Shress POV*
"But where does the plant come from?"
"Well, uh… It's already in the seed, so… You just need to water it."
"Does it have to be underground in order for it to grow?"
"Yes, because the ground has nutrients that the plant needs."
"Where do the nutrients come from?"
Jaka rubs his head slightly before saying, "I don't really know. I'm just a grunt, not a scientist."
Shress thinks over their traded words as she inspects a strange green food type that reminds her of a large leaf. The humans seem to be fond of the stuff since they keep adding it to Shress's dish, but it isn't until now did she decide to try it.
She sniffs it carefully before tearing a small section off with the tips of her mandibles. The strange subsidence tastes horribly plain and lacks flavor. She quickly replaces the green food before standing and walks back to the door where Jaka stood at the ready as he takes the plate from her.
He gives her a smile, "I guess Sangheili don't like vegetables do they?"
Shress growls, "If all vegetables taste similar to this one, then yes, I doubt a single Sangheili would find this cuisine edible."
Jaka just laughs as he leans against the wall and keeps the small hatch open so that he and Shress could talk.
"How is it that you came to be here?" Shress finally asks, "Your leaders were suspicious of the Spartan Noble Six when he arrived, faster than normal from what I hear."
Jaka offers a tired shrug, "It happened immediately after the battle. I was deemed critical and was placed on the very first shuttle back to Earth, the only other planet that offered state of the art medical tech other than Reach." he releases a sigh, "We were lucky. We made it out of the atmosphere before the Covenant made a blockade around the planet."
Shress mimes Jaka's position and leans against the wall as well, offering her legs a moment of rest as she asks her next question. "What is it that you do here exactly, Jaka? I don't see other Marines with extensive injuries like yours roaming the corridor." In truth, aside from the people known as ONI, Jaka is the only other human that Shress has seen on this level of the station. She is starting to wonder if she is the only occupant in this long hallway of cells.
Jaka is quiet before saying, "I just do some random jobs here and there… You see my father is an admiral, so… I guess he can't bear the thought of me leaving the service so he has me stationed here just doing whatever that needs to be done." Shress notices his sad voice and begins to think of a way to change the subject when Jaka's tone changes and he asks a question.
"How was it that you and Noble Six met?" He asks, "And how did the two of you end up being friends?"
Shress feels her skin burn lightly, if only this human knew, she and Michael are a lot more than just friends. She remembers when they first met, she promised him that she would give him a quick death, but then he used his wits and it was she who was at his mercy. However, he didn't end her as she thought he would, instead he let her go. She has always figured it was because he had a sense of honor that caused him to release her. Yet now he claims it's because he liked her that is the reason he didn't kill her.
She shivers as she remembers their final days aboard the Prowler. She felt they had grown so close during that time. They learn of each other's species, cultures and religion, or at least Michael did, she still found it strange that the human knew almost nothing about his own society. She did, however, learn a lot about him. Despite his tough demeanor he crumbles before her whenever she trails her hand down his chest. She smiles at the memory and would give anything to see Michael at the moment.
"Shress?" The Zealot is brought out of her thinking as Jaka looks through the hatch and stares at her, "Are you alright?"
She gulps a couple of times before nodding her head in confirmation. She thinks of his previous question before stating, "We met under strained circumstances… but we acted civil at the time and we just… started to see each other more and more often."
She couldn't believe how weak she is sounding now, but what else could she say, whenever she tries to speak of Michael and how she feels towards him, the mere thought of the Spartan practically causes her form to melt in status.
Jaka nods before asking, "Did you hear the announcement yesterday?"
"Yesterday?" She asks, unfamiliar with the word.
"The day before today." Jaka elaborates, "Lord Hood himself arrived yesterday." Shress notices the human's voice seems to hitch a bit at these words.
"You sound excited." She comments, as her head tilts confused as to who this 'Lord Hood' was.
He nods enthusiastically, "Well of course I am! Lord Hood is a war hero!" He continues staring at her for a few seconds, before he seems to realize something. "You have no idea who that is, do you?"
Her mandibles form a small uncertain smile, before she shakes her head. "I'm afraid not."
Lin seems to calm down a bit before he starts to calmly explain, "Lord Hood is the Fleet Admiral for all of our ships, he basically is the one in charge of running humanity's war effort."
Shress takes in this information before she smiles and says in what she hopes is a cheerful tone, "That's wonderful news." but in truth she feels even more miserable at the moment.
She thinks back to everything she has done during this war, from the moment she joined the Covenant to Reach. She has killed thousands for what she now realizes is a false cause. Heavy emotions begin to fill her as she leans back against the wall behind her.
Remembering what Regret made her do back on the planet of reach, she begins to feel anxious. 'Will this human kill me for what I have done,? Will he even listen to my story?'
"Shress, are you okay?" Jaka's voice sounds through the small hole in the door, but Shress does not respond, too deep into her thoughts.
She thinks back to every prisoner she has seen among her people, and can even remember a few human prisoners brought into the cells onboard the different ships that she has been stationed on. She didn't think much of them at the tims, but now that her situation has been reversed, she can't help but to shiver as she remembers their terrified faces as they attempted to hide in the corner, their fate decided. She shivers at the memory of a Jiralhanae pulling a human out of a cell, screaming.
Suddenly she remembers her time with Michael, something that even now after not having seen him for at least a full cycle, still makes her feel as if this is the right decision. She remembers his warm body pressed against hers as they passionately kiss each other. It was in that memory she found her reassurance.
