Chapter 5: Fate: True or False?

Six POV

The army troopers in the gym watched in awe and envy as Noble Four easily benched five hundred pounds. The Spartan enjoyed their stares; he liked being the center of attention.

Even if it was a bit "unprofessional."

Watching from the sidelines as Emile lifted the weights for a few more minutes, it wasn't long before the Spartan slammed the bar into place before sitting up. Looking towards Six to see his reaction, he raised an eyebrow in expectation.

Six, however, wasn't paying any attention. Part of his mind was still screaming at him for being an idiot with the other part wondering what he should say when he meets Shress. While his common sense was yelling at him to tell Carter, he was too confused and still in shock from setting a meeting up with the alien in the first place to make any decision. This could be a trap, but the Elite was obviously striving to be as honorable as she could be, so does that mean it's not?

Six came back to reality when Emile snapped his fingers in front of the Lieutenant's face.

"Six," Emile said sarcastically. "How many reps?"

"Your… reps?" Six asked as his mind began to clear.

Emile smiled, somehow imitating the carved mask he had on his EVA faceplate. Raising his arms, he spun around and began to grandstand in front of the onlookers. "Clearly I need to do it again, right?"

Thankfully, it seems like a trooper decided to spare Six the embarrassment of keeping his teammate's attention.

"It was about four hundred sir!"

"Then let's go for five!" Pointing toward the soldier, Emile gestures for him to follow behind. "Obviously you are a better spotter! Follow me trooper!"

Shaking his head at Four's antics, Six glanced at the clock and realized he was running late.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath as he stood, "Sorry, I got to go, Emile."

"Go?" Emile asked, "Go where? We haven't even been given our next mission yet."

Six silently cursed himself. In his nervous state he had completely forgotten to inform Noble team he was leaving.

"Scouting run." Six finally said. "I'm just going to go for a quick hike up the mountain."

"Scouting?" Emile asked.

"You know, all those years of looking over your shoulder behind enemy lines is hard to shake off. Besides, nothing like a walk in the woods to calm your nerves, right?" Six said in the most earnest voice he could produce.

Six checked his bag to ensure he had everything, got up and walked to the door when Emile called after him, "Want me to come with you? You know the rules; no one is allowed to go out on their own."

Six groaned. 'I am an idiot.' He had forgotten the rules. Maybe this was a bad idea, but a promise was a promise, and maybe it could do him some good to talk to the enemy.

Six's mind was spinning as he blurted out, "I'm already going up there to meet someone." Which was partially true.

"Who? Kat, Jorge, Carter?" Emile asked.

"Um, a… soldier I met,"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold the shuttle. A soldier? Not a Spartan?" Emile asked, dumbstruck.

Six sighed, "Yes, a soldier, a fellow warrior, an ally. You should know all about that with your new friend there." Six said, gesturing towards the trooper who was standing near the bench press. "Can I go now commander?" Six teased him in hopes of lightening the mood.

Emile hesitated before his face became serious. "Still got your rifle?"

In response, Six grabbed the butt of his rifle on his back and raised it above his head to show him. He nodded and said, "Well… get back before it gets dark."

"Yes, mother." Six said as he left, thinking he heard Emile chuckling to himself.

Six began to wonder if he shouldn't go. He was armed, but if Shress was setting up a trap—even a Spartan might not survive an alien ambush. Worse yet, he hasn't told anyone where exactly he was going. If he got into trouble, no one would know where to find him. Six mused over this as he walked out of Sword Base.

Six was approaching the gate, deciding to go along with the plan when the last person he expected to meet stepped onto his path. Doctor Halsey.

'Oh great,' he thought to himself as he halted before her, the six foot nine Spartan towered over the grey-haired woman, but she seemed unafraid of him.

"Spartan!" she said in a stern, yet somewhat disgusted voice. "Where are you going?"

"I have a name, Ma'am." Six said.

"And yet the question remains." She said in a condescending voice.

"I'm going for a hike up the mountain and I'm going to train up there while doing a bit of scouting. Nature can work miracles on a person you know."

