Chapter VIII: Second Chances
Location: Apartment Block #46, District 4, High Charity
Date: November 3, 2552 (UNSC Calendar)
Station Clock: 03:30 Hours
Garek sighed, staring at the ceiling of the apartment he had been assigned; it felt more like a prison and he was sure several others shared that feeling. He had had some good times while staying here, but the grim reality of why they were in this building overrode those memories. He thought back to what Ar'n recently revealed to him when two guardsmen had, almost literally, dumped him at his doorway; being bored as he was, all he could do was think.
5 days earlier…
Garek leaned through the doorway of the washroom, hearing a thud followed by a pained cry out in the hallway. He finished cleaning his teeth and dressed, deciding to see what the commotion was. He opened the door to find two Honor Guards waiting patiently on the other side, a bruised and bloody form on the floor between them. "Yes?"
"This Minor was found out in the street and said that he wanted to speak with you immediately. Take this drunken idiot and keep him inside before he gets into trouble that is more genuine." The two left without another word and Garek looked to the form lying on the floor. He knelt down and turned the Sangheili's face toward him, barely recognizing who it was.
"Ar'n…Ar'n, can you hear me?"
"Of course I can, you damn idiot. I am not dead yet." He was slurring heavily and he reeked of whiskey; whether the slur was more from the alcohol or his broken mandibles, Garek wasn't sure. "Are you going to let me in or leave me lying here like an asshole?"
"I just might leave you…unless you can convince me not to," he said, standing and looking down at him.
Ar'n laid his head back on the floor, grunting as his sore muscles moved. "I need help," he said softly.
"That much is clear," he returned bluntly.
"Why are acting like Nazo so suddenly? I am breaking my own morals and asking someone for help…you, specifically."
"Because you waited far too long to admit that you had a problem; I suppose that it took getting your ass kicked for you to finally realize it yourself. Now, get up."
"I can't…"
"Yes, you can. Get up."
"Are you trying to humiliate me?"
"I don't need to, you took care of that yourself," he sighed, extending a hand down. "Come on." Ar'n accepted it and Garek picked him up and guided him to the washroom. "Sit," he said, setting him down on the toilet. He retrieved his pack and began rummaging for a small kit he had gotten from the local clinic, "Hold still while I clean up these wounds." He applied a salve to a small cloth and touched it to a gash just over Ar'n's left eye.
He howled and swatted Garek's hand away. "Bitch! What is that, liquid fire?"
Garek instantly grew impatient. "I said, hold still. Do you want my help or not?" He huffed, "I might have gotten it in your eye." Ar'n shook his head and complied, hissing quietly or grunting with each cut that was sanitized. Then, out came the needle.
"What the hell are you doing with that?" Ar'n said warily.
"You need stitches for the cut over your eye."
"Then, send me to Deza or Yuri. They're qualified to do such a thing."
"No. Having nothing else to do…I had Deza show me a couple of things."
"You didn't…"
"Just basic stuff, like stitches…now, hold still. I mean it this time; I don't want to put this through your eye." He touched the tip to one end of the gash, "Are you ready?" Ar'n closed his mandibles tightly and nodded, Garek immediately going to work. It must not have been as bad as he thought, because Ar'n didn't do anything to indicate pain. "Done. The others aren't that bad and should be healed in a couple of days. Go in the common area and sit." Ar'n complied as he walked down the hall to Nazo's door, lightly knocking on it.
Nazo answered, wearing just pants and a sword hilt in hand. "Yes, 'Izakee?" he said, breathing heavily.
"I need to show you something…are you all right?"
"I'm fine, was just practicing some sword forms. Is it urgent?"
"I would say so…Ar'n," he finished to Nazo's tilted head.
"Give me a moment and I'll be right over," he said, closing the door immediately.
Garek returned to find Ar'n in the same spot, looking greatly troubled about something. "Where did you go?" he said, his slur greatly reduced; he must have reset his mandibles when he had stepped out.
"To inform Nazo of your current condition."
"Why? I want your help, not his. I doubt he even cares about me, anyway."
"As a matter of fact, I do care, boy. Well, well, quite the mess you've made of yourself."
"Stop calling me that! I am not your son!" he spat.
Garek glanced to Nazo, who actually looked…hurt? "What happened, Ar'n?" he said.
