0957 Hours, February 27th, 2683
Beacon of Discovery
Surface of Therum
Knossos system, Artemis Tau Cluster
...
As he walked the streets of Beacon of Discovery, it had occurred to the Chief that in all the years he had been fighting the Covenant, he had never really gotten a good look at their cities, at least not this close up. He never really knew what their culture was like, aside from it being a theocracy that viewed Humans as unholy hellspawn for some inexplicable reason. He had never really seen elites, grunts or hunters in their everyday lives.
It was surprising, just how Human they seemed.
The streets were paved with steel as hovering vehicles of various shapes and sizes whizzed by. The sidewalks were also made of metal and were raised about two inches off the road. The sidewalks were clogged with elites and grunts decked out in robes, shirts and pants, rather than the armor that Chief had become accustomed to seeing them in. They were all walking to and from their nine-to-five jobs, their busy careers, their shopping trips, all the things that civvies did. Some stopped to glance at the SPARTAN-II walking down the sidewalk. Chief didn't mind much; he was no stranger to stares, though stares from elites made him more anxious than stares from Humans, for obvious reasons. But once they got an eyeful, they quickly went back to walking to whatever destination they were walking too.
Chief also noted that this was the first time he had ever seen female Sangheili. The sexual dimorphism wasn't all that different to that of Humans; the females were typically shorter, slimmer, slightly curvier and generally more petite than the males. Aside from those differences, the males and females looked more or less the same. He often heard scuttlebutt around some UNSC ships that stated that female elites were these exotically beautiful creatures that looked nothing like the males. Chief never bought that theory, mostly because it made no sense.
Chief was on edge as he walked through the streets. If it had been up to him, he'd have just stayed on the Normandy, but Cortana had managed to nag him into taking her on a tour of the port. Sure, she could've just gotten information on this colony through the codex, but where was the fun in that? There was a very fine line between studying about something from a database, and actually gathering data yourself on the field. That, and she was hoping that Chief would bump into one of his crew members around here and give him a chance to properly socialize with them.
Chief eventually wandered out of the skyscraper-heavy uptown and soon found himself in the bazaar-like downtown area. There were various shops and stands from which merchants, many of which were grunts, tried to pitch the quality of their goods to whoever walked by. It was here that he saw more of what he came to expect from elites. Many of the more popular shops were weapon and armor vendors, and haggling between customer and merchant was fairly commonplace. He saw several juvenile elites chasing small, rat-like creatures throughout the streets. One was caught by who Chief assumed was his father and the child was given a disapproving wag of an elongated finger before being dragged off to parts unknown.
"We have thirty-nine-thousand credits left in our bank, just in case there's something here that catches your eye." Cortana reported.
Chief nodded and headed over to a weapon vendor. While he definitely preferred Human-made guns over Sangheili ones, Chief admitted that he had become somewhat fond of plasma grenades over the years. They were easy enough to activate and throw, they created a nicely-sized explosion, and he felt oddly satisfied whenever he was able to successfully stick a grenade to a hostile. They weren't very good for recon and spec. ops missions though. Too bright, too loud, too noticeable. But in any other situation, a good grenade to have.
The merchant took the liberty of packaging the grenades in a small container about the size of an egg carton; appropriate, since Chief had bought a dozen plasma grenades. He gave the merchant his money and stuck the container to his shoulder pad, his armor detecting his fingerprints on the container and activating the magnetic lock.
It was then that, out of the corner of his eye, Chief noticed two Sangheili running past the crowd. He turned his head, but just missed them. He checked his motion sensor and, sure enough, two white dots (representing non-combatants) were barreling down the street at a speed that could only suggest they were chasing something.
"Stop thief!" he heard one yell. Ah. That explains it. Local law enforcement in hot pursuit of a criminal. Chief briefly entertained the idea of helping catch the thief, but decided against it. For one, he didn't see the thief anywhere and two, he still had a few things he thought of buying and chasing a thief would be a waste of time. Granted, if it was just some pickpocket, it would only take like three minutes. But it would be a waste of three minutes. Three minutes or three days, a waste of time was a waste of time. He continued off in another direction when he heard something coming from the way those two cops ran.
