The next day, Cal wakes up early. Determined to make sure everything is ready for the flight later, as today will be the first day that Sen leaves the ONI building since she arrived a few months ago. And after her strange mood yesterday, he wanted to be sure to be ready for her just in case.
Like everything ONI does, the flight was planned to be discreet and quiet. Just routine transport, with very special cargo. On top of that, he knew that upon arrival on New Carthage they would have a short layover period. Which was perfect, considering that he hadn't been able to contact his parents aside from the short message he sent days ago, and they would have a rude awakening if he just showed up with an alien not long after getting that message. He already finished packing up his meager belongings the other day, including his old UNSC uniform, and had them sent off for loading. He was told that Sen's belongings would be coming with them too, but he wasn't told what that entailed exactly.
Finishing up his usual routine like any other day, he took a deep breath before stepping out the door for the last time, knowing that today would be no normal day.
Transiting to the airfield was a quick affair. He walked to the front of the base, passing guard posts and checkpoints, before finally spotting his taxi. It was an unmarked black civilian van, which would have been inconspicuous if it wasn't the only one of its kind sitting in front of the well-guarded installation. He climbed in the back and tossed his bag in, buckling his seatbelt as the driver wordlessly shifted the car into gear and took off.
After a short drive, he arrived at a massive spaceport. His truck maneuvered around heavy traffic going into the terminal and slid into a restricted access road. It made a quick stop at a security checkpoint, which almost immediately opened the gate for them upon arrival. It then rounded a corner and drove past several parked UNSC military vehicles, before arriving at some kind of UNSC mobile command vehicle. The van stopped and the doors unlocked, prompting Cal to grab his bag and open the door.
Outside, Cal looked up at the large vehicle in front of him. It was a large truck, similar to ones that were used on his homeworld for short-distance cargo transport, but it was towing a large rear compartment decorated with UNSC emblems and a collection of communication arrays sticking from the top. As he was looking it over, a door in the side opened and a man came walking out.
The man wore a tailored military dress outfit and had a clean cap on. He raised his hand in greeting to Cal, approaching him with a friendly demeanor. "Hello there! You must be Cal Bardeen. I'm Bailey; here to debrief you on your transit." He shook Cal's hand firmly, before gesturing towards the command truck behind him. "Please come in, we have just a few things to discuss." Cal nodded, following Bailey to the door.
It felt bigger on the inside. Cal found himself surrounded by monitors and expensive-looking equipment, as well as four other people sitting at various stations around the cabin. The other people in the room were all chattering over microphones, seeming to be focusing on several tasks and data streams. Bailey led Cal to the far end of the vehicle to a table with some paperwork on it.
Bailey offered Cal a seat and took his own across from him. He slid one of the pieces of paper in front of him, and uncapped a pen, smiling apologetically at Cal. "I know this is all a little… rudimentary. Usually, we'd have an AI do all this, but my superiors insisted on this being 'off the record as much as possible,' so here we are."
He straightened the piece of paper awkwardly and looked up at Cal, reading off the question. "Have you ever traveled through slipspace before, and have you ever had, or have a family history, of allergic reactions to cytoprethaline or other pharmaceuticals used in cryogenic freezing?"
Cal blinked, surprised that they didn't have his history already. "I was in the marines, shipped out from New Carthage a few months back during the war, never had a reaction. That's not on your records? I thought for sure they'd have this information down."
Bailey seemed a bit taken aback, quickly flipping through a few pieces of paper, before taking out some kind of data pad and squinting at the screen. He whispered very quietly under his breath, almost too quiet to hear. "Weird…" He then looked back up at Cal. "Well, I guess I have it now. It was just a little hard to find, but I guess nothing is straightforward when-" He cut himself off, seeming to not say too much more. "Well, let's just say we can cut the questions here. Now then, I have been told to debrief you about something." He flipped through the papers again before finding one and bringing it to the front, tapping them on the desk to straighten them before reading off a paragraph. "Due to security concerns, as well as biological differences that require unique methods of cryo, the asset is being transported on an unspecified stealth cruiser to ensure rouge elements do not interfere with the transfer. You are to be transported on a civilian Mulzac-class transport disguised as a routine cargo hauler. When you reach the destination, you will be taken to a designated safe house by ground."
Cal was taken aback; he wasn't told about this. He took a deep breath, trying to stop the anger from entering his voice. "Hang on wait a minute, separately? I wasn't told of this at all. When?!"
Bailey put his hands up disarmingly, a defensive tone in his voice. "Look, I don't know! I was just told about this recently, they didn't exactly give me warning either. They pull shit like this all the time, all I can say is they already left earlier, ahead of schedule."
Cal slumped, clenching his fists under the table, and closing his eyes. Damn, damn! They just took off with her without telling him. They were supposed to go together. If they double-crossed him and did anything to her, he-
His thoughts were interrupted by Bailey leaning back in his chair and speaking nonchalantly, a hint of humor in his voice. "Geez, I know these creep's way of doing things is annoying, but you seem mighty upset by this. This 'asset' something important to you?"
Cal looked up at Bailey, giving him a small nod before sitting back up straight. Bailey blew air out, eyes widening in a silent 'oo-kay' before going back to the paperwork. After looking through a few documents he placed them back down on the table, looking back up at Cal. "Ah, well that's about it then. Shuttle to orbit, dock to transport, get the shot and go in the freezer. Standard procedure from here."
Bailey got up from his chair and gestured for Cal to follow him, leading him back outside. As Cal walked back out into the sunlight, he found the same vehicle as before, still waiting. He opened the door to get in, and Bailey let out a small sigh before saying some parting words. "Well, now that that's done with. Good luck with… Whatever you have going on Cal."
Cal turned around to give a silent nod, before climbing into the passenger seat again and setting off. It took no time at all to reach their destination, going further into the back areas of the spaceport. Cal eventually saw the small shuttle standing by in a loading bay that looked barely used or maintained, the concrete was cracked, and the paint was peeling. The perfect area to hide a shuttle.
He climbed on board and raised a hand at the pilot in the front, who simply turned around to look at him before wordlessly starting the engines. Cal made his way over to the one seat that wasn't blocked by a locking bar, pulling his bar down against his chest as he sat down. He tucked his luggage onto the empty seat next to him, knowing that he'd need to hold it in place during the ascent.
Soon after, the shuttle taxied its way onto a runway. Cal hadn't flown often, but he couldn't help but think that a few people had their flights delayed based on how fast they were approved for takeoff. The shuttle rocketed down the strip, lifting into the air and going at a hard vertical angle. Cal felt the forces press him against his seat, and he was forced to take short and shallow breaths to fight the g forces. After what felt like minutes of hard pressure, he felt it lessen as they began to leave the atmosphere. The craft adjusted course a few times, and soon docked with his ship. He was released from his seat, and he unsteadily walked into the hall, still reorienting from the forces.
As he was catching his breath, a woman wearing a white outfit walked into the hall in front of him and simply glanced at him. She spoke in a flat tone, clearly having done this a lot. "Follow me please."
She led him to a small room with a medical chair, gestured for him to take a seat, and wheeled a set of drawers over to him. He bit his tongue as he sat down, knowing what was coming next. He could handle needles, but that didn't mean he liked them.
She pulled out a large applicator gun as well as a sealed clean needle, she then reached into a lower drawer and pulled out a pair of small glass vials, screwing them into the top of the applicator. She then unwrapped the clean needle and connected it to the gun.
