Chapter 3: Movement
En route to the Hallowed Spirit
[July 24th, 2552, 07:00]
It didn't take very long for the Phantom I was on to return to the corvette. Although my focus was on my thoughts rather than the time, the flight itself felt extremely short.
Perhaps my drowsiness had been a contributing factor.
I barely received any sleep the previous night, and as a result, was extremely tired. I needed to wake up earlier so no one would notice my absence at the encampment, and in combination with my later night, severely injured my sleep cycle
The flight, however, was extremely smooth, at least as far as I could remember.
The underlings had some music playing in the background as the rest of the passengers talked, Unggoy from what I could tell, but it was nothing but white noise to my ears as I thought.
I do not know nor remember what I was thinking of, just abstract concepts and thoughts. Perhaps its cause was caused by the emotions I experienced in the early morning, or maybe it was just another side-effect of being sleepless.
Perhaps it was both.
I was lost in my head before being called back by the pilot of the craft, "We have visual on the Hallowed Spirit, don't forget to grab your belongings before disembarking."
I was one of the very few selected or rather lucky to take some leave back on board, mostly because of how well my squad did. On the surface we performed no better than the others, we just so happened to get the… easier assignment.
If anyone deserved a break it would be the ones who lost more of their brothers attacking heavily fortified positions.
Something in the back of my head told me that they were pulling me back on board because, well, the frontline was no place for a woman.
But at this point, I wasn't really complaining. I would finally have some privacy without the fear of getting in trouble for not being where I was supposed to be or wallowing in my sadness.
The craft shook as we entered the ship's docking bay, eventually I heard the clamps lock the dropship in place. I stood up, stretched my back and legs before stepping off the now parked dropship.
The bustling hangar was filled with the sounds of machinery and the various tones and the very diverse languages of the crew.
I didn't care to look around very much before making my way back to my bunk. I left the twisting labyrinth of the Corvette only to return but a day later. At the very least the bed here is leagues more comfortable than laying on hay or rocks.
After a short time navigating through the monotonous and repetitive purple halls, I had arrived at my room again.
It was cold when I entered, a stark contrast to what I felt last time. I was no longer primarily worried about my place or how I would do, but more so about what I had done.
I took off the main armored bits I was wearing, starting from the top down. Not long after I was left with only my undersuit on.
My armor was scattered on the floor as I flopped face-first onto my bed. My legs partially hung off the side before I rolled my entire body into the center.
For but a moment I was at ease.
I rolled over on my back before staring at the relatively low ceiling. I moved my head into the pit of my arms and took a small sniff of myself before realizing how un-ladylike it was.
Perhaps I should clean myself.
I sat up and put my feet on the floor.
Here I am. Sitting on a bed light years away from home. Smelling like the backside of an Unggoy.
How did I even get to this point?
I was born to a very loving mother.
Since I left my egg she was always very caring for me, making sure I lived as comfortably as possible, picking up after me even after I forgot to. She had no other children and certainly no males to raise, making me my parents' only offspring.
Seeing as our family was fairly poor compared to others, my father simply could not bear any expense in raising other children and was more focused on managing the orchards he owned.
Unfortunately, we didn't come from a long line of brave honorable warriors or magnates, we had little to no political power.
Poor and Weak would have been the terms to describe my household
Through our hardships, my mother still taught me the basics of life: how to prepare food, clean, read, and write, as well as the art of battle and how to fight. I could recall multiple times where she would push me to my limits when we would spar.
While she was strict at times, more often than not she was very forgiving and often understanding. She could also be described as always happy.
Per tradition, we Sangheili do not reveal our birth fathers until we reach adulthood as a way of making sure the children are raised equally in the larger keeps. However there was no need to hide a blatantly obvious fact.
Even though I never got to see much of him during my younger years, whenever he was there the room always seemed to be a little brighter, and my mother was always happier.
Oftentimes women were treated like property, a means of political compromise. A one sided arrangement. My father never took any mistress or anything of the sort, he was fully devoted to her and the feeling was mutual.
Retrospectively I am glad that my parents shared such a healthy and passionate relationship.
