Chapter 26: Promises Kept
Six POV
Today was the day.
It had been four weeks since he met with Lord Hood, and yet the rumors spreading around the station had not calmed down. Shress was still seen by everyone as "the monster in the dungeons," but for the first time in a month, the mood around the station didn't bother him. Looking around, he saw the ODST squad tasked with keeping Shress in line during the upcoming experiment all giving him odd glances. Each of them was armed to the teeth and appeared ready for war, standing in the elevator leading down to the station's brig.
The ODST squad had five members and was transferred from a nearby ship just for this. Other than the gunnery sergeant giving him a few quick glances here and there, nothing prior to now seemed to be too far out of the ordinary. Looking at the door, Six spotted Doctor Glassman standing impatiently at the exit. The doctor appeared to be nervous, though the Spartan could not fault the man. Six was well aware that most civilians didn't stand much of a chance in a fight against any Sangheili, let alone a Zealot.
'Not that Shress is any threat to his safety…,' he thought.
Glancing down at himself, the super soldier checked his weapons. He knew there would be no need for them, but at the very least, he felt a bit more comfortable having a battle rifle on him. Six briefly wondered if this was a soldier thing, a spartan thing, or just him. Whatever the answer, he wasn't sure how he felt about that. Looking up at the hiss of the door as it slid open, the unusual group slowly made its way down the hallway toward Shress's cell. The silent nature of the ODSTs was comforting as the group strode down the passageway.
His heart skipped a beat as he saw the blank metal door that led into Shress's room. He hadn't been able to see her at all in the last four weeks; just the thought of seeing her made him feel guilty.
This situation was never something that Six wanted, though he knew it was unavoidable. He could do nothing but hope that her show of good faith would convince Lord Hood to allow her to have a bit more freedom.
As they reached the door, Six quietly watched one of the ODSTs hide his hands while he typed the code into the keypad. Hearing a muffled thunk as the lock disengaged, he then turned to the supersoldier and gestured to the door.
"After you, Sir."
He ignored the odd sensation of being addressed as an officer—Spartans didn't typically make it past the enlisted ranks. Giving the gunnery sergeant a quick but respectful nod, Six made his way to the door before opening it slowly. He peeked his head in to try and assess if they had managed to catch her at a bad time.
He immediately recognized the crimson-clad form of Shress standing only a few feet away. Her helmet was in her hands as she turned to look toward the open door. Six could tell when she recognized him, her reptilian silver eyes growing wide as she seemed to relax, giving him a smile. She began to make her way over to him, but sadly he knew that this wasn't a social visit. Swinging the door open fully, he allowed her to see that he wasn't alone, the ODSTs stood stoically in plain view with their hands on their weapons.
Watching as the happiness on her face morphed into a more composed expression, it felt like guilt was stabbing him in the heart with a combat knife. Shoving it down, he spoke with as steady a voice as he could manage, though he couldn't quite keep the bottled emotion from seeping through.
"Ms. La'Vdam, we are here to escort you to the prowler."
Shress nodded before she placed her crimson helmet back onto her head and made her way out of the cell.
The moment the seven-and-a-half-foot alien stepped outside, Six saw the doctor stiffen. Even the highly trained soldiers seemed to grip their weapons a bit tighter as they realized exactly who they were supposed to escort. Six felt the corner of his mouth twitch—his girlfriend looked badass. A quick moment in time came and went as the group examined the Zealot openly. Standing there in the open hallway of the brig, they all stood unsure of exactly what to do before Shress began to look around curiously.
Her movements caused everyone in the group to stiffen as she began to examine the hallway. Her alien helmet spun around, looking for something before her gaze landed on Six. Tilting her head curiously, she asked a simple question that nearly made the lone wolf laugh out loud.
"So where is the prowler?"
The question seemed to disarm the group, as the Marines shifted their weight. Surprisingly enough, it was Doctor Glassman who found his voice first as he cleared his throat.
"Ahem, right." He turned and began walking toward the elevator. "This way, please."
Six followed closely behind the doctor as the group made their way back toward the exit. He knew for a fact that any of the Marines, if they were trained half as well as they should have been, would be extremely uncomfortable turning their back on a Zealot. Six didn't have such reservations.
As they made their way inside the small elevator, the scientist pressed the button for the correct floor, and they began their ascent back into the station proper. Eventually, the window inside the elevator changed from the cold grey metal interior of the elevator shaft to the blue and green planet below. He could hear the metal of Shress's armor shift as she looked out over humanity's homeworld.
"Take a good look, split-lip. You ain't getting any closer." Shress looked up at the ODST, before taking a single step towards the window. Six smirked as he turned to face the offending ODST, but before he could respond, the gunnery sergeant spoke up.