"Shress," Jaka says again, a little louder this time, "Are you okay? You're awfully quiet."
Shress feels her mandibles twitch in agitation at the interruption of her thoughts, but is polite when she says, "I'm fine; I'm just thinking about Noble Six is all."
Jaka gives her an odd look before he asks a startling question, "Do you like him?"
Shress feels as if the very air has been pressed out of her system as she wonders if she heard the human correctly. Was it that obvious? Has she been acting like a heart sick fool as is expected of a female?
Jaka continues to gaze at her before saying, "Sorry I was just wondering-"
"Yes." Shress interrupts, feeling a slight surge of pride as she says, "I like him and he has agreed to be my suitor."
Jaka's eyes become huge as he exclaims, "What! You love him!? And he loves you?! He can actually feel emotions!?"
She regards him strangely, "You asked if I like him." She points out.
"As a friend!" Jaka says, still looking stunned, "So you two are a couple?"
Shress wonders at the word before figuring that couple is a word used to associate a male and female companion together so she nods.
Jaka appears astonished as he takes all this in. His eyes begin to go up and down over Shress's body, but she allows it for she sees no harm. Besides, she understands now, human females are much different than the males of their species. Their bodies are curvier and slightly different in body structure. Among Sangheili, females and males appear to be almost exactly alike in physical appearance except for a small height difference.
She supposes human females are more worthy of attention compared to the female Sangheili, which is why Shress initially started to doubt Michael. Why did he choose her when there are much better choices? She wishes more than ever now that she could see, or even just talk to her suitor.
As she sits there watching the human through the small hatch, an idea forms in her mind as to how she can do just that. She could not leave to talk to Michael, but Jaka could.
"Jaka? Is there any chance you could do something for me?" She asks a bit timidly, mentally kicking herself for sounding like a weakling.
Jaka immediately stops his observation of her, and looks up a bit warily. "Well, I don't think I can Shress. I'm pretty sure we shouldn't even be talking. If I started doing things for you, it could be seen as aiding the enemy or something."
Shress steels herself a bit and explains. "All I ask is that you carry a message to Michael." Jaka looks a bit confused as to what she said, and it takes a moment for her to realize that she used his name. She still finds it a bit odd that the Spartans do not use their names regularly, though she does feel her face grow a bit warm as she realizes that she is one of the only ones who actually knows it. "I mean Noble Six."
Jaka looks stunned at the revelation, before he exclaims rather loudly. "He has a name!? I thought Spartans only had numbers!" He says before he notices that Shress was giving him a pointed yet hopeful look, "Well I suppose I can do that. It seems harmless enough… What do you want me to tell him?"
She thinks for a moment, deep in thought as she tries to form her thoughts together, before she simply says. "Tell him that I… I miss him."
Jaka's eyes widen a bit before he gives her a genuinely warm smile. "Alright. I think I can do that."
Shress smiles back, happy to have gained some form of communication with her suitor.
Suddenly the device in Jaka's hand lets out a small beeping noise, drawing both of their attention to it. The human looks to it and presses a few buttons before he lets out a sigh. "You are about to have company again."
Shress groans loudly, getting the human next to her to chuckle a bit. Over the cycle or so that She has been locked in the small room, the agents have come down and repeatedly attempted different ways to communicate with her, but she has remained quiet. It has gotten to the point where it has become a bit of a running joke between her and Jaka.
It wasn't long before the sound of footsteps could be heard around the corner.
"Got to go, good luck in there!" He whispers, before sliding the hatch shut.
Shress gets up and walks over to the table, already preparing for the ordeal she is about to be subjected to. She remembers the time they arrived while she was sleeping and snarls at the memory. She attempted to ignore them and just continue to get her rest, but the marine guard just began slamming his weapon against the metal door causing a loud annoying bang to resound through the room until she got up.
After she sits down in the awkwardly shaped chair, she can hear a few voices coming from outside.
"What were you doing?" She hears the large human ask, his voice slightly muffled. Shress looks up, but soon realizes that the door is still shut.
'He must be talking to Jaka.'
"Umm… Well you contacted me," There is a small moment of silence before he continues. "And I was just making sure the Sangheili was awake."
Shress focuses her attention on the conversation muscles tensing as she starts to worry for Jaka. She does not want to get the only human she can have a conversation with in trouble. 'We need to be more careful.'
"I see… Well I appreciate the forward thinking Lance Corporal, however your lunch relief is here. Go get your chow."
She hears Jaka say, "Yes, sir!" Before she hears Jaka's uneven hobbling footsteps walking away.
Relaxing slightly, Shress waits for the two that have been a constant pain in her hide to open the door, but they do not enter right away. Instead, the ONI agent begins to speak once again. "Doctor, I would like you to know what you are getting into before you go in there. The prisoner-"
Before the human could continue, he is interrupted by a voice she does not recognize. "I know what an Elite looks like, agent Cartman, however I also trust that the gentleman behind me will protect me should it get violent."
Shress clenches her fists in anger, seething that these humans are not even considering her to be intelligent enough to even use her species name, but before she can calm herself down, the door opens.
Striding in are the same two humans she has come to loathe, but behind them another human timidly walks into the room. She expects the overweight human to take the chair in front of her, but surprisingly enough he moves to stand at one of the sides of the table, the new human taking the seat instead.
