Chapter 5
"Let me out."
"Mom told me not to."
"Please! I don't know what she's doing to my ship!"
"Mom said your ship is going to be fine."
"My ship is not fine! She is stealing it!"
"Mom said she is just borrowing it."
"Do you do everything your mother tells you to? What about me?! I'm your father!"
"Mom said that you would have helped to raise me if you wanted me to do what you say."
Groaning loudly, he exaggeratedly sits back down onto the metal floor, fiddling with his armor. After a few moments, each piece begins to detach from his body, as he slowly takes each piece off, leaving him with only a small piece of clothing to cover his lower body.
All of this allows me to see his muscled bare skin, but his physique wasn't what immediately caught my attention.
My eyes grow wise as I realize that he is absolutely littered with scars. Everything from plasma burns to deep puckered lines are easily visible. The sheer amount of them made my mouth fall open in complete shock.
How is he even alive?
My father proceeds to completely ignore me as he begins to inspect all of his equipment with a trained eye, tinkering with one thing or another.
I sat there and watched him work, fascinated by his eye for detail as he quickly examined a softly glowing piece of what looked to be his shoulder armor.
"So what happened?" His voice snapped me out of whatever trance I had been in.
"What?"
He looks up from his equipment and fixes me with a deadpan look through the blue shield door. "The spec op. What happened? The last I remember was when he used his helmet to knock me out."
I remained silent for a moment, turning and looking at the small dried puddle of purple blood on the floor.
"I killed him."
My father stops his tinkering to look over to me, an odd expression on his face. "How?"
The scene flashed before my eyes again, the sangheili's curved intricate helmet facing me, his mandibles wide in a roar of challenge as he clutched his burnt hand. All it took was one twitch of my finger to end it.
"He was going to kill mom…"
The both of us remain quiet at that, the soft hum of the slipspace engine in the room nearby filling the quiet around us.
After a few moments, he breaks the silence. "Was it your first?"
Hesitating for a bit, I looked down to my hands, the three clawed fingers clenching and relaxing as my nervousness made itself known. I replied with the truth. "Yes."
"It won't be the last."
His blunt statement caused me to snap my head to him, finding him staring back at me with an unshakable expression. Opening my muzzle to ask the obvious question, I was interrupted when he continued.
"If you thought for a second that you were normal, you were sadly mistaken." He gets up from his spot amongst his armor and presses a hand against the shining energy of the shield door in between us, causing small ripples of light to surround his hand. "You are your mother's daughter, there's no doubt about it… but you are also mine as well."
Confused, I tilt my head to the side. "What do you mean?"
He laughs heartily as he gestures to the ship. "You crave the same things I do, I can see it clearly in your eyes. Adventure! Excitement! You think I am a pirate because of the pay and the danger? Bah!" At this he pulls out his plasma pistol and throws it at the bulkhead behind him before turning back to me, a stormy expression on his face. "The Covenant are a bunch of stuck up bigots too focused on the forerunners old tech to see the vast universe for what it is! Freedom!"
I giggle at the irony of his statement. Getting up from my spot on the floor, I walk over to the shield door and tap it a few times. "You don't look like you are a good example of freedom right now to me."
He levels me with the most deadpan expression he could muster. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up! I am stuck in a corner as my mate steals my ship and takes it to who knows where." A few seconds pass before his expression returns to its former seriousness. "But that's who you are Sohm. A mix between your mother and I. The unlikely union between a freedom loving brigand and the most deadly Kig-yar commando to ever join the Covenant."
Any thoughts I had quickly grind to a halt with his last sentence. Wait, what? Mom was the most deadly-
But before I could even open my mouth, he continued as if what he had just revealed was nothing of importance. "Honestly Sohm, the only thing that you could do that would surprise me, is if you turned out to be completely normal. You are destined for something far beyond either of us, you only need to see it for yourself."
"Mom was the most deadly Kig-Yar to ever join the Covenant?!" I practically yell out, still not believing his words.
Mother never talked about her service, always evading the topic whenever I brought it up. I always assumed it was because her injury brought her shame, or it was too painful to remember… but this?
Moruun blinks a few times before laughing loudly, going so far as to hold himself up by supporting his own weight by leaning against the shield wall. "She never told you? Oh Syma… You always did idolize those sangheili too much. I'm sure she didn't tell you because she wanted you to 'grow up more equal' just like the sangheili do."
The ship lurches suddenly, causing both of us to stumble. My father's armor sliding across the floor with a loud scraping noise as the two of us try to regain our footing.
My mother's voice rings out clearly through the ship, causing us both to listen closely.
"Sohm, you can let him out now. We are here."
((*v*)/)
Floating in the distance was the Covenant superstructure known as High Charity. From this distance, you almost couldn't make out the mushroom-like shape of the holy city.
"Are you sure you want to go back to that place? You left for a reason."
"As much as I don't want to, we have to. It's the only place we have left to go."
