Chapter 9: Planning Hope
Shress La'Vdamee POV
Shress let out an angry growl as she finished a report, only to look at the mountain of similar 'important' documents flooding her datapad still waiting to be read. If she knew that this was the life of a Commander before, she never would have wished that it would be her future.
'But is it my future?'
The thought brought her out of her frustrated state only to sink her into a despairing one.
'What is wrong with me?'
Her thoughts were awhirl.
'What possibly could make me wish to be a spy, to change sides?'
She suspected it was the human that she had sung to. Something about seeing the human, a young human, dying in front of her eyes, dying to try and protect its home, something she never believed a heretic would ever do.
'But still, a spy?'
Never in her life did she think she would be contemplating something as dishonorable as being a spy. Any prisoner of war convicted of spying or treason was put to death on the spot, but only after that person's name was utterly disgraced. The enormity of her choice still weighed on her mind heavily. Before, she had to only worry about being discovered as having a human as a friend, now she had to worry about being accused of espionage.
'But what am I to do?'
She thought to herself while she coldly eyed the stack of work in front of her.
'Hopefully it doesn't mean I have to finish going through all of this.'
She got up and walked out the door. She wished for some time to think–away from the bureaucratic drudgery she had to endure. Outside, positioned on either side of the opening, were two Rangers, guards for their new commander. They both straightened their posture and began to follow her as she walked down the glowing corridor of the Ardent Prayer, a corvette where she and the remainder of her troops were stationed.
She was now widely renowned by the survivors of the recent battle for her ability to take control of the ground assault against the humans, despite the fact that she had given all the credit to her former commander Ruan. He was the one who had planned the defensive strategies. All she had done was reinforce the positions after his demise.
Besides, if it was a victory, why did she feel like she had lost everything in that fight? Her honor, her dignity, her very purpose was stripped away from her by that uncertainty.
'Is it true what Michael said? If the Prophets had lied to her people about who were heretics and who were not. Then, was it possible they lied about everything else? What does this say of the Great Journey?'
She shivered at the very thought as she turned a corner into another the hallway. She walked past three off-duty Rangers. Two of them were Dinjit and Kova, the technician who accompanied them on the mission into the human base.
All the Rangers lowered their heads respectfully, but she noticed that aside from Kova, the other two had looks of thinly veiled disgust on their faces, especially Dinjit. She sighed after she walked past them. It seems that despite her successes, most of the Covenant troops still did not believe in female warriors. Dinjit's belief, while stereotypical of her people at this point, had for some reason increased profoundly after she got rid of him as a suitor. The actions and emotional outbursts the Ranger showed bothered her when compared to the professional and respectful tone of Kova. If she survived this war and found some males that were as understanding as Kova, then she supposed there was a chance she would be able to find a mate after all.
Her body shivered again when she realized that this was no longer possible. She was no longer allied with the Covenant; she was against them now, and if they found out what she promised to Michael, then she could never return to Sanghelios again…
…Unless she does what Michael had suggested, talk to her people and miraculously get them to see the Prophets as the liars they seemed to be. But all of that raised the question as to how can she get an entire race to see this without being killed for her heresy?
Michael, a human, a supposed demon. How does she know she could fully trust him?
'Do I trust him because he believes in me and gives me more respect than anyone else?'
She didn't like that idea either; it was excruciatingly painful having such a momentous decision to think about.
She felt the floor beneath her lurch, and for a crazy moment she thought that the humans were somehow launching an attack on her ship. Then, after a moment she realized that it was just the ship launching another bombardment on the human planet. She walked to the closest viewing portal and looked out into the darkness of space, heedless of her trailing guards. She watched in growing horror as glowing blue orbs descended violently to the dusty brown surface below.
'How many innocent people were dying because of this?'
The thought of helping the enemy, helping a different species, to fight against her own was a hard concept for her to grasp, but what kind of information should she actually provide to the humans? Something that could help them survive was all she needed to give them, and yet what could she provide? What information could that be? As a high ranking Commander she had access to most of the Covenant plans of invasion, but not everything, and even what she did have access to, none of it would stop the coming slaughter.
She needed to talk to Michael. If anyone can help her make sense of this mess it would be him.
But how? She was the Commander now, she couldn't disappear like last time–not without raising suspicion. She needed help to get off the ship. Someone she could trust, but who?
She growled in irritation, balling her hands into fists. Shaking her head, she turned to make her way aimlessly towards an open doorway, but stopped when she realized that she really had nowhere to go.
