A New Day
Va'lorn makes the gesture, or so he thought when Bree slapped his fingers.
"What?" he demanded in an annoyed voice.
Bree picks up the tablet next to her and writes, 'Unless you wish to insult a female, never make that sign again.'
Va'lorn wanted to know what it was he said, but decides against it since the sign clearly upset Bree. They are sitting inside her home in what he came to call her "art room" where she usually draws, but during this cycle she has decided to teach him hand gestures.
So far the results have been disastrous. Va'lorn is being forced to use his digits to form different shapes and gestures that make him feel idiotic, but he doesn't say this to Bree of course. It took him what felt like entire cycles just to learn the sign for greeting, now they are trying to coax his fingers into making the gestures for "day", "sun", "man", "woman" and much more.
However it's pretty clear that Bree hasn't really taught anyone how to understand her before, she has mostly been using her tablet to try and draw all the different signs and what they represent while also giving an examples for each of them, but to Va'lorn's uneducated mind in this type of teaching, the different positions of the fingers all look so similar to him. He has begun to wonder if she is trying to teach him because she is tired of writing everything she has to say, or if she wanted him as a interpreter for others or if she just wished to have someone to converse with, in a manner of speaking.
He is starting to become weary of these trials, but it's pretty clear that Bree is far from giving up; in fact she seems more determined than ever to have him master the basics of 'sign language' as she calls it.
She then signals to him slowly 'try…again.'
He feels some pride in understanding what she has just said at the moment, but that was only because she repeated the gesture more times than he can remember.
Carefully, he attempts to speak again through his hands.
'Greetings Bree…you…look…flower…meat…'
Va'lorn finally releases an angry huff and crosses his arms. He may look like a youngling with a tantrum at the moment, but he didn't care. He has been able to master the blade, to endure the hardship of a beating and defeated many of his fellow males in wrestling matches. If he didn't win the first time around, he trains until he can achieve victory. This time though he feels like it's not going anywhere, all that he knows he is doing right is insult Bree.
However the female only sighs before writing, 'it is alright Va'lorn.'
"I'm dreadful at this," he informs her as he lowers his head, "I have no idea how you are able to do this, it's causing my head to ache just thinking about each different hand gesture."
He could hear Bree scratching a response before he feels her hand on his shoulder while the other held the tablet in front of his eyes, 'I grew up learning this so I can speak with my uncle, it took some time, but eventually I was enabled to sign to him.'
Va'lorn is silent before raising his head and asking cautiously, "Your uncle…was he a human."
She doesn't write anything for a moment before jotting down, 'does it matter?'
He hesitates to answer before informing her, "All my life I grew up being told that the humans are just as barbaric as the Jiralhanaes."
'Have you ever met a human?' Bree questions.
He is silent before shaking his head, "No, but what about your story? You said so yourself you weren't welcome among the human military, so forgive me if I have a hard time believing this."
Bree sits, unmoving before she writes, 'True, there are some humans who resented me, rightfully so and understandably, but not all of them were like that.'
Va'lorn studies her reaction carefully, a unit ago she was frustrated and angry, now her demeanor drops lowly, no doubt remembering past pains and quite possibly lost loved ones before he speaks again.
"Your father and your uncle?" he says more to confirm his theory.
She smiles lightly before shaking her head and writes, 'No, the Marine Seventh Division, Delta Company, was my family.'
"Well this sucks."
"What does?" demands Hirako, "sitting in the bleeding sun, being glared at by basically everyone in camp or baby-sitting?"
"Take your pick," Freddie murmurs, "but honestly the last one isn't as bothersome considering Mark is the one raising the creature from the black lagoon."
The last mortar squad member shakes his head as he takes his shirt off and tosses it aside. They are sitting in their fox hole with the mortar tube, surrounded by different boxes holding various types of ammunition, from destructive AP rounds to harmless flares, they had it all. The one thing that was out of place though was the baby alien.
