Heyy all, apologies that these updates are really unreliable I've been trying to write another 10k before I post this and, well, it took a lot longer than I thought it would. I've also been a bit busy looking for a Summer job and stuff, but anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)
As usual thank you for all the favs, follows and reviews :D
Telron: Thank you, hopefully you'll think the same of this one :)
Guest: Ah, well, he might've 'borrowed' it from a load of different accounts that defiantly won't miss is :P Thank you for the review :)
B312: Thank you, it was pretty entertaining to write too and there's bound to be more :D
BloodDragonKnight: Thank you, I have actually, got up to season 10 I think then stopped for some reason :P It's pretty good though
gwb99: It's cool :) thanks again for being Beta :D
Valentine03: Thank you :) I don't mind silent readers, I don't always review stories myself cause I'm mostly at a loss as to what to say :p I'm glad you're enjoying it though and her suit's defiantly going to be badass, Noble Six deserves no less :)
SmokeTinyTom: That made me chuckle, would say Happy Revenge of the Sixth back, but it's a bit late :P I hadn't thought of Spirit of Fire and considering they're so under used I probably should. Red team would be a pretty awesome addition too...Like the Jorge idea, I'm not going to make any promises. It's defiantly something for me to think over and my only issue right now is not wanting to make a huge powerful human ship appear and nullify the potential character development I've got set up for Six. I like it though and when I've decided what I'm going to do I'll let you all know in a way that won't ruin the surprise :) Thank you for the review.
Demon Of Dark NOBLE: I won't abandon this, don't worry :) as I said above, I need to think about what I'm going to do about adding others. Jun is off the table because he's training Fours and when/if Six gets back, he may make an appearance/be mentioned by a Four :) Thank you for your review.
History guy: Thanks for the info, I know what you're saying and while in their minds the Covenant were right with what they were doing, the intentions of the Prophets weren't good. In my humble opinion, they only attacked Humanity because their link to the Forerunners could effect the Prophets position of power. Optimus gets angry at it because he doesn't think it's right and knows from personal experience what near extinction is like. He's not going to just accept what he's been shown and not react negatively, even if he's looked at Humanity's history as he likely doesn't agree with that either. I'm not sure where I'm going with this, but I see where you're coming from, this just all depends on the individual. If Megatron had heard it, then he'd probably congratulate the Covenant or something.
"Speech"
Thoughts or words stressed upon
Words stressed upon in thoughts
Machines Of Faith And Logic
~/~
Roh 'Rithinee
Roh sighed for the umpteenth time that day. He was bored, frustrated and had been feeling pretty lost. His mind was still muddled from what had happened recently, but now that he'd had time to process it, it left him as he was now. He didn't know what he was waiting for as he hadn't heard anything, even the medic had said little to him that morning as he'd given Roh his food. He presumed he was waiting for the Major to return, but with both the Demon and the Oracle running around he had an inkling that he would be a while.
On any other day he wouldn't have minded the solitude. Although, this was hardly any other day. He was in the past and on the Human home world. For anyone in the Covenant this would've been a momentous occasion, but Roh felt anything but victory. Humanity wasn't really his enemy, not anymore, instead it was the Prophets and their lies. That didn't mean that he considered the Humans his friends either, after all he and the Demon had some unfinished business. While it had ultimately been the fault of the prophets she had killed his team and most probably his brother. She had injured him and not killed him, which meant that he was honourless. It was the biggest insult for a Sangheili not to die in glorious battle, let alone be captured. Everything he knew told him to commit the ritualistic suicide, but he couldn't. He had unfinished business and wouldn't stand by as the Prophets destroyed all he knew.
The slam of the door made Roh's head snap up. As he did he saw the medic stomping through the door clicking furiously in what Roh guessed what his own language. With the way that anger was rolling of the medic Roh didn't want to speak to him, but he needed to know what was to be done with him. Even if it meant having the medic snap at him.
"Construct, what is to be done with me?"
"You can go to the pit for all I care," the medic growled as he slammed something down on his workbench.
Roh decided to take a different approach, "What has angered you so, Construct?"
The medic turned almost violently to face Roh, steam exhaled from his nose as he answered, "Your pit spawned 'Oracle'. Thinks it's so high and mighty because it knows more, has seen more and can do more. The only one it respects is that foolish girl."
"The Demon?" Roh checked, finding the idea of referring to the Demon as a girl quite amusing. Although, the Demon wasn't foolish, no, she was sly and unpredictable as all Demons were.
"Yes, 'The Demon'," He snapped back. "All of you show such blatant disregard for anything living. Are we all expendable to you?"
Roh could see what was bothering the Construct; it was their manner. He assumed the cold manner of the Demon was because she didn't care about anything, but that was wrong. She cared about her race, Roh knew that. He'd seen it in many of the Human warriors and it was the same for the Sangheili. They cared for their families back home and wanted to bring them honour. Being a part of the Covenant meant warring against the Humans and their apparent heresy. Something that was easily understood by the Sangheili as they'd worshipped the Forerunners for eons. There was also the fact that the Construct spoke as if it were more than metal, wires and what its maker had programmed it with. But, Roh would save that curiosity for another day as these Constructs hardly had the most typical of history.
