A/n: Sometimes the worst can bring out the best in people. There is a lot going on but slowly the dots will be connected. I hope you all enjoy this more humble and emotional chapter. The next chapter will touch base on what type of enemy they are all really going up against as well as the turncoat. I also want to really thank you all for the amazing love so far for this part of the series :3
Name: Maci Durramee
Year: 2564 June
Gender: Female
Age:26
Rank: Minor
Location: Unknown Warzone, Sanghelios
The Man named Judge
There was an odd look in Rios eyes that where dark and deceiving as Maci stood and listened to him in the dark of the night, in the distant the faintest red could be seen outlining the mountains in the and soon it would bring to light what exactly had happened here. At least for the past hour there had been no more attacks, meanwhile Alice had come back to it, she was still in extreme pain while July had started to attempt fixing up her armour as best as she could. However there had been a lot of damage done in the night as Maci feared for the worst. For this group was falling apart, it had from the very start, their differences, their past, it affects all of them as Maci looked at Rio, the young male Spartan being almost the same height as Maci. He had these faint little freckles on his pale white skin, his eyes drained of life but still flickered with something in them, a danger Maci didn't comprehend. Instead she blamed it on their human nature and her lack of understanding the humans.
"So what do you say between you and me?" Rio said as he put his hand out towards her, a gesture of trust and acceptance.
To be honest she had not been paying as much attention to him as she would have liked. This had been a first real fight against her own kind, before hand with the Raiders she did not see them as Sangheili but rather monsters that burned her village and Jagoree? Jagoree was the worst of them all, a sangheili that betrayed her own kind wasn't a sangheili anymore, not to mention that the changes that scientist undertook changed her appearances as well which made it easier to deal with. But this was a different situation as Maci noted while she hesitantly shook Rios hand as he smiled, his eyes coming back to life, the gleeful smile spreading across his lips making her almost smile back too, but it was too strange as the Spartan male gave a faint nod and hummed his way over towards July and Alice, there was a stride in his walk that was full of pride, but Maci didn't know why. Had he not been nervous and shaken up just a few minutes before hand?
Either way Maci took in another deep long breath, she knew that Rio was trying to convince her that Judge was the traitor among them, that he had been out to get Voras and Maci all this time. To be honest Maci was half convinced, Judge was a male human on edge and clearly had some PTSD issues, he reacted without thinking things through, and he was a wrecking ball but an unstable one. He was indeed dangerous as Maci thought it over. What topped it was Rios words in her head. 'He was on watch while we slept, he could have signalled anyone during that time'. Rios frightened voiced in her mind as she repeated it only made her question just what exactly where they up against. Who was their real enemy? Was there someone that was a traitor, or was this just a mere manipulation? Either way the toxic mental war in Maci's mind had gotten the best of her as she looked over to Judge and Voras, their conversation ending with a hand shake and acknowledgement towards one another that Maci did not understand. However what she did know was that she was going to keep her distance from Judge, just to be on the safe side.
As Voras turned around to leave Judge in silence his eyes locked with Maci's as he walked over towards her, he had a calm stroll, he was a veteran after all and even so he was deadly with the most simplest of weapons, a plasma pistol. Something even a Grunt could wield and cause chaos with. It just showed how powerful, wise and strong he was as a single warrior that must have gone on these missions daily, or close to it. Not to mention having someone shadow you and being in a situation like this, a perfect simple mission that goes completely wrong. It was also a curse upon Maci as she sighed, she had been on a perfect mission, off planet, it was simple, but it turned to chaos very fast. Maci only felt that it was somehow her fault, but even so right now there were a lot of questions to be asked and very few answers.
Within a few seconds Voras was standing in front of Maci, he gave her a brief nod and a pat on the back as he gestured for her to follow him. It was still fairly dark even with a little bit of light, but it was enough to see the blood stained sandy ground that they walked upon. Maci only had her head low, listening intently, she wondered how Voras could do it, the way he managed to calculate all the moves the enemy made, perhaps something that would come from years of hardship. They walked along away from the Spartans, Maci could hear Voras take in a deep long breath as if the air around the humans was toxic, he seemed relaxed with his hands behind his back as Maci caught a glimpse looking up at him, he was looking out towards the horizon where the bright red light of the sun could be seen. It wasn't like a human sunset, not the typical orange or yellow, but a blood red that was intimidating almost, but beautiful in its own way.
