Breakfast the next morning was the same as lunch the previous day. They sat around the table talking, getting to know each other better. Kath and Daniel were sitting side by side to further give the impression they were dating. Thelya started talking about something, but Daniel didn't know what, because he was concentrating more on her voice than what she was actually saying. It wasn't her real voice, but she still sounded beautiful. Melodious. Peaceful. Soothing.
"LIAR!" a voice roared, snapping him out of it immediately. A blue clad Sangheili Major stormed over to the table. He grabbed Thelya by the nape of her neck and pulled her to her feet. She knocked his hand away, then sprung back and raised her fists, ready to fight. The Major seemed to have no intention of doing the same. Instead, he turned to the gravely silent mess hall. He pointed an accusing finger at Thelya. "The Arbiter is a FEMALE! She has been pretending to be a male. She has been manipulating us!" There was a murmur of chatter, but not angry murmuring, rather more intrigued murmuring. No one actually cared that the Arbiter had been lying to them about her gender, all they cared about was 'do I have time to court her before someone else jumps in?' That was what the males were thinking, anyway. The Major seemed pleased with his reaction, obviously not catching on to the purpose of the chatter. Thelya groaned and leaned her forehead against her hand.
"Well, no reason for us to pretend to be dating anymore," Daniel murmured to Kath, who was gaping at the spectacle, but managed to nod anyway. Before anything else could happen, the ship shook violently. Anyone who was standing was immediately thrown across the room. Daniel's arms shot out, managing to catch Thelya in a bridal style grip. The Major was not so lucky. With no one really caring about him, he collided with the wall and slid to the floor, unconscious. Daniel set Thelya back on her feet, blushing slightly.
"Rtas, what is the meaning of this?" Thelya demanded through her comms.
"Arbiter, there is a Brute vessel attempting to engage us. Our shields are down to 86%," Rtas informed her. "Also, have you got any plans for tonight?" Thelya groaned into her helmet.
"Rtas, I have no intention of courting anyone right now, so just concentrate on the Brutes."
"It will be done, Arbiter." The ship shook a few more times, but this time everyone was ready and bracing themselves. After about five minutes, Rtas spoke up again. "We have crippled the ship, but it is being pulled in by the gravity of a nearby planet. It is out of range of our weapons. What is our course of action?"
"We will send in a 'Search and Destroy' team to finish them off," Thelya replied.
"Who shall I send in to lead this group?"
"I will take command myself. Forerunners know I need some time away from this ship."
"If you insist, Arbiter." Thelya motioned for the humans and some Sangheili to follow her. She specifically picked all of the few females around, but for the sake of numbers she had to pick a few males as well. Daniel and his human friends made their way to the hangar containing the human vehicles. They were met there by four humans they didn't know. The four humans noticed the looks they were given and hastily explained they were the ambassadors' guards, before urging them onto one of the Pelicans. Two of the 'guard' marines disappeared into the cockpit while the other two checked that the two Mongooses were attached securely. Surprisingly, the Arbiter and her Elites took a seat each in the Pelican also. The humans wore looks of surprise, but said nothing. She proceeded to give a briefing as the ship descended towards the planet. Pete cracked his knuckles.
"A bunch of confused and unorganised Brutes? This is going to be easy," he stated, reclining in his chair.
"Indeed, I am surprised they had the brains to use the escape pods," an Elite agreed.
"They will wish they had not," another exclaimed. They chuckled at the easy victory ahead of them.
"Let's not get cocky," Daniel suggested. He was now standing in the doorway, watching the landscape pass by while he supported himself with the overhead railing. Ironically, at that exact moment, a large ball of green plasma struck the Pelican's left wing. The engines exploded and the ship began spiralling out of control. "God dammit this is gonna be rough!" Daniel cried as he was nearly ripped out of the vehicle's back door. He barely managed to keep hold of the railing. "Right!" Daniel urged. "Go right! You're going to hit the trees!" However, without the left engines, there was no way the pilot could turn right properly and the treeline began to loom closer. The rear of the ship slammed into a tree, ripping the back off and sending it into a nosedive, still spinning around in dizzying circles. The ship was flung at the ground with great force, sending dirt spraying into the air and flinging passengers and parts of the vehicle itself in every direction. It finally rocked to a halt after colliding with a tree, smoking.
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~
Daniel groaned and opened his eyes. His HUD was flashing red periodically, signalling his armour, and most likely his body too, had sustained damage. He pushed himself off the ground and groaned again as pain shot through his aching body. He glanced around and located his DMR a good six metres away. He limped over and slung it onto his back, the magnetic clip taking hold of the weapon and keeping it there.
