[0700 hours, April 17th 2554 (Military Calendar)/ Scutum-Centaurus Arm, Salvation Colony]
Elena woke up one hour later than she normally did. She rolled over and felt the bed, and found no one else was there. She blinked groggily and realized Seth, for another night, was not with her. She sighed as her brain turned on and remembered he had moved out and what she had said. She still didn't have the guts to confront him and tell him she was sorry. She didn't know if the rumors were true or not, but it wasn't like his word was lower than everyone elses. He told her he didn't do anything, and she should have trusted him.
She took a deep breath and got out of bed to take a shower and get ready for the day. She would first go tell Seth she was sorry and start the day off to a good start once she had some food in her system. Hopefully he'd forgive her. She somehow knew he would, but she was still nervous with her decision.
[Meanwhile]
Seth woke up to a rude ring of his door alarm. He opened his eyes quickly and rolled them around, looking for the offending sound and once he found it, he would kill it. He was grumpy from what he had done last night, and didn't really have a want for visitors. He got up as another ring of his door alarm made him growl. He walked to the door, and then looked down at himself. He was standing there in just his boxer briefs. He turned around and grabbed his pants and put them on quickly, and the opened the door. Aurora.
"Oh, wow, you're… for me?" she asked sweetly, looking at his toned body.
"What do you want?" he grumbled.
"Oh, don't be that way, please? We can be friends. Or more if you want. I feel just terrible that you're not with your girlfriend. So sad. I didn't mean to ruin things with you and her, but now you know how she acts. Loyalty is an admirable trait" she pouted at first, but then changed to flirtatious immediately after. Seth took a deep breath. He was rethinking killing the offending sound again. The thought of his fist comically shooting towards Aurora's face and stopping her from speaking floated through his mind before closing the door.
"But that's not why I'm here. I'll hopefully get a chance to know more about you later. I'd like to start with how we can fix what we talked about last night?" she asked. Seth shook his head and grumbled something incomprehensible.
"What was that? I'm sorry, did I wake you? I know you're a civilian, but we're usually up this time of day. I was hoping you'd be ok with it… aren't you?" she asked innocently.
No, I'm not, but whatever, this gets done quickly so I can have you LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!
"Fine. Let me get ready" he told her.
"Oh, could I come in? I don't really want to sit outside" she pouted.
Don't even… you do this, and you might cause more bullshit for you.
"Fine, don't touch anything" he growled.
"Girl Scout's honor!" she said with two fingers saluting him. She walked in and sat down on his bed as he grabbed new clothes and went into the bathroom. She tried to peek in as he stripped and he quickly closed the door.
No ass for joo.
He quickly took a shower and got his clothes on and walked out of the bathroom, and then instinctively sat down on the bed to put his shoes on. He realized it was a mistake as he sat next to her. She kept her gaze fixed on him, the entire time smiling.
"It must be difficult, being apart from your loved one when she's the one who pushed you to this" she told him softly.
"Not listening" he told her as he tied the last lace.
"She yelled at you I'm guessing? I'm sorry I caused that. I really feel awful about it. But… maybe it gives you time to think you know? Someone does that, you just get the chance to find someone who might understand you? See the uniqueness in you? I'd never yell at you. I know you're loyal" she told him.
"Again, not listening" he told her as he picked up his personal data pad. He made sure his bone mic was securely in his ear and grabbed his spare data pad as well.
"Leos are like that. We stick to one thing and never let go. She never gave you a chance to really talk. I never got a chance to really talk to you. Won't you give me one?" she asked hopefully.
"No comprende estupido" he mumbled.
"Please? I like you, is that what you want me to say? I don't know, I just-" she started to say as she looked away, and as soon as she looked back at him and was going to continue, she met his glare. It made Elena's daggers look like nothing compared to his death gaze. It suddenly softened as he suddenly got a light bulb idea.
What time is it? Psychology time Doctor Phil! Let's see what make this such a problem shall we?
"Aurora, would you per chance explain to me WHY you like me?" he said.
Psych Eval. Never gets old. Lemme guess, mommie not love you enough? Daddy set too many rules? Tutor molest you when you were younger? Let it all out, I'm listening. Hmm, yes, very interesting. Tell me more.
"Well, despite how you try and hide it, you're fun to be around. I know how to find them. And you're strong hearted, you're hansom, you're definitely smart if you do what you do right? And… I don't know… I feel a connection to you" she told him.
"Then why do you act the way you do?" he asked.
"What are you talking about?" she asked smiling, not getting what he was saying.
"You're attitude towards others, your personality. What brought you to act the way you do? What's your view of people around you and life in general?" he asked.
Where is my fucking crystal recorder? I should document this.
"What? Well, I don't understand, you want me to tell about my life? Oh Seth, I'll tell you anything you want!" She said excitedly and Seth sat down next to her again. She leaned against him but he pushed her aside gently and told her to lay down on the bed. She complied quickly and almost cuddled his sheets. He found that particularly creepy as she smelled them too.
"Now, tell me about when you were a kid. How were you brought up?" he asked.
"Well, I grew up in London, and my mother pretty much got a tutor to teach me whatever I needed to learn, and there were plenty of servants to care for me" she told him as she tried to keep her eyes fixated on him.
