Opening note: Fastest update ever! Whooo!

This is bit of a feel-good chapter, for the people among us who feel the pain D:... Anyway, have fun ;D

Chapter XIII – Morning above Scorched Earth

'Denakh was my responsibility… I was to look after him, It was my fault…', ominous thoughts roamed through Chakuth's occupied mind, he wasn't sure how to finish the war around the planet and he wasn't sure how to handle the entire situation around Denakh's death. The silence that had crept into the Zealous Liberator was murdering, as if a thousand people would scream at the same time, the silence was deafening. Chakuth had pointlessly walked back and forth the halls staring out of the window, in need of someone to talk to, someone to hold him and to help him lead the Unggoy back to their freedom. He suddenly remembered an avid image of his mother, his overprotective but always kind mother. He remembered his father's tight and friendly hugs, and for a moment he felt like he was back home until he felt Miph's shoulders against his again.

"Hey Chakuth…", he started, his voice was so soft it sounded like a whisper.

Chakuth stared at him, "Hi…", he replied quietly.

Chakuth felt the awkward silence pierce him just as well as Miph did, it was devastating, they both had no idea which word was appropriate for the situation.

Miph swallowed, "Can you tell me a bit about our home world…?".

Chakuth felt his eyes burn again as he turned his head away slightly, "It's… a small planet… but big enough for us…".

Miph stared at him, he had been born in High Charity, the Unggoy quarters was where his lineage started and ended. But his friend was special, Chakuth was of noble blood, selected by the council and son of the famous General Charam Ikuda Zhetey.

"It…", Chakuth started again, finding it harder to talk about it so easily, "It has swamps… most of the planet is covered in it… The skies are dyed a beautiful emerald green, filled with the freshest of methane…".

His eyes slowly turned away from the wall into space.

"The villages and cities are always bustling, no day goes by without anything happening… Even though they know that there…", he stopped, stared at Miph and back at the window. He knew it was late, and the night had been long and devastating, and seeing his best friend sleep on his shoulders, quietly and peacefully was the best thing that had happened the entire night.

"If only I was more like you my friend…", Chakuth whispered.

Garrex stared at Xurru, then back at Xehn and Kahlanx, "I win.", he said and slammed his hand onto the ground. Underneath his hands formed the perfect combination, he had indeed won the game.

Xehn nodded slightly then rose, "Nice game, I have to go…", he spoke.

Kahlanx followed his moves and stared at him, "Where to…?", he suddenly asked. His older brother gave him a familiar glare meaning 'don't ask', "None of your business.". Then he turned and left the room.

"What's with him lately?", Xurru asked Kahlanx who was obviously just as puzzled as he was.

"If I knew I'd tell you, really… But I haven't got the first clue on what's going on with him…", Kahlanx replied, "Let's follow him…", he suddenly said.

The stares he received were piercing, "Follow him…? And how are you implying to somehow silently follow him, being 12 foot tall?.", Garrex said dryly. Kahlanx stared back at the older Lekgolo, "Armour less…?", he said his eyes narrowing mischievously.
"Uhm… NO… Kahlanx I forbid you, as you brother's best friend, to walk around those halls naked…", Garrex said strictly.

"I was just kidding…", Kahlanx added to it.

Xehn fidgeted with the translation device and turned it on as he saw Kate's figure staring out of the big window.

"Anything out there…?", he asked calmly while walking up to her.

She turned to face him, smiled then turned back, "Just my home being incinerated by the Covenant…", she said quietly.
Xehn's turquoise eyes cast down as soon as the word covenant rolled off her tongue, he wasn't all to sure what he felt himself to be part of anymore, he wasn't human, but not covenant either anymore.

She noticed, "…Sorry..", she said and stared at him.

"No, that's ok.", he replied and smiled to himself.

"Could you tell me a little more about your kind please?", she suddenly asked turning towards his stare.

"I could tell you, but is this for scientific purposes as well?", he asked her.