"How's it going, split lip? We got a surprise for you today!" The guard speaks up as he shuts the door and takes his normal position leaning against the wall.
Oddly enough, while she is still furious at the insults, Shress does not feel the need to jump up and rip the human's throat out with her bare hands this time. Over a cycle of repeated insults and strange references to her mouth and mandibles has allowed her to become somewhat desensitized to it.
The new human seems taken aback, as he turns to look at the marine with wide eyes, before turning back to look at her and backing away slightly. The marine just shrugs before saying, "Damn covvie doesn't even know the language doc. Feel free to make fun of the thing, it's like a regular therapy session."
The new human turns back to her and sighs. Shress takes the time to examine the newcomer more closely. He had short brown fur on his head with brown eyes that were behind a strange device that held up two frames of clear glass. He was wearing dark clothing, with a larger white garment over it. He looks at her a bit curiously, but with a large amount of fear in his eyes. "Oh, I see. No reactions at all?"
The ONI agent speaks up, "None, Doctor Glassman. However I have gotten permission to use some translation technology." At this he pulls out a small dark grey circular device and sets it onto the table. "Sadly we don't have any access to any smart AIs at the moment, so don't expect a miracle. The tech heads assured me that the device does not know the full language, but we make due with what we have. If this doesn't work, I will put in the request for an actual translator."
The now named Glassman looks down to the device, before he looks over to the agent. "I sure hope it works. I spent years attempting to just make the theoretical physics work in order to make a prototype for that drive, and months putting it together! I need to know how this Elite made it work, because even with it functional, I still can't figure it out!" He says before reaching down and using one of his small digits to press a button on the top of the small device. The device lit up with a blue ring around the top of the object before letting out a small beep.
"Is it working?"
"~Is it working?~"
Shress's eyes widen at the words that come out of the small device. She leans in closer to examine it, and tilts her head slightly. The words that came out were definitely Sangheili, but it sounded so artificial, that she almost laughed. After a moment she leaned back into the chair, and let loose a sigh.
'I can no longer pretend that I do not know what they are saying now. It looks like I will have to-'
Her thoughts are interrupted when someone else speaks.
"Seems to be." The ONI agent supplies from the side of the table, looking at her with cold calculating eyes.
"-Suggest to exist~"
'Wait, what? That wasn't correct? Is it bro-'
The doctor shrugs, before he leans his head closer and adjusts the frames that are on his face, and speaks into the device. "Good afternoon... Zealot? I am Doctor Glassman, and I would love to question you about the slipspace drive you fixed."
"~Good after morning… Grand forest warrior? I am dishonorable healer class Glass Male, and I would make love to investigations thou about fixing the space slipping onto the floor.~"
Shress's eye twitches as she looks up to the face of Glassman who appears to be almost physically holding himself back, barely containing his curiosity and excitement. She slowly begins to fully process the situation she has found herself in, the words that the monotone human machine had just said sinking in. It takes her a unit, but she does the only thing her brain was able to supply her with in this situation.
She begins laughing hysterically.
* Six POV *
A feeling of nervousness swells within Six as he walks down the hall toward Lord Hood's ready room. It has been two days since Hood's arrival on station, yet he has already been ordered to report to him for a personal debrief on the events of Reach. He has been waiting for this moment ever since he arrived, yet now that the moment has arrived, he just didn't know what he should say.
Passing marines and naval personnel, he quickly makes his way around the station, before finally reaching his destination.
He rounds a corner, and sets his eyes on the door. He has already visited this room once before when he was debriefed by Rear Admiral Lynch when he arrived, but now it feels different. The gunmetal grey door looks rather bland considering he is on one of the most advanced space stations mankind has ever made, yet he somehow feels anxious.
As he reaches the door, Six straightens his shoulders, trying to shake the feeling of foreboding. 'This is it.' He thinks to himself, 'Either I will get Shress free, or I will be court martialed, and thrown in military prison.'
Six has long since decided that he was going to tell the truth about everything that has happened, from her involvement in the raid at Visegrád, all the way to their arrival on the station. His best hope at getting her free is her knowledge about both the Covenant and slipspace technology, but he does not know how much ONI has already gotten out of her. If he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure Lord Hood would understand, but he had to try.
His thoughts then move to their intimate moments on the prowler, and he feels himself begin to blush. 'Well… Maybe I won't tell him 'everything'.'
Before he can reach the door, it slides open and a figure steps out, revealing a disheveled looking ONI operative. He has a folder under his arm, and his eyes appear to have bags under them as he looks over to a marine who is leaning against a wall examining a M6C pistol.
"We are a go. Prep the pelican, I'll meet you there."
The marine's eyes widen at the words, before he says. "Really? I would have never thought that Hood would go for it just to hear what the split lip has to say… Eh, whatever works right?"
Six's blood freezes as he hears those words, but before he could say anything the ONI agent glances over to him. "Ah, Spartan B-312. Lord Hood told me to send you in when I left." He steps aside, and gestures into the room. "Go on in."
Shaking off the sudden feeling of unease of the agent's words, he strengthens his stance and makes his way into the room.
'Hood just authorized something involving Shress. It's now or never, if I can't convince him that she is on our side right now, then she might end up in some black site and I will never see her again.'