"So, servants watched over you? You never went to a public school?" he asked her calmly.
"Well, yeah, my mother was really busy all the time. I understood. I'd grow up eventually to do the same right? I mean, she's practically a princess, and that would mean I am too. I don't do public school, I had tutors silly" she giggled.
"What makes you think you're a princess?" he asked.
"Well, my father was knighted, and became a Lord soon after, so… heritage? I could see myself being royalty when I was a little girl, with my prince wherever he was" she said and giggled at him.
"Did you think there was a prince out there for you when you were that young? Did you know any boys at that age?" he asked.
"There had to be! I mean, my father is a Duke! I just… I dreamed of him finding me, and falling in love at first sight" she told him and winked.
"Please, continue. Were there any boys you knew when you were younger?" he asked.
"Well, there was one. I think he was the son of one of the servants. He was a bit of a bully" she frowned.
"Did he berate you? Hit you?" he asked.
"He was mean… he said a lot of things to me… he tried to order me around! And when I wouldn't, he'd call me a whiner…I'm not a whiner… I'm not…" she pouted. He cocked his eyebrow briefly and looked around his room. Still no sight of the crystal recorder.
"Did he ever get reprimanded?" he asked.
"His mother was reprimanded for him treating me as such. She should have kept him under control better in my house. I didn't like how he treated me. I don't like when people think I'm weak" she told him as she started to look at the ceiling.
"Do you feel weak?" he asked.
"No! I'm not weak! He was mean to me… he said I'd never get my prince if I was weak… so I told my mother… she just told me to ignore him because he was nothing… and then told me to stop bothering her…" she told him as she stared at the ceiling now.
"Bothering her? Did she think you were a bother?" he asked.
"I don't know! I… I'm not a bother!... am I?" she asked him and looked down her chest at him.
"Only you can answer that for yourself. Back to the ignoring. So you ignored him" he said.
"Yes, I ignored him. I ignore anybody who says bad things to me. It's not right to say those things to people" she told him.
"Do you ignore military officials now if they say something bad?" he asked.
"No! They're my superiors! I'd never stop listening to them!" she scoffed and told him confused.
"Alright. Back to your past. So you ignored when someone says mean things. You learned this. Did you ever think maybe they were telling the truth at times?" he asked. Crack shot question.
"I…" she hesitated.
"Answer in your own time, think carefully" he said calmly.
"I don't like being thought of as weak. I try and try to show I'm not… but I never get the responses I was expecting… I never got noticed by others…" she said and he could hear her literally opening up. Good.
"Not even by your own mother?" he asked.
"She… didn't really have much time to notice me… with her duties… daddy was gone a lot… so he didn't spend a lot of time with us… so… she divorced him because he stopped coming home for a long time" she told him. Sounded like Elena with her father.
"But she spent time with you? No?" he asked.
"No. The servants and tutors watched me… my mother kept saying… the weak have those jobs… they listen to us… but… I think I was just like them because she didn't look at either of us…" Aurora said and he could see tears building.
"So, you feel inferior but don't want to be considered as such? So you fight to be superior? How do you fight to be this way?" he asked.
"I prove I can outgun anyone and be better than anyone else. I don't want to be second place. I'm not going to be second at all" she told him.
"Do you feel second to Brigadier General Gripen?" he asked.
"Yes. No. I… I'm not second to her, she's second to me. I'm better! I am!" she said and looked at him.
"Aren't I?" she asked worriedly.
"I can't answer that for you. You have to answer that yourself. Did you prove you were capable to your mother?" he asked.
"No… I… she didn't think I was…" she said as her voice got slightly scratchy.
"Do you believe others aren't capable? Even though they are your peers?" he asked.
"Yes! They aren't as good as I am! I… I made it to Colonel beyond them! I…" she hesitated again.
"But you treat them like that boy treated you, like you were nothing. Don't you think that's wrong?" he asked.
"They're weaker than I am!" she snapped at him.
"How do you know? You aren't them. Why would you treat someone like you have been treated?" he asked.
Confuscius say: Do unto others, as you wish done unto you.
"I… I don't know. I don't want to be lower than they are" she said.
"Because you're worried you're weak. You don't want to be weak. So you fight to not be, and you do this by treating others like so. And you ignore things that you don't agree with, unless they are orders. And you believe there is a prince out there that is like in the fairy tales that would want you for that" he said. She sat up and looked at him.
Cast down your weight sinner! And praise your savior for your epiphany of light! Hallelujah!
"I don't understand. What am I doing? Am I doing something wrong?" she asked worriedly.
"Here, we're going to try something to see what you feel about what you did when you were younger. Then you can figure out if you did something wrong. We're going to do hypnosis, are you alright with that?" he asked.
"Wait, you're going to hypnotize me? Aren't we going to start figuring out how to fix what I did?" she asked, but she wasn't being seductive anymore. She sounded slightly different.
Sounds like her brain might have actually turned on. Good. I'm making progress.
"We will, after this. Now, lay back down" he said and pushed her gently down on the bed. She giggled at his touch and gazed at him.
"Now, calmly cleanse your mind of everything. Let it run blank. Close your eyes. Think of nothing. Just listen to my voice" he told her quietly.