"Is there something wrong, Commander?" Asked one of her bodyguards after hearing the clear signs of distress.
She wondered how to respond when the three Rangers walked by, most likely returning to their posts. She then had an idea, an insane idea, but one that might actually solve her dilemma.
"Kova," she called out, causing the three sangheili to stop and snap a sharp salute, setting their fists against their chests. The aged warrior stepped forward, clearly curious as to what she could want.
"Yes, Commander?" He asked, shifting his weight from foot to foot, undoubtedly an old injury acting up.
"I wish to speak to you in private," Shress replied, taking one more glance out the window to look at the destruction below.
When Dinjit understood her request his head snapped up and he gave Kova a look that could kill. Then he seemingly remembered that Shress, an officer and his superior, was present and he angrily lowered his head again.
Slightly concerned by the venomous look, Shress continued.
"Come with me back to my quarters."
"Ma'am."
Then they both turned back around and walked towards Shress' room. Shress couldn't help but feel a pair of eyes staring at her. A quick turn of her head and she saw Dinjit quickly turn his own away from her. Was there something she was missing here?
Neither of them said anything as they made their way through the halls. Whether Kova was nervous or not was unclear, but he maintained his inscrutable demeanor throughout the stroll. When they arrived at her room, the escort Rangers took up their original guard positions by the door while Shress and Kova entered it.
Kova glanced around. It was sparsely furnished with a grand bed in one corner and a closet opposite. By the closet was an ornate weapons locker. In the middle was a large table with two cushions that were placed on opposite sides. Moving back into the position she was in mere units before, she stood next to the table.
"Nicer than the tents on the planet?" Shress asked, trying to lighten the strained mood.
Kova chuckles, "You deserve it. I heard you ran into a demon on the surface. Anyone who can survive such a monstrosity should be commended."
Shress said nothing and looked intently at the wall to hide her shocked expression.
'Who told Kova? Was it possible that this person saw me talking to Michael?'
Noticing her surprised response, Kova bowed his head and broke the silence.
"My apologies, Commander, I didn't mean to be so forward on the subject."
Shress waved the apology away in an absent-minded manner, pretending not to care one way or the other.
"It's fine."
She paused when she noticed Kova's strange look. Shress gave him a quizzical look in return until she realized what had caught the veteran off-guard with her use of the human gesture. She quickly put the hand down and mentally cursed Michael for being such an influence on her.
Hoping to steer Kova away from her newfound alien mannerisms, Shress settled on the topic of the apparently common knowledge of her duel.
"Who told you I had faced a demon?"
Kova just snorted.
"Dinjit was boasting about it, one of his friends was guarding the Spire, and he claimed to have seen a demon go up and later saw you escape moments before it was destroyed. The warrior didn't say anything about you fighting the demon though. It was Dinjit who started that rumor."
"Why did Dinjit start that rumor?"
Kova shifted on his feet, a slight betrayal of his discomfort.
"Because, well, he started it when he was still your suitor. He was trying to gain more fame for himself. Not only by pursuing a Zealot, but also the victor of a fight with a demon."
Shress lets out an aggravated snarl.
'Of course.'
Kova waited a while for her to calm before he continued,
"If it is of any satisfaction Commander, I think Dinjit now regrets his boastful words. He just made you more famous."
Despite herself, Shress smiled at the thought of Dinjit's own arrogance having caught him. Deciding to consider it more later she gestured to the table and asked, "Please, have a seat."
Shress knelt down at one end of the table while Kova copied her posture on the other side. However, she couldn't see him due to the haphazard towers of holo-folders in her way. She growled again before knocking her datapad off the table without a single care as to if it would break or not.
Kova cocked his head to the side. Shress just returned to her previous posture unconcerned.
"I'll pick it up later. I have had quite enough of administrative work for one cycle."
Kova nodded, "Now I understand why you refuse to be a house mistress, my own mate regularly deals with an excessive workload when tending to the needs of the keep."
Shress looked at the datapad again, seeing yet another reminder of how close she came to being a housemistress before she returned her eyes to Kova.
"Kova, I know we have worked together only once, but in that time I came to trust you, and now I need your help with something."
Kova tensed and straightened.
"Of course, Commander, I'll do whatever is required of me."
Shress thought this through, but she wasn't so sure if Kova would believe her. Either way, he's here, and she needs to tell him.