"Let me go, you bosh'tet!"
"Silence, wretch! Or I will run you through!"
Tali. Chief didn't talk to her all that much, but he had heard enough of her voice to recognize it from twenty meters away. He turned away and bolted. In three seconds, he covered the hundred meters (much to the astonishment of several onlookers) over to the scene. One Sangheili officer crouched over an open case containing various mechanical parts and was pressing some buttons on his omni-tool. The other one was holding Tali by the collar against the wall. Given the vast height advantage between the two species, Tali's feet were dangling as the officer held her head level with his own, which was eight and a half feet off the ground.
"Do you know what my kind does to thieves, Quarian?" the officer holding her asked in a dark, threatening tone. "We disembowel them and then parade their entrails around the bazaar."
"Well, it's good thing I'm no thief then!" Tali spat.
"Watch your tongue or I will cu-"
"There a problem here, officers?" Chief asked as he stepped forward. He knew this wasn't a combat scenario and sought out to resolve this peacefully. However, he still kept his hand near his pistol, just in case.
"This Quarian is suspected of theft." The officer by the case replied as he pulled out a mechanical part and examined it. "She claims that she paid for all this. For obvious reasons, we doubt it."
Obvious reasons? Were Quarians typically thieves? " I DID pay for all that!" Tali yelped indignantly. She turned to Chief. "I used our budget to pay for it. Check it yourself, Chief!"
"I said silence!" the Sangheili pinning her roared. "Or I will slice a hole in your suit and leave you to die in the street!"
"She's right." Cortana reported. "I've got electronic receipts saying that some money was taken out for parts that look a lot like the ones in that case."
"Alright, boys. Let her go." Chief said as he typed on his omni-tool. Cortana knew the drill by now and brought up the receipt on Chief's blue omni-tool. "The Quarian's with me. She paid for these parts using my budget. She's authorized to do that." The Sangheili by the case stood up and walked over to the spartan to observe the documents that were now holographically displayed.
"My, how convenient." the elite holding Tali said, who was apparently the meaner of the two. "A Human shows up out of nowhere to defend a Quarian. Why do I have trouble believing this?"
"I'm afraid he is right, brother." The other elite said. "Dates, product names, it's all right here." He turned to his partner and gestured his head toward the spartan. The more bigoted elite snarled in response. He unceremoniously hurled Tali towards the Chief, hitting the ground with a thud at his feet.
"Consider yourself fortunate, Quarian wretch." The Sangheili spat one final time before leaving. His partner followed, paying no further heed to Tali and the Chief. The spartan looked down at the suited alien.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine." Tali groaned as she got up. "Split-faced bosh'tet."
"I take it Quarians and elites don't get along that well?" Chief asked.
"It's not just the Sangheili." Tali sighed as she went over to pick the case full of parts back up. "It's everyone. Humans, Turians, Asari. Pretty much every other species in the galaxy think of Quarians as being nothing but beggars and thieves."
"What makes them think that?"
"Our nomadic reputation, probably." Tali replied. "At least, that's my guess. Sometimes the Migrant Fleet enters a star system under some other alien government's control. At best, they bribe us with ship parts into going away. At worst, they tell us to at gunpoint. I remember this one time we stopped at a Kig-Yar controlled system. They sold us air filters at ridiculously high prices knowing how badly we needed them. Not to mention that Batarians and Jiralhenae like to attack us whenever they get bored, which is about a few times a year."
"So, basically your species is everybody else's punching bag?" Chief asked.
"More or less." Tali replied. "I mean, the admirals told me I'd face racism when I left the flotilla, but I had no idea just how right they were. We Quarians are NOT just drudges living on the edge of galactic society. Every time someone talks down to me just for wearing this suit I just want to-"
"Okay, calm down." Chief said. "Just let it go. It's over. Moving on." Tali sighed and then nodded. "Although I will say; remember when I said you were authorized to use the budget?"