My father shuffled back and forth on his feet, wanting to say something but remaining silent. All of us knew what he wished to ask, but as much as he wanted it to be the case, mother was no pirate and it wasn't the life I wanted for myself either.
After a moment of tense silence between the three of us, my mother and I turned away from him and made our way to the gravity lift connecting our two ships together.
"You two know I love you, right?" Moruun's voice was soft, as if he was unsure of the words himself.
The both of us stopped just short of the gravity lift. My mother remained motionless for a moment, before turning and smiling brightly.
"I love you too, Moruun. Try and stay safe out there, would you? Maybe next time we see each other I can thank you properly for the rescue."
The male immediately loses all sense of bashfulness, and I could actually hear him growl. "Hopefully you can do a lot better than locking me in a corner then stealing my ship with me in it!"
Turning back around, my mother steps backwards into the gravity lift, leaving him with only one word before she disappears from view. "Borrowing!"
My father stomps his foot into the deck, groaning loudly. "Ugh! That female is infuriating!" He looks over to me and his face loses all traces of faux anger, replacing it quickly with mischievousness. "Sohm… When you decide to take a mate, quickly get what you want so you can move on and forget they exist. This whole 'we love each other so let's try to be equals' thing is not worth the effort."
Giggling, I rush over to give him a quick hug which he returns whole heartedly. The two of us remaining like that for a moment before I break it off.
"Stay safe out there, please?"
His eyes begin to warm as he smiles widely at me. "For you, my brave warrior princess? Anything."
Laughing one last time, I make my way over to the lift and step inside.
((*v*)/)
High Charity was not what I was expecting.
When we arrived, we managed to find a sort of permanent hangar for small ships in the lower docking of the Holy City before quickly gathering up as many of our belongings as we could carry without the carts. Leaving our ship behind for the time being, we made our way into the central spire that held the spaceport docks together.
In the middle of all the large hangars and refit stations on the lower stem of the city was a mass corridor of large gravity lifts leading into different portions of the city proper. Several hundred people from different races walked into different lifts and were lifted upward or downward. To most of them it seemed like this was a daily occurrence, leading me to believe this was the Covenant equivalent of a tram station.
Dad was right, this place is absolutely packed!
Walking over to a specific lift, my mother and I stepped in and I was immediately jerked upwards far stronger than I was used to.
Whizzing past open portions of the lift, I was treated to the sight of a carrier pulling closer towards the central stem for… something. As it came closer, I could see one of the tendrils littering the central stem reach out and connect to a part of the ship right before my vision was obscured by a wall.
Eventually, the lift spit us out in a large bright purple building that was absolutely crowded with different species of the Covenant all trying to get to their destinations. Before I could even fully examine my surroundings, my mother's arm pulled me towards an exit.
As we weaved through a large crowd of different races, I could hear overlapping conversations around me. Looking back and forth, I could easily notice that each respective race typically stuck to their own, with no examples as far as I could tell of any diverse groups. My examination of each crowd was cut short as my mother tugged me along.
"Stay close to me and keep your head down."
The moment we arrived outside, a sort of dreary depression set over me just from the atmosphere of the immediate environment. The city itself was well lit, but the lighting was from artificial sources, leading me to feel as if I was still inside. Looking up to the massive dome like ceiling overhead, I realized that I actually was.
Who would ever want to live here? It just feels so… unnatural.
Quickly making our way through the crowded streets, we walk for a few miles before we turn down a block and are greeted with the sight of an extremely tall blue building.
The surrounding area around the structure seems to only be populated by Kig Yar of different kinds idly chatting or going about their business, but it was only Rhuutian and Ibie'shan Kig Yar. No other T'vaoans seem to be in the area, making me and my mother stick out like sore thumbs.
Continuing to pull me along, my mother tucks her feathers in, trying to make herself smaller as she quickens her pace. Stumbling to keep up with her, I can see a few of the bystanders on the street begin to point in our direction. A few of them actually begin following us too, causing both of us to walk as fast as we could.
Eventually, we arrived at the large building and walked up to the entrance, where my mother typed on a command terminal for a few moments. The door opened in front of us allowing us to enter, before closing quickly behind us.
My mother sighing in relief, we slowed our pace and made our way into what appears to be a large lobby with even more gravity lifts acting as elevators. Mother led me past the few residents in the main lobby as she headed straight for a specific lift. Before we could reach it however, the hiss of the main door opening, and a sickly sweet voice rang out through the room from behind us. The sound of the voice alone caused a shiver to roll down my spine.
"Syma Bir."
Stopping dead in her tracks, my mother swears under her breath. Taking a slow moment to turn around, we were greeted with the sight of a very smug looking Ibie'shan jackal standing menacingly in the entryway we just came through. I couldn't help but notice that her needle-like quills were extremely unkempt and she smelled of rotten flesh.