Although that's really what made the loss of my mother so much worse for my father.
During my tenth summer, I was playing some games in the fields with a few of my friends. I noticed my father was standing there nearby, head looking to the ground.
When I approached him I saw the tears in his eyes, an emotion I had never seen him in before, and I hugged him. I nearly fell over as he collapsed to his knees while holding me.
"We- I had found your mother on the floor when I came in after doing some work this morning. Her breathing was," he started to choke up and tremble as my heart sunk, "before I could call for anyone, she-"
At that point, he broke down sobbing, and I couldn't help but do the same. I did my best to try and calm him, but it's ultimately futile when you cannot calm yourself either.
After that day I never saw my father smile again; he was empty, devoid of happiness. I will never forget his depressive silence as my mother's body was laid in the ground.
There were many times I had tried to convince him to remarry, make him happy again, but time and time again he refused, always stating that 'No woman will ever live up to the likes of her'. I understood his loyalty to her but I knew it wasn't good for his mental health. I was willing to move on, willing to accept any new partner that my father brought in.
Years passed, I grew up and he just became more and more shut-in.
The war with the humans was quickly reaching its climax and with all of the warriors who fell in battle, the Covenant needed more soldiers. I knew what this would mean for my old father, he would see it necessary to take up arms since he had no sons able to take up the role.
I knew without his presence the household would fall to shambles as I knew very little about his line of work. I decided I would be the one to volunteer. The prophets were so desperate for soldiers they had even started recruiting females, almost unheard of in a time of war, even on Sanghelios where we are usually given a more defensive role on the home front.
When he had found out what I had done he begged and pleaded for me not to leave, that I should 'not to give my life up so easily'.
I told him it was for the family's benefit that the head male did not leave his home solely to his daughter. I promised him that I would return when it was over.
And with that, I departed, leaving him calling for my name.
No matter how much it hurt him, I hoped it was for the best.
To this day I have not talked to him, not because I had avoided it but because I simply had no way to.
I hope he is doing well.
It didn't take me long to learn my place in the social order. The men would go out of their way to snicker and harass me.
It was always a competition to see who could annoy or impress her, who could be the most vulgar to her, who could beat the other to a bloody pulp over her.
For a while, I was amused by the acts. Seeing men yet themselves down just to get to me was hilarious. But the more and more it went on, the more I began to hate it, and as an extension myself.
To them, I was nothing more than a plaything, a treasure they could achieve, a vessel for their offspring. Had I saw that sooner, the less I would have gotten hurt.
When I refused them time and time again, it became less flirty and more spiteful, at times even spitting on me.
The one time I decided I would lash out at them, scolding one of the more dastardly of the bunch, even going so far as to slap him. To my horror, they saw this as a reason to…
I was degraded from someone that went out of her way to defy traditional gender roles for her family's sake to someone who was generally insecure, afraid of their peers.
I felt objectified more and more, being rarely sent to the surface other than some simple logistics runs, watching planets purged from the safety of a ship.
There was no honor. They had forcefully stripped that from me.
I was a pathetic shrew to them and myself.
I loathe myself. I hate myself.
The only reason I have yet to end my suffering is my father. I do not wish to leave him alone in this cruel universe.
I had finished freshening up when my eyes began to feel heavy. It was nearly midday outside but I evidently needed the rest.
My feet dragged and my back felt flimsy
I quickly put on some loose garments, not even checking if they were inside-out or completely on as I left my skinsuit in a ball on the floor.
My slender form was concealed by the blue baggy attire I wore, it's quality quite pitiful evident by how much it irritated my skin.
Ignoring the discomfort, I let my form collapse onto the bed, shifting around before swiftly drifting off.
The gentle hum of the ship allowed my thoughts to disappear into the abyss
I wonder how father is doing…
My eyes open. The lights seemed to be flickering wherever I was.
I couldn't move.
I am no longer laying down.
I am stripped.
I pulled my arms only to find myself chained.
You are guilty.
You coward.
You know nothing.
A small form stands in front of me, its face obscured by darkness.
You killed them.
You killed them all.
It was a square room, the shadows constantly shifting and breaking apart.