"The Humans…They question us. I do not blame them, even I question them." Voras said softly as he rubbed an itch under his jaw speaking in their native tongue. "Yet we have not killed each other yet. That must mean something right?" Voras said in a softer voice questioning Maci as he looked down at her.
"I do not know. I have never been in contact with a human, studied them yes, but anything else I'm unsure of. But I do know that we can't trust everyone we meet." Maci said softly as she tried to shrug off the matter, her tone held a faint bitterness to it.
"Hmm?" Voras softly hummed and rubbed his lower mandibles returning his gaze back towards the setting sun as they stopped walking. "That may be so. However you must learn to let go of your past and focus on your present. I may not know of all the information from your past mission but I can see you do not trust others easily, out of fear." Voras said as he pointed towards Maci.
Thing was he had a very good point, in fact he had nailed it on the head and it amazed Maci that someone like him could tell just by the blink of an eye as she looked up at him cocking her head slightly to the left side confused yet curious, she wanted to say something but no words would come out, so she looked back to the ground and twitched with her hands behind her back unsure of what more she could even do. Apart of her was hoping that this mission was over, but then Maci knew deep down that she had to break a promise, she had to tell Voras.
"I spoke with Rio when he returned from scouting." Maci softly said, she paused to look up at Voras, his eyes glimmering in the darkness around them as she hesitated to say more. " He said that it looked like we have someone in our group giving out information. A turncoat he called them…" Maci said as she stopped herself from saying anymore, her eyes locked onto Voras in hope of some form of information.
To this Voras did indeed hum, he nodded to Maci out of respect for her trusting him as he looked away and out into the setting sun as it slowly began to rise, the mountains could be seen just a little bit more, but the sun was still a long way off, the group was exhausted, but even Voras knew in a situation like this they couldn't just sleep around and think things over. Coming back to what Maci had said Voras thought deeply about it, he knew the term turncoat was a human term, meaning a traitor and if it was true then they could all be at major risk.
"Maci, a turncoat is someone that has betrayed us. Someone that is willing to kill us all. Do you truly believe what Rio said?" Voras said his words boldly without any form of emotion.
"Well…Yes…I mean it makes perfect sense. We got attacked while we were sleeping, it was perfectly set up." Maci said in hopes her words justified both telling him and Rio as well.
"Then who would be the most likely of those to turn against us?" Voras said a bit more softly as he now turned and looked down at Maci.
"Judge, he was on watch, it happened before you changed, he's displayed dangerous behaviours and seems to be the most motivated of all to kill us, and I think that he may even do it knowing the risk of risking his own life and those of others around him." Maci softly said, a little shameful as she looked up confused and questioning.
Under his gaze she felt slightly pressured as she gulped down, she wasn't fit to rule or lead, she wasn't someone that had so much knowledge like Voras as she prayed that he would only agree. Instead he lifted his head up and looked over his shoulder towards the group of drained Spartans, Judge was the only one that didn't seem so drained, July focused on Alice and Rio was trying to gather the bodies, looting them pretty much for his own sake.
"Maybe…Maybe not…But Maci" Voras paused to look back at Maci. "Do not allow you're paranoia to get the better of you. You are a fine warrior in the making, and whatever anyone says, don't always take it to heart. You have much to learn, but I do believe we can trust Judge. So please do not focus you're hatred on him, but focus on forgiving and learning to trust again. It is why I called you away from them; we have not had the chance to speak on our own terms around them. I'm not saying to trust your life with them, but rather trust them with the information they give us and trust that them that they know what they are doing. " Voras said as he patted Maci on the back once more and walked away leaving her to stand alone.
What Voras had said had touched Maci, she knew he was right; maybe she was wrong as she felt slightly bad for saying anything, but it was better to say something rather than nothing. With a deep breath in of the air that surrounded them, Maci closed her eyes; she focused on taking in a breath every few seconds and exhaling as she drew in the scents around them. At least here she didn't get the bitter scent of blood, it eased her mind as she cleared her head and with each exhale she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders as she focused on what Voras had told her. Focus on the information they give you, nothing more, trust them but not with your life. It was like saying be friends but not too friendly as Maci sighed and reopened her eyes to look upon the bright light that was growing. More and more of the land could be seen, the glass field had started to reflect the lighting, yet again it seemed like a motionless sea as the darkened glass glittered and glimmered with the light that slowly touched it.
