Chapter 3

Was I okay with this? Was I mentally prepared? The answer is no. My heart skipped a beat when the pelican touched the deck inside the cruisers hanger. I could feel a lump form in my throat. Taking the back of my hand to wipe the perspiration off my brow. The sounds of doors opening came from outside the only shelter I had from the aliens that I could hear gathering around my hiding spot. Was I scared that answer was a most definite yes.

The back hatch opened with a hiss making me jump. Purple bluish light streamed in blinding me with its radiance. I braced for weapons fire that never came. Two lines of the freaks stood facing each other; six aliens on both sides. I stood to my feet and patted my right pants pocket feeling that my only means of not getting killed was there to save me. My duffle bag held white knuckled by my right hand.

One elite stood at the end of the two columns. It looked at me making every human instinct to flee more pronounced in my brain, but I walked forward anyway. The hinge-heads spaced apart for me to walk through without having to worry. All twelve wore red armor save for the figure at the end; who wore white. I came to a stop between the last two elites and noticed something about this elite that haft its face-fingers are missing on the left side of its odd-looking jaw anatomy. I was overwhelmed with fear by the size of the elite before me. Its height loomed over me two feet taller with myself standing at five feet; eight inches.

All the aliens around me looked tall and menacing. After deciding to look at my surroundings from where I stood. Spotting more freaks waiting, and I noticed another thing that none of them carried any weapons that they normally would in battle. A relief in my mind, but their size still dangerous; if I did not tread carefully within the next moments.

I slowly placed the duffle bag at my feet and reached into my pocket to pull out the life line I had been given while back on Earth. Something happened next that would have scared the shit out of me, but I used the bathroom that morning before showering saving me from disaster. The hinge-head in front of me spoke in the human language that it caught me off guard where it had to repeat itself.

"That is not needed human. I have been around your kind enough to speak fluently in your tongue."

Moving felt impossible in that place. My legs refusing every command from my brain. The elite looked at me seeing as it is speaking English caused my skin tone of light sun tanned brown to turn white as the snows of the mountains that dotted Reach or Earth. It issued a command in its native language to the other hinge-heads around us getting all of them to return to whatever they had been doing previously.

It placed a hand on my left shoulder. My guess was a gesture meant to calm my shaking form but feeling its four digits on me was enough to make my first-time meeting with the elites go from bad to wanting to run, but again my legs refused to obey me. I looked around my feelings of claustrophobia washing me clean of the purpose of being on this ship.

I picked up my duffle bag with a shaking hand and forced my legs to move following behind the large alien. We walked to a set of doors that flash purple lights and opened for us. I continued to follow it through the large passageways; other aliens moved to give us clearance, some were small with what looked to be breathing apparatuses on their face. Others looked massive; taller than me or the alien I was following. It terrified me to no end seeing as they looked clad in armor made of the strongest form, but there was always two that we had to maneuver around; which did peak my curiosity a little bit as to why there was always two of them.

The large alien stopped with a sudden ceasing of its long strides that I almost ran into its backside having to take up a light jog just to keep close. It turned to its left and opened the door in front of us. The hinge-head stepped aside motioning with a four fingered hand for me to step into the room.

"This will be your quarters until we reach Sanghelios. I will have one of my people to come collect you soon, and escort you to the bridge."

I decided to go with what it said and stepped into the room. To my surprise it was sufficient size. Housing a bed and two doors at the far end. The walls inside matched the rest of the ships interior; a light purple hue. The bed felt rather comfortable; I had plenty of room to sleep however I wanted. I decided to sit down on its surface and pulled out the translator I had been given. Would I still need it? I asked myself. No sooner had that question passed through my mind there came a noise from the door; its two hafts parting.

Another freak stood in the door frame, but this one wore blue armor plates instead of the white and red ones I had seen earlier. I stood up from the bed and brought the device close to examine the screen. The alien spoke in its native language the device translated one word.