My shackles held me to the wall outside my view.
"Where am I?" I demanded.
You learn nothing, You continue on your ignorant path.
"What do you mean? Where am I?" I tugged on the chains.
They lie to you.
"W-what?"
Ignorance is bliss.
Ignorance is death.
You know what death does.
Choose not to be ignorant.
I began to fade away.
They lie to you…
[Sometime Later…]
I do not remember exactly when I woke up, but I do remember not feeling tired.
It was the first time this week that I woke up feeling refreshed rather than just having laid down and remained for a few units.
But I was covered in perspiration, hot, my twin hearts beating.
I patted myself down, feeling every limb attached and my garments still affixed to my body.
What was that dream?
After standing up and stretching myself I took a deep breath and looked around the room.
It was relatively small, at most fitting around four or so bunks, although currently having one in the far right corner if you were to walk in. The door in the middle of the left wall led to a shower and various other hygienic devices. To the right of the aforementioned door, I kept a wardrobe of sorts, primarily housing for my armor and having an arum inside. It was currently open, displaying an empty stand.
No one had entered the room except for me.
My armor.
My head turned to find where I had placed it after removing it from my person, looking down to find it in a pile in the middle of the floor.
Not the most respectful way of keeping your armor, Caso.
I picked up my breastplate before quickly putting it back down, the grease and dirt caking my fingers.
"Huff,looks like I need to clean these," I said to myself, annoyed that I had dirtied my decently immaculate hands, "perhaps even burn them."
I grabbed various pieces before carrying them into the bathroom and brushing them down with soap and water. Removing the stains of mud and dead grass under the plates, the unknown red substance that was caked on the leg section and the dust collected in the mandible guard.
I spent a good while sitting and scrubbing it all down, getting my cheap kimono dirty in the process.
By the end, I could almost see my face in their reflections, seemingly as good as the day I first got them.
I replaced my now dirty clothes with a clean undersuit and began applying the pieces bottom up starting with the toe guards. Applying each part wasn't the hardest thing, however it could get pretty difficult when pieced together behind one's back
When I observed myself in the mirror as soon as I finished I felt extremely giddy.
Ha! I look intimidating!
My bright yellow eyes and symmetrical mandibles matched with the polished blue reminded me of the various recruitment advertisements pinned around the bazaars on Sanghelios.
For but a moment I was the model trooper; It was interrupted by the groans of my stomach.
When was the last time I ate? I thought to myself as I left my room and stepped out into the halls.
I walked towards the rear of the ship where they kept the kitchen, holding my chest high as I felt prideful in my appearance.
My swagger was left unnoticed by many, seen by the few and fewer who cared.
I was about halfway there when I walked by a group of three males leaning against a wall staring at me as I walked past.
"Hey, woman! You look good in that! Mind showing me what's underneath?" One of them said as they laughed with each other.
I stopped in my tracks, my swagger being momentarily interrupted by his words.
"Eh she's interested," the second chuckled, "a pretty thing like her doesn't belong on a ship like this. How did you even get here?"
"You should have stayed home and waited for one of us to return so you could have the armor," the third said giggling to himself.
I took another step away, only to be met by their disappointed groans.
"She's probably unfit for duty, most likely couldn't even harm a small insect without crying first," the first teased, "She would sooner offer herself than put her life on the line, the whore."
That's it.
Fueled by my embarrassment I marched up to him while he was busy laughing and slugged him clean across the face, sending him reeling back into the wall.
While the others were still in shock, I kneed the one standing next to him in the crotch before shoving him on the ground. The last one standing threw a punch at me, which I promptly dodged before throwing one back directly into his neck. He fell over coughing, grasping his neck for air.
"I was able to kick your worthless asses before crying. Seems your buddy couldn't," motioning to the one cupping his groin.
"Bold words, calling me a whore despite being the son of one. The bastard child can't even stand up."
I stood there laughing. I was able to come out of an outnumbered fight unscathed, a first and a small victory for me. Watching the boys writhe in pain on the ground put a smile on my face.
My shallow victory only lasted until armed crew rushed in with their weapons pointed at me.
