Chapter 9- The Routine

Scott looked down at his hands, both splayed over his rifle, not knowing what to think of it. He had been filled with disgust at the thought of feeling sympathy for the dying elite, but he couldn't help but still feel the sympathy. And now, the elite called Bota, the one he spared as he watched him mourn his dead, was doing something Scott could only assume was highly treasonous.

He didn't even know what would happen if his own squad found out what he was doing. Maybe they'd label Scott as treasonous, or maybe insane. Probably insane.

Scott's thoughts were interrupted as he felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun his head around to see Claire crouching in the warthog's back, tilting her head at him. She asked, "Hey, what's up? You haven't said a thing since you came back from your first patrol last night."

Scott stared at her for a moment, then turned back around and said, "I'm just… thinking."

He heard an unconvinced sigh come from her, then she lightly socked his shoulder and said, "The Scott Sterling, too caught up in his own thoughts to crack a joke every few minutes? Never thought I'd see the day."

Scott sighed, slightly turning his head back to her and said, "We aren't in a very good situation. I'm contemplating whether I'll see my wife or son again, ya know, kind of important stuff to me."

He watched her helmet nod, Claire leaning back to sit. She gazed out ahead of them, prompting Scott to gaze with her. The warthogs were moving between the trees slowly, barely going 30 miles an hour. The sun was low, the next night coming swiftly.

It only struck Scott now how long he had been silent. Almost a whole day without saying anything other than some bland reply. While he was truthfully worried about seeing his wife and child again, there were more current events attracting his attention.

Those aliens.

The elite, Bota, and those two skirmishers, Sil and Zuhl, if he remembered right. The strangest aliens Scott's ever met. The only ones that don't shoot at them the second they lay their eyes on them, though Sil seems to come close.

The entire experience he had with them the night before was jarring. The training was annoying, if he could say. So many positions, so much footwork, so many small details Bota would point out without end got on Scott's nerves. And in the end, he didn't feel like he learned a thing. Scott wasn't stupid, he knew things took time to learn, but it just didn't feel worth the trouble they'd get into if they were caught, by either side. Not to mention the nerves he got knowing there were two dinosaurs standing outside, eyeing him as Bota attempted to train him.

It was a tiring experience, and Scott was loathing the idea of doing it again. He let out a long sigh as he came to an annoying conclusion, this wasn't in his control. He couldn't tell his team and risk them putting him in a straight jacket, or just firing squadding him. At this point he couldn't just kill these aliens.

Wait, why not?

Scott looked up at the thought, why not kill them? He already did enough by sparing the elite once, and right now they were nothing more than a nuisance to him.

Despite the ease this answer provided, Scott dismissed it with a silent grunt. He couldn't, not now. They were too… human, in a way. His whole career of fighting them, he's seen them as nothing but monsters, but now he trades words with them, argues, insults, hell, he'd even begun to learn from them.

Scott uncomfortably shuffled in his seat as he thought about it. They weren't friends, far from it, but he couldn't just kill them, not after this. He may not like them, but they put enough trust in him not to out them, that or they knew he couldn't. Either way, they were more now than the murderous, thoughtless monsters that he thought they all were.

His train of thought was interrupted as he heard the sound him and his entire squad had been dreading all day, sputtering. The warthog began making unnatural sounds as it ran dry, slowing to a mere limp.

It wasn't long until Meyers slapped the vehicle's dashboard, then rose up with his battle rifle and said, "Scott, stop mumbling and get up, we're outta gas."

Scott grunted as he rose as well and said, "I couldn't tell."

It wasn't long until they watched Melly's warthog roll beside them, both her and Johnson looking equally annoyed. Meyers didn't need to ask to know, he could tell just by their expressions. Scott watched Melly climb out, moving around to help Johnson, then heard the crunch of leaves as Claire jumped off the backend.

Scott swung himself out of his seat as he listened to Johnson grunting in discomfort. Scott rounded the warthog, then stopped to watch as Melly carefully lowered Johnson against the warthog's side. He gripped his covered wound, quietly groaning, definitely not a good sign.

Melly turned to the rest of them with a sigh and said, "We need to hurry, I don't know how much more time he can go without proper care."