"You misunderstand, Construct." Roh paused, making sure he had the Constructs attention, "I cannot speak for the Demon, but I do not find the living expendable. I can kill and I will if I must, but when I do it, it is with honour and because of my duty."
"Your honour and duty means genocide! Your fragging religion made this happen! I saw the damage you did and you cannot say that that was with honour!" The Constructs temper was rising, but so was Roh's. The Great Journey may have been a lie by the Prophets, but worshipping the Forerunners was not what had caused this war! Grinding his jaws together in anger Roh shot to his feet. Blood boiled in his veins as he became more animated in his responses.
"We did what we had to!" Roh snarled, slamming a fist against the wall behind him. "Do not question our motivations Construct. We fight for what we believe in, even if now I know that it is a lie. Do you not think that I wish to go back and prevent my race from ever becoming the pawns of the Proffets?!"
Roh huffed in frustration and took a long breath before he continued, "as for what you saw, it is a way of cleansing a planet. I shall not defend it, but from a strategic standpoint it ensures that our enemies cannot 'play dead' as the Humans say."
The Construct eyes angry blue eyes turned back onto Roh and his mouth parted, "Why even try it? Did it not occur to you that you were trying to wipe out an entire race? Did none of you question what was going on?"
"I cannot make you understand Construct. You're an outsider and cannot understand in a few words what I have been taught all my life," Roh explained, drawing his fist away from the wall and letting it drop by his side. "There have been those who have questioned our leaders, but they have always been dealt with as they were considered heretics."
No more did white mist exhale from the Construct and Roh hoped that his anger was beginning to subside. Although, his eyes were no less hard when as they bore into Roh, "your leadership has the taint of Megatron's ways; ruling through fear and power."
Roh considered what the Construct was saying and could see that some of it was true. While the Prophets may not be physically imposing, they held a lot of power in the Covenant. And although they didn't rule through fear, at least Roh had never thought they did, those that did speak against them and their ways always went missing. He knew why though and that is why he found it so difficult to understand what the Construct was saying.
Roh sighed, his jaws going slack for a moment before he spoke, "Perhaps you are right, Construct. Despite my now clear sight I cannot see it."
"Like us, you will." The Construct also sighed, however it was in understanding instead of frustration. And when he spoke it was no longer with contempt, but with tolerance that held some form of sympathy. "It is difficult to see those you trust for what they really are and that is something we all learn the hard way."
"You speak of you Commander and this 'Megatron' don't you, Construct?" Roh asked with realisation. "They were brothers, were they not?"
"How-"
"The way your Commander was when he showed him die, his expression was how I initially felt when I first heard of my brother's death. It must be strange for your Commander to wage war on his own brother."
The Construct snorted, "Optimus would never stand for Megatron's tyranny, but it was not easy; it never is."
"Yes," Roh didn't say anything for a moment as he thought on the Constructs words. They were of course right, but seeing the whole foundations for his world a lie wasn't something easily done; now war abandoning it. He still wanted to protect his brothers as they didn't know what they were doing, not really. He also couldn't help the amount of regret he felt towards the Humans, the war had not been their fault and could have easily been avoided. Instead, the Covenant had chased them to the ends of the universe and even though it hadn't been easy, the Humans situation hadn't been looking good. He didn't think it would be long until the Prophets found their home world and then what of the Humans? He looked over at the spot where the Demon had been yesterday and a small semblance of sympathy became directed at her.
"Where is the Demon?"
There was a huff from the Construct and Roh thought he might resume his tirade of anger, but he didn't. Instead, he answered Roh's question rather simply, "Ironhide said they've gone to get some materials for her and Guardian."
"My thanks, Construct."
"You're…welcome."
Roh hadn't been expecting an acknowledgement to his gratitude, but despite its unexpectedness Roh hoped that this meant that the Construct would tolerate him more now. He wouldn't hold out hope though, he would understand if the Construct chose to follow the Demon. It wouldn't make much difference if they all chose to follow the Demon, he wasn't looking to make friends with the Humans and their allies. Those things weren't a priority now. Right now he needed to find a way to either get back to where he was from or get off Earth. He would rather return to his home and perhaps save his brothers from making an undoable mistake that would be most regrettable.
While the Human's were strange and sometimes dishonourable creatures, Roh didn't believe they needed to be wiped from existence. And although he may still hold a certain degree of resentment towards them, the Prophets were his true foe. They were the reason for the Covenant and thus the reason for this now apparently pointless war. Whether or not the Great Journey was another lie remained to be seen and Roh hoped for the sake of the Prophets that it wasn't. If it was then he would burn them from existence, just as they'd done to anyone who'd dare speak against them. Just as they'd done to the Humans. But, his mind was too disorganised right now, he needed to plan, he needed to write down what he knew.
