Chapter 19- ONI's Offer
The soft rumble of the Phantom as it landed in a Carrier made Jack look up at the exits. He watched as they opened up, revealing an open hangar full of Sangheili, Jackals, and Grunts walking around. He watched as Frederick and the Spartan both walked to the opening, only for the Spartan to turn around and face him.
The Spartan stood silent for a second, then asked, "You comfortable there?"
Jack looked at the Spartan, then dwon at Veil, who was fast asleep on his lap. He looked back up at the Spartan, then nodded and said, "Yeah, quite. We won't need to get out, right?"
The Spartan shook his head and said, "We'll just use this Phantom to ferry us back, so there's no need for you two to move. I'll let you know beforehand, once we're back, and I send my report to ONI, I'll be telling them everything."
Jack let out a sigh, then nodded and said, "I understand, that's your job. I just hope they don't make you capture me for experimentation, since I fell in love with an alien and all."
The Spartan shook his head and said, "I doubt that would be the reason, though I know for a fact they'll want something from you."
The Spartan then turned and exited the Phantom, leaving Jack and Veil alone. Jack let out a sigh and looked back down at Veil. She was still asleep despite the Phantom's rumbling, and he couldn't blame her. After today, he's surprised he hasn't fallen asleep. Now that he thought about it, going to sleep would probably be good for him.
He couldn't help but admire her now. She was nothing like a human, but that didn't bother him. As he looked, he looked at her neck and noticed a large scar running down it. He ran his hand over it, wandering how he didn't notice it earlier. It was definitely new, she must've got it in their last fight.
As he looked at the scar, he turned back to her to see her eye open, looking at him. Jack let out a gasp, throwing his arms up in surprise. Veil let out a wort and shot her head up, knocking Jack's helmet off his head.
The two stared at each other for a second, then Jack began lightly laughing. Veil seemed to turn a shade of purple and said, "I apologize, I didn't mean to stare at you like that."
Jack chuckled and said, "I should be saying that."
Veil shook her head and said, "If I had an issue with you looking, I would've brought it up earlier. You did have a tendency to glare at my legs and such."
Turning red as tomato, Jack nervously chuckled and said, "Oh, yeah...uh…"
Veil laughed and said, "I am a trained Sangheili warrior, I did not survive the Human-Covenant War by not knowing when eyes were staring at me."
Jack sighed, then nodded and said, "Yeah, I should've expected that. I'm sorry."
He watched as she rolled over onto her back, looking directly up at him, then she said, "There's no need to be sorry. I'm more than delighted to know you find me attractive. I am nothing like human females."
Jack laughed and said, "Human women never did much for me anyway. I mean, nothing like what you do for me."
He watched her cheeks turn a fade of purple as she shifted her gaze away from him. Then, the ship suddenly shook for a second, making the two turn to look out at the hangar. The shaking only lasted a few seconds, then disappeared.
Veil huffed and said, "Looks like we entered slip-space. It shouldn't be long until we reach Tribute."
Jack nodded and said, "Yup, can't wait. Hopefully Wally is feeling better. He'll be elated to see this energy sword I got him."
He gestured to the duffel bag, making Veil turn to it curiously. She raised her head from his lap and asked, "So you are giving that to your friend."
Jack followed her gaze and said, "Yeah, I wouldn't forget. After what he's done for me, he deserves it."
He then turnd to her face and asked, "Is it considered dishonorable to take your opponent's weapon? I hope I didn't do something terrible."
Veil laughed, then shook her head and said, "No, not to me. That Shipmaster was going to glass our homeworld, something I see as extremely dishonorable. He didn't deserve to use such a beautiful weapon. You beat him fair and square, proving you are more than worthy to use it instead."
Thinking back to the fight he had with the Shipmaster, Jack didn't see it as fair at all. The Elite didn't give him an energy sword to fight back with. After he got thrown into that ring, it all turned into a blur of him just throwing his body away from the Shipmaster's sword, using every opportunity possible to dig into him with his knife. After the fight, his body almost felt numb from the pain, though he was lucky none of it was internal.