He takes a few steps into the room while quickly scanning his surroundings once again. The room itself looks rather low tech and bland compared to the rest of the station. There are a few plants surrounding the room, and a small window that appears to overlook a few of the other orbital platforms. He notices a few unpacked boxes that have yet to even be opened sitting next to a large wooden desk with two cushioned chairs that were not present the last time he was here. They also appear rather out of place, but Six supposes you can afford some luxuries when you are the most powerful man alive.
Lord Hood himself is sitting behind the desk, looking down at a datapad. His aging face glancing up from a report as he looks at the Spartan.
Six makes his way to the front of the desk, snaps a professional salute and says, "Sir! Lieutenant Spartan B-312 reporting per instructions."
Hood looks him up and down for a moment before he lets out a sigh and presses a button on his desk, closing the door behind Six, before he gestures to the chairs in front of his desk. "Have a seat, son."
Six carefully makes his way to one of the chairs, and sits down, the chair letting out a groan of protest as his full weight is brought down on it. He remains still for a moment, Lord Hood looking him up and down without saying a word. He meets the gaze and is thankful for his Spartan training, as that was the only thing keeping him from wringing his hands nervously.
"First things first Lieutenant, I would like to applaud your success while stationed on Reach. Your victories on the field stands as proof that humanity maintains a light of hope, even in these dark times. Even through the sacrifices of your team, you have gone through the worst that half the Covenant could throw at you and come out of the other side alive. The UNSC is lucky to have you."
Six can only sit there, dumbstruck. Never has any high ranking officer ever praised him, or any other Spartan III in such a way as far as he knows. He remains quiet however as Hood continues.
"Effective immediately, you are being put under my direct command until I say otherwise. You are one of only five spartans known to be alive as of now, and only two of which are stationed on Earth, and the other one is officially retired. If the Covenant find us, I have faith that the Navy can put up a good fight," at this he absentmindedly waves a hand to the window in the room where Six can see an armada of ships floating in orbit over the blue planet. If he strains his eyes, he can just barely see a few more jump into the system from slipspace before Hood continues. "But if they make it to the surface, it will be on your shoulders to complete any mission I give you. I don't need to say how important those missions might be."
He didn't. This was the defense of Earth. If it falls, then humanity's spirit will be broken, and extinction was a near certainty.
"That being said… I would like to talk to you about a little… Issue you seem to have brought with you." At this he picks up his datapad again, and let's out a weary sigh before he begins to read. "In your written report, you say that the Sangheili you have brought with you is, or at least was, an high ranking covenant commander who has defected to the UNSC." Hood peers over the handheld computer and fixes Six with a disbelieving look. "Honestly I am having a bit of a hard time believing that son. The Covenant has made it rather clear their thoughts on humanity, though I am reserving judgement. I have always trusted honest individuals over the information that 'everyone' knows."
Six feels a bit of hope rise up in his chest, yet it seems as if Hood is not finished.
"In your report," at this he taps the datapad in his hand, "You say that this Zealot was instrumental for Operation UPPERCUT by passing on previously unknown intel, fought off a large Covenant strike squad tasked with killing you, and fixed a classified prototype slipspace drive that I didn't even know existed… All of that seems a bit far fetched, and honestly I wouldn't believe your story for a second. Maybe I shouldn't, as it goes against everything we have ever seen from the Covenant." He lets the words hang in the air for a moment before he picks up his datapad once again and presses a few buttons.
"If it wasn't for this, I would not even hesitate to transfer full custody of the alien over to ONI." The Fleet Admiral sets his datapad on the desk and slides it toward the Spartan.
Six hesitantly reaches over, grabs the device and begins to read.
'Debriefing of Spartan Carter A-259 regarding the success of Operation UPPERCUT. August 15th, 2552.'
Six quickly skims through the report, and realizes that Carter didn't hold anything back as he describes exactly how they came up with the plan. Six's throat clenches a bit as he reads his former commander's thoughts about Six's 'informant' and how against all odds, the operation succeeded, though the new Covenant fleet arriving changed the victory into a moot point. However it was one part of the report in particular that caught Six's attention the most.
'The information gained about both the Corvette, and its previously unknown blind spot was brought up by my newest number Six. He received the information from a Covenant commander that he said he managed to turn into a spy for the UNSC. Against my better judgement, I decided to risk the lives of two under my command to attempt this fool's gambit, and surprisingly, it seems as if Six pulled it off. As of now, as far as I know, this is the first instance of any non-human defection to the UNSC. The fact that it was my newest member who managed it somehow does not surprise me.'
Six sets the datapad back down on the desk, memories resurfacing of his late commander. How he took a risk with the information, how he whispered under his breath when Six returned asking if he got any new information, and his words just before they abandoned his pelican.
'That AI chose you… She made the right choice.'
Emotions begin to swirl through Six's chest. He remembers Carter's final moments as he gave his life to save him. Six already owed the man his life, but now it looks like Six owes his old commander far more than he originally thought.
Hood slowly reaches over and slides the handheld computer back over to him, before fixing the Spartan with another one of his piercing looks. "That report is the only piece of corroborating information I have saying that you might be telling the truth. Now, with that being said, I want to know everything. How you met her, what you have gotten from her, and how she ended up here with you. If you withhold information now Spartan, the consequences will be severe."
Six's feeling of gratefulness towards his late commander is forced aside, replaced with a calm determination not to let Shress down. He takes in a deep breath before he begins. "Sir, I met her on my first mission on Reach. Noble Team was dispatched to the Visegrád relay outpost. We were engaged by Covenant forces and fought our way to the main outpost, where we were ambushed by a team of three Zealots."