"What do you think happened? I went out drinking, picked a fight, and lost. Is that want you wanted to hear?"
"I am far from impressed, 'Drakosee. Our reputation is already in bad standing, and you going around picking fights while intoxicated certainly doesn't help the matter," Nazo said, crossing his arms.
"I don't give a damn about the Rangers' reputation. We're already disgraced for what one of our so-called brothers did; one person fucked it up for all of us!"
Nazo growled. "Thank you for reporting this to me, 'Izakee. Do what you can for the stupid whelp."
"Yes sir." He shook his head when the door closed. "Why do you do this to yourself, Ar'n? I know it's something from your past."
"It's none of your business."
"I am making it my business; you came to me for help, and I believe I have an idea of where this problem began. All I need is for you to give me the specifics."
Ar'n stared blankly at the wall for a few minutes before speaking sadly, "You're right, it does have to do with my past. Remember when I said 'I may be young, but I've had my share'?" Garek simply nodded. "Well…I had a consort back home for about a year before I went to Academy. She w-was…" He paused, rubbing his face in attempt to keep the tears at bay. "I…I can't…"
"You lost her, yes?" Ar'n nodded. "It's okay, Ar'n. You just need to take the time to properly grieve…and move on."
"I have tried…it's just…it's just too great."
"Ar'n, I can't help you if I don't know the full story. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is."
"Just…ask again in a few hours. Can I stay here?"
Garek nodded, "Go get some rest. I assure you that I'll be here when you awaken." He closed the bedroom door behind the shorter Sangheili, immediately hearing him slump to the floor and sob.
When Ar'n had awakened, he did tell Garek everything. He helped his friend as best he could, giving what advice he could before demanding that Ar'n stop drinking, to which he had agreed. He was still thinking about what had happened when there was a knock at his door.
Nazo was on the other side, a small smile on his face. "Get geared up, 'Izakee."
"Why?"
"Do you believe in second chances?"
"Well yes, but what does that-"
"They found another one. The Journey is about to-"
"Save me the Journey talk, sir. It's ridiculous," Garek interrupted, though his tone wasn't harsh or angry. "In all honesty, if what the Prophets say is true, then the humans would not have stopped our forces. I'm not trying to disrespect you or your belief in it…just don't try to push them on me."
Nazo blinked before continuing, "Anyway, I have been given an assignment and was wondering if you would like to come along. It is strictly voluntary."
Garek chuckled at how Nazo seemed unfazed by his heresy; if it had been any other Sangheili, sans his friends, he would likely be a corpse lacking a head. "At best," he reminded himself. "No, I think I'll stay here. This place may be a prison…but the down time is nice," he said lightly, eliciting a chortle from Nazo; he had really lightened up since they had arrived and everyone had taken notice.
"Indeed it is," he agreed. "The choice was yours to make, and you made it. Well, farewell. I will return very soon."
As the Ultra moved quickly down the hall, Garek called to him, "Good luck!" The Ultra simply paused and gave a brief nod of thanks before disappearing in an elevator. He took notice of a change in the hallway; there were no longer Honor Guards at the elevator or stairwell, just simple security officers. He approached one, the guard instantly reaching for the rifle on his hip. "Relax, I just have a question," he said slowly. The officer tensely nodded for him to continue. "What happened to the Guardsmen?"
"Did you not hear? The Guard has been replaced."
"What? By who?"
"The Jiralhanae," he spat, disgusted by simply speaking the word. "The Prophets replaced the Guard with Brutes because Regret was murdered by the Demon."
"When did this happen?"
"The Guard was changed over roughly…six hours ago. Seeing as the Jiralhanae are not allowed in this district by request of the High Council of Masters, we are tasked with overseeing the lot of you until your probation is lifted."
"Do you have any idea when that will be?" Ar'n suddenly said from behind Garek. "I am ready to reenter the battlefield, wherever it may be."
"It will be lifted when the Third Cycle ends today. Even then, it will be some time before you are reassigned. There is a war out there, you know."
"A war we would be fighting if the Coun-" Ar'n was interrupted by Garek swatting him on the snout. "What the hell was that for?"
"Thank you for your time, officer. We will just be going now." The officer simply nodded as Garek leaned in and whispered, "Watch what you say about the Council around the general populace. Remember that we are a minority here."
"Sorry. You know how I am…"
He nudged him in the side. "Sometimes I wish I didn't." Ar'n laughed and pushed him away.
