CHAPTER THREE:
The Centurion and the Soldier
All of the crew glanced about at each other, dark clouds rolling swiftly in like a host of wild horses across the open sky. The crack of lightning made some of them flinch, burning red blazing briefly across the darkening skies above as the white-scaled Turian glanced up, scaley lips pursing slightly before turning back to his own men, giving them a nod as they hurried the humans they were guarding along the forest path. "Get a move on!" He snapped out. "I've no idea what the weather on this mudball is like and I am in no mood to learn."
"You didn't even bother to research this planet? Isn't it in your PURVIEW?" Captain Lucas asked as the young man tanding next to him looked back at Saren, who gave Lucas a glare that seemed to say "Please, keep talking, see how many of your limbs you get to keep", though he finally grumbled out an explanation as tiny droplets of water began to plop down atop all their heads.
"We "technically" command the region due to it being given to us by the Citadel Council, but it isn't like we pay much attention to it. It's not got resources we care much for, we have no one LIVING on it, the concern is for the Mass Relay nearby, which we can patrol and keep an eye on without touching down on this spirit-forsaken ROCK." Saren murmured as he flinched, a drop of rain falling flat on his "nose", making him shake his head rapidly back and forth as if he was a dog.
"In retrospect, we should have researched it." Nihlus admitted as the brown-skinned Turian walked near Lucas and a brown-skinned human who looked over at Nihlus. "Really, I thought Mr. Arterius's brother Saren would. But now he's got his hands full taking a look at your friend, Mr. Harper."
"Mr. Harper's an…associate of ours. He's not a true soldier. He's a brawler." The dark-skinned man insisted. "No discipline."
"Discipline is important." Nihlus agreed with a firm nod.
"So is not getting caught in a storm." Saren added.
"Look on the bright side, Mr. Arterius. This'll make a great story to tell your kids." The young man, Nick, said with a shrug of his handcuffed arms as he addressed Saren.
"Oh, yes, I'm sure in RETROSPECT it will, just as in retrospect my own grandfather's tales of how he and his people had such GRAND tales of The Unification War that ripped my species apart. It's all so very majestic and sounds so wonderful through the rosy lens of looking back." Saren mumbled, his voice low and cold.
The kid blinked in surprise. "Unifica-lemme guess. Civil War."
"Quite." Saren said as all the Turian guards around them nodded, continuing the trek along the forest path as the hum of falling rain began to fill all their ears, plinking down atop their heads. "When we found the Mass Relays, we began setting up colonies. I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that we didn't have the Council attacking us. No, instead, we fought with ourselves over whom should reign over our home planet, Palaven."
"What was the problem? Was it a "no taxation without representation" thing?" Nick asked, Saren giving him a look, one invisible eyebrow raised over his almost skull-like, insectoid/lizard face.
"Why do you care?"
"I'm a history buff." The human said with another shrug.
"Besides! Could be a while before we reach your base." The dark-skinned human spoke up. "And there ain't nothing that passes the time better than the little stories you tell your men."
"Or the little jokes in YOUR case, Anderson. I'd ask you to tell the one about the peanuts, but I don't think Turians have peanuts on their planet." Lucas admitted as the teenager, Anderson, nodded his head up and down.
"Speaking of BASES, that base used to be one of OURS until you forced us out by throwing FIRE into the windows. Lots…and lots…of fire." Lucas mumbled as Nick gave him a sympathetic nod, Saren rolling his eyes before sighing slightly.
"It was not about taxation, monkey. All of the colonies were run by local chieftains, who felt they could do an infinitely wiser job at handling their people than our central government, the herarchy. And because of this, extremes rose up frequently..." Saren informed the humans, the Turian's voice slightly changing, becoming pensive and subdued as his eyes seemed to mist in memory as he remembered what his grandfather had told him so many moons ago. "It wasn't long before we stopped recognizing each other as Turians and started identifying each other as Thracians, or Galatanian men, or proud people of the Magna colony, and anyone who came too close and wasn't a definite friend would surely die. I suppose if the Citadel hadn't shown up to ask for ALL our help, the hostilities might have risen again."
