Needles in Haystacks
The planet Illium was located in the Tasale system of the Crescent Nebula, right on the border of the lawless Terminus Systems. It was a place that was still untouched by exploration parties from Earth; in spite of human colonisation and terraforming efforts prior to the war, the lack of slip-space technology meant that they had not been able to explore far beyond the Local Cluster. As a result, communication with other denizens of the galaxy had been rare, and the learning of alien languages had been stunted somewhat. That proved to be a problem for Bishop as the Serenity entered Illium's atmosphere, after a week's flight in slip-space, and tried to confirm with the ground control in the capital city of Nos Astra that he required a place to land.
"No, please, listen to me," he was saying into the communicator as the Serenity sped through a golden sunset sky. "Is there anyone among your people who has studied the languages of the human race?" He was sounding uncharacteristically frustrated, as a female voice on the other end spoke in a language that seemed to flow like water.
"Take it easy, Bish," the gargoyle First Mate Alistair said. "Don't blow a gasket." Bishop frowned heavily, and returned his concentration to his flying. He held the control column with a very hard grip and stared stonily out of the window.
"I guess they build you guys to resemble humans too well," Alan said. He knew that he would be frustrated if he was in Bishop's shoes, android or not; while he could pick up new languages fairly quickly, he doubted there were many study aids available for alien languages. After a minute the female voice returned, but thankfully for Alan this one was in English.
"This is tower control at Nos Astra spaceport," the voice said in an over-polite manner. "Can I help you in any way?"
"This is the transport ship Serenity," Bishop promptly replied. "We're seeking permission to dock in the spaceport."
"May I ask what the purpose of your visit is?" the traffic controller asked.
"We're en route to the Terminus Systems," Bishop promptly replied. He had rehearsed their cover story well. "We're just making a pit stop for supplies and fuel, and perhaps do some sight-seeing." There was silence on the other end for half a minute, and Alan started to get nervous. The planets he had explored so far were either very technologically limited or full of beings that wanted the crew dead. After what he assumed to be some discussion, the traffic controller spoke again.
"Permission granted, Serenity," she said. "We will ready a landing platform for you. Please follow the flight path we are sending you now."
"Thank you," Bishop replied. Thankfully, according to the ship's scanners, the atmosphere on Illium was Earth-like and breathable, which removed the necessity for any respirators or airlocks.
"Well, we're past the first hurdle," Alan breathed. "Let's hope it was the hardest."
Moments later, the city of Nos Astra came into view. It was a magnificent sight, with the sleek skyscrapers reaching up to the evening sky and small craft darting this way and that amidst the buildings. The city was full of lights, and hundreds of people could be seen milling around on the various catwalks. Every surface was gleaming and smooth. Next to the buildings and the sleek ships already docked in the spaceport, the Serenity looked positively scruffy. In fact, when Rachel Tam, the ship's engineer, came up onto the flight deck to see their entry for herself, she took one look at the city and muttered "Show-offs".
The spaceport was located right near the heart of the city, and the Serenity was soon landing on a small platform suspended hundreds of meters above the planet's surface. The ramp into the cargo bay lowered and all five members of the crew stepped out. Coming towards them along the walkway was a group of what looked like five tall women. All of them had blue skin in various shades, some of them had odd markings around their faces like tattoos, and instead of hair on their heads they had wavy folds of sculpted skin. In spite of these visual differences they looked surprisingly human-like. The one in the front of the group was wearing an elegant dress of green and white and was carrying what looked like a metal shoebox, while the rest were wearing black skin-tight body armour and were carrying assault rifles.
"I take it these are the Asari?" Alan muttered to Bishop, who was examining his commlink.
"Yes, they are," Bishop replied.
"My God..." José muttered, his eyes almost popping out of his head. Even Rachel seemed rather taken with the Asari. The one in the dress approached the crew.
"Welcome to Nos Astra," she said politely, giving a small bow. "I am the spaceport's customs official. Before you enter the city, there are just a few formalities to attend to." She opened the box, which turned out to contain several small ear-pieces like hearing aids. "These are translators. Please take one each and put them on now. Any spoken language will now be automatically translated for you."
The crew did so, each taking a piece and inserting them into their right ears.
"Beats sticking a fish in your ear," Alan said, smirking. When he received a lot of blank looks in return, he turned back to the emissary. "It seems some of you speak our languages though."