"Yes?"
"I lied. How'd you get access to it?"
"Chief Engineer Adams gave it me. He said you wouldn't mind."
The spartan sighed. He'd have to have a discussion with the chief engineer later about authorization and how it's not something to be handed out like candy. Tali picked up on the Chief's exasperation and scowled underneath her helmet.
"I DIDN'T steal the access codes." Tali quickly pointed out.
"I didn't say that." Chief replied.
"But you were thinking it!"
"No. I was thinking that Adams shouldn't hand out authorized budget access to just anyone."
"Oh, so you don't trust me then?"
"I'm not saying that."
"But you're not saying you fully trust me either."
Chief sighed in defeat. "Just get back on the ship, Tali."
"Why? Because it's where I belong? Because we Quarians are only good for-"
"Get. Back. On. The ship." Chief sternly said, his patience for the Quarian finally running out. "That was an order."
Tali stood there a second, her fists trembling with anger. She then turned on her heels and stormed off. "A little harsh, don't you think?" Cortana asked.
"She'll get over it." Chief quickly replied.
Chief's personal COM began to crackle. "Chief? You there?" Joker's voice came.
"What is it, Joker?" the spartan replied.
"We...uh...we got a message here." the pilot reported.
"Message from who?" Chief asked.
"Don't know. Says it's for your ears only." Joker replied.
Interesting. "Patch it through." Chief ordered.
The spartan waited a moment. Then; "Master Chief, my name is Nassana Dantius." came a woman's voice. "I have a job for you. I can't say any more in an unsecured communication. If you're interested in hearing my offer, meet me in Beacon of Discovery's capital building so we can discuss this in person. I'll be waiting in the diplomat's lounge. Please hurry. Somebody's life is at stake."
And nothing more after that. "How far are we from the capitol building?" Chief asked.
"Not far." Cortana said. "A cab can take us there in about ten, fifteen minutes." Chief paused in thought. "She DID say that somebody's life was at stake, and she was willing to make an offer."
"I am NOT a mercenary." Chief sternly replied.
"I'm not saying you are." Cortana pointed out. "I'm just saying, this might be worth looking into."
Chief checked his internal clock. It would probably still be a while before repairs were done. There might be enough time to talk to her at the very least. Relenting, Chief made for a rapid transit terminal, summoned a cab, and sped off for the capital building.
...
The capital building was the hub of all of Beacon of Discovery's economic and political activities. It was here that diplomats came to discuss future colony plans and CEO's came to discuss trade routes and business transactions. Therum was a relatively new colony, and an important one at that within the Sangheili Empire. From what Cortana told Chief, the planet is meant to be a spring board for further exploration and settlement of the Artemis Tau Cluster.
After making his way through the crowded lobby, the Chief made his way to the diplomat's lounge. He noticed that there were actually more non-Sangheili in this room than in others. This was probably where off world politicians and businessmen came to relax or wait for appointments. He looked off in one direction and he saw an Unggoy and a Volus in a heated argument of some sort. By the bar, he saw a Sangheili and a Turian having a rather civil discussion. Two Mgalekgolo bond brothers stood in the back of the room, still as statues. The need for security didn't seem likely, given that the spartan was certain there weren't any particularly dangerous individuals in here. More likely than not, the hunters were ceremonious guards; kind of like the guards of the queen's palace in Britain.
Chief went up to the bar and asked for Nassana Dantius. The Unggoy barkeep pointed to an Asari wearing an expensive robe or dress. She was sitting by the window, holding a datapad in one hand and her own head in the other, likely nursing a headache. Chief walked over and it didn't take long before Dantius took notice of the spartan.
"Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117. Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." Chief greeted.
"Nassana Dantius. Representative of the Asari Republics and ambassador to the Sangheili Empire." she returned. The Asari gestured Chief to have a seat.