"Why did they need you?"
"To put down Krogan rebellions." Nihlus said, looking proud, grinning a bit before his face fell at the next word from Lucas's mouth.
"…Kermit?"
"Waa-waa-waaaaa." Nick sang out with a big, goofy grin on his face.
"KROGAN." Saren said, rolling his eyes again, waving a dismissive clawed hand in the air as he did so. "I know you have ears. Use them!"
"So is that why you didn't bother to talk to us, then?" Nick wanted to know. "Because war is all your people know? Because even when you're not fighting other races you're fighting each other and it's just easier to shoot first, ask questions later?"
"Every race has that "break in" period, monkey." Saren muttered darkly. "A time when they need to be reminded not to fool around with the other toys in the sandbox, because other children need to use them."
"Do the reminders have to involve guns?" Anderson snorted.
"You don't belong in this. Not one bit." Saren realized with a slight chuckle. "Look at you. Look at your HANDS." He said, grabbing Nick's hands and holding them up as best he could, the gloves now fully removed. He poked them with a claw, chuckling. "Soft skin…barely worn…they even smell quite…PLEASANT." He admitted. "You've never known true war."
Nick rolled HIS eyes as the crack of lightning ripped through the skies high above them…though, this time, not quite as high as it had before. Now the group of prisoners and the mass of guards keeping them in line had reached the end of the forest path and were walking across a long stretch of high grass, the prisoners looking about at each other, everyone immediately getting ideas of escape. After all, many of them had seen "Planet of the Apes" in Captain Lucas's movie nights when he'd show them the films he'd grown up on. These guards didn't have horses…didn't know the area quite as well as the men did…
If they could just find some kind of distraction-
And then, like a sign from God…or perhaps, in retrospect, the Devil, it happened. A loud SHAKKA-THOOM tore through the air and the hot, humid stench of something being FRIED filled their nostrils as they turned to see red lightning striking at the faint brownish/orange grass, igniting it as everyone immediately gaped…and then took off running like HELL in the opposite direction.
In an instant, everything was mass panic. Screams, shouts and screeches filled the air almost as loudly as the burning-hot blaze that was sweeping through the tall grass like a snake shooting after its prey, winding its way towards the scattering humans and Turians. Whilst Captain Lucas and several of the man tore off for the north, Nick raced alongside Saren Arterius as they made their way towards a large rock to the west, Nick giving the handcuffs something of a practice yank to determine their strength.
KRRRKKUUCCH! Not that strong. He could see visible crack marks. Guess this was what happened when you bought secondhand off the intergalactic market so you could spend your military budget on bigger guns. The roaring of the flames tore into his eardrums, he could faintly feel it, it was as if it wanted to wrap its arms around him and throttle him in absolute heat, he could almost feel it curling its white claws over his shoulder as he finally dove for a small cave entrance that opened up at the base of the rock he and Saren were heading towards.
For a moment, there was a brief fear in Saren Arterius's heart. A sad moment when he believed "This was how I die…not in battle, not fighting for a cause, but running like a coward from a brushfire". It wouldn't have made for much of a good story, that was for sure…well, unless they survived.
And by the hand of Providence, that was what happened. They shot inside, the flames falling behind them, unable to progress as swiftly as it could, temporarily halted by the rocky texture before it whilst the Turian and the human slunk along wet walls of an unfamiliar cave, Nick tugging at the handcuffs again before Saren just shot them on the spot, the handcuffs snapping apart as he glared intently at Nick, who blinked in surprise.
"Gee, thanks, I-" The human began before Saren raised the pistol up.
"My men will regain their bearings and capture every human they can get their hands on." The Turian whispered out, eyes aglitter. "And I intend to keep a close eye on you. I've got my orders. And I'm expected to follow 'em!"
"Look…" Nick began, holding his hands up in the air as Saren's blue eyes stared firmly into the human's hazel green. "I want to get you out of this alive, alright? I'm not some kind of jerk." He insisted sincerely to the Turian, who continued to keep the pistol trained on him.