"follow"

I complied with its request and had it lead me to wherever the ships command center was located. We walked through the ships corridors passing more aliens of all sizes. I tried my best to pay them no attention; treading, with great care, past the giant behemoths. All this felt strange for me, because most humans who got this close to the covenant ended up in a body bag shipped back home, if that home existed anymore.

The alien escorting me suddenly stopped; luckily, I was prepared this time, and stood at its right. A large set of doors stood before us. The same type we passed on our way through the ship. The doors parted and we both stepped through the threshold. I was in awe by what I saw before me. Dominating the center of the room was a large platform suspended over a shallow pit where more of the hinge-heads stood at stations. One elite sat on the platform; more above it when I saw it sat upon an anti-gravity chair.

The tall blue alien placed a hand on my left shoulder and spoke to me. Again, I saw the words it said translated on my devices screen.

"Wait here human."

It walked to the elite in the gravity chair and I now noticed the one in the chair was the same one I had met in the ships hanger. The blue elite took a knee and placed its right fist on its chest in front of the alien in the chair. They both spoke in alien tongue, but I was able to understand the conversation through the device in my right hand.

"Shipmaster, I have brought the human upon your request."

"Thank you, Thana, I require two of your best security personnel to guard the human. His safety on my ship is of the upmost importance."

"It will be done honored shipmaster."

The elite he called Thana stood up and it motioned me closer to both of them. I walked up to the white elite floating a few inches off the deck in its command chair. I had no idea how I should act, so I decided to copy what the other alien had done when talking to their shipmaster. The elite stood from his chair and looked over me with an amused look on its ugly face. Standing up my own face burning hot with embarrassment. Maybe copying the other alien was not such a good idea; I thought to myself. Looking back the blue elite had disappeared. Leaving my fate in the haft-jaws hands.

"What do you know of us?" The white elite asked me.

Its question threw me off. I knew enough that I stood before a race of blood craving monsters. The screams of my dying family, friends, community rang loud in my ears. Nothing I could say now would change their fate, or my feelings about my current posting. The elite stood there a foot away from me, but it as well could be a few inches. Its arms being of good length to rip my head off. The alien narrowed its yellow reptilian eyes like it wanted to bring more focus on not giving it an answer.

"Your people are called Sang-he-ili." I sounded out the name making sure to get it right.

"That is correct." It said to me taking pride it held with its people's name.

"Do you fear my people?" It asked me like a parent found out their child's secret.

Damn, was it that obvious? I asked myself not speaking out loud. The sweat I felt roll down the back of my neck increased in magnitude. Pulling at the collar of my shirt did nothing to help me. Being human, the fight or flight response leaned towards the latter option. I looked around for a way to be rid of these creatures that wished me great harm upon my person.

I heard someone large approach me from behind and jumped out of my skin when its hand fell on my right shoulder. The alien beside me wore blue armor plates configured over a black suit like the other tall aliens on the ship. It spoke to the white alien and I was forced to use the device to understand the conversation.

"I am sorry to report that the security personnel you require are in the middle of dealing with a disputing hunter pair shipmaster."

"The same two?" the white alien asked the blue one.

"Yes, the same pair, something this time about…" The conversation stopped and both aliens looked in my direction like they knew some alien, not meant for human knowledge, secret. "I rather speak of this later."

"Alright, you will guard the human for the next week until we reach home." The shipmaster said.

I don't know what happened next. Opening my eyes, I found myself on a cold metal bench with a bright light blinding my eyes back to being closed. I sat up quickly regretting that move immediately proceeded by the light throbbing in my head. My eyes adjusted to the light and I could see three aliens with me in the room. The shipmaster, Thana, and I did not recognize the third creature. It only wore a grey suit in contrast to the black suits these aliens seemed to prefer under their armor; which it was lacking in the armor department. My guess was the gray suit was a sort of uniform for them.

"What happened?" I asked the shipmaster.

