Chapter 15: Unconfirmed Reports.
In the five years since my contract started, I have grown considerably. The meek little hatchling leaving my mother's side for the first time was gone, now replaced with a hardened warrior.
During my time serving in Rtas's lance, I fell into a steady routine.
Most of my time was spent training with Bero which would occasionally be interrupted by missions or duties.
At the beginning, we didn't remain on Sanghelios for too long. Eventually our ship had to move on to patrol one spot or another in Covenant controlled space.
We managed to replace the ranks of warriors lost during the disastrous raid against the rebellious brute pack as a new group of unggoy flooded into our ranks. Each of them were very skittish, and I could tell that they were not exactly the most combat capable.
It made me wonder exactly what the requirement to join for an unggoy was, because at times it looked like they were used as disposable distractions on the battlefield. The thought made me a bit sick, and I tried to do my best to keep those under my command safe.
Since no other kig yar were transferred to the lance, I was the de-facto commander of all the unggoy. When the first new batch arrived, rumors spread by a particularly skittish group of them began to circulate between their ranks that I was actually the reason that the previous ranks were wiped out, and despite my initial reassurance most of them believed them.
Thankfully, as we began to pick up duties and missions once again, the rumors died down as I did my absolute best to keep them alive. Fatalities among our lance were low as I kept them mostly in line and kept a close watch over them with my rifle during any firefight.
I felt like an odd version of a guard dog watching over sheep at times, using my accuracy with a sniper or a carbine to keep any enemy we encountered away from my flock of easily startled unggoy.
After missions, I returned to getting pummeled by my slave driver of a mentor.
When I started my initial training, Bero had me practice my defensive stances and reactions using wooden poles and unarmed strikes in order to simply get me used to the motions in order to make any reaction muscle memory. Eventually, I managed to defend myself to his satisfaction and we moved on.
After that, the sangheili swordsman had me practicing my control over my sword. It turns out that keeping a near weightless blade in the exact position you want it was a lot more difficult than I thought. Months of grueling exercises working on simply keeping the blade exactly where I wanted it to be and preventing any wrong motions was honestly some of the most frustrating work I have ever done.
It didn't help that his idea of keeping the blade exactly where I wanted it to be was to draw a line on a stick, then throwing it at me. If I didn't cut the exact point where the line was, I had to try again. Over swinging and touching the ground or any other object I was not supposed to cut with my blade at any point was an instant failure, and if I hesitated or allowed a single muscle twitch in the wrong direction, we started again from the control exercises I began with.
Thankfully, my keen eyesight and quick reflexes made the task hard, but not impossible. Eventually, I managed to control my motions enough to meet Bero's standards. The precise movements and control I gained over my sword even when cutting into objects becoming second nature to me now.
And then we moved onto duels with live blades.
The thing that surprised me the most was when our swords clashed for the first time.
It turns out, when two energy swords clash, the two magnetic fields rupture and the superheated gas carefully contained within the sword's blade escapes in a small explosion of hot plasma. I ended up becoming extremely thankful for my promotion to murmillo, as the wrist mounted shields allowed me to shrug off most of the damage.
Most of it.
It initially threw me off a bit to be using my sword against an actual opponent again during training. While I have used it many times on the field of battle, it was mostly used as a last resort as an overly large melee surprise for anyone who came too close, albeit a high tech and deadly one.
I was a bit baffled at the start of this new training when Bero told me to attempt to attack him with Destiny without holding back, but when we started, even after all the previous training I went through, I couldn't even land a blow against him.
Though, to my excitement, neither did he land one against me.
While, over time, I have become very good at dodging and countering, the gap between the two of us when I first started this training was a bit too large to overcome in a short period of time. Even though I have closed the skill gap between us significantly since I started, Bero has been doing this for decades at this point and it definitely showed.
My skill with keeping my body as agile, flexible, and swift made landing any direct blow against me extremely difficult. My precision in the air while jumping has also improved enough for me to use it consistently in a fight without being caught flat footed when I land. It wasn't uncommon for me to utilize my particular biology to perform maneuvers around my opponent by jumping or flipping around them.
Bero often joked that if I was given a jump pack, I might launch myself into orbit, something that I promptly tested and immediately regretted on the extremely long fall down.
Over time, Bero coached me on offensive tactics. Searching for openings, exploiting terrain, and swift strikes were mixed in with my former lessons as I learned how to balance the two. Constant reminders and losses were followed quickly by the stoic but warm tone of my mentor each time, teaching me my failures and how to overcome them.
Though the master swordsman was still ending almost every fight between us in a stalemate or draw, I have not been cut by his sword once. His masterful control over his weapon showed when we first began our training clearly as he practically danced around me in my attempts to win any of our bouts.
Thankfully I am a whole lot better now than I was when I started the duels. I could easily tell that I have become proficient with my blade as he has been slowly holding back less and less over time. My shoddy and unbalanced attempts at keeping the proverbial unstoppable force from landing a hit have morphed into expertly performed dodges and speedy counterattacks which proved to be effective against even him.
Sadly, no matter how hard I try to win, it just simply never mattered since he somehow always managed to pull off some expert counterattack or dodge that turns anything I think might be a victory into yet another disappointment.
He really was in a whole different league from me even all these years later.