I almost crumbled in fear at the sight of them, instantaneously regretting my decisions.
They took my hands and cuffed and led me to the onboard detention center, shoving me into a cell, and activating the wall of energy that separated me from the outside.
The warden informed me from the outside that I would not be released until further notice and that I would receive two meals a day.
Not long after a guard came by and deposited a small chunk of meat which I gobbled down as soon as I got my hands on it.
I sat there quietly as I awaited what happened next. Units passed and I didn't see even a single Unggoy pass by.
I'm still hungry.
About 7 miles from Fort Harris
If I had been told I would have to narrowly escape the clutches of the Covenant via speeding Warthog a few years ago, I would have been giddy as a kid in a candy shop.
Living through that experience was another thing.
You might think: 'Oh the grandiose idea of a harrowing chase is humbled by the prospect of impending death!' and while you would be correct, it's a pretty damn obvious fact.
But that wasn't anything close to what actually occurred; Absolutely nothing happened after the first five minutes.
We were all on edge as we believed they would chase us as we drove away, but judging by the lack of any sound outside of the revving of our engine on top of the lack of any sort of fire being directed at us, we were quite wrong.
I was glued into the driver seat for the next seven or so hours, shifting the wheel when we needed to. I nearly fell asleep at some points while staring down the seemingly endless road.
Johan hadn't taken any serious harm when he was choked and thrown, more so winded, and possibly concussed. Bradley had checked for the latter, not finding anything wrong.
"His head is too thick for his brain to be damaged," Sheila joked after he had cleared Johan.
I personally didn't find the joke funny but I had laughed anyway. I could tell everyone was down in the dumps after what happened earlier in the day, and we could definitely use a little positivity in the next few days.
"Hey Will, you got a map?"
He was sitting next to me watching the passing terrain. He turned his head and frowned, "Not currently on me. There might be one sitting around in here…"
I wasn't watching but I could hear him shift around and open a few compartments in the front. He grunted before I heard the shuffling of a large piece of paper.
"They still make paper maps?" I heard Sheila call from behind us
"Better off having some rugged methods rather than having to worry about whether or not a satellite is still in orbit," he commented while he searched on said map for where Fort Harrison was.
Bradley was having a casual conversation with Johan while Sheila was playing something on her device. I had forgotten she kept that thing on her at all times, or perhaps she grabbed it before we left. She finds it important on the journey I guess, although I have no idea how she is going to charge it.
Will would have brought a book or Johan a six-pack if given the chance, but it wouldn't surprise me if Bradley had brought a snack in one of his many folds.
But that reminded me of something.
"Uh guys, did anyone bring any kind of food?" I questioned as I moved my head, looking at everyone's widening eyes.
Judging by everyone's reaction we would have to find somewhere to stop and scrounge for food, perhaps more than once.
"It would appear that the next town with any sort of dining or groceries is about… another day away," Will said as he studied the map intently.
We all groaned as I continued driving in the darkness.
What a fun family road trip this is.
[August 8th, 2552, 12:00]
A week or so had passed since we left for Fort Adam, by then we had already stopped at a few still inhabited towns for a quick meal and some further food supplies in preparation for days we wouldn't be near any sort of civilization.
I had also switched out driving a few times just so I could relax my arms and right foot.
The only interesting event of note was when Will had almost plowed over a poor Moa that was standing in the middle of the road. The look on his face afterward was hilarious.
We were starting to get extremely tired of doing nothing but sit in a moving vehicle all day, hell, even Sheila's gaming device died.
The landscape barely changed as time moved on, the only things that I could consider different was the temperature and the occasional tuft of snow on a distant mountain.
It was still very much the very dry terrain of Reach.
We were luckily only a day away from our destination, much to my rear-end's relief. I was sitting in the back with Johan and Bradley, the former of which was sleeping.
I scanned the hills with anticipation, hoping that we might see some aircraft that might be able to give us some sort of ride the rest of the way. My life the last few days had been a cycle of boredom, excitement, and boredom once more.
"Hey Brad, once we get to the base, what would we do from there?" I asked him, seeing as he was technically my superior at this point.