"I'm going to count down from one hundred, and when I reach zero, you're going to be resting peacefully and thinking of nothing but my voice" he told her softly. She giggled as he said it and he counted down. Every seven number or three number, he reminded her she was getting even more tired. He tapped his foot on the ground lightly for every number he counted.
When he finally reached zero, she was fast asleep.
"Now, imagine you're floating in water, a warm ocean. Nothing around. Not a care. Everything is peaceful. The water is a crystal clear blue. You can hear the waves as you float. The water slowly engulfs you, and you feel the water envelope your whole body. You can breathe. Nothing will harm you" he told her, further pushing her into hypnosis.
"Now, remember what we have talked about. Move to those times when you learned to do those things. Move to when you were scared you were weak" he told her softly.
[One hour later]
Aurora woke up as Seth snapped his fingers. She sat up and looked astonished, and then at him.
"I… oh my god… I am so sorry" she told him earnestly.
Ding. Turkey's done.
"Sorry about what?" he asked her.
"About… not listening to you. I just… I'm… I…" she started to cry.
"Calm down. Calm. Take a deep breath" he told her softly as she sobbed.
"I just thought, I just… I really like you, and she… I figured if I proved I could… waahhhhh" she cried and leaned against him.
My job is done. I made a grown woman cry. Um… maybe I should have rethought this… Wait, then she still tries to wreck shit with Elena… nevermind, this was a good idea… you're thinking now…
"I'm with someone. You don't do that right?" he asked.
"No" she choked out and cried even more.
"So you find someone who likes you right? Because you're confident and capable right? Because no one can tell you you're weak if you strive to not be right? How many people, your peers, say you're capable right now?" he asked.
"All of them" she choked out.
"So you're not inferior. And you see them helping you not be as such right?" he asked.
"Yeah" she responded and looked at him.
"So what is Elena?" he asked.
"Your girlfriend" she choked out, but she didn't like saying it.
"And you are?" he asked.
"Not" she cried. That hurt more, but he needed her to say it.
"But what are you instead?" he asked.
"Huh?" she asked, confused but still crying.
"Think, think clearly. I am not yelling at you. I am not calling you names. I am not hurting you. I am helping you right? So what am I normally considered if I'm taking the time to help you?" he asked.
"A… friend?" she asked. She seemed to wonder why he was treating her like a little girl.
"Exactly. We can be friends, but no more acting like you did before. You see how it makes people feel? You don't want others to feel that way do you? You felt that way, and you don't want to feel that way ever again right?" he asked.
"Mmmhmmm" she said and sniffled. She wiped her eyes and looked at him. It was like talking to a child, as he had to speak in small words most of the time for her to understand. If she was a pilot, she was definitely competent, but he wondered if her brain was still stuck in little girl mode now that he played with it. Maybe she just had to come to terms with how her life worked. She wasn't screwed with when she was younger like Sarah was, but she was brought up wrong with no family actually taking care of her. She was alone.
"Bingo. So?" he asked.
"I want to be friends with you… but…" she hesitated.
"But?" he asked confused.
"I really do like you. She doesn't see it. I do. You're so much more different than others. You fight and fight and fight for something, but I don't know what it is. You keep trying to fix everything, and you never want to take credit for what you did. You're always there for people it seems. You never want to be noticed for all the good you do. I'm sorry, I know you want me to stop, but I'm just telling you! So please listen this time!" she told him earnestly. She cupped his face with her hands and stared at him, wanting him to listen to her.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry for how I acted! I swear I am! I… I just like you! You are a prince you just don't see it!... You deserve more than what you get right now. I don't care if you disagree, I see it. I… I want to be with you, but I know I can't. At least… right now. If she ever leaves you, I'll be waiting right there for you. I hope she treats you better. She doesn't understand you. I… I don't even think I understand you really. That's why you're so interesting! So… I hope she tells you what you need to hear, because if she won't, I sure as hell will!" she told him.
"Aurora, stop, you don't know what-" he started.
"You deserve more than I could give, and Elena would be foolish to say anything but the same! The fact that you still love her even with you being here proves that! She should understand that too!" she told him. He sat there silent. He did psych evaluations on everyone, and never once did he have someone try to do one on him. He thought she was just spewing her emotions all at once, and some of it was confusing, but he wondered if she was right. He'd have to think.
"Alright, fine. Let's get you cleaned up. We're done, don't worry, you're worth it now. Don't ever let anyone say otherwise ok?" he told her as he grabbed a small hand towel that was brand new and clean and wiped her cheeks.
"I still want to be better than everyone, I don't think you can change that" she told him.
"You know, there's a line. Great leaders surround themselves with people who are better than themselves" he told her.
"You want to be better? Do what Elena does. And hell, maybe you don't have to be better. Think. You don't want to be lower, and yet you just said you don't want to look down on others. So equal? You want to be equal to Elena?" he asked.
"I… guess" she said as she sniffled still.
"Alright. So equal. Fine. Work to do what she does. Yes, you're a Colonel. Lift your squadron up. She did it, and she has a band of misfits for crying out loud. Be awesome by doing awesome, and do it with others who are awesome. They can't be awesome if you don't help them do it. I have no idea what I just said… but it seemed like a good idea to explain" he told her.
"Thank you" she said and hugged him quickly.