In the short periods I had to myself in between my training and missions, I spent either exploring the many planets our ship patrolled, or taking the time to learn Float's sign language. While we could communicate via my optics, I still thought it would be interesting to figure out the huragok language out of curiosity. The non verbal communication was not something that a lot of people knew, and it ended up being rather fun to learn.
It turns out, his name was actually Sinks Frequently, but I thought it was a rather depressing name so I continued to call him Floats. Thankfully, he didn't seem to be opposed to the nickname when I brought up the idea.
The main issue I always had with the engineer was that he continuously tried to heal me at every occasion he could, even trying to use logic to trick or convince me that it would be okay or that we wouldn't be caught, but Bero made it rather clear that I was not to see out medical attention while he was still training me and I wasn't about to go back on my word, much to the huragok's frustration.
A few times, the excitable engineer even followed me into the training field. During our first time training with the huragok present, Bero's first attack against me was deflected by a hastily raised purple energy shield.
It felt weird, knowing that I am supposed to feel an impact or pain, but not even feeling so much as a nudge. I thought that maybe being shielded would feel similar to getting hit but somehow less painful, but honestly it was unnerving the first time as the entire kinetic impact of the strike was absorbed by the shield, leaving me a bit stunned at the lack of any physical input from my senses.
It was still better than getting kicked in the chest by an elite though.
Predictably, Floats wasn't allowed to help me any more after the event, much to his disappointment.
As the years came and went, our ship was deployed to random spots all over Covenant controlled space. We were sent all around the galaxy, from patrolling the borders of the Covenant empire to large sangheili colonies like Glyke.
During our travels, our lance was deployed occasionally to take care of one problem or another. Everything from underground black markets selling poisonous infusion to unggoy, terrorist plots against specific populations like bombing a marketplace or even attacking a prophet who was attending a diplomatic event came up.
I honestly didn't think the Covenant was so turbulent behind the scenes, but the closer you look, the more it made sense.
You can't just put seven drastically different people into the same society and not expect a few hiccups.
Over time, I have been slowly moving up the ranks, but recently Rtas seemed impressed with my skill in battle, and similar code of honor to his sangheili. With Bero's recommendation, he first promoted me to the rank of Murmillo, then eventually Champion.
My responsibilities essentially boiled down to either making sure the unggoy in our lance were organized enough to follow any of Rtas's orders, or helping the sangheili with ground assaults by providing tactical information to them while on sniper overwatch. There were a few times where I was assigned to follow behind the main assault lance into the field of battle, and I made sure to earn my wages when I was able to.
The shiny golden armor was definitely a surprise to me, but I quickly realized that it was a promotion in name only. At that point, I was already the highest ranking kig yar on the ship since most others didn't manage to outlive me or outlast me as I continued on with my rather lengthy contract, and the increased authority would only matter if we joined another lance in a coordinated mission which was something that did not happen very often.
It did make me feel better knowing that I outranked any unggoy or kig yar I came across though. More than once I have been questioned directly on the field of battle by someone else from a different ship who managed to get themselves killed for not listening to what I had to say.
The new armor itself had a few major upgrades to it though, which were very satisfying for me. The first of which was a significant increase to my strength and speed using some kind of technology I didn't quite understand. All I knew was that I could react quicker, punch harder, and run faster than I could before. I was also able to keep the point defense gauntlets, which definitely helped during my training days.
There was also a hologram system similar to the ones my mother used when I was a youngling attached to it. The misdirection potential in battle with those devices was near limitless, and I could see why t'vaoans were known for using them.
But still no stinking energy shields! Ugh!
The lack of shielding on the field of battle has caused me to gain quite a few scars and wounds over time. Several close calls with a particularly close shot from an enemy or a well thrown grenade has left ugly scars that dotted and etched spots all over my body. Thankfully I have remained otherwise whole from my engagements and it certainly helped to know that once my training was over, Floats has offered to heal them.
Many… many times.
Once Rtas found out about my particular talent for flying, I was also posted as air support on several occasions. I first needed to be retrained on the operations of the weapons, as the ones I fly back on the training facility were weaponless, but I learned quickly.
The devastating combination of sangheili special operators and close light air support on missions that allowed it was exhilarating. In the skies, flying above the chaos as I rain down plasma while protecting my allies left me feeling invincible each time I was able to do it.
Even though the feeling was there, I knew all it would take is one lucky enemy getting off a shot I wasn't prepared for to end it, and it was a fear I had in the back of my mind for a while now. I have seen sangheili charge headlong into battle, taking direct fire from multiple enemies in their attempts to close a gap with their swords, but I knew if I tried that, it would be the end of me.
Despite my frustration, my sword was a last resort. No matter how skilled I got with the blade, it was simply a means to defend myself if marksmanship wasn't enough. Despite that, I found myself wanting to be down with the sangheili as they charged into the thick of the enemy. No matter how well I performed with Destiny on the battlefield on the rare occasions I was able to use it, until I managed to get some kind of energy shielding to protect myself from small arms fire it was next to useless.
Don't bring a sword to a gun fight, unless you are bullet proof.
Due to my uncanny accuracy with most precision weapons, I was stuck as the designated marksman of our special operations division on most occasions. The position had its advantages at the very least. Since I had a birds eye view of most battles, I was able to watch and study battle strategy in real time.
Flanking maneuvers, charges, enemy weaknesses, and the like were all too visible to me from above. It brought a sense of order to all the chaos that happened in each of the battles. The chaotic mayhem that I saw initially became slowly easier and easier to navigate as I gained experience, be it above the firefight or in the thick of it.