"Whatever negotiations you are attempting to enter into, let me make this clear. I'M the one with the position of power. If you want to live through this without me taking any chunks off you, you'll answer all the questions I have." Saren said, motioning for Nick to move in front of him with a wave of his pistol, a Model X "Brawler" pistol of the "Armax" line, which provided all the weaponry for the Turian military.
Nick flinched, not so much at the "being threatened with a gun" thing, but at the fact that even though he couldn't see Saren behind him, he could feel the whitish/grey turian's eyes staring into him, almost drilling a hole into his head worse than any bullet ever could. As they continued down the hallway, Nick too notice of the interior of the crumbling, decaying place. It was hard to tell what purpose it might have originally served, but the walls were specially carved out, clearly not totally natural. They'd been refined thousands upon thousands of years ago, little traces of curvature markings left to indicate where people had lain out grooves.
As they continued to move down the hall, Nick heard Saren take a deep breath, hesitating before speaking. "Now, inform me…how did you survive our last encounter? Or perhaps I should say our FIRST and what should have BEEN your last?"
"You mean when I met you and your brother and Mr. Nihlus in the forest, sir?" Nick asked, speaking with a surprising amount of politeness that made Saren blink in surprise, hesitating again before he recomposed himself.
"Yes. I would very much like an explanation."
"I'd very much like you to at least stop calling me "monkey", Mr. Arterius. You don't see me calling you a "skull-face"."
"…fine…child." The turian said with a sort of chiding chuckle. "Now tell me. How did you survive?"
"My talents are in keeping myself alive…but even that is secondary to helping other people survive. Not in killing them. Would have been a medic if I wasn't so good with a gun." Nick admitted, looking down at the ground. "…if you can't even be honest with yourself, then how can you expect to be honest to others?" He murmured out, his voice almost a whisper.
"But how did you SURVIVE?"
"If I told you flat out, you honestly wouldn't believe me." Nick said. "…I have an…ABILITY…a special talent that helps me survive. Something that allows me to keep going even when I appear utterly broken. Are you willing to leave it at that?"
Saren was quiet for a while…in fact, for quite some time, his eyes softly glittering, a thoughtful look flickering across his face as he slightly tilted his head to look the young human over before at least speaking. "Tell you what, human. I have a sneaking suspicion you will reveal your ability to me eventually. After all, we might not be able to find a way out so quickly, and, well, you didn't bring any food with you, did you?"
"You're not suggesting what I THINK you're suggesting, are you?" Nick gaped in surprise. "I mean…GEEZ!" He groaned out, his own stomach suddenly growling as he held his hands over his belly.
"What was that?" Saren inquired, his voice sweetness and light as Nick stiffened a bit, a DRIP-DRIP-DRIP noise echoing through the air.
"N-nothing! Nothing really important! I'm fine! Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!" Nick quickly remarked, albeit with a hint of hysteria.
"You haven't eaten in quite some time, have you?" Saren mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as Nick turned around, seeing the Turian chortling a bit with amusement. "…well isn't this interesting! Trapped in a series of caves with no way out, no animals around…and the only source of food is in my belt pouch. So I suppose the question is…how long can you last before you're dancing for a bit of meat?"
"I can take a little…hunger pains." Nick murmured, turning back to glare balefully at Saren, whose face was lit up in something of a ghost of a smile. "We space marines, we get trained to go for DAYS without food!"
"My boy, Turians can go for weeks without food." Saren dismissively chuckled, shaking his head back and forth. And you're obviously hungrier than I am. So…I have the feeling that unless you want to resort to cannibalizing your own body, then you'll directly answer-"
Nick turned away from him. "There are things more important in this world than a man's life. I'm not going to BEG you for something you should be willing to give."
He felt a TUG on his shoulder, being yanked back, his armored form now in Saren's grip, the turian whispering, soft and hissing in his ear. "You do not WISH to know what I am willing to give." Saren hissed out, claws carefully, slooooowly tracing along Nick's exposed neck before he shoved the kid forward. "Now keep walking…CHILD."