Babysitting has its rewards. Kid might actually do ok. Please oh please don't tell anyone this or I swear I will deny it and put a snake in your bed when you least expect it…
"Alright. You good? You ready to be a Colonel now? No more boy searching, I clearly saw how they come to you. Hell, look at how Elena does it. She was engaged, and had a Commander like her, and I'm here! Well, now the fiancé is married to someone else and Aldric likes Sarah, but I'm still here! So yeah… wow, that sounded better in my head…" he told her, and then looked off towards the wall wondering what he said.
"So, I'm wondering…" she almost whispered as she pulled away.
"No, I thought we just said-" he started to say sternly.
"No, I know I know, I just… if she doesn't… forgive you… would you at least consider me?" she asked meekly.
"I… wha… uh… she'd have to dump me. But if she does… ok… but look at Aldric! He moved on quick! He found Sarah! And frankly? She's strong too! She just doesn't see it! She's incredible! I've seen her flying around with things on her tail and she just boom boom boom, gone! Just watch, you'll find someone just like he did. Someone right up there with your epic scale, no worries. Hey. You'll be fine" he told her and poked her shoulder. She giggled and poked him back.
"Blah!" he grunted and flopped on the bed, playing dead. She laughed at him as he sat back up.
"Ok, so… I'm at that awkward silent moment where I don't have any other advice to give you… and I'm sorry, but I have to pee…" he told her and got up to go to the bathroom. She laughed and nodded. He closed the door as she tried to peek again.
No ass for joo. Get ass from someone else. Lord knows they're out there ready to moon you if you asked for it girl.
He flushed the toilet and opened the door. She just sat there smiling.
"Ready to help a friend figure out how to not crash her career?" she asked nicely.
"Yeah, actually, I've been thinking about that now that you brought it up. I'll explain my thoughts while we get something to eat. I'm starved" he told her. She giggled and nodded.
"Sure thing" she said still smiling. She got up and they both walked out of his quarters.
"So I figure with the saturation he might not have seen you very well through the explosions and the debris, but I wonder if he might have just thought-" he started as he gestured through the air to Aurora as she listened intently, not ignoring him at all. She literally was taking notes in her mind.
What they both saw after wasn't a good thing. Elena was standing there in the hallway, watching them leave his quarters.
"Hey" he said, and noticed the look on her face. She was in shock. Aurora and Seth were just talking and smiling to each other. Seth looked between Aurora and Elena, and then just stood there.
"Hey, nothing was-" he started and she put her hand up to stop him.
"I hope you two are happy together" she said simply. Seth was dumbstruck.
"Wait! No! it's not what you think!" he told her. She walked away quickly as tears built up in her eyes.
"No seriously! It isn't!" he told her and ran after her. She got to the bridge and told the guards to stop him from entering. As he tried to go in, both marines stood there.
"I just explained everything to her! It's all good! Elena!" he yelled. No response.
"FUCK!" he yelled and turned around a few times.
"Tell her I need to talk to her, it's important. I'm helping with another project, and that's why she saw what she saw" he told them.
"Sir, she'll talk to you when she feels she's ready. You don't rush a General" they told him.
"Oh come on! I have… I have a higher rank than you do! You will let me in!" he growled.
"Sir, no you don't, you're a civilian" one said.
"Oh fuck that, you think I'm lower? Guess what, I've been hiding it, but I'm tired and stressed right now! I'm a verified four star general, authentication-" he started.
"Tell that to someone who cares. You're a civilian to us sir. Move along please" they told him.
"Is the whole fucking military like you guys? Fuck! And people think us spooks are fucked up!" he barked.
"Sir, leave" the guard said. Seth stormed off towards the lab. Aurora was following him.
"I'm sorry" she whispered.
"Don't be, you didn't do anything wrong here. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. I cannot believe her, just jumping to conclusions, saying what she thinks is wrong and just… fuck!" he growled as he went to the DFAC. She followed quickly at his heels as he grabbed a heaping tray and scarfed it down quickly at the middle table. Aurora just sat there looking at him worried.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" she started again.
"Don't! Not your fault. She saw what she thought she saw, she jumped to conclusions. Riko, you there?" he asked to the air. Aurora looked at him funny, but he pointed to his ear.
"I'm here Seth, need something?" she asked.
"Yeah. Get the video footage from that previous time and the footage in my quarters. I don't care if you have to intimidate Cherry to get it and have Tachi and Cortana back you up. If you have to, get in touch with you know who back at base" Seth said. Riko knew who he was talking about. There was word of a 4th generation espionage AI that was around by the name of Serin. She never showed up, and never talked, but she did have an avatar. The only one who has seen her was Metfield. She could pull apart Cortana, Tachi, and Parangosky's replacement, Osman's pet AI BB at the same time in a heartbeat. She just never worked with Seth, yet. She had far worse things she had to do. She was a defense against any intrusions from Forerunner AIs or even Precursors. She did know of Seth, however.
"I'll do what I can" she told him. Aurora just looked at him.
"Tachi, get me coms to Dmitry. Elena can growl all she wants, I still have a job to do. I'll find her once she goes to her quarters again" he said.
"No problem. Is this a cooperative assignment?" Tachi asked.
"Sort of. I need him to do this. He owes me" Seth replied.