This leads to the odd feeling of being in the eye of a storm sometimes. Chaos, mayhem, and pandemonium surrounding me as I remain alert, but calm, carefully reacting effectively to each threat as it came to my attention quickly and efficiently just as Bero taught me.
Many times I have thought back to my mother over the years, knowing she was alone in that apartment in High Charity all alone while I explore the vast galaxy around me. I knew I would visit her at the first opportunity I could, but that didn't help the growing feeling of guilt.
I knew that I only had about one or two more missions in my combat tour before my contract ended, filling me with a sense of anticipation I haven't really felt since I joined the Covenant. After my time was up, I would once again be jumping head first into the unknown.
Thankfully I have amassed a rather large amount of money during my service. The rank increases and base pay made me have a solid financial backing, which allowed me a bit of time to decide as to what to do once my contract ended.
The newfound freedom and financial stability didn't bring me much comfort. While I knew at some point the Covenant would declare war on humanity, I still had no clue when that would happen. The Hierarchs were still people I didn't recognize, and there was no talk of even expanding our borders other than kig yar missionary ships looking for new forerunner artifacts on the edges of Covenant controlled space.
As far as I could tell, the government's focus was keeping the rebellions down and spying on its own citizens. While concerning, it wasn't anything out of the ordinary from what I could remember of my history lessons.
All I need to do is survive the next month and I can form a plan then. Having a ship at the very least will help me tremendously.
(\(*v*)/)
Bringing my banshee around for another pass, I let loose a volley of plasma into the ranks of my enemies.
Passing quickly below me was an underground slavers den, run by a particularly nasty kig yar pirate queen. From my angle above the chaos, I could see several ibie-shan kig yar pirates all struggling to remain alive at the sudden onslaught we brought with us.
I could see several forced laborers taking whatever cover they could as my entire lance blitzed over a hill. Taking the time to mark each of the non combatants that I saw as friendly for our optical displays, I made a few more passes with my banshee before the small firefight was over.
This band of slavers is no match for our well organized military force.
Bringing my aircraft down slowly into a clearing, I landed softly on the wet rocky surface just as my lance finished rounding up the remaining survivors.
Pressing the release button for the hatch, the large canopy separated smoothly from the main body of the aircraft, allowing me to step outside.
I knew we were on one of the aquatic moons of Balaho, but that didn't quite prepare me for what I experienced.
Immediately, the moist air of the rain assaulted me as I regained my bearings. The chill from the cold air causes a shiver to roll through me even through my armor. The small fog of mist kicked up from the antigravity engines for my banshee managed to shroud absolutely everything around me in a thick mist and I immediately regretted not staying in the aircraft for a bit longer.
Looking around, I could see that many of the forced laborers were being herded out of a cave from a nearby cliff face and away from the destruction by some of my unggoy comrades.
Sights like this were familiar to me at this point as my many missions became blurred together. It was simply another duty to perform to protect those that couldn't protect themselves.
Finding Rtas standing near the opening of the facility, I begin to make my way over to him. The elite commander seemed to be examining each of the recently liberated slaves closely. Following his gaze, I gasped in horror.
Grouped into a pile was a mass of unggoy, all glancing around the area in obvious terror. All of them looked absolutely broken as they looked toward us in fear and confusion. I could see several wounds and scars from what looked like lines made from a whip and other blunt force trauma.
Some of them appeared to be significantly smaller than the rest as they stuck to some of the larger ones. A quick examination showed that even the smaller ones were not unmarked by scars and cracks in their chitin.
Children.
Feeling a newfound hatred toward whatever monsters did something like this, I turned back to the smoldering remains of the slavers, I felt no remorse as to my actions. Anyone who would do something like this deserved far worse than the quick death I gave them.
"Champion Sohm 'Bir."
Spinning back around to my commander, I see him gesture towards the group of recently released slaves.
"Round them up and get them to the gravity lift of the Clandestine Devotion. From there we will depart to Balaho to allow them to reintegrate back into their society."
Quickly glancing between the opening to the cave side facility, I tilt my head.
"Sir, what about the rest of the slavers?"
My commander thinks for only a moment before he answers.
"Second lance is sweeping the facility for any stragglers. From what I hear over the battle network, they should be done capturing them in just a few units."
Happy that we wouldn't be simply leaving them behind to repeat anything like this ever again, I gave a professional salute before making my way to the mass of former slaves.
The moment I approached, most of them seemed to flinch away from me. Their beady fearful eyes stared up at me from below. The terrified stares of the unggoy were a bit unnerving to me as I stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say.
Deciding to simply get this over with, I let out a hesitant sigh before I scratch the back of my head nervously.
"Hello, I am… Sohm…"
Immediately upon me speaking, the ones in the crowd closest to me seemed to scramble backwards onto themselves. The resulting domino effect of each person falling and flailing into each other resulted and the entire group descending into screeches of horror and pain.
"Devil!"
"Don't hurt us, please!"
Several high pitched yells from the people in front of me screaming for mercy and pain caused a shiver to roll down my spine.
"...'Bir."
Dropping my arm back down to where it belongs, I take a step back away from the group.
Why are they acting like this?
Waiting a moment for the group to calm down, I realize that even through all the chaos created by their panic, the grouping tried their level best to flee away from me only to stop when they realized there was nowhere to go.