Six stops for a moment, remembering the first time he met Shress. Her larger form towering over her as she pinned him to the ground, hate radiating off of her as she threatened to kill him slowly and painfully.
"Noble Five and I picked off two of them, before the third fled. I gave chase, and was separated from Jorge in the process. She doubled back and ambushed me, catching me off guard with her active camouflage, and pinned me to the ground with her sword at my neck. At that point she took the time to gloat about how she was going to kill me, not knowing I knew her language."
Hood's eyebrows raise a bit, taking the information in. He leans back in his chair, grabbing the datapad and typing into it before setting it down and gesturing for Six to continue.
"Before she killed me, I took a gamble and attempted to speak to her. I attempted to use one of the Sangheili's primary laws, which states that not to give a warrior a fair duel in combat is considered a dishonorable murder."
"She actually did it?" Hood's face matched the disbelief in his voice.
"Yes, sir. At that point she let me up, disarmed herself, and let me fight for my life, at which point I was able to gain the upper hand. However I spared her and per her own laws, she had to serve me until such a time as she could challenge me again."
"So that is how you managed to get her to defect? Using her own laws against her?" Hood asks, one eyebrow raised.
Six shifts a bit in his seat, a bit nervous about how his actions were going to be taken by the man in front of him. He pauses for a bit but decides to just get it over with. "No sir, I released her from her vows and let her go… After only a minute or so, the covenant force at Visegrád retreated."
Silence reigns supreme in the room for a few seconds, before Lord Hood asks in a strangely even voice, "Why did you spare her?"
Six honestly did not have an answer for that question, as he did not know himself. So he says the first thing that came to mind. "Something about the idea of killing her felt… wrong. I know all of my training and every protocol says I should have killed her to eliminate the threat, but something just felt… off. I have no other excuse then that."
The silence stretches on for a bit more before Hood makes a few other notes in his datapad, the soft patter of his fingers hitting the glass of the device filling the void in the room for several moments. After a moment, the Admiral looks back up and gestures for Six to continue.
"The next time I saw her was during the attack on Sword Base. At the very end of the attack, I was attacked by a squad of special operations Elites, and Shress. They caught me a bit off guard, but I managed to kill all of them and subdue her, but I spared her again and she activated her camouflage before the rest of Noble Team arrived. I didn't know it at the time, but she followed me while in active camouflage until…" Six hesitates a bit, before attempting to be a bit vague about exactly where she decided to show herself. "She caught me alone. At that point she requested that we meet at the nearby mountain range. I don't know why I trusted her enough to meet her, but she seemed to be trying to remain as honorable as she could, so I decided to meet with her. The first meeting went civil enough, and we began to meet more regularly, talking about our cultures. Over time, the two of us formed a bit of a strained friendship."
The Admiral blinks a few times after Six pauses, before his shoulders begin to shake, and he begins to chuckle, confusing the Spartan a bit. Hood shakes his head, before he explains, "I got an official request from Cathrine Halsey a few months ago about you, you know. That woman is a bit insatiable when it comes to information, somehow managing to worm her way into every classified project imaginable, so imagine my surprise when I got an official request from her wanting to know exactly which officer you were meeting to discuss… What did she call it? 'Official lone wolf stuff' I believe?" At this his chuckles form into full fledged laughter. "I was wondering who managed to pull the wool over her eyes, I assumed it was Holland, but it looks like you managed to fool everyone with that one."
Six remembers the conversation he had with the doctor where he attempted to stall the doctor and told her in a fit of agitation to check with Lord Hood, yet even now he still could not believe that a civilian managed to get in touch with him so quickly, ONI or otherwise. He maintains his impassive demeanor as the Admiral in front of him completes his small fit of hysterics before deciding on continuing.
"The next time I saw her in combat was in the massive engagement against the Covenant invasion force in the Viery territory. After I disabled both of the AA guns in the region, Noble Five and I made our way in a falcon to one of the Spires. Jorge distracted the Covenant ground forces while I made my way to the top of the spire… Where it turns out Shress was. We had a brief engagement where she attacked me with her swords, but unlike the other times we had fought, I easily disarmed her. It was like she wasn't really trying. Something was wrong with her, and at that point she told me that her commander was dead and she was promoted to the commander of the entire covenant strike force."
"And yet you spared her again didn't you?" Six was a bit surprised by the tone that Hood said those words. It wasn't the tone of someone who disagreed with the decision, however he didn't sound like he entirely agreed with it either.
Six is silent for a moment, remembering Shress kneeling before him, practically in tears as she tells him she does not know what else to do. "She begged me to kill her. Nearly pressed her own neck into the sword that I took from her, saying she refused to be a murderer any longer. She looked…. broken. She kept saying she didn't know what to do, so on the spot I threw out the idea that she could be a spy for us, when a grunt with a fuel rod gun shot at us and blew up the terminal accidentally completing my objective for me. I gave Shress enough time to escape in a ghost, before I made my own evac…"
"You don't need to tell me much more, I read the reports." Hood says somberly, before looking down to his datapad. "The next time you met would be when she gave you the information about the corvette, correct?"
Six remains as stoic as he could, "Yes, sir."
