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Created and Consumed (Chapters 1-3)
Date: 5 May 2006, 10:30 am

Writer's Note: Please know that understanding this fanfic requires a certain knowledge of the Halo universe, I know it's sorta pointless to tell you this, it being a Halo fanfic but some people who browse here are not Halo orientated. It is done in the style it would be as if in a novel, the Blurb going on the back of the book and the Prologue and other things at the front... makes sense no?
Please enjoy.

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Blurb

Look at me. I dare you to. I haven't been looked at since I reached the age, no I was not looked at, I was just used. So I dare you to deny me my argument, tell me I'm not a tool of the war, created and consumed in times of need. No, I'm not the Arbiter. Far from it....

... but I shall bear Arbiters, that is what they told me when I was recruited...

... too bad I believed them...

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Prologue

"You are one of our most treasured instruments..." he said to me in my crib, his soft hand touched my face lightly and I stopped crying. My fists opened into small four fingered hands and closed over one of the long slender fingers of the Prophet Sanctuary. He cared. He often would visit my crib at night after the other Prophets had left for their rest, "Long will you serve your kind with honour and dignity, but this demon, this... Master Chief..." I saw the concern glistening in his eyes, the giant grey eyes that cared so little for war, "... the Prophet of Mercy informs me that you are to grow into a champion. Truth disapproves of it. Regret, well... regrets it..." his warm smile washed me with happiness, "... I..." he hesitated, "... I will not allow it. I cannot. You are not to go to war; I forbid the thought of it. The Demon shall not have you added to his list of victories," he touched me on my chest and I squirmed, "Not you..."

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Chapter 1

He left me alone and I began to cry again, why did he sound so sad? Why did he try so hard to keep me safe?

The days passed and he visited me less often, I didn't mind so much, the others of my kind would play with me, their little hands were like mine. Some just bigger than I, but never by much, we often wrestled with each other, laughed at each other, cried for each other. Never thinking of the future where we would fight alongside each other, laugh with each other, weep for each other. I heard this from my friend. He knew of the world outside of the City.

Weeks I endured, months, eventually years. I grew taller and a few said I was cute, I hated it, it made my face feel warm and they would laugh deeply at me. At this stage in my life I began to see more of the City, many more of my kind who wore colourful metal sheets on their skin which lit up when they pressed buttons. They were much taller than I was, their eyes were too high up for me to see usually, sometimes one would bend down and poke at me but never for long. I didn't like how they poked at me. I often cried at them.

I also began to see other kinds of beings, some were massive and if I poked their fluorescent skin, it wriggled. Others were my height and sounded funny, their speech was far less advanced, they often made me laugh.

Occasionally I would meet Prophet Sanctuary in the hallway and greet him, he spoke to me only briefly but he never told me what my future held, not even when I tried to ask, he just dismissed me.

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Years after Sanctuary had seen me as a child; he came to me in the night to my bed where I lay soundly, not quite asleep, just lying there. I opened my eyes to him and felt his soft hand on my face again. I leaned into it and he placed his other hand on my forehead. "It is time..." he whispered, a tear falling from his cheek onto mine. His hands slid from my face and two elite guards took me by my arms, I remained silent, there was no use in screaming, nobody would come to my aide.

I looked back to Prophet Sanctuary, asking him, "Why? What is this Prophet? Why am I bound by these warriors so strongly, I won't flee, just answer me, why?"

He looked at me with a sad smile and reached out to me, "I had to, child, it was for your own safety, I couldn't let you go out there, not in this war..."

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I was pulled away, "What war, Prophet Sanctuary? I have felt safe up until this day! What is so horrible out there that I must be ripped from my place in this City?" I called out but received no reply, no answer to my question.

The warriors who took me were dressed in white armour, the secondary guard in the Sanctum. Their cloaks moved like water over their broad shoulder blades, I slouched in their arms as a prisoner would, they carried me with ease. One turned to the other and spoke.

"She is young Nero, why has Prophet Sanctuary taken such interest in a mere hatchling?"

I raised my head to look at the owner of the voice, his skin was dappled with flecks of black and pebble grey, still I could not see his eyes. His jaws were scarred from top to bottom, no doubt from a fight in this so-called war.

The other replied with distain, "Do not question what does not concern you Gero, it is the will of the Journey that she be removed from the upper levels of the city. Truth has commanded every female of her age to be taken deeper..." he looked down at me momentarily then averted his gaze, "... to be kept safe..." he concluded.


I was unceremoniously dumped in a small enclosure about five by five metres, I did not like it... it was far too small and when I stood my head would come close to hitting the roof. It felt like being stuffed in a weapons casket and forcefully kept there. Again, I knew I could not call for help, I could not cry out to anyone. Nobody knew me.

I slid down into the corner of my enclosure and hugged my knees. The armoured caps on my legs reflected small patches of light around the room. I amused myself momentarily, believing that these were star spirits blessing me, but not long enough to rid myself of this new knowledge. I was trapped. Imprisoned for no crime.

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Days passed, I was fed every few hours. Each time a new warrior, sometimes those known to me as the Kig-Yar, tapped on my cell plasma shield and cackled at me. I loathed these free creatures ever more, each time one visited. Once I actually flung myself at the door to try to kill one, only to find out that the plasma not only kept me in the enclosure, but burned bare skin.

As I lay in a bundle on the floor, the shield dropped and someone entered, his figure was silhouetted against the bright outer lights in the hall. He was larger than me by about a foot in height, he had to bend to fit in the room, he couldn't see me but I could see perfectly. He fumbled in the dark for me, I dodged his hands and slid around to the door, it was still open, I leapt and it reactivated, I struck hard and my skin seared wherever it contacted the plasma. I screamed in pain.

The shadow of the male descended on me while I shook on the floor, "Shhh... now that will teach you to try escape won't it?" he said smugly. He scared me, I pulled away when he reached down to touch me. Was this my fate? To be imprisoned and laughed at? An animal in a cage? "Relax..." he soothed. I shuddered as his rough, battle hardened palms touched me. They ran over my fresh burns and I flinched. "Relax..." he repeated and met his mandibles with mine. I could taste his breath, it made me feel ill, I tried to pull away but he locked his jaws with mine and forced me into submission.

He stripped me of my minimal armour while I frantically struggled for freedom... further memory of the Chambers... I can not recollect, I will not recollect... all I will say is this...

... this is the fate for each female of my kind. To be used by the warriors. To bare their young. To be their playthings for a lonely two hours...

This day I realised my destiny. I was to breed…

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Many years and many children came and left me, I was thin and I hadn't seen light for... I couldn't remember how long it had been... but it was a long time. The door deactivated, signalling my doom. I cowered as the screams of other females reached my ears and curled in my robes to try to block them out.

"Goodness... you are quite the looker aren't you?" the voice was amused and arrogant. I refused to look at him. "What is your name?" he asked. I did not answer, I didn't know anymore. He pressed a palm to my forehead, "Why haven't you eaten female? It proves nothing to starve yourself, how will you help the Covenant if you are dead?"

"I wish I were..." I muttered, speaking for the first time in weeks, "... this is no life for a Sangheili..."

He chuckled and I became increasingly agitated.

"Don't just eye me like a piece of meat, warrior... do what you came here to do and be done with it... after all," I looked at him, "it's what I'm here for..."

His face hardened, "I have seen your past record, you haven't birthed for three cycles now..." he made a small smile, "... what would be the point in me having my way with you? You wouldn't have my children for me, you wouldn't willingly give yourself to me..." he crouched to look at me, cupped my cheek with his hand and scanned my face for any sign of weakness. I was broken but my spirit was not.

"I see..." he murmured, gravely, holding out a hand, "... get up, I wish to see you..." I narrowed my eyes; it was unnatural for me to be spoken to so differently, to be addressed so formally, he was up to something.

Slowly, I stood and he looked me over - or tried to.

"Agh, I can't see you..." he muttered, then thought for a moment, "... come with me..."

I was reluctant, this was new to me and he was beckoning me toward the door of my chamber, toward freedom. Outside, as his back and shoulder blades exited my keep, the chitter of one of the Unggoy patrol guards startled me.

"You be leavin' female to go to next one, yes? She not breed for Zealot Ado, yes?" its voice was shrill and high pitched, "We have lots of trouble with this one, she silent, she not fertile, she not make children for Covenant, she be killed soon..." the chitter became clearer as I edged closer to the doorway.

"Is that what the Covenant does to those who do not scream for help in the night while they're raped and violated...? Is this the will of the Prophets?" the male asked, scandalized.

"What? Will of Prophets? Psh, Prophets not bother with lower city folks like us. Down here, I rule." I crept close enough to the door to see the Unngoy puff out its chest. He saw me, screamed and slammed a small fist on the lock for the door.

Again I experienced hot plasma on my unprotected flesh, my robes burned, my skin peeled, I hollered in agony, partially blinded by pain and careered into the far wall. I slumped against the crete, cradling my bleeding and burnt left arm.

"Idiot!" I heard someone yell, "Vile creature! You will regret doing that!" the dying blue glow of the plasma was the last thing I saw before drifting from consciousness. The last thing I felt was warmth of a strong embrace, lifting me from the ground the last thing I felt, a soothing voice, "By the Rings... I'm getting you out of here..."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You alright?"

Soft hands touched my face and I flinched, they retreated back to their owner.

"You're quite a spectacle, female. I understand your dislike for physical contact but I assure you, I have no intention to harm you. Now, here, drink this..." the male handed me a flask of yellow liquid, it was slightly carbonated and the bubbles hurt my throat like birth. I spat and coughed, glaring at him utterly.

