Chapter Three: And Suddenly! (Revelation)

(Mary's POV)

I brought up my shotgun as it rested between the mandibles of some pissed off alien. Down the hatch, I pulled the trigger and watched the body fall. Close range mouth shots, not recommended but highly effective. I sprinted over to the rock the Marines were hiding behind, as I tore my pack away from one of them. I stuffed the bloody shotgun into it as I took the Magnums out and let them sit on my magnetic holsters. Not as powerful as the ones on the armor but they worked. I forced myself to not look at the Marine's faces. We were fucked, they were fucked. I had a good chance of getting out of this but to get them out of this... well I was always pretty ballsy.

"Gentlemen!" I said to them making sure my pack was tight against my back as it felt like nothing was there. "This is where I bid you all adieu. I'm about to fuck up the day for some aliens!" I say grabbing some frag grenades. "When I start pissing them off get to the Hog and get the hell out of here!"

With them providing some cover fire I rock hopped from cover to cover. My heart wasn't pounding in my chest... not yet anyway. It was a small group that slaughtered these men, so I figured it wouldn't be too hard to piss them off. The Golden guy seemed easily pissed off. I grinned as this. This is what gets my heart pounding.

Out of armor I can hit 30mph so it's fun to see the looks on their faces as I appear out of nowhere and well bequeath them party favors! However the Covenant aren't much fan's of my party favors. I laugh a little manically as I killed a few guy, stay focused! I hear Topdog bark in my ear. "COME AND GET ME SUCKAS!" I scream at them as I dart around the group and taunt them. Lucky for me the Golden Guy doesn't appreciate the scrawny little human playing this game of 'keep-away' with him. Now I gave those soldiers a chance to live, now I've got maybe 10 pissed off Elites.

Now they have the advantage of being behind me. Plus they have endurance behind those legs of theirs. But I'm pretty sure I wounded most of those guys... hopefully... you know I really did not think this through. I make a sharp turn pulling up rocks as I ran at 30mph, okay maybe around 25mph, into a forest now weaving through trees. I jumped like a deer over small brooks and shots they took. The trees took the shots meant for my skull, I rolled to my feet as I jumped down a small cliff. My ankle throbbed with pain and I forced myself to run faster. Sure I might be causing permanent damage but if I get away I can hide out for a few days.

I broke through the tree line, and again I make a shitty Spartan, as I was still going pretty fast and when I looked back in front of me... all I saw was crimson leg armor quickly getting close to my face. I smacked face first into the armor and fell back hitting my head again. I groaned as I went from Spartan Time to normal time... did I mention how much of a pain that was? Yeah... really sucks when you're disoriented by getting smacked around. I blinked hard and my ears caught up to real time faster as the loud hum of plasma pistols was suddenly buzzing like a swarm of pissed off bees. I looked up at the alien feet near my skull and I was looking down the barrel of charged plasma pistols.

Man... I really was a terrible Spartan.

(Kulu's POV) An hour earlier...

I awoke from a dreamless sleep as my eyes darted around. I forced myself to sit up on my forearms as I saw Takn 'Prifdiee, the lead medic for the Fearless Triumph. "Am I?"

"Back on the ship?" Takn said turning toward me blowing smoke out his snout. "No, I came down to visit. The others are tending to the other wounded but... you had the human medical..." His mandibles tightened as he could not explain what it was, "Humans call it Biofoam. Now since I know you Kulu. You won't tell me. The head medic where and how that got into your wound." He huffed loudly as Takn was a stocky Sangheili. A shorter neck with a longer skull. His claws gently ran over the ridges against his skull, he was of one of the outer colonies as his dialect sounded closer to human language. His frame was common in those from the colder regions of Sanghelios.

I grunted as I sat up looking over the sewn up wound running my fingers over the stitching. Maybe if I was younger I would have cared about lost honor however all I see this is that I live another day and do not suffer a possible painful infectious wound. "A human, though it might have been out of its mind, helped me." I kept it simple. Though I rationalized that I was mistaken by how young I estimated it to be. Humans were not that desperate to send their young to die, not yet at least.

Takn grunted at that as his eyes looked over his supplies, his chest grumbled as he exhaled before turning to me. "You can walk around but give yourself at least two days before you head back to the front lines or try and engage the enemy." With that Takn left to make his rounds.

I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth. I could not brush away that feeling of debt to the human as I would surely be dead, still debating on whether or not that is a good thing. However just repaying her with the chance to live... that seemed stale in my mouth. I should be returning the favor with something far more then the simple ability to live. I huffed as I pulled on my body suit, perhaps I should just accept it. This is war and I doubt I'll see the human again.

H'el walked in as I snapped my bracers on. He looked tired, the younger brother of the Zukor pair, though where Toma held prestige in becoming a capable swordsman, H'el is turning out to be a competent tactician as he does not let religious fervor blind him. If something were to happen to me I have faith in H'el taking my place. "Let's go on a walk, H'el. I need to cement some things if something were to happen to me once more." With that being released into the air I slipped on my helmet.