Taking a deep breath, my mother squares her stance and begins to speak.
"What do you want, Yar?"
The newcomers bony maw morphed into an extremely large smile as she walked slowly towards us. "Well I heard a rumor that you were back in town, and I just wanted to… visit my old rival."
At this point, I was unnerved. The way she spoke to my mother was absolutely menacing.
"Yar, I don't have time for your games. Whatever you want, say it."
At this point, the Ibie'shan was directly in front of Syma. She was standing up straighter in an attempt to appear taller then my mother, but I could easily tell that the height difference was only because my mother was crouched over and ready for a fight.
"I heard you were… injured on your last tour? What an absolute shame. A stain on that perfect record of yours. I wonder what all of your sangheili friends would say now? Being crippled is a fate worse than death for them, no?"
Snarling and placing a hand on her plasma pistol, my mother stares back without fear. "If you think you have a chance in a fight against me and win, you are sadly mistaken. Slither back into whatever hole you came out of and leave me alone."
The newcomer didn't seem to be fazed by the threat, instead fixing her ruby red eyes on me instead. Somehow her chilling smile only grows wider at the sight of me, causing me to shift my weight from foot to foot.
"Don't you worry your pretty little feathers, Syma. I'm simply here to welcome you and your pretty little daughter… home."
With that, she turns and makes her way out of the building, leaving my mother and I standing in the middle of the lobby. A few of the people in the lobby were looking at my mother with different looks, some with amazement and some with an assessing, hungry eyes.
Gripping my arm, my mother quickly guided me into a lift. Shooting up several floors, we eventually arrive at an empty corridor with several large high tech doors lining the hall. We make our way down until we arrive at one of the doors, and mother presses a command button on the door, and it slides open. I idly note that the door was made of a few inches of thick metal.
We walk in, and the first thing I see is dusty cushions lying on the floor in a room around an area that is obviously meant for food. There is a small cold room meant for food and two open entryways leading into different rooms and a large window on the far wall. All in all, the place was small.
"Damn it." My mother says, dropping the packs onto the floor, and walks over to one of the cushions, motioning me to do the same. "Please sit down Sohm, there are a few things we need to talk about.
Walking over to the older T'vaoan, I sit down next to her.
"As you can most likely tell, this place isn't exactly the most safe place in the galaxy. Anytime you leave the apartment, take a weapon and leave anything valuable here unless absolutely necessary."
Tilting my head, I asked the obvious question. "Why did we come here if it is so dangerous?"
"Because at the very least here, I know what threats to look out for. Out there in the galaxy…" she trails off, looking deeply sad for a moment as she wrings her hands. "I hope Moruun is safe out there. I've never seen the Ministry of Preservation crack down that hard on rebellion before…"
Thinking back to the fleeing crowds and plasma bombardments, I shivered. My parents managed to keep cool through all that chaos and destruction, staying focused enough to form a plan and escape. Everyone was running and just trying to survive, and yet my two parents got me out of there safely without even flinching at the danger. Even through all my training, when I was finally faced with the true nature of war, I was still just a scared little hatchling.
I need to be stronger.
((*v*)/)
We have been here for about a week now, and during this time mother has bought me some black metal armor to protect me if I ever am attacked. The surprising part about the protective layer was that it did not restrict my movements as much as I thought it would. The undersuit that the metal plating was strapped to enhanced my strength a small amount to make up the difference in weight.
I eventually worked up the courage to ask my mother about her supposedly being the most deadly Kig yar commando in existence, to which she sat me down and explained what my father meant.
Her record was exemplary, no doubt about it, but her success came with consequences. The better she got, the more enemies she made both within and without the Covenant. Everything from jealous rivals to angry pirates.
She didn't tell me while I was growing up l because she didn't want me to go down the same road as her, fighting all the way up to the point where she had to physically hide herself away from all of the enemies she made in order to raise a child.
In the end though, that is exactly what we did. Afraid for our safety if we were to leave, we stayed holed up in our apartment for a week in an attempt to let things cool off outside. Yar's menacing greeting had a very specific meaning, and it was one we were listening to.
'Watch your back, I will be watching you.'
Over time, I realized that sitting in this apartment holed up with my mother isn't a very good use of my time, so I have decided to explore the city a little bit even despite the danger it presented. Surprisingly enough, my mother was all for it, saying that it was about that time that I started making my own way and that her enemies don't have to scare me out of living my life.
"Be careful out there Sweetling."
Strapping the carbine to my back, I made my way to the door. "Don't worry mom, you trained me well."
Seeing my mother's bright smile coming from inside the apartment, I smile in return, trying to make myself seem more confident then I actually am.
I make my way outside, the metal door sliding shut behind me. This is my first time going anywhere alone, and it's left me a bit nervous. If anything happens now, it would be up to me and me alone.