"Construct, do you have some kind of writing implement I can use? There are things I need to write down," Roh called over to the now working Construct.
The Construct didn't answer, but instead turned and deposited a Human sized screen in his hands. Roh was confused for a moment before one of his fingers brushed against a button on the side of the device and all became clear. After spending a couple of moments finding the appropriate tool that would write in his language, Roh settled for something that seemed to be designed for art. Using a single finger he managed to awkwardly draw out the symbols of his language in a bright blue colour. His writing had never been the tidiest, but the contraption took it to the next level as Roh had a feeling that he was the only Sangheili that could read it.
He didn't know how much time he spent writing in multiple documents. Each document had been on a different problem, from what the Great Journey could really be to how he would get home. Some he already had solutions for, but others he was completely in the dark. Despite the fact that he didn't enjoy the relatively large gaps in his knowledge, it was good to see what he was missing. His mind felt less like a pair of Mgalekgolo had rampaged through it and more like a single Unggoy was floundering around it.
"Major Lennox will spend the evening debriefing you on what you know. The notes you've written will probably prove useful in explaining you situation, as unique as it is," The Construct suddenly turned around and spoke to Roh. A single large digit was pointing to the screen that was currently in Roh's hands.
Roh let the screen drop down a little as he stared up at the looming Construct, "What do you believe the Humans will do with me?"
Roh had thought through a couple of situations from him being executed at the hands of the Demon to the Humans keeping him prisoner or even the hopeful and most unlikely situation that they would allow him to work alongside them. He knew the last one wouldn't work, there was too much hostility between him and the Demon. Not to mention the fact that he doubted he could even work with the Humans, to entertain such a prospect was foolish.
"They won't kill you if that's what you're thinking because fortunately for you Lennox is a good man. The likelihood of you joining NEST is also a small one, but we'll find a way for you to earn your place." The Construct paused before adding, "You would remain here though, as the Decepticons are alerted to your presence and you would be a valuable asset to them, in any form."
"I see, thank you Construct."
Roh expected that to be the end of the conversation, but the Construct appeared to have more to say to him; even if it was something Roh would rather not speak of.
"Why did your leaders consider the Humans…heretics?"
This had been something Roh didn't have a complete answer for and it infuriated him. He had suspicions, but nothing was solid. Although, he did have one particular point that could prove true, perhaps an outsider opinion would help solve this problem?
"I'm uncertain, but I believe that because the Humans are somehow special to the Forerunners they Proffets sought to hide it from us as they knew that it could bring about the end of the Covenant." When the Construct didn't say anything Roh thought it best to explain, "The Covenant is based upon the idea that the Forerunners ascended to Godhood through the Great Journey and left the rest of the universe to its fate. In order to join them we…they must follow in their footsteps, but the Humans being valuable to the Forerunners would conflict that. If the Covenant knew then they would likely abandon the Proffets and the Great Journey would be no more, a lie as it truly is."
"A lie then," The Construct frowned at the idea. "What was the allure of these 'Prophets' to make so many join them?"
"We were the first, I'm unsure as to why we truly joined them as we were originally at war and surrender for a Sangheili is never an option. We were more proficient in close combat than they were, but they were superior in their technology and there was their Dreadnaught; a Forerunner keyship. We….The Covenant no longer uses it for combat though. After us the other races were offered a place to join, if they did not pledge themselves to the Proffets then they were inducted into the Covenant by force."
The Constructs frown deepened and the steam returned. When he spoke again his voice had the edge of barely contained rage, "Why would you do this? I assume these races lost any semblance of what they used to be. Do you not care for their culture as you do your own?"
"Some retain their culture, such as the Kig-Yar, but some of the others do not. However, despite what you may think the Covenant brought us together when perhaps we would have waged war against each other. It gave us all something to believe in," Roh explained with some enthusiasm he'd previously had when first joining the Covenant. "As for the culture of others, unlike many I find myself quite interested. Understanding your enemy can aid you in defeating them after all, it is one of the main reasons I speak the Human language so well; rather than merely insults as some of my brothers have learnt."
"Yes, I was curious about that, perhaps you can teach me yours?" The Construct asked, his voice still slightly angry, but Roh understood.
"It would be my pleasure, Construct," Roh answered will a smile.
There was another frown from the Construct, "why do you refer to me as 'Construct'?"
Roh cocked his head a little, "It is how we refer to an Artificial intelligence such as yourself."
"We are anything but artificial," the Construct snapped.
"No offence is meant, it is the closest word I have to describing you."
The Construct raised what Roh could only guess was an eyebrow – a rather Human expression now that he thought about it. "What about my name?"