He thought for a moment, "I don't know. Probably sticking us on the front is my guess. At least you guys might get to go out and kill Covvies instead of waiting for them to come and attack us."
"You guys? Ha!" Sheila interrupted as she drove, "Chances are you are coming along too doughboy!"
His eyes squinted in annoyance as he looked off behind me. He tilted his head to the side before standing up and holding the roll cage to keep steady.
"Hey! A town! Just to the right of us!" He yelled to us over the rushing wind, pointing to the sign of civilization in the distance.
I looked over my shoulder and saw a decently small town, probably about ten buildings in the main development and a few more on the outskirts. The general layout reminded me of those depicted in those five-six hundred-year-old western movies. I could see a few franchises along with a general store in the center. A quaint village in the middle of nowhere.
"Sheila, you think we could stop there for a bathroom break?" I asked, really just wanting to have a cheeseburger.
"I see why not. Will? How about it?"
Will sat up and removed the map from under himself before carefully opening it. "... We are about… 50 or so miles out from Adam's, I'm sure you can hold it until we get there. And if you are hungry I very much am sure they'll feed us."
Bradley chimed in, "I haven't taken a shit in forever man, let me just relieve myself in a public bathroom before I relieve myself in front of base security."
He turned and winked at me, hidden to those upfront.
"Fine. Five minutes," Will gave in
Pulled off at the exit and started heading into the town. As we approached, I noticed the severe lack of… life. Not like the place was run down and abandoned, but more like everyone had gone to rapture.
Great, a Western-type ghost town in the middle of nowhere. Perfect.
"Drop us by the Credit General," Bradley told Sheila, leaning over her shoulder.
"The dollar store? Those places have bathrooms?" She said surprised.
"Best in the business. Even better when nobody is in line."
She reluctantly pulled over in front of the store, causing Johan to wake up from the sudden jerk, and letting us get off. We both decided it would be best if we grabbed our firearms in the unlikely case that things got hairy.
I walked up next to the driver's side to see if she wanted to say anything before she went to park somewhere. Johan had begun talking with Will, pointing at something on the other side of the road.
"What's up?" I asked, trying to see what they were talking about.
"Johan noticed a payphone, just saying how we could probably call and let them know we are coming beforehand. Not the worst idea he's had..."
"Tell me how it goes once Brad and I are back out here."
"Yeah, don't fall in the toilet."
I rolled my eyes and walked through the sliding doors of the Credit General. Bradley took a quick look around before grabbing a shopping bag and shoving some snacks in it. I mean, nobody was here and we could consider it important for humanity. I decided I would let him scavenge while I took a look around to get some idea where everyone had gone.
Strolling down the aisles, looking for any sign of humanity, any sign of struggle. Everything seemed normal, albeit the one box of soap that ominously laid on the ground in aisle 12.
In the back aisles near the freezers was a cart still filled with cheap items in it, in a position as if it were shoved into the wall.
Bradley trotted over to me to show me his spoils, some of which I knew I would hog down if left to my own devices with it. As we giggled to each other the front door slid open, revealing Will's average-built figure.
"Hey, guys we got the base on- you have to be shitting me. Looting?"
Anger grew in his voice, "I let you guys head here, no, stop us so you could use the restroom, and you choose to try and steal some potato chips? Absolutely fucking-"
The front window made a cracking sound as a bright pink shard pierced through it, striking Will behind his right shoulder. We stood there in shock as he looked down and behind him. The moment his eyes locked onto the foreign object it shattered, causing a mess of blood to splatter over the ground, sending him falling forward onto the tile.
"SHIT!" I yelled as I hit the deck, pulling Bradley down with me.
I switched the safety of my rifle and looked to where Will was laying, hopefully not drowning in his own bodily fluids. Bradley quickly got into a crouch and ran his way over to his bloody body. I spotted Sheila and Johan across the street through the bright daylight outside, backs against the wall screaming into a phone.
The way the needle entered his shoulder meant whatever bastard shot him must have been in an elevated position, somewhere behind where the pair were on the phone.