Mark had dug a little alcove and placed Bree within it, partially shielding her from the sun while the cool ground radiates a coolness that seems to be keeping her content on this hot day. She is on the verge of sleep, but every so often her head snaps up like she is staying awake but is losing consciousness anyway, an action that Mark finds cute.
He glances at Bree one more time to see her blink lazily before spreading her mandibles in a long yawn. He smiles at this, but it disappears when he feels a tingling sensation on the back of his neck and he glances over his shoulder.
A young Marine in another mortar hole is staring right back.
There is silence as they watch one another before Mark says, "Can I help you?"
The young man shakes his head, "nothing, I just don't like working at a freak daycare center that's all."
Mark doesn't say a thing as he turns back around and sits down, placing his back against the soil wall as he separates himself from the other Marine. Mark's squad has been insulted, given the evil eye and basically outcaste by the rest of the company. They only speak to them if they have to, but always referring to their surnames and rank and squad designation. The only exception is Skipper, but he is practically buried in work, organizing the Marines for the trip to FOB Savage, the closest base where they can take up refuge.
Mark gulps as he looks up towards the clouds, a nervous habit that has been spreading. Almost everybody is gazing upwards, expecting to see the hull of the Covenant vessels above and getting set to obliterate them. However the skies are as clear as ever. He watches for a while longer before shifting his position until he is sitting next to Bree.
Slowly, she turns her eyes towards him and gives a small squeak acknowledging his presence. He smiles before he gently glides a hand over her forehead, causing her eye lids to droop lazily, just on the verge of sleep.
"Yeah I guess she's cute," surprised, Mark glances up at Freddie who is watching before finishing with, "to a point of course."
Mark rolls his eyes, "of course."
Hirako pays them no mind as she places two fingers against the side of her helmet and speaks into the comms.
"Carson Five," she says, "This is Carson two-four, over."
"Copy Two-Four," a gruff male voice responds.
"How are things looking, any targets on sight?"
"Negative, they'll just about clear; hopefully nothing will happened, but stay alert, over."
"Roger Five, Two Four out," Hirako signs off as she takes out a small MRE pack and tears it open, "guess that means we are on standby alert."
"You sound depress Sarge," comments Freddie.
"Well who isn't these days?" she retorts before opening a can of beans and started drinking it from the container.
Mark was about to make a comment when a large shadow covers him and he glances up.
"Hey Gunny," Mark greets the giant Marine who is standing on the edge of the hole.
The Sergeant nods at Mark before squatting awkwardly due to his injured leg and looks around the hole until his glass covered eyes settled on Bree. He studies her for a moment before returning his attention to the mortar squad and started moving his hands.
'Everything under control?'
"Well aside from the fact that everyone in camp hates our guts and we are now the proud founders of the galactic interspecies babysitting service," Freddie states sarcastically, "nope, nothing could be better."
The Gunny gives Freddie a long look, causing the PFC to squirm and looks down.
Turning towards Hirako the Gunny signals, No situation?
"None sir," reports the Sergeant, "all quiet so far…on the Western Front I might add."
"Careful Hirako," Mark cautions her, "the last thing we need you to do is jinx us."
She gives Mark a pointed look before making herself comfortable on a small mound of dirt she had gathered early on and is now using it as a seat.
The quad of soldiers falls silent as they listen to the occasional chatter over the radio and waiting to hear for any of the company's COs to call their name and give then a order, but so far nothing. Delta is currently on standby alert, ordered to assist any Marine units that run into trouble as they evac out of the valley that Delta's hill is overlooking.
Almost thousands of Marines are getting prep to fall back to Forward Operating Base Savage which was placed in the center of another giant valley that they supposedly control, but any idiot can see that if they're not careful then the enemy can easily surround them and chop them into pieces. Sheer numbers and prayers were the only thing that the Commanders are hoping will keep the Covenant from attacking. Mark isn't completely positive if that is the best defense strategy they could come up with, but still it's something.
