Shress POV*
It has only been a few units since Michael had left her room, and yet every moment without him left her feeling worse and worse.
Jaka has tried a few times to talk to her, but she simply isn't in the mood to start a conversation with the human. She hopes she wasn't too rude when she had told him she wished to be left alone for the time being.
When Michael was here, her insides were burning in a warmth she has never felt before. She remembers all of her former suitors, and how none of them had gained a reaction like this from her. Somehow every time she sees the human male her opinion of him seems to change, and always she wished to become closer and closer to him with each passing day.
She has long since realized that she has feelings for this male, and yet the word feelings seems to be too weak of a word now. She wishes more and more to just be in his presence now. His small visit with her fanning the flames of an attraction that was simmering within her. His touch caused her skin to tingle in pleasure even with him gone. His kiss…
She shakes her head, causing her thoughts to grind to a halt. She knows that Michael has duties to return to and can't spend all of his time in this cell with her, and pining over him like some lovesick weakling was beginning to leave a bitter taste in her mouth.
Finding nothing else to do yet again in the bare room, the dissatisfied Sangheili makes her way to the small bed. She feels tired but knows that sleep wouldn't come easily. Easing herself down onto the uncomfortably firm mattress, she lets her mind wander once more.
She thinks about her people, out there fighting in an unjust cause, killing innocent people at the word of the prophets. If they only knew the truth, the dishonor of being taken for fools would be unbearable.
'If only there was some way to make them see, make them realize that we are being manipulated.'
The thought is maddening. How many others were labeled as heretical and killed unjustly? Was she the only one to see the truth, or were there others?
Now that she can think clearly about it, all the years of listening to the Prophets teachings and sermons and taking their word as truth spoken directly from the gods has blinded her to who was actually speaking. She has now seen the prophet's true nature first hand and the thought of their manipulations disgusts her.
She knows the gods exist. She has seen their structures and artifacts, and knows that her people have been worshiping the Forerunners long since before their contact with the San Shyuum, so how are they able to get away with such atrocities if it wasn't the will of the gods?
'How do I know what to do from here? If I pray, would anyone even be listening?'
She falls farther into her depressed thoughts, wondering if anything she had ever done was all for nothing when something catches her attention.
Through the silence around her, she could hear a quiet repetitive noise coming from outside of her cell. Glancing toward the door, she can see that the food slot was open once again. Listening closely, she can hear the soft sound of tapping of a finger on one of the human's small devices. She can easily tell that it was Jaka once again focusing on whatever task he is carrying out on his datapad. She hasn't asked him what he is doing on the small device day after day, but he is always concentrating on the task before him.
Remembering her small talks with Michael on the prowler, she can remember him speak of his own people's many cultures and religions.
'Perhaps I can gain some insight into my own faith from an outsider, rather than a devout follower.'
Standing up and making her way to the door, she looks through it to see Jaka reading yet another screen of text in front of him. He was leaning against the wall next to the door to her room. From this angle she can easily see what he is reading, but could not make sense of it. The size of the font that the human is concentrating on are far too small for her to read even if she was completely fluent in the human's strange alphabet. Wondering exactly why the young human is so interested in the device, she decides to speak up.
"What are you reading?"
"AAH!"
Jaka jumps, clearly startled by the interruption. The device clatters loudly to the floor as the human flails his arms wildly into the air, struggling for balance. Searching the immediate area frantically, he finally turns to look into the slot he kept open. He seems to realize what happened after a moment, his face becoming a bright shade of red.
Stifling a laugh, Shress puts one of her hands in front of her maw to attempt not to offend the human before her, but despite her efforts, she could not help the small guffaw she let out before she reigned herself in.
Attempting to save face, Jaka careful bends down to pick up his fallen device, letting out a groan of pain as he does so. Checking it over for any damage, he finds none and places it in between his chest and his arm before looking sharply toward the Sangheili.
"A little warning next time please?"
Shress laughing stopped as feelings of guilt well up within her. She forgot the human was injured and the pained noise he'd inadvertantly made reminded her of that.
"I'm sorry Jaka. I didn't mean to startle you."
The human relaxes a bit and lets out a heavy sigh. "It's alright Shress, I was a little too focused on my studies anyway. If my CO came down here and saw me like that on watch I would have been in far more trouble…"
Worried about her human friend, she tilts her head a bit confused. "If you would get in trouble with your commander for reading, why are you doing it?"
Jaka lets his arms fall back down to his sides. "Well, my job before you showed up was to keep watch down this hallway. There was no one here before you, so it was pretty boring…" He gestures to the empty brig around him before he continues, "And since you are the only one here, I don't think there is going to be a lot of trouble. Heck, even if you did want to kick up a fuss, I don't think there would be very much I could do. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't even stand a chance against you." At that he lets out a laugh, causing Shress to laugh with the human.
While it is certainly true she would win in a fight against the human, she would never want to fight the man. She has grown to enjoy his company and would even go so far as to call him a friend.
The two of them continue their laughter for a moment before she expands on her previous question. "What were you reading?"
Jaka looks surprised by the question, before he leans against the wall again, focusing his full attention on Shress. "Well, since I won't be able to fight in the war anymore, I thought I would take some time to try and get a bachelor's degree."
Tilting her head, she asks. "What's that?" The new words confuse her a bit as she waits for the human's answer.
Jaka blinks for a moment before he begins to explain. "It's a form of higher education. If I can't fight with my body, I thought I might as well spend the time getting smarter. I'm actually studying theology…" At this the human falls silent and begins to eye Shress cautiously, as if evaluating her reaction.
Shress doesn't know how to respond to that. This human is studying the very topic she wished to ask him about, but now that she is here, she doesn't know what to ask.