"No thanks, I'll stand." Chief replied. He had yet to meet a chair outside his quarters that could bear the weight of a fully-armored SPARTAN-II. "You said you needed me for something? About how someone's life might be at stake?"
"That someone is my sister, Dahlia." Nassana quickly said. "She was a crewman on a cargo vessel operating out beyond the fringes of the Attican Traverse. Her ship was attacked by pirates. I thought she died, but a week ago, I received a message from her. She was alive. The rest of the crew was killed, but she was taken prisoner. The pirates demanded a huge ransom from me in exchange for returning her unharmed."
"That sounds unusual. Why spare her and kill everyone else?" Chief asked. Something about this didn't feel right. The spartan couldn't put his finger on it though.
"They must have realized who she was. My family is very wealthy, Chief. They know she's worth more alive than dead." Nassana explained. "But I'm no fool. I know that once they get their money, she won't be worth anything anymore and then she'll be as good as dead."
"Which is why you need me to find her and bring her back?"
"You only need to bring her back. I've already found her for you." she handed Chief the datapad she'd been holding. "I hired a private investigator to check out the account the pirates want me to pay the ransom through. He found it was connected to several other accounts, and then it all eventually led to a small mercenary band operating on the planet Sharjila in the Macedon System, only about a day or so from here. I need you to go to the merc base and get my sister back. I assure you, you'll be well-rewarded for this."
Chief thought about it for a second. His gut was telling him that there was something that this Asari wasn't telling him. "Why me? Why not hire somebody else?" he asked.
"Because you're a spectre!" Nassana yelped, close to hysterics. "You're the best there is at this sort of thing, and I can NOT take chances here. This is my sister's life we're talking about! She...she..." she dipped her head and covered her eyes with one hand. She choked as she tried to gasp in a breath. She was crying, and trying her hardest not to show it. After taking a minute to calm herself, she looked back up to the Chief. Tear stains were apparent on her cheeks. "Please..." she silently pleaded. "Just bring her back."
Chief sighed. He really shouldn't do this. He didn't know what exactly this little rescue mission would entail, so he could be down there for hours; hours that wouldn't be spent heading back toward the Citadel. The Council probably won't take too kindly the fact that he took a detour on his way back to the nest. Not to mention the fact that something about this felt off. But there was one undeniable fact that dictated that Chief had to do it.
Someone had just asked him to save a part of their family.
"I'll do it." Chief said, simply and plainly.
Dantius smiled. "Thank you." She then stood up. "I have a ship bound for the Citadel I need to catch. Good luck." And without another word, she left the lounge.
"You're doing a good thing here, Chief." Cortana said in an encouraging tone.
"Might as well do it. Council doesn't have any more pressing missions for us right now, so it'll be a good way to kill time. Keep our skills sharp." Chief replied.
"If you say so..." the AI said, not at all convinced by her spartan's feeble excuse to help someone. He had a heart, he just didn't like to show it. "Anyway, we should get going. Normandy should be fueled up and ready to go by now."
Chief nodded before leaving the room.
...
The sun began to set on Beacon of Discovery as Chief made his way back to the docks. He had contacted Joker and repairs and refuel are complete, and everyone was on board and ready to go. They were all just waiting on the spartan. Chief sighed in relief. He was looking forward to getting off of Therum. It unnerved him, being around so many elites, not knowing when they might attack him. Cortana told him that most of the elites in the city were civilians and probably wouldn't attack him, but he still just couldn't shake that feeling. Bottom line, once he was off this rock, he won't have to lay eyes on another Sangheili for a long time.
Once again, the Master Chief was lucky, but evidently not that lucky.
As he approached the docking bay, he saw two elites, which he immediately recognized as being two of the Spec. Ops Sangheili unit he had met earlier that day. One in white shiny armor, Field Master 'Narzun, and the other in black armor, who upon closer inspection, Chief realized was N'tho 'Sraom.
