Chapter 4: Sharing Stories

Babap made his way down the hall, looking for commander 'Ulfa. He knew what he saw the day before, and, despite what the others spoke of him, was going to tell the commander.

As he ran down, he encountered several other Grunts, and a few Elites, but he suddenly came across the unmistakable form of lieutenant Hesh just up ahead, by himself, looking into one of the terminals on the walls.

Thinking of what to say, he walked up to his superior.

"Me Grunt Babap have something to report to you, sergeant He-" Babap tried to say.

"Lieutenant Hesh" Hesh corrected, interrupting him, in a grumpy tone.

"Sorry, sir. Me think me saw a Phantom yesterday when me and friends were fixing ship" he spoke. "Me think it might be stinky, bad-bad Covenant. Can me speak to commander about it?"

"Wait, you saw a Phantom?" Hesh asked, a sudden seriousness coming into his voice, and the expression his eyes showed turning into something that wasn't his grim demeanor.

"Yes" Babap confirmed. "Me sure me saw it, but everyone else said me just seeing things, but me know!"

"In that case, you should follow me, then" Hesh said, in an urgent tone.

"Urr... Shouldn't we call commander on a com, or something?" He asked.

"No, this is... Something he needs to know in person" Hesh said. "Now come, he's waiting by the southern airlock. We must go, now!"

With that, Hesh began down the hall, followed by Babap in hot pursuit.

"Let's see... Ah, I think I know what to write now..." Okido whispered to himself, as he laid, unarmored, and outstretched on the mat in his room once again. His pad-like terminal was in front of him, and he typed what he recited to himself on it.

"...He died with dignity, honor intact. He died w-"

A knocking at the door made him stop, mid-sentence, no sooner than he had begun.

Shutting off his device with an annoyed, grumbling sigh, his body of worms crawled to the doorway in a cloud of red-and-orange movement.

Expanding, they got to the height to view the personal hologram that allowed him to see who was on the other side, and quietly sighed to himself again.

It was the Spartan.

After literally composing himself into a form that resembled a large blob, he activated the door, and it slid open, revealing Caroline. The Spartan was covered in her blue-colored armor, and her face was covered by her blue-colored visor as well.

There was silence as they both looked at each other, until Caroline finally spoke.

"Um... Hey" she began, rubbing her back with one of her hands. "I... Just didn't think that I properly thanked you for fixing my arm."

Okido's writhing mass only stayed there, in complete silence, save for the sound of his multiple Lekgolo worms wriggling around. Caroline could sense he was either trying to ignore her, or intimidate her.

"I know you can speak" she said again, looking at him. "You tried to say something when I last saw you."

"Huh. You're certainly more observant than I thought, human" the Hunter finally spoke, imitating Caroline's voice to the letter, as some of the worms that made up his body vibrated together, creating the perfect copy.

"Vocal mimicry... Neat" the Spartan complemented.

"There's much you do not know of the capabilities my kind possess, mammal" Okido said, as his orange-red mass began to shift its shape, until from the "waist" up resembled something vaguely humanoid, around his guest's size in terms of height, complete with two arm-like obtrusions, and a head.

The surplus of Lekgolo drooped down and gathered around his bottom half, forming what could only be described as a living cloak, or a legless mound of the worms.

"Please, do come in" he beckoned, turning his body to the back of the room.

Caroline entered, slowly, before closing the door behind her. She looked at the Hunter, and saw him slowly making his way to the other end of the room.

Following, she came to the edge of the room where the worm-creature had lead her. He moved to a large, red mat, made of some kind of foam, in the middle of the floor, with a terminal of non-Covenant design in front of it. To the right of it rested the Hunter's armor, and to the left of it, she saw a rugged chair.

"You can sit, if you want" the Mgalekgolo spoke again, as his mass shrank to its previous, non-shaped, featureless blob form, and got comfy on the mat. "That chair is reserved for guests, after all. I have no use for it."

"No thanks, I prefer to stand" she politely declined. When she had a good look around the room, she saw a large, metal bookcase nearby, filled with what appeared to be paper-based books and scrolls.

"I see you like to read" she said. "I've always heard rumors of Hunters having secret, intellectual pursuits. I guess this proves it for me."

"We may take on large, brutish appearances, especially when battle calls, but in all actuality, we can be quite civilized" he replied, still using Caroline's voice to support his own. "I, for one, have a love of poetry, plays, and literature, and occasionally dabble in philosophy. The works of Mgalekgolo war poet Kenso Gunta Disrud, Sangheili Admiral Avos 'Vissomee, and human playwright William Shakespeare are especial favorites of mine."

"Wait, wait, wait..." Caroline began, putting her hands up in disbelief. "You know of Shakespeare's works?"

"Who doesn't?" he asked. "Well, besides those who are ignorant to the arts of other races. I actually learned of him from my brother a few dozen years back, just a short time after we split off from our original form."

"Go figure" Caroline chuckled, a hint of enthusiasm in her voice.

"You've not experienced the works of Shakespeare until you've heard him in original Te" he said again, adding to his previous comment.