A sigh left Veil as she laid her head back down on Jack's lap and looked up at him. For once, Jack was actually enjoying the quiet. The last week has been full of action for him, and he had way too much on his mind to enjoy the quiet. But now, the only thing he knew for sure was that there was no next mission, and a very interesting future was ahead of him.
He watched as Veil shut her eyes and began softly humming some kind of tune. It was obviously some kind of Sangheili song, but it still felt familiar. He didn't doubt that after the uncountable amount of songs made by humanity and Sangheili that a few would sound similar. The idea made Jack slowly grow more and more curious about Sangheili culture.
As he sat deep in thought, Veil opened her eyes and asked, "Jack, if we do end up leaving the military, where would we go?"
Jack looked down at her, surprised by the question. He thought about an answer, then realized the issue. Most of humanity was still probably very hateful to the Sangheili, and it would be hard to find some place to live properly.
He sighed, then said, "Well, originally I was thinking Earth, on that house my dad and mom built. But thinking about it again, Earth probably wouldn't take too kindly to you. But hey, that might not be a bad thing. Property value on Earth is a lot more than other planets, I could easily sell that house and land, then buy something on a more outer colony that's twice the size and half the price of that house. Also means we'd be farther away from a large populous, less likely to run into a jackass who wants to throw some rude words our way."
He wasn't expecting much of it, but Veil seemed in disbelief at what he said as she let out a small gasp. He tilted his head and asked, "Got a problem with that plan? What's up?"
Veil huffed and asked, "Why would you want to sell something like that? Does that house not mean anything to you?"
Jack sighed and said, "Of course it does, but it's just a building and land. If it means giving you a better and safer environment to live in, I'll sell it. What, do you want to try and live on Earth?"
Veil raised her head to meet his and said, "Why not try, at least. I don't tend to back down from a challenge."
Jack bobbed his head at the idea. The house he lived in was a good distance away from the closest city, surrounded by 40 acres of beautiful forest. There was even a small lake there. There weren't many places left in North America like it. Now that he thought of it, ff there was any place a Sangheili would want to live on Earth, that would probably be it.
He sighed, then looked back at Veil and said, "I mean, we can try. The place is pretty secluded, we'd avoid eyes pretty easy."
After a second, he heard her ask, "What is Earth like anyway, seeing as you lived there."
Jack softly laughed and said, "I'm not the guy to be asking. If I had to put a word to it, I'd say busy, but that's not from experience. I did grow up in that house and on that land. Really only went out for school or shopping."
Veil nodded and said, "The way you described Earth's cities before made it sound so. Though I still wish to see one. But that would be dangerous, yes?"
Jack shrugged his shoulders and said, "That's why I didn't think going to Earth would be a good idea. You'd inevitably end up going into the cities, and I don't know how the public would act around an alien. Now that I think about it, can a Sangheili legally go to Earth?"
Veil shot up and said, "I hope so. Are you sure there has been no mixing of races upon the Covenant's defeat on human worlds?"
Jack laughed and said, "Oh no, there has been. I've heard about a lot of shit in the outer colonies about bird fuckers or something, and lots of mixing. But those are the outer colonies, and I haven't heard too much about the Inner colonies. But we're talking about Earth, and I haven't heard anything from there about many aliens."
He hoped he could get the legal stuff figured out later, but now he had fear nipping him in the rear. Veil apparently wanted to go to Earth, but if it wasn't even legal, then they'd have no choice but to sell the house. Jack didn't want to give up so easily, he was willing to figure out how to get her what she wanted. Whether he needed to arm wrestle a Brute or hunt a Gúta, he'd get it done.
As he thought about the possibilities, he felt himself drifting to sleep. It seemed his full day of running and gunning was starting to get to him. His head slumped downward as the world around him went black, then he lurched himself upwards when he felt a large shake.