((*v*)/)
Walking outside, I try to ignore the crowd of Kig-Yar around me as I make my way down the streets, taking in the sights around me. The lower city was littered with large skyscrapers that seemed to poke upward everywhere around me. Most of the buildings seemed both ancient and new at the same time as the signs of wear and tear was clearly shown, but the buildings remained sleek like everything else in the Covenant.
Peering around for a direction to walk in, I notice the crowd making an extremely wide berth for a silver clad sangheili makes his way down the walkway to my right. Confused as to the spectacle, I try to get a closer look.
The moment I stop to examine the elite, his silver grey eyes lock onto me and he begins walking toward me slowly. Deciding that if an entire crowd of jackals don't want to be near that elite, I didn't either.
Picking a direction and walking randomly, I try to keep a mental map of what direction home is. Thankfully there are signs pointing to specific districts, so I could always find those to make my way back to the general area.
As I made my way down the street, I looked behind me, only to find the elite was nowhere in sight. Relief flooding me that I wasn't being followed, I turned and continued walking.
Eventually, after a while, I ended up near an absolutely massive factory with a large purple wall surrounding it. There was a large pipe pumping… something into the main facility as a large plume of blue plasma fire shot out from a tall stack. Looking around, I found a few unggoy workers walking around in some kind of bright green uniform making their way toward the massive buildings. Making the decision just to ask someone nearby where I was, I walked over to one. Idly I note that they appear much less threatening than when I was training with the holograms.
"Excuse me, what is that building?"
Startled, the unggoy quickly turns around and immediately I could tell that his guard was up. Looking at me suspiciously, he takes a step back. "Umm. You mean the forges?"
Holding my hands up to try and placate the worker, and thankfully the gesture works. I do see him keeping a close eye on the carbine clipped to my back however.
I tilt my head. "The forges? What are those?"
His uncertainty is replaced with bewilderment, as if he was completely taken aback that I didn't know. "The assembly forges… they make the parts for all the heavy machinery in the Covenant. From ships to scarabs."
My mouth fell open, turning my head to look back at the huge factory. Even as I began studying it more closely, I couldn't see how it could do such a thing. "How?"
The grunt perks up at my question. "Looking to become an artisan armorer are you? It's hard work, and you have to be really smart to do it." He puffs his chest out to make himself taller but unknown to him, as his chest angled upward his methane tank tilted backward making him slightly shorter. Moving my hand to my muzzle to prevent a giggle from escaping, I look at the smug looking alien before me.
Unggoy are adorable, how did I ever think they were scary?
"No, no. I'm just exploring the city looking for the sights I suppose. I've never been here before and just stumbled on them." I saw a large beetle-like machine moving up and down the side of the factory.
The unggoy perks up at the knowledge. "Oh! Welcome to the Holy City! I have lived here all my life… I can't imagine living anywhere else!" He seems to think for a moment before he nods and looks at me, all traces of fear gone. "It must just be that the city's population of Kig-yar that are so mean. You seem like a nice person."
Smiling, I nod. "I like to think I am. My name is Sohm 'Bir. What's yours?"
He perks up, his small beady eyes forming into upwardly curved crescents as he smiles beneath his gas mask. "My name's Yabdab. Unggoy armorer at your service!" He bows dramatically, causing him to topple over from the weight of his pack. After a small thump, I am treated with the sight of an unggoy flailing around on the ground like a turtle that was placed on its back.
Unable to contain my laughter, I walk over to help the flailing grunt up.
Dusting his uniform off, he sends me another one of his little eye-smiles. "Thank you lady Sohm. These things can get a bit heavy." He gestures to his methane pack.
"No problem Yabdab."
A loud alarm suddenly blares throughout the area, causing my new friend to tense up. He looks down to a small holographic device on his wrist before swearing under his breath. "I'm sorry Sohm, but my break is over. I have to get back to work now. Since you are looking for the sights, I recommend seeing the hanging gardens that line the outer dome… just find one of the towers and make your way up. In my opinion, they have the best views in the entire city." With that, the little grunt turns and waddles his way toward the now growing mass of workers filing into the factory.
Smiling at the grunt's words, wave my goodbye. "I think I will. Thank you."
Looking up to the dome, I could see several large towers littering the side of the structure. In between each tower were several bridge-like platforms that even from here I could see plant life growing in.
Smiling, I begin walking toward the nearest tower.
((*v*)/)
Making my way across a gravity bridge, an odd sense of déjà vu filling me, though I didn't know why.
I found it rather odd that a location such as this wasn't crowded. The moment I arrived at one of the lift towers, I found it almost completely empty with only a few unggoy and a silver clad elite casually leaning against a wall inside. Since then, I have walked through a few beautiful fish ponds kept in a sort of natural park.
Softly landing on a glowing blue pad, I look in front of me to see two walkways leading around a building. Deciding to take the path closest to the dome surrounding the city, I casually walk towards my destination.