"Lock it up, Romeo."
The voice sounded rather familiar to Six, but he couldn't place where he had heard it.
The now-dubbed 'Romeo' grunted before crossing his arms, not saying anything else. It looked as if the damage was already done. Six turned back to Shress and saw her previously stiff but straight posture make way for a more depressed slouch. Unwilling to let her fall into despondency, he reached over and squeezed her arm comfortingly. He watched closely as her helmet turned to him, and the moment he knew he had her attention, he smiled at her. Before his eyes, he could see her confidence return to her—it was in the details, the lines on her face and the shifting of her chin. She seemed to hold herself higher than before, stepping a bit closer to Six in the process.
Six was disappointed that they didn't even make it out of the brig before something like this happened. He honestly thought this experiment would be a nice breath of fresh air for her, but now that he thought about it, Shress was about to be thrown front and centre to all of the people aboard the station. He knew that the rumors about her "aggressive behavior" might have died down, but this was the equivalent of throwing gasoline on the fire. Squeezing her arm comfortingly again, he finally released his grip as the door hissed open at their destination.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the group of five ODSTs, a Spartan, a Sangheili Zealot, and a doctor in a lab coat as they entered the hangar. Taking a quick look around, Six could see several other curiously dressed scientists all stop in their tracks as they turned toward the open door. Sitting prominently in the middle of the hangar, with the main hatch leading to the inside open, was a prowler. Looking at the undamaged hull of the stealth ship, Six knew that this was not the same prowler they used to fly to the station.
Glassman seemed reinvigorated as he walked into the hangar, his nervous demeanor left behind in the brig. "Alright, people, everyone back to work! I want this entire process recorded from every angle! Digital and analogue, everything gets documented."
Conversations broke out amongst the workers as they all returned to what they were doing, though Six could easily see their eyes continuing to look up at Shress in apprehension. Shress didn't seem to notice any of this as her gaze remained entirely focused on the prowler. Striding in confidently, she walked straight past the overexcited doctor, causing him to yelp and stumble to the side.
The ODSTs noticed the movement, as they pushed their way into the room with their hands on their weapons. Six felt a bit uneasy at the situation escalating but noticed that Shress wasn't even paying any attention to them.
The doctor seemed a bit flustered before he called out to the focused Sangheili, "Hey, where are you going?"
Shress did not stop walking. "I am here to improve this ship. This is the whole reason I am here, no?"
She continued into the ship before disappearing inside without another word. Doctor Glassman seemed a bit flustered before he turned toward a rack of hazmat suits, frantically gesturing toward an aide as he began to don the suit.
"Jen, you have cameras placed everywhere in there, correct?"
The aide looked as if she was about to burst into laughter at the image but shook off the temptation. Looking away from Glassman, she returned her attention to the monitors in front of her.
"Yes, Doctor Glassman."
The doctor seemed pleased even as he finished up and practically sprinted into the ship, following behind Shress.
"Hey, Gunny, shouldn't we follow them?"
Turning back to the group of ODSTs, he watched as four of the five grouped up and began to talk. However, before the sergeant could respond, another one butted in.
"What, and get toasted by the slipspace drive's radiation? Are you crazy?"
The sergeant shook his head before he gestured toward the prowler. "The engine room is the only place that isn't shielded from the radiation, so it sounds to me like you two just volunteered for guard duty."
Two ODSTs looked at each other before moving towards the prowler. One marine jabbed an elbow into the other, "Great job, Mickey."
"Me? You are the one who asked about guard duty!"
Eventually, the two stepped onto the ship and disappeared. A moment of awkward silence from everyone came and went before it was interrupted by someone's stunned voice.
"What in the…"
Suddenly, everyone's attention turned back to the scientific aide. She was staring at one of the monitors in disbelief, her eyes wide as she kept her attention firmly on the screen.
Buck, one of the plain gray ODSTs, seemed a bit put off by the words as he stiffened before making his way over to the screens. There was a moment before he spoke up, his hesitant voice resounding through the now-silent room.
"Is the room supposed to be glowing like that?"
The aide shook her head before continuing to stare at the monitors. At this point, Six was curious about what was going on. Striding over, he made his way behind the other two people before taking a glance at the monitors. There were several camera angles, but the one that immediately caught his attention was the one that appeared to be looking over Shress's shoulder.
She was working on… something, but whatever it was had a soft blue glow to it. The light appeared to be flickering in and out, almost as if it was interacting with something. It only took him a few seconds to figure out what was going on, and when he did, he groaned out loud.
'That won't make it easier to escort you around the station, Shress.'
The aide turned around and appeared to want to ask a question, but the moment she registered who exactly was standing behind her, her mouth snapped shut. Buck didn't have any reservations, however, as he just outright asked without turning around.