"Dmitry here, ah Seth. Do you need something?" he asked over his coms.
"DFAC. ASAP" he told him.
"I'll be there soon" Dmitry chuckled. Aurora just sat there.
"He'll help us" he responded.
"Thanks" she replied and reached across the table to squeeze his hand. He actually let her. Ten minutes later, Dmitry walked in.
"So, you have a problem?" he asked smiling.
[One hour later]
Dmitry nodded.
"Alright, so, you understand? We're going to put multiple thumpers burrowed around here, which Aurora will drop. You'll enter here, much further down. This will explain the damage around the area, and that Aurora was not in fact the reason he was nearly killed, but the tunnel collapsed on its own. The thumpers will give just enough seismic activity to make it look like the tunnel is still unstable, but in fact it's perfectly safe. Now, you will enter, with a GRID escort. I'd rather not have Spartans due to their need in the cities. Covert, down low. No one finds out about this ok?" Seth told him just outside his quarters as Aurora stood there. She was amazed with the plan.
Seth had figured out how to get the councilor out with detailed information as well as make it look like humans did not in fact try and kill him, but tried to save him and the tunnel collapsed before they could reach him.
"Alright, I'll go select the guards from our stock" he told him. Dmitry walked off towards the crew quarters, as GRID had some of their own troops to protect the lab. They never went anywhere without some of their own forces nearby.
"You need to get to your fighter" Seth told Aurora.
"I… alright. But, if Elena doesn't come around… from the footage… remember what I said… alright?" she asked. He sighed. If Elena didn't see the light and apologize and forgive him, then things might turn out differently between them.
[2100 hours, April 17th 2554 (Military Calendar)/ Scutum-Centaurus Arm, Salvation Colony]
Seth was in his pod waiting. Aurora slipped out of the Infinity in her Falcata effortlessly, and the mission was she was running patrol near some mountains to allow a pelican to land with some troops for a geological survey. Dmitry was with twelve other GRID ODSTs inside the GRID pelican as they swooped down behind Aurora's fighter. They continued down into the night and finally reached the area.
"Alright, Aurora, do it" Seth said.
"That's incredible Seth, I can really hear you even though you're not here… like you're near me…" she said enthusiastically.
"Aurora, focus. This is what I do. Thumpers please" he replied.
"Right. Sorry. Pods opened, dropping thumper mines" she replied. Her fighter slipped over the mountain range and opened up its mine pod in the back, dropping small column like objects towards the area. Seth watched the surroundings and zipped through the tunnels to find the councilor. He was moving, slowly and injured, but he was alive. He wasn't wearing armor, but he did have an assortment of brute weapons carried with him.
"Dmitry, he's armed, careful when you go in" Seth told them.
"Understood. Is everything ready?" Dmitry asked.
"Thumpers are dropped like you asked Seth. Start them up?" she asked.
"No, I'll do it, carefully. Keep an eye on anything unusual, keep your sensors maxed to find any stress points. I'd rather not miss something and find the place collapsing on them when they go in" Seth told her.
"You'd miss something? Doubtful" she chuckled.
"You'd be surprised. I'm not omniscient. Alright, Dmitry, enter" he told them.
"Copy. Going in" Dmitry said as the GRID soldiers followed. They moved through the dark tunnels quickly, searching with night vision, infrared, and low light systems. They continued down the tunnels checking their corners, looking for brutes as well as the councilor. An hour went by, followed by another. Seth carefully set off some thumpers as the tunnels behind the councilor collapsed. The councilor moved quicker, but he was still injured.
"He's heading your way. Call out" Seth said.
"Councilor Seg'Youmee! This is a rescue operation coming to retrieve you! Do you have honor to show yourself and turn your capture into glory with revenge?" Dmitry said. He'd studied some of Sangheili culture. They abhorred being taken captive. It was incredibly shameful. They would rather die than be a prisoner. The only way they would stay alive would be if they still had something of worth to bring back to redeem their honor.
"I am here human! I will gain my glory and honor back!" Seg said.
"Then join us in heading to the surface and regain your honor!" Dmitry said from his helmet.
"I will. I have much to tell" he said and sat down for the medic to come up.
"Do not touch me doctor. I do not need your help. I will survive" he growled.
"There is no honor in dying before you can help Councilor. This doctor is not the one who is shedding your blood. He is stopping you from shedding it, and keeping your honor in you" Dmitry said. Seg looked at the medic as he sat there.
"Alright. I agree" he replied finally. The medic bandaged him up and pushed a biofoam canister into the wound in his thigh. He roared from the pain, but let it happen.
"That will stop your honor from shedding. Now he will inject something to seal your bones together so you can walk with strength and pride" Dmitry told him.
"You seem to understand our honor human. I doubt you know of our whole culture however" Seg told him.
"We're allies Councilor. We're trying to learn from each other as well as work towards a far better future. It is in our best interest to try and know what your culture is about, as you for us" Dmitry explained.
"Hmmm, there is truth in your words" he growled. Seg got up and flexed his leg as the medic backed up.
"Come, we should get you out of here" Dmitry said and escorted the Councilor up.
"I was attacked by your fighters before this whole thing happened" Seg told them.
"You must be mistaken, they were trying to thin out the ranks around you to get nearby, but the tunnels collapsed. They are unstable" Dmitry told him.