Looking out to the dome, I expect to see a massive rock wall before me, but instead I am met with the normal metallic plating filled with a honeycomb of braces. Considering that this city is thousands of years old, the fact that it wasn't just a giant shell of a moon isn't very surprising to me. Rock is easy to crack, and would just let in the vacuum of space.
Realizing there isn't very much else to see from my position except an old damaged wall, I continue onward. The sense of déjà vu still hasn't gone away, and I feel like I should know this place.
Rounding a corner, I am treated to the sight of an artificial creek flowing between six metal arches. The spray from the water falling from an opening on a wall leading farther into a small drain farther down.
There were several platforms where various plants were growing, and from my spot on the walkway, I could see small droplets of water raining down in a straight line to a platform below where a large garden of hanging plants greedily soaked up the hydration. The plants seemed to fall forever in a swaying line of foliage.
From here hundreds of feet in the air, I could easily see the massive forerunner ship that makes up the central point of the Covenant religion with the bright glowing lights of the golden city that surrounds the caltrop-like ship illuminating the area creating an atmosphere of divine light. The Assembly Forges and lower city sprawled out around the spectacle below me as I look over the edge.
Looking around, I found myself completely alone, not a soul in sight. Deciding I wanted to get a better view, I made my way to one of the arches overtop of the artificial creek and made my way on top of it. Looking out over the massive city below, I try to use my vision to pick out where my apartment was.
Searching for a few minutes, I spotted the tall blue building among the one of the Kig yar sectors. Immensely proud of myself for finding it, I celebrate by taking two of my talons and pretending to squish it.
"Having fun?"
"Aah!"
Falling off the archway and into the creek, I am soaked to the bone with freezing water. Scrambling to get out, I end up splashing water all over the place in my mad dash to get to dry land.
After only a second or so, a large hand grips my arm and pulls me out of the cold water. I flop down onto the metal floor, sputtering for a moment as I try to get the water out of my eyes. Thankfully due to my new armor, or more specifically the undersuit, the chill doesn't stay very long, as the only thing that remains wet is my head and feathers.
Looking up to thank whoever pulled me out, I open my mouth only for the words to die in my throat. I am met with the sight of one of the largest jiralhanae I have ever seen, his large furry form absolutely towering over me. He had to be nearly as tall as a hunter!
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to startle you." A deep rumbling voice came from the brute as his crimson red eyes examined me from above. "Are you hurt?"
How did I miss him? I swear he wasn't here a moment ago!
His words suddenly reached my floundering brain, I responded with the best response I could. "Um… No."
The massive brute smiles, revealing his many sharp teeth before he turns around and sits down on the floor amongst a pile of assorted technology. After taking his seat, he turns his head to give me one last look before he picks up one of the glowing devices and begins to tinker with it.
Analysing the brutes position for just a moment, I realize that one of the arches blocked my view of him when I first arrived.
Standing up, I stay a safe distance away from the behemoth sitting peacefully on the floor. Remembering all my time training with the holograms, I remember my best advantage against any jiralhanae was speed and precision. Assessing the threat, I notice he does not have any head protection, so a clean shot through his eyes would leave me victorious if he becomes violent.
After a moment of the brute continues to ignite me, seemingly content to tinker with his assorted technologies. I begin to feel a bit bad about sizing him up for a fight.
All he did was startle me a bit… and he apologized didn't he?
Making my way around the hanging garden to get a better view of what he was doing, I am met with the sight of a disassembled combat harness. It looks to be of sangheili design, and the brute appears to be using some kind of soldering iron to fix a piece of it.
After a moment of silence, I decide to speak up. "Thank you for pulling me out of the water."
The brute shuts the tool off and looks up to me, his toothy smile filling his face again. This time it appears much less menacing as he responds. "My pleasure. It was my fault for startling you in the first place anyway."
Completely taken aback by the polite response, the two of us stand there in an awkward silence.
The brute sets his tool onto the ground and turns to me fully. Even while sitting down the massive creature was eye level with me, making me feel a bit uncomfortable.
"What are you doing up here little kig-yar? This spot is usually abandoned… Not that I don't appreciate the company." As he spoke, his deep rumbling voice became a contrast to the soft running water of the garden.
Thinking on the question for a moment, I see no harm in just telling him the truth. "I recently arrived in the city and set out to do a bit of exploring. One of the unggoy workers I met said the hanging gardens had the best view in the city, so…"
The brute gestures to the vast city below. "He certainly wasn't wrong. It's partly the reason I am up here, that's for sure."
Tilting my head, I decide to ask the obvious question. "And the other reason?"
The brute lifts the combat harness in front of him, using one of his massive arms to heft the piece of heavy metal upward with seemingly no resistance whatsoever. "I can work in peace up here. Everyone always visits the gardens near the Hierarch's chamber and the Mausoleum, leaving the ones like this on the far side of the dome unoccupied."
Looking back down to the assorted technology scattered along the floor. "What are you doing anyway?"