He threw his head and looked around. For some reason, both Frederick and the Spartan were back in the Phantom, standing against the wall quietly talking about something. Confused, Jack was about to ask a question when he watched the Phantom's doors open, revealing the busy hangar of his old ship.
Jack looked down to see Veil had fallen asleep again, then he turned back to Frederick and the Spartan.
Frederick turned to him, then gestured to Veil and said, "You two were fast asleep, I didn't want to bother you guys. But we're here now, so wake her up and meet me at the briefing room once you're ready. Captain Wilson wants to speak with us, and be sure he stays patient.."
Jack nodded, then watched as Frederick and the Spartan btoh turned and exited the Phantom, which was now gathering quite the audience. Jack gently poked Veil's neck, causing her to huff and unconsciously swat at him. Jack prodded her further until she huffed and opened her eyes.
She grunted and asked, "What's the issue?"
Jack shook his head as he put his helmet over his head and said, "No issue, we're just back over Tribute. We have a friend to pick up."
Veil took a second to comprehend what he said, then she sat up and picked herself up. Jack stretched his legs and pushed himself upwards, noticing the small amount of men that were gazing into the Phantom. Jack couldn't see their expressions from where he was, but he was a little worried about having to deal with their shit.
He grabbed a hold of the duffel bag and exited the Phantom with Veil close behind. The men who were looking in quickly dispersed, looking over their shoulders back at them once in a while. Jack was surprised that not a single one said anything.
As the two walked, Jack led Veil straight towards the medbay, knowing exactly where Thal would be. The two entered the room to what they'd describe as a surprising sight. Thal was sitting on a bed, only wearing his black skinsuit, casually talking with one of the doctors.
Veil approached him and said, "Thal, it is good to know you are well."
Jack watched as Thal shot his gaze upward, letting out a gasp, then saying, "You actually survived. I am impressed. I assume the mission was a success after all?"
Veil nodded, then she gestured to the doctor and said, "I hope you didn't give the doctors much trouble over healing you, Thal."
The Sangheili let out a light laugh and said, "I did, at first. But they made it quite clear. I either refuse medical assistance, survive, but never fight again, or allow them to treat me, and be battle ready within weeks. Seeing as either way I'd survive the wound, I'd prefer being useful in the end."
The doctor turned to Veil and said, "Oh, after the first day, he was nothing but a delight to have! Sangheili bodies are far more interesting than I originally thought."
Jack watched as Veil tilted her head at the doctor, then she looked up at Thal and asked, "You, were a delight? Around humans?"
Thal stared at her, then let out a sigh as he scratched his neck and said, "I hate to admit, but humans are far less… terrible than I once thought. It doesn't really matter."
Veil slowly nodded her head and said, "Yes, well, the Phantom is waiting in the hangar to pick you up and take back to Sanghelios. Say your goodbye's to your new friends."
Thal rose from the bed and asked, "Aren't you joining me?"
Jack stepped next to Veil as she shook her head and said, "No, I will not be joining you. I guess I must say goodbye as well, you will most likely never see me again."
He watched as Thal huffed, standing silently for a second, then he sighed and said, "I hope you don't get into too much trouble, Veil, seeing as you were successful in saving our homeworld."
Veil gave him a nod and said, "Safe travels, Thal."
Jack gave Veil a light tap and said, "Captain Wilson is expecting me in the briefing room, wanna join?"
She nodded, then the two turned from Thal, who had continued talking to the doctor, and exited the med bay. The two walked through the ship, barely being noticed now by the Marine's walking the halls. The two soon made it to the briefing room. As they entered, they were greeted by Captain Wilson, Frederick, and Wally, all huddled in the room.
Wally noticed the two first and spread his arms, a large smile on his face. He walked up to Jack and squeezed him with a hug.
Wally let out a laugh and said, "Good fucking job, kid! You took down a Goddamn super carrier, and got to murder Covenant bastards on Sanghelios! I'm jealous!"