…
…
…
…he sat across from me in the trench, waiting for the next volley to soar out at him, nervously gritting his teeth, hands clenched tightly around the gun. Filthy and crosslegged, my fellow comrade sat, his companions nearby retreating back and forth between positions in the trenches as the KRAKKA-KRAKKA-KRAK of heavy rifle fire filled the air. Once he looked up at me and I saw murderous intent pulsing from his body, a need to kill something and someone. And to kill them soon.
These poor souls were the extreme of ruin, all companions in misery, a foul, monstrous chorus of hideous loss, some who were without limbs, some whom were without eyes, some whom had lost their minds. Occasionally somebody would burst out into songs and we'd hum or sing along in a sad, quiet attempt to pass the time, the horrors of yesterday fading from our minds for a few brief minutes, which would soon become even longer as a new feeling took root.
Indeed, as time went on, I came to realize something. You see, the strange thing was that in spite of the appalling, abysmal situation, all of us were becoming totally self-sufficient. I feel even to this day that offers of help would have been proudly, even humorously declined. It was my comrades that offered ME something. They extended a hand to me that held reality; a kind of substantiality that I myself lacked. They were what war was all about: a normal, everyday cheeriness slowly but surely triumphing over grimness and bitter cynicism. An endless stream of banter and chatter would rise from our mouths in between the bombings and the whiz of bullets, and everything would seem to be all right in that, in comparison, brief moment in time.
But then gunfire explodes and dozens of people are scurrying away, screams tearing through the air like hot knives through flesh, the smell of blood is thick and I'm sure somebody's head has been obliterated and its remains are LYING IN MY LAP-
Saren winced. He wished he didn't have to keep thinking back to those old tales from his grandfather as he sat across from the human, Nick keeping his hands in his lap, looking quietly at Saren, eyes slightly sunken in with dark accusation as his belly growled anew. Saren couldn't bring himself to directly look the young human in the eye, instead looking down at the small cross necklace hanging around his neck.
"Might I ask what that is?"
"It's a religious symbol. Do Turians have religion? Do you worship many gods? Make sacrifices in temples or something?" Nick inquired.
"We believe in spirits. Souls. They embody the best our people can display, or a city can have a spirit filled with progress and power, or how a lake can have a spirit of its own which reflects tranquility and peace. They are constant inspiration." Saren admitted as he held up a hand, looking at some far-off thing as his eyes seemed to mist with memory. "There was a time when our race believed Titans strode the planet Palaven where we come from. But when we found out the existence of other species, we sealed our greatest temple away. We did not need legends to inspire us forth. We had…all of THAT." He said, making a gesture towards the stars above.
"So…what kind of spirit does this place inspire?" Nick asked.
Saren would have rebuked him, but…everything about the young human was practically screaming honesty. Nothing he said had the slightest ring of falsehood to it. He was so naïve and ignorant that he genuinely wished to know.
"…this place speaks of…" Saren hesitated, his tone becoming thoughtful, and yet also…mournful. "Of sadness. It's a place where dreams went to rot. People laid down and died in here, quietly passing, losing all hope. Despair and regret infest this place."
"It does seem like whomever made this tunnel didn't really get a chance to get off the planet." Nick admitted.
"Why are your people still here?" Saren asked of the human, tilting his head slightly to the side, the air becoming slightly thicker as Nick bit his lip, looking off to the side before slowly turning back to Saren. "The battles, the explosions, the bombings, the filth, the chaos, the anarchy. Your people are running scared. If there's a single person from your planet not carrying a gun on this one, they DESERVE to be shot. So why didn't you just take off and leave when we started shooting at you?"
"Because we looked to the stars. And we took inspiration. And we want to be free to keep looking, the same as you were." Nick said, folding his arms across his chest, wincing as his stomach rumbled again and he fell on his side, letting out a groan. "Ouuuggghhrrggghhh."
"You're certain you don't want a bite?" Saren asked quietly, holding up a small, bluish ball-like thing and biting into it, chewing the odd fruit he now had in his claws which he'd taken from his leftmost belt pouch.
"I…shouldn't…have to beg you…" Nick growled back. "A man's…got his…pride!"