Why are they so scared of me?
Thinking for a moment, I glanced around the clearing before spotting one of the bodies of the slavers. The body was smoking from plasma fire, but one thing stood out.
It was a kig yar.
Realization filled me as I looked to the unggoy guards that were keeping watch over the group. None of the former slaves appeared to be scared of the armed and armored grunts keeping them corralled, and yet they were absolutely terrified of me.
An idea forming in my head, I began to search for my unggoy sub commander.
Glancing around the clearing, I spotted a group of four special operations unggoy who were playing with some of the damp rocks along the ground. However, one of the grunts wasn't playing with the rest. Instead, he was looking towards the group of former slaves with a stern look on his face… or at least what little of his face I could see due to his gas mask. I knew immediately that this was who I wanted to talk to.
"Yakap, a word please?"
The stoic unggoy turned to meet my gaze head on. This unggoy was uncharacteristically stern for his race, and he liked to keep as organized as he could. The best way to describe him was a bit obsessive compulsive, but his odd tendencies were definitely a boon at keeping the normally high strung unggoy in line.
"Yes, Champion Sohm?"
Gesturing towards Rtas who was still standing in the open cave entrance, I began to explain.
"The commander wants me to round up all of the…" Pausing a moment to think of the correct word, I bring a talon to my chin before I continue. "Victims to the ship. I have a feeling they might be a bit more responsive and less hostile if it is you that escorts them rather than me considering everything they went through."
Seeing understanding of what I was asking, reaching the unggoy in front of me. He gave me a professional salute before turning back to his group and began barking orders.
Watching from the sidelines as my subordinate quickly organized the nervous unggoy away from the kig yar and formed two separate groupings which quickly began making their way to the ship.
Glancing back to the smoldering corpse, I wait for an emotion to fill me only to shake my head. I knew that I should feel some sort of regret or sadness for the loss of life, but nothing came.
I knew the change in attitude was the biggest change in my life over the last five years. The sometimes numb disregard for the lives of the ones I deemed enemies sometimes overtook me while aiming down the scope of my weapons.
It was something that bothered me. A feeling of wrongness each time I catch myself feeling it, but yet I couldn't justify why it was there. I have yet to go on a mission I disagreed with, and I knew that everyone I have fought against up to this point was a threat to society as a whole.
Terrorists, arms dealers, black markets, murderous cults…
Slavers.
I didn't quite know what to feel. At times, it looked like the constant swarm of evil was everywhere. Each place we went had a dark and foreboding corner that the rest of the world simply ignored or didn't know about.
And yet…
Each of the groups I fought against left a bitter taste in my mouth, even as I fired my weapons. I couldn't help but feel that they weren't actually evil no matter what they looked or acted like, but simply a failure of the society we lived in.
The black markets were a way to get goods that the Covenant simply wouldn't provide. With ruthless efficiency, we put a stop to each one we could find, and the items we found were intriguing each time. All of the contraband was confiscated. Some of the items, like weapons, for good reason, but when I saw crates of necessities like food and technology roll into our ship? It made me feel a pit of sadness knowing that someone was going hungry because of my actions.
The idea that those goods needed to be bought under the radar of the Covenant was just as disgusting to me as the black market organization itself.
Nonetheless, I did my duty calmly and without complaint. No matter my feelings, I knew that if we did nothing, then far more pain would come from our inactivity. Nothing good could come from plasma cannons going to who knows where.
Which led to my feeling of numbness.
At times, I wished for an enemy I deemed wholly evil instead of these infuriating grey areas. My former memories painted an idealistic picture that simply didn't line up with the reality I saw. These slavers were here because of their own misguided actions, no doubt about it, but the idea that these people would be guaranteed to end up here simply because they were evil the moment they hatched was an idea that I couldn't follow.
I felt like I was treating the symptoms, not the problem.
Sighing, I give the smoldering kig yar one last look before following my unggoy lance to my ship.
(\(*v*)/)
Watching as the skittish unggoy were huddled back into the gravity lift, I felt a bit happier knowing that they had a much better chance at happiness now.
No matter how frustrating it was dealing with them.
The last few hours had me holed up in one of the storage rooms on the cruiser, attempting to calm the group down and assure them that we were simply returning them home. A task I quickly found out was a lesson in futility.
No matter where I was, the group was on the opposite side of the room. It got to the point where I simply locked all the doors down and waited for us to reach our destination. Their irrational fear of me made it rather easy to get them to the gravity lift, as I just opened one of the doors and stepped to the other side of the room.
It still baffles me how stupid and skittish unggoy can be, while others can be brave and smart.
Shaking my thoughts off, I watched as the last grunt was slowly brought onto the lift and floated downward.
Sighing in relief, I turned and began making my way to my sleeping quarters, only to feel the ship begin to turn and accelerate.
That's strange, normally we wouldn't be leaving so quickly.
Ignoring the odd change in protocol, I return to my previous task. Opening one of the doors leading out of the gravity lift bay, I start my stroll to my room. Twisting and turning down familiar labyrinthian hallways, I pass by two sangheili officers having a conversation.
"Did you hear? There is another rebellion going on."
The other sangheili grunts, obviously dismissing the claim.
"It will fall like all the rest. Who is it this time? Unggoy?"
"No. From what I can discern, it is a sangheili rebellion." The officer seems to grow excited for a moment before he continues. "And we are being sent to quell it."