"It would not feel right," Roh paused as he thought of a way to explain the strangeness that caught in his throat when even of thinking of calling the Construct by his name. "I have rarely called those around me by their name, it is usually their rank, title, species or even a special name such as 'Demon'. Those I call by name are usually close to me; my team, my brothers, my family."
At the thought of all three any happiness left Roh and was replaced by grief and worry. His team was gone and his remaining brothers were likely fighting for their own demise. His family back at their keep were losing more to the Covenant then they should and he hoped that they would still be there when –if- he returned.
"I…See," the Construct said slowly as he noticed the change in Roh. He sighed in exasperation, but Roh knew it was not directed at him. The medic had likely lost many to the civil war that was going on between his people and no matter what species, he knew the look of loss. "My condolences, even if it was self-inflicted."
The Construct had a sharp tongue, Roh noted before nodding in reply as he turned back to the screen in his hands. He read and reread what he'd written, hoping that hidden in his words would be something to help him. He knew there would be nothing, but he needed the distraction as he would otherwise obsess over avenging those he'd lost in such a short space of time. He had obsessed over the Prophets and their betrayals too much that day, his mind needed something else. But, he had little to do other than make idle conversation with the Construct or stew in his own thoughts. Neither were overly appealing as the Construct involved him tiptoeing around certain subjects in hope that he didn't anger the one who he was shut away with for hours on end. It was almost maddening, he was used to having constant tasks to attend to or at least honing his skills. He looked back up at the Construct, perhaps he could ask about being given something to practice his sword work. He knew many exercises that he could do without a partner and it would keep his mind occupied. If that wasn't possible, there was always his armour, but it had hardly been damaged in his brief fight with the Demon so there was little to tinker with.
The Construct seemed to notice his attention, "what is it?"
"Do you have a tool that I could use to practice my swordsmanship?"
There was a brief look of surprise on the Construct's face that quickly turned to a dubious look, "You want me to arm you?"
Roh shook his head, "I am not attempting to harm any of your comrades, I merely need a distraction. Besides, it would do me little good to try such a feat."
The Construct 'hummed' and said no more. Roh waited patiently while the Construct shook and nodded his head a couple of times. There were a few frowns and snorts along the way too, which led Roh to believe he was somehow communicating internally with his other companions. He had a feeling it was the one they referred to as 'Optimus Prime', but there was nothing to suggest that the others were not contributing.
"It seems your request has been denied, not that it matters as Lennox will be back soon and there's going to be a meeting," The Construct spoke after a few moments.
Roh nodded in acceptance, he didn't blame the Humans for being cautious. The Major and the Constructs knew of his past and likely didn't want to put anyone at risk, despite Roh's attempts to assure them he saw little point in harming the Humans here. To be truthful he no longer saw the point in warring with the Humans, the whole reason for it was a lie that had come crashing down and he and all of his brother had been tools for the Prophets. He could see them now for what they were, master manipulators. They'd used his race to secure their position above all others and then carryout a bloody campaign against the Humans.
Roh huffed, closing his mandibles together as he seethed in anger. This was not a good use of his time, but there was nothing he could do without incurring the wrath of the Humans and their metal allies. His thoughts when to the Demon and almost protested at how quickly they had allowed her away from this prison. But, despite how unlike them she was, the Demon was still Human and they would always trust their own quicker than an outside, especially one who had been among a campaign to eradicate them.
"Maybe you can help me with something," the Construct said, as if noticing his current internal dilemma.
Roh was slightly shocked at the offer, he had assumed the Construct could not stand his presence. Gathering himself, he calmly replied, "I was under the impression that you didn't condone my presence."
The was a snort from the Construct, "don't misunderstand, I tolerate you, but it would not do for you to be…how do the Humans put it….ah yes…broody. I can't have you being broody in the corner of my Medbay, it's distracting."
Roh scoffed at the idea of being broody, he was not some estranged female tending to young, nor was he being distracting with his thoughts. Although, he would appreciate doing something, even if the Construct was only offering reluctantly. "What is it you require of me?"
Roh managed to catch a small smile from the Construct's face before it disappeared. He wasn't completely sure if the smile was good for him or not, but he supposed he would eventually find out.
"How much do you know about interstellar travel?"
~/~
Will Lennox, America, Idaho
"-need much, it is the easiest material to acquire, however." Will caught the tail end of Guardian talking to Noble Six. He'd been surprised that they do easily gotten clearance for this mission, but he had a feeling it was something to do with seeing Noble Six in action. Although, there wasn't going to be any firefights –he hoped- seeing how she interacted with civilians would give him and therefore the brass some idea as to who she really was. Despite the ease of which the mission had been allowed, everyone had orders to keep a keen eye on Six and Guardian as they had been caught in the middle of trying to leave base. He would have a chat to her about that, but he could see from her ridged posture that now was the right time. As to the reason for her demeanour he had an inkling it was to do with Ironhide and Knock Out.