Bradley scurried over and started to drag Will across the floor towards where I was, leaving blood-smeared towards where I was. Another needle streaked passed his head as he neared me.
Before we could leave the building we needed to take out whatever alien bastard shot my friend. I inched my way to the door, slowly beginning to see the roof of the building opposite of me.
Whizz
Something pink flew past my ear and I jumped back.
"So that's how you are going to play it eh?"
I readied my gun and dashed forward, firing non-stop in the general direction of the roof, kicking up shards of glass and dust on the floor.
I saw the feathered son of a bitch for a split second before it crumpled over dead. More successful than I thought it would be.
The door opened as the dust cleared.
Johan and Sheila were standing there with looks of almost elated surprise.
Feathers.
"What did they say?" I yelled at them.
Johan replied, phone in hand "Medevac should be here in five minutes!"
I nodded and ran back, nearly slipping on the blood. I stood over Bradley who was trying his best to attend to Will's wounds with cheap supplies and wrappings. I could see his exposed muscle and broken bone, even his thick body armor and BDUs did nothing to hide his mangled body.
"How is he doing?" I asked frantically.
"I'm trying to do my best, but his injuries are way too intense for me to make any difference. His entire shoulder blade is shattered by the look of it and the tiny pink shrapnel is all over him, even in his eyes. Worse, I can't tell how his innards are doing. For all we know some important organ was ruptured by the burst. In short, he isn't doing well."
I rested my hands behind my head, scared I might lose my friend to some bird-brained bastard.
Bird.
My breathing intensified as I paced around. The sound of loud engines boomed outside as I could see a shadow loom over the street outside.
"Don't die on me, man…"
[Sometime during the Summer, 2537]
"Moooooooooom!" a small voice wailed to the house.
The back door opened shortly followed by the screen door.
She stood in the doorway, concerned but with a smile on her face.
"What's wrong Danny?" the mother called, looking at the seven-year-old hunched over in front of the tree that found itself in the left corner of the yard
Danny didn't answer, he just kept hunched over, staring at whatever was in his lap. She made her way over to him to see.
Staring over the boy's shoulder, she saw a small disfigured bird laid out on the palm of his hands. Its feathers were ruffled and wing splayed, its breathing strained and body tense.
"I s-saw the little bird fall from the t-tree and hurt itself. I-It won't move," the boy sobbed.
He bounced his hands in an attempt to gain some sort of reaction from the avian, his eyes red and face glistening from his crying.
She knew the bird was going to die very soon, and he knew as well.
"C-can we do anything t-to help it, mum?" the boy looked at her.
She hesitantly shook her head, causing his tears to intensify
"It's okay honey," she said as she laid her arm across his shoulders, "Unfortunately these things happen."
"But why? It did-didn't do anything wrong? I-It's just a baby bird!"
She didn't know how to respond without coming across as apathetic, she thought in silence until she thought of something, "Honey… The world is often cruel to those who have no guilt, no sins. Good things pass away often to nobody's fault, but we just have to move on. The world still turns, we still breathe, life still goes on..."
The bird stopped living as she said that, its small body finally going limp
The boy rested the bird down, tears soaking the ground. He moved and hugged his mother firmly, bawling into her chest. She responded by pulling him closer.
"W-what did it do t-to deserve this?" he muffled from her bosom.
She responded by pulling him closer, rubbing his chestnut hair with her hand.
It was a blur from then on. The boys in white rushed out of the Pelican and laid Will's mangled body on a stretcher before carrying him back into the hull. We quickly followed them in and took a seat near the door.
I watched as we lifted off from the town, watching our Warthog get smaller and smaller.
The ride wasn't long and we arrived at Fort Adams fairly quickly. The doctors were waiting for us when we arrived, rushing to get Will to an operating table.
Johan, Sheila, and I walked into the pad, feeling quite empty from the last week and a half. I could see Bradley staring at the blood on his hands, he seemed emotionless.
A uniformed officer strolled up to us, hands behind his back. He took a good look at us before taking a deep breath, "Go clean up."
I really have no comments except for the fact that the next chapter is pretty damn long compared to everything else. Stay safe.