Meyers grunted, then said, "But if we rush, he won't be able to keep up. Johnson, are you even in walking condition?"

Johnson grit his teeth, then laid his head back and said, "With support."

Claire quickly turned her head to Meyers and said, "I'm not carrying him."

Meyers placed his rifle on his back, then said, "I will. But right now, I think this is a good spot to stay for the night. At first light, we move as quickly as we can. Without the warthogs, I have no doubt the Covies will get closer and closer to our asses. First things first, let's talk about lookout duties."

Scott silently shuffled his feet, a strange feeling coming over him as he prepared to say what he needed to. He lightly drummed his fingers against his rifle, then looked up and said, "Um, I can do first patrol."

Everyone's eyes shifted to look at him, and Claire's helmet quizzically tilted. After a second of silence, Claire asked, "You want to take the first shift? Willingly?"

Scott huffed, then shifted his grip on his rifle and said, "I just want the job done right. Plus, I'd rather get the shift out of the way so I won't have to get up for it."

Scott could sense Claire was unconvinced, but Myeres shrugged his shoulders and said, "Makes sense to me. Eat your rations for the night, then head out. Just don't exert yourself too much, we don't have fancy rides to carry us around anymore."

Scott removed his helmet, placing it on the warthog hood, then said, "Got it, sir. I'll… be sure to save my strength. Definitely not gonna over-exert myself."

Claire nodded, patting his shoulder, then said, "Yeah, it should just be a slightly more tense stroll through the greenery. I wonder why you came back pretty exhausted last time, hm?"

Scott lightly chuckled, then said, "Oh, you know, I get carried away when I see things I can climb."

Claire snorted amusedly, turning away and saying, "You're such a child."

Scott laughed, then grabbed his crotch and said, "This piece of work would say otherwise!"

In a flash, Claire fist flew backwards and struck Scott in the crotch, sending him spiraling downwards in a loud yell. He slammed into the ground, hearing the sound of his squadmates chuckling, even Johnson laughed through his pain.

Scott rose from the ground, a painridden grin on his lips, gripping his crotch. He leaned against the warthog, then nodded his head and said, "I deserved that."

He raised his head to watch Meyers walk in front of him, then placed his hand on Scott's shoulder and said, "Get something to eat, then get out there before you get yourself anymore hurt."

Scott nodded with a small chuckle, then Meyers turned to Claire and said, "You're staying up to watch the camp first."

Claire widened her arm, about to complain, but Meyers beat her to it as he pointed at her and said, "For friendly fire."

With a grunt of distaste, Claire sat against the warthog, pulling her helmet off, and pulled her rations from her backpack. Meyers handed Scott his rations, then slipped his own helmet off and said, "Imma get a fire going. You head out when you're ready."

Scott ripped the package open, slipped his rifle on his back, then grabbed his helmet and said, "I'll just go now. Munch on the move."

As he walked past Meyers, strolling towards the forest, Claire called out and said, "A stroll, not an exercise!"

Scott let out a grunt at the comment, then disappeared from his squad behind the brush. He silently ate his food as he put more and more distance between him and the camp, knowing full well what would happen.

After strolling around the forest for a few minutes, he finished his food and threw the wrapping over his shoulder. He slipped his helmet on his head, then grabbed his rifle off his back and let out a long sigh. He stopped his stroll next to a tree and looked down his scope, staring into the distant forest.

He wasn't looking for anything in particular, he was really just waiting. The forest was silent, the only sound that of the softly blowing wind against the leaves around Scott. All of that silence was shattered by the sound of rustling coming from ahead of Scott. This time, he didn't bother looking for the culprit, he simply kept his rifle held forward, and slightly tilted his head to the right.

After a few seconds, rustling came from behind him, and he heard the faint sound of footsteps approaching him. RIght before the footsteps reached him, Scott swung the butt of his rifle backwards, striking Sil in the face, sending her flying backwards with a shriek. She fell to the ground, gripping the top of her head, muttering something. Her muttering was cut short as Scott's foot landed directly on her chest, then she looked up to see the end of his barrel hovering inches from her face.

The two silently stared at each other, then Zuhl appeared from the bushes behind Scott and said, "I told you he wouldn't fall for it this time."