That caught my attention.
Stopping for a moment and shifting to look as if I am staring off towards nothing in particular, I pretend to be managing something on my optics as I eavesdrop.
"What? What reason could a sangheili possibly have to rebel against the Covenant?"
The first officer snarls, obviously disgusted with something.
"From what I could tell, he is staging a coup on his own Kaidon. Normally the Covenant wouldn't get involved, but apparently he is using Covenant ships and soldiers to do it."
The second officer growls, apparently feeling the need to show his bloodlust.
"Finally, a worthy challenge. I grew weary of only fighting small groupings of weak heretics."
Deciding this was my time to leave, I resumed my walk toward my sleeping quarters. Passing more and more idle conversations in the passageways of my ship, I ignore them all as I continue on.
If there is going to be a large scale rebellion going on, I need to be fully rested for when we arrive.
Reaching my room, I step inside. It doesn't take me long to strip myself of my armor before laying down on my nest.
While the day before wasn't particularly tiring, I found that it didn't take me very long to feel the siren's call of sleep begin to take me.
Before I could fully nod off, I heard the deep voice of the shipmaster call out from the ship's intercom.
"Attention all crew. Prepare yourselves for warp space jump."
Reflexively, I reach up and grab a sturdy handle that was placed on the wall near my nest. It was a bit odd that we would be leaving a post so suddenly, but I wasn't the shipmaster. Even if we were being sent to quell another rebellion, typically we still took our time.
Oh well, it isn't my responsibility to know our itinerary.
Feeling the ship vibrate a small amount before lurching, I let go and lay my head back down into the soft blankets as I attempted to get some rest.
Before I nodded off, only one thought cut through my mind before the blissful blackness of unconsciousness took me.
Just one more month.
(\(*v*)/)
I am left with stunned disbelief as I stare outside the shield door.
Floating lazily in space in front of me was High Charity. The Covenant's Holy City looks exactly the same as I left it. The ever-present fleet blue glows from the thousands of ships floating around the mushroom-like superstructure.
Watching as the Clandestine Devotion pulls in for a refuel, the lower tentacle-like spires of High Charity inched closer to the shield door in front of me.
When I first found out we were coming to High Charity, the first thing I did was request shore leave. Thankfully, I received permission from Rtas and was able to leave the ship. The normal precautions of keeping my communications on me was a given, as this wasn't our new post. It turns out we would not be staying very long as the only reason we were here was to refuel and restock for our other, more urgent posting. It was simply chance that the Holy City was the closest station.
Excitement and happiness filled me as I realized that this stroke of luck would allow me to visit both my mother and my jiralhanae friend again before my contract ends.
Slowly, I watched as the blackness of space was replaced with the dark internal hallway of the docking probe. A dull rumble went through the ship as we finally connected with the docking spire. The two shield doors on both sides holding steady for only a moment before they both dropped allowing entry
Smiling, I make my way into the newly created tunnel. Sliding past crates filled with all manners of supplies, I make my way toward the main spires.
Exiting the large tunnel, I take a moment to look around.
The central spire is exactly how I remember it being. The bustle and buzz of workers and travelers going about their day was constant. Nothing appeared to have changed in the slightest.
It felt almost surreal. Over the years I've changed so much, seen so many new things… yet when I returned back to where it all began, it appeared as if nothing had changed at all.
Shaking my head, I make my way toward the main gravity lifts. Finding the one that leads to the kig yar sector, I jump in. Even as I'm carried up into the superstructure, I am nearly shaking with excitement.
I wonder how mom will see me now? I wonder if she will even recognize me in my new armor. Technically speaking, I outrank her even before she left now.
Landing in the terminal, I swiftly exit and practically sprint towards the kig yar sector.
Passing street urchins, passerby's, and several groups of kig yar that appear to be gang members, I ignore them all as I make a beeline toward the large blue apartment building.
I can't wait to see her again! It's been so long… I hope she is alright…
Reaching the lobby door, I press the jumble of runes that open the entrance. Walking past the loitering tenants, I jump into the lift that leads to my mother's apartment.
I hope I have at least a day before I have to leave again. I know my contract ends soon, but the extra time I will be able to spend with mom will be a gods send. I missed her so much!
Finally reaching the door, I reach for the command console. Quickly typing in the jumble of buttons it takes to open the door, the portal hisses open and allows me to step inside.
Smiling the brightest smile I have had in years, I step inside.
"Mom! I'm home!"
After a moment, all I was greeted with was an eerie quietness.
"Mom?"
Blinking, I look around only for my smile to fade into a deep frown.
The apartment was as empty as I remember it being when I first arrived here. The cushions were dusty and the kitchen wasn't stocked. All around me was the signs of abandonment. It doesn't appear as if someone had been living here for some time now.
Feeling immensely disappointed, I feel confusion fill me before I see a single piece of paper sitting directly in the middle of all the seating cushions.
Bending down, I pick it up and begin to read.
Sohm,
If you are reading this, then I am not at the apartment when you return. I am deeply sorry I wasn't able to keep my promise to you, but after the blockade was lifted back on T'avo I felt like it was my duty to help our people recover.
If you wish to find me, come to T'avo. I will be assisting a few friends of mine in the recovery effort in what remains of our home.
Know that I would be there to welcome you back from your first deployment with open arms if I could sweetling. I love you so much and want you to know that I am proud of you.