She maneuvered his left arm, so it was facing upward and pulled out a small pen-like device that revealed the veins in his elbow joint. Cal closed his eyes and gripped the arm of the chair with his right hand, feeling the sting as the needle went in, and then the icky cold feeling of the fluid entering his veins. A moment later, he tasted a metallic flavor in his mouth, and he felt the needle being pulled out and pressure being applied to the site.
The woman pressed swabs onto the wound to stop the bleeding and then sprayed it with a healing accelerant after removing it. She droned about the allergic reaction signs of Cytoprethaline as she disposed of the used vials and needle before gesturing him out of the chair, leading him to another part of the ship.
He soon found himself in the ship's cryo bay. An array of pods sat against one wall for passengers, all were empty. The woman led him to one of the empty ones, gesturing towards the locker. "Undress and place your clothes and baggage inside, before you climb inside, take this, and inhale it. After that, the AI will do the rest." She pressed an inhaler into Cal's hands, bronchial surfactant, another one of the joys of stasis.
Cal nodded in understanding, and the woman simply turned around to the left. Cal was glad to be alone this time, last time he went under, he was undressed alongside at least 25 other male marines in one bay. It was hard to avoid looking in such a compact space with that many people nude, it was an awkward experience.
He stripped his clothes off and folded them up, placing them in the locker alongside his bag. He then picked up the inhaler, taking a moment to prepare himself, and taking it in deep. He could immediately feel the thick substance coating his throat and lungs, and breathing immediately got harder. Before getting inside, he had to focus on taking shallow breaths to not ruin the coating. Cal then climbed into the empty chamber, lying flat as the pod automatically began to close on top of him.
Though Cal had gone into cryo once before when he was shipped from New Carthage to Earth, the experience was just as unpleasant as ever. Laying naked in the cold, metal chamber, his lungs full of disgusting mucus-like congestion from the bronchial surfactant he had been made to inhale. He sat in a great deal of discomfort as he waited for the system to cycle, his arm still stinging from the cytoprethaline injection, hoping that Sen handled the process better than him.
He didn't need to wait long, quickly hearing the system kick on, and the temperate began to drop. He felt his body slow down and thoughts slur as the sedating cold began to kick in, and the bright light through the glass window in front of him blurred as he slipped into a deep sleep.
Something was different.
The last time Cal went into cryo he didn't dream at all, but this time he felt something. Something vivid.
Did he feel… sand? It felt like sand beneath his feet. He squinted his eyes open to find himself looking down a path at a fading sunset, on either side of him were trees unlike he had ever seen before. The sand was warm under his bare feet, the air was pleasant.
He looked down to see that he was wearing his old UNSC uniform, clean and straightened, as though it had never even been in battle. He looked ahead to see that the path almost… beckoned him. Like he was supposed to go that way. He took a few steps forward and found that the path led to a beach, the sun was slowly dipping under the waves ahead, casting pale red light across the water. Calm waves lapped on the beach, gently crawling up the coast before it sank back to the sea.
Cal stared out at the scene in front of him, bewildered. He had only ever seen beaches like this in pictures, but it was vivid, like a perfect memory. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, squinting at something to his right. There was a subtle orange glow, and what looked like figures standing around it. Suddenly, the figures began to take form as though they were manifesting before his very eyes, and what he saw made him freeze in shock.
Familiar uniforms, familiar patches, familiar faces.
It was them. The people he lost, the family he let down.
Brannon, Cassie, Amara, and Andre sat around a beachside campfire. They were talking to each other, laughing, and seeming to just enjoy the sunset. Cal stood in shock, simply watching the scene from afar. He had seen them die over and over again in his dreams and experienced their pain time and time again. Yet now, he saw them as they once were.
He forced himself to take a step forward, quietly approaching the fire. He approaches the form of Brannon from behind, feet quietly dragging through the sand as he approaches. The man turns up to look at Cal as he stands next to him, face clean and unscarred. He gave a broad smile, gesturing for Cal to sit by him as he spoke in a familiar accent. "Look who finally decided to show up. Can't have you missing our little going away party, eh lad?"
Cal plopped down on the sand next to Brannon, looking him up and down in disbelief. "Bran… Is that really you? How are you all…"
Brannon reached over and touched Cal on the shoulder, giving him a friendly tap. "In the flesh, more or less."
Cal looked around at the rest of the squad, kneeling around the crackling fire and looking at Cal with friendly smiles. He stared at them in disbelief before looking down at his hands and squeezing them hard, feeling tears well up in his eyes as he sobbed. "You guys, I- I'm so sorry. It's all my fault, they started shooting, and you all… I- I-"
Brannon gripped his shoulder again, giving him a shake to pull him out of his spiraling emotions. He looked Cal hard in the eye, giving a sympathetic look. "It's not your fault, Cal. I know how ye feel. In war, people die. People ye care about, and people ye don't. Can't do nothing about it except move forward, live on for their sake. And for the sake of others." He finished off with a knowing look, releasing Cal's shoulder.
Cal stared at him in shock, looking over at the rest of his old squad, especially Amara who was looking at him with a teasing grin. "Ah, you sly dog Cal. Boy's got looks so good even the aliens are swooning. What next? Eh?"
Cal looked at her with wide eyes, grief turning to shock. "Wait, you guys know about Sen? And…" He trailed off, averting his eyes to the ground in embarrassment. He didn't know how to feel at this moment, surrounded by his squad who had been slaughtered by the Covenant, them knowing full well he had feelings for an ex-Covenant soldier.
He was suddenly drawn back to this reality by Andre's voice speaking to him, talking in a quiet thoughtful voice. He drew his wet eyes up, looking at Andre's sympathetic expression. "I didn't have a lot of time to get to know you in life Cal, but I wish I did. I look at you and see someone who cares, someone who sees past the superficial."
He looked down at the ground, idly tracing lines in the sand with a small stick. He sighed as he spoke with sadness. "I lost my mom on Reach, you know? She was there on business; I was on Earth taking care of things at home. She was there when it was glassed, didn't make it off."
He paused his drawing, looking back up at Cal. "For a while I felt anger, hate even. I joined the marines because I thought I hated aliens, and for a while I did. But watching you befriend one of them, caring about one of them, made me understand. I masked my grief with hate and anger because I wanted something to blame, something inhuman. But I don't feel that anymore, I only feel acceptance. I feel at peace." He smiled at Cal, nodding at him in thanks. "Thank you, Cal, and don't blame yourself. You've done a lot for all of us, even some who don't want to admit it."
Andre nudged Cassie who was next to him, who glanced at him dejectedly and sighed. She looked up at Cal, narrowing her eyes. "I knew you were weird Cal, but your taste in women is even weirder. 'Looking for Ex-Covenant human killer with deep seated regrets' isn't what I expected to put on your dating profile, but here we are."
Andre gave her a harder shove, scolding her. "Hey! Come on, you find them adorable. Don't lie!"
She quietly grunted, looking side to side before looking back at Cal, then down to the ground quickly. Muttering softly. "Ok… Maybe it is kinda cute, but Cal's still a big time weirdo."
Amara snickered from across the fire, sending a smug glance Cassie's way.
Brannon looked down at Cal with a fatherly softness he had never seen before, eyes filled with a kind of understanding wisdom. He spoke softly with his accented voice. "Cassie, despite her rough comment, did touch on an important matter. That gal, Sen, cares about you a lot Cal."
