(A.N: I am completely sorry for neglecting to update this story, I have had my life turn completely upside down and I am trying to recollect and reconstruct things to try to fix it, if you are still waiting for the next chapter well here it is, not very long, but I hope it will be to your pleasure and I really appreciate your patience and support, you're amazing. Thank you.)

Chapter 9

Time: 21:14

Location: Prison Cell

(Scotty's P.O.V)

I looked outside the small window in my cell into the deep abyss of space. I was barely able to see Reach from the distance and pondered on the idea of the escape plan. "What am I going to do after we escape, it's not like I can go straight to Colonel Holland about this. I would probably need to go to ONI for they are able to bring in reinforcements faster than the UNSC," I thought about the soon coming attacks to Reach, "What about Kará, she can't exactly walk into the base free willingly, I need to figure out something to do about her once when we are back on Reach." I felt weird about now my best ally is my worst enemy.

"What irony this is, an enemy is a friend" I muttered.

"I feel the same way."

I turned around and saw Jen carrying a small tray of food, or at least what presumed to be food. She deactivated the shield doors and carried the plate in, She set it down on my cot.

"I am still in awe how immediately my life turned around, from fighting the Covenant with just my brothers and sisters in arms, now it has changed now with Kará now wanting to come with me," I said sighing thinking on all the new events that are unravelling.

"Well I'm sure she feels the same way; she's being betrayed by her superiors and forced to be killed after your execution," Jen said.

"True, and she's forced to paired up with a guy who killed her fiancé, and now to escape the military she grew up in, fighting us, now going to risk dying, fighting them because of me," I said feeling, bad about this now.

"Look, I know there isn't a way around this, but she has been bending over backwards for you right now, so I do expect you to treat her with respect she deserves," Jen said looking me in the eyes.

"It's hard, but I will, and thanks," I said looking down, as Jen was turning to leave, "before you go, can you bring me back the armor module she used for the stealth operation we met on, I have an idea on something for later on, and I will need to work on the module."

"I don't think exactly allowing a human to get their hands on a piece of Covenant technology would authorizable, but for you I will make an exception," she said, smiling.

"Thanks, I will definitely need it, rather Kará will," I said, thinking of how to modify it.

"I want to know what you're going to do, but right now, the more I know, the more I can be branded as a heretic, and now isn't a good time for that," she said, leaving and putting up the shields, "I'll return with it soon."

I nodded and returned to my train of thought, but the smell of the food was appalling, yet enticing at the same time. I started inspecting it, and it looked to be an attempt of some type of sandwich. It had some type of meat, probably pork of some kind, half cooked mostly, a leafy vegetable that isn't from any human colonies, on something that presumed to be "bread." A small piece fruit, which looked to be a mango, and small plastic cup of water. I got closer to sniff it, and I almost gagged by the smell. I sighed. "Bon appetit."

I tried to muster my hunger and deny my disgust. I picked up the sandwich and took a bite, it wasn't too terrible. It had a distinctive, pungent spice to it, and it was a sweet, yet spicy. "I give them props for trying to make it sufficient for human consumption," I thought. I set it down, just drank the water, and went back to pondering on how to do this with what circumstances there are with Kará. "Maybe I can figure a way of generating the camo into being almost an infinite source using the shield regeneration systems, but that would require her to not get any hits or else it'll break the routing to camo," I thought, looking back towards the window and went to look back at Reach, "Why am I doing this for her? I mean I could bring her right to Holland or someone else and get rid of her. But if I do that after all she's been through with me already, I would be the biggest asshole around, worse than the 'Prophet'." I sighed, seeing the spiral cloud formation on the planet. The on sight of seeing the celestial formations of the planet and moons usually calms me, but for some reason it didn't now.

I started pacing, trying to figure out what to do. "It's not like I would care if she was captured after this is all over," I said with slight confidence, "though she is giving up her life for me, she's a damn good fighter, and maybe she is a little attractive, for an elite. So that's something." I quickly thought about what I just said, "Did I just say that? She's the enemy, how can I be attracted to a hinge-head?"

I turned around and saw Jen had returned with the module, and she had a look of awe on how I slipped with what I just said. "Well I have the mechanism you need, and I see that you are becoming close with Kará as well. I hope that will make you more kind to her and take care of her after she leaves here," she said, handing me the ability.

"I.. okay," I said, scratching my head in embarrassment, "though what I have been wondering is what will you be doing during this entire charade?"

"Well I will be working on the ship, making it ready for launch, but not enough to look suspicious."

"During the departure part, you will have enough time to take us down, since you know this new ship better than us, so you can easily make the controls malfunction, preventing our escape."

"If you're questioning whether or not you can trust that I will allow you to escape, you should know the answer," she said getting agitated,

I sighed, looking down in shame as to the last statement.

"Look, I know you're very stressed right now and you're questioning everything that we may be doing, but if I was against it, I would have stopped this long ago," she said patting me on the back, "I know this is all new to you. It is for all of us, and I know when the time comes for what you're thinking about comes, you will make the right decision."

I nodded taking it in consideration, "Why are you doing all this for us? You've been in the Covenant for numerous years and many here respect you. You're putting your life on the line just save Kará and me, but why, what are you gaining out of this?"

She sighed, "Really, Kará has had a difficult life, more so because she challenged the Sangheili ways of war by becoming militant and rose up. She was sought to seek failure, yet she had done the exact opposite. She has prosper where many fails. Maybe she may be able to help end this war. I don't think she should have that all being wasted by the fact of current events. She needs to live on, and I know by now you're a determined and resilient person, just like her. That's what she really could use, and not only that, someone who most likely will care for her, more than what I and anyone else here can do."

"I.. I really don't know what to say at this point but thanks," I said, never thinking about what she described until now, "Thanks, but you really should leave, before they suspect you of the same thing as Kará."

She nodded and left, turning the shields on. I looked at the armor module, trying to figure a way of giving it an unlimited power source. I looked it over and saw the cycle system on the back and it's feed system. "Dammit, why does this have to be so complicated, it's not like I.. oh wait, that's how it'll work."