"Why have you brought me here?" I asked, the sheer loathing in my voice made him recoil.

He leaned forward again, "I removed you from that cage and brought you out here..."

I could tell the room was much larger through the outed lights, it was far different than my enclosure, the door was not protected by plasma and it had things to sit on. I tried to get up but my muscles seized, my head fell back and hit the bunk with a loud and painful clunk. He laughed softly then began to dress my burns with antiseptic spray. It hurt and I yelped, kicking him in the stomach, he doubled over and coughed, stumbling backward into a seat.

Not going to harm me... what a load of fodder...

I managed the strength to stand, I would fight if I had to, this warrior would regret ever touching me and I would repay the Prophets for condemning me to this cruel fate. I saw a device on the counter and snatched it. My basic deduction was that it was some sort of live weaponry, it was lightweight and easily graspable around the handle, I eyed the male who showed no fear despite my sudden out lashing. I found a trigger and squeezed it, a small green glow erupted from the nozzle of the device and became increasingly larger, eventually my unsure hands lost hold of the vibrating mechanism and the green orb of plasma shot directly into the figure slumped in front of me.

Sparks showered my feet as the plasma shattered a personal shield surrounding the male; I stepped backward, charging the weapon again, "Stay away from me!"

He didn't advance or retreat, he just repositioned in the seat and looked at me, "I'm not going to hurt you..." he opened his hand palm up to me, "... give that to me, my over shields will only endure one hit like that, then it starts to hurt me..."

I aimed and hoped that I could keep it together. My palms began to sweat with fear. His overpowering calm made me think I was doing something wrong, something which guaranteed my failure in this little stalemate. "Open the door..." I commanded.

"Are you sure you want me to open it?" he asked calmly.

"Do it." I twitched the weapon to better explain the order, "Or this will hurt you..."

"Very well..." he stood and walked to the door, looking back at me, "Are you absolutely sure?" a small smile etched into his face made me hesitate.

"Y-yes..."

He pressed some digits into the wall and the door slid open, dazzling my eyes with bright hues. I cringed and dropped the weapon to shield my eyes, the plasma shot harmlessly into the crete and the device landed with a clatter on the floor. I stepped back into the bunk, I couldn't see, it was too bright. I dropped to my knees and covered my eyes then the male closed the doors again.

"Don't want to leave then?" he asked, crouching beside me, his amusement was only just notable, "If you go out there, you'll be killed in cold blood. They will think that you escaped me. You only have these flimsy pieces of cloth and your own skills to protect your body, and neither are reliable in a dangerous situation." his hand lifted my chin so that he could look me in the eyes, "Please female, I don't want you to be harmed. Tell me your name..." he begged.

I looked away, "I don't remember my name..."

His face saddened, "Not even any name at all?" he came down further, eyes level with mine, "Do you know my name?"

I looked back at him, the Unggoy guard had called him something, a Zealot, whatever that was, "Zealot is an odd name for a Sangheili warrior..." I commented and he smiled.

"My name is Ado. The term Zealot is that which is given to a warrior of my status, I'm a high ranking commander of the Sangheili army."

"Ado..." I tested the name in my mouth.

"Yes?" he responded immediately and I was shocked. His full attention was concentrated on me.

"Uh, nothing..." I said quickly, then fiddled with my cloth robes.

He stood and walked to a small outlet in the wall, it had digits and I watched him key them in; top-left, middle-bottom, centre, bottom-right, centre, top-left. I memorized this sequence. Something told me I would want to use it later.

"Are you hungry?" he asked, producing a platter of cooked meat on a bone. My mouth began to water and I nodded, taking the platter and smelling the flesh over. He sat down across the room from me and watched as I tasted and tentatively began to eat the food and after a while he began to go about his own business within the room. "So what should I call you, seeing you have no name?" he asked.

I was half way through a mouthful of a delicious crunchy vegetable and found it difficult to reply straight away, in truth, I didn't know what to say and just stuttered on my words for a while. He waited patiently while I finished eating then asked me again.

"You need to have a name, it isn't right if you don't." He rested his elbows on the counter and began to tinker absent mindedly with a silver chain.

I still didn't know what to say, but I knew someone who would, "Do you know a Prophet Sanctuary?" I asked.

Ado's expression darkened, "No, you're not going to see the Prophets," he looked at me, "They will kill you, no, they will bleed you, skin you then kill you..." I almost regurgitated my meal when the thought of a skinned Sangheili flashed in my mind, he obviously saw my discomfort, "... I don't want you to be harmed..."

"Did I say anything about seeing the Prophets?" I retorted savagely, "I only asked if you knew of Prophet Sanctuary, if you do then maybe you can assist me, if you can't then... I don't know..." I was now frustrated, I was speaking to this warrior, one of high stature, with practically no idea of what he wanted with me or why he was so determined not to let me out of his sight. "Just tell me. Do you know of him?"

Ado scrounged behind the counter for a while then produced a small diskette, "This, female, is information on Prophet Sanctuary. Apparently he is disliked among the Prophets..." he grinned at me, making my face feel warm, "... friend of yours I presume?"

"I thought he was..." I said, "But then he shut me away down there... he told me... that it was for my own good..." I remembered something "Is there a war, Ado?"

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It took hours for Ado to fully explain the war to me. To me it sounded like the Covenant had the upper hand, our fleets had taken various systems beyond the City including a place named 'Reach' it didn't surprise me in the slightest, what with the advances in our technology and our lack of weakness. Ado proudly explained in detail how he had led his troops to victory, crushing any Human forces between himself and his objective. I began to drowse toward the end of his explanation and my eyelids felt heavy over my pupils.

"Eia?" Ado asked. He had taken to calling me this Sangheili no-name until I had found my true identity.

"Hmm?" I lifted my head slightly, yawning widely and stretching my stiff jaws.

"You are in a dangerous position, if anyone sees you outside of this dwelling, you will be shot." He said bluntly, "You are not to leave here under any circumstances. Do you understand?"

I nodded, I felt like his care was genuine and that I could trust him. He scooped me up in his arms and carried me to a soft bed, then placed me carefully down, being careful of my wounds. He touched his finger to my forehead and murmured a quiet prayer then addressed me, "Eia," I opened my eyes with great effort, "When you wake, I will be outside of my quarters. It is absolutely essential that you do not let anyone enter. I will have food out for you to eat, I suggest you consume all of it," he smiled warmly, "now sleep..."

I did as I was told. I let my eyelids fall and my mind ebb into silence, the low hum of the City's inner systems numbing my thoughts into blankness. I did not dream, I rested.

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Chapter 2

I woke with a start, I had slept in a fair bit. As promised, Ado was not in the room and there was a plate of odd looking sticks on the counter where he had sat the night before. They smelled savoury and looked slightly brown in colour, I didn't touch them. I investigated the dwelling, running my hands over the smooth surfaces and testing certain things out. I managed to amuse myself with the same plasma weapon I had held to Ado's face. I became completely oblivious to my whereabouts.

"Oi, what are you doing in here?" an outraged voice sounded from behind me, I quickly ducked under the table and held the weapon up level to aim at whoever it was, "Get out from there! Up, now!" he was angry, "Make haste or I'll slay you female!"

I dropped the weapon and scrambled from the floor, I wasn't going to go back, not now, not ever.

"Come here. Now." he ordered, I bowed my head and obeyed, he was grasping a device which buzzed and flickered bright white and blue light, it looked dangerous. "What are you doing up here in the Commander's Chamber?"

"I..." I couldn't answer truthfully, he had saved me, I couldn't put him in danger, "I escaped..." I sort of lied, "I mean, I snuck out, followed him here, he had no idea I was tailing him..."

"I doubt that, females are clumsy, usually bearing, where is your child female?" I didn't like how he spoke to me.

"I bear no children for the Covenant; you incompetent snobs care only for yourselves, never for the tears shed for your stupid war!"

The blade was at my neck in a split second, "I dare you to tell that to the Prophets, female..." he growled in my ear, "Such a waste of flesh... you would make a fine mother for my children..." he exerted his Sangheili tongue and covered the side of my face with saliva, I wanted to struggle but the electric blue of the sword was already burning against my neck. "Walk.." he removed the blade and shoved me forward, "We're going to pay the Prophets a little visit..."

As soon as I was released I kicked out at him, my foot contacted with his chest and he was thrown backward a few paces, not enough, he threw the blade and it cut my chest, the remains of my clothing burned and fell away. I clutched the new wound and stumbled, he caught me and shoved me to the floor, tears streaming from my eyes, I coughed, I gasped, I couldn't breathe, a ruptured lung perhaps. He stood over me, he wasn't at all large, he was my height but his strength surpassed mine, as did his skills.

He breathed loudly and madly, "You will regret that..." he plucked a palm-sized ball from his belt and rolled in his hand, "... you will become a lesson for those other females down there, to learn, nobody challenges Morta Serracree..." he pressed a button on the ball and shoved it in my mouth, I shook my head to try to get it out but it was beyond my mandibles and I was having difficulty removing it, I felt it in my mouth, cold at first, then gradually warmer. It was an explosive. I still couldn't breathe. I tried to cry out but I couldn't. This elite was a killer, a born cold killer. I panicked, broken and lying on the floor of Ado's domain, the door opened then closed as the elite left me for dead.