"The Asari have been observing the human race for a long time," the Asari replied. "We have been watching as they have taken their first tentative steps out into the galactic community at large. We have observed and studied, and some of us, like myself, have taken the time to learn your languages, seeing the potential in the peoples of Earth."
"Our potential?" Alan said. "If you've been watching us, you'd know we almost got our arses kicked by the Covenant."
"The war has not gone unnoticed by the peoples in Citadel space," the Asari replied. "They claimed that in the interests of galactic stability they could not interfere. The Covenant comes from deep in the Terminus Systems; the Citadel could not intervene without the risk of uniting all in the Terminus Systems behind a common enemy. They would not have survived such a war, especially not with the might of the Covenant on their side."
"Better us than them, eh?" José muttered bitterly.
"I'm sorry if the stance of my people offended you," the Asari said, "but humanity's actions in the war have not gone unnoticed. If rumours are to be believed, then the courage, valour and military might of the humans have caught the Council's attention. First contact between the Council and the humans will be made sooner than anticipated, but it will still not be for some time; the human race needs time to rebuild first."
"So where does Illium fit into all this?" Alan asked.
"We exist outside of Citadel space," the Asari replied. "They have no say in our trade and customs regulations. The planet is colonised by Asari corporate interests, and we are remaining competitive with the Terminus Systems. Whatever supplies your ship needs, you are guaranteed to find them in Nos Astra."
"Will the ship be alright here while we go explore?" Alan asked.
"Yes," the Asari nodded. "Our security forces monitor the station around the clock. How long do you plan to stay on Illium?"
"Shouldn't be any longer than an overnight stay," Alan replied.
"I see," the Asari said. "I can recommend some excellent hotels should you require accommodation." She then gave another bow, and stepped aside to allow the crew to pass. "Thank you, and enjoy your stay in Nos Astra." The crew walked past her, through a very clean corridor and out onto a large balcony overlooking the city.
"That's strange..." Alistair muttered. "They didn't ask for our guns."
"She did say their customs laws are very relaxed," Bishop said, still peering at the information Cujo had supplied. "I also suspect the reputation of the Asari for their biotic abilities and the capabilities of their commandos are powerful deterrents."
"Biotic abilities?" Alan asked.
"According to this," Bishop said, "biotics are almost like magic spells back on Earth. The Asari are well-versed in their ability to manipulate matter. I would advise not to attract too much attention while we're here."
"Let's just hope the people we're looking for are discreet then," Alan said, groaning slightly. He couldn't help imagining what kind of surveillance systems were in operation on the planet, and he started trying to think of what could be done about them. He didn't fancy having a squad of Asari commandos interfering in their grim business.
They spent little over an hour just wandering around the tall skyscraper they had landed at, which also doubled as a central commercial building. A variety of small stalls could be seen, selling everything from weapons to pharmaceuticals, odd little souvenirs and even cybernetic implants. Now that Alan thought about it, he realised that he would have to have been crazy to think that there were not other species in the galaxy who knew of universal concepts such as trade and communication. He now saw more than ever just how small humanity was in the grander scheme of things. It also gave him a bad feeling that life in the rest of the galaxy had continued pretty much uninterrupted while humans were fighting and dying in a war which nearly resulted in their extermination.
Bishop couldn't resist pointing out all the different alien races congregated in the building. Cujo hadn't supplied much information, but he did give enough to let them recognise the differing species by sight. As well as the Asari, there were tall aliens with spindly limbs and cruel-looking faces called Turians, aliens with grey skin and large eyes which turned out to be Salarians, and hunchbacked creatures resembling tortoises called Krogans. Some of the aliens wandered about in environmental suits, apparently unable to survive in the planet's atmosphere. The suits belonging to the Volus were very short and dumpy, their speech punctuated by heavy breathing, while those belonging to the Quarians were sleek and surprisingly elegant. The crew, in-particular José and Rachel, received a lot of odd looks, and some aliens gave excited whispers to their neighbours. José himself kept peering restlessly into every face, as if expecting to see Dorva among them, but there were no Sangheili to be seen anywhere.
As the light from the afternoon sun faded, and while the crew were walking near some market stalls close to what looked like a number of parked cars without wheels, José's impatience got the better of him, and he glared at the rest of the crew.
"Alright, tour's over," he snarled. "When are we gonna do what we came here to do? I've waited too long to have a shot at Dorva; he's probably already off-world by now!"
"Alright, alright," Alan muttered. "Bishop, any clues in that message?"
