Halo: Innocence
By Renault Bordeaux
[Halo and all Halo characters, fictional technologies, creatures, and locations are properties of Bungie Studios, 343 Industries, and Microsoft. This is intended as a fan-based story, not to make any money, but to show appreciation for those properties.]
Chapter 04 – Slim Chance
The loss of a close friend weighs heavy on the heart. Angel did not want to feel that pain. Lynn was carried back to the Covenant camp, and he was in close pursuit. He wasn't sure why, but the Jackals spared Lynn. The cloaked man covered up his armor and gun with the fabric, making sure to stay at a safe distance from the Jackals. He heard some of them talking.
"She is scrawny for a human. Do you think there are any more?"
"Maybe; she'll do for now."
"I have never seen a human child before."
"Yes, they look like Grunts."
The words they spoke were in their own language, but Angel understood it well enough. He couldn't tell the difference between them; all Jackals looked the same to him.
"The Captain will want to see it."
"Yes. He should be happy."
Angel checked his Battle Rifle, and noticed the ammo was running low. He couldn't just kill all the Jackals with the last of it, and he didn't have any more ammunition. Honestly, the Covenant didn't know it, though, so he had a good idea.
…
"And why did you bring this to me?" The Captain asked the Jackal team.
The Jackal in charge said, "You asked for food, and we brought you food!"
"Idiot!" The Captain shouted, smacking the Jackal to the ground. "We do not eat our enemies! Are we savages?"
The Jackal whimpered, "But, look, it is a child."
"All the more reason that we can not eat it!" The Elite Captain was furious, his jaws moving violently and menacingly in the face of the Jackal as he spoke.
The Elite with red armor, carrying an energy sword, touched the shoulder of the Captain, "Sir, we understand."
Growling, the Captain looked the Elite in the eye, and the Elite removed his hand from the Captain's shoulder. The Captain shouted, "We can not eat a child, even if it is the child of our enemies. We are the holy ones, chosen, and blessed among the stars. We should behave like it." The Captain, frustrated with the rest of the group, retreated into his tent.
The white Brute, carrying a large hammer on his back, asked the red armored Elite, "What is the matter with him?" He approached the Elite, using a very casual tone.
"I do not know. It does not matter. He is absolutely correct." The Elite saw Lynn, her eyes scared and shocked at the alien's appearance, and he said, in English, "Are you all right, little one?"
Lynn, shivering, nodded in reply.
"Do not be afraid, child. We mean you no harm."
"Then why was the other guy yelling so much?" She asked, fearing consequence.
The Elite sighed, "He has his issues with our brethren." He motioned to the Jackal, who was still reeling from being struck. "That one was not very wise."
Lynn didn't understand, but she was relaxing.
The Brute got close to the Elite and shouted, in their native tongue, "We should eliminate her. Eating her is out of the question, I understand that, but she is an enemy and should be destroyed."
"Really?" The Elite asked, returning the ferocious tone of the Brute, "And who will kill her? You? There is dishonor in killing an enemy child, not honor. What would you expect to gain in this life? Satisfaction?"
"I expect to gain respect for doing my duty. We must obey the Prophets and kill the enemy at all cost. This is out duty."
"What is duty without honor?" The Elite asked, shifting his gaze to the frightened child. He told her, again in English, "Calm down, child. I give you my word you will be safe. But for now, you must come with me."
The Elite took Lynn by the hand and lead her into part of the now broken ship. Covenant that appeared like jelly-fish (Engineers) were at work repairing it, but without supplies from another ship, it was futile.
From behind them, the Brute shouted, "You forsake your duty, in view of your selfish pursuit of honor!" He allowed the Elite to continue, despite his anger at the situation.
Lynn asked the Elite, "Why was the monkey mad at you?"
The Elite chuckled, "monkey," and then cleared his throat. He said, "That one was upset that I did not kill you. Do not worry; he will not either. He said that duty was what was important. I said honor was what was important."
The girl asked, "What's honor?"
The Elite was surprised, mostly that no one had explained honor to her. "Honor is your worth based on your actions. If you do good actions, you are honorably good. Do you understand?"
"And what's duty?"
"Do your human masters not teach you?"
"What?" She had no idea what the alien meant.
The Elite was patient, and respected the girl's question, saying, "Duty is your moral commitment to act in a certain way."
"So," She was thinking aloud, "One guides you acts, and the other says what you do is worth something, right?"
"Right," The Elite said.
"Then, don't you need both?"
The surprise on the Elite's face was interesting, because it looked a lot like a human's. The Alien stared at the girl, then said, "You are much smarter than your age."
"I have heard that, yes," Lynn said, smiling.
…
Like a bird of prey, Angel was watching all the events from within earshot. However, the Elite took Lynn far into the interior of the broken ship, where Angel was unable to hear them any longer. Most likely, he assumed a way into the ship was made available from multiple locations thanks to the crash.
He waited until there was an opening, then made his was around the front of the crash. Sure enough, an opening into the interior of the ship was still there. He slithered into the opening, careful to watch out for any guards. It seemed like the majority of people were outside of the ship. The reason was clear: crew quarters and engines were the two main areas damaged in the crash.
