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Chapter 2 - scouting
Hidden in the deep woods next to a road, Zema and his team were watching for a vehicle they would be able to use. All they saw was small cars that they couldn't get into. After a while longer they saw a bigger vehicle something that looked like a truck from this distance. Zema walked in the middle of the road while Ruko stayed in a tree with a beam rifle to support them. Not long after Ruko said in their communicators.
-"I have good news and a bad news," she said.
-"Explain," replied Zema.
-"Well, the vehicle will be big enough for us but it have a mounted machinegun with a soldier on it."
-"Okay same plan, lets go Cabe."
Cabe nodded and followed Zema into the middle of the road, their active camo on. The warthog was going pretty slowly and the gunner was not in position to shoot at them, so Zema moved a bit to the side while Cabe stayed there and deactivated his camo. This had the wanted effect the driver squeezed the brakes and Zema had the chance to jump on the side of the warthog . He activated his sword and killed the gunner and the driver. He kept the passenger alive… with the blade under his neck.
-Cabe attach his hands and feet and put something on his eyes and don't forget to remove his communicator. (This sentence is a little confusing.)
Cabe did what Zema ordered while his superior hid the marines corpses and got in the warthog. He quickly understood how the vehicle worked so he drove it into the woods to the seraph. Zema turned off the engine and took the marine and put him down on the ground careless. The human was trembling as Zema took his guns and the combat knife the human had.
-"As long as you don't do something that would annoy me I wont hurt you, right?" Zema asked.
The marine was too afraid to talk he just nodded to Zema. Zema stood up and turned to Cabe.
-"Put the human somewhere he won't be able to do any trouble, and don't hurt him… for now." He then turned to Ruko and said: "I promote you to the specOPS rank, sorry for the armour but I can't change that at this moment but consider you are one."
Ruko looked at him with wide eyes and said after a while, "Thank you sir Zema." (That sounds silly. XD ILU MY CANADIAN!)
-"There's no time for greetings, we have to get some supply's." Zema said then paused and continued in the sangheili language. "Try to get information's from that human, if its necessary I authorize you to drug him."
He turned and looked at Cabe and said, "Take a sword, I authorise you to wield one if you couldn't before and come with me."
Zema walked toward the warthog and climbed into the driver seat. While doing this Cabe took a sword for the first time of his life and ran to the warthog. After Cabe jumped in the gunner position Zema drove it outside the forest and toward a near city. He drove off the road to avoid get spotted by civilians and cameras. Zema hid the warthog near the city and got out of it. He took some bags and Cabe did too. They sneaked toward the city and activated their camo to be able to get in. Zema and Cabe moved quickly but because didn't know where they needed to go so it took some time for them to find the stores. When they reached the stores Zema went into an ammunition shop and stole a few guns and some bullets without getting caught. But Cabe got caught as he attempted to steal some food. He succeed to take the food but he had to run really quickly to the exit of the city where he hid himself away from the warthog. Zema got out of the city too and got in their vehicle. Zema knew where was Cabe because he had activated the distress signal on his armour. So he quickly picked up Cabe and drove, full speed, to their camp. When they come back they saw Ruko really angry. She had a bullet wound to the hand and the marine was knocked out.
-"Ruko what's wrong?" Zema asked.
-"Your stupid prisoner had a fucking pistol! You could have looked for that more carefully! I could have died and if I was you two would have been screwed!"
-"Wait, don't yell at me, explain me what happened." Zema said while Cabe walked to the seraph to put the things they stole in it.
-"As I said he still had a pistol and he shot at me while I was looking for something else."
-"Then… why are you wounded at your hand."
-"I would have gotten that bullet in the head if I had not blocked it with my hand," she said coldly.
-"Hum right, he walked into the seraph and took a med kit and came back aside Ruko. It will hurt… he used an ointment on her hand and then put a bandage on it."
While Zema was doing this She clenched her mandibles as it was really hurting her.
When he finished he looked at Ruko and asked, "Is that human dead?
-"No, I just knocked him out. I'm not just a ranger, I'm a medic too I know where to hit to knock someone out."
-"Oh! That's going to be useful."
-"What?" Ruko asked angrily.
-"Well, that you are a medic, I don't really know to heal just basic stuff."
Ruko calmed down a bit and said, "Right, I'll be your medic but I don't want to always stay here and wait you come back in pieces."
At this Cabe came and put his hand on her hips then said to Ruko, "I wont come back in pieces."
Zema looked at them and sort of twitched then he said; you seem to be more than partners. When Zema said this Cabe quickly get his hands off Ruko and she blushed. Their reaction made Zema laugh.
-I understand why you had a ranger in your team. Zema said smiling
- Humph, would you just… just let that aside. Cabe was a bit angry of his superior reaction but he stayed polite about it.
-okay, for now… after he had said that he came back fully serious and begun looking at the food they stole
-what did you got, asked Ruko
-well I cant tell… replied Zema
-I thought shipmaster knew everything she said with a smile
-ha ha ha very funny. Zema replied but still smiling a bit.
-shut up they're coming! Cabe said
Zema threw all they stole in the seraph and before cloaking it he said to Ruko; get in the seraph! Then he cloaked himself. Cabe did the same and they hided behind trees to have cover if they have to fight against the humans. Not long after a small scout squad of two marines appeared. They waited they got in a good position and they jumped on them. Zema and Cabe put one of their hand on their mouth to prevent any sound. Cabe knocked out the one he captured and as Zema was about to do the same he heard in the com-link of the human
-scout team one, anything?
-reply there's nothing here, Zema growled to the human. He was too scared to reply so Zema shook him hard that decided the human about his choice
- nothing to signal, everything's clean no trace of warthog.
-what do we do with them? Cabe asked to Zema
-we can't keep them, he torn the human com-link and continued, we must kill them
At that the human was really too panicked to yell, he just looked at them with wide eyes and his mouth wide open. He succeed to say something at the moment Zema activated his energy sword.
-don't kill me! I can be useful!
Zema smiled at the human attempt to survive. He raised his sword and the human said; I know what happen to all your friends. Zema froze and just replied; talk.
-well I know that the prophets betrayed your race for the brutes.
-how you know that. Zema asked
-I got captured by the elites in the attack on earth but brute betrayed the elites. While that I managed to crawl my way out of this shit.
-I already know that… while he said that he was thinking at all his brothers and sisters who got killed by the brutes. At first he was really angry about those bastards but he quickly turned sad as his blood brother died too. He had to got up and walk away to calm himself
-don't kill them yet, Zema said to Ruko and Cabe. I still have questions to ask.
Some time later Ruko went aside Zema and asked; what's wrong
Zema had the time to calm down so he replied with a neutral voice
-I saw my brother, my real brother getting killed just in front of me by the brutes and I couldn't do anything… I have this scene going again and again in my head… it give me an headache…
Ruko looked at him worrying about her new leader and said
-Zema, its not your fault…
-YES IT WAS! I was there I could have done something but I didn't! I looked him die like a coward!
Ruko did a few step backward at his sudden rage.
-I watched him die with honour while… while…
he sat back on a dead tree and took his head between his hands
-You couldn't save him, but at least do all you can to avenge him.
Zema looked Ruko for a while and said;
-All right, but what do we do with these humans. He asked to Ruko.
-we are not affiliated to covenant anymore, I don't know if an alliance is possible…
-Well then we should figure this out.