"Let me see..." Bishop said, bringing up the translated letter on his commlink. "Yes... Apparently Hazra has contacts in the shipping warehouse... Yes, here it is... Storage Block AA23. The Eclipse mercenaries were supposed to meet them there before heading to a secret rendezvous."
"Let's start knocking on some doors then," Alan said.
"The big question is," Alistair said wryly, "how do we get there? There's no point using Serenity just for this; she might get shot down by those mercs, for one thing."
"Surely there's a bus route or something?" Alan shrugged. "Would you kindly go and ask someone?"
"I suppose I could, Captain," Alistair replied, "but I dunno what good it'd do." He walked off and approached an Asari shopkeeper. The others milled around the apparent car park while they were waiting. Rachel then caught sight of a Krogan, reciting what sounded oddly like poetry in a deep, guttural voice to an Asari, who held her head in a hand and somehow looked both embarrassed and flattered. Rachel leaned in closer to listen:
"Blue Rose of Illium, leave eternity unembraced and grapple in the glorious struggle that is us, here and now! I am speechless, not with blood rage, but with love, and I stand here, humble and mute, to offer you a home. Come to me, Blue Rose of Illium. Let our three hearts beat as two."
José had to go over and pull Rachel away at this; she was having such a strong fit of the giggles that it was a miracle that the Krogan didn't hear her. They walked back over to where Alan and Bishop were waiting. Alan noticed Rachel's broad grin and raised his eyebrows.
"What's got you laughing?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing," Rachel said, still trying not to snicker. "I just didn't expect aliens to be poets."
"I dunno," Alan said, smirking. "I've had my suspicions about Wago for a while. He's always struck me as a bit of a dandy."
"Oh, come on!" Rachel exclaimed, slapping Alan's shoulder. "I think it's sweet when a guy shows he's not all macho! Even if he's a completely lousy poet, it's the thought that counts!" Alan noticed that José was looking at her, his brow furrowed, as if determined to retain this piece of vital information. It was then that Alistair arrived, pushing all thoughts of poetry out of everyone's minds.
"Right, here's how it works," the gargoyle said. "We're standing in the middle of a taxi rank. We just sit ourselves down in one and tell it where we want it to go. It's voice-activated. We can pay the right credits through our commlinks. So shall we go?"
"No time like the present," said Alan. The group headed to a small red hovercar taxi. José and Alistair climbed into the front seats, but Alan stopped for a moment to address Rachel and Bishop.
"I don't know what we'll be facing when we reach Hazra," he said. "I want you guys to stay here and hold the fort. Get Serenity prepped if you think we need it. We'll signal if we need you."
"Roger, Captain," Bishop nodded.
"Aye-aye, sir," Rachel chimed in, though she sounded a bit disappointed that she would miss out on the action.
Alan climbed in after the others and closed the door. As Bishop and Rachel walked back towards the market, Alistair spoke clearly to no-one in-particular.
"Storage Block AA23," he said.
With a lurch, the taxi took off from the platform and immediately began sailing through the air between the towering skyscrapers. Hundreds of other vehicles were floating around them, organising themselves into neat lanes at various levels. Alan looked around him, with the night-time scenery of bright lights and headlamps reminding him of his Shadowrunning days.
0
"I am not having this argument with you today," Telek sighed as he made his way to the bridge. Dunkelzahn floated swiftly behind him, trying to keep up.
"It has been a month, you have not found this Dorva 'Elus person," said Dunkelzahn. "We are better off trying to find Kiryuu and the Master Chief."
"We'll find Kiryuu later," said Telek. As he walked passed the large holotable on the bridge, he got up onto his command chair and looked out over the bridge crew. "Alright, you got any info on Dorva's position? What chatter have we been listening to today?"
"Excellency," began Rolu. "I've picked up some new chatter on a trade route frequency heading for Illium. They said that it has been reported that a human cargo ship landed in Nos Astra only a few minutes ago."
"Human ship?" asked Telek. "What are the humans doing all the way out here? Did they get lost? Illium isn't a planet they even have heard about yet."
"Should we go and find out, Excellency?" asked Joli.
"I wouldn't be a good Samaritan if we didn't," said Telek. "Set a course to Illium and for Nos Astra. I want to know why there are humans all the way out here and to point them back in the right direction for Earth. Can't have a bunch of stranded humans out in dangerous parts of the galaxy."
"Yes, Excellency," said Joli.
Telek settled back just as the ship made its jump into slipspace. The trip itself was nearly instantaneous, thanks to the tune-up that Swifter-Than-Most gave to the slipspace drives. Telek always wanted to see just how fast he could push his new ship.