If Mark remembers correctly, the place was huge with a mess hall, showers, barracks and there was even rumors of there being a grav-court being erected there. It was pure paradise to the Delta Company Marines who have literally been sloshing and sleeping in the muck and mud of the jungle section they have been tasked with protecting, a mission that apparently has been rebuked.
However, Mark isn't really looking forward to the journey for two primary reasons. First of all it will be treacherous, when they left the FOB to take up position on the hill they are on now they needed Vultures and Hornet gunships to cut a way through the hordes of Covenant soldiers. They lost four guys trying to get here. Now without the Navy for support, can they expect to get any help from the air or will they be on their own?
The second and more important reason is her; Bree.
It is taking the full power of the rank of a Captain and the presence of a small mortar squad armed with their weapons to keep back blood lust filled Marines. Mark completely understands, he has lost his family to these monsters, watch his friends die and witnessed planets being glassed along with their billions of inhabitants still on the surface.
However whenever he looked at Bree he didn't see that beasty side of her; all he sees is a young child who now may never get to know her mother and will never see her family again; just like him. He's not sure if he is willing to die for the child, but he remembers the first time he saw her, he saved her from a crazed Brute. Then he tried to hang on tightly to her when Seymour ordered him to get rid of her. And finally he was positively frantic when he couldn't find her that one morning and wouldn't keep his eyes off of Hirako as she held the little Elite. As much as he wishes to deny it, he can't. He has formed some sort of bond with the baby; one that was probably forged when he promised Bree's mother (or who he hoped to be her mother) to take care of her. Can he do it now, is it even possible?
There are roughly eight dozen men in the Company right now and they are all despising Bree's presence as well as Mark's. He isn't sure if he can blame them. FOB Savage is a whole different story entirely, an entire Marine Division will be assembling there, nearly a thousand men who has a grudge against the Elites, the Covenant's best, brightest and deadliest killers. He knows Tony will try and straighten things out, but he is just a Captain, there will no doubt be Majors, Colonels and maybe even Generals present who will not be as heartwarming as Tony. They'll either have her killed by firesquad or will keep her as a prisoner while they wait to be rescued or hand her over to ONI.
He doesn't like these odds, they all end badly on Bree's part, the little alien female who has never wronged anyone or anything will be mistreated and killed just for living, just for being an alien.
Unconsciously, he shifted his body until he is sitting right next to the little alien and watches her sleep.
She has grown on him, no doubt about that, but how, and why? Sure he thinks that infants are cute and cuddly, but they are human beings, this is an Elite alien, she doesn't even have a freaking mouth that he could use to decipher weather she is smiling or close to waling. Her eyes are a shade close to being blood red, they hold fire yet also life and a kind of innocence that he has not seen in a long time. Maybe that's why he can't bring himself to kill her, because of her eyes. She may be an alien but she has the same human emotions, the same human innocence and the same human mind set.
Perhaps there is a way to have her think like a human or at the very least see them as a friend and not an enemy. But will she even accept them? Sure she does now, but that's because she is so young and needs to be taken care. As she grows she will start seeing the difference between herself and her human guardians.
He shakes his head to clear his mind. What is he thinking? He's acting like he's going to sit back and watch her grow, but he can't. The military won't allow it. They are at war with her people and they are going to take her away from them.
Maybe it will be for the best. He doesn't know jack about raising a kid. He doubts Freddie is willing, he's just tagging along because he feels an obligation to help his squad. Hirako may know a thing or two about parenting, or Bree could just be warming up to her because the Sergeant is a woman and seems to have a soothing motherly sense that all children apparently can sense. As for Seymour…to be honest he'll be surprised just to know he's on friendly basis with a child, let alone raising one.
They're Marines, trained to fight, to kill; not to play maid nurse for orphan extraterrestrials.