"Do you know what it is doing? Is it a threat?"
Shaking his head, though the ODST couldn't see it, he responded with his observation.
"She," Six said, "is using her plasma daggers to weld something."
Buck spun around, utterly baffled.
"That Elite is armed?!"
Six ignored the tone before making his way back to his original position. While the gunnery sergeant's tone stabbed at his nerves a bit, he understood his concern.
Even if it is unwarranted.
"She isn't a threat to anyone, armed or not," Six assured them.
The lance corporal snorted, deciding to interject, "Maybe you forgot exactly what we are dealing with here. Seven-foot-tall murderous alien ringing a bell?"
Buck stepped away from the monitor and pointed to Romeo again, cutting him off.
"You got a good point, Romeo," he said, his helmet angled at their final teammate, who appeared to be happily sleeping in a chair nearby. "Hey, Rookie!"
The quiet Marine in the rear of the group shifted his helmet, looking at Buck.
"How about you stop sleeping on the job and go in there to give Dutch and Mickey some backup in case they need it."
Groaning, the Marine slowly got up from his spot before making his way into the prowler. Realizing that this might take a few minutes, Six began to relax as he resigned himself to waiting. Judging from the last time that Shress had to do this, he knew it would take about ten minutes or so.
Deciding to give the impromptu science lab a more detailed examination, he found that the desk the aide was using was a flimsy excuse for a card table. The computers she was using were portable, and she was sipping coffee out of a plain white mug.
Looking around the room, Six also spotted a piece of paper that was haphazardly taped over the airlock release, with scratchy writing that said 'DO NOT PULL.'
Shaking his head, he quickly realized that this wasn't exactly the most ideal science lab, but they were making do.
Hearing the sound of someone clearing his throat next to him, Six turned to see the gunnery sergeant awkwardly standing nearby.
"So… You're a Spartan, right?" he said hesitantly.
Unsure as to exactly where the Marine was going with this, the supersoldier nodded.
"What's your name?" he added.
The ODST seemed a bit flustered as he shifted his weight, but before he could gather his thoughts, the voice of the ODST Six recognized as Romeo came from behind him.
"I didn't know you had a crush on Spartans, Gunny!"
The higher-ranking Marine spun around, giving his subordinate a death glare that could be felt even through the polarized helmet. He attempted to defend himself.
"Oh, don't you ever shut up?"
The Marine shrugged lazily, not bothering to respond.
Not seeing any harm in answering the question, Six thought about his response for a while before realizing he had several answers. He could respond as his command taught him to, which was with his Spartan number, but that didn't feel entirely accurate anymore. With all the intimate time he had spent with his xenomorphic friend, he had been feeling less and less of a connection to his indoctrinated identity. He could respond with his first name but it felt almost taboo. As of now, the only people who even knew his name were the higher-ups in ONI… and Shress.
Or he could respond with his previous callsign.
It felt odd to still be using the moniker 'Noble Six' even after his entire team had been wiped out, but before he was on Noble Team, he was a lone wolf operative. Callsigns didn't matter when you were the only one in the field. However, when Noble Team called him 'Six', it felt right. Deciding that he would keep the name, if only to honor his late friends, he responded to the question, "Noble Six."
The gunnery sergeant jerked back, almost as if he had been struck. "Noble Six? Really?"
The visual expression of surprise that the ODST was showing was cut short as a soft punch from his subordinate landed against his shoulder.
"Wow, Gunny, you surprised that the supersoldier has a number, not a name?"
The gunnery sergeant spun around and pointed angrily toward his subordinate.
"After we had our sorry asses saved by Spartans twice back on Reach, I thought you might be a little bit more respectful. You know you owe this man your life, right?"
Now Six was thoroughly confused but decided to try and get a bit more information by listening instead. After all, his old training always emphasized intelligence gathering before action.
"What? I've never seen this guy before in my life!"
Shaking his head, the gunnery sergeant responded with exasperation.
"New Alexandria? The Falcon escort? I think I remember you shouting from the turret that it was 'raining flaming Banshees.'"
Six thought back to the events in New Alexandria. Immediately, he remembered a small diversion during his time flying around the city attempting to find Covenant jammers when an ODST squad requested his help.
Blinking, he connected the dots and tried to remember the name.
'Command: this is Gunnery Sergeant Buck, 11th ODST, over.'
Now that he thought about it, that must be why the voice sounded so familiar.
The other ODST, a Lance Corporal now that Six bothered to look, turned his gaze back to the supersoldier. But Six wasn't even paying him any mind anymore as he was lost in his memories. In trying to recall the event, the Spartan was painfully reminded of Kat's death. Taking in a deep breath of air, he nodded solemnly.