Cal met Brannon's gaze, feeling emotion bubble up. He spoke with an uncertain quaver. "For the past two days, ever since I told her that we're going to my homeworld she's been so… distant. She avoids me at every turn, and I- I don't know what to do. She's hurting, but I don't why, or how to help…"
He trailed off, staring at the ground in defeat, tears welling up in his eyes as he reached up to wipe them away. Brannon leaned down thoughtfully, speaking again. "Old soldiers have many shadows that follow them, and that alien is no exception. She loves you Cal, that's why she's so distant, because she's afraid of hurting ye. She intoxicated herself with emotions that she's never experienced before, suppressed her dark past to bask in them. But now it's all coming back, and she's scared of herself. She thinks herself a monster, Cal."
Cal looked up at Brannon with shock, understanding suddenly dawning on him. His attention was suddenly torn to Amara's voice, speaking in an unusually serious tone. "Cal… She needs you, needs you to show her that she isn't that monster she thinks she is."
She looked at Cal with a strange look in the eye before looking away, almost a kind of regret. "Take care of her, will ya?"
Suddenly, Brannon turned towards the treeline behind them, focusing on something within. "Yer not as sneaky as ye think, if you have something to say, come down here and say it!"
Cal suddenly heard a rustle from the foliage, a flash of reflected sunlight light from within. A familiar shape stumbled out of the bushes, something that made the hairs on the back of Cal's neck stand up. It was a T'vaoan like Sen, but this one wore orange armor, and its feathers were brown. Its helmetless head stared right at him with an uneasy look, glancing at his companions that surrounded him with anxious glances. A memory clicked in Cal's head as he looked at the bird-like alien, remembering that orange armor, those feathers… Raq, Sen's brother.
Raq approached the group with apprehension, looking down at each of them with uncertainty before stopping at Cal, looking directly into his eyes. Around Raq's neck was the bone amulet that Sen always kept close, and as Cal looked up into his eyes, he could see tears forming. The alien kneeled down in front of him, taking the amulet off with one hand. He brought it down to his other hand and silently held them outstretched toward Cal, offering the precious relic to him. Cal reached out and softly touched Raq's hands, carefully lifting the object into his own with care. He looked back up into Raq's eyes to see that tears were now flowing down his face, as Raq closed his eyes and bowed his head.
Raq said nothing, but words were unnecessary. Cal knew what this meant, it was a symbol of trust. He reached out and gently touched the alien's hand, feeling Raq flinch at the contact; tear-stained eyes snapping open to look at him. Cal bowed his head, whispering softly. "Thank you, Raq."
Raq blinked, softly grasping Cal's hand in understanding at the gesture, before slowly getting up and stepping away from him. The alien looked down at the rest of Cal's squad, all of which had been silent since he had arrived. He then looked down the beach, staring off down the long stretch. Raq looked back at Cal one last time before turning around and setting off across the sand, clawed feet leaving three distinct marks as he walked into the distance.
Brannon looked around at the squad, then over at the sun that was rapidly dipping below the waves. He let out a sigh, giving Cal a sad smile. "Seems our time is up." He stood up from where he sat, dusting stand off his pants.
Cal looked around at everyone, amulet clutched in his hand, suddenly feeling panic. "Wait, wait! We've had so little time, please… Not yet!"
Brannon shook his head, cupping his hand over Cal's. "I'm sorry lad, another time, perhaps. The dead rest, and the living go on. Live, laddie. You have someone waiting for you." Without another word, he turned around and started walking, each of the squad members giving Cal a small head bow before joining him silently. Cal could only watch as they walked down the beach following Raq until he was left alone in the growing darkness with a smoldering campfire, and nothing but footprints trailing into the distance.
Suddenly, the scene in front of him blurred and faded, and a bright light enveloped his vision.
Cal came to with a sputtering cough, bright blinding light shining through the window of his cryogenic chamber. His whole body felt cold and stiff as it slowly unfroze, his mind feeling sluggish from the effects. Water from the melting ice crystals on his body dripped down his skin, as his eyes slowly adjusted to the light.
Blinking ahead through the foggy glass, he could see a lit screen in front of him: 'Vitals: Normal. Slipspace Transit [Earth - New Carthage] complete, transfer and disembark to begin in: 54 minutes.' As he finished reading, he heard a distinctive hissing noise as the door to the cryo chamber began to open. He slowly moved his arms and legs, feeling the intense stiffness from the freeze as the warmer air outside the pod touched his cool skin. The door opened all the way, revealing the empty hall around him as he slowly pulled his body upright unsteadily. He stretched side to side, feeling the muscles relax as he moved them.
Taking a breath in, he suddenly choked, remembering the foul bronchial surfactant coating his lungs. He let out a hacking cough, forcing the contents of his lungs back out. A disgusting mucus-like substance came up his throat, tasting like chalky lime. He tried not to throw up the non-existent contents of his bowls as he forced himself to swallow the nutrient-dense substance, grimacing as it slid down his throat. He pulled himself to his feet and stepped out of the chamber.
With warmth returning, he turned his attention to an adjacent locker, containing his clothing from when he entered the freezer months ago, as well as a towel for drying off the water. Looking around as he dried himself, he was met with rows of closed cryo pods, all empty. He was still worried sick about the fact that Sen was shipped separately from him. He understood that alien biology required some unorthodox methods for safety, but he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if something were to happen to her.
He started to ponder in the back of his mind all manner of ways things could go wrong as he pulled on his clothing, feeling growing distress over all the possibilities. When suddenly, his dream came back to him. He sat down, feeling woozy all of a sudden. It was still vivid in his head, appearing in freakish detail. He remembered his corporal's voice as words spoken to him on a beachside, the last time he'd ever hear it. 'You have someone waiting for you.'
He shook his head, reaching up to rub his eyes before taking a deep breath. He had to stay focused, he couldn't let these wild emotions and thoughts overtake him. He had to pull himself together and get ready, overthinking would do no good. He took a glance down the hall, bundling the towel up into his arm, and set off deeper into the ship.
He tossed the towel into a laundry basket and found his way to the ship's passenger kitchen. It felt strange; when he was shipped out to Earth it was with a group of recruits, and they all were put under and woken up at the same time. It was a hive of activity, with many young marines eating and relaxing as they recovered from cryo. However, as the only external passenger on this freighter, it was eerily quiet.
He set his food to heat and glanced around the room, listening to the subtle rumbles and creaks of the ship as it moved to dock.
He ate slowly, wincing as he felt the heavy, tasteless contents hit the bottom of his empty stomach. The worst part about waking up from cryo was eating for the first time after, the stomach drains itself and shrinks, making eating to cover lost energy painful. He swallowed the last of his food and grimaced, throwing the packet away. A few moments later, a flat, pre-recorded voice played over the loudspeaker, startling Cal.
"Attention passengers, disembarking transfer to begin in fifteen minutes. Please proceed to shuttle bay for planetside orbital transfer."
The speaker clicked as it shut off. Cal felt palpable excitement, it had been a long time since he had seen his homeworld, and for a while, he had lost hope of ever seeing it again. Now all he had to do was one last shuttle descent, and he would be back home. With that thought in his mind, he took off towards the shuttle bay, following the signs marking the way.
Eventually, he reached the shuttle bay, marked by signage and ringed with red lights. He stepped inside to find himself surrounded by at least twenty seats, all empty. Towards the front was a bored-looking pilot and an empty co-pilot seat, he looked over his shoulder at Cal before looking down at some kind of screen. He hit a button on the screen, muttering something unintelligible under his breath, and Cal watched as restraints that looked like something from an old-school roller coaster moved down in front of all the seats except for one.