"Nature wasn't what made you a Spartan, Lieutenant."

A tense silence came and went between them for a long moment. Six, unwilling to continue with the conversation for longer than was necessary, decided to be direct.

"What do you want, Ma'am?" Six asked in an agitated tone.

"I want to know why you are really going up there, Lieutenant."

Six couldn't help but chuckle, "Is that an order? You're a civilian, not an admiral."

He could see she too was getting tired of their conversation and said, "Due to the Winter Contingency… Spartans like you should be ready to be deployed to more… useful missions should the need arise." Six swore he saw a vein pulse in her forehead as if it went against her very nature to acknowledge him for what he was.

"I won't be alone, doctor. I'm going to meet up with somebody up there."

"Really? Who would that be? I am unaware of any operations in the area."

"Classified, ma'am. Official lone wolf stuff. I'm sure you understand." Six said calmly and smirked behind his helmet as he said it.

"Spartan, I'll find out who you are talking to, or…," Halsey said in a menacing voice, before pausing for a moment to think.

"Or what?" Six exclaimed.

"I'll find out… I always do." she said rather victoriously, before spinning on her heel and walking away.

Emile was right. She definitely knows how to rain on someone's parade.

Shaking off the odd encounter, the Spartan shifted his weight as he began his long trek into the nearby mountains.

Shress La'Vdamee POV

Shress glanced at the sun and let out a low growl. The demon was now a whole unit late.

She had been patiently waiting by the knoll that slightly branches out from the mountain on one of its elevated platforms since early dawn—waiting to see if the demon, Michael, would arrive. She was starting to have doubts that the creature would come. Perhaps he was leading humans to their meeting spot, so they could ambush her. She growled at the thought, but knew full well even a Zealot wouldn't last long against a small army of humans and a demon.

'If the demon isn't here soon, I'll just head back.'

Ruan, her commander, was probably wondering where she was. Even though she was a Zealot, she had to sneak, bribe, and lie through gritted teeth to get here.

'And all so I could speak to a demon.'

This was an insane idea; she didn't even know why she wanted to speak to Michael. Her best conclusion was because she wanted to, no; she needed to know why he was showing her mercy over and over again—to know why the gods kept having them meet.

'Besides, maybe I can learn something useful like the human language or where it is that demons come from.'

The Covenant had Unggoy who could translate the human language, but she found it humiliating to have to ask a menial worker every time she needed to understand her enemy's tongue. Better to learn it herself and be independent from the lowly servants.

If the demon was as open as he had been every time they met, then surely she could glean some insight on the demons. No one in the Covenant knows what they are, or why they are allied with the humans. If she could learn more about them, then maybe this lunatic scheme of hers may bode well.

She became alert; a twig snapped near her, and so she activated her camouflage, making her invisible. She didn't have to wait long before Michael came into view.

Like all the times she had seen him, he had a primitive weapon on his back. His blue armor was still dirty and his azure-glassed face was as bright as ever.

After only a moment after arriving in the clearing, the demon scanned the area before calling out to the seemingly empty wilderness.

"I know you're there, Shress. Now please reveal yourself."

Shress remained hidden for a few more moments to confirm he was alone before deactivating her camouflage. Whenever she shimmered back into view, it would startle most people, yet when she did it in front of Michael, he didn't even seem fazed that a seven foot alien just appeared before him.

They stood in front of each other in complete silence, neither sure how to break it. Then Shress asked, "Why are you tired?"

Michael steadied his breathing a bit before saying, "I got held up back at my base. I was afraid I would miss you so I sprinted most of the way up here."

Shress stepped back partially in confusion and partially in revulsion, "You were afraid you would… miss me?"

The demon spoke quickly, "No! No! Not like that. No, what I meant was that I was afraid you left because I was late."

Shress was relieved to hear this, for a moment she truly thought that demons were indeed insane.

The silence returned only now there was a touch of awkwardness in the air, and Shress truly felt like a fool for thinking that the demon thought of her in such a way.