It seemed like forever, those few seconds I relived my horrible life, the gentle press of Prophet Sanctuary on my brow, Ado's soft and amused voice, the touch of those who cared. Then it was replaced by screams, darkness, fear, oh yes, fear... I closed my eyes and prepared for the inevitable.

"By the rings!" I only faintly heard the exclamation, "Who did this to you Eia?" the orb was gently taken from my mouth and I heard a muttering something along the lines of, "Only mere seconds to spare..." I was carried from the room with haste and placed on a cold bench. Still I saw flashes of my past revisit me, my first child, stillborn, discarded as if it were a more thing, my second, she was female, I wept for her, she would have suffered the same fate as I, but no, she was destroyed and I was punished. "Eia..." the soft voice returned, "Eia, please, speak to me..." I couldn't, it was not my place. "Medic! Do what you must to save her! She must live!" I heard him say, "She means more to me than just a mere female from the dirty under realms of the City!"

"But... Zealot Ado-"

"I don't care if it's against the Prophet Truth's order! Heal her immediately!" he was hysterical, in pain, why? He clutched my hand, I weakly responded, a twitch as my chest was cleaned of my blood.

"Zealot, she is going into shock, you must leave us so that we can help her..."

"I will not leave my Eia's side..." he responded sharply, "You will heal her under my watch, do it now."

I drifted, my head was swimming, he squeezed my hand and begged me to stay awake, I could not. I let him go, looking up to his green eyes and attempting a smile, my conscious thought slipped into a dream state and I closed my eyes.

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"Eia..."

"Mmm?"

"Eia!" I was embraced tightly and I struggled for a while, then realised I was being embraced. "Eia I was so worried, are you alright?"

I took a moment to compute where I was and what was being said, I was dressed in new robes, the colour was hard to see under the dimmed lights. I saw the concern in Ado's eyes and to his relief, responded, "Worried? About me?"

"Yes! Eia, I found you in death's grasp on the floor of my room, why wouldn't I be worried?" Ado took me in his arms again and this time squeezed me a little too hard and I yelped, "Sorry." He apologised.

"It's alright, Ado." I said through gritted teeth, "Just promise me you won't hug me again..."

Ado agreed to these terms, I, thankfully, was allowed to rest. He stayed with me while I slept and I managed to drowse for a few hours, I hadn't slept properly for ages so this felt quite pleasant. Ado stroked my hand throughout my slumber and aided the Medics in my recovery.

I rested quietly awake for a few hours and Ado had fallen asleep beside me, I leaned over and placed his hand over his lap then covered him in a thermo blanket before heaving to my feet and walking to the window of my ward. The environment outside was filled with Flagships and Dreadnaughts, Ado had described these vessels in very little detail to me but I had heard about them during my time in the depths of the City. I shuddered at the thought of returning there.

The door opened behind me and Ado woke immediately.

"Zealot Ado Mortumee?" asked a burly Sangheili warrior, he had to have been at least eight feet tall and he had to duck to enter the ward. His armour glowed orange and red like fire through the darkness of the room, I had only seen this armour in one kind of situation, "I have come under the order of Prophets Truth, Mercy and Regret to bring you and your er… charge… before the Council," he looked me over once then directed his attention back to Ado, "Immediately."

Ado stood calmly and considered the warrior, "May I ask something warrior?"

He inclined his head a fraction; he obviously had some respect for Ado, "You may ask, but I cannot guarantee that I will be able to answer your query."

Ado nodded knowingly, "So be it." He replied, not asking any question at all, he outstretched a hand to me and I walked forward, I figured I was in little position to argue at this stage, and we followed the luminescent elite through the dense passageways of the City.

I looked to Ado for some sort of inclination as to where we were being taken but he just stared straight ahead. I took it as one of those 'don't ask' moments and left it at that.

"Honour Guards…" Ado said after a while, slowing his pace from its usual regent swiftness to a relaxed stroll, "The Sangheili with the glowing armour, they guard the inner circle of the Council. Not many stand up to them. It explains why they're valued so highly by the Prophets."

"Zealot Ado Mortumee." I jumped and clutched Ado's arm; I had forgotten that the Honour Guard was still there, he was so silent in his march that he had completely drifted from my mind, "We are almost in the Council's Chamber."

"I have travelled these halls before, warrior," Ado responded courteously, "perhaps you should be addressing my charge?" There was no reply from the immense wall of flesh; he was obviously under command not to speak to me, "Will this take long?" I sensed a twinge of annoyance in Ado's voice this time.

"That all depends on the will of the Prophets…" there was no mistaking the elite's amusement as the doors to the inner Sanctum opened revealing the fully assembled High Council. Various collections of Covenant including the Unggoy, Kig-Yar and surprisingly, even some dregs of the Jiralhanae had come to attend.

"What is this?" I asked cautiously.

"This is what every member of the Covenant dreads…" Ado said; he didn't show any fear as the overwhelming chatter of the Sanctum engulfed us; he marched forward and stood before our three monarchs, silent and strong. I sided with him and he knelt before them, I mimicked his behaviour, lowering my eyes to the floor.

"Do you know why the Council has summoned you?" I recognised the young voice as Prophet Truth and chanced a look. I was met with a sharp slap between my shoulder blades with the end of an Honour Guard's staff and I yelped, Ado did nothing to stop the assault. I looked to the floor again, belittled and humiliated.

"I have my theories, honourable Prophet, but the exact reason remains elusive to me." Ado replied; his voice was unreadable, robotic.

"I had expected better from you, Zealot. Do not expect leniency purely because you are a commander of the Sangheili, you are quite easily replaced, I assure you of this."

"Honourable Prophets, I did not come here in search of forgiveness or leniency. I understand that you have the power to demote me of my position and feel that I am in no place to argue with your decision." Ado didn't look up from his deep kneel, "But I beg that you explain precisely the reason why both Eia and I were summoned before you do so."

I gasped quietly.

There were murmurings in the Council ranks, it obviously wasn't routine that the Prophets be questioned in the middle of a trial. Ado had agreed so graciously with their decision yet he asked a question which surely had to mean death. To my surprise, Prophet Truth laughed. It was a cold, amused laugh and a few of the Council added with their own nervous chuckle, a staff was brought to my chin and I was forced to look up. I obeyed hesitantly.

"You are the Eia..?" Prophet Truth asked. I nodded, not daring to speak. "You entertain this warrior do you not?" I automatically nodded, then realised it wasn't true and shook my head.

"Out with it girl, are you or are you not a plaything for this Zealot?" Prophet Mercy snapped, I cringed and gulped, the staff was still within swatting range.

"She is my plaything, yes." Ado interjected. A resounding murmur of agreement sounded from above us and a couple of Sangheili in silver crested armour nodded to each other, perhaps settling a past wager on the conditions of the trial.

"I see… and what was she doing alone in your chamber?" Prophet Truth recovered quickly from the interruption and the Council quietened.

"She was not alone, Holy Prophets, I am quite sure of that…" I could have sworn I saw a small grin etched in Ado's eyes at this comment.

Prophet Regret came forward, infuriated at Ado's arrogance, "Why was she in your chamber in the first place?" he demanded furiously.

Ado stood to his full height, the glee in his expression was unmistakable now, "I could ask General of the Special Operations Unit, Morta Serracree the same question…" there was an overall gasp of surprise at this new information, "… Isn't that right Morta?" he looked to one of the observation platforms where Morta stood, furious and embarrassed.

"She was alone when I found her! She kicked me!" he protested.

"Enough!" Prophet Truth ordered, Morta fell silent and Ado, obviously pleased with himself, resumed his kneel before the overbearing Hierarchs. Truth rubbed his temple and sighed. "This is obviously a matter of privacy, one which has been violated."

Mercy addressed the Council with open arms, "Fellow Covenant, these arguments between warriors, they cannot continue. They are pointless and if they proceed to become an issue within the Covenant we will be forced to resort to barbaric measures such as containing insolence and executing violators…"

I huffed at this, as if the Covenant didn't already resort to barbarity. Enlisting the help of the Jiralhanae was proof enough to falsify Mercy's statement.

"Zealot Mortumee," Truth addressed my protector, "You are hereby dismissed from trial."

"And Eia?" Ado pressed.

"She very nearly perished, so your Medic has informed me. Eia." He spoke to me softly.

I looked up in acknowledgement.

"You are to return…" I held my breath, please not the under realms of the City, anywhere but there, "… to your place in the Chambers." My heart sank, I shook my head.

"Prophet Truth! Please!" I begged, "I can be useful, I swear! I'll do anything to serve the Covenant, just please, not there!" I was not kneeling; I was on my knees, weeping.

"I see you have a voice after all…" Truth observed, "You are a broken spirit, Eia. How could you possibly be useful?"

"I'll fight." I looked up to him, "I'll fight for the Covenant. I'll fight for the Journey."

"This war has no place for a female warrior!" Regret exclaimed, "It is sacrilege and heresy to even think of it!"

"I believe in the Great Journey! There is no heresy in my heart!" I yelled, "Given the chance I would take a life for the Covenant! If you send me down there I will be unable to serve you or the Covenant!" I pointed to the floor, "Down there are potential warriors!"

"The children of the Covenant, yes…" Truth concluded and turned away. Ado dragged at my arm but I was not finished.

"No! Not the children! The ones who bear them! There are courageous females down there! You are blind Prophets! Blind!" I screamed, "Those females down there have endured more than ANY of these warriors up here could imagine, THEY are the true warriors of the Covenant! They are more than worthy of the Great Journey!"

Truth looked back to me and three Honour Guard staffs were at my neck, he waved them down, "What is your name?" he asked, "Who named you?"