Shress spoke in what she hoped was a confident voice, "I plan on going on a covert scouting mission into human territory, and I'd prefer if you would accompany me."
Kova's mandibles open wide in surprise. True, the Sangheili were superior in every way compared to humans, but humans were still dangerous. Especially with their demons. Only expandable soldiers would risk infiltrating the enemy region, and then only by the direct orders of an officer.
Shress knew this and knew that as a Commander she would be creating an even greater risk. But she needed to talk to Michael. Get her mind focused once more. The only person she trusted to come with her, but wouldn't pry, would be a soldier as loyal as Kova. Even now, he was clearly trying to reconcile his loyalty with the idea of following her on the very idea of this mad scheme.
Shress continued, her voice hardening towards the end, "I need to do some important work in a region, secretly, I can't take just anyone. I need someone who can help me, to watch my back, and, most importantly, will respect the need for discretion."
Kova continued to stare at her until he sighed.
"I am old, Commander. I won't be much help in a fight."
"I don't need you to fight. I need you to be with me because protocol won't allow an officer to go on a mission on their own without at least one soldier accompanying them. All I need you to do is make sure no one is following us and to protect the ship while I do my work."
Kova went silent, and Shress began to silently pray that this gamble would pay off. If he said no, there was nobody else she could think of that's as suitable as Kova. To add to her problems, if Kova refused, there was a possibility that he could tell another officer of her intent and that would create far too many complications for her liking.
Finally Kova broke the silence, his tone cautious but stoic. "Under whose orders are these sanctioned?"
"My own. It is a secret that no one else, even a fellow officer, must know of what I am doing."
Kova let out another sigh, and used his thumb and middle finger to massage his eye ridges before he responded, "I'll do it,"
Shress was both relieved and elated at his response.
"But for the sake of the Prophets I hope we won't get into trouble. I'm not the warrior I once was."
"Worry not my friend." Shress replied with a teasing smile clearly visible to the aged warrior. "Should the need arise, the humans will flee before me. You will have no need to see combat."
Kova only snorted.
"To which region are we going?"
Shress took in a deep breath, unsure how the old warrior would react and answered in an almost self-conscious voice
"The last place where the squad of demons were last seen, so probably the most dangerous region on the planet."
Kova stared at her again before leaning his head back and groaned.
"By the gods…
Six POV
Six crawled on his stomach across the barren wasteland, the dark shadow of the ever present carrier hung over him like the impending doom of some vengeful god.
After the destruction of The Grafton, the remaining UNSC personnel had tried to retreat back to Sword base, until the Carrier released a deadly bombardment of plasma salvoes onto the helpless retreating forces. The resulting shock wave forced their Falcon into an uncontrolled crash in which the pilot was killed in the impact. The Spartans survived and began to move cautiously away from the twisted wreckage.
Now here they were, trying to move through hostile territory, attempting to regroup with the rest of Noble Team while avoiding the alien death squads.
Six jerked up a fist, and the other Spartans following his lead froze in their tracks. A few moments later, a Scarab passed by overhead, its massive cannon swiveling around searching for any nearby prey. The four-legged metal beast soon moved on when it didn't detect anything to warrant its interest.
The three-man squad waited for two minutes after it was gone before pushing forward.
On their last leg of their journey, they moved towards a Spartan Transponder, a beacon that one of the other members of Noble Team must have activated.
They found their way to a well hidden cave entrance and after scanning the interior, Six entered first, followed by Jorge and then Carter. A quick scan of the interior showed that Emile, Jun, and Kat were all sitting patiently, awaiting the arrival of their missing brothers in arms.
Carter and Kat immediately moved to the cave entrance while Jorge threw a box of supplies down on the ground.
Emile gestured at it and said, "What's in there?"
"Just some supplies we were able to salvage from our recent crash," Jorge replied.
Emile got up and opened the box. He let out a disgusted noise as he gazed at the contents–four battered assault rifles, three grenades, and a single signal flare. His quick rummage failed to produce anything else of value.
Dissatisfied he turned back to Jorge, skepticism oozing from his voice, "You carried all this junk while attempting to remain undetected? Really?"
Six shook his head before he took a seat next to Jun who was methodically dismantling and cleaning his sniper rifle, content with ignoring the rest of his squad.
Lacking any such distractions for himself, Six began reflecting on recent events. He liked Shress, she was one of his few friends. It was painful for him to fight her. Especially after the last time that they met. Their reunion had somehow felt heart-warming to him, despite the circumstances.