Another moment of silence came and went before it was broken by Buck. "So where is the rest of your team?"
Six continued staring straight ahead, refusing to let any emotion reach his face or voice.
"... MIA."
The ODST's form slumped. "Oh..."
Wanting to shove the emotions welling up within him at the reminder that his team was gone, he thought back to everything that he was fighting for. At this point, after everything that happened with Shress, his original reason for fighting against the Covenant was dulled. The vengeful fury he once felt each time he saw one of the aliens was gone, replaced with scenes in his mind of the time he met with Shress in the mountains.
His whole reason for existing before Reach was to do as much damage to the Covenant as they did to him when he was younger. A lone wolf, obsessed with fighting, and not particularly following his oath to protect humanity at whatever cost. Even as he thought about it, he still didn't hold true to his oath. Sure, he fought to extract civilians from Covenant bombardments back on Reach, but deep in his heart, he knew that he wasn't doing it for them. He was fighting to avenge Jorge, his lost brother.
Even as the civilian transports flew away, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the flaming alien corvette slowly crashing before him. Turning to look at the open hatch of the prowler, he knew why he was fighting now. He would do whatever it took to make sure that no one would touch the only person alive that he still cared about.
The aide spoke from her chair, "It looks like they are done. That was quick."
A few of the nearby scientists appeared stunned before they all scrambled towards the entrance of the prowler. The crimson form of Shress emerged from the ship, her helmet immediately locking onto Six's position and heading straight for him. The entire group of humans gave the Sangheili a wide berth, even as she ignored them all. Reaching him, her mandibles spread into a wide smile as she gestured toward the ship.
"I am finished. What now?" she asked.
Shress POV
It turned out that after Shress improved the slipspace drive, they needed to test it. Thankfully, while they waited for the results of the test, Shress was able to remain outside of the small room where she had stayed. The human warriors in black escorted her to an open area with a small amount of plant life growing from oddly shaped basins filled with dirt.
Sadly, the fact that they needed to wait until the results of the experiment came back led to her sitting awkwardly on a human bench that was a bit too small for her and definitely wasn't meant to be used by someone with her leg shape.
'At the very least, Michael is with me', she thought.
Glancing beside her, she saw that Michael was attempting to sit on the same seat as her. It still felt a bit odd seeing him in the strange human clothing instead of his armor, but in the end, she was able to better examine her suitor without all the metal plating in the way, so she wouldn't complain.
The last few cycles had been infuriating, but understandable. She knew that she wouldn't be the most well-liked person to arrive on this planet, and her situation wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. She was glad that things were finally progressing and that she could prove to the humans that she was acting in good faith.
She remembered being stationed as a minor as part of the guard for a cruiser's brig when she was younger. She could recall a time when three Kig-Yar in a cell fought each other to the death to eat the loser's body to have enough food to survive. She straightened her back, suddenly becoming thankful that the humans brought her meals regularly.
'Even if they do put vegetables in it,' she thought.
Looking around, she saw that the five human warriors were still watching her very closely. Glancing back, she noticed a few other humans making their way around, with every single one of them eyeing her suspiciously.
Sighing, she realized that even though the small cell she had been in was quiet, at least she had been able to talk with someone who didn't hold any grudges against her like these people did.
"So… Are we just going to sit here and act like this is normal?"
Everyone's attention was drawn to one of the human warriors, who didn't appear phased by the attention.
"I mean… Since when do we babysit covvies?"
"Lock it up, Romeo."
The human seemed to ignore the order as he continued. "I mean, look at it." He gestured towards her with his hand. "This is the calmest I've ever seen a split lip. This isn't normal."
She could hear Michael shifting his weight beside her, but she ignored it. While she was angry at the insults, she knew that responding calmly would be the best solution. At this point, she wanted answers to questions that had been lingering in her mind for cycles.
"Since you find it odd that I am acting peaceful, how do you think I should act?" she asked, actually wanting to know the answer.
The group sat in silence, staring at her for a moment. She assumed it was the fact that she had surprised them with her fluency in their language, but she kept it in mind for future reference.
The first to react to the question was the armored human who didn't seem to like her.
"Now we are talking to it? At what point does any of this make sense?"
Tilting her head, she wasn't quite sure how to respond to the question. Deciding to ignore it and elaborate on her earlier point, she continued.
"If I act aggressive, I cannot prove to you humans that I am genuine in my attempt to defect. If I am peaceful, I do not fit into your stereotype of my race and you assume I am deceiving you. You all appear to be surprised that I can talk at all, which means you assume I am nothing but a murderous and savage animal, which does not help my case at all."
She leaned forward on her seat which groaned in response. At this point, all the frustration from facing the unknown and everything that had gone wrong since she arrived was coming to a head. She noted that the warriors were a bit more stiff than before, but she ignored it. She didn't intend to attack any of them, as Lord Hood's warning not to harm anyone still rang clear in her mind.