"Field Master 'Narzun? What are you doing here?" Chief asked.
'Narzun looked at N'tho and nodded. N'tho nodded back before facing the Chief and saluting with a pressed fist against his chest. "If you'll have me Chief...I'd be honored to join you on your man hunt for Saren."
The spartan paused, incredulous. "...I don't know what you're talking about." Chief finally replied.
"You know? Saren? Rogue spectre? Leading the Geth in his search for something called the Conduit which is supposed to be, like, this big scary super weapon? Come on, your Turian buddy Garrus told me all about it."
Chief winced. He now realized that he REALLY needed to have a talk with Garrus about the importance of a 'need-to-know' basis. "And I take it you wanna help?" he asked.
"Sure do. Uh, sir." N'tho replied. "I mean...if you'll have me."
"I can easily spare him, spartan. You need only ask." 'Narzun added.
Chief sighed as a battle began in his brain. A battle that, Chief couldn't help but notice, was repeating itself very much since he was woken out of cryo. Once again, the emotional half of his mind and the logical half were duking it out.
The emotional half roared its protests. Quarians and Asari, sure. Turians and Krogan, pushing it, but alright. But an elite? A squidhead? The species that glassed Reach? The species that killed so many friends? No! A thousand times, no! He wouldn't stand for it!
But a spartan's mind was a disciplined mind, and a disciplined was more often than not a logical mind. And the logical mind saw only facts. N'tho was an elite, and as such, nearly as skilled as a SPARTAN-II in combat. When a combatant like that readily volunteers for your mission, you just don't automatically say "no." As much as Chief hated to admit it, the UNSC probably wouldn't have won the war without the aid of the Covenant Separatists, and a large part of that was because of the elites' physical superiority in speed, strength and stamina over most other species.
Chief sighed. The logical half won this debate, as it always does. But that doesn't mean the emotional half of his mind doesn't have a valid point. He'd use caution around the elite, that much was for certain.
"Get on the ship." Chief ordered as he gestured to the airlock.
N'tho's eyes widened. "Really? No foolin'?" Chief nodded. "Oh man, this is gonna be AWESOME!" he cheered as he bolted down the walkway.
"Thank you, spartan." 'Narzun said. "I was actually hoping you'd take him."
"Got tired of his antics?" Chief asked.
"Something like that." 'Narzun replied with a shrug. "You see, N'tho suffers from a condition we Sangheili call 'The Delusion of Youth.'"
"Delusion of youth?" Chief asked.
"Indeed." 'Narzun began. "It's quite common amongst the Sangheili youth. Arrogance, overconfidence, recklessness, foolhardiness and complete and utter disregard for authority." The Field Master paused. "I understand you Humans have a word for youths like that...'Teenagers' I believe it was."
"Lovely." Cortana said.
"Anyway, we Sangheili believe that war can be the best teacher of humility. Nothing shatters the youthful delusions of invincibility in battle quite like a few near-miss sniper shots or a few grenade explosions that went off too close for comfort. As a spectre, it is likely you will have many such battles in the course of your mission, giving N'tho a chance to endure such humbling experiences."
"So...you elites send your teenagers into battle in the hopes that a few near-death experiences will make them less obnoxious?" Chief asked.
"Essentially."
"Uh...huh." Chief replied. Elite culture may be 'honorable' and 'noble,' but it was also pretty harsh, apparently. Then again, it sounded no more harsh than the spartan's own training. Moving on, Chief noted that there was one other thing about N'tho that bugged him. "I couldn't help but notice that N'tho's manner of speaking is less...eloquent than most elites'." Chief said.
"Well...he IS a squidhead. Such language comes with the subculture." 'Narzun replied.
"Subculture?" Chief asked.