"These tunnels are stable! I have lived here my whole life! I have never seen them-" Seg started to say just as another seismic event happened from Seth setting off thumpers.
"Maybe the battle has woken up an underground volcano? You never know Councilor. Our home world had a forerunner gate on it and we never knew it existed. Can you say something unknown to you isn't happening below?" he asked. Seg growled.
"I could not, no. So… your fighters were not trying to kill me?" he asked.
"They were clearing the area to send in ground forces. We don't have anything to gain from attacking an ally Councilor" Dmitry chuckled.
"Indeed. Very well, let us leave quickly. I am anxious to explain what I have seen" he said.
The escort took another two hours coming back up.
"Seth" Aaron suddenly said.
"Yo, what are you doing up so late?" Seth chuckled.
"I've been checking on the shipyard we've been playing with. It still isn't active, and I've found other things. I think… I think there's an activation panel somewhere" Aaron told him.
"Where?" Seth asked.
"You'll never believe me. The signal request? I don't know if it is a signal request, but it's coming from the planet you're at" Aaron told him. Seth was stunned.
"So are we done Seth?" Aurora asked.
"Uh, hang on" he replied.
"Where did you find the signal request originating from?" he asked Aaron.
"Deep, really deep. I have no idea where the hell deep, but just deep. Want me to come with you?" he asked.
"Yeah, two minds in these tunnels would help. Shit… I wonder…" Seth whispered.
"What's wrong?" Aaron asked.
"Tachi, do we have topography scans and underground mapping?" he asked.
"Bringing the wire frame up now" Tachi replied.
Seth looked over the map.
"And no one bothered to tell us this… great… welp, the Elites have been forgetting to tell us some criticial bullshit about their fucking planet. There's a god damn MacAllen Network under the crust" Seth told him.
"No way. Are you serious?" Aaron asked astonished.
A MacAllen Network was a web of underground tunnels completely covering the planet. Some have water flowing through them, others magma, but a good portion would not have anything, and could in fact have indigenous life living in them.
"Alright, let's check this out. Tachi, keep an and eye on the signal request, let us know if we get close to where the basic spot is. I know we don't have the right position right now, but I'd like to know if the signal request turns into a signal ping. If it does that, we might have a problem" Seth said.
"Hotter… hotter… colder…" Tachi commented.
"Oh god, don't give me that bullshit. Triangulate it for crying out loud. Give me an area to go to so we can search" Seth growled.
"You could have just asked for that" Tachi chuckled.
"Bite me. Where is it?" he asked. An aura beacon popped up for him to move into to check out. The area was 100 square miles of spherical space.
"Alright, I'll search left, you search right, deal?" Seth sighed out.
"Gotcha" Aaron chuckled.
[Three hours later]
The councilor was brought up to the ships and explained what he had seen. He could barely see what it was, but he did in fact know it was some sort of panel. A control panel hidden deep inside a cavern, beyond where he could reach. He barely could even it see it, it was that deep underground from where he was. Everyone was worried immediately. All marines were put on alert and Spartans were ready.
Elena walked down a hallway as Seth had just left the lab and was searching for her.
"Elena! Elena!" he yelled.
"Surprised you're not with your new girlfriend" she growled as she continued walking.
"It's not what you think! Will you listen to me?" he asked and grabbed her arm. She pulled away immediately.
"I know what you said, and I know what I saw! You said she didn't mean anything! You said nothing happened! I was coming to apologize for what I said, and I see her leaving your quarters? What, did you sleep together? Is this some thing you do with each girl you like? Get into their panties? So I'm used up because I wouldn't have sex with you that one night?" she yelled at him.
"No! I told her I wasn't interested! Look, she's not chasing me anymore!" he told her.
"Yeah, obviously, because she has you! Leave me the hell alone! We're done! We might work together, but I hope to god that changes soon! I trusted you!" she yelled at him with a hurt look in her eyes.
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" he roared at her.
"You could have fooled me" she said softly.
"Talk to her then! She'll prove it! There's also-" Seth tried to say but the alarms suddenly went off. Elena looked around and suddenly ran to the bridge as Seth went with her.
"Sitrep" she requested.
"Portals detected. It's Precursor" Dare told her.
"Shit, I don't have a fighter" she whispered.
"Get your squadrons out there now" Dare told her.
"I know I know!" she growled.
"Seth, can you-" Dare asked him.
"I'm running on low here, gimme a sec" he said as he panted and held his chest
"We don't have a sec! Any help you can give would be appreciated!" Dare told him. He leaned against the wall. His heart arrhythmias were acting up. Elena even noticed it.
"I don't think it's gonna happen. I... I'll do what I can though" he panted as he went back. He glanced at Elena who scowled at him and quickly turned around. She didn't even care if he collapsed right there and then. He was hurt about that. Was she really done with him? He continued out of the bridge and towards the lab again.
"You're not getting back in, not in your condition" Jenny told him.
"I have to" he told her.
"Screw it, and how do you intend to make it in? I'm not helping you, Dr. Montez isn't. We're standing right here. Figure out how to handle the pod on your own. You need rest Seth. Tomorrow you can do whatever you need to" she told him.
"The ship is under attack!" he told her.