Feeling the soft grasp of a hand on her shoulder, she glanced to the side to see Michael looking at her worriedly. His deep green eyes somehow managed to pierce through her anger and cause a flutter of… something to blossom in her stomach.
Taking a relaxing breath, she turned back to the human.
"So I ask again, how am I supposed to act if everything I do is seen as suspicious only on the basis of what I am? How do I prove to you humans that I am not a threat?"
The five humans looked each other over, seemingly unable to answer the question. Shress waited for an answer, but none was provided. She wasn't entirely sure what she wanted from these humans, but this was the answer she expected. Dejected, she looked back down at her hands in defeat.
"Why are you here?"
Looking up, she realized she wasn't entirely sure which one of the humans spoke. Feeling like she was somehow being rude as she was unable to make eye contact with the one who asked the question, she saw one of them shift his weight before clarifying.
"What makes you different? Why are you defecting and not the rest of the elites?"
"Because I found out the truth. My people are being lied to by the ones we worshipped for centuries. The leaders of the Covenant have been using my people's faith and honor against them, and I refuse to be used any longer."
One of the humans scoffed at her, "So you're telling me that all we gotta do to end the war is tell the elites that killing innocents is bad?"
Surprisingly, it was Michael who spoke up next.
"It worked for me."
Looking back over at her suitor, she realized that he was right. While their conversations hadn't exactly started that way, she had ended up seeing the truth simply by talking with him. Giving him a bright smile, she nudged him playfully.
"It did, didn't it?"
Suddenly, a commotion from one of the entryways caught their attention. Striding in was the doctor who had followed her into the ship, but it was the white-garbed Fleet Admiral next to him that had everyone's attention. All six humans, including Michael, quickly stood up, leaving Shress the only one seated. It took her an extra second to rise, but thankfully, she didn't think anyone noticed.
"...still attempting to analyze the video footage, as we are unsure of exactly what the Sangheili did to the engine, but the experiment was successful."
Immediately, Shress broke out into a wide smile. She knew it would work, but nonetheless, she felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
'Hopefully, I can have a bit more freedom now,' she thought.
The admiral took in all the information as he scanned over those present. Turning to the doctor, he dismissed him before continuing on his way toward the group.
It took him a moment to fully reach the raised area where they were seated, but once he did, all the humans snapped into an odd salute, placing the side of their hands on their heads.
"As you were."
The group relaxed but remained silent, allowing the aged human to speak.
"It seems as if you held up your end of the bargain, Ms. La'Vdam… and I'm nothing if not a man of my word. As of now, I am approving you as if it were a case of someone seeking asylum. Until we find someplace to house you, you will, unfortunately, need to remain onboard the station."
Nodding, Shress realized that even though she had gained a bit of trust, she still had a long way to go.
"Your housing, sadly, will not change, though you will be allowed to roam around the ship with an escort present twice a day from here on."
Glancing toward the black-garbed humans, she realized that she would be seeing them quite a bit more now.
"Spartan B-312," The Admiral started. Hearing Michael stiffen next to her, she was a bit confused as to why he would address him. "You are now assigned as her handler. The same rules apply until we have a proper place to house her. The rules about needing further reinforcements are now rescinded. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Six responded quickly, his voice no longer the flat, composed tone that Shress had heard him use when around others.
Nodding, the Fleet Admiral turned to look at the other human warriors. "Alpha Nine, your mission is complete. Return to your previous posting."
Most of the humans snapped back into the odd salute, giving a respectful "Yes, sir!" in the process, but one of them began to walk away. Slipping into the hallway quickly, he took his helmet off and made his way toward the exit as fast as he could.
"I'm out. See you all back on the ship," the odd human said as he walked off, ignoring the laughter from his squadmates as he held one hand over his shoulder in farewell. The leader of the group pointed at him angrily, shouting after him.
"Romeo, that was Lord Hood!"
Before he could fully leave, the human turned his head around and shouted back.
"I don't care if it was the president! There is no way I will ever babysit another Covvie ever again, Gunny. No way."
Hearing the remaining three humans laughing as they made their retreat, and even catching a small chuckle of amusement from the Fleet Admiral, Shress turned back to Michael—only to see his deep green eyes staring back at hers with a happiness she hadn't quite seen from him before.
For a moment, the two of them froze, eyes locked. Everything else around them seemed blurry, unimportant. The air in the station felt lighter, and a warmth grew from within her. A few units passed, hearing someone clear their throat, the two lovers turned back to see Lord Hood glaring at them with a grave look on his face.
"We will need to go over the exact details of your asylum request at a later date, as I am sure you don't wish to stay in a cabin in the middle of the woods somewhere."