"You ass."
"Oh, if you're ready for battle, why didn't you go with Nazo?"
"Wait, what? He got an assignment?"
"Yes, he came and asked me if I wanted to go along, but I said no."
"He didn't come to me…I wonder if it's because of what I said the other day. I cannot believe that he still thinks that I'm his son. We are nothing alike."
"Then explain the picture."
"It's obviously fake."
"Or, you're in denial."
"Whatever, Garek. You know what it would take for me to believe that he really is my father."
"Your mothers word, because she was never known to tell a lie," Garek affirmed. "Though the key words in that statement are 'never known'; it doesn't mean she never did."
"I still stand by it. If she lied to me, it was either by accident or she was lied to herself. That much I know for certain."
Garek sighed, thinking of a way to resolve this small conflict. Though he knew it really was none of his business, he couldn't help it; it was in his nature to try, no matter what. "What about a blood test?"
"How about you shut the hell up before I hit you?" Ar'n grunted. "Must you be so stubborn about this?"
"I am simply trying to help resolve the situation. We do not need infighting, Ar'n, not in our current state."
Ar'n sighed. "Look, I know you want to help, and I appreciate the concern…but some things are just better left alone. I believe it was you who told me that."
"Well, I guess we're both hypocrites, then."
"I guess so."
They remained silent for a time, simply walking through the ever-growing crowds in the street outside. "Hmm, I wonder where Rotje is. I haven't spoken to him in a while…"
"I think I saw him in the park through my window. Deza was with him."
"How long ago?"
"It was right before I stepped into the hallway and found you talking to that officer. They might still be there," he shrugged.
Garek smirked, a mischievous glint in his eye. "We still have access to our armor, right?"
"Yeah, no weapons or shields, though. Why?"
"Would you like to play a prank?"
That same smirk and glint appeared on Ar'n's face. "Do tell."
About ten minutes later, they were both crouched behind a boulder in the park, listening to Rotje and Deza talk idly on a bench a few meters away. "And that's about it for my childhood. What about yours?" Deza said softly; the two were sitting very close, she had her head on his shoulder and he had arm over hers.
Garek heard Ar'n suppress a grunt. "I can almost taste the hormones. It's making my head hurt," he whispered. "What are we going to do, anyway?"
"Can you change the pitch of your voice and it be believable?"
"How is this?" he said, a tone just higher than normal.
"Excellent," Garek whispered back, making his tone deeper; the two of them could pass for different people, given that they kept their helmets on. Garek waved for them to move around the two.
They remained unseen as Rotje continued telling Deza of his past. "I had several acquaintances, but I suppose Garek was my only true friend. Hell, I went to see him so much, I might as well have lived in his home. I am sure that Kir'a would have let me stay if Jeka wasn't such an asshole."
"His mother and father?" Deza said when he paused.
"Yes. Whenever Jeka wasn't around, I did stay there until the day before he would return. I know that they see as a member of their family…and I gladly accept that, seeing as I have none of my own."
"Surely you have brothers or sisters?"
"If I do, I don't know about them…because I'm an orphan."
"What?"
"My maternal uncle had told me that I was left on his doorstep, not even able to speak yet. He was a good man; taught me discipline, how to and when to be polite or blunt, and he introduced me to the 'Zak lineage.
Garek and I would go into Tarasun, on the rare occasion that he didn't have to tend the fields, and cause trouble. Well, it was me who did most of the trouble-making; he was too shy to go into some public place and do the things I did," he said, chuckling. "If I got caught, he would always choose that time to be sociable and bail me out. He has always been there for me…and I have yet to return the favor."
"Yes you have. Remember when he lost his brother?"
"I didn't make him feel any better like he had always done me. He's very hard to reason with when he's angry or sad."
"Well, at least you tried, hmm? You and I both know that he appreciated it."
Rotje sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Listen, Deza, we have been getting to know each other for some time now…and, I think I-" he was interrupted by Deza licking the side of his face, the Sangheili equivalent to a kiss. He sat still and blinked for several moments; surprised not only by her action, but that it was in a public place. He looked around in hope that nobody had seen, only to be disappointed as two Rangers, a Major and a Minor, began approaching; the Minor was rather short but heavily built, while the Major was average height and lean. "Let me handle this," he whispered. "Good morning, brothers. May I help you-"
"No public displays of affection in the park," the taller one interrupted. "In fact, I should report you. Who is your superior officer?"