Both 'Bots had been relatively quiet the whole journey. They'd spoken to his team as usual for some of the trip, but he had a feeling they'd been busy talking amongst themselves about recent events. Speaking of recent events, his team were almost buzzing with excitement about their current situation. He was enjoying it almost as much as them, but he couldn't. Every time he thought about what it was he was on he remembered what Six had told him and shown him. He knew his team noticed and although they said nothing, it wasn't because they didn't care, it was because they knew he'd tell them if he needed to. It was comforting and he'd always appreciated the support his team gave him as he would always do the same for them. He knew his team didn't trust Six or Guardian, but they still kept it professional and that was all he expected. There had been the occasional curious or suspicious glance in Six's or Guardian's direction and he doubted it had gone unnoticed by the pair. It didn't appear to bother them though, Six had seemed used to it even as she'd stared at the control panel that Guardian had constantly hovered around. The orb in question had completely ignored everything as it muttered to itself in a language Will had never heard.
"How many more after?" Six's question drew Will from his thoughts as he walked closer to the pair.
"Only four more, it will not take long, Reclaimer." Guardian and Six both turned in unison to face him, but it was the orb that spoke first, "Ah, Human, do you require assistance? We have almost arrived."
"Everyone else has been briefed, now it's your turn," he explained earning an understanding nod from Six, but Guardian seemed less pleased.
"Such formalities are-" He began to protest, but stopped when Six stopped him with a small half-smirk.
"Guardian, we should listen to the Major. He knows what he's doing and how to handle people."
Will wasn't sure to interpret what Six had said, but it appeared that she had a way with lacing words with double meaning. He knew she didn't have an ulterior motive that would harm his people, so was there really a double meaning or was it just her?
"We'll need to land somewhere quiet," he looked pointedly at Guardian. "Then we'll drive to the mine, talk to the owner and see about getting you what you need. You," he indicated to Guardian, "will stay with this…ship and we'll use the comm to ask for extra details that may be needed. You have our frequency don't you?"
He knew the orb did before it answered. Of course it did, it had been listening in all along and they hadn't even known! He needed to keep a better eye on Guardian, but how could he stop something so advanced from monitoring their communications? He could only trust in Six to enforce his order to keep the orb off their lines. While he may sympathise with the woman to a certain extent, he had yet to trust her that much. Maybe he'd trust he further down the line if things panned out well, in a way he hoped that happened. He didn't want to think of the other possibilities that could happen with someone such as her at their base, but he had to. Blindly trusting everyone never got you anywhere, it only got you killed.
"I assume you want to do the talking, Sir?" Six asked, all evidence of her smirk had long disappeared. She was ever the stoic soldier, any emotion he'd seen her display was fleeting and even then it was barely detectable. She was still tense though, and Will couldn't help but think it was more than the 'Bots.
He shook his head, "you'll be taking the lead with the talking, after all you know the specifics and I'll be handling my team."
Her eyes told him she knew the real reason, but her mouth merely replied with a crisp 'yes, Sir'. He nodded and told her to wait a moment before he quickly grabbed a dark navy jacket and threw it over to her. She caught it quickly and shrugged it on as she thanked him.
"You'll rid up on Knock Out and we'll be in Ironhide," there was a small twitch of her lips that told him her dissatisfaction about the arrangement, but she waited for him to finish. "I'll be with you when you talk to the owners and everyone else will stay back. This should be pretty simple but knowing our luck it won't be so expect trouble."
A sad smile ghosted at her lips and Will wondered if he'd seen it at all. Her voice was steely as she spoke, "understood, Sir. But, I doubt our enemies will know what we're doing as Guardian's been keeping the ship cloaked; that's if they're even interested."
Will's mind eased a little at that piece of information. Although, he should've expected it really, Six was a professional and Guardian had mentioned the cloaking ability the previous day. But, even with that Will had a gut feeling that something would go wrong. He wasn't completely sure if it was because of the Decepticons or because he was with Six and Guardian. As much as he wanted to he couldn't fully trust them. He knew they were being completely honest about everything, but there was little he could do about it other than locking them away and he doubted they'd be held for long. He doubted his distrust was one sided and after all it had only been a day, he sighed mentally, these things just took time. Probably longer time on Six's part considering where she's from, his mind added.
"If it's you, Guardian and this ship, they will be."
She frowned as if she didn't like the idea of his men being in the line of fire because of her. Although, he could have been reading her wrong. "We will be ready, will I have a weapon? Even a sidearm will do."
He considered her for a moment, her helmet was still clutched in one hand while the other leaned into her remaining crutch. The clothes they'd given her fit her well and did a good job of hiding what he knew were extensive and painful injuries. She hadn't complained though, not once had she mentioned or made any indication that she was suffering. He admired her ability to just get up and walk around when by all rights she should've been under heavy watch in an intensive care unit. But, he had to remind himself that she was different, she wasn't your everyday soldier and she'd had things done to her. Things that he knew must have somehow left their mark, if they hadn't he didn't know what he'd think…
He forced his mind to return to the subject at hand. They didn't have any spare weapons, but he could loan her his sidearm. It wouldn't be right to send her in without any form of weapon especially in her current state, then again, could they truly trust her? He clenched his jaw and almost reluctantly retrieved his pistol from the side of his right leg; looks like he'd have to take the leap of faith. He held the cold metal weapon out to her and she slowly took it off him before quickly familiarising herself with it.