Mom.
Quickly reading the note again, my disappointment was replaced with a calm acceptance. I knew that she was at the very least okay, and once my deployment was over I was sure I could go and visit her.
"Oh, is she gone? What a shame."
Feeling my blood freeze at the words, I turn to see the menacing form of Yar standing in the doorway. She was garbed in strange armor and had a plasma pistol casually strapped to her hip.
After only a second of examination, my irrational fear turned into calm readiness.
I have fought far worse than this pretender pirate queen over the years. What does she think she can do?
"I wished to tell her myself, but I suppose her worthless spawn will have to do." She smiled a terrible smile before casually walking inside, running a talon along the wall as she did so.
Standing up slowly, I placed my hand on my sword as I grip it tightly. I knew that I could close the distance between us before she could draw that weapon, and I kept my attention on the slight twitches of her muscles.
"You will not enter this place, Yar. Leave."
Yar doesn't seem to care very much for my threat, though thankfully she does stop walking inside. Her smile somehow becomes worse as she laughs, the raspy dry sound feeling like nails were being jammed into my ears.
"It is Chur'R Yar now, little spawn. I've obtained a ship of my own, something that I doubt you ever will." She spins around and begins to walk back out of the room. "Do me a favor, and tell your darling mother wherever she is hiding for me, hm? I'm sure she will be happy if I… drop by to say hello."
And with that, she was gone.
Relaxing a bit once I knew she wouldn't be returning, I take my hand off my sword. Looking back down to the now crumpled note, I feel a bit disappointed in myself for unconsciously balling my fist.
Taking a moment to smooth out the note, I carefully fold it before placing it inside a storage compartment in my armor before making my way to the door.
Thinking about what Yar said to me, something clicked for a moment.
When she was talking initially, I wasn't particularly paying any attention to it since I was preparing myself for a fight, but now I realized that Yar must have been promoted to Shipmistress somehow. Blinking in realization for a few moments, I smile before I begin to start laughing.
If she somehow managed to get her own ship, then there's not a single chance I won't be able to!
Shutting and locking the door, I shake off Yar's menacing words easily as my good mood returns.
After all, I still have a friend to visit.
(\(*v*)/)
Walking casually along the skywalk that leads to the hanging gardens, I look down to Destiny. Over the years, I have kept the blade maintained to the point where it still appears brand new.
A lot of my life recently has revolved around this sword, and I couldn't thank Timore enough for his gift to me.
At this point I was simply hoping that the gentle giant was still here. My nerves were a bit frayed at the idea that the oversized jiralhanae might have left like my mother did, and I was scared that I might not be able to find my friend again.
I look out over the Holy City only to shake my head and continue walking.
Everything looked the same as I remembered it. Everything from the bright lights surrounding the golden city around the dreadnaught, to the dimmer surrounding areas that represented the living areas and industrial zones.
The factories were still pumping out machinery, the workers were still working, and the ships were still buzzing from place to place.
Rounding the corner to the gardens, my mood immediately brightens when I see the large form of my friend still working away just as I remember. My sharp eyes examined my friend for a moment, picking up a few small differences from what I could remember.
I could spot a few more small scars and injuries around his arms, though they were not cause for concern considering most of his fur there was black and burned away from his tools. The pile of scrap metal next to his normal workplace was larger, and I could spot a few gadgets I didn't recognize amongst the pile.
Walking down to meet my friend, I make my way down the ramp leading to him.
Seeing the massive brute look up from the sound of my footsteps, I see that he immediately became defensive. The jiralhanae tries to hide whatever gadget he was working on behind his back before standing up and facing me.
"Oh, um… hello!" His normally bright toothy smile was strained and uncertain as he stood up. Shuffling awkwardly to his feet, he stands himself in front of his pile of junk. "Can I help you, soldier?"
I blink twice, knowing my optics hid my eyes.
He doesn't recognize me.
Deciding to mess with the jiralhanae a bit, I adopt an official looking pose before making my way fully down the ramp. Keeping my back straight and my legs extended to their full length, I adopted an official pose as best as I could.
Deepening my voice a bit, I make my way toward him while gesturing towards the pile of technology that he was doing an absolutely terrible job of hiding.
"I have specific orders, jiralhanae… I'm assuming you know why I am here."
Watching as the brute shuffles from foot to foot, he shakes his head.
"N-no… I mean… I can explain-"
"Can you now?" I adopt the same official tone I usually use when a particularly annoying grunt makes a mistake. "From what I can see, you are illegally modifying military technology for your own personal benefit!"
The jiralhanae appears as if he was backed into a corner. His eyes flicked from left to right, looking for an exit. I knew that if I didn't end the joke now, the skittish brute might try and run from me to attempt to escape his 'punishment.'
Casually grabbing my sword, I remain a few feet away from him before pointing the weapon toward him before pressing the activation rune.
Bzzt-hiss
The brute nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the blade. The jiralhanae dipped his head low, obviously resigned to whatever manufactured fate his mind came up with.
I watched closely as his red eyes were focused on the metallic flooring of the gardens for a moment. Then slowly, I could watch as recognition slowly reached him when he saw the light of my blade reflecting off the floor.
The orange blade.
His head snapped up as he looked the hilt over for a moment before snapping his wide crimson eyes back up to me.
"Sohm?!"