Turning on her heels Maci began to walk around the area, it would do her some good to scout, to get her mind off things, to not be stuck around the Spartans, to talk her own language as she looked observing the area. The wind had died down and all life was motionless, all that could be heard was the faint murmurs and cries from Alice in the distance. Maci felt sorry for that female Spartan, she wouldn't last long out here, she would die and that was what Maci was worried the most, what if everyone was picked off one by one? What if Voras was wrong about Judge? What if Maci was wrong about everyone? Shaking her head and taking in a deep breath again Maci tried to come to it, to stop focusing on all the bad things. However she had been surrounded by bad things all her life from the start of her adulthood till now and it didn't look like it would be changing anytime soon.
Maci gazed out towards the glassed fields as she circled around the group keeping her distance. The land they walked upon had very few tracks which told Maci that their assailants where smart enough and prepared to not leave behind any tracks, which made Maci question even more as to who they were up against. With very little information Maci could see even Voras was struggling to grasp the concept of all of this, it seemed unreal and it drew the line that whatever information gathering they were after didn't include humans and covenant rebellions working together. The big question remained as to what exactly they were after? What threat did Four Spartans and two sangheili pose?
Out of the blue Maci stopped when she heard footsteps behind her; she stiffened and turned around fast as she caught a glimpse of the larger Spartan. Judge stood about 7 foot, around eye length with Maci which probably felt odd for the both of them since Sangheili are meant to be a little bit taller than most Spartans. However seeing Judge and being alone with him put Maci on alert as she straightened her back up and took in a deep breath, her hands folded behind her back trying to hold a superior look but in reality she only did it because it would be faster to grab her energy swords and spring a surprise attack on Judge if he dared to do anything. Either way Maci looked the male Spartan up and down as he stopped a few feet away from her, not game enough to come any closer clearly.
"I must apologize" Judge said in an all too soft tone of a voice. It was still a gruff sounding voice, but it seemed softer than usual, genuine. "For not trusting you…earlier." He shrugged and lowered his gaze to the ground, his hands too behind his back.
However Maci didn't reply back to him, she only took in a few deep breaths still unsure if it was safe to drop her guard around him, he was the most mysterious of them all, the most likely to kill her, he was also the most likely to be the turncoat as Maci reminded herself, but she tried to reflect on what Voras had said, try hard to trust them but not too much as Maci somewhat relaxed but still not enough to drop her guard completely. To the sound of silence, the human Spartan looked back up to her, or so Maci could only assume. Then he did something she didn't expect as he raised his hands, Maci stiffened her hands nimbly waiting, but it was like he could see her fear as he stopped midway before slowly continuing towards his head.
His hands grasped around the bottom of his helmet, a faint whooshing sound coming from it then a hiss before he slowly lifted the helmet up off his head. Tensely Maci watched as the olive green helmet was lifted up off his head as the man held it in his hands and lowered it, he didn't hold his helmet with pride, but rather looked down at the reflection it must have casted back at him. Even in the faint bit of light Maci could see he wasn't a young man, he must have been in his 50's which would explain his gruff sounding voice as he slowly turned his gaze towards Maci facing her. On his right eye was a large scar, he was blind in that eye as it was a milky white, his thin lips smiled softly towards her, his hair was short, cropped back on the sides and a little bit on the top almost forming an odd style of a Mohawk. His eye was blue; an ocean blue with the mixture of grey, there was stubble on his chin that had an odd mixture of white and grey as it darkened down along his jawline.
To this Maci dropped her guard, she didn't know why as she finally took in a deep breath and looked at the man rather surprised, she wasn't sure what to say, or more correctly how to say it as she took in his features. She'd expected to see a young buff headed male under there that was close to the same age as Rio, but to be honest without his helmet on, Maci saw a different person, a humble person that had been affected by the years of war and pain, that had endured a lot throughout his life, but also someone that was a leader.