Sil hissed at Zuhl, then grunted and said, "Agh, there goes half the fun of this!"

Her gaze shifted from Zuhl back to the barrel still staring her down, then she tilted her head to the side and asked, "You mind?"

Scott shifted his grip on the rifle, then sighed and took his foot off her chest, lowering the rifle's barrel to the ground. He watched Sil rise up with a huff, brushing her armor off.

Scott placed his rifle on his back, then gestured to her armor and said, "Sorry about scuffing your golden threads."

Sil brushed her shoulder pad with a chuckle, then said, "I don't care. Yellow never really suited me."

Her eyes suddenly darted from her own armor to Scott. She walked up to him, placing one claw against the underside of his helmet, then slid it across his helmet's chin and said, "But it suits you."

Scott swatted her claw away, watching her pace away with an evil chuckle, then said, "No touching, three fingers."

He watched as she walked off, then Zuhl stepped next to him and said, "Follow us, we didn't set up far."

With a nod of his head, Scott took a step forward, then his rifle was snatched from his hands before he could react. He whipped his head up at Zuhl, who was now holding the rifle, and splayed his hands out questioningly.

Zuhl shrugged and said, "Safety precaution."

Before Scott could reply, something pushed him to the left, making him spin around and reach for his pistol, only for him to grab onto nothing. He looked down at his missing pistol, then up to see Sil holding his pistol, throwing it into the air and catching it with a devilish look in her eyes.

She lazily pointed the pistol at him and said, "Extra precautions. I still don't trust you, sweet cheeks."

Scott groaned at the comment, then watched her take a step towards him. His hands instantly shot up to grab his helmet and he said, "Nope, nuh uh, I get to keep this!"

Sil stared at him, her movement freezing, then she turned to Zuhl and said, "Hold him down."

Scott's mouth gaped open a bit, then he shot his gaze at Zuhl, who was simply looking between the two. After a moment, he shook his head and said, "Let him keep his helm. It is no big deal."

Sil gestured at Scott wildly and said, "But he can contact his friends! They could-"

Scott interrupted her and said, "I won't call anyone! I can swear on that."

Sil's gaze slowly turned from Zuhl to Scott, then she placed her hands on her hips with a tilted head and asked, "And why should we trust you? You haven't exactly exuded much trust."

Scott lightly chuckled, then gestured to her and said, "Neither have you. You've kidnapped me, dragged me, and pointed my own gun at my face."

Sil let out an exasperated scoff, then said, "But I didn't shoot you!"

The two were about to go on exchanging more words with each other when Zuhl planted his hands on both their shoulders and said, "Let's continue any discussion at the training location. It's safer there."

Sil grabbed a hold of Zuhl's hand, weakly lifting it off her shoulder and letting it limply fall away, then crossed her arms and said, "Fine…"

Then her eyes narrowed at Scott and said, "... but I'm not done with you."

Scott returned the gaze, though she couldn't see his eyes, and said, "I was done with you the second you kidnapped me the first time."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, then Zuhl turned Sil around by the shoulder and said, "Follow us, Scott. We'll take you to where we shall await Bota's return."

Scott watched as Sil shrugged Zuhl's hand off her shoulder as they walked forward, then sighed as he followed closely behind them. They led him through the quiet forest, and Scott could read from behind the massive differences between the two simply off the way they walk.

Zuhl stood straight up, pushing his head forward like a chicken with every stride like an elite, with a light swing of his arms. Sil, on the other hand, had a much more lazy slouch to her back, fidgeting every once in a while, sometimes stretching her body. Her arms swung with a much wider arc, and she would constantly turn her head to check on him, only to turn back around and pick at her feathers.

Sil would mumble something to Zuhl once in a while, either getting nothing in reply or an annoyed grumble, which she cackled at in response. A strenuous friendship is what it looked like, polar opposites forced to work together.

It wasn't long until they reached a hidden clearing, a large rocky structure sitting next to the forest line. The clearing was like a bowl, lined by thick vegetation and close trees. He could even see a few stumps, like it had been cleared by someone.