Dunkelzahn settled himself in a cloud of frosty mist around the command chair. He glanced back to see Shri 'Canthon come in from behind him, stepping over the wispy trails of the ghostly phantom dragon's tail. She shivered just as she felt some of the mist come up to caress her sides. Not even her own suit and armour could protect her from the chill of death emanating from the Free Spirit.
"Is it me, or is it cold in here?" she asked.
"It's him," said Telek, pointing back at Dunkelzahn.
"Sorry," said Dunkelzahn.
Telek watched just as the planet of Illium came into view on the main screen in the forward section of the bridge. He leaned over and scratched his chin as Joli brought the ship in closer to the planet. Then, a signal flashed on the screen.
"It's Nos Astra," said Rolu. "They're hailing us."
"On screen," said Telek.
"Welcome to Illium," began an Asari who appeared on a section in the corner of the screen.
"Thank you," said Telek. "I am Shipmaster, er, Eli 'Whitnee of the super carrier Challenging Faith.I am in urgent need of docking facilities. My ship is about out of fuel and supplies are running low. I hope Nos Astra does not mind a super carrier docking for a few hours to fill up."
"Your ship maybe a bit too massive for full docking," said the Asari. "But you may bring down transports to gather supplies, Shipmaster."
"Thank you, I have Phantoms ready for just that," said Telek.
"Your Phantoms may proceed to docking bay 5," she said. "And enjoy your stay at Nos Astra."
Her image clicked off and Telek turned to Shri and Dunkelzahn, with a smug smile.
"Eli 'Whitnee?" asked Shri. "Besides the fact we don't use the double 'e' suffix anymore—but Eli Whitney? The inventor of the human cotton gin?"
"What?" Telek asked. "Good cover-up. I don't want anyone knowing I'm here at least, not publically. If Dorva is down there, he hears I'm here; he'll start running again. I'm tired of chasing after him."
"What if he's not down there?" asked Dunkelzahn.
"Rolu?" asked Telek.
"Eclipse is," said Rolu. "From what I've managed to pick up from the chatter, they were responsible for helping Dorva move around from system to system. If anyone knows where this traitor is, it would be them."
"Twiddle Dumb, you're almost as good as Tekn used to be," Telek chuckled. "Nice work."
"Thank you, Excellency," the red-armoured Sangheili dipped his head.
Telek got up and turned back to Shri: "Okay, Commander, you got the com. Keep Dunkelzahn with you and I'll be right back. I'm going down in a Phantom to Nos Astra and find those humans."
"No way," said Shri. "You're not leaving without me. You know regulations; Zealots must be accompanied by a platoon at all times."
"Damn it, Shri," said Telek. "We're outcasts, regulations don't matter anymore."
"I'm not letting you go down there by yourself," said Shri. "Besides, if you come in contact with Eclipse, what then? You're not exactly as young as you used to be."
"Oh, thanks, mom," Telek huffed, crossing his arms. "Why don't you tell me I need to take a nap while you're at it?"
Dunkelzahn snickered.
"You shut up!" Telek barked.
"I just don't want anything to happen to my commanding officer," said Shri. "I have a lance of Spec Ops Sangheili, we can go down there and find what information we can get. Besides if we all look, it'll be a lot quicker."
"Fine," said Telek. He pressed a gloved finger on the holographic consol on his chair. "Chief Surgeon Erin 'Venam, report to the bridge, please."
"Aye, aye, Excellency," said Erin. A few minutes later, the gold zealot surgeon came through the double doors of the bridge and approached Telek. "What's up?"
"Erin, you have command of the bridge, since you are next in line for command," said Telek.
"What?" Erin asked. "Wait, I'm a doctor, not a bridge officer. And certainly, not a Shipmaster."
"Well this is what happens when Shri decides to tag along with me down to Nos Astra," said Telek. "Besides, it isn't that hard, just sit in the chair, and twiddle your fingers, and let those two fly the ship." He pointed at Joli and Rolu. "Easy as pie."
Erin hesitantly climbed into the chair; the colour of his skin began to fade away.
"Everyone, until I return, Erin is Shipmaster, got it?" Telek asked.
"Yes, Excellency," chimed the bridge crew.
"My god," Erin began. "There's more buttons on this chair than I know what to do with! I hardly even know what half these damned buttons do."
"Just make sure you don't touch the one that self-destructs the ship, okay, Doc?" asked Telek.