Hood hums a bit before he continues, "I can guess the situation from there… Let's skip ahead to how exactly you survived, and the two of you escaped Reach and ended up on Cairo Station."
"After I delivered the package to Captain Keyes, I was left stranded in the shipyard, surrounded by Covenant. I searched around for someplace that I could defend to make my last stand, and found a crows nest with a working turret…" He takes a moment to remember all of the dead Spartans lying in the newly formed desert sand around him as he fought tooth and nail just to survive against a relentless enemy. "I fought as long and as hard as I could, but eventually I was overrun, and two Elites pinned me by my arms, and held me in place. Unable to get free, I looked around, and saw a small group of Covenant surrounding me in a circle, but what shocked me the most was that standing in front of me was Shress. She unclipped her swords and held them to my neck…"
Unable to continue, Six just sits there reliving that moment. The sheer despair he felt when he thought she was going to kill him, the feeling of loss and betrayal he felt when he believed their friendship was all just a lie.
"Lieutenant?"
Six blinks a bit before focusing his eyes on the Admiral before him. "Sir?"
"Are you alright son? You have been quiet for a while now."
"I'm fine sir." He says, getting his emotions under check. 'Having a mental breakdown in front of the leader of humanity. Emile would have shot me himself.'
"You said you were pinned and she had you at sword point." Hood elaborates, waiting for the Spartan to continue.
Six clears his throat before he begins once again, "They had me completely surrounded, all chanting for my death with her standing over me. She pulled back her swords… and killed the two holding me down. At the time I didn't expect her to save me, and the Covenant sure didn't either. She cut through half of them before they even managed to get to their weapons. There was a short firefight before the two of us were the only ones in the field. We made our way to her phantom, where she killed a spec ops elite that had apparently been following the both of us for a while, and made our way to the ONI airbase where I initially arrived on the planet. We found the prowler and made our escape."
Lord Hood takes in a heavy sigh and leans back into his chair. Six could not read any emotions on his face as the silence between the two of them stretches on. Six decides now was the best time to attempt to plead his case. "Sir, I realize how crazy all of this sounds, and that you most likely don't believe me, but please give her a chance to prove to you that she really is on our side now. She fixed the slipspace drive on the prowler in less than ten minutes without any tools. If you allow her the chance I'm sure she could do it again. What she knows might help us win the war, and I'm sure we can gain a tactical advantage over the Coven-"
Hood waves his hand absentmindedly, silencing Six before he sighs before sitting forward and setting the datapad on the table with a soft thump. "As it stands Lieutenant, this is unprecedented. You are asking me to believe that one single alien among the billions of her own people in this twenty seven year long war has defected to join an enemy race at the tail end of the losing side of a war?" The Admiral lets his words hang in the air for a bit before he continues, "Your story is far-fetched and during it you have admitted to at the very least fraternizing with the enemy."
Six begins to feel a few beads of sweat roll down his forehead as the Admiral finishes speaking, but he knows he can not let those words go unopposed. He opens his mouth to speak, but before he could, Lord Hood continues.
"Nevertheless, as crazy as your story is… over the course of this war I've heard crazier, and somehow still find myself wanting to believe it. So, Lieutenant, I am willing to give her one chance, and one chance only."
No one would have guessed from looking at him, but Six nearly collapsed in relief, but he remains as still as can be as Hood continues.
Lord Hood maintains his air of authority as he continues, "However, I'm sure you are already well aware that we can't just have an Elite walking around a space station, poking around in classified slipspace equipment unsupervised. She will remain in her cell when not under armed guard. However I trust you will be able to keep her in check if we let her out every once and a while to stretch her legs, but that will not happen until after ONI's interrogation of her is over. Given your… Friendship with her and your knowledge of her language, I will let ONI know you are to be a part of the questioning."
Six could not help it, despite his extensive training in order for him not to show a single emotion in front of a commanding officer, he smiles. "Thank you, sir."
Lord Hood looks the Spartan square in the eye, "You are to remain on station until the mark VI MJOLNIR project is completed. ONI will be bringing a civilian in to help in the interrogation of the Elite. If it goes well enough, we will see about easing some of the restrictions. While she might be able to walk around, it will only be periodically, and during which the Elite will be fully your responsibility. If she even lightly scratches that civilian, or one of my men, I will hold you personally accountable, clear?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Good." The aged Admiral gestures to the door. "You are dismissed."
Six stands up, snapping a professional salute before making his way to the door, happy that he will finally be able to see Shress again, even if it is limited.
'Don't worry Shress, I will get you out of there. Just hang in there.'
——UA——
Two days. It has been two whole days since Six met with Hood and not a single order has come down for him to report to the brig. During the time he has been stationed on Cairo Station, he has essentially gone from one of the most lethal soldiers humanity has to offer, to a glorified watchman guarding odd points around the station. This has easily been the most frustrating point of his entire life.
From the moment he was released from the initial interrogation upon arrival, his routine has been to do small menial tasks, report for watch postings, eat food, sleep, and once medical cleared him for it, physical training. He thought after his meeting with Lord Hood, he might be able to see Shress with the words that the Fleet Admiral said to him, yet when he tried to report to the small ONI division on the station, they told him to await further instructions as one of their agents went to collect an asset for the interrogation.
That was two days ago.
Frustrated, angry, and quite a bit lonely, he thought about attempting to go straight to the brig himself, but thought better of it. If he was caught, it would surely be more trouble then it would be worth. He just had to be patient, something he was finding was easier said than done.