Cal climbed into the open seat and reached up to grab his restraining bar, slowly pulling it down until it was lightly pressing against his chest. After he locked his restraint, the shuttle let out a rumble as the rear loading door suddenly closed. Cal was shocked at how quickly the process was moving, but he assumed that these ships were on ONI's payroll for a reason.
Cal felt the moment the shuttle disconnected from the freighter; there was a hard shutter, and then nothing. He felt the engines burning, but it was like flying on a pelican without any turbulence at all. After a minute, however, the ship started shaking again. This time it was a continuous rumble and vibration. Then it started shaking profusely as it began to enter the atmosphere. He could see a red glow through the front window, and he tensed his body to resist the intense shaking.
Just as quickly as it started, the shaking stopped. It was replaced by a familiar rumble as the ship soared through the atmosphere, gliding through the air.
After a few minutes of flight, he felt the craft slow significantly before touching down. The force lurched forward as the shuttle hit the runway, grinding to a stop as it blasted thrust forward. As the forces steadily reduced, Cal breathed a sigh of relief, glad to be back on solid ground. The shuttle taxied for a brief period before coming to a stop, taking a moment to equalize the air before popping open the rear door.
Cal exited the shuttle, shielding his eyes from the bright sunlight. Since he had been in cryo for so long, his eyes needed a chance to adjust to the vibrant hues. The chilly air glided over his skin, a soft breeze smelling of seawater. He blinked, looking at the horizon to see the sight of familiar grey shale mountains, with one of New Carthage's three moons lazily hanging overhead. It felt strange, he had been away from home for so long that the familiar sights of his homeworld had almost become alien to him.
Looking to his left, he saw a running car parked adjacent to the shuttle, clearly waiting for him. As always, the schedule was meticulously set, and everything was prepared. He approached the car and once again tossed his bag into the back, taking his seat and closing the door. The car took off out of the small spaceport and set off down a barren highway. On either side of the road were alpine plains, grassy and untouched. Occasionally he could spot parts of the coastline outside of his window, dunes softly flowing alongside the water. Many people on Earth thought of New Carthage's environment as cold and grey, but Cal always thought it was beautiful. Its natural world rivaled Earth by miles, with much of the planet remaining untouched. Its wildlife was bountiful, especially in the ocean. One could walk along the shore and find undiscovered species in the tide pools daily, and its wilderness was a dream. And while the wildlife could be dangerous, the settlers became adept at protecting and taking care of themselves, relying little on outside exports or protection. They lived simple lives in the countryside, while the more populated regions such as Pori were economic boons, with cities like Pilvros creating many opportunities for the young people there.
After a few twists and turns, driving through several small towns, the roads became narrower and dirtier. Eventually becoming a mix of dirt and gravel, with heavier foliage crowding the road. Soon the truck came upon a turn-off with a large metal gate, the agent in the driver's seat reached his hand out the window and pressed his card against an unassuming terminal, opening the gate. The car then drove up a gravel driveway, eventually reaching a small, unassuming house.
The car drove up and stopped alongside an unoccupied civilian SUV parked in front of the house, unlocking the doors. Cal grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, stepping out of the vehicle and approaching the door. Behind him the vehicle that brought him in turned around and drove back down the driveway, he turned to watch it as it exited back through the gate, leaving him alone.
He walked up to the door and looked around, feeling a bit confused as to how he would get in, as they didn't provide him with any kind of key. He then noticed a familiar kind of ID scanner next to the door, much like what he used at his old workplace. He slid his badge against it and the door unlocked, letting him inside.
He set his bag down inside the door and immediately walked down the foyer. Sen had to be here, they shipped her out sooner than him, so she must be somewhere in his house! He walked through the hall, and entering the living room. In front of him was a large sofa, facing away from him towards a glass coffee table. There was also a pair of loveseats to his right, but the room didn't have much else of note.
He turned away to enter a hallway that was behind him, before suddenly hearing a whimpering sound from the living room. He immediately turned back around, realizing it came from the couch. He rounded the large piece of furniture to see Sen curled up asleep on it, feeling immediate relief upon seeing her. However, his relief turned to concern the moment he saw her condition; She barely fit on the sofa, curled up in an uncomfortable manner as though she passed out from exhaustion. Her crimson-red feathers, usually well-groomed and straight, were ragged and unkempt. She twitched and whimpered in her sleep, eyes twitching under closed eyelids. She looked terrible and was clearly suffering from an intense nightmare.
Cal slowly sank to his knees next to Sen, looking at her limp form. He reached a hand out to gently stroke her head feathers, hoping that he could soothe her even in sleep. He felt her body trembling under his touch, clearly in great distress. He felt deep worry as he ran his fingers through her frayed feathers, wondering just what kind of demons she was facing.
Sen didn't know how long it had been.
She didn't eat, sleep, or groom herself.
She did as she was told, going onto the ship, going into the freeze, coming here. The entire time balanced between vaguely being aware of her surroundings and being locked inside her own mind, which she barely thought at all. She tried to stop herself from thinking, putting herself in a kind of emotional coma to protect herself.
But it wasn't working now.
Sen found herself on a battlefield, like many nightmares she had before, but this time was different than all the others. Tall buildings surrounded her, the ones from Earth. Red and black mist shimmered everywhere as faceless foes poured from all around, Humans and Covenant races both, all moving to attack her.
She raised a beam rifle and fired a burst, causing the form of a jiralhanae and Human soldier to collapse in front of her. She turned and fired at more enemies, causing the beam rifle to rapidly overheat and vent plasma. She threw the gun with a hiss of pain, feeling the plasma scorch her skin. She turned around and yanked a needler from her hip, spraying into a pair of unggoy that were running at her from behind. Her chest heaved; her armor felt heavier than ever before. Plasma and kinetic gunfire impacted the ground around her, forcing her to retreat into cover.
She saw a Human sniper rifle laying on the ground, still being gripped by the hand of a dead Human. She grabbed the weapon by the barrel and yanked, causing the dead body to flop over forward. She refreshed the ammo in her needler before peaking back over, eyes wildly darting around at an immense sea of foes in front of her. She fired her needler into the crowd until it stopped shooting, then raised the sniper and aimed down the sight towards a Human form pulled the trigger and-
Saw him.
The gunshot, a face etched in terror and shock.
The crowd of enemies vanished, leaving only a single Human form in their place, plasma burn carved across the right side of his helmet. She saw the face, the nameplate, and the fresh smoking bullet hole directly under it. He stumbled backward and collapsed, letting out a scream as he clutched the mortal wound that was now draining his lifeblood onto the ground.
She recoiled, hands shaking as she stared in horror at what she had done. The sniper rifle clattered onto the ground as she dashed forward, stumbling over to the figure on the ground.
Her gasping breath turned to sobs as she wrapped an arm around him, trying to push her other hand against the wound to stop the bleeding. Red hot blood gushed through her fingers like the tears that ran from her eyes, she turned at looked into his face and saw only fear and disbelief.
The color began to drain from his face, what little life was there left in an instant as his whole body slumped over.
She stared, blood soaking her hands. She shook his lifeless form in vain, and let out a broken cry. She then stumbled to her feet, staring down at her bloody hands as her vision darkened. She felt sick as her legs wobbled and collapsed onto the ground, feeling like she was about to throw up. She clutched her head and screamed, feeling absolute anguish.
It was her fault, she killed him. Why did he trust her? Why didn't he just kill her as he should have? Everything she touched withered and died by her hands, she knew this. She didn't deserve love, never did, and never will.