'How can this human understand? He doesn't know anything about the religion of my people… and now that I think about it, I know nothing about his beliefs either.'
Her face contorts into a grimace as she realizes that she wanted to talk to a human to try and help her through her crisis of faith. Why would he even want to though? The beliefs of her people is the reason was why they obeyed why when the prophets had ordered the destruction of his people.
Jaka looks away from her and back down to his device, all traces of his smile gone as he absentmindedly runs a finger over the glass. "I'm sorry if I have offended you Shress. I know your people aren't exactly fond of us humans… I apologize if my religion bothers you."
Shress is surprised to hear the remorse and uncertainty in the young human's voice. She is confused as to why he is apologizing to her instead of angry or saddened at the destruction and death caused by her people. The human himself had been injured by this dishonorable war, and yet he still is asking for her forgiveness? Surely it should be her apologizing to him and not the other way around?
"No Jaka, I'm sorry. In the time I have spent among you humans, I have come to realize that your people are not what the prophets have told us." She bows her head low, truly hoping the human could hear her own shame and regret as she spoke. "You are injured because of the actions that I have taken. I was the commander of the ground forces on Reach during the battle between our people. You were injured on my orders and the pain you are going through is my fault, and my fault alone. You should not be apologizing to me."
The human snaps his gaze to her, his eyes growing wide and mouth falling open at the revelation.
Unable to maintain her eye contact as her guilt forces her to look away, she continues. "All my life I have been taught to fight. It is all I know how to do, and when I was allowed to join the war, I thought I was simply a holy warrior whose duty it was to annihilate the race of heretical monsters. The Prophets told us all that your destruction was the will of the gods…"
Jaka stands there quietly, looking through the slot in the door. His expression becomes unreadable as he simply takes the information in.
"I have slaughtered your people and burned your worlds Jaka, all because I was too blind to see what I was doing all that time. So no Jaka, do not apologize to me, because I do not deserve your forgiveness."
Unable to continue due to her rising guilt, Shress attempts to flee the conversation as she walks farther into her cell and lays down on her small bed.
Sadly the gesture does not mean much as she can easily still feel the human's eyes on her through the slot in the door. Silence filling the space between the two of them as Shress curls up on her small bedding, shame and regret voiding her mind.
'Now I am even less certain of my beliefs then I was before!' She thinks to herself as her depression begins to consume her once more.
"I forgive you."
Shress slowly turns from her spot to look to the opening in the door and freezes. She can't help herself as she stares at the young human. She almost can't comprehend what he just said, and yet Jaka appears more determined than she has ever seen him.
Almost as if something has taken control of her body, she hears herself ask, "Why?"
Without hesitation, Jaka responds. "I have been talking to you for a while now, and in that time nothing you have said or done has told me you are evil. I know that if you knew the truth, you would never have hurt me. I forgive you Shress, because I know it is the right thing to do."
Stunned by his words, she can only lie there as her brain tries to comprehend what the young human has just said.
'The right thing to do? How could he be so sure?'
Before she can organize her troubled thoughts, the human continues. "I don't know anything about your religion or beliefs, Shress, but I can tell you a story from mine." He looks down to his small device and begins typing on it, before he begins to speak again. "It is called The Good Samaritan."
Shress gets up from her position, and cautiously makes her way over to the door. 'Perhaps I can gain a bit of insight from this story.'
"The story is about a traveller in ancient times, who was robbed and left without even his clothes. He was beaten and left for dead on a well traveled road. First a priest from his own religion travels past him, moving onto the opposite side of the road and continuing on. A while later a Levite-"
"What's a Levite?" Shress interrupts, unable to stop herself from asking.
Jaka smiles, as he calmly elaborates, "Someone from the same society as the man who was robbed."
Shress nods as she gestures for the human to continue.
Jaka glances back down to the screen, skimming over the text on it for a unit before he continues. "The Levite also passed by, moving onto the opposite side of the road as he did, leaving him there.
"But how are either of them an inspiration for your forgivness?"
Jaka's smile grew at Shress's question but he continued to tell the tale.
" Eventually a Samaritan, someone from a society that was at war with his own happens upon the traveller. The two should have despised each other, but the Samaritan helps the injured man, healing him and bringing him safely to the next village on his own donkey as he walked alongside." Seeing her confused look he elaborated. " An animal used for carrying loads and traveling, they spent the night at the inn with the samaritan carring for him and before the samaritan left he gave the innkeeper money and told him to look after the injured man, and promised to reimburse him for any additional expense."
Shress is confused by the story. Her people would never do such a thing, and the concept of sparing an enemy, healing them, and helping the wounded to safety was just so… so…
'Alien.'
"People take a lot of different morals from this story, but I personally like to think it is about forgiveness. The two cultures hated each other, and yet the Samaritan spared the man and helped him instead, with no expection of a reward." Jaka gives Shress another one of his bright smiles as he puts his datapad away once again. "Even if what happened to me back on Reach was because of you, I forgive you because I have learned you are a good and kind person. I've realized at least that much just from talking to you. I know you would have never done something like that if you could have stopped it."
Shress just stares at the wounded youngling in front of her in disbelief. He will undoubtedly be hindered by his injuries for the rest of his life, and when the ability to confront the one responsible for his pain, he simply forgives her?
She begins to see the young human before her in a new light as she begins to understand that he has a strength within him that is more than just physical. His kindness allows him to do things she does not believe that she could do have ever done had their situations been reversed.
Feeling an overwhelming desire to thank the human, she begins to speak, her tone soft and filled with emotion. "Thank you Jaka. I don't know if I deserve it, but I appreciate your kindness nonetheless."