"Oh, which one is that?" Erin asked, looking around the arms of the chair. "So I won't accidently push it…"
Telek chuckled and turned away, leaving the bridge. Erin continued to call back to him.
"Wait, Telek!"
"Oh, and take care of Dunkelzahn," said Shri. "D, behave for Erin."
"I will, good luck," said the Western Dragon as the doors closed. He looked back at Erin who was shifting his eyes between one panel and the other panel on the arms of the chair. "What's the matter, Doctor? Haven't you ever commanded a ship before?"
"I've been trained by the academy on how to do it," said Erin. "Just in case the Shipmaster was incapacitated, and there was no one else 'brave' enough to take charge. But that was years ago. And I'm sure those manuals that I read are out of date, especially for a ship as new as this." He pressed his index fingers together, trying to figure out some way to relax himself. "Oh, hey, any of you want to hear a medical joke? I got plenty! Um—a famous surgeon went on a safari in Yermo. When he came back, his colleagues asked him how it had been. 'Oh, it was very disappointing,' he said. 'I didn't kill a thing. I'd have been better off staying here in the hospital.' Hah! Hah…"
No one except for Dunkelzahn was laughing. The bridge crew turned back to their work. Erin shrank down into the seat.
"I totally forgot," he murmured. "Sangheili don't like doctors—or jokes."
"I thought it was a funny joke," said Dunkelzahn.
"At least someone does," sighed the Zealot.
0
Nos Astra was a well-lit, clean spaceport city, filled with merchants of various species. However, Telek did not see any of his own roaming around here. Just as well, he would hate to have to get into a fight and be kicked out of the city for doing so. For now, he was just on a peaceful mission. Shri, Ysoa, and a few other Spec Ops Sangheili glanced around the bustling populace of Nos Astra.
"See anything that stands out?" asked Telek. "Like humans?"
"Nope," said Shri.
"Okay," Telek said. "Ysoa, you take your platoon and start hunting in that section, Shri and I will look round here. Keep your commlink channel open and let me know if you see something. We'll do the same."
"Right," said Ysoa. "Watch your back." He turned to his other warriors. "Let's go."
Telek watched as the black armoured and dark blue armoured warriors walked away, weaving their way through the crowd. He and Shri 'Canthon began to make their way to the right, looking around for any signs of humans or possibly Eclipse. He knew in this crowd he would at least be able to find humans because humans were rare at Nos Astra. Though finding the humans would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
After little over an hour of wandering, by which time the sun had set, he spotted them. Two of them, a man and a woman, were now walking back up the walkway from the taxi rank; a taxi was just leaving the platform. The woman was dressed in a boiler suit and had long brown hair, while the man's own hair was rather lanky and he had a rather prominent nose and chin. The smiling woman was rather distracted by the sight of a Krogan a short distance away, who was reciting another spectacular example of bad poetry to an embarrassed-looking Asari. As such she didn't spot Telek or Shri as she approached them. The man did see them, however, and his face betrayed only the slightest hint of surprise.
"Watch where you walk, Rachel!" he called.
"Uh?" the woman known as Rachel grunted, not really paying attention. She was now only a couple of feet away from Telek, and the Sangheili opened his mouth to say something. The words didn't come out though, for at that moment Rachel walked straight into him. She bumped into him and fell backwards onto the walkway, sitting there with a rather flustered expression.
"Oh!" she gasped. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't..."
Telek picked her up and set her back on her feet. He released a chuckle at her and crossed his arms. When the woman turned around, she was shocked to find him standing there with a large grin on his face.
"No harm done, darlin'," Telek said. "Really. But next time, maybe you should grow a pair of eyes on the back of your head. Just in case."
Shri slammed her palm against her head. The woman seemed even more shocked now when she heard his East Tennessean accent. It just seemed so out of place for a Sangheili. And he was tall, taller than any other Sangheili she had seen, it seemed.
"You alright?" Telek asked. "Cat got your tongue?"
"Uh..." Rachel stammered, still slightly intimidated by Telek's size. "Uh, no, I... I mean, that is to say, I..." She looked down at her overalls and dusted herself off, looking rather red in the face.
"Rachel," the man said reproachfully as he approached the little group, "is this going to happen every time someone starts reciting poetry in earshot?"
Rachel said nothing, but continued to look flustered. She seemed to be trying her hardest to avoid meeting anyone's eye. The man looked over at Telek and Shri and seemed to regard them carefully.
