AN: FINALLY... sorry to keep you waiting ;;
Chapter XI – Prodigy
Chakuth stared at his friend who tried to plug a methane geyser. He watched in awe yet he knew that something bad was about to happen.
"Look, this is how you do it.", Heyep said as he threw the rock in the geyser and plugged it up by doing so, then turned around and grinned at his younger friend.
"It's a bad idea you know…", Chakuth said and cocked his head to the side slightly.
"Bah, who told you that, the explosion is really cool, look!", he said as he eagerly waited for the geyser to blow the rock out of the way.
Chakuth instinctively took a few steps back and shook his head, "You should really get away from there now…". Heyep stared back at him, "You used to telling others what to do?", and he stepped on the stone to show him the safety in the entire game.
But his weight pushed the stone deeper into the geyser shutting off all air and causing the geyser to sputter its air in the damp ground next to it.
"Heyep… get off that rock please…", he said carefully, wanting to be anywhere but here at the moment. "Hush! You hear that? It's almost gonna blow!", Heyep said.
Chakuth didn't have the time to tell him it wasn't almost at all. He stared how the small Unggoy flew off into the air, the rock following him on his tail. The freezing methane was to pure and cold to handle on bare skin, and the thin rag for a shirt Heyep was wearing wasn't going to protect him from burning alive in the freezing gas.
Chakuth's mouth fell wide open as the burned but still alive body hit the ground, the skin was completely scarred and crimpled.
The stone that fell on Heyep was the blow that Chakuth needed to turn and run away.
But when he was about to turn he felt a familiar hand cover his eyes and another grab his arm tightly. He was carefully but swiftly dragged away and the hand went off his hand he saw he was brought back to his home.
In front of him stood his weeping mother, "What did I tell you about Heyep…", she said and shook Chakuth's shoulders.
Chakuth was speechless, he watched his friend die and now his mother was upset with him, he finally felt tears break through his mask of pride and he started to cry wanting nothing but his mother's comforting. As soon as Shima saw her son cry like that she embraced him in her arms and shushed him silently.
"There, there… I'm here Chakuth… calm now my son…", she whispered.
Chakuth's dreams were always bad ones, he had seen his father die many times, and his house and planet were destroyed so often he didn't even dare to count. The dream about Heyep was no different from his usual apocalypse dreams, but something about it made him wake and scream out of pure terror. As he realized it was a dream he wished he didn't scream, and the reason for it had just stormed into his room, completely shocked and worried.
The young Unggoy had always been different, he was a silent inverted kind of child, not at all interested in the silly games others of his age played. Instead he'd watch the bubbles in the swamplands, and look at the odd creatures the methane marshlands had to offer.
If there was one thing he hated, it was his mother's overreacting protection for anything.
"Mom… let go, please, I'm ok….", he said muffled into his mother's shoulder.
Chakuth's yet to be pigmented grey eyes primed into his mother's dark ones, "I'm not afraid of my dreams…", he said.
Shima sighed, "It's okay to be afraid Chakuth… really", she said and rubbed her hand over his head.
Chakuth sighed, he moved his head away from his mother and heard her leave the room silently.
'What does she really know about me…', he thought as he stared out of the window of his room. He slowly rose from his bed and couldn't resist to take a look outside, "Father… Why aren't you ever around…", he whispered to himself and sighed.
Shima tugged on Chakuth's shirt, he stood huffing and grunting at her, "It's ok now, let it go mom!", he said and pulled the edges of his clothing out of her hands. She stared at him, nodded and rose, "Let's go then.", she said and grabbed his hand, leading him out of the house.
"Do I really have to come along?", Chakuth finally asked, halfway there. Shima eyed him, then stared back at the path ahead of them, "You need to socialize, after that accident you haven't seen any other Unggoy's face.", she said and dragged him along. He stared back at her, "What if I don't want to see any one else's face? What if I want to stay alone and quiet, playing in the forests?".
It remained silent for a while, then a path of lanterns showed them the way to their destination.
"That's what I am so worried about Chakuth…", she said and pushed him into the lodge, filled with other rich Unggoy. As soon as Shima had released Chakuth's hand he had fled outside to find the nearest children's playground. He hadn't expected anyone else to be there, but apparently he wasn't the only one dragged to the grown-up's party.
His grey eyes primed the stares the others were giving him.
For a second it seemed to much, his stare lingered down, he knew that the news about Heyep's death and his inability to stop him and do something about it had spread like a methane fire. He felt it was best to just stay where he had been staying since he was old enough to commune.
The others stared him off until he disappeared out of view into the woods, "He's cursed…", the oldest said and poked a youngling.
"How do you know?", another asked.
"Because bad luck follows him wherever he goes…".
Chakuth's clawed finger traced small signs in the swampy ground, and as he was done with them they filled with the murky water which made the ground the way it was. His eyes narrowed slightly and his pupils adjusted to the new environment. The strange sensation he felt earlier hadn't left yet and the image of Heyep's gruesome death was still with him. As he felt he was about to break the strangest little creature jumped by his hand. It had 2 eyes, it had 4 legs and a smooth skin. Chakuth had never seen anything like it before. He knew the variant they called Ghanakwa, with 4 eyes but 6 legs, it fed off small bugs. It looked the same but it looked different, like it was mutated off something.
He cupped his small hands around the creature and lifted it off the ground, to study it a little better, but as soon as he looked at it he something shine behind the small creature. He startled, dropped the creature and ran. But as soon as he was to reach the open playground he was grabbed, a firm hand in front of his mouth and he was pulled back. He screamed into the hand, the slender smooth-skinned hand.
"Silent…", a dark but familiar voice whispered.
Chakuth's eyes widened at the laughter he heard behind him, so familiar, so loving. He looked back and before he knew it he was turned to face his father's smiling face, "Hello Chakuth, how are you?", he spoke. Chakuth didn't know what to say, how to react or what his face should have looked like. Instead he just screamed a joyful one and jumped into his father's arms.
"Finally you returned dad!", he shouted and buried his face against the shining plates of his father's armour, and for the first time, metal felt good.
"So why are you out here?", Chakuth asked as he slightly jerked his father's hand, staring at him with big happy eyes.
"Ah you know how I hate those parties, such a drag about the return of soldiers, bah.", he said smiling.
Chakuth almost jumped, "Will you be staying this time?", he asked.
"Ah Chakuth…", he started and stopped walking, turning to his son and kneeling in front of him, "This war… it's not going to stop for a while… The humans are a lot stronger then we had expected and it means I will have to return soon.".
Chakuth's hopeful eyes hurt Charam down to his core, "Chakuth… enough about me, how are you? How is your education, do you like navigation?", he asked fighting the tears.
Chakuth nodded, "Navigation is hard but it's a lot of fun, I have nice classmates, they are all much older then I am but I am happy because of that. And I'm getting high grades I love it very much!", he said.
"That's wonderful Chakuth, wonderful.", he said, thinking about the agreements he made with the Covenant recruitment Council.
Thinking about it made him sad, when the council had found out about his new born child they forced him into a full progress monitoring. Every new frontier in baby Chakuth's life was to be registered and closely monitored for future recruitment. It made Charam damn the day he was proclaimed extremely intelligent, a purebred prodigy. Chakuth inherited his incredible intelligence and capabilities, as in so far the council insisted on having him in the covenant army, it was also the choice of the council to have him study navigation instead of superior battle tactics and leadership like his father had. As they walked inside Chakuth saw all the other families happy together and all he wanted was for his mother to see his father now and that they could be together for the rest of the evening. For the first time in ages he actually felt good in the midst of people.
"I'm terminating the agreement…", Charam said.
"You can't terminate it now Ikuda, you have already agreed and there is no turning back, we are already making arrangements for your son, he is going to be recruited in the Covenant army when he reaches his 16th life year Ikuda, there is no way for you to stop this anymore.", the dark voice of the minor Prophet spoke. Charam felt the pressure rise in his jaws as he gritted his teeth as hard as he could, "You can't do his… He has a lot better life here then he can ever have there, you know that.", he spoke.
"Ikuda, this conversation is over, he will be recruited…", it sounded, then the line went dead.
Charam's eyes fixated on Shima's, he felt guilty and as soon as he could, he brought his stare off her.
"Charam…", she started.
But the general shook his head and looked away, walking into Chakuth's room.
Staring at the young sleeping Unggoy he though about what he did, even though it seemed like it was a privilege, an honour to serve the great Covenant, now it was like he had sold his son's destiny to the greedy hands of the religion-crazed Prophets.
'Oh Chakuth… may the spirits of the swamps be merciful on you these next 6 years…', he thought as he sat down slowly against the wall with his hands on his head.
Chakuth stared at his father, he wanted to say how much he wanted him to stay, but he knew it was no good. Duty called and the great General Charam Ikuda Zhetey and his team were called back to the everlasting war. He felt the painful stings surge though his small heart, the horrible visions and images flew through his mind and all he could think about was his father, the only person who treated him like he wanted to be treated. He stared along side his mother until the ship was out of sight and as soon as he could he found himself in the swamplands again, trotting the muddy grounds as he always would.
The marsh was always very noisy but on this particular day, silence ruled the methane swamps.
There wasn't a day Chakuth didn't feel alone or forgotten, but today he felt like he was directly abandoned by everything he always held close to him. His father was gone again, and spirits know for how long again.
"No… I won't miss you.. I won't cry for you, I won't be afraid…", he suddenly said to himself and started running.
As he passed the amazing lands into one of the very few plains the planet had to offer he stared up into the beautiful blue-green skies to see the imposing Mehwa birds soar over, in search of their prey. His father had told them about the reptilian birds, about how they defied gravity with their amazing bone structures. Ever since, it was Chakuth's dream to fly. Now the birds were merely birds, soaring, minding their own business but most of all, not a part of Chakuth's life anymore. He looked back at the edge of the swamp, where mists erupted from the methane geysers and filled the sky with precious air to breathe.
His planet was a miracle on it's own, and if it ever had been Chakuth's choice, he would never even think about leaving his home world.
"Pardon me…?", Chakuth started, but the officer wasn't about to excuse him.
"You have been selected for the new generation of the Covenant's best, congratulations son, you're being deported.", he said, bowed at Shima and walked off.
Chakuth had never seen such a creature, tall, dangerous and with a very elongated but intimidating face. Sangheili, was what his father had told him they were called, a very proud and old race, like the mighty Lekgolo. But this creature looked anything but ancient. It looked cocky and arrogant, head over heels into its own world, no.. this wasn't anything like the Sangheili his father had told him about.
Shima grabbed Chakuth's arm carefully, "I'm so happy for you, now you can finally perform Navigation in the Covenant Armada, isn't that wonderful?", she spoke. But Chakuth could almost taste his mother's sadness and sarcasm.
"Yes… very.", he said coldly and pulled his arm out of her hands and walked into the house.
That night, after he had packed his most important belongings and had eaten little to nothing he stared at the ceiling of his soon to be ex-room.
'Father… did you know about this…?', he thought as he closed his brown eyes and sighed deeply.
'What if you did… did you ever try to stop it? You knew how much I hated the war… how much I hated the Covenant… father….', he spoke to himself and gritted his teeth.
'Find cover!", Charam shouted at his squad and prepared himself for the next impact.
He covered his ears and braced himself for the next explosion. It came as hard and fast as he had calculated, and the impact blew away another part of the wall.
"Damn it…", he cursed out loud and stared around the wall seeing half of his squad in pieces and dead.
He plotted, for a few seconds he was silent, then came his next move, the massive fuel rod gun he had was lifted onto his shoulders again, he stared around the edge, aimed and shot. He didn't take the time to watch the bolt of plasma-waste make it's way to incinerate the humans, whenever he took aim, he knew it would hit. He heard the screams and leaned back against the wall in relief, for a minute he had elongated his lifespan, but soon the lost human lives would be replaced. It was only a matter of time. The prophets had sent him into his death, and he knew what he was doing when he stepped into the phantom. He was to buy time, that was all. He shook his head and pictured Chakuth's face in front of him, smiling, laughing…
'Oh Chakuth… You are the new hope… you are the Unggoy of Prophecies… you have what it takes Chakuth… you…', his thought was interrupted by a scream. An immature scream.
General Charam Ikuda Zhetey, leader of the Unggoy forces and representative of his race then lay eyes on the immature form of a terrified Sangheili teenager. About Chakuth's age he figured, he screamed louder then he thought was possible. He took the chance and scuttled from his wall to the young Sangheili's to silence him somehow.