"I…" I tried to remember back, back to my childhood, "I don't know Prophet…"

"Warriors have names; female…" he seemed satisfied by this comment, "You have no name."

The Council was silent; I walked right up to Truth, feeling the entire Covenant body inhale nervously, "Then award me a name…"

Truth considered me for a moment, grinned, then addressed the Council, "Brothers, this here, this female, is a prime example of courage and faith!" his voice resonated through the Sanctum, "She has endured physical torture, she bears battle scars already, she possesses no items of value at all yet she fights to protect which is dear to her! Tell me brothers; have we been so blind that the tears shed for our Covenant were ignored?"

I listened and watched Prophet Truth; his arms were open to the Covenant, addressing them as one. There were a few Sangheili close by negotiating the matter and already there were a couple more nodding.

He looked down to me, "She will become a great warrior for the Covenant…" he said soothingly, never had I heard Prophet Truth speak so sincerely to another before, I forced myself into a steep bow, "Eia…" looked up and took in each detail of his face, "I leave you in the care of this Zealot. I trust that you and Ado are already acquainted?" I nodded. The other two Prophets remained silent.

"Prophets." I addressed them and they all cocked their heads to listen in unison, "My name… what is it?"

Truth inclined his head and made a sweeping gesture over to Ado, "I believe Zealot Ado can help you in that respect, Eia."

I blinked.

"You are dismissed…"

With exhausted relief, I bowed again. The sleek crete floor of the City had never looked so pleasant before, nothing could dampen my spirit now.

"Oh, and Eia?"

I again looked up.

"I suggest you train hard if you intend for your fellow females to see the light of the stars again." I had no chance to respond, he had descended in the grav-lift before I could form words.

Beside me, as the Council filed out of the Sanctum, Ado sighed, "What?" I asked.

He led me from the chamber and back to his dwelling. My display obviously hadn't impressed him.

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"Ado speak to me, you haven't said a thing since we left the Sanctum…"

He seated himself quietly and looked gravely at me.

"What?" I demanded; feeling alienated all over again. I folded myself into a seat opposite him and looked at him.

"You did something very dangerous today…" he said shortly.

"I know I did, and it worked, didn't it?" I replied, I hadn't expected praise but he could have refrained from scolding me at least.

"Eia, nobody faces the Prophets, never, it is a road that leads to Heresy. The Prophets disapprove of rebellion…"

"So you're saying I should have just rolled over and taken Truth's judgement like you did?" I laughed, "Please tell me you're kidding…"

Ado looked at directly at me and nodded.

I was outraged that someone who claimed to care for me had wished me to return to the depths of the lower City levels. I stood, turned and retreated to the crib which Ado had given me, kicking aside fresh robes which had been placed at the foot of the bed for me to wear. Inside it was the diskette Ado had offered me with information on the Prophet Truth, there was a note attached to it:

Eia,
I believe this may hold the answers to your query, Prophet Sanctuary left this with me before he left to pursue the Journey with a squadron of mine, he said a friend may need it. I figure, since you know this Prophet more than I seem to, he meant this to be passed on to your hands.

I hope you find what you're looking for.

Ado

I saw another outlet in the wall; this one had a screen on the left hand side and it flashed when I pressed some digits. I remembered the sequence Ado had used when he had rescued me. Top-left, middle-bottom, centre, bottom-right, centre, top-left. The screen flickered once then displayed a menu, I pressed the disk into the slot which had now presented itself and it was swallowed with a quiet zip. I watched the screen come into life. Displayed was the face of Prophet Sanctuary, smiling the same way he had when I was a child.

"I take it that Ado has found you, young one…" he smiled, "he is quite the loyal one. I suppose you have a fair few questions about your history, quite possibly you have forgotten who you are and where you came from, what you're doing in Ado's care and what the future holds. This I can partially answer for you." It was a video recording of my oldest friend; it couldn't have been made long after I was taken away, he looked just as I had remembered him. "Your name is Zyrra Jiserraphira, you were born into my care by sheer accident for I found you upon the steps of my chamber when you were no more than a week old. I took you into my ward and raised you with the other Sangheili children, all male of course and on their way to becoming commanders, warriors, pilots and marksmen, you on the other hand, could not be kept quiet from the Council. You were found and taken from my care. I could do nothing." His face saddened and I reached out to touch a falling tear only to see it dissolve into the air, "I longed for you to become a warrior like your brothers, Jurdo and Doxo were always letting you into their games and I momentarily forgot your gender. You acted so naturally like a male that I started to believe that you actually were. This continued until I was brought back from my fantasy, when you were of the age, you did not become handsome, you became beautiful; your brothers noticed this and questioned me. When I explained that they had in fact, not another younger brother, but a sister, they began to drift from you; eventually they left for their training, I doubt that they'll even remember you now."

"I had brothers?" I asked the holographic image.

To my surprise the question was answered, "You weren't directly related to Jurdo or Doxo, they too were found, along with seventy eight other Sangheili children, over one hundred Unggoy babies, hoards of Yanme'e larvae, and those who had been caring for you, a roost of Kig-Yar which had been cast out by the Covenant." I almost collapsed, how could so many newborn and not-yet-born Covenant be collected so densely and not be detected by motion trackers? "Of course I took them in; I couldn't leave them out there, not in this war. I decided to take the role of the mother for these children, though, the Yanme'e larvae primarily cared for themselves and were recruited immediately, their natural ability to adapt and grow independently rendered me useless to them. You could probably detect which of the Unggoy were raised in my care; they learned their courage came from within, not from those who led them."

I yearned for Prophet Sanctuary to tell me more, more of my siblings, more of my past, "What of sisters? Did I have sisters?"

"You were the only Sangheili female; you weren't found with the children I rescued from the Kig-Yar. I don't know where you came from before that day, I'm sorry, Zyrra."

"Will I ever find you again, Prophet Sanctuary?" I asked in the hope that he would reveal his location.

"I require you to train, work hard and become one of the Council. I cannot tell you where I am at present, it is far too dangerous and I cannot place you in more danger than you are now. Ado is a fine warrior and he will care for you, I chose him especially for this task because I knew that he would not fail me. Zyrra, if there is one thing to remember, it is this…" a holographic hand reached out and touched my shoulder, I felt it, holographic images cannot make one feel, I realised it was Ado gripping my shoulder, "… you always have a place, remember where that is and you'll never be lost. Until we meet, Zyrra, farewell."

The screen blackened and the disk ejected from the wall. I stood silently for a moment until Ado squeezed my shoulder again. I blinked, "He was my mother… my father… why did he not see me? Why did he not try to get me out?" I whispered to him. I could feel the sting of tears beginning in my eyes again.

"He cared for you, Zyrra. He didn't want to send you down there." Ado soothed, "He was shipped from the City when he was found to be fostering Covenant children. He fought to have you saved…"

"Saved?" I asked.

"You were to be executed, that was the original sentence, his punishment for keeping you…" Ado replied, "I was there, I saw the trial, never had I seen Prophet Truth so furious, the Council was outraged that a Prophet had shown more than a formal relationship toward another of the Covenant."

I silenced again, turned from the wall and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Zyrra?"

I looked to him.

"I will train you. It will be difficult."

I nodded.

"Are you prepared?"

"I have been ready to fight for what I believe in for my whole life, Ado. Do you really need to ask me that?"

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Chapter 3

Months passed, I struggled to learn the basics of field combat but excelled in the hacking and strategic positioning exercises. I had to master them to become at least remotely familiar with the way the platoons under Ado's command worked, so I made that more of a priority rather than ripping the limbs off of dummies in the training yards. Ado wasn't disappointed in my alternate methods of battle, in fact some of my ideas he liked.

"So what you're saying is…" he began, sweeping his training sword over my head, making me duck, dodge and return serve, "… I should have my elites, the Molta, go in with the stealth gear…" he swiped again and I blocked, "… from the air?"

"No, what I'm suggesting is…" I swiped across and gashed his arm, "… we take the stealth gear and cloak our aerial assault teams instead…" I lunged, faltered and Ado caught me on his foot.

"Nice little plan there, Zyrra, but we tried that one already…" he held the training sword to my neck and I gulped, "… it failed miserably when the pilots lost track of each other and collided in mid-air ."

Of course, quite a few of my ideas flopped when it came to the technology part; I was only just beginning to learn it. "Motion Tracker failure?" I asked and redirected his blade away from my throat; he faltered and dropped me to regain his balance which allowed me to get back onto my feet, "I mean, if that were the case then it need only be retested, right?"

Ado smiled, "You think like a scientist, Zyrra. We did retest it, there was no malfunction in the Motion Trackers, the cloaking devices worn by the Molta teams are designed to be undetectable by radar, hence the problem!" He leapt for my waist; his sword was thrown aside, the exercise had changed.

I caught him by his arms and continued the motion, swinging him around and throwing him, unfortunately, he had gripped my wrists and I ended up falling on my stomach with him. Neither of us were armoured but Ado was heavy, I ended up flying a few feet in the air, landing and then skidding a little along the hard floor. I coughed, winded and wounded, and gasped for breath.

Ado did not apologise. Before I had started my training I had expected such courtesy when struck, but later learned that there were no apologies when one kills another, only duty. Today I knew better than to wait for my enemy to recover, I drew my blade and sliced Ado easily across his back. He screamed and curled in pain.