"Field Marshall Tajo 'Szemee. Go ahead and report it, he knows where I am and who I am with."
Meanwhile, Ar'n was speaking with Deza. "I need you to come with me. Females do not belong in the park."
"What the hell are you talking about, you runt? I can be where I damn-well please."
They kept at it until both Rotje and Deza simultaneously shouted in frustration, "Just who the hell are you?" That was when the laughter started; they laughed until Ar'n had doubled over on the ground and Garek was holding onto his left side. Deza and Rotje exchanged strange looks before the latter said, "The question still stands."
Garek simply removed his helmet and grinned. "You should have seen the looks on your faces."
"What was this, some kind of joke?" Deza said.
"Yes, it was," Rotje said. "After all the stunts we pulled in the past, that's the best you could come up with, Garek? I must say, I'm disappointed."
"As you said, you caused most of the trouble…and came up with most of the plans. Not bad for spur of the moment, though eh?"
Rotje finally smiled and shook his head. "You had me going, I can't deny that. But Ar'n, Deza was about to beat your little ass into the ground...and this is such a lovely park. Wouldn't want to ruin it by having your blood all over the place…"
"Are you two really that bored? That you have to pull a prank on two people who are enjoying themselves?" Deza said hotly.
"Yes, Deza, we are that bored," Garek admitted without shame. "So…you and Rotje?"
"Yes, Deza and I…and you saw it coming," Rotje said, finally returning her gesture from earlier. "You are able to read people too well, brother."
"Sometimes, I wish I wasn't able. Maybe then, more things would surprise me."
"Well, the mood is ruined," Rotje said suddenly. "Thanks, you two."
"You're quite welcome," Ar'n said lightly, giving a bow. "Carry on."
As they walked away from the couple, they heard Deza whisper, "I can change that very quickly, you know…"
"Eh…I don't want to rush things, Deza. We should give ourselves more time to make up our minds…"
"Don't wait too long," Garek said over his shoulder. "Another ring has been discovered."
The rest of the week was uneventful, which had become a normality. While he was lazily reading reports on the Battle Net, his terminal chimed, telling him that he had received a message that had been marked 'urgent'. He had a strange feeling that he knew who it was from and what it contained, but he checked it nonetheless. His suspicions rang true when the header read: Kir'a 'Defum, urgent to Garek 'Izakee. He keyed the proper glyph and opened the message, sighing as he read.
"Garek, we just received the full details of Tavo's death…why did you not tell us what had happened? Do not lie this time; we know you were there…
-Kir'a 'Defum"
Garek knew that it had been his father who had typed the message using his mother's profile; the tone and wording said it all to him, and messages that were sent through the Battle Net were automatically signed as the owner of the profile, no matter who was actually using it. He frowned, knowing that he would have to be brutally honest this time around.
"I have no excuse for my actions…
I was not able to avenge his death, and I hate myself every day for it.
I suppose that I did not tell you because…I could not find the means to do so. I apologize for not correcting my mistake…and pray that you both will forgive me.
-Garek 'Izakee
P.S. I know you will see this father, but I do not care…I miss home, mother. The craving for battle quickly fades when you witness the horrors that lie within it." He hesitated as his finger hovered over the 'send' glyph, the knowledge that Jeka would only ridicule him ever-present in his mind. He truly didn't care what his father said or thought of him, but he knew that mother did and that she had almost snapped at Jeka quite a few times prior to Garek leaving for his service. "If I do not care, why am I hesitating?" he thought. Finally, he pressed the glyph and sent the message.
It was less than a moment before he received a reply. "Do not hate yourself for it, my son; these things happen in war, and we are not the only family to receive messages. You and Rotje are the last surviving soldiers from our keep, Garek. The field hands and I pray for your safe return every night.
I do not hold anything against you, though the same cannot be said of your father. Did you, at the very least, recover the gem I gave him? If so, keep it; you will need it more than we do. I am sure you miss home, but you and I both know there are only a choice-few ways that you can return, none of them good. Have strength, my son, I know in my hearts that you will survive and return one day.