"Hey, quiet down, you don't want to give away our position now do you!", he said in a forced whisper.
The Sangheili gradually calmed down and stared at the Unggoy he was sitting with.
"What's your name…?", Charam asked after he had silenced down.
"… A-Akena… 'Anumee", the rookie said as he felt he was slowly starting to pick up breathing.
"Well 'Anumee, you'll have to be brave now for a bit ok? If we hurry now we can still make it back alive.", he spoke and placed his hand on the still uneasy rookie.
"You go first, go…", Charam started, "Stay low!", he added to it.
Akena crouched over the ground, under the safeguard of the middle aged Unggoy general, he somehow reminded him of his own father. Shots, it sounded like a whole magazine of a handgun was emptied, about 12 shots, Charam wasn't sure, nor did he care. He jumped to his feet, told Akena to do the same and ran toward the Phantom waiting for them. Then another shot, a bolt of hot molten blue plasma soared by them, and Charam was fast enough to react as fast as his brain and body would take him. The humans had picked up a Sangheili weapon, and now firing it at the last two survivors of the earlier shoot-out.
Another blast, and another, Charam was now realizing it was too far for them to both make it at this point.
He nodded to himself and pulled the young Sangheili away from the fire in a manner that resembled being hit. Akena was surprised when he hit the floor with the Unggoy general next to him.
"Listen to me Akena…", Charam started, "You will live ok? You must live…", he said then remained quiet for a second, "Pretend as if you are dead, now.", he said then did the same.
Akena didn't doubt for a single second and did as the general told him to. As the humans passed by he heard laughs, they talked in a mocking manner about them, he understood that part. Then Charam moved, drew dual plasma rifles and shot, the burning plasma pierced the first human, the second and even the third, Akena stood amazed at the low amount of shots, but how fatal he had aimed and hit.
"Run Akena, head for the ship NOW!", Charam screamed and waited with the next shots until the rookie had stood up and started running.
Akena heard the shots, the hiss and the scream.
He felt a shiver run down his spine and jumped into the ship and waited, but it didn't leave. But it seemed the humans did leave, there was no sound anymore, just the dusty wind and distant explosions. Akena couldn't dare to leave without checking upon the brave Unggoy which saved his life. As soon as he reached him he saw how severe the wounds were, pierced his lungs his breathing apparatus and his abdomen.
"Oh no… Let me help you… in..", but the general waved his words away.
"If you want to repay…this debt… I .. I want you to build a ship…", Charam started.
Akena shook his head, "I'm not qualified…".
"Non-sense, find qualified… Sangheili, end the corruption.. end… it. Build that ship… find my son… and aid him.", Charam said silently.
"But… where can I find your son… and what is his name… no… wait!", he said desperately as he noticed how the Unggoy's life ebbed away, "Sir!...", he tried again.
With his last breath, the Unggoy general could muster to just whisper his son's name to the young Sangheili.
"Chakuth… Zhetey…".
"Father!", Chakuth screamed as he suddenly sat up in his bed.
His pupils narrowed and adjusted to the unnatural light in his room, the small horrible room that he was given after his assignment to the Covenant Armada. The child of a prodigy, born into a rich and famous family, son of the great General Charam Ikuda Zhetey. All the privileges in the world that came with his name couldn't bring back his father to him.
All the power and money that provided him with the best of armour and weapons and even educations couldn't make up for the short youth he had.
And even the new friends he had made were not enough to fill the gap that was shot into his heart by the human race and their war of the fiercest. But his hatred for the human race could not wither the hatred for the Covenant and their never ending pride and silly religion. Chakuth Zhetey had found himself sold to the Armada thanks to his amazing intelligence and navigational abilities. He was the new representative, 16 years old and to be ready to kill at will. It was the destiny that he was made for, the prodigy of a war raging over a religion he didn't believe in.
AN: So sorry it took so long to update... silly enough most of it was allready done. I just forgat to publish it Silly me...
Anyway I hope to be publishing the 7 chapters I have here soon, time is such a drag tbh... I work whole days now 40 hours a week so time is luxury I hardly can afford.. XD Ah well I'll live! 4 months to go.