His smile brightens a bit at those words. "Anytime Shress. That's what friends are for eh?"
She smiles in return, happy to see he thought of her as a friend, her guilt vanishing as the two of them fall into a comfortable silence.
"I always thought the moral of that particular story was to grant mercy, even when it is inconvenient to do so." A deep voice sounds out from behind Jaka, causing the young human to stiffen as he slowly turns around, allowing Shress to see who it was.
Standing behind Jaka were a small group of humans, none of which Shress can recognize. There are five in total, four of which were wearing black armor with helmets that prevent her from seeing their faces. The armor looks extremely similar to the higher skilled humans that had dropped from the sky in pods and attacked the spire when she was on Reach.
The fifth human however appears old, yet his voice is stern and his blue eyes are as hard as steel. He is wearing crisp white clothing with golden decorative ribbons and ropes scattered along his shoulders and chest. Shress easily notices that he holds himself differently then the others, and even from the small glance from inside her cell she can tell he has an air of authority around him, one that all the humans around him respect without question.
"L-Lord Hood!" Jaka stutters out before tensing and snapping a salute as fast as he possibly could.
Shress heard the young human take in a small intake of breath as he strains his injuries, but before she can say anything Hood speaks up.
"At ease Lance Corporal." Jaka relaxes a bit, rubbing his lower back. "You have been talking to our… guest have you?"
"Yes, sir." Jaka's voice is similar to a youngling caught doing something they should not have been doing.
'Which I suppose he is.'
The aged male takes a quick glance toward the open hatch, seeing Shress on the other side before flicking his eyes back to her friend. "Mercy… The act of showing compassion towards an enemy or someone who is within your power. That was what I always took away from that particular story." The man sighs as he adjusts the small piece of clothing on his head before continuing. "It is a moral that most people never learn… I know I didn't for the longest time. Most people find the easier path is to just pass the man by and leave him to his fate rather than to stop and take the time to help him."
Jaka shifts a bit uncomfortably before the man, but he remains quiet.
"I will need you to report to my office when your post is done Lance Corporal. As I have a few questions I would like to ask you." Hood's deep voice resounds through the hallway around them.
"Yes, sir." Jaka says, shoulders still drooping.
Hood reaches over and places a hand gently on the marine's shoulder. "Don't worry son, you aren't in trouble. Now, if you would open the cell, I have a few questions for our guest."
Six POV*
Six and Olympia stepped through one of the many entryways that lead to the galley of Cairo Station. They have been told to wait as Lord Hood was not in his office. The newly placed secretary outside of the Fleet Admital's office was polite, but the news she gave them was still frustrating. Rumors have already spread around the station about the bloodthirsty alien that assaulted a marine in the brig. Glancing over to the overly dramatic marine, it does not take very long for him to realize where they got the idea from.
The moment they step in, they instantly spot two familiar people sitting at a nearby table. The ONI agent at first glance appears to be composed, but Six can easily spot the shaking of his hands and his ragged breath. Standing next to him was the marine, holding an ice bag to the back of his head. A few navy crewmen are standing around the table listening to the marine as he loudly speaks to the people around him.
"That damn thing almost killed me! Do you see this? Damn split lip almost killed me!" The man gestures to an ice pack he is holding to his head.
"Save it for the Admiral, Corporal."
Six was surprised at the level of maturity Olympia is showing as she remains calm and composed. He expected her to start yelling obscenities at the man yet she silently stays behind the Spartan. Six does take note of the fact that she is keeping him between herself and the marine though.
Trying to find a nearby table, he spots an unoccupied one on the far end of the room, yet his mood sours a bit as he realizes that he needs to walk past the table with Agent Cartman and Corporal Baker.
The agent takes notice of their approach, and nods his head. "Lieutenant. We have been told to wait here until Lord Hood tells us to enter. I am glad you have arrived, we need to corroborate our story if we wish to-"
"What's the alien lover doing here? Finally realize that your friend down there is a monster?"
Six feels his blood start to boil once more as the man tests even his patience. If this is what Shress has been putting up with, he is actually rather surprised she didn't seriously hurt the man.
Both of the newcomers calmly walk past the table, casually ignoring the commotion, frustrating the marine. Thankfully he quickly returns his attention to the attentive crowd.
Olympia simply remains quiet as they pass by the small crowd, though the small intake of breath when she becomes the center of attention is easily noticed by the attentive Spartan. The mass of people give the two of them a wide berth, fearful of the supersoldier as he passes by.
The two make their way to the unoccupied table and sit down without food.
"So now we wait?"
Six looks over to the teenager, his face as collected as ever. "Yes, ma'am. Lord Hood's secretary said he is still on station and that he would be notified that we wish to speak to him."
Olympia lets out a soft hum as she looks back over to the group of navy men. "At least they didn't get in either."
Six simply nods in response, as he listens to the chatter in the galley around him. Most of the navy and marines were quietly enjoying their food, however Six overhears two marines at a table next to him that are talking quietly about the 'prisoner.'
"When do you think Hood is going to get rid of the split lip?"
"Can't be soon enough man."
"Having one of those things so close to Earth… I don't know…"
"I hope they just throw it out an airlock soon."
Six balls his hand into a fist underneath the table. He is beyond furious at the conversation, but he knows there is nothing he can do about it. Anything he says could get him into more trouble, and his top priority right now should be to convince Lord Hood.
The Spartan tenses up as he feels someone nudge his shoulder with a finger. Looking over he can see Olympia who is sitting right next to him.
"Hey, you alright? You got all broody all the sudden."
Taking a breath in, he relaxes his muscles as he responds. "I'm fine ma'am."