"You're thinking hard again aren't you Mark?" Freddie calls across their fox hole.
Mark nods as he runs a finger gently down Bree's face, causing her mandibles to quiver, but not out of fright he hopes, "just thinking about this whole mess we are in that's all."
"Well, for the record," Freddie holds up a finger for dramatic effect before bringing it down and pointing it at Mark, "this whole thing is your fault."
Mark shakes his head, "thank you Captain Obvious."
Freddie mumbles to himself but falls silent soon after.
The dirt above them shifts as Seymour stands and signs 'keep eyes open, protect each other,' he then turns and lumbers off.
The team watches him go. Protect each other? They already do that without needing orders, was he thinking about Bree when he signed that?
"Ok," Freddie says, "so is it just me or did Seymour suddenly find a soul?"
Hirako shakes her head, "He's probably just…surprised you know, I mean I for one am, who would have thought we would run across an alien family here."
"Some great parenting skills," Freddie intrigues before saying sardonically, "'Hey gang, let's go to a warzone,' shoot man, if that's how an Elite is raised, I'm not surprised they grow up to be grumpy roaring monsters."
"Well Bree's going to be different," Mark suddenly declares, "I can see it in her eyes, she's just like any other human baby, she just needs caring parents that's all."
"We're not playing house Straka," Hirako says in a dangerously low voice, "as soon as ONI gets here, we'll give her to them and-"
"And they'll dissect her before freezing her body for future research," Mark interrupts with an acid voice.
Hirako doesn't reply, in fact at that moment, a Marine came walking up next to their hole before coming to a stop. He takes one long look at Bree before Mark coughs.
"Need something Marine?" he asks casually.
The man remains silent as he eyes Bree before saying, "Is it like a human baby?"
The team is momentarily stunned. They were expecting an insult, but his voice holds no deception, he truly was curious about Bree.
"Uh…"Mark stutters before summoning back his senses, "Yeah, yeah, she's like a human child."
He kneels as he examines her, Mark made sure his hand is close to his Magnum pistol, this guy doesn't look like he is looking for trouble, but he it doesn't hurt being careful.
"Does her…" he starts off cautiously, "how does her skin feel?"
"Kind of like leather," Hirako answers who is also watching the Marine closely.
He stares at the baby for a moment before nodding as he asks, "So…how do you know she's a she?"
"Dude," Freddie says, "it's kind of noticeable when you change her diaper."
"You have diapers?" he asks as he looks up at the PFC with disbelieving eyes.
"No we don't," answers Hirako, "we just cut up pieces of clothes, blankets or a tarp and uses it for her."
The man is silent for a long while as he watches Bree sleep before he stands and starts to walk away.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Mark calls out, causing the man to pause and look back.
"Why are you so interested?" Mark asks.
The Marine glances away before sighing and shrug, "I used to have a kid myself and…I guess I just…wanted to know," he finishes awkwardly as he tries to walk away again, but only to stop. He seems to be debating with himself before he turns around and says, "You know children needs lot of attention, so make sure one of you is always with her, especially out here," with that he finally walks away, but with a quick step in his strides as if he wants to sprint as far away from them as possible.
The team watches the man with a mixture of surprise and disbelief.
"Alright," Freddie says slowly, "is that guy a nutter or was he actually concerned for this thing?"
Mark ignores the last comment as he speaks, "he said he had a child of his own, maybe Bree just reminded him."
There was also the possibility that the Marine just gave them a warning of a imminent attack, by other Marines no doubt, but Mark isn't completely sure of that theory so he doesn't voice it.
"I doubt that unless his kid had four mandibles and freaking glowing eyes," Freddie comments.
Mark doesn't say a thing, he just returns to stroking Bree's tough skin and wonder how long he can hang on to her.
Sorry for the long wait, had writer block for a while. So how was this chapter, it's kind of shorter than other chapters, but I hope it was decently long enough. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed.