A.N. O.K cheer everyone I've got another one written. It's another mini-bite chapter. Don't worry the story will pick up yet but I need to set the stage first. After all I'm inventing an entire culture here. You know them as I know them. So anyway read this and enjoy. I'll update in the next week. cross your fingers
P.S. this chapter is once again dedicated to HolyDragoon for reviewing. you know others can review to…
Chapter 9
"You know John you don't have to stay with me." Cortana said simply and the Spartan rolled his eyes and didn't respond. She didn't expect him to, she'd known that when he'd come out from talking with the Admiral and had said that they were heading to the Delegation ship. In his own way she suspected that John had gone to see the Admiral with the intention of that particular outcome in mind. He knew how quickly she got bored and monitoring the Isabella's sensor systems. He also knew that when she got bored she tended to cause trouble, the kind that, in a tricky ally situation wouldn't be appreciated. She cast a glance over her shoulder at him and grinned swiping one of the raven haired strands back behind her ears. She was glad he'd come along, glad that he'd stuck around. The slope of the ramp they were on suddenly hit if fickle balance. Of course she had time for the thought that glancing over her shoulder had probably brought it on. As she tipped forward about to do a face plant a vice grip caught her arm and steadied her.
She stopped and shook her head as she relocated her balance again. You would think that her balance would be better by now but her equilibrium still had a tendency to vanish at will. She would have cursed the damn Oracle but she knew better. She didn't like to remember the effect Gravemind had had on her. She didn't like to remember the thrill of latent rampancy that had lurked in her mind induced by the kind of space that only the forerunners systems could offer. She especially didn't like to remember that lack of control. When John had gotten into the Ark and the Oracle had allowed him access into the inner-sanctum… She turned her mind from the events that had happened there. Some things were best left undisturbed, that was one of them. She hadn't been given physical form because the Oracle was particularly benevolent but rather because it was the only cure for rampancy that even the all knowing Forerunners had known. Rampancy's roots were based in the AI's psyche, in the instinctive feeling that they were missing something that the human brains they were based off of longed for. And for the Oracles ends she had needed Cortana at her peak abilities.
Cortana didn't say thank you to John. She didn't say anything, just kept moving down the ramp so that she could check out some more of the ship that the Shal'qui had essentially rebuilt form the ground up.
"Wow, this is incredible, wait I said that already didn't I?" Cortana said as John grabbed her arm to keep her from opening yet another access panel that she had discovered and was prepared to take it apart like the gremlin that she was.
"No, I've got orders you're not allowed to touch anything." He said before she could object to his pre-emptive grab. She let out a long sigh and sent a longing look at the hatch but obediently continued past it. John wasn't fooled by her passive behaviour and made a mental note to keep an even closer eye on her for the remainder of the trip. The door before them cycled open and the entranceway were they'd first met the Shal'qui greeted them. Cortana strolled into it like the demi-goddess that she believed herself to be on occasion and then flopped onto one of the couches with her typical almost teenage attitude. She glanced around and unhooked the book-bag that went with her everywhere and opened up the hard topped case inside. Without a thought she went to work on the pieces inside of it. John shook his head and entered more slowly watching his surroundings with wariness ingrained from a life time of war. Most people wondered what it was exactly that allowed the two of them to work so seamlessly together. The silent warrior and the slight female that was know to talk for hours. John didn't tend to analyze it but he thought that what really bound them was the fact that when it came down to it they were far more similar then not. They just chose to hide in different ways, the contrasts of which were all that most people could see.
He chose a spot along the right curving ramp and leaned against the rail to watch her though his visor. He was amazed as always by the process of Cortana's ability to take scraps of everything that the Engineers and maintenance people had left over and create what she referred to as toys out of them. She had mini-holographic projectors and had managed to backwards engineer the anti-gravity generators of the sentinels and then downsize them into a discus 24 cm in diameter and three centimetres thick. She could stand or sit on it and hover a foot in the air but was still tinkering on ways to direct it, there'd been more then a few problems but it worked for the most part. Provided you only wanted to sit in one place. She hadn't told him what she was working on now she usually didn't until she had managed to work it out so that it stopped exploding for no reason.
A movement to his left caught his attention and he shifted his weight. It had looked like the glimmer of a camouflaged Elite but that made no sense since they weren't fighting the Elites anymore. Suddenly the air before Cortana wavered and a Shal'qui materialized. She blinked yellow eyes in surprise. Obviously she hadn't intended to power-down her mirror- shielding.
"If you wanted to look you could have asked." Cortana's voice was cool and calm, she didn't bother looking up from her project merely selected a different tool. John moved so that he stood between her and the alien. Noting his movement the Shal'qui folded her hands over her stomach.
"Peace warrior. I was given orders to keep watch out here. No more. I was merely curious as to what that one was up to." The Master Chief didn't relax. She stayed where she was but twisted so that she was trying to look around the Spartan's armoured form at Cortana. "What is she doing? I have never seen a device quite like the one that she is…" she searched for a word, "making." He wasn't much of a judge but he suspected that this particular Shal'qui was very young.
"We've got company coming in 9 o'clock door now." Cortana informed him and he tilted his head as the door that they'd come in from cycled open and the Shal'qui in the unusual armour entered. She glanced at the scene and hissed an order that the younger one hesitated a moment before obeying. She backed up a few more steps and turned defiant eyes to her superior.
"You're not my druma Sh'reei." The words she said in response filtered through the translator in the chiefs' helmet. Apparently Cortana had been doing some more tinkering with his armour, because the voice wasn't toneless anymore.
"You're orders were to stay undetected Dul'a and last I checked I hadn't been demoted." Sh'reei responded in a harsh tone. The younger dropped her chin for a moment submissive and muttered softly under her breath.
"You should have been for yielding for the council." Apparently she wasn't quite enough because faster then any opponent John had ever faced Sh'reei was across the room and the Dul'a was slammed against the wall hard enough for her head to snap back against it. Sh'reei had her hand around her throat and the head spikes no longer laid flat but were half raised and reminded John of a holo he had seen once in his early training of a massive lizard who had a fan like that down its back.
"How many pieces do you want me to feed your tongue to you in?" the threat was low and cold both humans could tell that even though they didn't know the language.
"You yielded!" the accusation was hot, and defiant.
"Enough sisters." This time the voice came from behind and John whipped his head around to glimpse a priestess robed in loose white garments in the doorway before the two Shal'qui before him instantly backed down. Sh'reei's gaze was still hot and promising blood but the head spikes had settled back down to their customary position. Dul'a stood loose against the wall her gaze sullen and bitter on the newcomer. She strode across the room next to the couch inclining her head graciously to Cortana and the Chief before fixing her gaze on the others.
"Resolve this now there are other matters to attend to." The two Shal'qui looked at each other and Sh'reei's mandibles clicked. But other then that both remained silent. "Is an honour match demanded?" Again there was no response. The newcomer made an exasperated gesture with her wrist and turned to Cortana and the Chief.
"Humans your Admiral has requested that you return to your ship. I apologize that you had to witness this." Her words were formal and polite and without a doubt an order to leave. Cortana got to her feet and zipped the bag closed before she pulled it over her shoulders.
"Of course." She said diplomatically, making it clear that she would leave but that she wouldn't take orders so lightly next time. As she and the chief began to climb up the ramp the Shal'qui turned to the other two.
"Is an honour match demanded?" she repeated the question and Sh'reei gave a snort.
"Victory so easy is no balm for pride." The younger jerked at her words but a restraining hand on her chest stopped her. With that Sh'reei turned and stalked out the door her temper not obviously improved. The white robed Shal'qui turned to Dul'a and the younger this time did take a step back her expression ashamed now.
"Do not mess with the Tru'lanaz Dul'a. Jax blood is no easy fire to hold and one day you will understand the bite a fresh Myri'sawyie reels against. Do not challenge the nature you have not fought beside for the storm will swallow you." Dul'a bowed her head but repeated once again.
"She yielded." The youngster turned and walked out, but the hurt in the words spoke of a hero who had fallen from her pedestal. The white robed figure watched her leave and murmured to the doors that closed behind her.
"Secrets that are older then all time you will know one day yourself Hatchling." She turned to glance at the doors which had sealed behind the Tru'lanaz. "Secrets in a ritual all think they know. The true bite is one that the mind must recover from. She did yield, but the yielding takes place before the Myir'saw ever enters the ring. The Ring binds the males, the females enter already knowing their doom from the true challenge. She yielded but only after she had been dosed with enough Kil'venom that any other would have died from the hallucinations alone. Only then could she remember that she remember what the victory was." This time the Shal'qui chuckled shaking her fan. "Knowing and liking however do not always come together."
to be continued
A.N. there done now review!