"Thank you, it's lighter than what I'm used to, but I'll get used to it," she said as she lifted it up to test the sight, her crutch dangling uselessly from her arm. "Where's the best place to aim?"
"Optics, and their Spark is a good place, if you can get a shot in," he touched his chest for emphasis. "They've got a lot of armour plating so we use sabot rounds, ah, here…"
He pulled out an extra two magazines and held them out to her. He was about to offer he a hand with holding everything when she deftly flipped the pistol into her other hand and promptly put the ammunition into pockets on the side of her leg.
"Sir, if I'm not within speaking range for any reason, Dot will keep me in touch with you and your men."
He nodded, glad she was thinking ahead, but he hoped it wouldn't come to that. Although… he eyed the helmet with a frown. Her helmet would draw unwanted attention and they would be under enough scrutiny from the mine owners as it was. His frowned deepened as he tried to remember if he'd picked up an extra radio for her, he was sure he had…he patted his back pockets as it was the most likely place for him to store it. Soon enough his hands made contact with something distinctly solid and slightly cold. Smiling to himself he deftly pulled the radio and it's earpiece from his back pocket and held it out to her.
"Probably more discrete than your helmet and if it goes to hell then you'll need both hands," Will told her as she again shuffled her things around so she could take it off him. "It's already set to our channel."
She nodded expressionlessly and somehow managed to put the radio in one of her pockets and then put the ear piece in her ear.
"I should introduce you to who you'll be working with, I think they're pretty eager to meet you."
That got a smirk out of her, or a knowing smirk as it was as she indicated for him to lead on. Despite how little his body liked having this new and unknown person at his back, he tried to find comfort in the fact that she probably didn't need a gun to kill him and that Ironhide was only inches away; he could trust the mech.
His men fell silent as they approached and all seven of them looked up expectantly at Will. A myriad of expressions then greeted him when they noticed Six and he almost laughed at them.
"Guys, this is First Lieutenant Noble Six," that made them confused, but it soon passed as they took their cue to introduce themselves.
~/~
Noble Six
She'd been surprised when the Major had handed over the pistol. The light metal weapon had felt familiar in her hand and had elevated some of the discomfort she felt from being without her armour. She paid the light throbbing in her body no heed as she swiftly became familiar with the pistol; checking the safety, how it reloaded and the sights. She'd thanked the Major and attended to her concern on if they managed to get separated as it paid to be prepared. She doubted that Decepticons would appear, but if they did then they were all ready and she was sure Guardian would lend a hand.
When he'd then mentioned introducing her to his rather eager squad, she'd smirked a little. He'd made them sound a little like the soldiers back…home, who'd always been pleasantly surprised to see a Spartan.
One of his men –a relatively young looking man with short dark hair- stood and held out a rough looking hand to her. "Staff Sargent Joe Anderson of the US Army," Six recognised the strange twang in his voice from earlier and gave him a nod rather than a handshake as her hands were rather full. He seemed to notice this and shrugged.
"Trust you to go first Anderson," a guy called from her left with an accent that sounded similar to that of Captain Walker. She, along with the others turned to see a man in the process of leaning against the green bike –much to its vocal displeasure.
"Evans, get your aft off me! I'm not your personal leaning post," the bike protested, rocking itself so that Evans had to move. There were a few chuckles from the others and the Major, so Six had a feeling that this was a regular occurrence with these two; her lip curled a little at the thought.
"Fine," despite his put out tone there was a small smile on his rather pale face. "I'm Sergeant James Evans, British Army. I'll look forward to seeing you in action."
"Likewise, Sergeant."
He looked a little surprised that she'd answered, but it only made his smile bigger until another person spoke up.
"Save it for later Evans," this man sounded like the Major, although there was some variation. Six turned back to the main cluster of soldiers who were mostly leaning against the wall of the ship. The brown haired man who'd spoken grinned as he introduced himself, "Gunnery Sergeant Mark Williams of the US Marine Corps."
"Oorah, marine," Six said quietly with a smirk, remembering how the marines she'd occasionally fought with. They'd always rile each other up by saying that one word, Six never quite understood it, but she'd admired their enthusiasm.
The Sergeant looked a little surprised as did his comrades, but there was no doubt that he replied with his own 'oorah' before asking if she was in the Navy.
She nodded, "Special Forces."
There were a few 'ahhs' as if those words explained everything. It probably did seeing as these people were all now Special Forces.
"Never would've pegged you as Navy," it was a woman who spoke this time. "Master Sergeant Ashley White, US Army Rangers."