"I did not expect the child to have a parent," a voice called.
Angel turned his head and saw, on the other side of a great hall, the Elite standing with Lynn.
Lynn grinned, waving, and said, "Angel!"
"Angel?" The Elite laughed, "Are you the gods' messenger?"
Angel removed his cloak, Battle Rifle, grenades, and canteen and left them in a pile. He then stepped into the center of the great hall, saying nothing.
The Elite let go of the girl, and stepped towards the human male. He removed his energy sword and tossed it at the human. Angel ignited it, the light of the sword piercing the darkness in the center of the large and empty room. The Elite grabbed a spare sword he had with him and turned it on also. The sound was intimidating to Lynn, and so she clung to the far wall in fear.
"I tell you, messenger, that as the enemy of the Covenant you do well to stay away from us."
Angel was reminded of the many Elites he had met throughout his life. He was reminded of the painful memories of losing men and women under his command to these unknowable adversaries. He simply said, "You would do well to calm yourself."
The two enemies did not attack. They simply walked slowly in a circle. It was like watching two lions about to fight; as they waited for the other to take the first move, they debated doing it themselves.
"Messenger, you do not understand. I am not angry at you. I hold no ill feelings."
"And yet you have a sword ready to fight me."
"Correct," The Elite said, still circling, "But that does not mean we must be uncivil."
Angel was the first to make a move. He lunged at the Elite, swiping horizontally, which the Elite dodged by jumping over the man's head. As the Elite flew over the man, the alien prepared to land and turn, smacking the blade into the back of the armored man's head. Angel knew the move, and moved his blade to intercept, which it did. The two blades smashed together in a loud sound, sparks flying about the dark room, and the bright burning of the swords illuminating the faces of the two fighters.
The Elite stared into the mirrored helmet of the human, saying, "You have fought my kind before."
"Yes. Long ago."
"And you hold a grudge?"
Angel pushed the Elite back with the sword, "No. I just know my people are doomed."
"How can you say that?" The Elite asked, returning Angel's push with his own forceful shove. "Hope is a powerful tool, a force multiplier that warriors can not do without."
Angel looked into the illuminated face of the alien, and sneered, "Reality is worth more than fantasy."
The Elite shoved Angel quickly, then stabbed at his face. However, Angel swiped the stab to the side, and turned his body, kicking at the Elite's torso. The Elite saw the kick, and took it to be pushed back. Once he was pushed back, he let Angel land and the two of them returned to their circling routine.
"You have an interesting way of looking at things," The Elite told him. "I wonder if your heart has been corrupted by grief?"
Angel let his guard down for a minute, and the Elite saw it. He could have struck, but did not. Angel, noticing this, lifted his guard again. He asked, "Why didn't you strike?"
"It would be taking advantage of a weakness. That is dishonorable."
"Honor? Who cares about honor in light of victory? The girl's life is on the line."
The Elite sneered, "Honor is everything. That is what you are worth." He asked, "Where do you place your worth?"
Angel glanced at Lynn, then back at the Elite, "Others."
The Elite stopped moving and briefly asked, "Other people?"
"Yeah. By myself, I'm worthless. But in the view of other people, I can be worth so much more. It doesn't matter if everyone knows me or one person knows me. As long as one person cares about me, I have value in society."
Angel's words echoed in the mind of the Elite, and the alien said, "I do not understand."
"No, you wouldn't. Your concept of family is to accept the strongest as your sire."
"We are a strong people because of it."
"And a loveless one," Angel said, snidely. He turned off the energy sword and tossed the handle to the floor. The Elite saw it. Staring at it, he was about to ask why, but Angel's fist had slammed into his face. The human was quick, and as the Elite fell to the ground, his jaw hurting from the punch, his energy sword fell to the floor. Angel snatched the sword and held it to the Elite's head, saying, "Yield."
"I would rather die."
Angel stabbed into the ground next to the Elite, the sparks flying high into the air. He pulled the sword back and held it again to the alien's neck.
"Yield."
The Elite, closing his eyes said, "Kill me."
"Why should I?"
"I would rather die than lose my honor."
The human laughed, "Haven't you learned anything?"
The Elite had a questioning look in his eyes.
"Simply put," Angel said, as Lynn ran over to him, "What good is your honor, your value, if there's nothing to put the value to? If you died, who would get your honor?"
The Elite said nothing, and Angel turned off the energy sword. He tossed it to the Elite and said, "I spare your life, but in exchange I ask for one thing."
"What do you ask?"
The armored human walked to his pile of goods and began attaching them to his body again. He said, "Food for the girl."
"Actually, that is why she is in here. The remains of our food reserves are in this ship, and I suspected she would like some."
The Elite stood up, and asked, "I wonder if I might ask you something?"
"You mean something else?"
"Right."
He allowed a question. The Elite asked him, "If you believe your people are doomed, what good will your value be. What good are all the other people that love you if they die?"
Angel placed Lynn on his shoulders, and said, in the Elite's own language, "I hope to save as many as I can, but let's be honest, we have a slim chance."