The teenager studies him for a few seconds before she lets out a snort. "You don't have to call me ma'am all the time you know… My name is Olympia."
Six remains silent, unsure of how to continue the conversation. The only ones he has ever been informal around were other Spartans, and Shress.
"-Then the elite just rushed me! Grabbed me by my neck and slammed me against the wall."
"Damn, I knew keeping one of those things around was a bad idea."
"Yeah man, I hope they get rid of it soon."
Gritting his teeth, Six just remains seated. He has never felt so protective over someone in his life, but the way these marines are talking got under his skin. It seems that the more they talk about her, the angrier he gets.
'Shress is not even able to defend her actions, so the only story the station is getting is his.'
Olympia interrupts his darkening thoughts with a question, "So how did you become friends with Shress?"
Looking down to the teenager, he raises an eyebrow. "Why do you think we know each other?"
She crosses her arms, looking offended. "Oh please. Everyone on this big space station either calls you 'Six' or 'The Spartan.'" She emphasizes the words with air quotations. "I may be young but I'm observant. She called you Michael, so that must be your name. Considering how that very much isn't a Sangheili name, and no one else seems to know it, I'm assuming you told her."
Surprised by the deduction, Six raises an eyebrow at the teen who simply shrugs in return before fixing him with an expectant look.
Six is left unsure as to what exactly he wants to share with the teenager. He knows for a fact that if he told Olympia his feelings about Shress, the entire galley would instantly find out as well. He has seen her loud outbursts already, and does not want to be the center of one.
Looking around, he finds the galley in a similar state to what it was before. Military personnel scattered around with some of them having light conversations with each other. A few of them glanced in his direction, but he could easily see the thinly concealed fear in their looks. As best as he could tell, no one was eavesdropping on their conversation.
Looking back to Olympia, he makes the decision to begin talking even though he is unsure of exactly what to say. "I met her on my last combat tour on Reach."
The teenager perks up, her posture straightening as she listens intently.
Six, still hesitant over holding the conversation with Olympia, tries to shorten the story as much as he could. "We were enemies at first, but eventually we started to talk… I don't really know what happened but we became friends after a while, but it all changed with the Covenant invasion started."
His thoughts turned to the mountain on Reach where the two of them would simply sit and talk to each other. The moments they shared simply getting to know each other seem as if they happened a lifetime ago, a peaceful moment in time before the storm of their reality came crashing down upon them.
Images of his team flash before his eyes. The slipspace tear caused by Jorge manually detonating a bomb. Kat's lifeless body falling onto him, smoking hole in her helmet. Carter's sacrifice as he crashes his pelican into a scarab. Emile's pained gasps over the radio as he falls out of sight, his kukri knife buried in an elite's neck.
"Hey big guy, you okay?"
Six opens his eyes to see Olympia staring at him with concern, hand on his shoulder. Reaching up, he gently grabs her wrist and pulls it off. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just remembering some friends."
She nods as she places her hands on the table. "You don't have to keep going if you don't want to. I can tell it's painful for you."
Six remains silent, looking over to the young woman next to him, her caring tone calming his nerves down. He recognizes her caring tone and curious demeanor almost immediately and recognizes why Shress took an instant liking to her. Once he gets over the fact that one was an alien warrior and the other was a human teenage prodigy, he can notice the eerie similarities.
Six gives her a rare smile. "It's okay Olympia, I'm fine now. Thank you."
The smile that makes its way onto her face is near blinding.
Six, deciding to tell the rest of his story before she gets the bright idea to hug him, continues. "Eventually I was left stranded with no way off of Reach. The Covenant sent a massive strike force after me, and I couldn't hold them all off. Shress saved my life, killing her former allies in the process…" Six still worries about the consequences of what Shress did that day. The way she described what would happen to those she was close to hurts him still. "She said that the Covenant would slaughter her entire family, and shame her home because of what she did."
He turns behind him to look at the small grouping around the marine and ONI agent, listening in on their conversation for only a moment. "-and then it got up and slammed me against the wall. I eventually fought it off to the point where it had to drop me. I was lucky-"
Suppressing the tempting urge to get up and throttle the blatent liar, he turns back to Olympia. "Shress gave up everything she ever knew to save me that day. She lost her family and home simply because she chose to save me. She has been a better friend to me then anyone else ever has."
The two odd companions sit silently for a moment, Olympia taking the words in as she stares down at her hands.
"To the Sangheili, family and honor are everything. Giving all of that up to save one person…" The teenager's voice just barely above a whisper, the sounds around them nearly drowning the words out. She looks up to him, craning her neck, even seated, he is nearly two heads taller then her. "If she made that decision to save you knowing that she would lose everything, then you mean the world to her."
A familiar warm feeling blooms within his chest at her words. He knows they have grown much closer over time, but simply having someone else confirm it causes him to feel lightheaded. "Yeah… I know."
The silence stretches on between them, neither knowing what else to say as they wait on the cold metal benches inside the galley.
"Mark my words people, those damn aliens are going to get what's coming to them! If they think they can get their hands on Earth, they are dead wrong!"
"Ooh-rah!"
Six looks over to the crowd, an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of his gut as he sees the crowd riled up. He knows why they are like this, and he can't particularly blame them. This war has taken its toll on everyone and to expect them to embrace a Sangheili with open arms would be stupid and naïve.
"Idiots. Can't they see passed the war?"
Six looks over to Olympia, seeing her looking angrily to the crowd of marines. The emotion he sees in her eyes somewhat surprises him but it only takes a moment for him to figure out why.
She hasn't lost anyone in this war like everyone else. The way she has been talking about how she helps her mother with her work, her studies of Sangheili culture, and how she is doing extremely well in school really drive home to Six that he is talking to someone that has no idea what war really is.