"The Navy is more appropriate for Spartans, it allows us to be quickly moved from planet to planet," Six explained, watching as the woman frowned a little before she nodded in understanding.
"What is a Spartan exactly?" Staff Sergeant Anderson asked the question that was on everyone's lips.
With no expression she replied, "Classified."
There was a collective groan from the soldiers and a laugh from the Major. She shifted her helmet a little as she waited for the next introduction.
"Alright, settle down you lot." A black haired man around Jun's age made himself known, "Sergeant Major Kevin Walker of the US Amy and Major Lennox's second in command for today's operation. Would've spoken earlier, but a few decided they were more important."
The previous four all murmured an apologetic 'sorry Sir' and Sergeant Major Walker nodded in satisfaction before he moved back to his original position against the side of the ship. He indicated for the rest of the team to introduce themselves, even if there was only two.
"Tech Sergeant Kurt Matthews, US Air Force," a steely voice introduced a man who was standing right at the back. A weapon was in his hands and he'd evidently been checking it over beforehand. Six sent him a nod, which he returned before going back to his weapon.
"Staff Sergeant Jane Carter, US Army," another woman introduced herself. She appeared to be considerably older than Six, but it seemed most people that worked for NEST were. Again Six nodded in greeting, shifted on her feet a little and rolled her aching shoulders. Her shoulders complained at the movement, as did the rest of her body, but she hardly registered it.
"I know you outrank everyone except me, but if we encounter I want you to accept orders from us regardless," the Major clarified sternly.
Six raised a brow in curiosity, she didn't doubt that he was still wary about her especially as it looked like she was going to leave base without permission earlier. But, he didn't really think that she wouldn't listen to what his team had to say, did he? She may have plenty of experience in battle, but this was a different enemy and she had rather limited experience with them.
"Understood, Sir," she replied regardless. Hopefully he would understand that she valued their experience; even if she had yet to trust them.
"Good," he nodded, his statue relaxing a little. "I'd rather we not run into any, but the 'Cons are unpredictable right now."
"Chances are slim, as I said, Guardian cloaked the ship, Sir."
"Like that will stop them," the motorbike snorted, joining the conversation. Six quickly snapped her head in its direction, a frown appearing on her face as she fought the temptation to sneer at the alien machine. "They could still find us. Soundwave-"
"-may be all seeing and hearing, but the fragger may be occupied with something other than our recent additions." The large lack truck cut in with a rumbling sigh, "not that it matters, any of the little glitches that come my way are as good as dead."
"What if it's Starscream?"
"What of him? The coward flees the second things don't go his way," the truck finished with a low chuckle and the Six considered it was the end of their debate. They seemed completely convinced that the Decepticon's would appear and she didn't think that they wouldn't, she just thought it was extremely unlikely. However, if they did it would be a problem. They would have to try and evacuate any civilians at the site as well as keep the enemy at bay and without knowing how many would appear, it was a lot to consider.
"If they appear, how many do you think they'll number?" Six asked the Major, but it was the truck that answered.
"They usually travel in groups of three if they're seekers -fliers-, but they'll likely send more if they know it's you and the lightbulb. Killed three on his own, they won't want to take chances," Six could hear the grin in his voice as he said the last part. He sounded proud of Guardian's destruction and from what little she'd seen on the robot, he seemed the most bloodthirsty.
"Three at the least then, what's your evac plan Major?"
He seemed glad she'd asked as he quickly explained his evidently already thought out plan, "We'll provide covering fire as you get them to their vehicles or off the site. It'll be your call depending on where the 'Cons appear, keep them safe."
She nodded, she knew what to do. Noble had run evacuation missions quite a few times on Reach so she knew how to handle civilians and keep them safe. Even though she didn't agree with being kept from a potential firefight, she could see his reasoning. After all, she only had a pistol and even if that was usually enough for her, the Major had yet to truly see her in action.
"We have arrived, I will remain here unless I'm required. Does this suit you?" Guardian called as he drifted over to them from the control panel. Initially Six thought he was addressing the Major, but it seemed she was wrong as he was looking directly at her.
"Yeah, I'll let you know if we run into trouble, or you'll hear it on the comm." Six paused and looked over to the Major, "permission to remove this," she indicated to the cast on her leg.
He took a moment to consider it as he probably weighed up what the robot medic would do if she did. A nod was sent her was and she quickly thanked him before handing Guardian her helmet and setting the crutch to the side. Then, bending down and coiling the muscles in her arms she carefully slipped a few of her fingers from each hand under the pink material. With a forceful tug the cast quickly split down the middle before coming apart in her hands.
The skin that the cast had previously been covering looked mostly the same as ever; pale with the odd scar here and there. The only difference was that there was a small red and purple blotch where Six assumed the 'crack' was. She frowned a little as she flexed her leg, it was a little stiff and there was a certain ache, but it would pass and she could deal with it.