Finally Michael spoke, "So, um, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

Glad to have the conversation started again, Shress asks, "Why do you not believe in fate? Why do you think our meeting was an accident?"

The demon ponders for a while before saying, "Alright, say that fate does exist—"

"Fate does exist," Shress emphasized confidently.

"No, I meant hypothe- oh never mind. If fate does exist, why is it that we keep running to each other?"

"I don't know. That's why I wanted to speak to you." She slowly moved forward and began encircling him, like an officer inspecting a soldier. "Why would the gods want us to meet? A female Zealot and a merciful demon—such things have never been heard of before." She came to a halt in front of the demon.

Finally Michael replied, "Look, to be truthful, when I met you, honor and mercy weren't the first things to come to mind. I was just behaving that way to thank you after you allowed me to fight for my life."

Shress felt fury burn within her at the deception; the demon must have noticed as his whole body became tense as she spoke, "So you do not believe in honor or fate?"

Michael sighed and said, "I do believe in honor, and fate sometimes I suppose, but I just find this whole situation strange. My honor system doesn't cover what we do when our opponent from another planet isn't trying to kill me."

Shress' code of honor doesn't say what to do when dealing with another species either, so his argument was valid she supposed.

"Perhaps fate and the gods have a special plan for us, maybe that is why we keep meeting and why you don't kill me," Shress expressed.

"Wait," Michael said as he raised his right arm, holding up a single finger. "How come you don't believe me when I tell you the reason why I didn't kill you, and why is it you are always saying 'why didn't I kill you.' Don't you ever try to kill me every once in a while?"

Shress thought for a while, should she tell him of her blood lust and how close she came to killing him? He was truthful about his belief in honor even though it made her angry, but he's revealing more than she was willing to give. The least she could do is be equally courteous.

"I do not know why I do not believe your story. But I do believe there's more to it than you are letting on." She said flatly.

Michael didn't move, giving no sign of how he was feeling.

"And yes, I have considered killing you… and your comrades," She started feeling shame well up in her as she revealed her true feelings. "I am sorry I did not keep any of the promises you had me swear. I just felt angry at you, your comrades, and the humans." Her voice started to build to the point of shouting as she finished, "How is it you expect me to keep my word on not harming you or your allies while they are the ones trying to kill me and my comrades. You might as well have asked me to stop existing!"

There was another awkward lull in their conversation the moment the words left her mandibles. She instantly regretted saying that, and she took in the breath to apologize before Michael interrupted.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Shress." He said in a defeated tone. "I had no idea how honorable you are."

She thought she heard admiration in his voice, but he did not continue. Silence came and went between them only broken by the soft mountain breeze blowing through the treetops. Hesitating for a moment, the demon continued.

"I release you from your vows." Six briefly paused, "Could I ask you something?"

Nodding to the demon, she gestures for him to continue.

"Why is it that you find it so difficult to keep your word? I understand that we are on opposite sides of a war… but…"

He left the sentence half formed, giving her time to form her thoughts on the matter. To her, it was rather obvious! Taking a confident step forward, she made her thoughts known.

"Because I am a warrior. What use is a warrior if they cannot fight?"

Michael nodded and asked, "But don't you… Isn't there another place for you among your people?"

Shress growled, "Like staying home and taking care of my younglings like I'm supposed to?"

"Well they're your kids, so yeah, you should go and take care of them."

Shress eyes widened before correcting her thought, "That's not what I meant! I am not a mother, it's just that that is what a female is typically supposed to do."

Sighing, Shress shook her head before looking overhead. Thinking about all the failed suitors she was forced into courting over the years, she shudders when she remembers the fate she was almost certain to inherit. "No, even those with no children still have to stay at the clan's keep, take care of the dwelling, deal with the politics, and make sure the male-" here her voice turned into a tone of disgust, "-is comfortable."

The demon made a strange crackling noise, similar to the one she heard when they first met. After a moment she felt herself become enraged again. The demon was laughing, laughing at her!

"You think it's funny being treated as a tool? As nothing more than furniture by someone who thinks they're superior to you?" She said coldly.