"Alarms are going off, but they're out there fighting! As long as there are ships between us, we'll be fine!" Jenny said. She really had no idea about war. They didn't care if they were civilians, they'll kill them all.
"God damn it! Is everybody turning against me now? I need to get out there!" he growled.
"If you do, you'll die, and you'll never get a chance to fix things with Elena. Do you want to take that risk? They've fought out there before, they can handle it, you need to trust them" Jenny told him. He sighed and smashed his fist against the wall and nodded.
[Meanwhile]
"Hostiles right!" Roberts reported as Raven Squadron shot out of the Conundrum.
"I've got locks on twenty fighters, two destroyers!" Aldric reported after.
"Alright, we handle the fighters, let the battleships get their hits in on the destroyers! We-" Falken started. They saw Eagle Squadron in the distance. They were closing on the Precursor fighter craft.
"We have to make sure they don't get all the glory people! Get to it!" Falken barked. She actually got a response from the rest of the squadron. They shot after different fighters as Jones's squadron headed off alongside another. The battle was long and gruesome, as they lost Cougar Squadron down to the last man. Four frigates were lost, two being human and one cruiser completely shredded to pieces. Elena closed her eyes for a time for each kill that the enemy made. She mentally remembered who was lost, the name of each ship. Escape pods shot out of most of them, and the Precursors were being kept from taking them out, but it was still sad to see the ships in their death throws of explosions and fires.
[Music: Two Steppes From Hell - Invincible]
"God damn it…" Elena gritted her teeth.
"You'll get your chance, trust me" Dare told her. What they next saw was incredible.
"One of the destroyers is down! Hell yeah!" Dariah cheered as the rest of the bridge watched Heavy 2-2 bring to bear its full assault, pouring everything it had into the damaged shields of one of the Precursor capital ships. It turned around and continued firing its smaller guns at the second destroyer, and it fired its torpedoes at the battleship. Heavy 2-2 did its best to dodge, but a few hit. The shields flared as it was a battle of the titans, with its own torpedoes firing back. It was trading fire, and taking on a surprising amount of firepower for its shields. Everyone expected the shields to fail already, but Heavy 2-2 was taking the blows and dishing them out. It really was living up to its class, and wasn't going down without one hell of a fight, if at all with the damage it seemed to be taking.
"Fuck yeah, you do it Heavy 2-2!" Aldric chuckled as the ship literally looked offended at the attacks dealt towards it and returned fire with its four heavy stream lasers coming from its nacelles. Everyone could tell Heavy 2-2s crew was pissed.
"Let's show these bastards what we're made of" everyone heard over the coms, the only response they had heard from the ship ever. The battleship turned around and fired its side cannons as the destroyer fired five beams right at it. The beams slammed into the front shields of the battleship and were absorbed with a flash of blinding light, as it charged up its particle accelerator and fired right back, returning the favor. No one knew just how scary Heavy 2-2 really was until now, and it was living up to its namesake. The beam punched through the shields as the side cannons continued firing, and the destroyed tried to veer off and escape.
"It's trying to back off! We nearly have it!" Jacobs yelled as everyone fired what they could nearby as the battleship continued unleashing what it had available. The rounds punched through armor quickly, but did little to slow it from running. It activated its portal system and shot out, and the fighters retreated. Of the twenty fighters that were there, seventeen made it out. Three were destroyed, but at a cost. Cougar Squadron was wiped out, as was Diamond Back Squadron. Neither belonged to the Conundrum, but it was still felt by all.
"Those bastards only show up when there's something here! Wonderful! Now we have to send people down there to figure out what the fuck is going on!" Dare growled.
"We just have to be careful this time. No fooling with things at all" Elena said.
"Yeah, no kidding right? We don't want a repeat" Dare commented. Elena sighed as she saw the small list of Cougar Squadron on Dariah's screen. It was all red. She knew some of the pilots in that squadron. She sighed. They didn't deserve to go out like that. Eighteen Super Long Sword IIs, all gone. Her wings were lucky. Two fighters damaged, no losses. She was training them, with Falken's assistance somewhat. Falken was being held on a leash, but also was keeping the sims going for the other squadrons. Elena agreed the pilots needed to know what to expect, but not from brutes; Precursor training was needed.
"I'm going to head to the hangar and get a personal report from Raven Squadron" Elena told Dare. She nodded in response as the General walked out of the bridge and to the lift. She lowered down to the deck and walked out, and saw Seth leaning against the wall near the lab.
"I didn't do anything alright? What do I have to do to prove that? Tell me? Truly" he asked.
"Bring evidence that can refute what I've seen damn it. You bring that, and I will beg forgiveness at your feet, but from what I've seen, I doubt it. Just leave me alone please, I have to check on my pilots" she told him. She walked by as he just watched her.
"We know why they're here by the way" Seth suddenly said. Elena stopped in her tracks.
"Who?" she asked, not turning around.
"The Precursors. Aaron and I found something beyond the galaxy, somewhere you guys couldn't obviously find" he said. Elena just stood there thinking.
"And what exactly did you find?" she asked.
"I can't tell you yet. We're still figuring it out, but from what we can tell you, a signal request was sent from it to this planet that might have told the Precursors something was here. We're still looking for it" he told her.
"Then find it quick or stop wasting my time" she told him.