The door to our residence opened and I deactivated the training weapon, "Lesson's over Ado." I grinned and offered a hand to help him up which he took and pulled me down to the floor. I scowled, "No fair…"

"Is battle ever fair, Zyrra?" He smirked and walked to the door, leaving me to collect myself. I picked up my sword and propped it up on the wall where assortments of other training weapons were perched. After a few words with our visitor, Ado called me to the doorway, "Zyrra, this is a representative from the Covenant Battle Guild." He breathed; he was still a little exasperated from our exercise.

I looked out of the door and my eyes met with a broad shouldered elite, he was Ado's height but had to be at least double his weight in muscle mass. I knew this elite, I had been his entertainment on more than one occasion. I growled a greeting and made no effort to meet eyes with him.

"Zyrra…" Ado nudged me, "… be polite will you? He's going to be your mentor for the rest of your training…"

"Aha, I don't think so…" I snapped, then walked back into the room.

I heard Ado excuse himself and follow me inside, then a second pair of feet padded over the floor as well. I was close to furious that he was even allowed within fifty feet of me.

"Zyrra, you're being unreasonable!" Ado pursued me, "This elite can help you to complete your mission, to prove to the Prophets that the female Sangheili are worthy of battle!"

I rounded on him, "Ado, how long have you spent your life as a female in the Covenant?"

He was stumped by my out-of-the-blue question, after a pause he replied, indignantly, "None, why?"

"Exactly, none. You don't know what it's like to be raped, to be used, exploited, and brought to your knees by something you have absolutely zero power over!" I was breathing heavily now, "Ado, do you know what it's like to hear your fellows screaming, every second of every minute of every day? No! You have no idea! You're blind Ado!"

Ado didn't say a word; there was no warning, only the sharp pain of his steel knuckles meeting with my stiff jaw, I stumbled sideways and clutched my mouth. He approached me, "Don't assume that your life is the only tragedy in this city, Zyrra… some, like yours, have been far too horrible to tell in front of an audience, painful to relive…" he crouched beside me, "… you will train with this elite, and you will face your demons…" I looked up to him and he wiped some of the blood from my lower jaw.

"Should I come back later Ado?" the Mentor asked.

"No, I think we have something to discuss…" Ado took one look at my expression and calculated his chances; they were slim but obviously favourable enough. He sat beside me and introduced the elite, "Zyrra, this is Gura Mothanamee, Gura, this is Zyrra Jiserraphira…"

I folded my arms and nodded to Gura icily.

"I take it that you remember me, young Zyrra?" Gura chuckled, offering a hand to me, I didn't take it. He looked at Ado, "Very defiant isn't she?"

Ado huffed, "She has her reasons, Gura, Zyrra please; make an effort to at least be courteous!"

"Alright, I'll show him some courtesy when he shows me some…" I said, gesturing to Gura. Ado shot a reproachful glare at me and I retreated back to being highly unimpressed.

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It took a while, but somehow, Ado managed to convince me that Gura was not going to make any attempts on my life or in fact anything close to what I was thinking he would do to me. He also agreed to stay and watch for the first few days of my training until I was used to how things worked, but after that he had to leave for a while, he didnt specify how long.

"Boys..." Gura addressed his elites, each were dressed in dark grey armour, I looked through the three lines, each were not much older than I, "... meet a new recruit, Zyrra."

A couple stared and a few jaws dropped, they obviously hadn't seen a female in warrior armour. I fiddled with my wrist guards nervously. I heard a couple of elites laugh and flushed with anger, I was just as capable as they were, how dare they think of me as any different...

I was pushed forward by Gura's strong hand and I took my place in the ranks.

"You each have been born into the Covenant as useless pieces of flesh..." Gura paced in front of us, "... you are still useless pieces of flesh..." he looked at me, "... and you always will be useless pieces of flesh..."

"I'll bet that Zyrra was born different..." muttered an elite behind me. Gura rounded on him.

"I'll bet she was soldier..." Gura grabbed me by my shoulder and shoved me into the elite, "You look at her and tell her what you're thinking right now..."

The elite stammered, "Er, Sir, I er..."

I was pushed back to my place, "This female is here, get used to it... All of you." he called out to his elites, "She is here under order of the Prophets, she is to be treated as equal to you, she will eat, sleep and breathe in the same barracks as you! She will train in the Covenant, with the Covenant, for the Covenant." Gura took his place back out in front of us. Ado seemed a little uneased by Gura's rough handling but did nothing, he was bound by the agreement that he would not interfere. "Ado, I expect you are needed elsewhere…" Gura said, it was neither kind nor with malice.

"I'll return for your report on Zyrra's progress, Gura." Ado replied before looking to me, "Good luck, Zyrra." He saluted me and then turned, I could feel his sadness but he daren't show it to the others, I tore my eyes from his form and reverted back to the hard and muscular body of Gura. Ado couldn't help me in these barracks; I had to take care of myself again. This time it would be different.

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"Each and every one of you…" Gura walked slowly along the ranks, "… is a weapon of mass destruction…" I watched him, his pace was slow, important, he knew he was the only power in the room, "… your task this morning… is to defeat me…" he stopped pacing and sized up the group, each of us had only been in his elites for two months, but it had been enough for me to form a couple of rivalries, one most vicious was with my mentor.

"Hey, hey, Zee!" I was prodded between the shoulders, "Zyrra!"

"What?" I replied in an agitated whisper while Gura continued his pep talk. It wasn't usually wise to speak through his lectures.

"You gonna fight him again?" I could feel the eyes on the back of my neck; all three of them were there. Subconsciously, I rubbed my ribs where Gura had punished me for challenging him a week earlier; I had held my own until Jurdo decided to help me, that day I found out that it is impossible to wield two training blades at the one time as well as hold onto your wits. Between balancing out the blades and watching my opponent, I lost concentration, toppled and was crushed under his foot for over ten minutes while he explained my error, then for a further ten minutes he demonstrated which of the Sangheili organs were most important for survival. This meant that he shocked each into failure with the training sword one after the other until I was unconscious, or dead, I couldn't tell. I woke to the sounds of laughter, the burn of humiliation, from then on; I vowed to get Gura back.

I was prodded again, "Zee!" Ehle whispered, "I think you'll do great if Jurdo doesn't help!" a snigger the snap of a hard fist contacting with armour sounded from behind me, "Argh, oww, jees!"

"Ooh, don't cry now, Ehle, Gura might start to like you…" Doxo pestered, "He goes for those sissy kinds you know… easier to beat and all…"

As much as the pointless conversation would amuse me, I couldn't be associated with these three. Doxo was a wealthy elite, I had little place by his side. The Tahnamee family was rumoured to have bought their son into Zealotcy, Doxo denies of these claims, of course, and persists on being 'equal' to his peers. Jurdo, quite the opposite of Doxo, coming from the pod of Sangheili children my Prophet Sanctuary had nursed so long ago, my brother, he had forgotten me easily. He provides the idiocy for the three of them, honestly, he is stupid, there is no other way to describe him. And then there's Ehle, the last of the terrible trio. He provides the wit for their little group, quite the artist when it came to a blade but his skills with a firearm could quite well be compared with a blindfolded grunt… who had never held a weapon in its life… and no fingers to speak of…

For some reason, these misfits were still in the Covenant and still in the same damned barracks as me.

I watched the first of few to step up to Gura, I sighed in relief when they were thrown or dodged easily, ending the sessions quite quickly. If you lasted more than thirty seconds in Gura's ring, he was toying with you.

"I'll face him when I feel like it…" I said coldly, growling deeply when I heard quiet boos and hisses from behind me, I turned quickly, "If you lot want me to fight Gura yet again and fail to defeat him that's all well and good, but not until you three each go and face him yourselves!"

"Fine then, I will!" Doxo huffed, I shook my head in disbelief, there was no way he was serious…

"Jurdo will too, won't you Jay?" Ehle slapped him on the back.

Jurdo did a double take and almost fainted, "I'll what?"

It was difficult to believe that in some distant way, I could be related to these three…

"Jiserramee!" I flinched, never had my warrior name felt so much like a stab between the vertebrae, "Why am I looking at your behind and not your face?" Gura snapped.

"I know which I'd prefer lookin' at…" Jurdo crooned, I burned with fury and turned back around to face Gura.

"Jiserramee, I'm disappointed in you." I said nothing while he peeled my protective armour from my skin with his eyes, it was unnerving when he looked me over so thoroughly, "You lot, here. Now."

I walked forward and gripped my training weapon, even if I was to lose; I wasn't going to give Gura the pleasure of publicly embarrassing me again. I would damage him this time. As if by a switch, the trio behind me were organised and even civilised, taking a few paces forward then waiting for Gura's instruction.

Gura took my weapon from me and then threw it aside, "Weapons at the ready." He said audibly above the hum of High Charity's coolant pipes. I watched in horror as Jurdo, Doxo and Ehle activated their training swords and held them in preparation for battle. He was facing an unarmed soldier against three fully equipped warriors.

"Sir, this is an unfair bout, I demand I be allowed support!" I protested.

"Is war ever fair…?" Gura leaned on the wall and dropped his hand for the round to begin and I was stabbed thrice by my peers, once in my chest, once in my gut and a third time through my neck, had this been a real sword bout, I would have been dead almost instantly. There were gasps from the class as I was held there by the holographic blades, each was sending a strong current through my body, amplifying my pain and disrupting my thought.