The demon raised both his arms in a clear show of deference. "No, no! Of course not," Here his glass face met hers as he did his best to make eye contact through his polarized visor."It's just after meeting you on the battlefield, I can't imagine a good fighter like yourself living a quiet life like that." as he finished he started laughing again.

The strange sound was like nothing she had ever heard before, and it sounded so abnormal Shress started laughing with him. For some reason when he heard her laugh, his chuckles became more hysterical. They laughed for what felt like ages.

'That was the first time I have laughed, actually laughed in a long time.'

After a long few moments of much needed mirth, their moods quickly returned to the calm seriousness that was warranted from two opposing warriors.

She gestured to the setting sun, "I think we need to go now," she said, slightly regretting not getting to know any important information from the demon.

Somehow the demon seemed to be able to hear what she was thinking before saying, "If you want, we can try and meet each other again tomorrow, if you want to, that is."

Shress nodded before saying, "That sounds acceptable," as she prepared to hike back into the mountains. Noticing the direction she was facing, Michael asked, "Do you have a ship back there?"

Shress didn't want to lie, nor tell the demon, the enemy, of the existence of the cloaked supercarrier, The Long Night of Solace, so she said, "Yes, my ship is waiting for me up there." She didn't feel too guilty from what she revealed, as what she said was technically true.

Michael nodded before pulling some sort of container out of the bag. Before Shress could see what he was doing, she checked her belt to make sure her weapons and other supplies were still on when she looked up. She felt her mandibles widen in astonishment at what she was looking at.

The demon removed his helmet and began drinking from the container, but what drew her surprise was him. Or more specifically, the being that was revealed from underneath.

The demon was human.

She, as well as the other species in the Covenant never, ever considered the possibility that the demons were human too. How was Michael different from the others of his race? An even more chilling thought entered her mind: 'What could have happened if the entirety of his race had the same abilities as the demons?'

The demon, no, she reminded herself, the human, noticed she was staring. Looking concerned, he asked, "What?"

She didn't answer right away as her lingering gaze began absorbing details on the human's face. His skin was a light brown, but it seemed to be a tad pale, it must have been due to the lack of sun rays. He had fur on his head, like the other humans Shress had encountered; his was the color black, it was cut short, outlining the shape of his round head. He had the strange ears and nose that accompanied the average human, yet what she found most interesting was his dark green eyes. The Sangheili had eyes that were only dark slits; his was a round emerald colored orb, nothing like she had ever seen before.

'I wonder what it would be like looking through eyes like those, to have such distinguishing features.'

She thought to herself. She realized she had never seen a human, well a living human, this close to her before. The eyes were almost unnerving as she stared into them, like an animal in a trap.

"Um, Shress?" She heard the human, snapping her back into reality, "Is…there something wrong?"

"You… You are human." She said in a mystified voice as she looked into his eyes again.

"Yeah, I've kind of noticed I'm human," he said rather jokingly, clearly not realizing how big of a revelation it was to her.

Suddenly feeling embarrassed at how she reacted to this development, she asked, "Should we meet here again?"

"Sure," Michael said as he got up and placed his helmet back over his head, "I guess this is farewell for now Shress." He said and turned and started a light jog back down the mountain.

"Farewell for now, Michael." She said and began walking down the mountain path, wondering if she could ever see the human as a demon again, yet, out of all she had just learned, what stuck to her mind was the color of his eyes, a deep green she had never seen before.

A green color that, for some reason, she hoped to see again.

-Author/Editor's Note-

As a wise yet surprised Skirmisher once said, "HEEEEE."

-Daffy

This chapter was a lot more painful than expected for such a short one. Hope we didn't change any parts that were anyone's favourite. On the other hand, Christianknight wrote a review, so it's all worth it. :)

-Anonylemon

Wellp. I said I wasn't going to change much and just go straight to editing…

I LIED!

Hope ya'll like the tweaks I made to the dialogue to make it a bit more in character for those that were present.

Also: Thank you Christian Knight for the review. Made our day. :)

-PyreElegy