"All good?" The Major asked as he eyed the mark on her leg.
Six nodded, "I'm ready if you are, Sir."
The Major then proceeded to round everyone up and they all disembarked the ship. The robots came out after with some help from the Major's team while Guardian remained in the ship. Six noticed as she left the ship that it was still invisible and from the sounds the Major's team was making, they did too. Despite meeting one alien civilization that partially wanted to kill them, they were rather accepting and excitable towards others. It was strange and Six understood little of how they could just simply work with aliens, what if they decided they wanted Earth for themselves? She frowned at the thought as a sneer tugged at her lips, the scar she'd gotten years ago only making it more pronounced.
"Six?" The Major must have noticed her change in expression as there was concern in his voice.
In an instant she schooled her features before replying, "yes, Sir?"
"You good?"
"Affirmative."
His brow creased a little, but he said no more as he directed the bike towards Six and ordered his men to climb into the truck. As the green bike rolled over to her, her eyes narrowed; this was against all she knew. Aliens were the enemy, it was as simple as that. However, these 'AutoBots' were trying to change her simple black and white view. They were trying to introduce grey and she didn't know what to do with that, it's not right!
"Hey!" The bike called happily as it came to a stop next to her, churning up a small cloud of dust and sand as it did. "I'm Knock Out and today you'll be riding with me, not that you'll need to do anything, I'll be driving, easy huh?"
"I'll drive." She be damned if she let it decide where she was going and how fast.
Its mirrors twitched a little as it spoke, "it's fine, really, you don't need to worry. I've driven squishes be-"
"I insist," Six reinforced her decision firmly.
The bike took a moment to consider it before it sighed in resignation and its frame drooped a little. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt, just watch the paint."
Six said nothing as she swung her leg over the bike and settled as much as she could into the seat. There was a small noise of discomfort from the bike, which Six promptly ignored as the Major called her name. She looked over to him to see him stood by the open driver side door of the truck. In his hands was a black helmet that he quickly walked over and gave to Six.
"Encase he decides to go for another trip," the Major said in way of explanation with a smirk on his face.
The bike spluttered a little as it tried to defend itself, even going as far as to ask for a rematch. The Major laughed and left the bike to wonder if he would get his rematch. As he turned to walk back to the truck he told her to take it easy. A simple 'affirmative' was all she relied with and as the door to the truck clicked shut she slipped the helmet on.
Without a backwards glance at the invisible ship Six quickly slipped out from the cover of the trees and onto a rather dusty road. It was fortunate that this place wasn't that busy, but that was probably why it had been chosen.
"You need to go right for about two and a half kliks, I mean klicks," he corrected himself and accentuated the word he'd changed. "Sorry, after that it's another left for nine-hundred mechan- meters! Then-"
"Just give me fair warning as to when to turn off," Six interrupted him. With a small rev she took off in the direction he'd just told her, a quick glance in the mirrors told her that the Major wasn't too far behind.
There was little scenery to take in as she drove. The landscape was rather flat and covered in fields that varied from green, to brown. Although, the Majority of the fields were brown, which didn't surprise her as the air was rather dry. The road they were on was also hardly a road with how thin it was and its unpaved surface. After a while Six saw the road curve off ahead and to her right the green fields started to recede. When she was close enough she leaned over to take the dusty bend and that was when the bike decided to speak up.
"Take this left, it shouldn't be that far afterwards as you've done most of it already. It's pretty dusty here, is it like this in a lot of places around Earth?"
Six didn't reply, but leaned over again as she turned onto another road. Before her was soon a lot of green as they passed a small stream that seemed to be on its way to drying up. More directions were called to her as they drew away from the steam and took another left.
It wasn't long before the noise of the mine reached her ears, despite the bike's engine. A fence trailed up to the edge of the road and attached to it was a sign saying "Juniper Hill Mine" along with a few other details. The bike was also commenting about how quick the journey was along with a few other things that Six decided were not important to listen to. They continued to follow the metal fence until Six saw it dip into a gate. A reasonably sized hut sat at the large entrance with a barrier positioned in front of it. A quick scan of the small brown building revealed to Six a security camera and a small window, at which sat an older man with a bored expression on his face. As if feeling Six's eyes on him he turned in her direction and promptly snapped into action.
Six rolled forwards on the bike as the man eyed her curiously, the camera she'd noticed also turned in her direction. She frowned at it a little as she remembered the conversation she'd had with the Major the other day.
"Soundwave's the Decepticon's communications officer."
She put that with what the truck had said about him being all seeing and hearing and she had a feeling that this camera could be their undoing. Although, that was only if the robot was listening in or had the potential to listen into more than one thing at once, like AI. Her frowned deepened some more as she continued to roll forwards.
If anyone's curious the pistol Six is given is the M9A1 berretta pistol. Pretty sure that's the correct one, but I could be wrong :L
Thank you for reading, hope you all enjoyed it :)