Nodding, Shress waited patiently for the human leader to continue.
"For now, if you wouldn't mind going back to your cell, it would make the transition a bit easier. It might be a little while longer before we have something ready."
Placing her hand over her chest, Shress bowed her head deeply. "I thank you for giving me the chance to prove myself to your people."
Examining her for a moment, the aged admiral nodded before looking back at Michael. "I assume you can find your way, Lieutenant?"
Her suitor snapped into a salute, giving the admiral a quick, "Yes, sir."
Lord Hood appeared pleased before he gestured to a previously unseen datapad tucked between his arm and his body.
"Good, because your duties for the day aren't over. Dismissed."
—UA—
Shress felt a bit flustered as the door slid shut in front of her. She knew Michael couldn't stay because he had something called "watch" that he had to go do, but unlike all the other times she had been left alone, she knew he would be returning. Shress laid down on her small bed, listening as the footsteps of her suitor made their way back down the hallway.
Loneliness.
It was a feeling she had grown quite used to over her life, but only recently had she longed for something different. The close contact with the subject of her affections just moments prior seemed to pour fuel on a flame that had been simmering just beneath her skin. Knowing that soon she would be able to spend time with him again without worrying about nosy humans or silly questions was a feeling of bliss she had been missing for a while now.
Knowing that falling asleep would be the simplest way to pass the time, she closed her eyes and willed her fluttering hearts to slow their rhythmic beating as she drifted off into unconsciousness.
—UA—
Shaking herself out of the fog of sleep, Shress heard the odd sound of the door unlocking. Looking up, she watched as the door slid open. At first she got excited, thinking it was Michael, but then a foul odor hit her senses. One she recognized immediately.
'What are they doing here? I thought I was done with this!'
Walking in was the large human from before, whose ugly expression reminded her more of a Jiralhanae than a human. A real brute of a man. His crooked grin made her feel uneasy, made worse as she looked over his shoulder and saw the green-garbed soldier entering the room behind the ONI agent.
Shress decided to stand up, but before she could properly assess the situation, the large human pulled out a metal shaft and slammed it against the wall. She jumped as a small electric storm erupted from the end of the stick, filling the room with a bright blue flash as lightning arced along the wall for a moment.
Shress was honestly surprised at the show of force the human was attempting to portray, but she refused to be intimidated.
'Does he truly think they stand a chance in a fight against me? Besides, I have already proven myself. Surely he cannot be so foolish.'
She stepped forward, fully intending to stomp the two humans into the ground with little effort. Even if this human had a weapon she hadn't seen before, she had been trained in close-quarters combat since she was old enough to walk. Her deep crimson armor was still active, granting her protection from the human's strikes and she was certain she could easily win this fight without issue.
But then, she remembered something—something rather important. Lord Hood's words rang through her mind, sapping the will to fight as she realized the situation she was in.
'From now on, you will not harm anyone on this station. If you do, the consequences will be severe. Am I clear?'
Her eyes widened in horror as she realized she couldn't touch these humans.
'If I harm these two… would I still be punished? He said nothing about defending myself, so if I harm them… will he take me away from Michael?' she thought.
The green-clad guard closed the door and strode forward. His small human pistol was still strapped to his hip, but he held out a hand toward his ONI companion, who tossed him the metal baton. The guard inspected the rod before bringing it down on the floor, causing another storm of sparks to fly. He grinned wickedly as he began to circle Shress.
She raised her mandibles, but her uncertainty about the situation prevented her from raising her arms to defend herself.
"I've been looking forward to this for a long time, you know," the green soldier said in his usual obnoxious voice.
Shress snarled in response, glaring at him and keeping a wary eye on the human with the weapon. During her examination, the large human in black began to speak up.
"You know, originally we couldn't harm you because it was believed you couldn't understand us," the human said as he walked to position himself opposite his companion, making it difficult for Shress to keep an eye on both of them. "You see, to us—to humanity, that is—to harm you simply because you can't understand us is like harming a child, a crime against humans… I'm not sure if it's the same with your race, though."
She turned and growled at him, but that was a mistake. She heard the rushing footsteps and quickly raised an arm to try and swat away an attack, but the guard ducked under her arm and struck her bare skin between her chest and hip armor pieces. The crack of the weapon hit her energy shields, and Shress was surprised that even though the impact was weak, the electrical current drained a significant portion of her shields.
"Nasty little bite, isn't it?" questioned the large human. "Now, understand this: if you don't answer my questions, he'll hit you again until you start speaking."
This infuriated Shress further; he was speaking to her like an adult to a youngling once more. But she decided to remain silent out of principle.