"You'll have to excuse my friend here," he said. "This is our first time on Nos Astra." He quickly glanced in the direction of the lovesick Krogan. "Certainly our first exposure to Krogan poetry."
"I have never been a fan of it myself," Telek said. "However, whatever it takes to woo a lovely lady."
Rachel flushed even brighter red. Telek turned to Shri and nodded. He looked back at the humans.
"You humans seem a bit far out of your usual romping grounds," he began. "Did y'all get lost?"
"Um, no," said Rachel. "We didn't."
"What y'all doin' here, then?" Telek asked. "Vacation?"
Rachel looked back at Bishop and then back to Telek. Just how did this Elite manage get such an accent?
"I'm so sorry," said Telek. "I did not mean to pry without formally introducing myself. I am retired Vice-Admiral Telek 'Heros…now just the Supreme Commander of the Fleet Shadow of Fury. This is my Spec Ops Commander Shri 'Canthon. Now, may I ask your names?"
A look of complete shock passed over Rachel's face. Did he say what she thought he had just said? This was the Telek 'Heros? She tried to speak, but her words just couldn't seem to come out. Her mouth flapped open and closed like a goldfish. Bishop sighed and stepped in.
"My model designation – my name, if you want to think of it like that - is Bishop," he said calmly. "I serve as the pilot of the Firefly-class transport ship, Serenity. This is our engineer, Rachel Tam." He indicated Rachel, who still seemed completely stunned. "The rest of the crew, including our Captain, is elsewhere in the city-"
"We've been looking all over for you!" Rachel suddenly said quickly, her words seeming to cascade out of her mouth before she could stop them. "We've spent a month looking at every speck of dust in the Black! To run into you here of all places...!" She trailed off again, her eyes almost bugging out of her head, hardly daring to believe their luck.
"Yes, I should probably explain," Bishop said, shaking his head slightly. "Serenity is a recent addition to the Fleet Shadow of Fury. We have been flying under the command of Cujo 'Mentatal for the past month." He looked over at Shri, with a curious expression. "'Canthon... Would you be related to Dovi 'Canthon, by any chance?"
Shri chuckled: "He's my baby brother. Oh, I bet he's worried sick about me though. We've been gone a while."
"Well, I must say, this is a coincidence," said Telek. "Might I ask why you decided to join my fleet? I don't seem to recall having a cargo ship on the roster."
"Well, they did just join after you decided we needed that hiatus," said Shri.
"Hey, I have my reasons!" Telek said.
Shri shook her head and sighed, rolling her eyes at him.
"Can we ask why you decided to leave your fleet?" Rachel asked.
Telek chuckled.
"Perhaps I should buy y'all a drink," he said. "You look like y'all need one."
He led the way back to the main shopping plaza, up a flight of steps and through a door. News reports could be heard constantly, mentioning dozens of other worlds that the Serenity crew had never heard of, such as Omega, Feros and Virmire, though it was hard to hear anything specific above the chatter and bartering.
The group set foot into what looked like a nightclub, with various alien peoples sat around enjoying a drink and the techno music. Rachel found it hard to believe just how human these aliens seemed to her. Over at one table she saw a Salarian, a Turian and a Quarian sat at a table ogling an Asari table-dancer, her exotic moves attracting glances from both the men and the women present. The Salarian fidgeted and mumbled nervously, prompting the Turian to clap him on the shoulder and say something that sounded like "You're gonna enjoy your stag night if it kills us".
Telek led the way to the long bar against the back wall. He treated them all to a round of a glowing blue liquid. Rachel took a sip and her expression brightened; it was a pleasantly cool drink that seemed to massage every nerve cell in her body. Bishop, of course, didn't taste the drink in the same way, and set his glass down as casually as if he'd sipped water.
"Do you wanna tell our story or should I?" Rachel said.
"Allow me," Bishop said. "You just enjoy your drink. I could tell you the exact composition of this cocktail, but there are more important matters to discuss."
"You're cute when you've got your serious face," Rachel said, returning to her glass. Bishop looked across her at Telek, who looked highly amused.
"It was actually Kiryuu Knight that brought us out here, in a way," Bishop said to him. "Our Captain was determined to get out into space and mount a search-and-rescue. To that end he acquired a ship and crew, and we set off from Earth a few days after the memorial. About a week into the flight, we ran into some trouble."
"Those big ugly Brutes decided to try and make trophies out of us," Rachel chimed in, now more relaxed than before. "Good thing the Arbiter happened to drop by."
