Uhh...fair wrning...I got intoi some gruesome details and theirs some gore in here.

Clever Lie

For a minute the scene lay suspended in time..

Star standing infront of Master Chief...

Master Chief pulling the trigger...

And Star getting in the way.

The slug hit her full force in her right shoulder and bits of flesh flew away from the wound as blood smattered the floor, and even Master Chief's armor. She put her left hand where the muscle and skin should be...and ehr ahnd came back drenched in blood. All the while beginning to realize the agonizing pain that was fogging her vision.

Acaanda saw teh revealed bone...And so did Shasic.

Even Karo and Koro saw and the two hunters charged forward in a blind rage infront of Shasic and Acaadna. The hunters used their shields to smash the stunned Spartan into the wall as Acaadna and Shasic both lifted Star carefully between them.

Both of them ran onto the ship with the hunters following...Leaving no one covenant on board the human ship.

Star was dimmly aware of two alien hands carrying her into the ship...They laid her down and she recognized Acaadna's voice as he said, "Stay awake little one."

But before he finished his sentance her vision darkened...and she fell into a coma of nightmare.

A hand was shaking her...and she blurrily openned ehr eyes and found herself gazing at many deformed shapes that swam in and out of focuse. She blinked several times before closing her eyes again, but this time instead of shaking her, and Alien voice that was rather high pitched said.

"Stop it you moron! Star's trying to sleep!"

Every word pounded in her head but she also recognized the other voice...It spoke in Elite.

"You foolish Midget! She needs to wake up!"

"Midget?" Yappity asked, confused of the human word Shasic had called him.

"I honestly have no clue...But Acaadna said she used to call the Grunts that."

"Oh..."

Star smiled and openned her eyes again, her vision cleared in realization as she sat up and looked at her friends...all of them...Even Karo and Koro had squeezed into the medical room.

She tried to reach out and touch one of them to show that she was awake without having to talk...But found something horribly wrong...

Her right arm was gone.

She sat bolt up right and clumsily used her left ahnd to feel from her neck down...she reached where her shoulder should be and found a gentle slope of skin. She finally looked and saw with a jolt that just after the spot where her collar bone reached the base of her neck...It ended and sloped down to her side.

No arm. Just smooth skin that had been fused together as if it had always been that way.

"Acaadna.." She whimpered, feeling childish for calling for her "father" but shunning the thought away when Shasic said. "I'm sorry Star...You'tre lucky to be alive after pulling that."

She looked at his bandaged shoulder and nodded.

"But...I'm Right handed."

"Sorry, by the left will have to do." Said a voice taht made Star snap to attention as the profit of Regret aproached.

"Did you enjoy your stay with those humans?"

Star sighed but looked up with that teal ring glowing bright as her eyes flashed vividly with deffiance and she said in perfected Prophet,

"No, Holy One, but it is an honor to be in your presence."

The Prophet nodded but then Star couldn't help but blurt out, "Why was I forgotten, Holy One?"

Shasic clicked his mandibles and they all walked hurriedly out the door...Not wanting to see their friend get yelled at.

"Forgotten? No, we merely ment to take the most preciouse piece of cargo beside ourselves, last. That way their will be no doubt it has our full nd complete attention."

Star never saw his clever lie as she smiled, and he departed.

She went to mess hall the next day and stared forward s with and agry voice she asked her friends in a deadly whisper,

"Why are those brutes sitting at our table?"

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