Jack laughed as he patted Wally's back and said, "I wish you could've been there, old man. Anyway, I got you that thing you wanted."
Before Wally could reply, Jack grabbed the energy sword from his duffel bag and held it out to Wally. Wally stared at it, almost dumbstruck, then carefully took it and asked, "You went out of your way to get me this?"
Both Jack and Veil laughed, then Veil said, "You would not believe what he had to do to get that."
Before they could say anything else, Captain Wilson clapped and said, "Corporal Sterling, I am elated that you are alive and well. You as well, Miss 'Harom."
The two nodded, then Wilson sighed and said, "You boys deserve a lot of recognition, and I'll be sure you get it. Right now, you troopers get the time off you deserve."
As soon as Wilsion finished talking, a loud footstep came from behind Jack and a voice said, "Actually, Corporal Sterling, you might not much time off for now."
Everyone turned to see the Spartan standing behind Jack, arms crossed. Jack sighed as he spun around to face the Spartan. The two were only inches apart, and the sight of the tall super-human looking down on Jack made him slightly nervous.
Jack was slightly confused though and asked, "Why is that? Does this have to do with ONI?"
The Spartan nodded and said, "They finally got back with me, and I have something to discuss with you and Veil."
Jack let out a small groan and said, "Can this wait until a little later? I did just get back from fighting a waron an alien planet."
He watched as the Spartan stared silently at him. If Jack had to guess, he was probably contemplating something.
Before the Spartan could speak again, Captain Wilson stepped forward and asked, "Now, what is it you want with my trooper, Spartan?"
The Spartan looked forward and met the Captain's gaze, then said, "That's need to know, sir."
Wilson crossed his arms with a huff and said, "I like knowing what's going on with my men. Especially if it has to do with ONI, I don't trust those creeps."
The Spartan nodded and said, "I understand, sir, but unfortunately the people at ONI have all the power right now. But trust me, Corporal Sterling will be fine."
The Spartan looked back at Jack and said, "I need to have that talk within the day. I'll be waiting by your quarters, Corporal."
Jack let out a sigh as he nodded, then watched the Spartan turn around and walk off. He then turned back to see everyone looking at him.
Jack shrugged his shoulders and said, "I bet it will be nothing too important."
Wilson rubbed his chin and said, "I knew some of your history was classified, I just thought that was because of you being on the Arc. Didn't know ONI was still stalking you."
Frederick let out a soft laugh and said, "Leave it to you to have all the interesting stuff happen. Fought on the Ark, got an Elite girlfriend, and now having beef with ONI."
Jack chuckled at the comment, then said, "I don't know what to say, really."
He watched as Wally patted his shoulder and said, "Well, you must be hungry, kid. Let's get something to eat before you have to deal with that Spartan. Frederick?"
Frederick shook his head and said, "I have to finish speaking with Wilson about our little alien escapade. You two guys go ahead."
Jack nodded, then Wally looked up to Veil and asked, "You eat much human chow?"
Veil shook her head and said, "Never. Though I assume it is something I'll have to get used to."
The three left the room and headed off to the mess hall. Jack couldn't get his mind off of what the Spartan told him. ONI was known for a lot of shit, and knowing they wanted him for something worried him.
Now that he thought about it, it was clear now that those two months of extra training he got was conducted by ONI. They taught him a lot of extra knowledge about the Covenant and their tech that most wouldn't know, along with grueling timed exercises. The people he would talk to would constantly change the subject when he asked about the training, but at the time he brushed it off as them being asses. Now, it made much more sense. That training did take place during the early ages of the Spartan IV program.
He wondered how his life would've changed if he decided to accept their vague promotion. As he wondered, he looked up to see they made it to the mess hall. He felt a tap on his shoulder, then turned to see Veil lowering her head to him.
Jack tilted his head and asked, "What's up, Veil?"