Six decides to speak up, deciding to try and help the teenager understand. "I wouldn't be so quick to judge them if I were you."
Olympia turns to look at him as a frown forms on her face, a small amount of betrayal in her eyes. "But… but you're helping to defend Shress too! Why would you side with them?"
"Shress is different from the rest of the Covenant. You and I can see that, but they," he tilts his head, gesturing to the crowd. "-don't. All of us have seen what the Covenant does at this point, but you as a civilian haven't. Until you have seen the effects of the war first hand, you shouldn't be so quick to judge those who have."
Olympia remains quiet, looking back toward the crowd which has mostly dispersed, heading back to whatever table that they were sitting at. Her eyes lingering on the marine who was still holding an ice pack to his head.
Shress POV*
She has been sitting here for a unit or so now, nervous about the situation she has found herself in. Seated directly in front of her is the Fleet Admiral known as Lord Hood, the leader of humanity. From the few moments she has been in his presence, she can tell that the man was not one to be trifled with. Even through his smaller stature compared to hers and his aging features, she can sense the aura of authority the man gives off simply from the confidence in both his voice and his posture. He is currently using one of the human handheld computers as the silence between them stretches on.
Allowing herself to look away from the aged human before her for just a moment, she quickly looks around her.
Scattered in the corners of the room around her are four of the human warriors in black. The polarized glass covering their face prevents her from seeing their eyes, unnerving her just a bit. They remain silent and stand vigilant in the room, remaining completely still showing her they are well trained and disciplined. They keep a tight grip on their weapons and she notices their helmets never turn fully away from her. She knows there is a human under the glass but the inability to see their face or eyes disturbs her.
The aged human looks her over for a moment before he sighs loudly and sets his device onto the table, gaining her attention once more. A heavy silence continues to fill the space between the two as they examine one another. The awkward air between the two stretches on for a moment longer before he begins to speak. "I have never had to address a Sangheili civilly before, so I apologize in advance if there are any miscommunications."
Bowing her head in recognition and respect, she responds. "My name is Shress La'Vdam. From how the others have spoken of you, you must be a warrior of great renown."
The human raises one of his eyebrows, a gesture that still confuses her, before he continues. "Yes… well, I have come to ask you a few questions."
At this, Shress almost planted her face into the table.'More questions? Why must they ask so many?'
Unaware of her internal suffering, Lord Hood continues. "I would have asked my questions sooner, but it has only recently come to light that you can understand our language." With that said, he sends her a pointed look.
Unashamed of her previous actions, Shress remains still, not allowing the human to guilt her.
After a moment the small confrontation, if it could even be called that, ends and the human continues. "There are a few things that I would like to clarify about both you and the Covenant as a whole."
Tilting her head, wondering what this human would want to know. "What would you like to know?"
"The first and most obvious on the list, is this. Why are you attacking us? The real reason." The human leans forward in the chair, meeting her gaze with his steely blue eyes. "Every time we capture and interrogate any member of the Covenant, they have been extremely hostile to us… Even though we have captured hundreds during this war, they always seem to say the same thing, and we have never been able to figure out exactly what it means or why."
Shress's head tilts further, confused. How could a hundred Covenant soldiers say the same thing? She began to think, running through what she would have done had she been captured and interrogated before she met Michael.
'I would have resisted, attempting to escape by any means necessary. I wouldn't have betrayed the path for heretics that are marked for extinction. The prophets always said that their destruction was the will of the gods… but if the Prophets are liars, then why are we actually fighting?'
"I don't know… The Prophets always said that humanity's destruction was-"
"The will of the gods, and you are their instrument." The Fleet Admiral leans back in his seat, causing the metal legs of the chair to scrape against the floor. "We have heard that one already. What does it mean? Why do your gods want us dead?"
'Why? Because the high Prophets said… No the Prophets are liars… Maybe a holy Oracle has said… Surely somewhere in the written scripture…'
Shress opens her mandibles in an attempt to answer him, but no noise comes out. Every answer she thinks of for this is unusable. She has no other explanation other than the Prophet's words… Words spoken by liars. Eventually composing herself, she tries to explain her silence, but only ends up sounding more foolish.
"I don't know."
"Noble Six seems to have a lot of faith in you, you know." Hood's voice raises a bit, but does not sound hostile a testemant his experience and authority. "He has defended you repeatedly against both myself and other superior officers, however right now all I can see is a high ranking member of a genocidal race who has been uncooperative, unwilling to share information, and has assaulted one of my men."
Shress's mandibles widen in surprise to the outburst. The calm older human she had seen was now gone, and in his place is a hardened leader who is leading his people through far greater hardship then she can even imagine.
"If you really have defected, then you are going to have to do a hell of a lot better then 'I don't know' or I won't lose a single minute of sleep by giving full custody of you over to Parongosky, and she won't be nearly as kind as I am."
Growing more nervous by the moment from the human's outburst, she continues to wrack her brain for an answer, any answer, but she couldn't think of a single one that doesn't involve the Prophets. "I… I don't know."
Silence fills the small room for only a moment before the human's eyes turn almost sad, as he shakes his head slightly. "I really did hope Six was right about you, but it turns out this is a waste of time." Lord Hood sighs, before grabbing his device on the table and stands up, turning to the door. The human warriors move from their spots around the room as they follow their leader.