A deep rumbling sound reverberated from the brute as he began shaking. He bangs a large hand loudly against the ground causing me to snap back into my training. Squaring my stance, I nearly reach for my carbine until I realize something.
He's laughing.
After a moment, the brute finishes his small bout of hysterics. "My, you are a curious one aren't you?" He picks up a small device from the pile before tossing it to me.
I carefully catch the strange device before lifting it up to examine it more closely. It appeared to look like a small metallic teardrop with a soft glowing blue activation rune.
The baritone voice of the brute speaks up. "Go ahead, try it."
Looking over to his crimson red eyes, I see no reason not to trust the surprisingly nice brute. Switching my gaze back down to the device, I do as he said.
Woah.
The moment I pressed the activation rune, I saw my body fade into nothingness. I moved my arm in front of my face and waved it, seeing the tell tale signature of active camouflage.
Reaching down, I pressed the rune once more and I returned to the world of the visible.
The brute decides to speak up the moment I reappear. "I am fixing broken equipment. Most of the damaged gear that comes back from combat, ends up getting scrapped for parts and thrown into a big pile next to the Sacred Promissory, but a lot of what they throw out can easily be fixed." He picks up a smashed needle rifle for emphasis. "It isn't the most glorious job in the galaxy, but it settles my thirst for engineering and pays for my actual hunger."
A jiralhanae that likes engineering rather than bashing someone's face in? Now I've seen everything.
The brute seems to slouch over, sighing loudly. "Yes, my clan seemed to think the same thing, which is why they banished me and left me in the slums."
Blinking for a moment, my face flushed violet as I realized I said that out loud. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
Waving his massive hand. "It is alright. You're not the one from a society that glorifies violence and vilifies free thinking."
Chuckling, I smile up at the large jiralhanae in front of me. "No, I'm just the one from a society of pirates and self centered mercenaries."
The two of us stare at each other for a few moments before we begin to laugh, happily enjoying each other's presence.
Walking over to the brute, I look down at the active camouflage module before handing it back to the brute, looking up at the towering form without fear. "My name is Sohm 'Bir, what's yours?"
The brute gives me yet another toothy smile as he places a massive hand on my shoulder, giving me a gentle squeeze. "It's been a pleasure Sohm 'Bir, I am Timore."
((*v*)/)
I stayed up on the hanging gardens for the rest of the day, chatting the day away with my new friend. After a while, we shared our stories with each other.
It turns out that Timore was from a small clan on Doisac, and that when he was growing up he excelled at everything the clan threw at him. His size and strength make every task easy.
But it wasn't what he wanted to do. He loved technology, so he started to fight less and focus on inventing. He began using the new Covenant technology that began arriving on Doisac to create his own contraptions, and it got to the point where he won any fights that came his way without even needing to stand up.
His clan, however, thought that his inventions were shameful, and banished him for it. His chieftain dropped him off in the lower city near the forges and left him there.
What they didn't see, that I could see very clearly, was that Timore was a once in a lifetime genius. He showed me a few of the gadgets he made using spare parts and broken equipment that made the Covenant standard arms look like pop guns. Sadly he couldn't sell them anywhere in High Charity, the prophets making sure that any advancements in tech were closely monitored.
It turns out he actually lives up there in the hanging gardens, using one of the overhangs as a small den that he lives in. He showed me his shoddy welding job, and I was actually rather impressed. If you were not looking for it you would never have found it, but once you did it looked like a house was somehow sticking to one of the many walls.
After a while, the lighting became dimmer signaling it was becoming night time. Saying farewell to my newest friend, I began the long trek home.
Walking down one of the many streets of the lower districts, I scanned my surroundings to find the area deserted. The uneasy feeling of someone watching me filling my senses, though I could not see anyone.
Thinking about my mother, I know she is probably worried sick about me being out so late, but all I could do is continue walking to the correct area.
Thankfully, we had shelter in the form of the apartment so I didn't have to worry about my mother being in a similar situation.
During my walk back, I have begun to think about my situation. I can't stay with my mother forever, and waiting for the Covenant to begin the war with humanity isn't an option, so I needed to figure out some way to alter the events that are coming.
I could try and kill one of the prophets… but as of right now, the current Hierarchs aren't anyone I recognize, meaning that the ones who are in charge during the war haven't ascended yet. The chances of finding the exact right person in the golden city without being caught by the honor guards and executed was so unbelievably low, that the idea wasn't even worth considering.
I could try to start an uprising, but so many others have tried and failed before me that I didn't exactly like my odds.
Or I could join the Covenant, and try to gain enough power and influence the events directly.
That thought left a bitter taste in my mouth. Not even a few days ago, I witnessed a fleet of ships led by the Covenant wipe out a city with orbital bombardments and fighters. I know what the Covenant is fully capable of and what will be coming next, so just the idea of becoming a part of it…
Not to mention, the chances of a Kig-Yar getting enough power to do anything worthwhile is very slim.