"Yes, if you want to put it like that," Bishop said. "Otto 'Gamam upgraded our ship with a slip-space drive; without it, we would not even have got as far as Alpha Centauri by now. Unfortunately he couldn't find a suitable superconductor and we ran into engine trouble within the first fifteen minutes in slip-space."
"Things went ka-splodey," Rachel said, miming an explosion with her hands. "So we jetted off to Pandora to find some shinies to make the new superconductor."
"Unobtainium was the only suitable material in our vicinity," Bishop said. "It was not the only thing there we found, though. We were fortunate enough to find Tom Jimenez, who was having a spot of bother with the native Na'vi."
"You and the Captain got yourselves caught as well," Rachel said, prodding Bishop's chest. "We all had to come bail you out!"
"Yes, that, of course," Bishop said, looking unusually flustered. "We managed to escape from Pandora, and Tom took us to the rest of the fleet. When we found out that we all shared a common goal, we were sworn in. We have had to manually survey dozens of worlds since then, searching for any sign of Kiryuu Knight, the Master Chief, or indeed yourself."
"One down, two to go," Rachel said, smiling. "It's been a lot of trouble, and we've risked death a number of times, but we've had a few laughs too." She turned to Bishop, an oddly smarmy expression on her face. "Remember the time we had to leave José behind and he picked a fight with Dovi? He didn't stop limping for a week!" She snorted a buried her face on the bar, fighting to stop herself giggling. The drink had made her tongue somewhat loose.
"I doubt José would say that was particularly funny," Bishop said in a droll manner.
Telek just chuckled as he listened to their stories. However, he did not like the idea that they all were a little rough around the neck. He could easily tell that this was basically their first time out in space. What he could not stand was dealing with rookies who did not know what to do. But it seemed Cujo was instructing them well.
"So, Cujo had y'all on 'search for Telek' duties," Telek said. "Well, you found me, now you can go back to Cujo and report to him that you found me. But—however, don't tell him where I'm at. I'm not done yet. I don't want him or the rest of my fleet to start moving in on my location at full speed. That's the last thing I need."
"If I may, Supreme Commander," began Bishop. "Why prey tell did you leave your fleet?"
Suddenly both Telek and Shri became serious and their faces grew dark.
"I'm searching for someone," replied Telek. "Someone who dishonoured me a long time ago. He was a member of my fleet, a Spec Ops Sangheili. I had him work with a bunch of ODSTs one day and they were sent on a mission. But I found out too late that this black-armoured Sangheili had a black heart as well. He led the ODSTs into a Covenant ambush, and then they slaughtered every last one of those poor humans. From the report I got from Shri 'Canthon, none were left alive. It was a disgrace, a black mark on my reputation with the UNSC. They already had doubts about trusting a defector, then that ruined it. I felt that no manner of kissing ass to Lord Hood and President Knight could clear my name from the incident. I was blamed because he was under my command. They wondered how many other Sangheili were still loyal to the Covenant in my separatist band. I tried to explain to them that he was the only one. And I couldn't tell them why."
He leaned back and sipped his drink. This story was painful to tell.
"Dorva 'Elus knew the truth," he continued. "He knew the truth behind Covenant dogma. He knew it was all going to end up in a mass suicide, and yet he still did it! There was no Great Journey, no Divine Beyond. There was only death—yet he still went back to them." Telek's face flushed with anger. "He was a weak bastard fool. His actions nearly cost me my freedom with the UNSC and the lives of my Shipmasters and crew. I vowed that one-day when the war was over, I would look for the traitor who shamed me, and I would let him feel the sting of my sword. So, when I got some information that Dorva was nearby, I left. I left Cujo and the others behind, not telling them what I was after, because I did not want a whole fleet there scaring the piss outta Dorva and possibly the chance of losing him. So, I went alone. I told Cujo to continue the search for Kiryuu. That was a month ago. My search has led me here." His eyes came to focus on Rachel and Bishop. "Don't tell Cujo I'm here. You can tell him you've met me and that I'm alright, but don't tell him I'm here. I don't need him chasing after me. I'm not done yet. When I've found Dorva and killed him, I'll return to my fleet. I promise you that, but I'm not done yet."
Bishop's face remained one of polite interest, but he suddenly felt as if all of his servos would freeze in place. Rachel, raising her head slightly from her shoulders, was wide-eyed. Neither of them could believe that Telek was here looking for exactly the same person that they were, and both were aware that their mission had now suddenly become very complicated.