The black-garbed human stepped towards her, slightly surprising the Sangheili at his lack of fear compared to last time. She didn't have much time to contemplate it, though, as he spoke in a softer tone—one full of condescension and malice.
"My captain told me to get these answers by any means necessary. Let's not make this too hard, eh? Just answer, and we don't have to hurt you. Oh and don't go telling your spartan boyfriend. This one is strictly off the books. Got it?"
She didn't respond, and the low hum of the electrical weapon sliced through the air. She dodged the strike, but the baton skidded across her chest armor, the uncomfortable heat passing by her face. The guard turned, and before she could weave out of danger, he struck one of her legs. The impact and the energy emitted from the weapon were enough to break through her shields and land a solid blow against her.
Dropping down to one knee, Shress tried to soothe the injury as best she could, grinding her mandibles together as a whine escaped her in pain. It felt as if she had been branded—her skin burned and cracked slightly from the extreme heat of the electrical strike. She touched the wound but quickly withdrew her hand with a hiss; the flesh was still too hot to touch.
The large human laughed, showing a rare display of emotion as he stared down at her from above.
"Now I will finally get my answers, won't I? No more delays, and no more failed reports," he continued. "My question is this: What is the location of the Covenant superstructure known as High Charity? The real location, not some stupid cop-out answer!"
Despite the agonizing pain, Shress was dumbfounded. She had answered the question truthfully the last time it was asked, yet this human didn't seem to care.
Not that she was prepared to answer him. Even though she knew she couldn't risk harming these two humans, she still wanted to show her defiance. Gritting her mandibles, she stood up tall and held her head high.
'Even if I cannot harm these humans, I refuse to back down. I am not a coward.'
A unit of silence came and went before the large man sighed and signaled the guard forward. The marine smiled once more as he moved in, baton raised. Upon a quick examination, Shress realized that this Marine was thoroughly enjoying himself.
She snarled in determination, daring the human to do his worst.
Six Pov
Grunting, Six hefted the 750 pounds above his head for his final rep. With another grunt, he slammed the bar back into place before sitting up and massaging his chest. Looking around, the Spartan could see the other Marines giving him stunned looks, similar to what Emile had received back on Reach. No matter how good his situation was, Six couldn't help but feel agitated. Even though this had been the longest stretch of calm he had ever experienced. It had been four weeks since his meeting with Lord Hood, and yet the rumors spreading around the station had not calmed down. Shress was still seen by everyone as "the monster in the dungeons."
He had almost lost his professional attitude when he came across a group of Marines taking a vote on whether they should throw her out of one of the airlocks. It was one of the few instances where he had spoken up, making sure they knew just how bad of an idea that was. It infuriated him every time he heard someone casually mention torturing or doing worse to her because of what she was. All the Marines and naval personnel on the station over the past several weeks were well aware of this, as most of his fellow humans gave him a wide berth.
The supersoldier idly wondered if any of the Marines would notice his abrupt change in mood now that things were finally looking up for them. With Shress granted asylum by Lord Hood, there was nothing anyone could do to her. Not unless they wanted an instant court marshall.
Glancing toward one of the clean towels in the gym, he realized he didn't need them. Even after a workout that a normal human wouldn't have been physically able to do, Six was still barely breaking a sweat.
Making his way to the doors, he checked the time. Quickly realizing that he still had a few hours before the scheduled time to meet with Shress and go on their first walk around the majority of the station, he decided to head to the galley to get something to eat.
Six opened the door and was stepping out when the alarm went off. The lights dimmed, and emergency power kicked the flashing caution lights on.
Six froze and waited for the announcement. Soon enough, it came on, and a voice said, "Attention, attention, all hands stand to, an unidentified ship has entered the system and is inbound to the station, over."
That was all Six needed to hear. As quick as a flash, he was out of the room. As a Spartan, he couldn't really help much in space, but if the unknown vectors tried to board it was his job to repel them.
Vectors, he thought to himself, it must be the Covenant, who else could it be? This thought was enough to make the Spartan shiver. Earth was the last and only place for humanity to fall back to; if they lost Earth, they lost everything. Six gritted his teeth even as he made his way through the station. After the many sacrifices made in this war, he promised the memories of those lost that they had not died in vain.
He sped by rushing sailors and Marines, all of whom paused to watch the Spartan run at an unnatural speed. His boots barely touched the floor as he flew across the station in an attempt to reach his duty section, the hangar bay.
He quickly reached the stairwell, flipped himself over the railing and dropped down. With a crash, Six landed on his feet, jarring his legs a little, but he ignored it and continued running.