"Arbiter!" Daniel croaked. "Pete! Kath, are you there? Anyone?" Daniel coughed into his hand, then remembered he was wearing his helmet. He limped over to where one of the Mongooses had come to a rest upside-down against a tree. He grunted as he pulled it back onto its wheels, almost crushing himself in the process. He bit his lip as he made his agonisingly slow way over to where he could just make out the Pelican in the distance. He had done something to his leg on impact, and it hurt to walk. He settled for limping for now, eventually making it to the smouldering ruins of the dropship. He looked around, but there was no sign of anyone else. Then he saw it; there was a groove in the ground where someone had dragged someone else, displacing the dirt in the process. Daniel grinned, despite the condition of his body, then stopped. Three things: Why was the person dragged, not carried? Why had they left him behind? Why hadn't they covered up their tracks? This place was crawling with Covenant! The answer was simple: why would you cover your tracks against something you were a part of? Daniel's breath caught in his throat. His friends... captured. He had been standing up; near the door... he must have been flung so far that the Brutes didn't find him. He collapsed onto the trunk of a tree that had been pushed over during the Pelican's 'landing'. He let his helmet drop to the ground and rubbed his face in his hands wearily.
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~
Thelya pushed herself up off the ground, ignoring the hands of her fellow Sangheili that were offered to her. They seemed disappointed that she didn't accept their help... Forerunners, were they still attempting to get on her good side so they could court her? She stared at the two males with rage in her eyes, then she spun to face the energy barrier surrounding them. They were still in the forest; it looked like the Brutes were using a portable energy cell... That meant there was a power source around here somewhere. If she took that out, maybe, just maybe, they could overpower the Brutes and escape. She glanced around, and her heart lurched when she realised Daniel wasn't there. He had saved her life more than once, and the one time he needed her help, she had failed. She hung her head in shame, her escape plan disappearing to the back of her mind as she sat back on the ground, consumed by her sorrow. A Kig-Yar marched past, shield low at its side and Carbine slung over its shoulder. One of the female Sangheili growled at it, telling it how ignorant it was for still believing in the Prophets' lies even after the Covenant fell. It just screeched at her, then moved on with its perimeter check.
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~
Daniel snuck up on the unsuspecting Jackal. It screeched at something, and Daniel noticed his friends' prison cell. He almost threw up when he realised most of them were still there. What happened to the rest? Daniel noticed that the Jackal flinched, slightly, but still visibly, at something a Brute growled in its native language. Daniel surveyed the area; it was hard enough tracking their prints here with the constant stops for rest because of his injuries. How was he going to take down an entire Covenant Patrol Camp by himself? He quickly skirted the edge of the camp, staying hidden in the trees until he was once again behind the Jackal. He took off his helmet then grabbed the Kig-Yar by the mouth, or beak rather, and pulled it back into the bushes with him. It tried to scream, but Daniel's hand muffled it.
"Look buddy," Daniel whispered, making his voice sound as soft and caring as he could. The Jackal stopped struggling and just stared at him. "I know you don't like me, but I'll bet you don't like them either." The Jackal followed his gaze to the abusive Brute. It shook its head gently. "Please, I need your help to rescue my friends. If you do, I promise you the human race does not abuse their comrades like they do." Daniel had long since removed his hand and was waiting for an answer. Did it even speak English? It certainly seemed to understand him...
"The Elites... are not much better," the Jackal hissed, staring daggers into the one that had snapped at it earlier. Its words had stung the Kig-Yar, but this human's words soothed it. Daniel could sense it was divided between the two options. Daniel stroked its cheek gently, bringing the Kig-Yar back into reality.
"Do you have a name?" Daniel inquired.
"Yuni," it answered hesitantly. "And yes, that is a female's name." Daniel briefly wondered how it had known exactly what he had been about to ask, but shrugged it off and wondered how he could win over the small creature. She sighed heavily, then hefted her Carbine. Daniel cocked his head at her, receiving a nod in return. "I am trusting you," Yuni stated, still searching Daniel for signs he was lying. Daniel was about to thank her, but she held her finger to his lips. "Only if you promise me you will not let the Elites do what they used to again." Daniel nodded and pushed her tiny finger away.