"The Prophets always preach about how humanity is an affront to the gods…" She begins to explain, halting the human's steps and causing him to turn around. "About how you defile their creations and how you need to be cleansed… Following the Prophets is all my people have ever known for millennia. Our entire civilization is built on the alliance between Sangheili and San 'Shyuum. Everything we have ever built and held sacred has been based around that age-old alliance…"
Shress's hands ball into fists as she realizes exactly why she couldn't think of a reason why the Covenant is fighting. "There is no reason for the war other than what the Prophets have told us, but I have learned the Prophets are liars… I see now that they have been using my people's honor and religion to manipulate us." She looks down to her hands, shame building within her. "It is no excuse, I know, and I don't expect your forgiveness. The atrocities I myself have committed will be a nightmare I can never erase, but I want to try to regain my honor… At the very least I want to try."
Lord Hood stood near the doorway for a few moments, as if debating with himself before he shakes his head and makes his way back to the table, sitting down heavily.
The human warriors retake their positions without a word, seeming to not react to her words.
"Alright then, but you should know that I am the one that decides what happens to you. Not Six, not ONI, me." The human leans forward, deadly serious. "From now on I expect you to be fully cooperative with anyone I send down here. No more games and no more violence… Which brings me to question two. Why did you attack one of my marines?"
Shress's mandibles twitch in irritation, as if hearing the mention of the infuriating human would somehow bring him into the room. The explanation was easy enough though. She simply answered, "He was harming an innocent youngling, one that I was quite enjoying the company of. I was simply defending her."
Lord Hood took the information in for a moment before he nodded, keeping his expression neutral and not reacting any farther to her answer. He brings his attention to the datapad he has in his hands, pressing a few buttons before setting it back down onto the table.
"I don't have a lot of time to myself nowadays, but I did take some off to follow how the interrogation went. Thankfully I know that neither Ms. Vale, or Corporal Baker were seriously hurt…" At this, he looks back over to Shress. "I expected Noble Six to tell you this, but it appears as if he wasn't able to get around to it, so I won't hold this one offense against you. However from now on you will not harm anyone on this station. If you do, the consequences will be severe. Am I clear?"
Knowing that the human in front of her is the leader of his people, and translates to the Supreme Commander of the human forces, she knows that threat is not an idle one. She bows her head low in respect, and responds. "Understood."
"Good. Now, last question. Did you or did you not fix and improve the UNSC Silence's slipspace drive?"
Shress nods, assuming that was the prowler that she arrived on.
"If you were given another drive similar to the previous one you worked on, would you be able to do it again?"
It didn't take her very long to think the question over before she answered. "I suppose it wouldn't be too difficult. Your technology is rather primitive compared to what I am used to, so it shouldn't be too hard."
The Admiral fixes her with a blank look, raising an eyebrow for a moment before he focuses on his datapad once again. "In a few weeks time I will have another prowler ready for you to work on. While you are… improving the drive, there will be several spectators and cameras to record exactly what you do, along with some of humanity's finest." He gestures to the humans warriors around him. "Needless to say the earlier warning will be in full effect. Until the drive is ready and tensions on station have calmed down, which may be a few weeks, I am suspending any further visits to your cell. The only ones who will be able to enter are people I allow to enter. Clear?"
Feeling a bit relieved by that, she nods once again.
"Good." The Admiral stands up from his chair and makes his way to the exit, stopping just short of it once more. Hesitating in the open entryway, he turns back around. The human examines her closely, his bright sky blue eyes seeming to peer into her soul from the intensity of his gaze before he begins to speak once more. "You said the Prophets who lead your people are liars… How sure are you about that?"
Not even hesitating for a moment, Shress straightens her posture before responding. "There is no doubt in my mind anymore. My people are being manipulated by liars."
"Interesting." The human said, taking in a deep breath before saying. "Mercy is an interesting ideal is it not?"
Before she could puzzle out why the human would ask her that, she sees Lord Hood turn and walk out of the cell, the human warriors making their way out behind their leader.
The sound of the door sliding shut and the lock engaging fills the room, before she was left with only her thoughts.
Six POV*
"Officer on deck!"
The entire room stands up as the voice cuts through the chatter. The entire room snapping to attention in a wave, the sound of screeching chairs replacing the sound of conversation which then fades to complete silence.
Six idly notes from his position that his young charge is still sitting, fork still in hand as she glances around the room.
Lord Hood's voice cuts through the silence.
"Lieutenant B-312, Corporal Baker, Agent Cartman, and Ms. Vale. Please follow me. The rest of you, as you were."
The galley returns to their seats, albeit with significantly less conversation than before.
Six can feel the entire room's eyes on him as he moves to Lord Hood. He was easily the most noticeable out of the four that were called up, and the attention was unnerving.
Making sure his small charge was following close behind, the small group made it to the entryway, only to be greeted by the sight of Lord Hood and two armed ODSTs waiting.
The moment they are all assembled, the aged admiral turns on his heels and begins striding down toward his office, the small group following him.
Thankfully the galley was relatively close to the admiral's office, and after a few turns they arrived.
The door to Lord Hood's office opened as he approached, the admiral not even breaking stride as he made his way into the room before turning around.
Six idly notes that the two ODST escorts took position on either side of the door once the admiral entered.
"Ms. Vale, please come with me. The rest of you wait here until I call for you."
Oddly enough to the spartan, Olympia hesitated at the request before nervously looking up to the supersoldier as if asking for approval. Six simply nodded back, unsure as to why her nerves were suddenly acting up.
"Sir, with all due respect we need to-"
"I have already wasted enough of my time trying to fix this mess, agent Cartman. As of right now I am fully involved in this project, and I am going to make my expectations very, very clear from now on. You will wait out here until I call for you. Clear?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Good. Ms. Vale?"
Taking a deep breath, she walked into the office and the door slid shut behind her.
Six turns and makes his way to the right side of the door, standing at attention as he waits to be called.