"Once again, go figure."

They both went into a small bout of laughter, about as boisterous as two, upper-class people trying to keep their cool, and aura of civilness in public.

"So, what kinda "poetry, plays, literature, and philosophy" do you write and read?" She decided to ask.

Okido's worms wriggled around, obviously showing his attempt to muster a proper response.

"Ones about war" he finally answered. "About glory, loss, hardships, smiting your foe, forging friendships in the fire of battle, the urge to keep going, no matter what the odds may be, and finding eternal peace in the afterlife."

"That really sounds like a defining characteristic of who you are" the Spartan spoke. "When you're making them, how difficult is it to find inspiration?"

"Well, I've been in a lot of battles, and I've seen a lot of war's effects. To say it in words a human like you would understand? Hmm..." Okido started, before he found his own answer. ""This shit writes itself.""

Caroline, unable to help herself, erupted into laughter at the calmness of his response. She had to take her helmet off, and wipe a tear away from her eye by the time her chortling had ceased. Okido was greatly amused by this, but his pride couldn't allow the human to see him show too much emotion, so he remained quiet.

"Oops, heh, heh, heh. Sorry about that..." She chuckled as she put her helmet back on, still trying to recover from the hilarity of her overreaction. "...It's been so long since I've had the pleasure of hearing a good joke, I forgot how to react to one properly."

The Lekgolo that made up Okido's body began to worm around, and made suckering noises as they each got into more comfortable positions, which was the only sound that came between the two for the next few seconds of silence.

"Now... To get down to the "arms" business..." Okido joked, after the moment had passed. "I'm not the one that fixed it. That Grunt is the one you should be thankful to."

"Wait a second, Dub did it?" She asked.

"I believe that's what the stunted creature's name is, yes" Okido replied. "He took it from your room, brought it to the Huragok we have on board for fixing, I took it back thinking he stole it, and you took it from me in return, before I could explain things."

"I... Guess that would explain how he snuck in without me noticing so easily" she said.

"Eh, if you don't mind me asking, how did you lose your appendage in the first place?" Okido inquired. "I don't mean to invade your privacy, but my curiosity has the best of me at the moment."

Caroline looked at him for a great few seconds. Unable to tell her facial expressions, Okido assumed his personal question made her shoot him a nasty look from behind her visor.

She wasn't.

"It was three years ago..." She suddenly started, much to the Mgalekgolo's surprise. "I had just become a SPARTAN-IV, and I was on my first, real mission as one, and I was with a squad of marines. Then, several Covenant Grunts, lead by an Elite came out of nowhere..."

Okido looked on in respectful silence.

"...One of the Grunts threw a plasma grenade at the marine standing next to me, and it landed on his leg. I tried to pull it off him, but it was too late. It detonated, killing him, and completely destroying my right arm at the shoulder."

"That sounds like it hurt a lot" Okido spoke, as Caroline rubbed the mechanical limb in memory of the event.

"It was shock, mostly. Kinda like a rush. At least, it was at first" she said with a hollow smirk from behind her helmet. "The pain came after all the Grunts and Elites were dead. That stump bled so much after... It was a miracle I survived long enough for evac. The field medics said that if I had lost any more blood by the time they repaired me, Spartan or not, I'd have been dead."

"You're very lucky then, aren't you?" Okido said. "Or, possibly not, given you must have failed your first assignment."

"I'm a seasoned marine" she spoke in retaliation. "Ironically enough, that was the first mistake I had ever made that I can remember of since I joined the corps."

"Indeed" he responded, sarcastically.

Another knocking noise came from the door again, causing them both to turn. Before Okido could go see who it was, it slid open, revealing a certain, short alien, clad in the black-and-blue armor of a ranger, its glass visor down.

"Oh... Hello, Dub" Caroline said, in a cheerful, welcoming tone.

"Unggoy" Okido greeted.

"Hi, Carol. A-and Okido..." He spoke in a nervous manor.

"What do you want, pest?" Okido asked, changing from the Spartan's voice, to the Elite he used the day before. Dub gulped.

"Um, I-I... Just wanted to ask Carol if she maybe wanted to go on a space wa-walk with... Me" he asked, his voice and mannerisms as innocent-sounding and looking as a puppy begging its owner to be taken outside.

"To... Ya'know... Stargaze. And... Maybe to show the other Unggoy that you're not as scary as they say you are."

Caroline couldn't help but smile at the Grunt's bold persistence to befriend her.

"I mean, it's okay if you can't. I just thought that your suit would allow you to walk and breathe in space, but I'm usually wrong..." He continued.

"I'd love to go stargaze with you, Dub" Caroline said. "My suit has the capability to travel in the vacuum."

"Wait... Y-you would?" Dub said, visibly surprised. "Wow... I-I'll just be waiting outside the room. Th-thanks!"

He dashed out, and closed the door again, leaving the two alone. Caroline looked back at the Hunter she'd been sharing her conversation with.

"I guess I'll leave you to it, then" she said in a quieter voice. "I thank you for your time."

She turned and began to walk away from Okido, but suddenly stopped, and turned again.