Monster.
The word echoed in her mind again, monster. She tried to kill him once, failed then, but she didn't this time. That's all she was ever good for, killing, and hurting people. She couldn't protect Raq, and she was a fool for thinking she could ever protect Cal. It was over, everything was over.
She lay motionless with her eyes shut, wallowing in despair. But then she felt something strange. A sensation on her head, like someone was stroking her feathers. There was only one person who ever touched her feathers like that… Cal.
She opened her eyes.
Cal felt Sen stir under his hand, muscles clenching briefly as she shifted her head. She opened her eyes gradually, and he watched them slowly focus on him. She suddenly flinched away from him, drawing herself upright into a sitting position. Her eyes looked sunken, exhausted, looking at him with shame. Her rugged feathers puffed up as she aimlessly looked at the ground as if trying to avoid looking at him.
Cal sat down on the sofa next to Sen, looking at her as she hunched her head towards the floor as if trying to make herself smaller. He leaned toward her and spoke in a quiet, desperate voice. "Sen, please… Please talk to me. What's going on? Please, don't do this to yourself!" Her head sunk lower, looking on the verge of tears. She was forcefully stopping herself from responding, Cal knew that he had to do something to break her out of this. So, he did the only thing he thought to do.
Cal got up out of his seat and moved in front of Sen, looking down at her as she tried to hide from him. He reached both his hands down and cupped her cheeks, gently pushing her head up to face him. He heard a quiet noise in her throat as he leaned his head down towards her, both of her eyes looking up at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion. He then gently pressed his lips on the tip of her beak, causing her head feathers to fluff up immediately in surprise. He held the soft kiss for a moment, feeling the tension in Sen's muscles dissipate. He released her and leaned down, bringing their faces on equal levels.
Sen's beak was ajar, her eyes staring wide at him, clearly unprepared for what had just happened. Cal took one of her hands and clasped it, looking into her eyes with worry. "Sen, I don't know everything about how you feel, or what you've gone through. I don't know about the person you were, the person you had to be to survive. But I know the Sen you are, the Sen I care about. You've made hard decisions, lost people you loved, so have I. Please, don't do this. Come back to me."
Sen shivered, letting out a soft whine. He could see tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at him desperately. She spoke with a harsh rasp, having a hard time speaking with this much emotion flowing through her. "No, I- I'm a mon-ster." She croaked out. "I h-hurt people, kill people, tried to kill… Cal. Don't des-erve… Why…?"
Cal wrapped his arms around her, pushing his head into her chest as he gave her a tight hug. His words were spoken with raw passion, tears forming in his own eyes. "Because I love you God dammit! Because you're one of the sweetest, most extraordinary people I've ever met. Because I don't want you to hurt yourself anymore!" He pulled himself up and grabbed her hand, holding it tightly in his own between them as he looked into her eyes with fervor. "Because I want you to be happy, Sen. I've already lost so many people… Please, I don't want to lose you too."
Sen stared at him again, clearly overwhelmed by his sudden outburst. After a moment she sat up, wrapping her arms around him and pressing her beak into his neck. He can feel warm tears and soft feathers touch his skin as she just quietly rested against him, a hoarse, but joyful croon coming from her throat.
After a moment she leaned away from him, exhaustion still visible, but much better. She quietly rasped out. "I'm sorry, Cal. But I… I-"
Cal reached out and pressed his finger onto the tip of her beak, softly hushing her. He smiled at her, reaching to the side of her head to softly brush her feathers as he whispered reassuringly. "shhh… It's alright, don't think about that right now. We can't change our past, Sen, but we can write our futures. We both have wounds, some deeper than others, but we'll heal them, together."
Sen looked at Cal with elation, seeming overwhelmed with emotion as she slowly reached a hand up to touch his own, gently grasping it. She quietly whispered back with a soft rasp. "I- I love you, Cal. I love you, a lot."
Cal smiled, feeling a warmth inside his chest he had never felt before. He took her hand and helped her up off the sofa, looking up into her eyes now that she was standing at full height again. He patted her hand softly, speaking in a more nonchalant tone. "You need to get some actual rest, Sen. Come on, let's get you to a real bed."
Sen quietly nodded, letting him lead her down the nearby hallway. He found a bedroom with a fairly large bed, big enough to fit Sen comfortably. She laid down and he pulled the covers over her, making sure she was comfortable enough, and gently stroking her feathers down. He told her to sleep well and got up to leave before he felt her hand reach out and gently grab his own. He turned back around and looked down at her, she let out a quiet croon and rasped softly, drowsiness audible in her voice. "Cal can you… stay, for a mom-ent? I… I want, hold your hand."
Cal returned to the side of the bed without question, gently holding her hand with his own. She looked completely relaxed as her eyes slipped shut, a happy expression on her face as she quickly drifted off to sleep. Cal could see her soft breaths and feel her relaxed muscles, which relieved him greatly. He fought off his own exhaustion to stay awake as long as possible, wanting to be present if she started having another episode in the night.
Eventually, however, it got the better of him. He dozed off to sleep halfway on the bed, still tenderly holding her hand.
Sen stirred from her slumber, feeling the soft covers draped across her body. For the first time in a long time, Sen's rest had been peaceful. No phantoms from the past visited her, or visions of destruction, just restful calm. She cracked her eyes open slowly, noticing that the daylight from before had faded away, replaced by soft moonlight shining through a window.
She tried to move her arm, only to feel something firmly holding onto it. She turned her head to look, noticing that Cal was still there, fast asleep holding her hand. His upper body was chest down on the bed, with his knees still on the floor below. Sen blinked, feeling his hand in her own. She didn't believe that he stayed there all night and realized in guilt just how worried he must have been about her. She could still feel those thoughts and emotions inside, the ones that caused her to lock up like that. She felt anger build up inside her and forced them back. What she did hurt Cal, and she swore to herself that she wouldn't let her emotions get the better of her in such a way again.
She carefully removed his hand from hers and quietly got up from the bed. She felt bad about leaving him in such an awkward position but didn't want to disturb him either. She carefully draped a blanket over his shoulders, before quietly exiting the room into the hall. Her claws quietly tapped on the hardwood floor as she walked, needing to watch her head on the doorframe. She wanted to inspect the building in greater detail since when she arrived, she wasn't very present.
She tried a door at the other end of the hallway, finding it to be a bathroom inside. She looked at the shower at the far end and realized how itchy she was. She hadn't bathed in a while, and when the Humans put her in the cold box, causing filthy water to get on her skin, it didn't help at all. She could feel the grime trapped underneath her feathers, creating a greatly unpleasant icky feeling along her scalp.
Traditionally in her culture, T'avoans bathed each other. They would preen each other's feathers to get the dirt off of them, and also make sure that newly forming feathers on the head could be eased out of their pins easily. However, during her time in the Covenant Sen found that using water for bathing was doable so long as she wasn't too rough with her feathers.
She found a towel in a cabinet and removed her cloth garment. She folded it up, realizing that she should probably think about making another sometime. And turned on the water, setting it to be slightly warm. After a moment to let it heat up, she climbed into the tub and let the water wet down her feathers and run down her skin. She carefully ran her claws through the feathers on her arms and head, trying to remove as much dirt as possible using the water. She then carefully used soap to clean her scaly skin, careful to avoid getting any on her feathers lest it might damage them.
After a short bathing session, she got out of the shower and dried her skin off. She carefully used the towel to press down on her feathers, soaking up the water, but cautious not to bend them. She then used her beak to groom her arm feathers, and her claws to preen her head. She had to carefully straighten each of them, running her beak or fingers down each of them to make sure that each of the individual hairs on them stuck together.