On the opposite side of the door, he spots the marine, Corporal Baker, taking a relaxed pose leaning against the wall. He leans his head back and closes his eyes.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees agent Cartman pacing back and forth, a stern expression on his heavy face.
After a moment of silence, Baker decides to break it. Pulling his head from the wall, he glances towards the distressed agent. "Hey, chill out with the pacing already. What are you worried about anyway?"
Snapping around, the agent's face glares at the nonchalant marine. "That alien knew what we were saying the whole time! The entire time!" He emphasized his point by gesturing with his hand down the hall toward the brig. "Did you not hear it threaten you? In perfect English?!"
The marine pushes himself off the bulkhead, and points to a small ripped portion of his BDUs. "Trust me, I got a much closer seat than you did, but there isn't much we can do about it from out here. I'm just a grunt, and your boss's boss's boss is in there." He gestures to the door. "All we gotta do is wait our turn, so chill out."
Another small moment of silence filled the area before Cartman decided to continue his pacing, promptly ignoring the marine's advice.
The marine shakes his head and shrugs before retaking his spot on the wall. "Fine, suit yourself." The marine's eyes follow the agent for a few more paces, before they land on Six.
The spartan simply remains standing at attention, waiting.
The marine appears nervous, hesitating for a moment before he decides to speak up. "So, um… Six, right? You were the one that brought the split lip here…"
"Affirmative."
A small moment of awkward silence ensues before the Corporal continues, "Why? I read what little of the file that he," Tilting his head to the distressed ONI operative, "allowed me to see. You were there when Reach was glassed… Why bring one here?"
Thoughts flashed through the super soldier's mind as he remembers the horrors of war.
Blood splatter on the floor as a human marine dangles from a gruesome position on a wall in Visegrád, half eaten corpses of civilians in the streets of New Alexandria, the orange glow in his visor from a cruiser glassing the far end of a city as he escorts a squad of ODSTs to safety, his team dying one by one around him in a mad rush to save a doomed planet.
No matter how horrible the battle was, one thing stood out among them all though. A bright spot amidst all the darkness that reminds him that not all hope was lost.
Through the carnage of New Alexandria, Shress comforted him with a hug. As Jorge threw him out of the corvette to save him from the bomb, Shress embraced him through the fall to atmosphere. The sound of electrified blades slicing into the flesh of two elites holding him down for an execution, and the resulting fight between Shress and her own people simply because she wished to save him.
"She's different."
The marine grunts a bit before rubbing his hand against the back of his head. "Yeah, well it doesn't seem like it. As far as I can tell, she's just like all the rest."
Fixing the marine with a steady gaze, he simply says, "You're still alive, aren't you?"
Silence followed that statement as the soldier did not know what to say to that. Dropping his hand down to his side, he sighs, before leaning against the bulkhead one more. "I never signed up for this, you know?" Closing his eyes, he balled his fists tightly, the faux leather of his gloves crinkling with the motion. "Guarding spooks, talking to aliens… I just wanted to protect my family."
Remaining silent, Six simply stands there and lets the man talk. Obviously he was simply venting and it wouldn't matter exactly who he was talking to.
"I'm from Kholo, you know. Walked right into the recruiters office in '38, a year before… well… you know."
Unclenching his fist, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wallet. After going through the many small pockets, he pulls out a small photo, though Six couldn't see what was on it from this angle.
"I remember when I got the news, saying it was all gone…" The soldier chuckled darkly before he continued. "They were brutal about it too. Pulled me into a briefing room with two other guys and showed us pictures… The damn aliens drew on the planet like it was a fucking sketchbook. The agent who gave us the news ended up giving us some shitty pep talk about revenge before returning us to our posts."
Placing the photo back into his wallet. He looks over to the still pacing agent, and shakes his head.
"I still haven't fought the Covenant… I have to be the most unlucky marine in existence, because I seem to always be transferred to where the fight isn't." He stands up straight and turns back to Six. "Pictures don't do the real thing justice though. That alien down there is the real deal, I'm convinced of that. It's the enemy, and we are the good guys, I see that as clear as day… So why can't you?"
Six sat there silently for a moment, gathering his thoughts. This man has lost a lot, and the Spartan was sure that anything he said would be met with deaf ears.
Suddenly, the door opens, and Olympia steps out. Six notes the scowl on her face, and hopes that it isn't a bad sign.
Following closely behind her is the Fleet Admiral, who begins speaking. "Staff Sergeant, please escort Ms. Vale to hangar bay A-01. There you will find a pelican waiting to get her back home."
The ODST closest to Six snaps a quick professional salute. "Yes, sir!"
"But I don't want to go back home! Can I stay please?"
Six was then treated to the somewhat comical sight of two special forces operators carefully nudging the grumbling Olympia down the hall, prompting her to drag her feet, sometimes literally in a vain attempt to remain on the station.
"Lieutenant, come have a seat." Lord Hood says before he turns back into the room.
"Yes, sir."
Making his way to the chair yet again, he sits down just as the door slides shut.
Admiral Hood immediately begins pressing buttons on his datapad, before the wall behind him slides open, revealing a large screen. "I don't have a lot of time so we are going to have to make this quick. Some people seem to think I should put off planning the defense of Earth to focus on trivial problems."
Silence reigns in the room as the sound of fingers tapping a glass screen fills the air.
Six isn't exactly sure how to respond to that, so he simply remains quiet.
"I really only have one question for you, Lieutenant." He taps the screen a final time, and an image appears behind him. One that makes his blood freeze in his veins.
'There was a camera in there?!'
Pressing a button on his datapad, the scene began to play, causing the supersoldier to squirm a bit in his seat. In clear view of the camera angle, he sees the intimate moment he shared with Shress before he left the room.