It was as if their vicious encounter was an omen that things were going to take a turn for the worse, and they had. A Covenant army had arrived, the UNSC reaction force had been all but destroyed, and now his new friend was its Commander, his new and most important target for elimination.
He sighed as he fiddled with his armor, his muscles having easily run through the natural movements of tuning and oiling it. He thought back to that meeting again.
The result of their fight still surprised the battle-hardened Spartan. She was focused this time, far more deadly than the other two encounters he had with the Zealot… and yet only when she stood victorious over him, did that resolve crumble.
'Why did she want to stay with the Covenant?'
He could see it; he knew she had a sad desperate look. A look all too common among soldiers. He didn't know why, but he knew for certain that if she had come with them, then he would have helped her. He was just as upset as Shress, having seen his friend hurting without being able to help was painful.
She's trapped within the Covenant, forced to kill people that she knew were innocent.
He snorted, here he was hiding in a hole in the ground while their planet, his home, was under attack. And all he can worry about is the invader's commander.
'I truly hope that she will be able to do this without getting caught.'
If she follows through, then how could they exchange information? Furthermore, how could he pass the information to his superiors without revealing her involvement? If he had to reveal her existence, he would undoubtedly be executed for fraternizing with the enemy.
Jun bumped Six's shoulder, gaining the distracted Spartan's attention. Shifting his visor over, he watched as Jun gestured towards Carter and Kat. No longer were they whispering in a slow defeated tone. It was now more energetic as they argued and counter-argued with each other. The disagreement could only mean one thing; Kat has a plan, one that Carter doesn't approve of.
Six didn't care if it was a suicide mission, he just wanted to hit the Covenant where it hurts. The rest of the Spartans were seemingly of the same mind, having got up and reloaded their weapons before making their way over to the two arguing supersoldiers.
The whispered battle between Noble Team's Commander and tech officer temporarily ceased as the rest of the team assembled around them.
Jorge broke the silence, "So, I'm assuming we have a plan?"
Kat looked at Carter who had a disgusted look on his face but he nodded to her anyway. Kat calmly turned to Emile and attempted to take his precious Kukri knife from its sheath. Emile quickly grabbed her hand, preventing her from taking it.
The two locked eyes in a silent showdown until Kat asked in a condescending voice.
"May I?"
Emile just let it go.
"Don't cut yourself."
Six noted that the normally eccentric Spartan had a rather weak tone compared to the normal sass that Emile had back at Sword Base. It was just another reminder that the arrival of such a large Covenant force had demoralized even the best of them.
Kat knelt on the dirt floor and began drawing complex images that seemed nonsensical to Six. When she was done, there was an image of what looked like a big engine, a rough outline of a Covenant ship, an outline of one of their space defense vehicles, and a crude shape of a space station.
"Our plan is this. We're going to get our hands on a Slip-space drive and convert it into a makeshift bomb."
Then she drew a circle around the engine, and encased the human machines in their own circles.
"We need assistance from Anchor Nine and a squadron of Sabers before delivering it to the Super Carrier above us, and then."
She stabbed the knife into the image of the Covenant ship.
"We detonate our makeshift bomb, and teleport half the ship to oblivion."
Emile just grunted, easily catching his knife as Kat tossed it back to him. Carter's enthusiasm was even less than Emile's. Unsurprisingly, it was Jorge that spoke up first.
"Brilliant plan Kat, but where are we going to find a spare slip-space drive?"
Noble Two smiled devilishly, handing over the communicator to Carter.
Kat didn't miss a beat at Jorge's question.
"I'm sure that you will be able to work that out with Holland."
Carter frowned and gave her a hard stare. Kat responded by raising an eyebrow. Finally, Carter got up and grabbed the data-pad and retreated back into the cave, his muttered declaration clearly audible to everyone.
"There's no way Holland will go for this."
The group of Spartans waited for Carter, their conversations having lapsed into silence as they stared at the wasteland outside. Bright blue flames washed over desert lands melting the ice in the mountains; smoke rose from the few once-living trees that were still visible in the dull, sooty haze.
Six glanced at Jorge, seeing the older Spartan staring out over the destruction. Reach was important to the Spartan II's. Even if it was boot camp this was the only place that stuck in their memories as home. Where they were trained, where they were taught, and where they found a new family with their fellow Spartans. Now Jorge could only watch as his home was engulfed in flames, his expression completely devoid of emotion.