After she was satisfied with her appearance, she left the bathroom and peered down the hall. The bedroom was still dark, it seemed that Cal hadn't woken up yet. Relieved that her bath hadn't disturbed him, she wandered deeper into the house, entering the room she had passed out in the previous day. There were cushioned seats around the room, as well as a table in the middle. She noticed a glass door on the opposite side of the room, seeming to lead to some kind of paved area outside the building. Sen wandered over to it, peering outside with curiosity. Cal had spoken at length about the beauty of his homeworld, and her previous living accommodations didn't allow her any kind of outside view. Most of her life was spent on barren rocks of worlds or Covenant spaceships, and the few times she visited lush planets…
She shook the thought off, not wanting to think about such things. Instead, she inspected the glass door, quickly spotting the small handle, and latching lever visible. She reached out and pushed the lever, feeling the wall move a little. She grabbed the handle and pulled on it, easily sliding the door open and revealing the outside world.
For a moment she simply stared outside, feeling a pleasant cool breeze blow across her face as pale moonlight illuminated the environment outside. Her entire life was either confinement or strict orders. She had been virtually a slave, unable to stop and appreciate the world, only to move forward or die. Now, she stood behind a threshold that marked the line between her and the outside world, and for the first time in her life, she was the one to decide to cross it.
She took her right foot and slowly moved it past the line, taking one step outside, feeling the cool grey stone under her foot as it came to rest. She then took her other foot and fully stepped over, now finding herself completely outside. She blinked, raising her hand and fluffing her arm feathers, feeling the fresh clean air glide through them. She walked across the stone and felt her feet touch soft plant life below, cool, and damp groundcover stretched across the area, dancing in the breeze as they reflected moonlight across the ground.
Sen lowered herself into a sitting position, running her hands through the green plants, plucking a leaf with her claws, and carefully inspecting it with her sharp eyes. She looked up at the horizon, seeing two of the world's three moons sitting high above a grey mountain range. Over the dense vegetation in front of her, she could see hilly plains stretching far into the distance.
It was strange to her, every time she was ever on a planet, she was conditioned to look constantly for danger. The world was nothing more than another arena, the contents of which were either obstacles, cover, or enemies. But now, here, on this world, she finally saw the beauty of it.
She now understood why Cal wanted to bring her here, and share his home with her. Because he wanted her to have a home too, he wanted her to be happy.
She looked out at the horizon ahead and felt something she had never felt before.
Contentment.
Cal gradually stirred from sleep, slowly opening his eyes and blinking. He carefully rose from the bed, wincing at the cramped muscles in his back from sleeping in such an awkward way. A blanket that he hadn't draped over himself slid from his shoulders onto the floor, and he looked forward to see the bed sheets ruffled and unoccupied.
Rising to his feet, he looked around, realizing that Sen must have gotten up while he was asleep. He checked the bedside clock, noticing that the sun should be rising soon. He slowly exited the room, stretching his arms and back to loosen his muscles, and looked around for Sen. Stepping into the living room, he immediately noticed the back door curtains gently blowing from the wind, the door left wide open.
Cal strolled over to the door and pushed the loose curtain to the side. Outside, the sun was slowly peaking over the mountains in the distance. Rays of light cast across the backyard, illuminating Sen sitting in the grass motionless, watching the sunrise. Not bothering to put on shoes, Cal stepped out the back door and quietly walked over to her. Grass damp with morning dew crunching under his feet, he lowered himself into a sitting position alongside Sen. They sat in silence watching the sunrise, listening to the gentle breeze blow across the plains and trees, as its soothing warmth washed over them.
Cal gestured out towards the trees ahead, speaking absentmindedly to the quiet Sen next to him. "These trees aren't actually native here, you know? Most of them are fruit trees from Earth, brought here by farmers as crops. Most of the larger foliage on this planet is, though it doesn't normally grow this well wild. It depends on what part of the world it's in, but in the more temperate parts like here they can actually be a bit of an issue to the local ecology."
Sen blinked and turned towards Cal, speaking with a quiet rasp. "You are very… What word? Pas-sion-ate, yes. Passionate, about the plants here. You talk about it to me bef-ore."
Cal laughed, picking up a fallen leaf from the ground and inspecting it briefly before continuing. "Yeah, I suppose it's my job. Growing food on an alien world is like a constant battle, sometimes you need to change your strategy to fight unexpected things. If you don't, you can lose your entire crop." He gave the leaf a light toss with a flick, watching it drift through the air a distance before coming to rest on the grass again. "Though, I guess it's something that I enjoy thinking about even outside of work. Ever since farming worlds like Harvest were lost, human colonies have been more and more reliant on local farms over off-world imports. Though even small farms have automation, it's still hard to provide enough food for the ever demanding population…" He winced, realizing that Sen might react poorly to the mention of destroyed worlds. "Ah, I'm sorry Sen. I didn't mean to bring up a sensitive topic like that."
Sen reached over and gently rubbed his hand, looking him in the eye. She spoke quietly to him, determination in her voice. "No Cal, it's alright. I want to hear, must hear. I want to help."
Cal patted her hand with his, smiling at her endearing expression. He spoke to her warmly, softness in his voice. "Thank you, Sen. I know it's not easy, so please, let me know if you need anything."
Sen gave him a slight nod, turning to continue watching the sunrise. Cal realized something, watching the feathers on her head slowly rustle in the wind. When he first met Sen, her subtle emotions in conversation were hard to read. There were subtle vocal cues he couldn't read, and her physical expressions meant little to him.
But now, despite the lack of lips, and different manner of vocalizing, he could read her emotions just as well as he could a fellow human; The strange little sounds she made spoke volumes about her tone of voice, even qualities she struggled to convey in vocal speech; Her feathers would ruffle and smooth in response to stimuli, such as embarrassment or shock; the way her body, and her eyes moved also said a lot about what she was thinking.
It was a strange thing to Cal. Once upon a time, he saw aliens as… alien. He only ever saw them as monsters, with destructive goals that were impossible to understand. But now since he came to understand Sen and listen to what she had been through, he didn't see her as so alien anymore.
She was just a person, a person who had been through hell. And he truly wondered how many others might have been like her, who would have turned out differently if the Covenant's supposed Prophets didn't twist them into being tools for their own gain.
Cal stood up from the grass, looking down at Sen as she turned her head around to look at him. He breathed a sigh, giving her a light smile. "Well, I'm gonna be leaving for a while today. Since this house doesn't have any kind of phone, I'll need to drive out to my family's farm and explain things to them. Sorry, I want to take you with me, but I need to explain the situation to them first."
Sen nodded understandingly, but her feathers drooped a little, clearly disappointed that he was leaving. She hummed and spoke with a small voice. "I understand. Respect, do not want to scare them."
Cal reached down and gently scratched the downy feathers on her neck, giving her a reassuring smile. "I'll be back soon. Just, please be careful if you decide to explore outside. I'm not very worried about someone seeing you out here, but some of the wild predators here are highly dangerous."
Sen's eyes curved into a smile, feathers raising slightly as she flexed her well-muscled legs. She got up and pressed her beak into Cal's neck affectionately, reaching out and gently grasping his upper arm with one hand. She held that position for a moment before releasing him, purring as she gazed at him. She spoke with a playful demeanor. "I will be ok, take care of myself. Cal take care of f-amily, harder job?" She concluded the statement with a rolling rumble from her throat, reminiscent of a laugh.