Deactivating my sword, I was unable to help myself as I fell onto the ground as the laughter began. Pointing up to the massive form of my now pouting friend, I hear as, over a few seconds, my hysterical laughing devolves into high pitched squeaks and chirps.
Attempting to regain my breath, I start to try and do a few breathing exercises, only to look back up to the floundering Timore and my laughter to begin all over again.
Timore, for his part, simply sat there and waited for me to complete my bout of hysterics. The embarrassed flush across his face was enough to keep me struggling for breath a few moments longer.
Eventually, I calmed down enough to catch my breath. Propping myself up on the floor for a few moments as I simply take in gulp after gulp of air, occasionally interrupted by small giggles that I couldn't prevent.
Suddenly, the world became darker around me. The bright illumination of the overhead lighting was dimmed significantly. The sudden change in lighting happened all too quickly to be the day to night shift, causing a pit of fear to build up in my gut.
Slowly looking up, I see the towering form of my friend standing over me. His face gave nothing away as he simply examined me from above. I would think he was deadly serious if it wasn't for the flushed face and twitching of his eye.
"That wasn't funny."
Feeling regret and shame for my actions filling me, I begin to apologize to my friend.
"I'm sorry Timore, but-"
I couldn't finish my sentence as he scoops me up and gives me a gigantic hug. Hefting next into the air, the brute proceeds to squeeze the air out of me.
"Ack! Timo…re… please."
After a few moments, the brute set me back down onto the floor as he gave me a smug look.
"That was payback."
Coughing for a moment, I catch my breath before I stand up fully. Looking over my friend a bit more closely, I see that his anxiety and nervousness was gone as his tense form slowly relaxes.
"Hello Timore, long time no see."
The crimson red eyes of my friend brighten at my words as he smiles.
"Indeed my friend. It's been too long."
Examining his face for a moment, I tilt my head. I knew something was different but I couldn't quite place what.
Awkwardly looking at me from above, Timore decided to speak up.
"What?"
Immediately, I could tell what was different when he spoke, as a new intricately braided beard jostled when he spoke. Pointing to my friend accusingly, I looked him over a bit more closely to see if there was anything else new.
"You grew a beard!"
He blinked twice before laughing, his deep rumble echoing through the clearing for a moment.
"Oh, is that it?" He ran one of his massive hands over the braid for a moment before he continued, his voice a bit softer. "I've had quite a lot of time to myself up here, so I decided to try and grow it out a bit."
Smiling, I reach over and nudge him playfully.
"Well I say you did a good job with it. It suits you."
Seeing the massive toothy smile that made its way on to my friend's face made me feel a whole lot better about this visit.
"Well I don't want to distract you too much from your work. I'll leave you to it."
Brushing passed the jiralhanae, I walked over to my old position leaning up against one of the archways, I took a moment to examine what he was working on. Glancing to the pile of junk, I could spot a half disassembled portable shield sitting innocently on the ground.
Walking past the pile, I sit down and look back out over the city. Watching the brute out of the corner of my eye, I see him shuffle a bit before sitting back down in his regular spot. Loudly plopping down onto the ground before looking over to me again.
"Any distraction you give me is a welcome one, Sohm. It is quite lonely up here after all."
The words made me feel a bit better, but my examination of the city quickly caught my full attention. The city itself looked the same as ever, the massive skyscrapers huddled close to the centerpiece of the Covenant religion below. It wasn't the buildings that caught my attention however.
It was the forerunner vessel that they were built around.
Looming in the distance was the massive dreadnaught. Even all these years later, the forerunner ship gave me an odd sense of foreboding. After all this time, I can still clearly remember the Oracle's words.
To this day, I have no wish to find out whatever it wanted from me. Every time I thought about it, the forerunner AI caused a cold pit of fear to grow up from within me. A deep, instinctive feeling to stay away from it.
I wonder if it is still in there, waiting.
"Sohm, are you alright?"
Shaking off the odd feelings, I turn to give my large friend a smile.
"I'm fine, thank you…" Looking back around the gardens, I try to voice my feelings. "It's just… odd to see things are all the same since I left. Everything feels different, yet the same I guess."
The brute shifts his weight for a moment, only to shrug and settle back down near his workplace.
"Things are certainly the same all right."
Hearing the underlying agitation and sadness, I sit there for a moment as I look my friend over. From what I could tell, he didn't appear unharmed or damaged in any way but the way he carried himself appeared different.
"Timore? Are you okay? You look…" Glancing him up and down, I tried to find the correct words before I settled on being blunt. "... Depressed."
The brute didn't even flinch at my words, simply shaking his head as he looked down on his workplace. A long moment of silence came and went between us before he broke it.
"I've been trying to get off High Charity for a while now… but I simply can't make enough money without running into the very real risk of becoming arrested." The brute falls to a sitting position with a loud thud, nudging the portable shield he was fiddling with earlier halfheartedly. "I'm not going anywhere… I'm not doing anything… I haven't even had anyone to talk to once you left."
Blinking, I realized that my friend was having a much harder time than I originally thought. Sitting there for a moment, I let the large jiralhanae continue.
"I've survived this long, but why? You went out to become a warrior, but I can't join the Covenant without clan support. I can't raise enough money to leave, and even if I wanted to, where would I go?"
Standing up, I walk over and rest a hand on my friend's shoulder.