Before Six could speak, Carter returned, his tone as serious as ever, "It's a no go Spartans."
Six saw Kat tense.
Carter continued, "Problem is we don't have enough pilots for a full Sabre squadron. This mission is already dangerous if we go in with just three, without a full squad it would be suicidal."
"But Commander, this could be our only chance to–"
"I'm sorry Kat, but unless any of you knows how to fly a Saber, then it won't work."
Six felt uncomfortable as his commander's eyes panned over them. He coughed and gained the attention of Noble Team. He looked a little sheepish–well as sheepish as a Spartan could look.
"Well sir, I know how to fly a Saber."
Numb shock spread throughout the team as they took this information in, until Carter asked the question they all wanted too.
"When were you given aerial training of top-secret fighter spacecraft?" Carter asked.
Giving a devilish smile under his visor, Six responded with the three words he knew for a fact would bother his commander the most.
"That's classified, sir."
Kat was fighting hard to keep a smirk off her face before she turned to Carter. He held up his hand in her direction and talked to Six again.
"Hold on Lieutenant, if I'm correct, you're going to need a co-pilot, and I'm sure that none of us knows how to fly."
"Well, sir you don't need to know how to fly to be my co-pilot. I'll be doing the heavy lifting, I just need someone to count my ammunition, check my fuel, and watch my six. It'll be no different than riding in a Warthog."
Emile was the first to respond, "At least with a Warthog you can bail out at the first signs of trouble."
His jokes were sometimes annoying, but this was the first one he had cracked since the assault, signaling the rise of morale. Carter still wasn't smiling however.
"That's not it. Holland said we'll have all the support we need, even a frigate, if we can solve one small problem."
"What?"
Kat, looked offended at the very idea that an obstacle had escaped her eagle-eyed notice.
"We're up against a supercarrier, unless we have five frigates, there is no way we can get close enough to the ship for any of this to matter. Unless any of you have any suggestions on how we can get on board?"
They were stumped on that one. Throughout the war, the only surefire way to get inside an enemy vessel was to cripple it with a massive numerical advantage and then brave the ship's defenses in an attempt to land within the ship. They all experienced this and they all knew it was true. To assault a Super Carrier without sufficient firepower or numbers was plain madness. Carter sighed before he rested his hand on Kat's shoulder,
"It was a good idea Kat, but we just don't have the means to execute it."
Kat only nodded, fury clear on her face at her plan being unraveled in less than five minutes, which Six guessed was probably a first in her career.
"Let's get some sleep, Noble Team. I'm on first watch. We will switch every two hours in order of ascending numbers."
As Carter settled himself down at the mouth of the cave, weapon in hand. Six laid down by one of the cave walls quietly grateful for the eight hours he would get. Exhaustion from the battle and its utter failure was enough of a reason for Six to escape into a dreamless slumber.
It seemed like almost no time at all had passed before a dull tapping echoed into his ears, quickly waking him. Six opened his eyes to find Jorge gently tapping his helmet with one finger.
"Your turn, Six. Wake me when breakfast is ready," said Noble Five as he walked to the back of the cave for two more hours of sleep.
Six yawned as he got up and grabbed his rifle before he headed outside. The harsh flames had died out in the night, leaving a glassy sheen that glowed slightly as the light from Reach's satellite hit it. Six switched on his night vision and scanned the area. He saw no threats. He sat down on a rock close to the entrance of the cave and tried to remain alert despite the alluring siren song of sleep calling him.
Yesterday, the landscape was breath-taking. Range after range of beautiful rock formations that towered into the clear desert sky. Now nothing remained but the fused glass of the sand. Millions of years of natural work to form that beauty, all destroyed in less than a day.
'Just like the others.' Six thought to himself, remembering the fate of millions of people who were killed whenever the Covenant glassed a planet.
There was no escaping such a horrible fate; to be burned alive and to have your bones crumble into dust before finally fusing into glass was a daunting prospect, one that fuelled Six's rage as he remembered previous massacres.
Six was alerted when his motion tracker beeped. Something had just entered within a twenty-five meter radius of him, something big. He cautiously got up and kneeled, leveling the rifle in the direction of the incoming hostile. Whoever it was, they were getting closer. Six kept one eye trained in the direction of the unknown intruder and the other on his motion tracker.
The person was now twenty yards away. Six flipped off the safety. Fifteen meters. He should be able to see the creature but couldn't. Was it a cloaked Elite? Ten meters away. Should he wake the rest of his team, or should he try and handle it himself? There's only one of them after all.