Scott approached one of the stumps and sat down, crossing his arms as he watched the two T'vaoans walk past him. Zuhl marched to the edge of the bowl and stared out into the forest while Sil jumped up the rock formation and sat at the top. Neither of them seemed in the mood to talk anymore, given the immediate distance they put between each other. Scott didn't know if he enjoyed the silence or hated it, but either way, he was dreading being here.

It wasn't long until a loud rustling came from the nearby bushes, turning all of their heads. Bota marched from the dark forest, muttering something as he brushed leaves off his armor. Zuhl stood at attention, saluting the approaching elite, while Sil simply laid onto her back and stared up at the stars.

Bota nodded his head to Zuhl then turned his gaze to Scott, who stared the elite down throughout his approach. Bota stopped a few feet from Scott, then asked, "How have my scout's treated you?"

Scott stood up off the stump, brushing his armor, then said, "I didn't feel like a ragdoll this time around, so I'd say pretty well."

Bota nodded his head with satisfaction and said, "That is good to hear. I do not wish for them to mistreat you, though I should feel grateful for their assistance at all."

Scott crossed his arms as he followed Bota's gaze, looking at the two T'vaoans staring off into nothing. Scott turned to Bota and asked, "So, how dangerous is this for you? I presume you all could get arrested for treason."

In a casual tone, Bota gestured to his scouts and said, "We would most likely be executed and have our corpses paraded through the streets of High Charity for our heresy. That or we would simply be gunned down on this very planet. Given our current leadership, I wouldn't be surprised if he decided not to waste any time."

Scott's jaw hung ajar as Bota finished, not expecting to hear that. His head shifted back to look at the two scouts, dumbfounded. He presumed the Covenant was made up of monsters, but he never expected them to be willing to do such things to their own kind. Though, the more he thought of it, humanity wasn't very different, was it?

With a cough, Scott gestured to the middle of the clearing and said, "How about we get started, sensei."

Bota walked past him into the clearing and said, "We have much to go over and little time. Be sure to pay close attention and keep up."

Scott huffed with amusement as he pulled out his knife, then said, "Yeah, I'll try. If last time means anything, I'm sure I'll be able to keep up."

Bota looked at him with a blank glare, then asked, "Was that sarcasm?"

Scott chuckled, then lazily pointed his knife at Bota and said, "Surprised you recognized it."

Bota gestured to Sil on the rock with a grunt and said, "I have to live around it constantly."

His chuckling grew, then Scott pointed his knife at Sil and said, "I knew there was something I liked in her."

With a huff, Bota turned to look at Sil and said, "Strange, I can not see it myself."

He spun back around to face Scott, then widened his stance and said, "Now, onto the lesson. I've taught many younglings before, many who've become more skilled than I, you are no different."

Scott slowly copied his stance the best he could, then said, "Good to know you see the spark in me."

They were interrupted by a cackle, then Sil called out, "There's no spark! Just an obligation!"

With a grunt, Bota turned back to Scott and said, "Ignore her. Focus on the lesson."

Scott nodded, then trained his focus on his new alien mentor. Everything Bota went over was strange to him, especially with how he changed his own style to compensate for Scott's weapon. A knife and an energy sword were very different weapons, but somehow Bota was quite easily translating his techniques. At least, that's what Scott could tell. What he knew for a fact was that picking it up wasn't easy.

Scott grunted as he tripped over his own feet, stumbling past Bota into the ground. Bota grumbled as he watched the human fall, then grabbed him by the collar and lifted him back onto his feet.

Bota mumbled as he watched Scott brush his armor off, then pointed at him and sternly said, "You must fix your footwork."

Scott chuckled lighty as he picked his knife up, then said, "Cuz it's that easy, just fix it! Why didn't I think of that?"

Bota shook his head with a sigh, then said, "Just continue practicing, now. Repeat the movement until you can do it without thought, until it is nothing but second nature."

Scott sighed, then angled his knife forward and rushed forward at Bota. Bota weaved backwards and twisted his body around Scott's strikes. He was closely following what Bota had shown him, how to attack with his blade. One thing was for sure, it was better than what Scott had been doing before. The whole point of his current attack was to keep Bota on defense, to keep whatever opponent he might face too busy dodging to attack him.

The real question was whether Bota was truly being put on the defensive, or if he was just giving Scott a taste of what a less experienced elite might do.