"I remember when the Spartans first came. I wasn't very old back then, A young man in my prime when the Covenant first attacked our colony world. They were brave, strong, The Chief…Man…he saved us, all of us, got us onto those shuttles and away." Judge said as he looked at Maci and then back to his helmet as he reflected on his past. "Of course the covenant didn't stop with one simple human colonised world, didn't stop with anything or anyone. I lived a life of fear trying to protect my family while I watched those Spartans rush out into battle, saving lives. My wife always said I was a dreamer…I tried to apply to become a Spartan, but they said I was too old…said it couldn't be done…so they took my only son." Judge said as he stopped and took in a few deep long breaths to calm his nerves while his hands trembled.
"I will never see him again, they came… ONI, I asked them, I begged to let me fight for my world, for my family. But they only took what they wanted and left us all to burn while the covenant glassed our planet. They were meant to save us…to take us away, but they only too our children. I watched my wife die in my own arms when a Sangheili cut through the middle of her head. I expected to be next, but the world is a cruel place and before that sangheili could kill me too I remember the sensation of his blade connecting down the side of my face." Judge faintly laughed nervously as he trailed a finger down the scar and over his eye lid. "Some asshole of a Spartan saved me. I wanted to kill him, my world, my life, it had been destroyed, I had lost everything in a heartbeat, only a few survivors managed to make it out alive. I remember that Spartan, he grabbed me, held onto me and tossed me into a shuttle, like as if I was but a mere kitten." Judge made a faint gruff sound as he rolled his shoulders and screwed his face up slightly.
"After that…I was taken to work on some ship, I had the qualifications to be an engineer, and they took what they had at the time. Everyone was at war, before the Sangheili left the Covenant. I trained hard; I told myself if I ever saw another one of your kind that I would kill them…" Judge stopped again only to brush away the faintest tear as he took in a deep breath. "A few years later, by the time I was no longer a young man they were enlisting for men and women to join the UNSC, to become Spartans. I thought it was a joke, but turns out I was wrong like always. UNSC had come to make humans more…advanced if you could say. Mark IV Spartans…Just after the Human Covenant war…But I didn't give up on that damn dream. So I enlisted myself to become like the Chief. I wanted to protect people. But war never ends. We fought and we keep fighting, and we keep killing, and every time! I would fight or train I lost a part of myself, I lost my humanity until I had nothing left…I had nothing to give but false hope and broken dreams." Judge shook his head and made a faint sniffle like sound, his gaze upon the dusty dirty ground before he finally looked back up at Maci with glazed eyes and a bitter look.
Even someone so stoic, so emotion, he still had a sense of his humanity somewhere deep inside of him, he just couldn't see it but Maci could. For once Maci felt that she could indeed respect him, to trust him just that little bit, because before he was a man, not a machine as she nodded towards him, breaking the distance between them and putting her hand on his shoulder feeling his pain, what he has gone through.
"You are not alone; we have all lost someone close to us. Even I lost those that of which had been close to me. I know the pain you bare, but you have clearly given those three a chance at making a difference." Maci said as she gestured towards Rio and then the two women over by the coverage of rocks. "You say you give broken dreams and false hopes, but I think you are a rock, a foundation that helps strengthen them. Voras said to me earlier to trust, and I trust you human that we can make it through this." Maci firmly said with a faint smile as she squizzed his shoulder.
To her surprise he put his hand over her larger one and nodded, their eyes were locked before he let go of her hand and she withdrew hers before Judge put his helmet back on. Maci wondered if it was to cover his emotions as she heard him take in a deep long breath as she nodded and continued on her patrol of the perimeter; however she was stopped by the faint sound of laughter as she looked over at Judge whom was now looking back at her.
"Voras said you were a strong warrior. Now I see why." Was all he said with a strange sounding voice, you could almost hear happiness in his tone as he turned and walked back over towards July and Alice.
Faintly Maci chuckled as she turned away from his view, he had a good point, and it felt good to hear his story, she understood him more than ever now and maybe Voras was right and Maci was wrong, for the man named Judge was much more than a man, he was more than a soldier, more than a human and a Spartan. It actually brought a smile to Maci's face as she took in a long deep breath, her worries and concerns had now faded her as she walked on, she didn't want to think about the rising questions in her head, but rather the lesson she had learned. That even in such dark times friendships can be made, if you could call it that.