His wandering ceased when the intruder stopped, about five meters away from him. Six raised the rifle at where he guessed the invisible adversary was, silently daring them to make a move.
Without warning, a shape materialized in front of him. No Elite would reveal themselves, unless…
He had his helmet zoom in on the creature. He was relieved to recognize Shress. He had no idea how, but now it was becoming easier for him to distinguish her from other Sangheili. Her seven foot height, combat-ready stance, and her armor covered in dents that he had become familiarized with marked her as his friend.
He was about to lower his weapon but stopped. He remembered last time how she had attacked him on sight. Would this be any different?
Oblivious to his uncertainty, Shress gestured for him to follow her before she turned around and walked some distance away. Six glanced to the cave entrance once before he took a calming breath and hurried after her.
They traveled only a stones toss away, into a large smoky crater that was from one of the plasma bombardments. At first, Six was reluctant to follow Shress into the glassed hole; the ridge and elevated landscape was perfect for an ambush. He shrugged it off when he reminded himself that if this was a trap, then Shress would be caught in the crossfire as well.
He jumped in after her and landed with a crunch on the ground. Six tried not to blanch when he looked down at his feet and stumbled away in horror. There were skeletons sunk into the floor. Human skeletons, their bones now crystal. Their grinning skulls were everywhere, one in particular was turned on its side and seemed to be gazing into Six's soul.
The Spartan heard a sigh and looked up to see Shress looking at the human remains as well. She gestured at the skeletons
"I was always sickened by this. I had always made peace with my soul by telling myself that this was the death of heretics, not innocent people. Now knowing so many died for nothing is a nightmare I must live with for the rest of my life."
Sensing no danger from her but a lot of remorse, Six clipped his rifle to his back.
"The Prophets, they used you. I know you would never have done those things if you knew."
She took a shaky breath before responding to him.
"How is it that you can trust me? After everything we have done, after everything I have done, I would have thought you'd have hated me."
"I admit I did hate you, Shress."
Seeing her shaken expression he quickly continued.
"But that changed when I learned you were someone who believed in righteousness and honor."
Seeing her uncertainty Six elaborated further.
"Humans have a saying, action speaks louder than words. Your actions towards me proves that you are a good person who has respectable values."
Shress exhaled before she spoke.
"Thank you, Michael, you're the only one who seems to know how to make me feel better."
Six nodded, accepting her complement, although he realized he was failing in his guard duty. Although the radar was showing no other movement, he'd long ago learnt not to put all his trust in machinery.
Six asked, "Is there anyone else with you? I don't feel comfortable leaving my team unprotected."
Six was slightly surprised to see Shress wave her hand in the air, in an unmistakably human gesture.
"Do not fear Michael, the only one with me is an old Ranger by the name Kova. He's my most trusted soldier, and he swore to me that he'd stay with our ship while I conduct my business."
Six accepted it, thinking of his own lies that he had to tell in order to meet with Shress. They lapsed into silence. Six realized he'd have to bring up the subject that he knew was the reason why Shress was here but also the one they'd been avoiding.
"Shress, I need to know, as will the rest of humanity in due time. Whose side are you on?"
Shress was silent as she looked to the shifting smoke cloud above them, refusing to meet his eyes. Was she really still trying to decide? It was a no-brainer to Six to decide who was in the wrong here since the options were either the psychotic aliens who attacked unprovoked, or the humans who were already battle-weary due to the rising insurgencies.
Shress sighed as she turned to him, "Michael, you are asking me to betray the Covenant, the very theocracy that I have been serving and believing in since birth and my people for eons. To come and help what was once my enemy, a species whose members will probably kill me sooner than talk to me. How can I make a choice like that?"
"True, but you can help turn the tide of an unjust war and help your people to see the truth as well."
She just snorted at that. "My people will forbid me to ever return to my home, I can't just tell them they've been lied to for centuries. How would you feel if you learned that everything you have ever learned was a lie?"
Before Six could reply she turned away.
"I know, Michael, that even if I sacrificed myself for your people, no one will ever accept me."
Six sighed before walking up beside her and putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Shress–"
Suddenly Shress grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder.
Six flipped in the air once before he crashed on the ground, forcing all the air out of his body.
He laid stunned on the ground, trying to suck in some oxygen when an errant thought crossed his mind.
'No wonder I'm supposed to never let my guard down.'