Cal grinned at her, chuckling at her humorous comment. "We'll see about that, first I need to get some directions."
Cal turned around and walked back towards the house, leaving Sen to continue her peaceful viewing of the sunrise. He walked through the door and closed it, careful not to instinctively lock it, and turned around. He walked past the living room and found the kitchen, and checking the room he confirmed that there was in fact food. The fridge was empty, but long-lasting canned food was well stocked in the cabinets. It didn't surprise him, considering that this house was probably stocked to be used on the fly and to be as low maintenance as possible. He grabbed a can of soup and heated it up in a bowl, eating it quickly to not waste too much time.
Cal then left the kitchen and walked towards the front door, finding his bag still there from the night before. He shrugged, taking his ONI card out and slipping it into his pocket before leaving the bag on the ground, and turning to inspect some of the areas around. He remembered that there was a car outside, and expected it to be left for him to use temporarily. He quickly spotted a nondescript key fob hanging from a hook and took it, sticking it in his pocket. Putting on shoes, he stepped outside onto the front porch, eying up the car in the driveway: It was a white SUV, civilian. Cal approached it and clicked the fob, watching the car's lights flash in response. He grabbed the handle and tugged, and that was when he noticed the first indication that this was no normal car: The door was heavy, very heavy. Cal could immediately tell that there was ballistic protection built in, and he could also clearly see a handgun holstered alongside the driver's seat. The people of New Carthage, especially in the countryside, usually carried firearms like shotguns with them in case they ran into dangerous wildlife, but this pistol was clearly not intended for just protecting against wildlife.
He lifted himself into the driver's seat and buckled in, looking over the various gauges before turning it on. He immediately noticed that the car lacked a built-in navigation system, ouch. He looked to his right, spotting a military-grade M90 shotgun strapped into a gun rack alongside the driver's seat. He bit his lip, hoping he wouldn't be forced to use it. It would kill anything stupid enough to attack him, sure, but the survival chances of whichever shoulder he fired it from were low at best. He shook the thought off and looked forward to adjust his mirrors quickly before backing out.
As soon as he hit the road the vehicle's weight was hard to ignore, with Cal needing to get used to the unusually heavy vehicle's difficult handling, reminding him more of a Warthog than any normal car. He drove down the rural highway for a bit, only seeing a few other cars on the road as the sun rose into the sky. He was heading back to the town he spotted on the way in, hoping that he could ask someone there for directions.
After the short drive, he saw a busted-up sign welcoming him to the town of Tervo. A little nowhere settlement, clearly one with few visitors. He slowly drove down the main road, loose gravel crunching under his tires as he inspected the buildings around. They were mostly small single-story residential houses, fenced in. Not exactly a tourist attraction. But then he spotted a small general store around a corner, the gravel parking lot empty. He pulled up and parked in a spot, getting out of his car he peered up at the sign above the old building. A crooked weathervane slowly spun above a sign reading 'Darren's General Goods.' A dim fluorescent sign indicated that the business was open, so Cal walked to the front door and entered.
Inside was a cozy establishment. To his left was an unoccupied checkout counter, racks of a variety of cigarettes and cigars visible in the back. To his right were rows of aisles stocked with many different things; some were dedicated to food, others to tools and supplies. Virtually everything a small town must need.
Cal's thoughts were interrupted when he heard someone walk out from the back of the store; an older man wearing a baseball cap and a stained tank top walked up to the counter, work pants and boots shuffling as he walked up to the front. He had pure white hair, thin from age, and a full short beard of the same color. He mumbled something to himself about "someone showing up this early," before squinting at Cal, seeming slightly confused. The man spoke with a gruff rural accent. "Yer not one of my usual customers, don't get many visitors out here. Who'er you?"
Cal dipped his head respectfully, explaining in a polite tone. "My name is Cal Bardeen, sir. I'm coming home from a trip, but my car's navigation system is busted. I was hoping you could maybe give me some directions?"
The man stroked his beard with one of his hands, seeming to recognize something. "Bardeen… ah, ah've bought some of yer family's produce before! Good stuff, yeh, I know the place. Gimme a moment."
He retreated into the back again, before quickly coming out with a paper map and a pen. He spread it out on the counter, smiling as he started making marks on it. "Nav systems always break, pieces of crap if ya ask me. Nuthin beats good ol paper, though they don't make em much no more."
He flipped it around and pointed at the map, gesturing around at the various marks. "Take this here road up east a ways, then turn off here. Ain't too far, look out fer Jurvia, find that town and ya'll be right."
Cal nodded in appreciation, folding up the map before looking back up at the man. "What will this cost me? I'm not sure I can pay… I don't have any means of payment with me right now."
The man shook his head, waving his hand dismissively, before offering Cal a handshake. "Nah, nuthin at all. Always happy to help a fellow countryman in need."
Cal smiled wide, reaching out and shaking the man's hand. "Thank you so much! I won't forget this, you're a lifesaver."
Cal turned around and walked to the door, while the man behind the counter spoke some parting words before he left. "If ye ever find yerself in Tervo again Cal, know yer welcome round. Tell em Darren says so!"
Cal got back in his car and set off following the directions provided, knowing that he had a long drive ahead of him. As he cruised down the long country road, he pondered what exactly he should say to his parents when he saw them. What exactly should he say? "Hey mom and dad, I work for ONI now and have an alien girlfriend." Is a bit much to drop on their heads after not seeing them for over two years, with the only contact they got from him being through one rare video message. He'd need to take his time to explain, but he also didn't want to leave Sen alone for too long, so he'd need to do his best with the limited time he had. It also didn't help that he was arriving unannounced, as he didn't have a method of reaching out remotely.
He took a deep breath, thinking back to the last message he was able to send to them before he was suddenly whisked away on a slipspace jump. He did tell them that he was doing something important and that he couldn't talk about it. He had an insane number of restrictions on what he could and couldn't say at the time, but he could only hope that what little he did say would at least soften the shock. He concluded that he would try to let them ask him questions, and respond to them as they come rather than trying to explain it all at once. He wanted this to go as smoothly as possible for everyone, and if that meant taking it a bit slow then so be it.
Cal continued to drive until he spotted a road sign reading 'Town of Jurvia – 15 km.' He took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts as he approached the town. His family's farm wasn't far from Jurvia, once he hit the town, it wouldn't be much longer before he arrived.
Sen got up from the ground, stretching her limbs with a droning yawn. Cal had left a bit ago, and the sun was now hanging just above the mountains. She sighed as she looked back towards the house, feeling a bit glum. While she fully understood why Cal had to go out on his own, and easily agreed with it from a rational standpoint, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness inside at being left behind. She knew that the feelings of guilt and self-hatred that she felt before persisted, and would continue to plague her, but now she understood the importance of countering said emotions. First off, she knew sitting around idly like this would only cause her to feel worse.
She suddenly felt a hunger pang, realizing that she had barely eaten anything since she arrived. Coming out of deep-sleep, or 'cryo,' the Humans had her eat some foul substance that she assumed to be some nutrient-dense food. But after that, she hadn't eaten anything of her own accord. While in the Covenant she was trained to be able to ignore hunger for long periods, which was why she hadn't noticed in the first place, but she had reached her limit. Sen walked up to the house, slowly sliding the glass door open and closing it behind her. She wandered into the room she recognized as a 'kitchen' from her time learning about Humans, and noticed the lingering scent of warm food in the air. She realized that Cal must have made himself something before he left, so she gingerly set about checking the room for food. The large cooling box they called a 'refrigerator' was empty, so she checked some of the many wooden doors that were around, finding a few stacks of metal cans that clearly had food inside. Except, there was one embarrassing fact that left Sen dumbfounded at the realization.
