Guarding of honour
⌠-There▓s some paperwork I need you to sign for me┘■ Jack/Drac looked at him blankly and said three words that spelled the exact opposite of what he was feeling,
⌠Sounds like fun┘■
Jack pulled on his ODST Armour, which had been modified and given something between a dumb and a smart A.I, Grabbed his now silenced weaponry and attached all of his ammunition to its holsters.
The only thing he hadn▓t had upgraded or replaced was his Alabama Slammer combat knife, which had been passed down generation after generation in his family, He had this sheathed in a hidden place on his boot.
⌠A.I, What are my current objectives and what is the fastest way to them?■ Drac asked while cracking his neck.
⌠Processing . . . Complete, Current ob- object- objective receive new vehicle from hanger bay th- thr- three- four- seven.■ The artificial intelligence replied, stuttering some of the words.
⌠So┘ you▓re supposed to be my Intelligent AI right?■ Drac said, following his NAV points as they were pointed to him by the A.I.
⌠Ca- Caaa- Call me Charlie■ Replied the A.I as they reached the Hanger bay with the numbers 3-4-7 written in bold print.
⌠Shut up A.I■ Said Drac, inspecting the Albatross he had been given.
⌠What a piece of Faecal matter■ Charlie said, reflecting the thoughts of his host.
⌠Shut up, Shut up, and shut up!■ Drac said, getting annoyed. He knew only he could hear the voice and to anyone coming in he would look rather crazy but still he yelled curse after curse at his A.I. now known as Charlie. He finally calmed down enough to enter his ▒New▓ ship; inside was more than just a vehicle bay, the area had been converted into a small portable HQ and had a brig, a weapons storage bay and on top of all that three Cryostasis tubes lined on the opposite wall, complimenting the chairs bolted to the sides of them. It looked like a high tech lounge with bars.
⌠It looks even worse on the ins- insi- inside■ Charlie responded to the sights.
⌠I▓m not even going to bother to telling you to shut the frag up■ Replied Drac, smacking his head with a gloved hand.
***
Silence was trying to teach Sorrung-Yaan how to play poker. Ziizika, Alexia, Sarah and Roman were all passed out from way too much whiskey (yes even a MERC can get drunk┘ although it takes a fair bit of booze to do so) and Roger was on sentry. Boo-Boo was practicing knife tricks that Roger had begun teaching her and Jackal was on sentry, which was another way of saying he was asleep.
Sorrung-Yaan stretched his limbs, eyeing Roger and searching for a gap in his steady composure, but finding nothing behind the calm eyes of his new friend.
⌠What happened to you and your team when the Sangheili and Jackal were fighting? And what is this Banana in pyjama▓s you were telling me about? Are they a formidable fighter? They sound like they are meant to strike fear into someone▓s hearts■ Sorrung asked.
⌠Your like a kid, read me a story, read me a story, and the only people that they scare are little children■ Roger replied, stifling a laugh.
Sarah▓s ship was spiralling towards the opening hanger bay in zigzag motions tearing past enemy fire and forces, the covenant attempted to hit her with everything they had, but it was like grasping smoke. The Reluctant Samurai crashed into the hanger, disembodying a Grunt who was working on one of the enemy fighters.
Smoke billowed from the sliding craft and the roof hatch snapped open for Sarah to jump out, Katana in hand before the ship had come to a stop.
She managed to land on the metallic surface of a Banshee with her Katana standing upright in the cockpit.
She wrenched the blade from the hole it had made and back flipped off of the vehicle before it exploded, just as the second Short-Sword slammed into the hanger bay, it slid to a halt inches from the opposite wall and out popped the Happy-Go-Lucky form of Mia grinning, she noticed the mess Sarah had made and said bluntly
⌠Show off!■
Jackal and the Elite struggled for some time, Jackal would hit the Sangheili and it would hit back. Jackal finally got a grapple hold on the Elites neck and spinning round managed to run it towards a bar sticking from the ground, screaming as he charged the Elite closer to it▓s death, the Elite threw Jackal over his shoulder and placed its hoof on his neck.
⌠You fight well human, you may enter┘ I have no quarrel with you■
He removed his hoof from Jackals neck and extended a four fingered hand.
Jackal looked at him as if he▓d been stung.
⌠It is rare that a Sangheili will offer you their hand, I urge you to see reason beyond your primal state■ The elite said, holding his position.
Jackal took it, standing up with the help of the Sangheili, then limped over to his empty gun and holstered it on his back; his quarrel was with the jackals, not the Sangheili.
All four moved through the doorway which the elite led them to, their weapons aimed at both him and their surroundings.
⌠I believe you seek the oracle, I cannot let you enter alive-■ the Sangheili▓s speech was cut short by the sound of Ziizika▓s Battle rifle safety clicking off,
⌠-So I ask you to make me fall unconscious, so that I may keep some glimmer of-■ Before he could finish the sentence, Jackal had clubbed him over the back of the head with his own Battle rifle, Ziizika gave him a weird look.
⌠He asked┘ besides I have wanted to do that since I saw him■
Silence walked up to the unconscious frame of the sagely, uttered a small prayer and walked through the door.
⌠This has been the most unusual day,■ said Roger sliding past the 7ft lizard like beast, followed by Ziizika, and finally Jackal followed.
Once all four of them were in the room, the door slid shut, and became dark. Roger moved over to the only part of the room with light, it was a holo-panel; he abruptly started using the touch interface eventually coming up with some technical data,
⌠Z, chuck us a GigaTerabyte flash drive■ Silence said, walking past Roger and kicking open a compartment full of glowing purple crystals
⌠I thought you had them■ Ziizika replied shooting him a glare that could kill, turning her normally pretty face into a grotesque scowl.
⌠Aw crap■ replied Silence
⌠- I left them on the Maracaibo■
Chapter 19