Gura stepped forward, "This, warriors, is a prime example of where your expectations of the war fails. There is no right or wrong in this war, only us and them… if you are not one of us, you are one of them…" he pointed to me, the metaphorical enemy, "… enemies deserve no mercy, do not hand it to them for it will not be returned to you, a Human, a Heretic, they will see you and slay you where you stand. Fairness has nothing to do with it." I knew there was a lesson to be learnt by this but my mind was focussed more on the excruciating pain I was enduring, it was like birthing, my whole body was convulsing, squeezing, muscles tightening, my gut was seizing. I convulsed again and screamed in agony. Gura watched my muscles dying from the shock, my heart was pounding in my head, I grew dizzy. He wasn't going to be my salvation, my mercy, no, he was the arm gripping this three pronged blade…

I drooped, the blades impaling me were firmly held but the hands upon them were young and easily fooled, and they slid from my flesh as I dropped onto the floor. The room burst into applause and Jurdo kicked me to make sure I was out cold. That was his first mistake.

I took him by his foot and twisted it, this caused him to yelp, drop the blade and fall to the floor. I pressed my thumb into his neck sharply and disrupted his jugular, he struggled for a while but his body fell limp on the floor when his brain ran out of blood. Doxo stepped backward into Ehle, obviously surprised, and drew his sword again, neglecting to check for hazards and activated a gas canister in his haste. It exploded and threw both him and Ehle into the wall perpendicular to them. By this time I was on my feet again and I had claimed Jurdo's weapons as my own. I was at least in with a fighting chance now.

Doxo lunged, I evaded him easily, tripped him and sent him into the ranks, they all moved aside and let him crash to a stop between them, again, applauding the performance. I thrust the blade into Doxo's back, sending shockwaves through his heart; he twitched for a few seconds before losing consciousness also. This left just one of the three. Ehle. If I could get him away from his key weapon, I would do fine; unfortunately it wasn't so easy to separate this yin from his yang.

"So, Zee…" Ehle breathed, taking his stance, "… fair enough for you?"

I was exhausted, short of breath, but not beaten, "This is a war, Ehle…" I panted, "… fairness has nothing to do with it…" I flung my blade at him, just scathing his fighting arm, he cried out as the twinge surged down to his hand, his grip failed and I kicked the hold from his open palm. I then followed through with a second roundhouse kick to his chest, flinging him a few paces backward, then again, and then a third time, then I finished him with an upper cut to his jaws. I lost balance part of the way through the combo and was easily finished, myself, by an outstretched foot, I fell to the floor painfully and coughed in satisfaction. Gura's foot hovered next to my face, I expected him to crush my skull for even contemplating victory.

"You were a dead warrior, Jiserramee…" he growled.

"I am a ghost… of High Charity then…" I panted, "… neither alive… nor dead… but still pursuing…" I gasped for air as Gura pressed his foot onto my chest, "… if I must, I will kill my own, if that is what you want from me…"

"I don't want you to kill any of your own… I want you to get up and defeat me…" Gura grinned, and then stood ready, "This warrior, this weedy nuisance…" I felt a twinge of anger rising again, "… has managed to defeat three armed warriors, single handed!" he threw a blade to me and it clattered at my feet; "Watch and you may learn something…" he waited for me to get to my feet, "FIGHT!"

I heard the command; it barely registered before I lost control of myself. My heart stopped, and I froze. Gura would attack, he would step slightly to the left and he would lead with his right shoulder, it made perfect sense. I'd seen his technique so many times, why had I not spotted similarities in it before? I left my weapon where it lay and dodged around his blows, one after the other, swing, swipe, he became ever more enraged with each attempted volley. An opening, he left his stomach unprotected for a split second and I took advantage of it. A quick knee to his gut rendered him paralysed for a short period, allowing me to disarm him and twist his arm behind his back.

"Ngh! Jiserramee… you're going to regret this day…" Gura muttered.

"I'm sure…" I replied, "… but tell me Sir…" I tightened my grip, "… how does it feel to be absolutely helpless?" I received a grunt of a reply and shocked stares from the rest of the group, "Remember that feeling, Sir… that is slavery, which is what will happen to all of us in the Chambers, perhaps even you if we at all fail the Journey…" I began walking back to my barracks.

"Jiserramee! Get back here! I'm not done with you!" Gura demanded, a tad shaky from his quick defeat.

"Try training your pets rather than putting on a show for them…" I called back, "… they might learn something other than bitter cruelty…"

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Writers Note: This is an incomplete story but I wish it that you please take the time to read this. I know there are some 'made up' things like the holo-training swords and the Chambers, hell even the fact that a female Sangheili even exists let alone more than one is a bit out there, but this is how I've written my story so please, let me know what you think.

Created and Consumed (Chapter 4)
Date: 20 May 2006, 10:13 pm

(Author's Note: At the beginning, the kids are supposed to think Zyrra is a dude)

"Wow! The warrior, Zyrra! Look at him, he's so brave!" I had been caught up by a couple of my peers a few days after my 'stunt' and hadn't been able to shake them since they had cornered me in the cafeteria. It seemed that the class additions were coming in at a younger age each time they were admitted. Ironic, I thought, how I could defeat the toughest elite in the Academy, yet I couldn't even try to defeat these young elites. They were not long out of their cribs; I couldn't just brush them off.

"Boys, please, I'm tired…" I shook one from my arm and massaged my growing headache.

"Tell us how you beat him! Please?" the tallest pipped, "We promise we'll be quiet!"

I shut my eyes to them, I couldn't stay, I had engagements and I was feeling ill but they persisted to crowd me. The youngest of them was now attached to my leg and refused to let me go. "Please Warrior Zyrra! I wish it so much to hear your tale again, my brothers change the story so much and I don't know which are false anymore!"

I managed to detach the boy from my person and set him down on the floor, I really didn't feel well at all. I stepped backward a few paces and sat down, the group followed me but I held up a hand to stay their advance, "I don't feel well boys, please, leave me."

A resounding moan reached me, it pressed in on me. I felt a slight temper rising and growled at the children, they squealed and scattered from sight. Finally, some time to my—

"I wish I could get rid of them like that…" the cool voice of my Ado came to me, "You alright Zyrra?"

I turned around, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on Reach purging the human settlements on there aren't you?" I was surprised to see him back so early, it wasn't standard for such a dangerous mission to end so quickly, he appeared to have no scars on him either, "Was there a mix up with the mission statements?"

"No…" Ado laughed and looked at me oddly, "My Reach mission doesn't begin for another three revolutions yet, I have been away on business with the Council."

"Oh? What kind of business?" I asked, "Anything I should know about?"

Ado smiled, "Nothing to bother with, just some sort of rumour that an elite has defeated the highest ranked Mentor at the best Academy known to the Covenant, all a web of lies, for sure." There was a mischievous glimmer in his eye, "Well done Zyrra."

"Thank you…" I replied with the utmost humility, "I admit; it was quite a feat to conquer him…"

"But you did, that's the first step you know. Not many have defeated Gura, and those who have in the past have become quite exceptional warriors. Mind you, they often turn out a bit more lethal than Gura himself. You've seen how ruthless Morta can be…"

"Don't remind me…" I grumbled, "So is there another 'business' behind your being in the City today or are you just so spare on time that you thought you'd come home for a while?"

"I'm actually preparing my troops for the upcoming mission; I was hoping to pick up some skilled warriors on my way by."

"No shortage of those here, just look around, see those boys there?" I pointed out Ehle, Jurdo and Doxo, "Not the brightest on their own, but as a team, they're almost invincible."

"I'll take that into account, but I was actually considering you."

I was taken aback, "Really?"

He nodded, "Yes, but the Council won't allow it, they want you to endure the whole of the Sangheili training regime before allowing you to fight alongside the rest of us…"

This brightened my mood a little, "Well, that might not be such a long wait, my evaluation is in two cycles, I've mastered most skills needed to become a warrior. If I pass…"

Ado shook his head, "You still have group trials to come, that's where you begin to socialise with other members of the Covenant and re-learn past skills." By this time I was thoroughly confused, I saw little reason to re-learn what I had just been taught in a smaller group, it was a waste of valuable time and resources. "I have faith that you'll do just as well in those particular areas, what I worry about is your ability to adapt to the new environment…"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Ado rested his hand on mine, "By other members of the Covenant, I mean the other species. They may never have encountered a warrior such as yourself and most will not react to you the way a lot of us have here in this branch of the City."

My eyes widened, "Brutes?" he nodded, this I could not tolerate, "How many?"

"There could be thousands, though; the Academy only recruits them as guards now, this means that punctuality is a must." He leaned in, "By penalty of severe beatings and sometimes even death."

I was outraged, "That's barbaric!"

Ado sighed, "That's how the system works I'm afraid… not many have managed to cheat it, it means ultra disciplined troops, nothing like how it is here and quite frankly, I like how it's run, even if it is by the Jiralhanae." He paused, "Zyrra… I'm not going to lie to you, it will be difficult, far more than you could possibly imagine. I'm just giving you the heads up on it." His wrist guard made a small blipping noise and a chart with instructions appeared on a small view screen embedded in Ado's armour, "I'm being called back to the Far-Nine, Zyrra, I wish you well. Please, be careful!" he nudged me on the forehead; making our helmets clatter, then he marched promptly from the Mess Hall. I watched him disappear through a grav-lift then stood and exited the Mess Hall also.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yo Zyrra, what'd Ado want?" Jurdo asked me when we were back in our shared quarters, "You and him were pretty erm… tight back there…" he prodded me, "You two got something going on there or what?"

Jurdo's stupidity surprised even me sometimes… I decided to keep the relationship between Ado and I to myself for now, "He was telling me that you, Ehle and Doxo might be going on his new recruits list soon," I saw their faces light up all at once and laughed, "Oh, and me too… he said I was far more advanced than you three…" their smiles faded and Ehle slouched into a reclining chair.