Shress's face appeared over him, stuttering her apologies.
"I'm so sorry. I just, I didn't mean to. It was a reflex. Are you alright?"
Six waved his hand.
"It's fine."
He gasped as he pushed himself up.
"Let's just try not to make it a habit of throwing me around, okay?"
Shress ignored the sarcastic jab, still looking worried even as he continued to reassure her.
"I was just putting my hand on your shoulder. Sorry, sometimes I forget you're not human."
"Really?" she said inquisitively.
Six smirked, "Really, that's what I was going to say. I like you, Shress."
Seeing her eyes widen he quickly added.
"...As a friend. He then said, "I bet you anything that you can earn some allies among us."
Shress was silent, stunned, before she responded.
"Thank you, Michael. I suppose then, I will fight for you."
Now it was Six's turn to be shocked. Zealots were supposed to be the most fanatic of the Covenant's soldiers. Yet he was able to turn one, no, to befriend one–something that he doubted anyone would have even considered doing.
'Well… Anyone sane at least.'
He laid a hand on top of Shress's hand, hoping against all odds that his xenomorphic friend wouldn't overreact again.
"I know this is hard for you, Shress, but I promise you it'll be worth it, and I'll do everything in my power to help you get your people to see the truth."
The Sangheili looked at him before she curled her hand around his, squeezing it tightly.
"Thank you, Michael, you're one of the few people that I could call a friend."
Six looked at her incredulously.
"Seriously? I can't believe someone like you doesn't have a lot of friends."
She just sighed before shaking her head sadly.
"Few males of my species would easily agree to acknowledge a female as an equal, and there are no other females in the Covenant. I am alone, and always have been."
"Well they should. I certainly enjoy your company and I'm happy to see you are prepared to do something no one else is brave enough to do. Your determination is impressive."
Shress shifted from foot to foot and Six realized he had actually embarrassed the Elite.
'Well that's a first.'
She shuffled her feet awkwardly and tried to change the topic, moving onto more serious matters.
"So, as a spy, I'm assuming you need information? I don't know what might be of use to your people… but I will help if I can."
Six thought for a bit. What do they need? The number of Covenant troops? No need; it doesn't take a genius to know they were outmanned and outgunned like usual. Plans of invasion? That won't help much since the Covenant standard playbook is to take out orbital defenses, then bombard a planet before glassing it, and they rarely engage in ground battles if they can prevent it. Position of Covenant ships? That isn't needed, there was only one of significance and in due time more will come.
'Wait, that's it!'
"Shress, do you know how we could get on the Super Carrier?"
Shress cocked her head to the side.
"The what?"
"The massive ship above us."
"Oh, do you mean the Long Night of Solace?"
"Err, right. Yes, I think that's it. Anyway, we need to know how to infiltrate that ship."
Shress looked closely, her tone truly serious.
"Why?"
'How is she going to react?'
"We're going to try and slip a bomb onto the ship and destroy it."
Shress was silent as she took this in. Her first job as a spy was to find a way to end thousands of lives. Knowing this Six tried to make it more palatable.
"Listen, since you're a Commander, maybe you can order them to abandon ship or something, try to empty it before we arrive."
He knew the UNSC wouldn't be happy if they didn't kill as many Covenant troops as they could, but Six was doing this to comfort his friend, and without her they wouldn't get the ship at all.
Struggling with an internal conflict for a few moments, Shress's posture slowly morphed from uncertain apprehension to calm determination.
"Yes… Yes I think I can do that…"
'Really?' Six thought, surprised that his gamble was seemingly about to pay off.
"I know of a way to get you on board the ship, though I don't think it will be particularly easy for you humans to do so."
Smiling brightly from under his helmet, the Spartan turned his attention skyward, unknowingly mimicking Shress at the start of their conversation.
"We will do whatever it takes to defend our home Shress. Please tell me."
Something unsaid went between the two as Shress examined Six from her side of the crater, but it wasn't long before she nodded and began to explain her plan.
"So there is a Corvette…"
-UA-
"What!?"
"Just like I said, sir, it's that simple."
Six answered the sleepy-eyed Carter. They stood outside the cave entrance and Six had just got done going over the plan he and Shress had pieced together.
Carter rubbed his eyes before fixing his steady gaze on Six.
"Where did you get your information, Spartan? I've never heard of an opening on top of a corvette, in fact I didn't even know there was a corvette above us. Who told you that? I find it hard to believe you came up with all this on your own."