She pointed at the food in front of Wally and asked, "What kind of food would you suggest I try? I don't want to eat something possibly poisonous."
Jack nodded and said, "Yeah, I get it. I think any meat would be fine, so how about you try the chicken first. Do you guys eat raw meat or…"
Veil shook her head as the two approached the food stored behind screens and said, "I don't. The meals I've eaten were usually pre-cooked meals for military use. I was constantly on the move, so I hadn't eaten a real meal in many summers. The food here is far more… what's the word?"
Jack took a platter and said, "I think the word you're looking for is gourmet, even though that's giving the chefs here more credit than they deserve. The food available in mess halls really improved once the war ended."
He placed a few of the grilled chicken breasts on the platter, then turned to Veil and asked, "You need this cut up or can you just chomp on it whole?"
She approached him as he held the platter. She inspected the chicken, then before Jack could ask again, she took one of the breats and grabbed it with her mandibles. Jack averted his eyes as she ate, not wanting to stare at her mandibles, despite being curious on how she ate.
After a second, Jack turned back to Veil, looking for a reaction. He watched her swallow, but before he could ask her how it tasted, she stole another from the platter and happily said, "I haven't eaten anything seasoned in so long! This human food is far better than the pre-made meals in the Covenant!"
Jack laughed in relief as she ate another, glad she liked human food. He then turned to the table Wally was sitting at and walked to it, Veil trailing behind him, trying to reach over his shoulder for another chicken breast.
Jack sat down on the platter down on the table and watched as Veil slowly lowered herself into one of the chairs. She seemed comfortable enough, so Jack turned around to get himself food.
Once he got himself a platter of food, Jack turned around to see Wally leaning over the table, seeming deep in some kind of story as Veil happily chewed away at her food. Something about the sight seemed to calm Jack's nerves a bit, and he felt like he could get a little relaxation before he has to deal with ONI's bullshit. He let out a sigh, then walked back towards the two.
2 hours later…
Jack and Veil both approached the hall that led down to the personal quarters. Before they turned right to go down to his quarters, Jack stopped moving and simply looked down the hall. Far down the hall, he could already see the Spartan, standing straight and tall outside his room. Jack could even still see the bright yellow maintenance signs on the three rooms after his.
Veil lowered her head to the side of his and said, 'I'll be right next to you. I won't let you deal with this ONI alone."
After a second of silence, Jack let out a small chuckle, then turned left and said, "I want to do one last thing before I talk to that tinman."
Veil nodded and followed him as he walked left and headed away from the quarters. The two weaved through a few more halls until they reached a familiar room.
Veil piped up and said, "This is the place you sent your father a letter from. Do you have another message to send?"
Jack shook his head as the two entered and said, "No, I'm just checking in, is all."
The two walked up to the front desk, where the message man, Lars, was staring at his computer. His eyes darted from Jack and Veil back to his screen, then he did a double take and spun his chair around and looked directly at the two, letting out a tiny gasp of surprise.
Jack chuckled with a wave and said, "Hey Lars, been a minute."
Lars nodded as he pushed up his glasses and said, "Yeah, a minute. I heard about a Phantom and more Elites coming on board, but I had no idea you were back, Jack. What happened? You've been gone a while."
Jack scratched his neck and said, "Oh, I was just stuck on an alien planet for a few days, nothing too weird. Anyway, got any messages for me? Just checking in."
Lars rubbed his chin, thinking, then snapped his fingers and said, "Oh yeah, this came in yesterday. Fucking boggled my mind why someone would send a paper letter, then I saw it was for you. I have it right here."
He ducked under his desk, rummaging through something, then lifted up a letter from under the desk. Jack took it from him and stared at it. He was honestly surprised his father was still alive. He knew since it was paper that it was his father who sent it.
Veil stared at the letter and asked, "Is this from your father?"
Jack nodded as he opened the letter and said, "Yup, the old man loves the old school stuff. As a youngster, I didn't see why, but nowadays, I really wished I got into older stuff as a child."