"I will personally make sure you are taken care of properly," Daniel promised. Yuni breathed deeply, gave Daniel one last glance, then re-emerged from the undergrowth. But not before she pressed a small metal object into Daniel's gloved hand. He studied it carefully, noticing it looked kind of like an AI chip. He curiously pressed it into the small slot on his helmet, finding it a perfect fit. It slipped in just as easily as an AI chip would. He put his helmet back on. It buzzed slightly, an irritating noise. Eventually, the sound stopped and a few lines of code flashed briefly on Daniel's helmet before the words 'DATABASE ADDED' flashed in bold white letters at the bottom of his visor. Yuni started speaking to her superior in her native language, and Daniel's heart stopped when he wondered if she was going to give him up. Then he noticed the white words had disappeared, only to be replaced by new ones. This time, they read: 'I have checked the perimeter sir'. In front of him, the Brute grunted. Yuni made a small sound at the Brute. 'Sir' the words said. Suddenly, it clicked. He had just inserted some kind of outdated translator. Instead of telling him what they were saying with audio, he had subtitles, like in a movie. He almost laughed at this, before remembering he was in enemy territory.
"Sir, may I please be relieved of my duty?" Yuni asked.
"No. Continue your patrol," the Brute growled.
"But sir –" The Brute backhanded Yuni across the face, sending her flying back.
"Do it!" the Brute roared. Yuni shot him seven times in the face. When the Brute came crashing down, Yuni shot him another three times. Daniel quickly appeared at her side, DMR raised.
"Quick," Daniel urged. "Let's get my friends." Yuni nodded and motioned for him to follow her. They came up to the energy barrier.
"Wait here," Yuni ordered. Daniel sat on his haunches and waited as Yuni approached the two Kig-Yars on guard duty outside the prison.
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~
Thelya watched as a third Kig-Yar joined the original two. They exchanged a few words in their native language before the newcomer motioned towards the bushes. Daniel crept out, rifle hanging loosely at his side. Thelya felt overjoyed at seeing her friend again, but knew that a Brute would soon follow, leading him at gunpoint. Instead, Daniel placed a hand on the newcomer's shoulder and whispered something to her, which she nodded at, then presumably relayed to the others. The barrier fell, freeing the prisoners. Thelya rushed over to Daniel and immediately surveyed him for damage, which there was quite a lot of. She clucked her tongue as she tried to remove a piece of armour to get to one of his wounds. Daniel shook slightly at her touch, and had his helmet been off, she would have seen his eyes drift shut, but then he gently pushed her away.
"L-later," he murmured. "Right now we've got to get out of here." Thelya removed her hands and nodded.
"How did you get them to help you?" she inquired, gesturing towards the Jackals. Daniel shrugged.
"I'm an ambassador now. And as an ambassador, I need to have a way with words." He motioned for his friends to follow him. "I've called for Evac already, but Rtas says he spotted some AA Wraiths not far from our position," Daniel continued as he walked. He paused to run a critical eye over the group. "We'll need to leave the injured at the LZ and some guards to protect them. Everyone else, with me."
"Who put you in charge?" a marine grumbled.
"No one, I was merely stating what the most obvious course of action was, unless you wanted to abandon the injured for themselves?" Daniel demanded, glaring at the marine. He shook his head. "What? You want them to come with us and get slaughtered by Brutes?" Daniel berated him. The marine shook his head again. "Well what? Put them out of their misery?" The marine looked shocked, and shook his head furiously. "Well? What else is there to do if not leave them at the LZ, protected, where they will be picked up as soon as Evac arrived? Come on, don't be shy."
"Daniel," Pete murmured. "I think he gets it."
"On top of some personal problems I've been experiencing," Daniel continued, "I've been through a lot of shit today, and if you think you would be capable of taking charge, go ahead, I'll go join the injured and wait for your sorry ass to complete the mission."
"Enough," Thelya snapped, stepping forward. She pushed Daniel away from the frightened marine and stared him in the eye. "What has gotten into you? Look over there." She forced Daniel to look at the three Jackals. They were bunched up in a group, weapons raised, staring at him. "You promised these Kig-Yars that you would treat them better than the Covenant? Well, you are not doing very well to prove this to them." Daniel sighed, finally averting his gaze from hers. For reasons unknown, he suddenly decided to smile and gently remove her hand from his shoulder, his face heating up slightly, almost invisibly.
"The lady's right marines. You know what I need? Morphine, a good night's rest, and a lot of beer. If we all make it out of this in one piece, drinks are on me!" The tension eased and the marines laughed at this, things returning to normal quickly. The injured and a few able-bodied Elites to serve as guards broke away and headed for where their Pelican had crashed; their LZ.
"You should probably go with them," Thelya suggested to Daniel, motioning towards the injured and those helping and guarding them. Daniel shook his head stubbornly.
"Like it or not, we need as many able-bodied men as we can get. I'm not going to collapse at any minute, as much as I'd like to. Besides, the Covenant managed to set up an AA defence grid in all the five minutes it took us to get here? Something tells me they were here a long time before today." Thelya sighed, seeing there was no arguing with the human. Besides, she couldn't deny his skill in combat, even if he was injured. She just hoped he didn't get himself killed...