She had no idea how to open a can, let alone heat it using Human equipment.
In the Covenant military, kig-yar rations were bottom of the barrel when it came to quality, but didn't require much preparation. And while she was held by Humans, most of her food was made for her, or food that didn't need to be prepared. So, sitting here with a small metal tube full of food on the table in front of her, the ex-Covenant Champion Sen Reea was defeated. She could force it open, but it would likely make a mess. Even the idea of Cal coming back to an absolute wreck of a kitchen made Sen burn with shame, let alone even try to figure out how to heat the food.
With a sigh, Sen carefully put the can back in the compartment and closed the door. She awkwardly sat down in a Human chair; legs clearly not suited for it, and thought about the situation for a moment. Cal likely wouldn't be back for a while, and her hunger wouldn't get any better during that time. She thought back to the warning he gave her before he left about the dangerous wildlife, and the lengths he had spoken about previously of the variety of creatures that lived there. And most importantly, they were Earth-like and edible.
It had been a very long time since Sen had been allowed to hunt, and the idea made her flex her claws with anticipation. Rarely, she would hunt some fresh meat when she was deployed to a world that featured wildlife. And when t'vaoans were better respected in the Covenant, she would occasionally use the grandiose hunting habitats that were featured in the ships she was stationed on. But ever since most t'vaoans left the Covenant, she was relegated to disgusting kig-yar rations, not wanting to draw the ire of those above her. Human food was much better than she expected previously, even their military rations, but nothing truly beats freshly hunted meat.
She looked down at her cloth garment, realizing that she'd need to remove it unless she wanted to ruin it, and it would also be too noisy if she intended to hunt. She clenched her beak, feeling a bit of regret at the fact that she hadn't asked for her old Covenant techsuit back after she originally gave it to the Humans for safekeeping.
She removed her garments, carefully folding them up and laying them on one of the Human cushions in the so-called 'living room.' She wanted to be careful not to take too long, and be back before Cal. She learned about Human standards the hard way the first time she had to wash her clothing; she had taken it off and simply walked up to Cal while holding them out to him. She had never seen him look so mortified, changing color, even, as he quickly averted his gaze. She didn't understand at all, so Kimlen had to explain to her shortly after that Human standards for such things were much different than her own, so she had tried to take that into account ever since. It was confusing to her, but honestly, it was flattering to her that he reacted as such.
She opened the door and stepped outside again, looking around at the surrounding brush in a new light. She approached the edge of the flat area and found that it was bordered by dark fences, not very visible from afar, but tall enough to keep most creatures out.
She coiled her legs and effortlessly lept up onto the fence, scanning the dense woods behind intently. She allowed her hunting instincts to take hold, breathing a deep breath into her beak with her eyes closed and tasting the air. She could hear and smell many living things in the underbrush, small things mostly, not worth her attention.
She sprung off her spot on the fence and lept onto a large tree branch deeper into the woods, using the better vantage point to extend her range. She jumped from tree to tree, attempting to move as silently as possible through the branches to not alert any potential prey.
She scanned the area, carefully listening and smelling. Suddenly, against the backdrop of sound, she heard something bigger than the rest. Her eyes pivoted towards the location, scanning intently for it. Through the underbrush, she could spot a large four-legged creature, clearly of the prey verity. Its details were hard to spot, but to her, it looked akin to what she learned was referred to as an 'elk' on Earth. Its legs were long and muscular, its body lean, clearly evolved to run quickly across this world's wide open plains. In the dense area of underbrush, Sen had a high advantage on it. While she could easily match its speed in the open, it would still be best for her to take it down quickly before it could run.
Sen carefully calculated her trajectory, aiming for the back of its neck where it was bent down eating. She tensed up her leg muscles, aiming her upper body mass before leaping into the air. The branch shook under the sudden force, causing the creature to look up and begin to move, but not soon enough. Sen landed directly on its back just below the neck, feeling its toughened body under her claws as she sunk them in and clung to it. The initial impact caused the beast to sink to the ground with a cry, stumbling onto its hoofed feet before trying to shake her off desperately. Sen felt hot blood running under her foot claws as she pressed hard to cut through its tough hide, she grappled her arms around its neck, using her hands to dig into the creature's vulnerable neck. She hissed in frustration as she tried to get a grip, wishing she had some kind of weapon right now that would allow her to take it down quickly.
After a moment, Sen was able to get a grip on the creature's neck. It continued to buck around in panic as she sunk her sharp claws deep into the neck meat, feeling blood ooze around them. Feeling them sink as deep as they could go, she slashed hard across the throat, feeling the tender flesh underneath the hardened hide easily sheer away. Red blood immediately covered her arms as she pierced an artery, causing her to leap off the creature with a graceful spin, sucking in gulps of air from the exhilaration as she landed perfectly on both feet.
The creature stumbled and collapsed, letting out a gurgling baying sound as it tried to struggle away as its lifeblood drained. Sen looked down at her body, fresh blood dripping down her arms and stuck in between her claws. She was no barbaric ruuhtian, or worse, feral ibie'shian. But there was a kind of primal satisfaction inside, an exhilaration like no other at being able to hunt one's own prey.
She shook herself from her predatory trance, looking over at the now motionless creature, blood staining the ground around it. She realized that if there were other predatory creatures around, and the wind wasn't in her favor, she might have competition arriving soon.
Sen got to work quickly, using one of her incredibly sharp claws to slice open the chest and belly of the creature lengthwise. She once again wished she had some kind of blade to make the job easier but was able to finish the cut without much difficulty. She used her claws to carefully separate the connecting tissue from the hide, separating the meat from the skin, before moving on to the legs. She made similar cuts along all the legs, exposing the tender, delicious meat.
She removed the most prime cuts, making sure to place them on the inside of the separated hide to avoid getting the meat dirty. She then severed the hide the rest of the way, using it as a kind of carrying sack for the meat, before carefully scaling up a tree. Sitting up in the safety of a tree branch, she tore pieces of delicious fresh meat off the bones with her beak, relishing the fresh taste. Humans ate their meat cooked, and honestly, she didn't mind the taste of cooked meat that much, but there was something about the taste of fresh meat that roused her like no other. It just tasted right, especially when it was harvested from prey she killed herself.
Sen finished her meal, tossing the last stripped bone down to the forest floor below. She examined the hide she carried with her, feeling its properties. It would require some cleaning, and it did have some minor damage, but it was worth taking with her. She looked up at the sun, realizing that it was approaching midday since she started. She was surprised, realizing that time must have passed quicker than she thought. She folded the hide and threw it over her shoulder, beginning to head back toward the direction of the house.
It didn't take her long to find her way back, easily leaping back over the fence and into the clearing. She approached the door and carefully folded the hide, placing it on the paved ground. She stood back and looked at the glass door, then down at herself. She realized just how filthy she was, and that there was no way she could go inside without ruining the soft flooring.
She looked around quickly, noticing some kind of hose attached to the house. She looked it over, realizing that it must be a water dispenser of some kind. She turned the knob and watched the clear fluid run out, using the icy cold water to rinse the blood and dirt off of her onto the grass below. Satisfied she was clean enough, she approached the door, looking down at her now soaked and cold body, and realizing that she would definitely need to take another bath.
Oops.