It had been a week or so since civilian Jamie Trell had accidentally contacted Iamaj Zuri, yet they both had felt something of a friendship forming. Since Jamie's relatives and friends all lived relatively far away, and Ilimaj didn't always feel comfortable talking to his CO casually, their communication became habitual– something that they were both drawn to. One might even say that their entire friendship was habitual– it was faceless, it was easy, but that was what made it so curious and comfortable.

Jamie loved being able to finally use her radio gear in a practical way, even if it never reached that one friend of hers on the other side of Reach. She figured she'd be able to reach him if she messed with the settings a little and re–entered his coordinates, but she feared she'd lose speaking to her newer friend if she did. Besides, if he was bothered with it he would've called her already.

Ilamaj, though through coincidence, genuinely wanted to communicate with her.

Ilamaj, on the other hand was reluctant to for anyone to find out that he was in direct contact with a girl. He'd probably get teased, reprimanded, and then tossed out the airlock if anyone found out. So whenever someone walked in, he made sure they never noticed the screen. If they ever saw and asked, he'd prepared an array of excuses that he was testing the interface, or that the machine was totally busted. Regardless of that, he still feared what would happen if it were discovered– talking to a civilian wasn't bad, but he was sure it'd be very easily misunderstood.

Ilamaj Zuri tried to wonder how Jamie hadn't been claimed yet in any way– she was capable and smart. He started to consider once again that it was someone playing a trick on the other end. Maybe Jamie was a really hideous, scarred Sangheili, or a rogue or an outlaw. She did have strange things to say about her own culture, and she ignored the ideas of dying in battle often, even showing disdain at one point. What clan was she raised in! But… maybe she was concerned for him instantly, as he had become concerned for her.

Still she'd had some strange, instinctive things to say, and even if they didn't always match what he thought, they were at least interesting. Of course, their conversations were the only real entertainment on the ship, so it's not like he had an easy choice to read it or not. And when he started to realize he really enjoyed the conversations– the horror! If it really were a big prank he'd be off all the worse.

He considered trying to maybe find her once he got back home if he didn't die in battle. He started to think that maybe he didn't want to die in battle– blasphemy! How could he think such things! Sometimes, he tried to think about what she'd look like– what color her mandibles were, how good she'd be at fighting and if they could wrestle, and how long it'd take for her to solve an Arum. Of course, only one of those was really about appearance, but he had barely anything to go on. His thoughts were a pool and much that he sifted through was about her, so it didn't matter anyways,

"What do you look like?" He typed into the console one evening.

You dreaming about me, Ilamaj? Popped up on the screen as it always did, within mere minutes of his prompting. She'd been waiting by the machine more and more that week.

"A little bit, but... I can't get the image right."

Well, I'm… medium height, dark skin, dark eyes, small nose. I look sort of average, I guess.

"Dark eyes… small nose… huh…"

What do you mean "huh?"

"You sound to appear gorgeous."

Of course no matter what Jamie said, there was nothing preventing Ilamaj from imagining the most beautiful Sangheili he'd ever seen. Average? As if! She was obviously being modest, he thought to himself. Any beautiful Sangheili woman who is of good heart is modest- and Jamie is of good heart I can tell.

You're being too kind. I doubt I'm the kind of "female" you are interested in.

"Have I not already stated expressly my interest?"

Yeah, but you also seem to think I'm pretty or something.

"Are you not?"

Like I said, I'm average.

"I adore average."

You're just saying that to flatter me.

"I am not. You are likely more than average, and even if you were there are many advantages to average."

Like?

"Being at least minimally attractive to the eyes is worth more than nothing. It prevents competition from others. It is peaceful. And you are probably worth far more already based on your merit of skill alone."

I'm having trouble. Is that a compliment or an insult?

"A compliment, entirely."

If you say so.

"You should have more pride in your species. We are a great people."

I mean considering what we're competing with, maybe, but I'm still not sure what that has to do with me.

"A great people would have a very lovely average."

If only that were truly the case.

"The things we consider pretty are mere inventions. Average is what we are, what we all look like."

I have a hard time believing humans to be so great.

Zuri scoffed on his end. Yeah, she's right, humans are extraordinarily beneath us. She's finally getting my point. He took this as a sign to give out a good jab at the enemy, just to finish his point off and give a good one-two of war spirit.

"All humans should die." Zuri entered into the console, but it seemed that as he did, it was the moment the wires, barely holding together as is, finally gave out.

"*%%$&#&&&&yyTT"

The signal was ceasing to deliver, and it showed as a string of gibberish on both of their screens. Maybe some facet of the universe had decided their fates should no longer be intertwined, or decided that it could set up for a longer, harder fall from hubris.

Similarly, the lights on Jamie's machine started to flicker in and out. The backup generator beeped at her a few times to tell her that the electricity had gone out. It was only lucky her radio was plugged into the same backup that her computer was. She tried typing into the radio back, assuming the glitch was because of the power outage, but it came up all the same.

###$$$!^^&&*( #)$?

"! $%) $) )#&$&&#( _"

*$)!)#*%&%&&

"!)#(G)(F&#N)"

)#()%*T(G_FGGF

Zuri's hand's flew down on the sides of the machine and he screamed at it. Why was it doing this? He spun the machine around with little effort and looked at the wires. He could've sworn he'd put them together better, but it looked like his half–assed job was about done working in his favor.

After a few more moments of contemplating, Zuri gave up.

His contact with Jay was over probably over.

Jamie was a little more hopeful. She grabbed her sticky notes and started writing down once or twice- and then over and over again: Ilamaj Zuri, she'd remember his name.

She told herself she'd find him.

She'd probably be terrified to meet him in person, she supposed, but maybe one day.