himself up willingly, but fear held him in place. There was no guarantee they would understand his situation, why he did what he did. Chances are they would send him right back without second thought.
Why didn't I just go back home? He thought, tears in his eyes as he curled into as tight of a ball as he could. His keep, he remembered, would have helped him, supported him, if he had gone to them instead of pulling this stunt. Yet he took a cowards way instead and even his keeps level of understanding can only extend so far. As far as he was concerned, he was doomed, may as well be dead. Yet the will to live was still so strong.
What is taking them so long? he thought. It is not like I can go anywhere. The security team was certainly taking their sweet time coming in here: if the team was Sangheilian they would have burst in here by now.
Just then, he heard the door open.
Here it comes. He wanted to stand and face them, hands in the air in surrender, yet he remained as he was, huddled in this corner.
He couldn't see the door from his position, behind two large crates that smelled of sulfur, so he listened instead. Odd, what he was hearing was a single pair of feet, approaching cautiously, not the bum rush of half a dozen boots he was expecting. But who is to say there weren't more approaching stealthily? Hearing wasn't exactly a Sangheili's strongest sense after all.
"Hello?" a deep, slightly gravelly voice, call out. A Sangheilian voice.
His hearts started hammering: this was the last thing he wanted. A Sangheili would be the least likely to be sympathetic to his plight. "Go away!" he shouted in response, more out of reflex than anything else. If he could press himself any harder into the corner, he'd become a part of it. But his outburst only served to pinpoint his location to this individual. Within seconds, the owner of the voice appeared from behind the crates….
He had been expecting a fully armored Sangheili warrior before him, with a sword or other weapon in his hand. Instead, he was looking at a Sangheilian male dressed in civilian attire. What stood out to him immediately was that the clothing was human in style and that this male had a series of odd black markings on his chest and left arm. His skin tone was very dark, though there was a paler section on his front. Eye color was also fairly dark, the iris reminding him somewhat of fire, but what it was that put him off guard the most was the sympathy he saw in those eyes.
"Ah, there you are," the man said, softly with no hint of aggression in his voice. "Looks like you got yourself in quite a fix mmm?"
"W-who are you?" he asked. Though the newcomer's mannerisms eased him somewhat, he was still wary of his intentions.
"Someone that wants to help you," was the answer as the man sat down, his back to the back wall, yet distant enough to leave him room to bolt if he wanted to.
"You are a Sangheili," he countered. "We kill the weak and the cowardly, why would you want to help me?"
The man visibly winced. "Because I know sometimes the situation we find ourselves in is out of our control and we should not be blamed and punished for it."
But I can be blamed for it…I wasn't strong enough…smart enough… He didn't say this out loud however. "I doubt that would apply in my case…."
The man studied him for a moment. "That remains to be seen." After a pause he asked. "What is your name?"
He thought a moment, considering. Should he give him a real name or a false one? I am not so dishonorable that I would lie about my name, he decided as he said. "Sani."