So here he was yet again, in front of the tram system that spans Cairo Station, planning on going to the medium sized gym he has been using for almost two weeks now, intending to take out his frustration on some poor exercise equipment.
The Spartan glances around, finding he is alone in the immediate area, internally thankful that he does not have to deal with gawking marines or nosy sailors for the moment. The incident a few days ago where some particularly rowdy marine challenged him to an arm wrestling contest came to mind, one that was promptly ignored as he did not wish to accidentally shatter the man's arm.
Hearing the door to the tram hiss open, he steps inside and finds the tram is empty. He reaches over to the small terminal mounted inside and presses the button for the station he wishes to go to. Walking inside, he looks around, not bothering to take a seat as they were pushed together at the edges of the car to fit enough room and were all too small for him.
The main window of the tram is overlooking one of the commons, the tropical trees growing in the room forming a stark contrast to the metal plating in the space station around them. He can see a few navy sailors talking on one of the raised platforms, and a few marines walking around, laughing about something Six is unable to hear.
As he peers down at them from above, he can not help but feel a sense of detachment from them. Down below feels to be in a different world then he is. For Six, he finds it hard to talk to people when they go out of their way to avoid him, his large imposing figure looming over them by almost two feet in some cases.
'It isn't like I can hold a conversation with them anyway. What would we even talk about? All I know is war.'
He strains his hearing, trying to make out what the marines below him were laughing about, but instead he hears the sound of someone walking into the tram door behind him and taking a seat on the row of seating to his left before the tram door slides shut once more, and the car begins to move.
Not even bothering to turn around, Six looks up to see Earth. He didn't want to tell Shress back on the prowler, but when the two of them arrived, the Sangheili was not the only one seeing it for the first time. Six has been fighting 'for Earth and all of her colonies' for as long as he could remember, but he could not come to think of the planet in front of him in the same way as most of humanity did. When he looked at the world before him, all he saw was another planet, another objective to defend from rebels and the Covenant.
He did not see it as home.
Six has never had a home, not really. He tries to remember back before everything happened, before the Covenant attacked and he became a Spartan, but all he could remember is fragmented memories with even less context around them.
He supposes that Onyx would be the closest thing he ever had to a home, the hellish training he undertook to become a Spartan being the longest point in his life he ever had while remaining in a single place, but even during training he was always a bit isolated. Even his fellow Spartans tended to avoid him during training, and the gap was made even worse when he was pulled from Beta Company and placed into his own personal hell for his lone wolf training.
His mind flickers back to the days on the prowler with Shress. He didn't realize it until it was over, but those few short days he spent with her were the happiest days of his life. He may never have had a place he could call home, a place he belonged, but now at the very least now he knows what it would feel like if he did.
"I never had the chance to thank you, you know."
The sudden sound of the voice nearly caused the Spartan to draw his magnum. So lost in his thoughts, he completely forgot that another person had entered the tram. Keeping as much stoicism as he could, he turns around and looks to the seated marine behind him.
The young man is wearing a less armored version of the normal combat uniform, and appears to be unarmed. He has a datapad that he has set down onto the seat next to him, and is staring at Six a bit nervously. Oddly enough Six has a vague feeling of recognition that he could not place from him.
Six must appear a bit confused, so the marine continues, "You saved my life… back on Reach." He looks down and wrings his hands a bit, before his hands drop back down to the seat and he takes in a deep breath, looking up to the Spartan with a bit more determination. "I know you most likely don't remember me, but I just wanted to say thank you."
Six examines the marine a bit closer, trying to remember exactly where he has met this person before, when his eyes flick past his collar device down to his nametag.
'Lance Corporal, Lin.'
Memories flash through Six's mind as he looks up to the man in a new light. Pulling him from the wreckage of a crashed warthog, fighting through Covenant forces, and of the two of them falling from a balcony, Lin too injured to follow, as Six continued on with his mission, leaving him behind for an evac.
Taken completely off guard upon seeing the marine again, Six says the only thing that comes to mind. "Your prayers must really work if you are still alive after all that."
Lin laughs at the Spartan's remark before smiling up at him. "Yeah, I guess they do…" Lin takes in yet another deep breath, his face losing its smile as he looks back down to his hands and begins to talk once again, "I was injured though, and I am done fighting… I don't think it was for me anyway. I only enlisted because my father wanted me to. I have never really known what I wanted to do with my life…"
A silence fills the train car as it continues its slow journey down the rail to its destination. The advanced machinery surrounding them slowly passes behind the window as the two of them settle into an awkward silence.
"I think I know now though." The marine reaches over and picks up his datapad, and turns the screen to where Six can see it before he continues. "I want to become a chaplain. I know that I will never be someone who can turn the tide of a battle like you can. Heck, before I even met you, I thought those little ones were terrifying, but I know I can be the one that heroes like you can turn to when you want someone to talk to."
Six looks down from Lin's determined face to the offered screen and skims over it.
'Sydney University, Online courses for Bachelors degree In Theology.'
"Without you, I would have died on that ridge, not knowing what I was meant to do… What I was meant for… So again, I would just like to say thank you. Thank you for saving me."
Six was taken aback by the emotion in the man's voice. He had no idea that he had such an impact on anyone's life like this. He thinks back to all the times he has been in battle, soldiers dying beside him as he fought his way through waves of enemies. Lin was one of the few lucky ones to make it out alive, and he is glad at the very least that he could have helped one of them.