She smiled at him and stepped closer to him, "I think I have passed the scientific state and feel the need to know this part of history for my personal judgement of your being Mister Kuthan.", she said and folded her arms behind her back leaning closer to him.
Xehn's pupils formed narrow slits as he focussed on her leaning in to him, he felt the immense aura radiating off her presence, followed by the most irritating yet compelling feeling he ever felt.

"Mister…?", he just managed to bring out.

She laughed, her voice sounding so much more cheerful then it did much earlier that night. He guessed it was natural for doctors to learn to cope with death so fast.

"Xehn… tell me please…?", she asked him, using both her hands to take his right hand.

He slightly tilted his head and sighed a bit.

"Very well then.", he said and stared out of the window.

"We originated from a planet similar to earth, it's got the seas the mountains, grasslands, jungles and deserts, also the poles and snow… Some say it all started with worms, but I'm not to sure what I'm to think of that theory.", he started.

"So our worm theory isn't so farfetched after all…", she said to herself but was immediately interrupted by his stare, "Oh… no Scientifics…".

"We do know we have always been a warrior race, there hasn't been a time where we weren't trying out our limits. But the way we are today is mostly because of the Covenant's constant pushing into becoming faster, better, stronger…".

"How did you get into the Covenant…?", she asked him studying his hand while listening.

"We got forced in…", he said quietly and placed his left arm on the window.

"How can a race as powerful as you are get forced into a band of much smaller weaker life forms?", she asked not noticing it was hard for him to speak about it.

"We were threatened with extinction… They said they'd glass the entire planet if we wouldn't sell out our armour technology and power.", he said, staring at her quietly.

"In a way, we were treated just as bad as the Unggoy…", he added to it and turned away again.

She had no questions anymore and just stared away quietly, leaning against his abdomen. "Perhaps the humankind has a way for you to return to your planet…", she said and closed her eyes slowly.

Xehn stared at her and exhaled, placing an arm around her shoulders carefully, "Perhaps someday…", he said.

Akena had been staring at the radar around the earth for five hours now, and still he couldn't figure out why the covenant had completely ignored the emergency protocols to form a defensive stance and attack at sight. The hand on his shoulder woke him from his deep thought, "You have to get some rest too you know…", Duthaz said with a friendly smirk on his face.

"Ah… I know but there's something very odd going on…", he said and showed Duthaz a record of the movements of the Covenant fleet over the last five hours. The former commander stared at it and as it ended it left him just as puzzled.

"Do you think that they haven't noticed the destruction of the Divine?", Duthaz said as he turned his gaze to meet Akena's.
"I doubt it, the shockwave should at least have produced some form of supersonic disturbance loud enough for them to wonder what happened…", Akena replied and played it again.

"No movement at all… they're…. just stationary, seems.", he remained silent for a moment, "As if they're not manned…".

He stared at Duthaz and frowned, "Do you think they're…", he started.

"A decoy…", Duthaz finished his sentence.

The morning was abnormally quiet for the war they were situated in. Chakuth could slowly open his eyes in a manner he suited best to wake up in for the first time in at least three years. He was even able to stretch, lying on a comfortable bed under warm sheets. A small but comfortable methane filled room. Miph was still sleeping in the bed above him, the pleasant purple light which was automatically turned on at seven hadn't woken him yet. Chakuth smiled and felt the rush of everyday war and fighting fade from him as he pushed his head back into the pillow. The Zealous Liberator was indeed the most luxurious ship he had ever been on.

Morning came just as calm for Kate Bane, she had slept in Xehn's lap in the hall they had talked the evening before. As she opened her green eyes sleepily she positioned her head on Xehn's chest and closed her eyes again, swaying along with the movements of his breathing.

Kahlanx was the only one wide awake, lying on the floor next to the still sleeping Garrex and Xurru, he sighed as he felt he was the only one actually awake in the hall of sleeping giants. He noticed the place where Xehn slept was empty again, he started wondering what was consuming his brother like that. Without further torturing his brain with thoughts of what would be interesting enough for his brother he rose, and gave himself the mission to find his brother and find out what was keeping him away from his own little brother.