"Well of course he did… he came in when you had just finished kicking our butts didn't he?"

I shrugged, "Maybe."

Doxo tossed each of us a Nutro Drink and threw himself onto my bed with a jangle and a shriek of pain; he had forgotten that my bunk was riddled with tools and was almost impossible to sleep on, let alone throw yourself on. He removed a tool from under his shoulders and tossed it to me, "Agh.. Zyrra, why do you have to be such a techie?"

I caught it and began to tinker with my training blade's hilt, "The same reason Jurdo's brain is so small I guess…" a small grin spread over my face, "I just am… for no reason at all…"

Jurdo scowled, "You can't be a super technical wiz without training Zyrra!"

"Does your brain need training to be so small?" Ehle asked, laughing, "It's probably like my skills with a blade, like naturally perfect and all…" he made a motion with an invisible blade across his front, almost clocking Jurdo in the face.

I had never actually thought about why I was so naturally able to recalibrate weaponry or break codes in the locks to other rooms, this ability, earlier, had impressed the terrible trio, now it only made them jealous. "I suppose I might just have the uncanny ability to pay attention to tiny details, I kind of liked to do puzzles when I was smaller, back in the care of Prophet Sanctuary…" the three of them looked up from their beverages quickly and stared at me, gaping, "What?"

"You knew Prophet Sanctuary?" Ehle asked me, I swear his eyes could get no wider or they would have popped out of his skull.

"I did once… so what?"

Doxo gave a chortle and looked around to the others, "She's lying… she doesn't know Prophet Sanctuary!"

"I do! He cared for me in my early stages of life! Ask Jurdo, he was there!" I paused, "Doxo! So were you! He said that you both li-"

"Zyrra, shut up! You're a liar!" I was silenced by Doxo's booming voice in my face, "You haven't spoken to him and I've never met Sanctuary in my life! You're a liar!" I opened my mouth to protest, I remembered Jurdo and Doxo from all the way back when we were smaller than the Unggoy, when we would play around the feet of the Lekgolo. Why didn't he remember? "Never lie about such things, Prophet Sanctuary is a criminal, as said by the Prophets of the Covenant, he is a traitor, a Heretic, he betrayed High Charity!"

"But when we were children, you and Jurdo were my brothers! We played together! You can't tell me that you don't remember the games we played!" I was forward in my seat, gripping my drink tightly, the contents were dribbling over my hand, "I know it! It's true as I'm sitting here today!"

I was again silenced, Doxo's fist contacted with my face like a mallet, tenderizing my face and knocking me backward. Ehle and Jurdo gasped while Doxo turned his back to me, "This discussion is over, goodnight." He said curtly and shut the curtain to his bunk. I daren't push my luck, Doxo at the moment seemed the type to kill me in my sleep if I had have pursued the subject. I instead gave a pleading look to Jurdo who returned an apology and curled up on his own bunk.
I cleaned up my gloop-smeared hand, taking the time to think over my newfound knowledge of Prophet Sanctuary's criminal record in the Covenant; I thought it impossible for a Prophet to perform any type of felony toward his own people, especially the kind hearted Sanctuary. It was unethical! What had he done that was so wrong? I took my seat in the living area of our quarters once again and continued adjusting my training blade. Ehle was still present, but he was sketching something on a holo-pad and not paying much mind to me, I cleared my throat loudly to catch his attention, "Ehle, what did Sanctuary do?"

"Hmm?" He looked up from his sketch, "Sanctuary had many an enemy in his late years of service, he mostly liberated those who needed liberating and gave rights to those who had none, this was all well and good, but word has it that he stole information from the Mausoleum of the Arbiters and gave it to the Heretics."

I shook my head, "He was entirely devoted to the health and well being of his people, why would he allow vital information to fall into enemy hands?"

"That's what the Council has been asking themselves for the past three years. Ever since he was sent into exile by the Prophets Mercy, Regret and the newly appointed, Truth, nobody has come to any conclusion to the conundrum."

"Is there any proof of this so-called felony?" I asked, still sceptical that Sanctuary, my carer, would do such a thing, "And why would he have to give the Heretics information on the Arbiters anyway? They were once one of us; they know everything about how the Covenant operates regardless of their beliefs."

Ehle remained silent for a moment; he obviously hadn't thought that the Heretics remembered the way of the Covenant. "Maybe the Heretics found something that the Covenant didn't want them to?"

"That makes more sense. If that was the case then all they need do is torture the information out of him…"

"There was no torture. Not a single mark was found on him." Ehle replied grimly, "Face it Zyrra, he handed them whatever it is the Covenant had on a silver platter." His voice was not bitter, it was disappointed, "Such a waste, Sanctuary could have done great things for us."

I nodded, not speaking. My vision of Sanctuary had been shattered in one foul swoop; I felt that if I ever met him I would kill him myself for embarrassing me so severely in front of my peers. Ehle advised me not to brood over it, that what he knows was merely relayed information and that nobody ever really was told distinct truths about Sanctuary's 'exile'. The trial was held privately, not even the Council knew about it.

Ado himself had said that Sanctuary hadn't been a favourite in the High Council, though; he hadn't specified what offence he had performed against them. I just hoped that I would find out the truth.

Created and Consumed (Chapter 5)
Date: 20 May 2006, 10:17 pm

Doxo was still not pleased with me for days after our disagreement; he was still convinced that I had a polluted mind and that my lying would get me into trouble with more than just him in the long run. Despite my apologies, he wouldn't speak to me.

"Cheer up Zyrra, I'm sure he'll change his opinion soon…" Jurdo attempted to console me, "… I mean, how long can Doxo hold a grudge for?"

"Maybe a written apology this time?" Ehle suggested, I elbowed him sharply in the ribs.

"It wouldn't bother me so much if I knew what I was apologising for…" I glowered at Doxo's back as he marched past, "I don't even know what I did wrong!"

"You contradicted him. He hates that." Ehle wheezed.

"Go figure…" I muttered before entering the room which would seal my fate.

Beside me an older Sangheili inhaled deeply, "Ahh, the smell of carnage is fresh this morning!" he commented. I sniffed the air also; it smelled of carbon, this wasn't surprising; there were scorch marks all over the Evaluation Arena. I was, though, slightly troubled by another aroma wafting through the room, blood, real blood, not the synthetic kind which we encountered in training.

We assembled in our rank lines, the least experienced and least favoured stayed toward the back of the formation, as a result, the larger and inadvertently more popular warriors were pushed toward the front. Doxo, Ehle, Jurdo and I were all bunched up in the middle, competing for a look to see what was going on.

"Why don't they do this in order of height, you know, the tall ones first and the squirts last?" Ehle asked, naturally because he was one of the taller elites.

"Maybe because they know that you're a lost cause as the first demonstration Ehle?" I jeered, my comment possessed truth, the demonstration was to be on our skills as a marksman, we had to hit a target one hundred and eighty-five feet away from us three times on the bullseye, no practise shots. Ehle couldn't hit a Lekgolo at forty feet with an optical aid.

"When called, come to attention!" a voice boomed over the loudspeakers, "Ahnathee, Huka! Jorunadee, Dewa! Laveramee, Jega! Kataratee, Lega!"

One by one, Elites broke from their formations and walked into the arena.

"Jiserramee, Zyrra!" My name was called and I looked to Jurdo.

"That's you, sheesh even I'm not that stupid!" he whispered, shoving me forward.

"Oikumee, Ehle!" The names were being read from a list, I heard Ehle step forward and stop beside me, we exchanged uneasy grins, "Hurriamee, Jurdo!" I suppressed a smile when a whimper sounded from between the shoulders of the Sangheili formation, Jurdo joined us, "Tahnamee, Doxo!" Doxo strode to Jurdo's side and stared ahead at the judges. "Serracree, Morta, my, my, again Morta?" the announcer sounded amused, my mood darkened when I saw out of the corner of my eye, the same elite who had tried to destroy me weeks ago. I failed see how a malicious killer could come across as amusing.
The remaining Elites were summoned to the front, a group of twenty-or-so, each varying in age and structure. There were a few unfamiliar faces; some were far too young to be even considered Academy material. Once assembled, the remains of the Sangheili not chosen were ordered to sit; a resounding shuffle and grumble of not being selected followed the command but quickly dulled.

A magnificent Sangheili Commander in elegant silver armour stood flanked by a Zealot on each side. Half of both left jaws were missing, probably cut off by plasma or broken in hand to hand combat; he was quite experienced as well. "Warriors!" He called to the assembly, "Today you will be required to perform specific tasks in order to determine which position you will take within the Covenant! Not all of you will be chosen! Those who are chosen will be awarded new armour and crests befitting their new rank! Those who are not will be reassigned into their Gudili Academy ranks and given further training! Each decision is final and cannot be altered by any influence but the Prophets'!" This was about the time where I could almost hear Jurdo's heart pounding in his chest, if there was one thing he feared, it was his own skills being judged in a serious manner. "Begin!"