"You fainted human. After I had mentioned how long you will be aboard my ship."

He must have been telling the truth cause the back of my head hurt like I had been knocked around in the boxing ring. I attempted to move my legs off the table. The room slowly spun around me, and I felt large hands grab my right arm. The third creature helped me along to the shipmaster and Thana. The white alien turned and spoke to the other one in blue, but I understood nothing they said. Now, realizing the device was no longer in my possession. The shipmaster turned to me and spoke in a language I understood.

"Your device was taken back to your quarters and my head of security will insure your safety while you are here."

I looked to the elite he had called Thana and noticed that it was an inch or maybe five inches shorter than the shipmaster. I sighed finding my only option was to do what the shipmaster said. Thana stood ready to leave and not given much choice followed the alien out of the room.

The trip to my quarters was a silent outing, and a mostly deserted one. I noticed that the corridors we walked down were only sporting a few short freaks carrying large rifle looking weapons attached to their right thighs. All of them wore the same blue armor as the alien I was trying to keep up from falling behind. It must be everyone's bedtime I thought to myself and laughed loudly. Thana looked back around and shook its head and spoke in its own language. I understood nothing of what it said, but none of it sounded happy.

Now, alone in my quarters I held the device in my hand. I had no idea what time it was, or where I was in relation to Earth. Was it really going to be a week? I was told three days away from the elite's home planet. I had no view of the outside into space, so I had no means to triangulate my position. I stood up from the bed deciding to explore the room. I found the first door near the bed to be a stowage area and the other door next to it was a shower area of some kind. I placed my bag inside the storage closet along with the device in the bag for safe keeping. And feeling like I needed to be in here any longer.

The outside of my room was quiet and devoid of life. I took the chance and slipped away to explorer beyond were the aliens had me kept. The corridor was huge, now with only me, I could see the true size of the ships interior. Continuing I passed what I was to guess are other rooms for the freaks onboard. Turning this way and that each passageway started to blur together I started to realize how despairingly lost I was. Coming to a set of very large doors that oddly opened as I got closer to them.

The room was a massive storage area housing a wide gathering of alien tanks, light attack craft, and the large flyers they favored in combat. The center of the room sat a large metal disc in the deck that took me four long strides to get from one end to the other. Seven doors lead out of the area; three on one side and three on the other; plus, the door I had come through behind me. This space was brightly lit. I could see the room clearly every section; every corner. So, why did I feel eyes staring at me?

Something felt off I kept looking over my shoulder, everything was normal large vehicles keeping me company. I walked around a pair of tanks, but nothing there excluding my reflection in the vehicles side. Rubbing the back of my neck I could feel the sweat against my skin a clear sign that my body knew more then it was letting on. Walking back to the metal disc I stood in the center and looked at my surroundings trying to see if I was being followed or being paranoid.

Nothing there but me and my thoughts and the large keys to humankind's destruction. The lights went out with no warning leaving me in darkness. I backed up slowly looking left and right expecting something to greet me from the darkness. What did greet my eyes and ears was the sound of four weapons being activated and the bright lights of energy blades trapped me where I stood.

A laughter met my ears as the lights came back on. I saw four aliens standing around the disc they had me stuck on. All the freaks wore black armor plates, and helmets that completely covered their heads with blue lights where their eyes should be located. My own eyes expanded in fear as the last moments of my life unfolded before me. An alien walked into the circle and regarded me with a full view of its ominous smile, if you could call it that, but it looked like one to me.

The freak stepped on the platform and looked my way sporting a glare of pure hatred, disgust, and with malice intent to end my life. I could feel my heart getting ready to launch from my chest. The sweat down my neck and my body rolled with a fevered pitch. My neck was grabbed by the massive beast four fingered hand. He raised me up and the lack of oxygen set in quickly throwing my conscience out the window. The last thing I heard was an alien sounding roar from behind the group and then I was gone. No idea of what happened next or would I see tomorrow.