Scott lunged forward, this time avoiding tripping on himself, and watched as his blade drove towards Bota's stomach. In a flash, Bota's hand caught his arm and brought their bout to a halt.

With a huff of satisfaction, Bota gently threw Scott's hand aside and said, "Good, you are quick to correct your mistakes. You've already come farther than some of my pupils."

Scott chuckled as he tossed his blade between his hands and said, "Bet you say that to all your human students."

Bota's face took on a blank expression, or maybe that was just Scott not knowing how to read an elite's expressions. With another huff, Bota stepped back and said, "Now we shall move onto more moves."

Scott let out a breath, collecting his stamina for a moment, then looked up to watch Bota demonstrate more moves in front of him.

#

The sight of the human copying moves Sil has only watched sangheili warriors use was… strangely offputting. The worst part of it was that he wasn't that bad, for a beginner at least.

Sil silently walked off the rock formation, her head locked onto the human as he trained. She slowly approached Zuhl, catching his attention as he silently surveyed the forest.

Once she was next to him, she nudged him with her elbow and asked, "What do you think of this?"

Zuhl moved his head to the left to look at Scott with one eye, watching for a few seconds, then looked back at Sil and said, "I think the human is more skilled than you expected. With a blade, of course."

Sil chuckled, then leaned against a tree and said, "I don't underestimate my opponents, really, I don't."

Zuhl's gaze slowly shifted at her, the he said, "That is the most ridiculous statement you've ever said."

Sil cackled, then said, "Give me an example."

Zuhl gestured back to Scott and said, "You say you are a better shot than him, yet you were very fearful of his shot when we were first watching him. Only someone who admits their inferiority would tread so lightly."

Sil gaped hr beak open at his statement, then pushed herself off the tree and said, "I thought you'd take that as me being a smart soldier! Putting my superiority aside for the better of the mission! We were supposed to watch them, not kill them! That's why I hid from his sight!"

An amused huff came from Zuhl, then he turned back to the forest and said, "I simply meant it was strange for you. I'm quite glad youdid what you did, but it was out of character. You have killed those we were meant to watch before."

Sil crossed her arms and spun around, putting her back to Zuhl, then said, "Guess I'm just improving then, hm?"

Zuhl shifted his stance and said, "About time. You've served in the Covenant for how long? Ten years?"

Sil turned back to him and said, "Twelve. Only spent half that time with you and Bota. You remember when we met?"

Zuhl's head nodded and said, "Was a very grim battle, but I remember it well. Though how you got yourself stuck under a banshee is beyond me."

Sil snapped at him and said, "It's not my fault they were a shitty pilot! Couldn't have avoided a fuel rod shot and crashed down over me!"

Her snap slowly drifted away and her gaze turned to Bota, then she said, "But, for an odd reason, I'm quite glad that shitty pilot got hit."

Zuhl nodded and said, "Well of course. If not you would've never met me or Bota, and you would've certainly never reached your current rank."

Sil turned back to him with sunken eyelids and said, "That's why I said it, featherhead."

Zuhl's gaze slowly panned to her again, then he asked, "Are you really using human slurs?"

Sil chuckled as she leaned herself against the tree again, then she said, "I quite like English. Human slurs are especially fun. My favorite is the one he used on Bota, what was it? Hunghead? Hindhead?"

Zuhl groaned as he looked off again and said, "Officers would be outraged to hear you using the human language as often as you do."

Sil shrugged her shoulders, "Have I ever cared about what my officers think?"

She watched Zuhl shake his head, then chuckled lightly to herself as she gazed again at Bota and the human. Scott was slowly beginning to keep up with Bota as the two trained together, any resistance during the training he had yesterday now gone. There was something about the human, something that made the base of her feathers tingle. It was a strange feeling, one she hadn't felt before, but what she was yet to figure out was whether she liked it or not.

Hey! Sorry for the delay, had a lot going on. Was writing a lot for other things, had a lot of hours at work, a good mix. I'll try my best to write more consistently for you guys, even though this story is obviously not very popular, I really enjoy it, so that's what matters. Hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner than this one was. But, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, as always any concerns, criticisms, or comments are always welcome! I hope you have a good day or night!