"I wish to leave but I can't. I'm trapped in the place that my clan left me for dead, and I'm not all too sure that I can continue on in solitude like this for all too much longer… I feel like a prisoner."
Feeling immensely sad for my large friend, I give him a reassuring hug. Trying to transfer as much emotion as I could into the sad jiralhanae, I try to think of how I could help him.
I certainly had enough money to help him, which would get him off High Charity, but where would he go? Anywhere else was either extremely suspicious of jiralhanae due to their aggressive nature, or Doisac… and he was banished from Doisac.
I could try and get him to T'avo, but the same issue would happen. Jiralhanae aren't exactly known as stand up citizens.
Maybe if I had my own ship…
My eyes widened as an idea formed in my mind.
I was already thinking about applying for the position of shipmistress, and having a technical genius like Timore onboard would only be an asset.
Helping my friend out of his stir crazy depression would only be a bonus!
Standing up, I make my way over to the brooding jiralhanae. Nudging him playfully, a bright smile on my face from the idea forming in my mind.
"Hey Timore."
The deep crimson eyes of my friend look up to me from where he was sitting.
"Yes?"
"My current contract ends with the Covenant in a little over a cycle from now, and I have been thinking recently about applying to become a shipmistress." Nudging him playfully again, I watch his face closely as I give him the offer. "You wouldn't happen to want to come with me, would you?"
It took a moment for the words to sink in, but once they did, his eyes grew huge as he stood up to his full height quickly.
"You would do that? For me? You… wait." Timore stops in his excitement as he examines me closely. "Can you do that? I'm not a part of the Covenant. I don't think that it would be allowed… Would it?"
Maintaining my smile, I gently informed him of the normal procedure and status that I learned back in my basic training. "As shipmistress, I would have complete say over my own vessel. The Covenant don't really care what goes on inside of the ships, just about if they are following orders, so I could take you with me if I wanted to, Covenant warrior or not."
Giving him a serious look, I tilt my head as I think it over. Bringing a talon to my chin, I begin to think about anything else he might want to do.
"That is, if you want to come. I would understand if you would like to be dropped off somew-Ack!"
Grunting, I have the air squeezed out of me once again as the brute gives me another bear hug. Squeezing the life out of me for a moment, he eventually allowed the air to return to my lungs as he released me.
The brute's depressed aura was gone, replaced with an excited hopefulness I haven't seen from him… ever.
"Thank you Sohm. I… I don't know what to say."
Chuckling nervously, I scratch the back of my feathers.
"Yeah, well… I have to get a ship first." Nervously shifting my weight, I try to reassure both Timore and myself. "I'm pretty sure I will be able to, but if I'm not, I'll pay for a trip to T'avo for the both of us. Better to get you off this mushroom eh?"
Nodding, Timore smiles. "That sounds great either way Sohm. Thank you."
Smiling, I nod.
"I told you I would get you the best gift ever."
Before I could get an answer from my large friend, a few words spread across my optics. Quickly reading the call sign, I see that it was the shipmaster.
"All personnel return to the Clandestine Devotion. We cast off in sixty units."
Blinking, I feel my mood shift from happiness to determination.
"Is something wrong?"
Looking up, I saw concern spread across my friend's face. Giving him a reassuring smile, I shake my head.
"No, but I have to go now. My ship is about to leave."
Watching as my friend deflates a bit, I reach over and grab his shoulder and squeeze it comfortingly.
"Don't worry, I'll be back when my contract ends. Just prepare for our trip eh?"
Nodding, the brute gives me one last smile.
"Until next time, my friend."
Turning around, I wave my hand over my shoulder.
"Until next time."
(\(*v*)/)
Gasping for air, I slide into the ship with only a few units to spare.
Why do the gardens have to be so far away from the Spires?
Looking around the room, I found that Bero was waiting for me. The master swordsman gestured for me to follow which I did dutifully.
"Champion, we have a mission."
Falling into step behind my commander, I snap back into my professional attitude.
"What is our mission, sir?"
The two of us pass through one of the doors leading outside of the storage compartment before stopping once the hatch shut behind us. Finding the passageway devoid of any personnel, he turns to me.
"There is a rebellion taking place on Malurok currently." My commander says, tone grave. "A rogue sangheili has control of quite a few Covenant capital ships, and the Ministry of Preservation has reassigned our ship along with a few others to regain control of them and put the rebellion down."
Keeping my feelings in check, I simply nod as I wait for any further instructions.
"The Clandestine Devotion, along with the other ships in this impromptu fleet will take care of the capital ships. It will be the job for all of the special operations divisions to end the rebellion on the ground. Our job will be to capture the leader of the rebellion and return him to his Kaidon for judgement."
Tilting my head, I ask the obvious question.
"Who is the leader of the rebellion sir?"
He gives me a hard look directly in my eyes, examining me for a second before he seems satisfied.
"Ripa 'Moramee."
—Authors Note—
Hello everyone, this fic is officially over 100,000 words!
I got one last little arc I wanna get through before we get to the war.
As much as I'm sure that ya'll want me to just get on with it and jump to the war, this was always the plan. Sorry!
Also, sorry for the quick overview at the start again about similar topics as the last chapter. I felt like I should go over everything rather than just assuming you read it. Most of that was written before the last one anyway.
I don't have very much to say in this AN, so I guess I'll just end it early.
Please read and review, and if you like it, consider giving me a follow and favorite!