"Yes. But he won't have his STOMACH for much longer by the looks of it." Saren admitted, shaking his head back and forth before the ground around them began to rumble and they turned, seeing something making its way towards them from the far end of the natural tunnelway, Nick's eyes widening as it let out a harsh, hissing snarl of a roar. "Oh. OH. Well. Now I believe I know why the planet's previous inhabitants did not survive whatever befell the planet!"
"What in-"
"Run, you fool!" Saren screamed at him, racing in the opposite direction, Nick facing down the thing that was slimily racing towards them, growling, blue eyes on large stalks glaring intensely at its new prey, a stretchy, mandibled maw spreading wide, a grubby worm-like body barreling at him. The thing looked like a giant rubbery sausage with a longue tongue lashing at the air before it, only a few yards from Nick, Saren quite some distance away.
"Aw, dang!" Nick murmured.
Saren heard a squelchy, gulping sound, cringing as he continued desperately to race down the tunnelway, panting and heaving desperately, his chest burning as he tripped, his belt ripping off as he scrambled back to his taloned feet, surging again down the tunnelway, the monstrous worm continuing to race after him. It was a "Thresher Maw", a space worm with a stomach bigger than a tank and an appetite to match, its stench filling Saren's nostrils like a wet pile of noodles left to slowly wear away in the rain. Saren desperately heaved himself further and further down the passageway, his belt being slurped up into the beast which was quickly catching up.
He whipped his body around, the white pupils of his eyes becoming slits as he fired and fired at the thing in a frenzy, his gun turning hot and heavy in his clawed hand as it overloaded in his desperation to get the thing to just reel back, ANYTHING to give him just the tiniest edge in escaping, yet the Thresher Maw came closer…closer. Nothing was going to stop this hulking brute.
So this was it, the Turian mused. This was how he died. How fitting that he'd denied the child food only to become food himself. The universe truly did have a twisted sense of humor, Saren Arterius mused softly inside his head as he tripped anew, falling to his side, his arm twisting as he heard something break, a small KRAKCCKK noise filling the air as he flinched, gasping at the Thresher Maw as it dove at him…
Only for the thing to halt in place, something muffled echoing out from the inside of the beast as it quivered…
And then the child BURST from the thing's side, making it howl and screech and spasm, lashing about in the tunnelway in a static-like roar of pain, finally flopping to the ground as the kid dusted himself off, black and blue guts and blood dribbling off his body like chunky spagetthi sauce as he looked over at the giant worm's corpse. "You should have known: I contain pieces which are dangerous if swallowed!" He laughed, holding up his armored fist, sighing as he saw the thing's eyes were now pale and faded, the body now completely still. "Aw, dang. What's the point of being witty if the thing's too stupid and too DEAD to appreciate-"
He then turned to his right, taking notice of Saren, smiling a bit as he put his hands on his hips. "Aw, well, you work!"
"…you…LIVED." Saren murmured out as the kid held up Saren's belt.
"So, since I saved your life…mind if I help myself to some of your food now? Are we cool?" The human youngling inquired, tilting his head to the side as a glob of thresher maw intestine slid off to the ground below, a great gooey glob of greasy, grimy thresher guts.
"…according to Turian rules of engagement, I'm not to give any quarter to my prisoner until I reach-" Saren began, the kid GAPING at him for a brief moment before the air seemed to tense up, the kid tossing the belt at Saren, the thing slapping him across the face as the kid GROWLED with a furious glint shining in his eyes.
"How can you play games like this?" Nick directly asked, suddenly standing up and shooting forward, Saren yanking the pistol he had back up in the human's face, putting it against the human's skull. "Where's your sense of shame? Where's your sense of compassion? I saved your LIFE!"
Saren's face turned solemn as he carefully, slowly, shoved Nick back to where he was with the tip of his pistol, his words chosen with precision as he spoke quietly and thoughtfully. "My race is centered around one thought, my boy. That you have to work and earn your worth in the meritocracy that our species has as its ruling body. Our race is predicated on nobility of spirit being equivalent to skill in battle. Whatever mercy or compassion we have to offer must only be offered to those who have proven deserving of it, and you didn't do what you did for just my sake. You did it for yours as well."