Six hesitated, not sure how Carter would react to exactly how he got this information. He assured Shress when she left that he'd tell Carter about her and try to get her on his good side, but now that he was facing his Commander, whose haggard face looked worn from the recent defeat and lack of proper sleep, he wasn't so sure how he was going to take the news.
Noting the silence, Carter pushed, "Six I need to know this. I need to know that your source is reliable, I'm not about to put our lives at risk until I know for certain that this intel is solid."
Six sighed, "I have an informant."
Carter became stoic, still, and silent. He remained that way before slowly turning his head to fully face Six.
"What?"
"I have an informant." Six repeated with a bit more confidence.
There was silence again as Carter processed it.
"In the Covenant?"
"In the Covenant, sir."
Six responded in a voice identical to his Commander's.
Carter ran a hand through his hair, then he let out a puff of air.
"How?"
So Six began to tell his story. How he met his alien friend on his first mission with Noble Team and the lie he told of her escaping. He told him of when they met again at Sword Base and how it ended up with them making arrangements to meet each other again which lasted for nearly a month. He recapped running into Shress again during the battle and how he won her support and was able to persuade her to change sides. Finally, he shamefully admitted that he had left his post early that morning and had come up with this mad scheme with Shress, based on the first intel she had given to him.
There was an unnerving silence as Carter processed the information.
Finally he asked, "Do you trust her?"
"With my life."
Six was just as startled as Carter when the unexpected words left his mouth, but Carter's response was just as jarring.
"It isn't your life on the line here Six. We, as Spartans, trained to give our life in the line of duty. This is different."
Placing his hand on Six's shoulder, the Commander made eye contact through Six's polarized visor, a skill only Spartans seemed to have.
"Do you trust her with the fate of Reach?"
Once again, Six didn't hesitate.
"Sir. Yes sir."
Again came the silence until Carter spoke again.
"You're asking me to risk the lives of my team by having them follow a plan that was made by a Covenant Commander. Whom, might I remind you, is one of our primary targets."
"Yes sir, I helped make this plan and gaining current information from a high-ranking officer has its value as you well know."
Carter was silent before he calmly stated, "You do know you broke a lot of regulations by doing this, enough to earn you life imprisonment or capital punishment, don't you?"
Six let out his long held breath
"Yes sir."
"I have every right to arrest you, strip you of your armor, and throw you in the brig right now." Carter continued.
Six only nodded before he looked at the ground. He'd expected this.
"However, it seems we are short on brigs at the moment."
The casual tone of voice caused Six to look up, hope blossoming in him. "
"Since we may very well be facing the end of humanity, I don't think it matters whether we are fighting beside innocent or guilty men."
The words caused shame to blossom in Six's chest.
"So until this is all over, you are still a part of Noble Team and I'll give this plan to Command and see if they agree with your mission."
For a moment Six was stunned before he gratefully replied, "Thank you, sir."
"But know this, Six. If you withhold critical information or lie to me about fraternizing with the enemy again, I will not hesitate to put a bullet in your head to maintain the operational status of my squad, understood?"
Carter's tone was grim and deathly serious. Six stiffened his posture, only giving a single nod as his understanding.
Carter nodded before he got up, stretching his muscles as he did so. "With this new plan it is most likely Holland will say yes. After all, It isn't like we have any other options."
Taking a few steps back towards the concealed cave, Carter called from over his shoulder.
"Pick your co-pilot Six. This was your idea, so get it done Spartan."
"Yes sir!"
Six responded before he turned and walked into the cave. He paused before entering and casted his gaze upwards into space. Unsure why, Six whispered, "Shress, you better be out of there soon."
Before he headed inside the cave and woke up the rest of the Spartans.
After a few minutes of grumbling, cursing, and eating MREs, Carter walked in, helmet on and rifle in hand, and quietly informed them of their orders.
"Get yourselves mobile Spartans, we have new orders. Get some chow and get ready to go. We're about to initiate Operation Uppercut."
-Author's Note-
Hi everybody! Hoped you liked the edits. Not much to say here, so I suppose just let us know if we missed anything glaring, and I'll get to it as soon as I can.
Thanks again for reading, and don't forget to leave a review if you liked it. :)
-PyreElegy
I tell ya what, it's been fun editing this story that we've all wanted to perfect. Pyre and I do our best to set aside time and get together, talk s*** and edit at the same time. It works!
Catch ya'll later
-Daffy