My side burned as I walked slowly with H'el, though that did not mean I was left unguarded. My achievements may not be comparable to the Supreme Commander but the humans know of my value as I have made it known with spilt marrow and human blood. "H'el you may not have the typical training for a Field Marshal however you have the mind of one. If something is to happen to me you are to take charge til' a higher ranking, and qualified, officer takes over."

"I am honored by this Kulu..." H'el said.

I could hear the But...as I remember playing this game with Kithra many times. Generally straightforward like her mother but at times she would play this game with me when she was uncertain of my answer. Plotting her words to make it sound appealing or embarrassed to ask... I miss them so much.

"But, why me? It is true that I have the potential but there are others with adequate rank above me currently. Why choose to subvert that natural chain of command with your shekvet'a sap'lavidan?" He said turning to me as we stopped.

I felt amused as he questioned my orders, not many have the audacity to question orders of higher ranking officers but those who see a glaring flaw will speak up. "Yes H'el I know I am however you would continue my tactical legacy and not blindly throw men at a failing battle." I felt pride swell in my chest but I let out the hissing sigh as few understood the insanity and blindness our kind sometimes suffers. "We are one of the blights of the Covenant as we think differently. I use that to my complete advantage. The word Honor... it tastes like ash upon my tongue. It is used to justify insanity, to justify countless deaths at the hands of the enemy, and to justify genocide. We need to think rationally again. The winds of favor are changing H'el. I can feel it."

I heard encroaching plasma fire as the shots were scattered in origin but constant. My eyes scanned through the trees as my instincts told me to watch them. I barely saw what rushed out of the trees, my eyes locked on the checkered cloth, they suddenly locked onto the startled face. I gripped H'el as a grunt escaped from me. The human ran right into my leg, quite hard might I add as I nearly lost my footing.

H'el backed me up as those with me circled around her as feet were close to her skull. Plasma might not always kill instantly but crushing a skull was quite messy. I walked over as I pushed on shoulders, I wanted a better look. They hesitated for just a moment as they let me look down at the human. Her look was dazed as her hands rubbed her head, her eyes when she would open then looked unfocused as if she could not see us quite yet, I confirmed that this was indeed the same human as before. I was to issue the stand down order but my eyes caught sight of her side arms, on her leg was a knife holster, and spilling from her bag was the barrel of what humans called a shotgun. I was taking a risk but I still issued the order, "Back up but keep weapons trained on her."

She continued to groan as it stopped as her eyes focused on the weapons in her face but they quickly locked onto my face. "Oh hey..." She spoke in a tired tone as her chest was shuddering as she inhaled deeply. "Big guy... from the cave... right?" Her panting continued.

I squatted down, ignoring the burning pain of my stitching, as I looked at her. Her eyes still trying to focus, "Yes I am the one from the cave. Now I'm going to do something for you." I heard the uncertain mandible clicks from the men with me. "In my culture when you do something selflessly for another, as you did for me, you should repay the kind act in return. Though the thing I should do is either execute you or imprison you. However I still have to repay you so I'm just going to look the other way as I look for what ran into my leg." I say not even suppressing the grin on my face as my mandibles locked together tightly.

She sat up quickly as her eyes finally focused but her breathing was still heavy. She looked back at the trees before turning her head to me and smiled in return. I've studied humans long enough to learn that they express joy by showing their teeth with a relaxed posture. "That...seems fair." She jumped to her feet and well I figured this exchange was all done.

The 4 others with me, excluding H'el, reluctantly meandered about looking for the illusive creature that ran into my leg. H'el helped me to stand as I forgot that Takn told me not to exert myself. I turned away feeling satisfied till a thump behind me made me look to where the human was. I held back my distraught look as she bit her hand and writhed on the ground in obvious pain.

It took only a few steps to get over to her but I knelt down once more ignoring the pain. I saw the pain on her face. She smiled at me... these moments always confused me but I brushed it aside listening to her speak. "I... I musta hurt my foot." She said with deep hiccupped breaths as her hand smeared grass stains on her skin while she wiped away the tears. "I'll be fine." She lied as she couldn't hide how much pain she had felt though I was surprised as to how she did not scream.

"Well..." I looked at her as this was what I wasn't expecting, granted I wasn't expecting to see her again. "Then I'll just help you. " I said picking her up feeling how she grew tense in my hold. "You helped me by giving me medical attention. So I'll return your favor by allowing you to rest till your own wound is healed." I looked at her as she just nodded slowly.

"Thank you." She said softly as I carried her away.

Perhaps I should have connected the dots right then and there. The shots, her being armed, her lack of breath, an injury from running, and simply her... I look back at this and maybe I really only thought about repaying the debt I owed. I never saw the zealot and his men rush out of the trees looking for her moments later. I never questioned her being armed... it's war. I never could have foreseen the way my life changed after this meeting...

And I do not regret any of it.

Typed on 5/25/2015

This chapter was hard to redo. My friend told me to redo how Aeia and Kulu got paired up. So this chapter was a challenge not it really redoing it but just planning out how I redid how they met and how she sticks around. The next few chapters are going under a similar heavy revamp so there will be very little in resemblance. I hope you all enjoy this!

shekvet'a sap'lavidan is Georgian for 'order from the grave'.