The armour rattled, no matter how he placed his legs on the floor, the sound of metal on metal would make just as much noise.
He felt he was frowning at the irritation that was roused by his inability of being silent. His blue eyes scanned the surrounding, it was dark regardless of the purple lights which illuminated the halls. Kahlanx pressed his armoured hand against the control pad next to the bulkhead, and as soon as it opened he saw the sitting form of his older brother against the thick window.

He fought the urge to run towards him to check what was wrong until he saw the older Lekgolo was just sleeping. He decided to just stay put for a little while and observe a little bit. He couldn't put his hands down on what was lying in his lap, it was simply unable to see from his position. He shuffled, and startled as the thing in Xehn's lap showed itself more clearly.

'The… human scientist…?', Kahlanx thought to himself as he had no idea what to think of it, if there even was something to think of it.

He walked closer, casually, he didn't want to think about it, it was just to weird anyway. He sighed and slowly sat down next to his brother trying not to stare at him and the female human in his lap.
She moved again, slowly waking up again.

She hadn't expected another Lekgolo staring right at her and startled, giving a small yelp and tripping over Xehn's armoured leg, waking him in the process.

"For the love of…", he yelled, his thundering voice startling Kahlanx in turn. He fell backwards and bumped his head against the wall.

Kate stared at the two brothers, slowly calming down and realising the silliness in the situation. Kahlanx soon endures Xehn's angry weight upon him, he couldn't do anything but laugh.

"I really caught you right in the act this time didn't I!", Kahlanx chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean, you didn't catch anything!", Xehn replied.

Kahlanx pushed Xehn up, away from his face, "Well… you know! Sleeping with humans, it would almost make me thing you'd gone soft!".

"Don't be ridiculous…", Xehn said in a darker tone.

"Are you sure about it? That was pretty intimate, almost cute to say!", Kahlanx started laughing again and didn't even feel the weight slowly lifted off him.

Xehn's eyes narrowed and grabbed Kahlanx' neckpiece and lifted him by it without much hardship.

"Now listen good fluffball, if there was anything, anything at all going on here, you'd never even have found out you little shrimp.", Xehn stated, clearer then he had ever thought he could at his younger brother. As much as he surprised Kahlanx he surprised himself.

"Are you sure about that Xehn…?", Kahlanx whispered suddenly as he felt Xehn let go. There was no more silliness in his voice and he suddenly thought about the very odd possibility of his brother actually liking something.

Xehn let out a minor huff and motioned for his brother to follow him. And as Kahlanx turned around he stared at Kate, a glare she knew all to well, 'we'll meet again'.

Inside the smaller room Xehn took Kahlanx he almost gave his brother a death glare, but it was too obvious Kahlanx didn't feel the seriousness behind the situation.

"Kahlanx… listen.", Xehn started.

The younger Lekgolo tilted his head, "I always listen to you Xehn…", he replied.

Xehn felt uncomfortable explaining to his brother what he didn't have to, he walked back and forth before his brother and struggled to find the right words. He remained silent, but his train of thought was clearly visible to his brother.

"Xehn… what is it exactly that makes you think you are responsible for her…?", Kahlanx started, lost in Xehn's complicated mind. Xehn's turquoise eyes primed Kahlanx's blue ones, "She reminds me of you…", he suddenly stated.

"She reminds me of your stupid annoying…", another struggle for words.

Kahlanx decided to remain quiet.

"Your kindness… your… way of being…", he spoke silently.

But before he could think of any more words Kahlanx hung around his neck again, "You don't have to explain yourself if you really can't, I know how you are and what you can and can't talk about Xehn… It's odd, sure, but if you…", he went silent.
"Kahlanx…", Xehn started, interrupting.

"As long as I remain… your brother… don't neglect me…", Kahlanx spoke softly.

Xehn laughed silently, "Almost found a way…", he said, mocking.

Kahlanx pushed himself away and gave him a disapproving stare, then laughed, "You're not getting away from me that easily!".

Closing note: XD... Fluffball!

Yeah, so... things are okay for now X3 nodnod listens to stomach rumble O!