"You're RATIONALIZING." The kid snapped back.
"I am simply sticking firmly to the rules of engagement. Until we return to my base, I cannot give you any quarter. imply how our race does things. Do you tell animals who prey on weaker animals that they're "cruel" or "evil" for doing the only thing they know how to do?" Saren asked, holding his pistol up, looking it over with a thoughtful expression. It would be so temping, but…the child appeared to have something to say.
"A dumb animal is doing what instinct tells it to do. Because it's a dumb ANIMAL." Nick said bluntly. "You're a sentient being with free will and can choose what he wants to do with his lie. You're not driven by instinct, and considering your species has been aware of other sentient races for DECADES now, you should know that such cruel treatment of other sentient beings is morally wrong. You're not treating me like this because you think of me as a weaker person. You don't even think of me as a person at all. You're objectifying me. That's how people get away with cruelty: they view others as…THINGS. Things to be tortured. Things to be insulted and denigrated. Things to be stomped into the mud so they can never resist you. And I can't see that as anything but SADISTIC."
Saren was quiet for a moment, invisible eyebrows slightly raised up, looking surprisingly intrigued by the human's words as he slowly put the pistol down into its holster and motioned with a clawed hand. "We should keep moving, should we not?"
Nick "harrumphed"…
…but he didn't disagree.
…
…
…
…luckily, it wasn't long before they DID reach the base, finally coming out of the tunnelway from a natural exit, only a few hundred yards from Saren's headquarters, where his troops were stationed. Nihlus, along with Anderson, had taken up temporary command, and saluted his superior officer and good friend as Saren led Nick inside the base, the other Turians all saluting as well as Nick glanced around the large military facility, a shining steely blue area with light gray overtones and odd banners flying in the wind around the base.
He was led through a long courtyard past several dozen other human prisoners towards Saren's personal quarters, Saren putting a hand against a DNA scanner as a set of glassy double doors slid open, letting him, Nihlus and the kid inside. Nick tossed Anderson a "hold hard, we'll get out of this" look for a brief moment before glancing about Saren's well-designed private quarters.
All things considered, Saren Arterius was living the high life. The place was air-conditioned, a nice vent sticking out of the nearby wall close to an enormous map of the area that stretched out for 100 miles, with various tacks marking important places of note, including newly established bases and rendezvous points, with large, ornate chests lying about that had a pearly glint to them. The floors were carpeted and smelled almost like incense, with a gentle fan blowing air towards his nearby bed, an enormous dark blue comforter draped over a silvery king-size bed. But most noticeable was a large journal on a nearby desk that was open, with dark silvery letters in careful cursive on every line, shining softly in the gentle light bathing off of every light fixture on every one of the walls in the circular quarters.
Besides…he had a mini-bar.
"All of the high officers get one of these." Saren said, opening it up and pulling out a small bottle of crystalline liquid and some deep red nuts of some variety, putting them on a nearby table and sitting down on his bed, picking up the journal and taking a pen from inside of the desk, writing into it as he glanced up at the human. "…go ahead."
The kid blinked. "…wait. What?"
"Eat. Drink. Be merry." Saren remarked. "As I said…"
Nick immediately plopped down in his seat, popping some of the nuts into his mouth and slurping down a mouthful of the liquid. Slightly tart….almost like "Crystal Pepsi". Bit of a kick, but not bad, not bad at-
A few minutes later he was vomiting into a nearby wastebasket, Saren cringing as Nihlus patted the kid on the back, cramps ripping through the kid's stomach. "GOOOOGGGGHH! Gaauuuggghhaaackkkk! G-guess…we c-can't…can't e-eat Turian f-f-food…I s-s-suppo-OOOOHHHHH!"
He continued emptying his stomach's contents, Saren frowning a bit as he shook his head back and forth. "I was right. The universe has a cruel sense of humor."
"And the universe…does not want me dead." The kid groaned out, Nihlus softly wiping the kid's mouth with a towel, a sympathetic look in the Turian's dark eyes. "It might not want me HAPPY…but it doesn't want me dea-AAAUUGGGHHHKKKK!"