"Ah yes. Forgive me. I forgot that you awoke from Cryo-sleep just recently, so this all must be very much new to you, my apologies." 'Narzun said. "Anyway...how shall I explain this? Many years after the Great Schism reached its conclusion, much cultural exchange took place between Humans and Sangheili. We introduced them to our war poems, our stories and our plays. They in turn introduced us to their television, their film and their video games. While the eldest of our kind cared little for such things, many of our youth were fascinated by them. They started calling themselves 'squidheads,' choosing to take pride in the less-than-flattering name given to us by Human soldiers during the Great War. N'tho has much knowledge of your culture and is fascinated by it, so much so that, like many squidheads, he has taken to your way of speaking, thinking and acting."
"I...see..." Chief replied.
"Make no mistake though. While N'tho appears to be akin to a bumbling Unggoy, he is actually quite skilled in battle; otherwise, he would not have been considered good enough to join my men. He's a good shot, makes use of stealth and ambushes quite well...if in a rather unorthodox manner at times. He simply needs to learn discipline and humility, traits that I am quite confidant that you can instill into him."
"Just as a heads-up, I don't claim to be a good teacher." Chief said.
"Perhaps not, but hopefully your enemies will do most of the teaching for you." 'Narzun replied.
...
And so it was that Spec. Ops. Sangheili N'tho 'Sraom joined the crew of the Normandy. Some, like Joker and Kaidan, weren't really perturbed by the elite's presence on the ship. Others, like Pressly and Ashley, were less than comfortable with the addition of yet another non-human to the crew. Still, the combat team saw N'tho's skill in battle first hand. Bringing down a Geth Armature more or less single-handed is a good way to impress a spartan.
So, with an Asari scientist and a Sangheili Spec. Ops. newly in tow, the Normandy withdrew from Beacon of Discovery's dock and made a course for Sharjila with the intention of rescuing the sister of an Asari diplomat. It would be a good mission for N'tho to cut his teeth on, now that Chief thought about it. See what the elite was really made of.
Requisitions Officer Lawrence brought back some pretty fancy looking Sangheili weaponry. Plasma pistols, plasma SMG's, needler shotguns, plasma rifles, beam rifles, all would be good additions to the Normandy's armory. However Chief did tell Lawrence that next time they hit port, he wasn't to make such transactions without the spartan's say-so. Like any good soldier, Lawrence nodded and told the Chief that it wouldn't happen again.
Chief sat at his desk and studied up on the planet Sharjila via the codex. There wasn't much to say about it, apparently. It was basically an inhospitable, uninhabited rock. Preliminary surveys by the Sangheili Empire marked several thorium, uranium and magnesium deposits dotted across the surface, implying that the planet may be colonized for mining purposes in the future, but outside of that, not a single sapient soul on it. Outside of the pirates using it as a base, of course. It also had a dangerously dense atmosphere of ammonia and oxygen, so pressure suits will be a must on this assignment. Lucky for him all suits come with pressurization features, the squad's and his own. He had no idea how well fortified the pirate base would be, but they were just disorganized mercenaries and criminals, so Chief doubted that it was anything he couldn't handle. The best part about all this was he didn't have very long to wait. By this time tomorrow, he'd be planetside again and in the heat of battle, where every spartan belonged.
As he studied up on Sharjila, Cortana floated off to his side. Chief looked over to Cortana with a raised eyebrow, knowing that she had been staring at him expectantly. "What?" he asked.
"You're gonna stay cooped up in here the whole way to Sharjila, aren't you?" Cortana asked.
"Not the whole way." Chief answered. "My quarters don't have a bathroom or a kitchen so I'd have to leave for things like that."
"You know what I mean." Cortana said.
Chief sighed in defeat. "You're saying I should be like Kurt? Just go out there and talk to everyone? Get to know them?"