Turning down another one of the many walkways among the lower districts, I continue to make my way home. Crossing over a long walkway in between two buildings, I can see two Ibie'shan jackals making their way down from the other side of the bridge.
Thinking nothing of it, I walk for a few more moments before I get a bad feeling in my gut. Turning around, I can see two more behind me, both armed with metal bars and blocking my exit.
Feeling my blood start to freeze at the implication, I go to draw my carbine.
Only to feel nothing there
"Ah ah ah, can't have you usin' your gun, now can we?" A sly voice came from behind me, causing me to flip back around again.
After a moment of seeing nothing, I see a ghostly form of an Ibie'shan slowly fade into existence a few feet away, my weapon in his hands as he gives me a smug smile.
"Yar paid us pretty well to rough your pretty little face up a bit." With that, he tosses the gun off of the overpass and into the depths below before pulling out a metal rod. "Be a dear and stay still would you?"
Taking a quick moment to analyze the situation, I found that the surrounding area was completely barren. I was on an overpass leading to a very large drop, but other than that it was a completely open walkway. Nowhere to flee, nowhere to hide, and nothing that I can use as cover. All things considered it was the perfect spot for an ambush.
And I walked right into it.
"Hey! You! Your Syma's baby daughter right?" One of the jackals yells out from behind me, causing me to turn around yet again to find him. I see a ruuhtian hefting his pole into the air menacingly, causing adrenaline to course through my blood. "Come here, would you? We just want to have a quick… talk."
Out of options, nowhere to go, and knowing full well he didn't want to just have a chat, I made up my mind, and gave him exactly what he wanted.
Hearing the one who used camouflage start to move behind me, I decide to take the initiative and begin the fight before they could. Using as much of the element of surprise as I could, I launch forward, sprinting towards the ruuhtian. Quickly speeding along the overpass, I slammed into the jackal with a shoulder tackle knocking him to the ground, causing the metal weapon to clank loudly against the ground.
Hearing the others nearby begin to run, I scramble for the metal bar, gripping it tightly in my hands and spinning around. In my current position I did not have to worry about anyone sneaking up behind me, assuming that they didn't have any more backup.
I could run pretty easily, but then they would just find another day to attack me, and as it was I know their motive. They were definitely paid goons sent by Yar to rough me up in an attempt to get to my mom. If I fight them now and win, it will send a message that I'm not someone to be messed with.
And my mother didn't train me to be a coward.
I count five.
Keeping close track of their movements in my head, I realize I have a few moments before the three that were on the other side of the overpass reach me. Quickly glancing down to the ruuhtian who was still getting up from my shoulder tackle, I swing the metal pole as hard as I could into his back, sending him groaning into the ground.
Four.
Hearing the sound of displaced air whistling toward me, I duck as quickly as I could feeling the rustling of my feathers as something hard passes over me. Looking to my right, I see another ibie-shan thrown off balance from his swing missing.
Spinning around, I hook my foot around his leg and pull, causing him to tumble toward me. Standing up, I swipe my blunt weapon across his face with a loud pang, eliminating the threat.
Three.
Suddenly, I am knocked to the side as a form impacts me from the direction of the overpass, throwing my pole from my grasp. Rolling for a few moments, I quickly realize that someone latched themselves onto me and is using their claws to try and remain that way. Regaining my bearings after a moment, I find that I can't move my arms as they are being bound by the assailant. Unable to think for even a moment, every second I wasted allowed the other two thugs to close the distance and even the odds, I went for the one strategy that I know will work.
I knee him as hard as I could squarely in between his legs.
Two.
The pressure holding me in place vanishes immediately as I hear a loud screech above me. Quickly throwing him off, I pry his weapon from his hands and bring it up just in time to meet the strike of another ruuhtian.
Quickly finding where the remaining two attackers were, I found them both charging at me headfirst, not bothering to even try and flank. These were obviously underpaid thugs and not trained mercenaries.
Slipping quickly under his guard, I ignore my metal weapon and punch him as hard as I could in the throat. A choking gag sounding out from his mouth as he drops to the floor, clutching his neck, his weapon clattering loudly to the floor and rolling behind me.
One.
Turning to the last one, I grip my pole with two hands and quickly swung my pipe as hard as I could, meeting his swing with nearly twice the force flinging his weapon off to the side. The jackal appears completely stunned at this as he looks around finding all of his comrades sprawled on the ground in various heaps.
He turns and runs, causing me to sag in relief as I start laughing.
"Yeah, you better run! Go and tell Yar that she can-"
Thwack!
My celebrations were cut short as a sharp pain wracked my back. Falling forward, I cry out before hitting the ground, though thankfully I still kept my grip on my weapon.
Move!