The tram stops, and the door hisses open as the two of them turn to the door just to see the outside is deserted, and there is no one entering. It takes Six a moment to realize this is because it is his stop. He turns to Lin who is still sitting on the bench.
Six takes a moment in an attempt to organize his thoughts, Six found himself unable to properly express what he would want to say. After a moment, he simply says, "It was my job to protect you, you don't need to thank me for it. I would have saved more if I could."
Lin seems unsurprised by the response, but he remains silent, and just nods his head slowly.
Assuming their conversation is over, Six turns and makes his way to the door.
"Wait."
Six stops short of the exit and turns back to see Lin quickly stand up, a look of pain on his face as his datapad drops to the floor in his haste and he limps to where Six was standing. He reaches the area near the doorway and looks up to the Spartan, who towers over him by over a foot. Reaching over to the terminal, he picks a destination seemingly at random and mashes the 'close door' button.
Six raises an eyebrow at him as the glass panes that make up the door slide shut next to him.
Once the door is closed, Lin fixes Six with a look of determination. "You might think I don't have to thank you for it, but I do. I owe you my life, and the least I can do is pass on the message."
Thoroughly confused, Six asks. "What message?"
Lin takes in a sigh before he slowly makes his way back over to his chair, his datapad still on the floor. Knowing the man was injured, Six walks over and picks up the small device, handing it to the once again seated marine, who smiles and nods his head in thanks.
"Well, when I got to Earth after the battle, my father said that the corps was so short handed, so they offered to let me stay in the service. I mostly just do small tasks here and there, but one of them was the daytime watch posting of the brig."
Six's breath caught almost instantly. 'He is the one on watch where Shress is.' He realizes, but before he could ask any questions, Lin continues.
"It was rather slow before you showed up. After all, who is going to be arrested on a brand new space station? Then you arrived and all the sudden I went from guarding an empty hallway to watching over a Sangheili prisoner, and seeing ONI spooks walk in and out all the time."
Six's gut twists, thinking about all the things that they might have been doing to her. "Is she alright? Did they hurt her?" He nearly blurts out, slightly louder than he intended.
Lin appears to have noticed, and a small smile appears on his face. "No, she's fine. A bit annoyed with the ONI agents coming in and asking questions and insulting her all the time, but not hurt."
Six visibly relaxes, thankful to at least get some confirmation that she is okay.
"She isn't talking to them. Funny enough, ONI seems to think it is because she doesn't know the language, but she told me she isn't talking to them because they are jerks. Ironically for them though, she talks to me… at least whenever we can. I'm the one that brings her food you see, though she seems to hate salad. Spit it right back out onto the plate." At this, Lin laughs a bit and Six gives a rare smile, remembering their time on the prowler. "I think ONI is getting a bit frustrated with her though. They even tried this little translator thingy, but every time I bring it up to her she keeps laughing at me. I think ONI is going to try a real translator next."
Six is rather thankful for the information, connecting it to the small conversation he had overheard outside of Lord Hood's office.
"I found out her name is Shress, and after a while she… um… told me about the two of you…"
Six's blood ran a bit cold at the implication before a slight blush began to cover his face. Remaining as stoic as he could, he waits for the marine to continue.
Lin smiles up at the Spartan, "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. I think it is wonderful actually. It shows that they aren't too different from us after all. If the two of you could make it work, maybe we could all get along eventually…" He trails off a bit before he continues, "Anyway, she asked me to pass on a message. She wanted you to know that she misses you."
Six just stood there for a moment, a warm feeling washing through his body as he thought of Shress once again. "I miss her too." He wasn't sure if he was talking to Lin or himself, but the words slipped out before he could stop them.
"I can act as a bit of a messenger for the two of you if you want me to. I already owe you so much and it is the least I can do." The sincerity was clear in his voice.
Six looks to the injured man before him, never having been so grateful towards someone in his life. He takes the time to think for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what he wanted Shress to know before he begins to speak.
"Tell her-"
The door to the tram hisses open and three new occupants walk in. Six sees Lin's scowl at the arrivals and looks over his shoulder to see that it is the ONI agent and the gruff marine that he saw two days ago exiting Hood's office. The two of them recognize the Spartan and the overweight agent smiles, though there does seem something a bit unnerving about the gesture. The marine pulling security just grunts before taking a seat on the opposite row from where Lin was sitting.
However it was the third person that has Six's attention the most. The newcomer can't have been older than sixteen and is definitely a civilian. She is wearing a red hoodie with blue jeans with a backpack with brightly colored strings dangling down from it. She had lightly tanned skin with long dark brown hair tied into a ponytail. Her eyes were taking in her surroundings in obvious curiosity, before her gaze landed on Six.
"Wow! You gotta be the Spartan they told me about. You're huge! My name's Olympia, what's your name?"
\/\/\/ AUTHORS NOTE \/\/\/
Yes, we made ONI use an Alexa puck with bad google translate.
Also: we are officially at the end of the partially written chapters for Cairo. We will need to whack our brains with the stick of original content for the next little while so expect slower updates for a bit. Hopefully the three chapters within a week will hold you while we figure out which buttons on the keyboard we have to press in what specific order to make magical stories flow onto the page.
As always, read and review!
-PyreElegy
Stay safe.
-Jtf0012