"What's wrong?" Shri asked Rachel, looking concerned. "That drink no good?"
Rachel slowly turned to look at Shri as if she had only just noticed her.
"Well, er..." she stammered, frantically trying to think of something to talk about other than Dorva. "It's just occurred to me... and don't this the wrong way, but... Are you a girl Elite? I've never seen one around the fleet before!"
Bishop shook his head, holding it in a hand. Shri's figure was more slender than the male Sangheili, and her voice wasn't as deep. The android was surprised that Rachel hadn't realised this sooner.
"I think I'm the only one on the ship who takes the time to study gender differences in non-human species," he muttered.
"There are females among Sangheili warriors," said Shri. "But not many. However, yes, I am female."
"And she is one of my finest swordsman," said Telek. "Or Swordswoman…swordsperson…I don't know what to call you."
Shri gave him a good slap in the stomach.
"And she's like a sister to me as well," said Telek. "If you're wondering why we're so informal."
Then, Telek rose. Shri followed him.
"Well, now that I know that you and your captain are in good hands with Cujo," he began. "We'll take our leave. I was searching for you to see if you needed any assistance. After all, I like humans. If I didn't, I wouldn't be wearing UNSC dog tags around my neck. Don't worry about handing over any credits, I'll take care of your drinks. But remember, don't tell Cujo. He sometimes likes to act like he's my nanny—if Shri doesn't beat him to the job first. Come on, Commander, our search continues."
"Bye," Rachel said, giving a friendly wave.
"Good luck in your search, Supreme Commander," Bishop said, giving a quick salute.
Telek and Shri finally parted from the two crewmembers of the Serenity and made their way to the cashier. When Telek was done with paying for their drinks, he looked back at Shri and motioned for her to follow.
"Call Ysoa," he said. "We're going invisible."
"Why?" asked Shri.
"Did you not notice the expression changing on that Rachel Tam girl when I said I was looking for Dorva?" Telek asked as they walked out of the pub. "Something tells me, they know Dorva too."
"You think they would help Dorva?" asked Shri.
"No," said Telek. "I don't. But something fishy is going on and I want to know what it is. Call Ysoa, I'll sneak around with my active camouflage on. I want to get to the bottom of this. Why are they really on Nos Astra?"
Shri nodded and headed off to contact her Spec Ops Sangheili while Telek disappeared behind a potted plant and switched on his active camouflage. He finally came back around and lowered his body, crawling on the floor towards the two crewmembers. Pressing himself up against the wall, he kept his body perfectly still as to make sure his outline was blurred by the background itself. He began to listen in on their conversation, hoping to gather the information he needed to find out what they know of Dorva 'Elus.
"Oh God..." Rachel muttered, leaning in close to Bishop. "Did you hear that?"
"My audio receptors are functioning perfectly, Rachel," Bishop said. "Telek has the same idea that José does, and you know how proud José is. If Telek beats him to Dorva then-"
"I know," Rachel interrupted. "He's gonna go crazy! We've gotta tell the others about this!" All of a sudden her commlink began to beep as a communication line opened. Telek risked leaning in a little closer to listen.
"Rachel," a Cockney-accented voice said on the other end. "Do you read me?"
"Talk of the devil..." Rachel muttered, raising the commlink to her mouth. "Loud and clear, Al."
"We know where Hazra's hiding with his Eclipse lot," the voice said. "They're at the old prefab foundry in the factory district. Get Serenity prepped in case we signal for you. You should be able to track us there on your commlinks."
"Guys, there's something you need to know," Rachel said quickly, as if afraid she would forget if she didn't say now. "You know Telek, the guy we've been spending a month looking for? He's right here on Nos Astra! He's after Dorva too!"
"What?" the voice replied, incredulous.
Bishop was looking around to make sure that nobody was really listening, when he saw an odd shimmer against the wall quite close to their position. The light was warping strangely, as if it was being shone through some kind of invisible prism. He leaned in closer, and as he did so he became more and more convinced that he was seeing the outline of a figure pressed against the wall. He then remembered where he had seen such effects before.
"Optic camouflage!" he said urgently to Rachel. At this the warped light suddenly shifted, and Bishop followed it with his eyes. The shape was dashing straight for the exit.
"It must have been one of Telek's Sangheili!" Bishop said. "I don't know how long he was there..."
"Guys, you've got to hurry!" Rachel said, alarmed, into the commlink. "Telek's onto us! He's heading right for you!"