Instincts taking over, I rolled to the side only to hear the loud sound of a metal object impacting the ground next to me. Looking up, I can see it is the ruuhtian that I shoulder tackled. I obviously didn't do enough damage to incapacitate him when I hit him in the back, and now I was paying for it dearly.
"Not so funny now, is it?" He snarls, before lifting the pole upward in preparation for another swing.
Trying to time my strike perfectly, I swing my own makeshift weapon at the same time he does, causing the attack to go wide and strike the ground next to me. Scrambling to my feet, I grip the pole with both hands as I try to ignore the throbbing pain in my back.
If I wasn't wearing the armor mom bought me, that would have done a whole lot more than just hurt.
Taking a moment to study my opponent, I found that he has a bit more muscle on his bones then the others. Trying to disarm him like I did the one before won't work the same way. I needed something different.
As we circled each other, my foot bumps into an object which clatters loudly. Taking a quick moment to look down, I found that it was my original weapon. Looking back up, I could see my opponent also noticed my attention, and his muscles tensed.
As fast as I could, I bent over to scoop the weapon up and get it into my off hand, I brought my first pole up just in time to meet my opponent's swing, his large eyes widened in horror as he saw my smile.
Thwack!
He dropped to the floor as his face became an excellent imitation of roadkill.
Carefully examining every single one of my opponents to make sure I was actually victorious this time, I find that the one who grappled me was slowly getting up. Deciding to nip that right in the bud, I walk over and kick him in the chest, dropping him right back onto the floor.
I need to get home before this somehow gets worse.
Turning back down the overpass, I prepared myself to sprint all the way back to the apartment.
"Not bad. Your situational awareness could use a bit of work…"
Spinning around with my makeshift pipe at the ready, I am met with the sight of a silver clad elite. He is bent down, examining some of my victims casually.
"...but soundly defeating five armed opponents in close quarters combat when caught in an ambush without a weapon? Color me impressed."
Looking this elite up and down, I could immediately tell I am far out of my league. Everything about this sangheili screams danger. From his relaxed posture despite my tense stance, to the energy sword strapped casually to his hip.
"Umm, thanks…"
Grunting, he walks over to me, stepping over the groaning jackals before stopping only a few feet away from me. He fixes me with old stormy grey eyes as he continues. "I don't get impressed very often, you know. What you just did was well executed. All signs pointed to you losing that fight, and yet you defied the odds and came out victorious. I would, at the very least, like to know your name young warrior."
"Why do you want my name? Am I in trouble?" I asked, confused.
The elite's mandibles twitch. Sadly I don't know the Sangheili facial ques nearly well enough to translate why. "You are not in trouble for defending yourself and your honor young one, I would merely like to know your name for my personal curiosity and future reference."
After a moment, I found no harm in telling him my name. "...My name is Sohm 'Bir."
Nodding, the elite placed his fist over his chest and bowed his head slightly in respect. "Well met Sohm 'Bir. My name is Bero 'Kusovai. May you bring honor to your clan and kin."
And with that, the elite turns on his heel and leaves.
I really need to get home. This day keeps getting weirder and weirder.
Turning around, I sprinted as fast as I could, intent on doing just that.
—Author's Note—
Hey guys, my thumbs hurt.
In case it isn't clear, I don't actually have a computer and I'm writing this whole fanfic on my phone in between work shifts… and I wrote 6700 words of this chapter on the day that I'm posting it. (I really need to get a laptop.)
Anyway, time to talk about what happened.
So, Sohm met four new people today, some of which will stay a part of the fic, and some won't. But the main thing is, only two of them were actually OCs. Can ya guess which two were OCs and which two weren't?
The hanging gardens are actually something you fight your way through in halo 2, during the level gravemind. I tried to describe it as well as I could, while adding a few parts that seemed more fitting for the description of the story. (Actual plants rather then patches of dead grass and the like.) I spent about 2 hours today just standing there listening to cortana yell at me to continue forward while I admired the skyline and tried to visualize the scene correctly.
Also, I realize that the way I portrayed high charity isn't exactly 100% correct, but hey! It's FanFiction. I like mine better. That's the whole point.
And the very last point I want to make, Sohm has only played the games. She wasn't a deep lore fan (like I am) so I'm trying to keep her reactions limited to what you see in the games. That's why she had deja vu when she went to the gardens, but didn't know who the minister of fortitude was when pops mentioned him in the last chapter. (Spoiler alert, its Truth.)
I try to respond to every review that I can via PMs, so if you have reviewed in the last few chapters and want to actually get in contact with me, just check your PM slot. Responding in ANs gets tiring and it is kinda silly when authors write super long ANs responding to every little tidbit someone says. (I'm lookin at you Praetus Azrael Antairian) I won't be responding to guests for obvious reasons. (Can't Pm)
Also, incase you haven't seen, JTF posted a new Harry Potter story. If you are interested in it, just go to my favorites. Tryin' to give back to the one that helped me out and all that.
Please read review, follow and fav!