He looked at the letter, reading it to himself. As he read, he turned to Veil and asked, "You can read this, right?"
Veil sarcastically scoffed and said, "Are you doubting my intelligence?"
He snickered at her and said, "I swear I'm not, hun. Oh look at this, the old man wants to explain in person."
Veil tilted her head and asked, "Explain what?"
He slapped the paper and said, "In my letter, I asked about why his knife training resembled Sangheili sword fighting so much. He wants to talk about it in person. Says it's better if we do it that way. I guess this gives me a good excuse to introduce you two."
He handed her the paper, then watched as she quickly skimmed over it. She held it back out to him and said, "I assume your father has a good sense of humor, seeing as you so casually call him old man. I guarantee if my father was alive, he'd have my head for calling him such things."
Jack laughed as he took the letter back and said, "Oh yeah, the guy runs his mouth like no other. Reminds me of Wally, actually, just less aggressive."
He stared back down at the letter, letting out a sigh, then he folded it and placed it under his chest plate. He then turned to the exit and said, "Now we have to deal with Harry the Spartan's ONI shit."
He felt Veil's hands rest on his shoulders, then she leaned down and said, "I'll be here with you. I can tell how worried this is making you."
Jack placed his hands on hers and said, "Thanks, you're too good to me. I shouldn't stall this any longer, lets go."
The two left the room, leaving Lars wide eyed, staring at them as they left. He rubbed his eyes under his glasses and said, "Those two are a fucking item? This universe, I swear to God."
Jack and Veil both approached his quarters. The Spartan turned his head and watched them walk towards him. He turned around to face them, arms crossed.
The two stopped in front of him, then Jack sighed and asked, "Is this too classified for her to be around, Harry?"
The Spartan shook his head and said, "No, since it has to do with her. ONI wants to make use of you, Jack. They have two very generous offers for you."
Jack crossed his arms, staring at the Spartan's visor, and asked, "What's the first offer?"
The Spartan gestured to himself and said, "Last chance, they want you to be a Spartan. You'd get special treatment, as they word it, since you were one of their original Spartan IV subjects, though you rejected it at the time."
Jack stared at the Spartan, then looked back at Veil. He could see she was slightly nervous, looking at him, waiting for his answer.
Jack huffed as he turned back to the Spartan and said, "No way, becoming a Spartan means more missions. Becoming a slave to the UNSC. I don't want that."
The Spartan nodded and said, "They thought you'd say that, which is why they have a second offer."
The two stared at each other in silence for a second, then Jack rolled his hand and asked, "And that is…?"
The Spartan seemed reluctant to say, then sighed and said, "One mission. A very important mission for them, something they want handled only by the best. If you are successful in this mission, they would be willing to give Veil what is basically citizenship. Free and legal passage between all UNSC worlds. She'd be treated legally like any normal human, no strings, no tricks. They thought this would be a very enticing offer, seeing the situation between you two."
Jack's mouth was wide open under his helmet. He whipped around to Veil, who was covering her mouth. She turned to him and said, "This can be my ticket onto Earth!"
Jack nodded with a wide smile and said, "Fuck yeah! Well look at that, ONI being nice for once."
Before he could get caught up in the reward, he froze, realizing the problem. He slowly turned back to the Spartan and asked, "That's way too generous. What's the mission?"
The Spartan was silent for a second, looking between the two. Jack huffed, then stepped closer to the Spartan and asked, "What's the mission, Harry?"
The Spartan stared down at Jack, then said, "You're going to help me capture Noble Six."
Hello there. It is I, writer guy. I hope this chapter was enjoyable people. Remember, this story isn't done yet, obviously. But, I do have a poll up for what story idea you're most interested in seeing as my next story, so if you want, click on that! I've been doing pretty good lately. Even got this chapter out a day ahead of my made up schedule. yay. I hope you all are enjoying this story, and as always, have a good day or night!