"I also wanted to thank you for saving my life" she said in a very sincere voice, approaching him again. "I never had the chance to yet. If it wasn't for you and your brother, I wouldn't be here today, and I am eternally grateful for that, and your brother's sacrifice. Thank you, Okido Hasu Henso."

Touched by her words, his mass of Lekgolo wriggled around again, their multiple heads and bodies moving about. With that final sentence, she left, quietly, and respectfully, exiting through the door to rejoin the Grunt.

"Here, you might need this if you want to talk to me while we're out there" the short alien said in his childlike voice, once the door closed, handing her a small, magnetic comlink. "Sound doesn't travel in space, apparently."

"I know" she replied, attaching it to her helmet. "Weird, huh?"

They both were gone, leaving Okido in peaceful silence. One of his Lekgolo crawled out of his mass of brethren, leaking the abnormally sticky, resiny substance that kept the worms together, and activated his terminal again. The poem popped up, and he looked at it.

"Perhaps... The Spartan isn't as bad as I had anticipated..." He hummed to himself, as he got back to thinking.

"Perhaps..."

"Me not see commander anywhere. Where he at?" Babap asked Hesh, once they reached the airlock. The only life forms there were the two themselves.

"He's... Around" Hesh spoke in a voice that reeked of ominousness, as he pressed the code that unlocked the airlock's interior door.

"Uh... Why you opening door to airlock?" The Grunt asked again. He could sense something bad about to happen, but his trained, blind trust in his superior made him try and forget it.

"No reason..." He growled. Without warning, the lieutenant shot his hands at Babap in a violent way.

"Wait.. Wait, no, NO-" Babap tried to scream when Hesh grabbed his head, covering his mask area with one of his hands, muffling his voice. His other hand grasped the back of his skull.

Babap pawed feebly at the stronger creature's arms, but nothing happened. With a quick thrust, and a sickly snapping noise, the Elite broke the Grunt's neck, instantly killing him.

"Your discovery was not part of the plan..." Hesh sneered, as he threw Babap's limp body into the airlock. He pressed the button that sealed it, and soon after, pressed the button that opened the outside door.

"Three other Grunts were out there with him when he saw it... They must have told him by now..." He spoke again, gritting his jaws as he watched the Grunt's body get sucked into the vacuum. "This certainly accelerates things."

He took out a small, radio-like device that was hidden in a pocket under his left arm, and pressed the switch on the base of it, before speaking into it.

"This is Hesh K'alrumni. No, I haven't been found... But I think you have..." He whispered into it, in an angry tone. "Was that your Phantom that the Grunt I just disposed of saw?"

The answer from the other end discouraged him greatly.

"You fools... I've already told you all there is to know of the vessel's defenses, and that more scouting would be unnecessary. Because of your foolishness, three other witnesses remain, and for all I know, they told the commanding officer already. We must act while they are ill-prepared. We must act... Now."

Dub shouted out in glee, as his jump pack let him soar through space. He got onto a lofty perch that was next to a small pillar on the ship, and turned to face Caroline, as she slowly made her way in his direction, her boots activated in a way allowing her to magnetically remain firmly on the ship's hull.

"You see anything interesting in the stars right now?" She asked her short friend through the com on her helmet.

"The best view is up here" he replied, his face visible from the glass visor. "Need help coming up?"

"No, I've got this..." She said, in a rather competitive tone. With a tremendous leap, she flew from the ground, all the way to the pillar where the Grunt ranger sat. She caught ahold of the edge, and climbed on at a speed that impressed her small friend.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He sighed, as he looked up, and sat down, letting his feet hang over the side.

"It is" she agreed, placing her hands on her hips, thinking back to how every planetarium she ever went to as a kid, no matter how advanced, never had the splendor of seeing the real thing. Every star seemed burst with the vibrant colors of red, blue, and yellow, against the forever black of the rest of the universe.

"Oh, I think I see a comet!" Dub shouted, pointing his padded finger to a faint, blue glow in the distance, significantly brighter than the stars.

"I see it too" the Spartan said. Something seemed off in her words though, as they both saw the blue object get larger. It didn't take them long to see that it was getting closer.

"Wait, is... Is that a comet?" Dub asked.

"I don't think so..." Caroline began to say in a grave voice, when she noticed something about it, as she took her hands off her side. When it was close enough, she saw a solid object of synthetic design inside the glow.

"That's no comet" She said, in realization.

"Then... What is it?" Dub asked in greatly worried tone, as it rapidly flew toward the ship, until it was within a few hundred meters, its blue glow fading, revealing a large, solid object. An object Caroline had seen dozens of times in her military career.

"It's a Covenant boarding craft!" she shouted in alarm.

Author's notes: Alas, poor Babap! I knew him, Okido; a fellow of infinite jest, of most poor fancy; he hath borne me on his tank-covered back a few dozen times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it. Here hung that gas mask that I have kissed I know not how oft. Where be your antics now? Your gambols? Your songs? Your flashes of cowardice and amusing stupidity, that were wont to set the table on a roar?

Oh well... Next chapter coming out soon!