Chief was of course referring to SPARTAN-051, aka Kurt. Kurt was a part of Blue Team and was under Chief's command for a time, up until he died due to a faulty T-pack during a deep-space recon mission. The funny thing about Kurt was, he was unusually sociable for a spartan. He'd talk to fellow spartans, and even non-spartans like the drill instructors and the ODST's. While other spartans were keen on keeping mostly to themselves, Kurt was very open, making friends and constantly asking them personal questions in the hopes of striking up a conversation. He had a funny habit of saying 'I should go' or 'we'll talk later' whenever some duty that required his attention pulled him away from those conversations. It always bothered Chief, just how open Kurt was, so Chief didn't have much interest in being that open himself.
"Couldn't hurt." Cortana replied.
"It's unnecessary." Chief said. "I'd be wasting their time, and my own."
"Well, I think you should at least apologize to Tali." the AI pointed out.
"Apologize?"
"I still think you were a little too harsh with her back in that marketplace." Cortana said.
"She was out of line, so I brought her back into line. I did what any commanding officer would've done in that situation." Chief said resolutely. "I've got nothing to apologize for."
"She was kind of upset." Cortana pointed out next.
"She'll get over it." the spartan said, repeating his words on Therum. "In fact, she's probably forgotten all about it by now."
...
"STUPID!"
*BLAM!*
"ARMOR-HEADED!"
*BLAM!*
"INSENSITIVE!"
*BLAM!*
"SEVEN-FOOT!"
*BLAM!*
"BOSH'TET!"
*BLAM!*
*BLAM!*
*BLAM!*
On Ashley's list of 'scary aliens,' there were no Quarians, mostly because Quarians are very rarely thought of as dangerous. That might soon change after listening to Tali go on her little rant, with the aid of a shotgun and a target.
Ashley had decided that, in between missions, the "garage" area of Deck 3 could be used as a makeshift firing range. Requisitions Officer Lawrence purchased some hologram emitters that...well...emitted holograms, specifically targets. The emitters themselves were little discs on the floor that projected forth holograms of 'dummies' of various species that glowed yellow. Lawrence also bought 'holographic rounds' to shoot the targets with so that the ship's interior won't be all shot up by stray bullets. The dummy was currently of a Human male, and the areas where the holographic shotgun rounds hit glowed a bright red. Right now, much of the Human's torso, head, both arms, left leg and crotch were as red as Santa's suit. Tali took several heavy breaths as she panted; a rather audible sound thanks to her air filters and audio projectors. Ashley thought it wise to leave her be for a minute before speaking.
"Bad day, I take it?" Ashley asked, rather lamely she just realized.
"It's just...just...AAAARRRGH!" Tali screamed.
"Okay, calm down, calm. Down." Ashley said as she walked up to the Quarian and massaged her shoulders. "Deep breaths. Count to ten. Just cool it. Just. Cool it." she spoke slowly, hoping her calmness would project itself onto Tali. Eventually, Tali's breathing became less erratic and her shoulders relaxed. "Better?"
"Much. Thank you." Tali replied.
"Okay. Now why don't you tell me what happened?" Ashley asked.
"Well, I was falsely accused of stealing. Again." Tali began. "Chief managed to come to my rescue though...but then he accused me of stealing the codes to the mission budget to pay for the things I bought! And when I denied that, he accused me of being untrustworthy! Can you believe that?"
"I don't know." Ashley replied. "Chief doesn't strike me as the accusatory type. What did he say exactly?"
Tali paused. She set down her shotgun as she began to wring her hands nervously. "Well..." she said. "He didn't actually say anything, now that I think about it...but I know he was thinking it!"
"Tali...he's the Master Chief." Ashley said. "Trying to read him is like trying to read a brick wall. I think you might've jumped to conclusions a little."
The Quarian sighed as she took a moment to think about it. "Maybe I did. It's just...ever since I left the Flotilla, people have done nothing but look down on me and I''ve just about had it."
"So that's why you're so upset with Chief." Ashley said. "You think he was looking down on you."
"I suppose he never really accused me of being a thief." Tali said. "But he still looks down on me. If not for being a Quarian, then for being a...'civie.' I'm an engineer, so he just automatically assumes that anything that happens outside Engineering is none of my business. It's why he left me behind on Therum."