'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Of course there was a camera in there! How could I be so careless?'
Face burning red, he turns his attention back from the large monitor back to Lord Hood who is looking at him, very unamused.
"Explain. Now."
Caught completely off guard, Six remains quiet for a moment, unable to find any words. Clearing his suddenly extremely dry throat, Six opens his mouth to begin, but nothing comes out.
The silence stretches on for a moment before Hood leans back in his chair. And shakes his head, smiling. After all, it isn't very often someone can witness a spartan completely dumbstruck, even a Fleet Admiral.
"Incase it isn't clear Lieutenant," he stressed his rank, making his impatience clear. "Even through the fiasco that is this situation, I still have an impending alien invasion to plan for."
Deciding to just get it over with, the spartan begins to talk, not even sure exactly what he is supposed to say. There isn't a protocol for being caught being affectionate with an alien as far as he knows.
"I… May have understated how close the two of us have become in my written report."
"You think?" Lord Hood practically explodes, surprising the Spartan. "I was watching the interrogation from up here, making sure that my promise to Ms. Vale's mother that she would not be harmed wasn't a terrible mistake… only to see the elite you promised to keep in check assault one of my men before the two of you get frisky once everyone leaves!"
Unable to prevent his face from remaining a deep crimson, he opens his mouth to attempt to defend himself, but the infuriated Admiral continues.
"At the very least, I finally have one of my questions answered, because it is pretty damn obvious what her motive for defection is!" He gestures to the frozen image of the two of them hugging. "I was possibly hoping that this instance of defection could lead us to a means to turn their entire species to at the very least cease hostilities."
Lord Hood presses a button on his datapad, causing the screen to retract back into the wall. Looking up, he fixes Six with a piercing look. "Is there anything else you are not telling me about this situation Lieutenant?"
Six knew there was only one answer he could give, the truth. Anything but absolute compliance at this point was not an option for him anymore.
"No, sir."
Hood leans forward in his chair, causing Six to feel small for the first time since boot camp. "Are you absolutely sure about that answer Spartan?"
"Yes, sir."
Hood remained in place, studying him closely for a few moments before he leaned back in his chair, sighing deeply.
"As of now, I am going to make what happens next very clear for everyone involved, and any deviation from what I set will be met with discharge and imprisonment for those involved. Clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"A few things are going to change, given the situation. Until I say otherwise, you will not be permitted to be alone with the prisoner under any circumstances unless a Fireteam of at least four ODSTs is with you. She will be kept in her cell without visitors permitted unless approved directly by me for three weeks until the rumors about her assaulting a marine die down, after which she will assist Doctor Glassman with the prototype slipspace drive he is working on. If she stays within the boundaries I have set for her and remains cooperative, then I will reevaluate her status as a potential asset."
There was a soft beeping noise that resounded from the Admiral's datapad. Picking up the device, he examines it for a moment before he sets it back down.
"Have I made my expectations clear Lieutenant?"
"Yes, sir."
Fixing the spartan with a final piercing gaze, he waves his hand to the door. "Dismissed."
Standing, Six snaps a salute before quickly making his way out of the office, but before he makes his exit, Hood's voice resounded from behind him.
"Send Corporal Baker in next if you would.
"Yes, sir."
Finally, reaching the hallway, he is met with the sight of agent Cartman, still furiously pacing back and forth nearby.
The sound of naval personnel talking farther down the hallway reached his ears, calming his nerves. His heart was thundering in his chest far faster than any other point in his life, combat included.
Looking around, he spotted Corporal Baker staring at him, though he didn't quite understand why.
"Corporal Baker, Lord Hood will see you now."
He can see the marine straighten his posture before he walks into the room, the door sliding shut behind him.
Knowing that he somehow made it through that disastrous meeting with his freedom intact, he began to wander aimlessly around the station. His nerves were far too frayed at this point for anything else. He needed to clear his mind, and he could not do it standing here.
Before he could leave however, the sound of a loud groan caught his attention. Turning his head, he was met with the sight of the ONI agent furiously typing into a chatter, an angry scowl on his face.
Suddenly, Six begins to think of all the positives of what just happened. Shress is still here and not imprisoned in some black site somewhere else. Six was still stationed on Cairo, and will eventually be able to see her again… And most importantly, she still has a chance to prove herself.
Sure, the situation could be better, but all things considered, all they had to do was remain on good behavior for a few weeks, and everything would turn out okay.
'We just need to make it three weeks."
\/\/\/AUTHORS NOTE\/\/\/
Oh. My. God. That chapter did NOT want to be written. Don't get me wrong, it was fun to do, and the first three scenes were actually done about 3 days after chapter 24 was posted, which is kinda funny considering all the guest reviews coming in. We already had his backstory flushed out the moment we began thinking about Cairo, and now everyone suddenly thinks every marine is Chuck Norris in disguise!
But that scene with Lord Hood and Six at the end? I must have rewritten it at least 15 times, and that's the whole reason it took so long. I
Must have dumped at least 8000 words down the trash just trying to make it. Thankfully I got a bit of inspiration and knocked it out. Sorry for the wait folks.
Please read and review, follow and fav.
Additional
Please take a look at my editor's story that posted. It is on my fav. page. It is called the 'The
Songbird by PyreElegy.' It is rated T. Do not forget to review, fav. and follow.
Bio: In the 29th age of doubt began thirty eight years ago, and while the discovery of the
Jiralhanae, recently shook the Covenant, not much has changed for Theocracy. However on the
asteroid of T'vao, a young Skirmisher is born and her story will shake the Covenant to its core.
SI OC Skirmisher, starts 25 years before Harvest.
ll=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=l=ll
Verbu.s: AN will be added at a later date.