"The planet is a big fucking place! If you can figure out a quicker path, let me know!" he growled.
"Are you done? I've got more important things to do than listen to you snap at people" she said and continued on. Seth gawked. She just couldn't get it in her head. He'd show her. He'd find the beacon and figure out just how it works.
Tachi had a theory that if they could get it to work beyond the standby signal, that they could upload their own operating systems and control the shipyard, maybe even move it into the galaxy to start pumping out advanced ships under UNSC control. If they couldn't, they could always destroy the thing and rip apart the shipyard. That task seemed daunting, however, as Aaron and Seth both understood the shipyard made Installation 00, The Ark, look small. They realized there had to have been a reason for it to be outside the galaxy, as its size might have thrown off gravitic problems to nearby sectors. The damn thing was the size of a solar system from what they saw.
He shook his head and watched her leave. She wasn't the same when she was angry at people. It clouded her judgment and made her not realize just what was precious. She had already ended the relationship, or so she said. Until he got the footage finished, he was single again, though he didn't want to be.
His mind was wandering not to Elena, but to why the Precursors had just attacked. He got a report of what had happened from Heavy 2-2, as GRID always talked to each other. Heavy 2-2 might not have talked to the UNSC ships, but it chatted away with the GRID prowlers and Seth constantly. He had friends on board it, and knew the Captain.
Seth walked off away from the area as Elena turned the corner. She stopped as she realized she was alone. She breathed deep and her breath nearly stuttered coming back out. Tears welled up in her eyes but she kept them from falling. If he brought the video footage, which she doubted even existed, then she'd be more than willing to apologize and kiss his feet for being like she was. She couldn't believe that she was so willing to abandon him like she was. What was wrong with her? Didn't she love him?
She shook her head as she worked to get her mind back on what was happening. She needed to talk to her pilots involving debriefings and what they saw out there. She walked into the hangar and met Aldric and Falken.
"Hey General" Aldric said and saluted. Falken did the same and Elena saluted back.
"At ease. What did you see?" Elena asked.
"Two destroyers and twenty fighters. Same as you saw. Seemed… I don't know, small now. Like they were checking the area out instead of actually there to fight us" Aldric told her.
"A patrol group" Falken suddenly said as she looked like an idea struck her. Elena looked at her. She was calming down now, and the squadron was actually warming up to her now that Elena had gotten her to settle down. She was still strict, but she overlooked more now than before, and in exchange the squadron, and frankly the whole wing, thanked her for it. She kept them on higher alert than before, but for good reason now, and she didn't berate them.
"Ma'am, a patrol group surveying the planet. They might have detected whatever this signal the Sangheili found and were investigating. They might have the same problem we have involving where it is" she told Elena.
"Good idea. Everyone, get some rest, you've earned it. Falken. Tomorrow I need everyone running sensor sweeps below. We need to find where this beacon is. The Sangheili Councilor couldn't even tell us which tunnel it was in considering how deep it is down below, just that he saw it." Falken nodded and Elena let them walk off to get changed. She sighed and walked to Ezekiel.
"This better not be another one of those things you found last time girlie" Ezekiel told her.
"I hope it isn't either, or we'll destroy it before they can make use of it" Elena told him.
"I just don't want a repeat of what happened aye?" Ezekiel asked her. She looked up at him and he was worried.
"Nothing is going to happen to me this time Zeks, don't worry" she smiled.
"Yeah… you know, I had a talk with your da" Ezekiel said.
"Oh god…" Elena growled, as she knew what was happening.
"Are you sure you know he snuck around behind you? He just doesn't act like a guy who would" Ezekiel told her.
"You saw him Zeks! You were there! He yelled in front of you!" Elena snapped.
"Elena. I saw him being frustrated, I didn't see him get nasty with her. Maybe you should think this out more carefully" he told her softly.
"If he brings me proof nothing happened, I'll welcome him with open arms. Until then, we're done" she told him.
"Girlie, you know this is a two way street. If he provides the proof, and you do that, he may not want to come back" he told her quietly. Elena looked away from him. She was worried he was right. From how she had treated him all the time, she wondered why he was fighting so hard to get back with her. Maybe he was just trying to clear his name so he could move on without some bad information floating around the ship? He might just want this fixed so he could leave her. Elena knew that from what she read, since Seth was a Leo after he told her, that Leos didn't forgive easily. He might leave for good.
"God, I can't believe this is happening. If he does bring it, I'll… I'll have to find some way of forcing myself to stop being this way. I can't keep doing this… to him…" she told him.
"You'll figure it out quick. Oh, and I should tell you, the Colonel bitch? She can't exactly be called as such anymore. I don't know how to tell you this, but she's practically a new woman overnight, like something changed her to be nicer to others, what's her face… Aurora?" he told her. Elena wondered if Seth really had gotten intimate with her now, but if he didn't, what was she doing in his quarters?
She'd simply have to wait until Seth brought his evidence.
(Author's Note: Yes, I know it looks a bit… childish or Japanese anime talk during the psych evaluation "I must be stronger! I am not weak! You are weak hahaha" and I don't know what hit me to put that there. Thankfully, it's over now. Wonder what the beacon does? It connects to the shipyard somehow, so maybe they might be able to do a better job this time?)