Finally, Six passed through the door into his station area. The room was huge, made to accommodate any assortment of aircraft that might need to be placed there. Pelicans hung suspended from the ceiling on large chains, while others rested on raised platforms on the ground. The Prowler he and Shress had traveled on was still pushed against the far wall, no doubt being worked on by the same group of scientists and engineers earlier. Navy personnel rushed around, putting tools away and breaking out weapons as the scientists were ushered out of the room.
Following suit, Six rushed to the nearest gun locker built into the wall. He punched in the code, and the small handle holding the guns retracted. Six grabbed an M7 SMG and a BR55 battle rifle. He tried to clip the SMG to his hip but then remembered he wasn't wearing his MJOLNIR armor. Forced to drop the SMG to the floor, he cursed and got into a kneeling stance, preparing for a fight.
He, along with the other defenders, readied their weapons but kept their eyes on the large opening into the hangar. The thick glass gave a clear view into space, allowing the sailors, Marines, and single Spartan to see whatever was out there. Each one of them was ready, daring any extraterrestrial being to cross into their territory.
Eventually, a massive ship drifted into view, and Six raised an eyebrow in confusion. The ship was a human shuttle, a Frigate—or what was left of it. The main body had been blasted away, probably from plasma torpedoes. The soft underbelly looked as if it was being dragged across the black void of space as it trudged forward. Titanic plates were missing all over the ship, gaping holes appeared on almost every deck, and every so often, a small piece of the ship would break away.
At first, Six thought it was a ghost ship that had drifted into UNSC-controlled space, but then he noticed that the bridge had its lights on, and there appeared to be no damage around that area. He noted that, around the sides of the bridge, hastily welded pieces of metal covered what had undoubtedly been extensive damage—apparently, someone had tried to patch the ship up so the occupants on the bridge could breathe. He then noticed the large white letters just below the stern of the ship. They had been scraped and blasted so many times that it was difficult to read, but Six eventually made out the name: 'Gettysburg.'
Just then, the PA system came back online, and the same voice said, "All units stand down, I repeat, all units stand down, friendlies coming on board."
Almost as one, the soldiers let their arms drop and looked relieved. All except for Six—he had been taught to treat everything as a threat. That was why he watched through his scope and saw a Pelican heading to the hangar. Everyone began to make their way out of the room, realizing that the depressurization of the hangar wasn't something they wanted to stay for. Forced to wait outside, they listened as the hangar door opened to make room for the spacecraft to land inside, and the air was slowly vented back into the room.
Once the all-clear was given, the door opened, and Six made his way back inside. Moving quickly toward the landing pad, he arrived just in time as the Pelican's rear hatch opened.
The deckhands and Marines appeared curious about who could be onboard, but Six stood his ground, waiting for the craft to land.
A moment passed with no one exiting the ship, but Six remained close to the Pelican, holding his weapon down but ready to bring it back up if the forces inside the green drop ship turned out to be hostile.
Eventually, Six heard a strange thumping noise, which he realized was footsteps, originating from the Pelican. Six couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Stepping out of the Pelican were Spartans. For one wild moment, he thought one of them was Jun when he saw the green alloy of the armor, but that hope died when he examined the Spartans further. There were four of them, all clad in green; only their width and height showed any difference between them.
Six quickly realized that none of them were III's: their armor was different, plain, sleek and sharp. They wore no distinct armor alterations or extra gear; they were Spartan II's.
It was then that he noticed a Marine standing by the Spartans, wearing a cap, a cigar in his mouth, and a rather amused expression. There were chevrons on the man's chest armor, proclaiming him to be a Sergeant.
"Well, this is some welcoming committee..." the Sergeant said as he looked around. "All guys, no women, no beer. Wonder if they even made an effort to bake a cake."
Nobody laughed—not the Marines, not the Sailors, and certainly not the Spartans. It was then, however, that one of the Spartans' orange visors looked directly at Six. He was taller than Six and appeared to be the leader, for it wasn't long before the other Spartans followed his gaze, their attention settling on Six.
Six wondered how he looked. He had cut his hair earlier so it wasn't too long or too short, but he had done this so Shress could rub his hair... whenever they were together again. He had also scrubbed himself clean and was now wearing a fresh set of coveralls, but he knew what the Spartans were thinking. He was too tall and too muscular to be a normal human being.
The leader stepped forward and paused; his visor locked onto Six's shoulder, noticing the image of a silver bar—the rank of an Army Lieutenant, a rank higher than most Spartans received.
The leader snapped a salute, and the other Spartans did the same.
Finally, the leader spoke, "Sir, Master Chief reporting for duty."
-AUTHORS NOTE-
That last line is so exciting! Love stories with both Six and Chief. Sorry for the big delay, this time of year is a bit crazy for us all. - C-Dog346
Lots of annoying 'adulting' going on in the editor team's lives since the last update. -WR
Sorry for the delay everyone. Life's hard sometimes. -Pyre