-Kir'a 'Defum"
He stared at the holographic screen for several hours, unsure of how to reply. Surely he and Rotje weren't the final soldiers from the Rytar'zoa Keep; there were other children learning the arts of war…weren't there? Several questions arose in his mind, quickly growing more and more frustrated with himself, all because he had mentioned one thing: home. But, was it even home any longer? How much had changed in the nine years since he left Sangheilios to serve this Covenant? He paced for several hours before coming to a conclusion. "No, this is my home now. My fellow Sangheili are my brothers, my family. And nothing will change that," he said to himself.
"You're thinking about home too, eh?" Ar'n said suddenly, Garek turning sharply to face him.
"Do you not believe in announcing your presence before entering someone's quarters?"
"Um…your door was wide open, so I let myself in," he shrugged. "Humph, I know Juz'n hasn't changed and that it likely never will. Although I consider fellow warriors to be family, I will never think of this as home. We may be warriors, but that does not mean our home has to be a battlefield, Garek."
"Then, why are you always so eager to enter it?"
Ar'n frowned. "You know why. The thrill of battle reminds me that I'm still alive…while others are not. It keeps me occupied…from thinking about those others." He sighed sadly, "My life has never been easy, Garek. I have almost had to fight to merely survive before I could even comprehend what was happening around me. I have had to do terrible things, just so mother could put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads. Do you know why I'm so good at what I do?"
"Because you have been trained to do it?"
"Yes and no. Joining the military only honed my skills, but I already had them. I was a thief, Garek; it was all I knew and it was the only way I could live. Food, clothing…you name it, I stole it."
"But you only took things that you would need?"
"For the most part. Sometimes I stole jewelry or other items of value, just to keep the groundskeeper from kicking us into the street. You must think I'm a terrible person…"
"No. What you have done are crimes, but you had the best of intentions when you carried them out. Life is a challenge, Ar'n, and each individual one is different."
"Yeah…"
They remained silent for a time, neither of them really having anything further to say on the matter. "So…anything new happening?"
"As far as?" Ar'n said curiously.
"Do you know how operations are going on the Ring?"
"The Prophet of Regret is dead, murdered by the Demon. There are talks of increased hostility between our kind and the Jiralhanae. I fear that this is the beginning of the end, Garek."
"I think you may be right. Things have only escalated since the first Ring was destroyed; I see fewer people in the streets every day, replaced by security officers. Children no longer play, their parents no longer smiling. If the worse comes to worst, I will not go down without a fight."
"You and me both," Ar'n agreed. "How is your English coming along?"
"I am still having trouble with certain words; pronunciations and syllables, mostly," he said, using the very language Ar'n had mentioned. "Why?"
"The way I see it…we may need to use it."
"Why would we need to use a human language?"
"If worse comes to worst," he said simply. "You're getting better, but you need to try to keep from warbling and hissing so much. Speak slowly and just practice until you get it right."
"Could you help me for a little while, then? A second opinion is always nice."
"No problem." Ar'n set a book on the table between them, "This is a dictionary I had made, in secret of course. It has basic words and the translation to Common next to them. There is no telling how much time we have, so let's begin." Ar'n started with holding the dictionary and having Garek just repeat the words he said before handing the book over and telling to try and read words out of it, in English. Garek struggled greatly at first, but his natural ability to adapt quickly caught up with him and he began listing words much faster than Ar'n had anticipated. He eventually fell silent, just allowing Garek to speak; he would only interrupt if Garek began saying a word, then pausing as he tried to work out the pronunciation.
"Par…parti…," he sighed. "Ar'n, this word…it says it's an 's sound', but is spelled with a c?"
Ar'n took the dictionary and looked to where Garek had pointed. "That would be participate. Some words do that, Garek. Participate."
"Parr-tissuh-payt?" he said slowly.
"There you go. Continue," he said handing the dictionary back. This went on for another hour before they moved on to grammar and sentence structure. They continued into the early hours of the Third Cycle, Ar'n speaking as he began to doze off, "Alright, that's enough. It's late, I'm sure that both of our heads hurt, and most importantly…I am damn tired."
"Yeah. See you in a few hours, Ar'n," Garek said as the shorter Sangheili walked toward the door.
"In the morning," he returned with a yawn.
Garek crawled into bed, the familiar coolness of it suddenly feeling alien to him. He quickly shook the feeling and closed his eyes, a vision beginning as soon as he fell asleep.
He had no idea that what it entailed would arrive much sooner than he thought…