"Well..." Ashley began as she eyed the holographic dummy that was as red as a stop light. "Why don't you volunteer for the Sharjila mission tomorrow?"
"Sharjila?" Tali asked.
"It's our next stop. Some Asari Diplomat asked Chief to rescue her sister from pirates. It'd be a good chance to show him what you're really made of. Chief has some trust in me, so I'll vouch for you." Ashley said.
"Really? You'd do that?"
"Sure. What are friends for? Besides..." she turned and eyed the dummy's crotch, which was the brightest shade of red out of all the red areas on the dummy. She turned back to the Quarian with a smirk. "You've learned much, my dark apprentice..." she said in a dark tone.
A silence.
"Joke from an old sci-fi vid." Ashley quickly explained.
"Yeah. We don't watch many vids on the Flotilla." Tali replied.
...
Saren stood in front of the large viewing screen on board the Sovereign, still as a statue. He watched with detached interest the video recording of one of the surviving recon drones from the botched Therum operation. When he first heard of the Master Chief's reawakening, he subsequently heard much of his abilities. His incredible strength, speed, stamina, reflexes; he was quite possibly the most powerful sentient being alive. Saren initially dismissed the stories as Human propaganda.
Oh, how wrong he was.
He wouldn't believe it if he wasn't seeing it with his own eyes, and even then, his mind was still having trouble wrapping his head around it. There he was, the 'Master Chief,' Humanity's greatest hero, tearing through Saren's Geth forces with practiced ease. He tried to dismiss that too; it was reasonable to assume that Humanity's first spectre would at least be competent on the battlefield.
But then, he saw the brawl in the caves. How Chief leapt into a sea of Geth and laid waste to them. He slaughtered them all, one by one as the machines tried desperately in vain to fell the armored monster. Sure, he had help from his squad in the form of covering fire, but it was clear to see who the real threat was. Chief was like some glorious god of war, killing Geth in ways that should not have been possible; not for an ordinary Human. It was then that Saren finally realized that John-117 was no ordinary Human.
Now, one would think that Saren would be upset by how John foiled another operation of his. But the loss of Liara T'soni was, in truth, naught but a minor setback. True, her Prothean expertise would've been useful in his search for the conduit, as well as for further cementing Benezia's loyalty. But Liara's skill set was not critical to the mission. Hell, he ordered an invasion of Therum as an afterthought more than anything else.
No, Saren wasn't upset at all. In fact, he smiled. He smiled as he watched John rip his Geth forces to shreds. No, he wasn't upset.
He was fascinated.
...
Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Races): SANGHEILI
Physically superior to most other races in the galaxy, the Sangheili are a hardy race with a proud history of martial prowess and military expertise. After serving as the principal military arm of the Covenant for millennia, the Sangheili broke away from the Covenant in retaliation to an attempted genocide by the San'Shyuum, and formed the Covenant Separatists. This triggered a conflict known as the Great Schism, which coincided with the end of the Human-Covenant War, as the separatists allied themselves with the UNSC.
After the end of the Human-Covenant war, and after the end of the Great Schism seven years later, the Sangheili officially reopened ties with the UNSC in 2560, having deemed Humans to be warriors worthy of respect. A great deal of cultural, political and economic exchange between the two species took place as the Sangheili rebuilt their shattered society.
Today, the Sangheili are one of the strongest military powers in Council space, having a fleet to rival the Human Alliance and Turian Hierarchy, and have begun to carve out their own pieces of the untamed Attican Traverse for colonization. Though they have been through dark times, the future looks bright for the Sangheili people.
...
Yeah, I know. That codex for the Sangheili was kinda crappy, but don't worry about it. Now that we have an elite squad member, we'll get to know a little bit more about Sangheili biology, culture, government, military doctrine and religion through him, so expect more in-depth codex entries in the future.
Also, all the Tali fans out there who want Tali to get more involved in the story? Your wish will be granted in the next chapter. I guarantee it