We were evaluated in a variety of ways, each method more difficult than the last. The first task was marksmanship, miraculously Ehle didn't perform as badly as he had first thought, his surprise was obvious when he hit the target all three times directly in the centre, I would have checked his equipment for alterations, which I did when I was called for my attempt, I found that the rifle used for the task had been tampered with and a retrial was ordered, much to Ehle's distain, but even without the enhanced weapon, Ehle managed to get two out of three bullseyes.
I had a little trouble releasing the steam hatch on the weapon, it overheated in my hands and scalded my palms but I still hit two of the three bullseyes required. Doxo and another Elite by the name of Tekra obtained a perfect score without hesitation, while Jurdo managed one along with Dewa, Huka, and Morta while Lega failed to hit any target at all. I suspected sabotage. The catch of his weapon was jammed and he had to pull exceptionally hard on the trigger to make it fire, in his efforts to pull the trigger successfully, he failed to aim before he did so, his three beams shot harmlessly into the ground. No retrial was conducted despite his objections.

Next was small arms fire, again Ehle surprised himself, we all did excellently in fact. The only Elites who didn't do well were Huka and Dewa, who had their turns after Morta. Everyone excelled in Sword battle, Doxo, Ehle, Morta and I each got a perfect score, Jurdo faltered on one manoeuvre losing a couple of credits for that but overall he did well. Infiltration came toward the end of the day, severely tampered with was this task, someone had recoded the system so that not even the judges could crack it, they found it suspicious that only I and Morta could manage to recalibrate the whole server to return to normal for the examination to continue. Thankfully we were given the benefit of the doubt and allowed to continue to the next test.

The last task was hand to hand combat, this I felt I did horribly at, I stayed in the ring for a mere two minutes before being plucked off of my feet and chucked from the battle arena. Doxo lasted a grand of three minutes, only because he managed to knock out his opponent within the first two minutes so that he could boast about it throughout the third. Jurdo, surprisingly, was able to outsmart his opponent, letting him believe he had sprained his wrist in the last task. Jurdo managed to fight single handed for ninety seconds before being forced to add his second hand he pinned the warrior down, and had to hold him for a further sixty seconds before being allowed to return to his place. Ehle's performance was spectacular, it was obvious that close combat was his speciality, he dodged, blocked and served with such precision it impressed even the Commander who was seated quietly on the edge of the ranks. He even applauded a throw which sent Ehle's opponent several feet across the floor.
The other performances were rather mediocre, boring in fact, generic moves used for generic warriors, there was very little variety in their performance. Morta was the last.

"Alright, Serracree, let's hope there are no more of your tricks this time, I want a fair fight."

Morta spread a grin over his scarred face, "Of course…"

The Commander must have seen Morta fight before, what did he mean by tricks? I hadn't the time to speculate before the bout was called to a start. "Begin!"

The Elite facing Morta was much larger than he was muscle-wise; the height difference was reasonably distinct also. There was at least a foot's height difference between Morta and his opponent. The Elite's name was Coenu Kylressimee, I heard some of the other Gudili talking about him while we sat on the sidelines, he was a Molta Spec. Ops. Commander, he was renowned as the top infiltration specialist in this part of the Covenant and he was also incredibly dangerous. As the chatter continued between students, Jurdo, Ehle and I watched the battle.
Morta opened with a forward attack, being blocked easily, it took me a while to figure out this Elite's plan, he focussed on the enemy's face. Being an Elite of shorter stature, I would have gone for the legs, they were rarely guarded as well as the chest or face and were an easy target for anyone at a height disadvantage. Yet this Morta character persisted, much to my irritation, to attack Coenu's upper body.
I wanted to yell at the fool, he was going to lose, this Morta was supposed to be a killer, he wasn't displaying any of his boasted skills at all, what I wanted to know was why he was being trialled, he had already been given rank as Molta Spec. Ops Infiltrator Second Class. I lost track of the battle momentarily while I pondered over it and missed a throw performed by Coenu, slamming Morta to the ground. The loud crack of armour hitting crete brought my attention back to the brawl. Morta lay on the ground almost unconscious while Coenu dragged him by his foot toward the edge of the ring. I smiled satisfaction when boos and hisses erupted from the ranks for Morta's poor performance.

"This battle is over!" Coenu cooed; punching the air and lapping up the attention, I would never understand the male infatuation with popularity. He picked Morta up by one leg and let him dangle there like a sack of meat.

"Not yet…" Morta hissed and kicked Coenu in the mouth with his free foot; instinctively Coenu dropped Morta and held his face, screaming out in pain. When dropped, Morta landed on all fours and leapt for Coenu's throat, clasping his hands around the thick muscle and cutting off the air supply, it took a while for Coenu to realise he couldn't breathe but when he did, he punched Morta in the gut and shoved him away. Neither let up for the next seven minutes, exchanging blows with each other, their endurance was remarkable, but I couldn't help but believe that they were toying with each other.

Beside me Jurdo yawned, "Jees, I wish one of them would win already…"

"Something isn't right…" I shared my concern for the battle, "… Morta has been given ample opportunities to defeat Coenu, why hasn't he taken them?"

"Maybe he wants to beat Coenu in a special way?" Ehle suggested on my other side, "Coenu is waiting until Morta is worn out, he doesn't realise that Morta is an Elite who specialises in endurance training. His efforts are fruitless if his goal is to outlast him. Morta on the other hand, he has a plan that may work, he's battled these Elites before and he knows each strength, each weakness, if there is a window of opportunity to be had, he knows where it is."

"What's his plan then smarty-armour?" Jurdo huffed, "Or do you just 'pretend' to be a know-it-all?"

"Shh!" I hissed, "Watch, and then afterwards we can discuss this, I'd like to see this so-called plan and your moaning is distracting me…" I heard Jurdo grumble but he silenced.

The ninth minute came and went, Coenu began to slow down and his hits were less accurate, Morta slowed to make it look like he too was gradually becoming more fatigued.
When he thought he had Morta down, Coenu thrust forward with a tackling move, Morta dodged easily and drove his elbow into his ribs, winding him easily. Coenu fell to the ground and gasped for air. Morta stood over him and grinned at Coenu's shocked expression.

"Morta, finish the battle already, the Academy doesn't teach bore tactics." Gura called from the sidelines.

Morta shrugged and looked back down to Coenu, "So… how would you like me to crush you?" Crush? What did he mean?

"Just do it, don't pester me with empty threats…" Coenu seethed.

"Very well…" Morta leaned in, "It seems these guys want a show… I think it's time I gave them one…" I saw Coenu's eyes widen in fear before Morta gripped him by his head and twisted it backward, a deafening crack resonated through the silent room and the ranks inhaled all at once. Shock stricken faces turned to sickened expressions as Morta picked up the seemingly dead Coenu and dragged him from the ring, waving his limp hand to the spectators.
It made me sick to my stomach when applause followed his return to his place.

"Warriors!" the Commander stood and walked to the front of the assembly, "I commend you all on your performances today, even if some of you feel you have done poorly." He glanced to Lega who had done worst of all of us, "Do not let any judgement lay on your minds, it will only untie your focus while you train. You will know your fate within the week. Stand." The entire room stood. "To your barracks."

Created and Consumed (Chapter 6)
Date: 9 June 2010, 3:28 am

Yep I'm back, but briefly. I realised I wrote 2 more chapters for this fiction and never submitted them. I apologise for this. I recently re-read Zyrra's story and became immersed in her legacy once again. I will be submitting co-written fictions under another name, so see if you can spot me. Now sit back and enjoy the last two chapters I have for you.
This story, unfortunately, still is not completed after all these years.)

Later that week, Ehle, Jurdo and myself were seated sipping drinks with a couple of other students, their names I was yet to discover but one was quite tall and another sported a large burn on his face, I suspected that they were students of another training Guild. We were sharing theories with our group on how they thought the ranks would be decided, I must admit, there were some outrageous suggestions but the conversation still veered off course in one way or another.

"Maybe they just draw us out of a helmet?" Jurdo suggested.
Ehle squashed a spent drink can on his head, "Jurdo, that's the fifth time you've suggested that! I ask you again, what would be the point of us doing the trials if we were chosen at random? It's pointless…"
Jurdo wiped a few drops of the protein supplement from his face, "It isn't pointless! If we weren't chosen at random then how do you explain Tekra and his brainiac lot getting into the trials? They're smart but they don't bribe Mentors, that's just dumb! Ohh! We should have done that! Maybe that's what the judges wanted?"
"Yeah… and maybe Morta played fair…" Ehle muttered sarcastically, "Did anyone else notice that everything went screwy after he had done his bit?"

I noticed Doxo walk in and sit away from us, I wanted just to be able to talk to him but every time I tried he either walked off or I was distracted by training. Ehle prodded me out of thought, "Hey, you listening?"
I looked at him blankly, "Uh, yeah, sorry Ehle…" I apologised, "I was just thinking, that's all…"
He shrugged and continued the conversation, "That Morta fella has to be an insider, there's no way he could have beaten that brute of an elite without some sort of help!"

I looked to one of the new faces, "Have you ever seen him around the training barracks at all?"
He shook his head and gave a palm up gesture, "Never… but he seems like the sort to just pop up out of nowhere, like he stays under the radar until he has to strike…"
We all nodded agreement, "Might explain the dark armour?" Jurdo added, "I've heard those stealth types, those 'Molta' are the most badass elites in the city. By the Rings, I wish I could be one…"
"You never know Jurdo, they might be looking for someone to replace that Molta Spec. Ops Commander Morta killed the other day…" the tall elite chimed, "Wouldn't that be a reputation to live up to…"
Jurdo punched the elite in the arm, "Come off it, Kero, you didn't even make the preliminaries, you're dreaming if you think you could do Coenu's name proud!"

I let a laugh escape me, "You'd need to be murdered by that Morta character for a start, though, that shouldn't be too hard… all you have to do is poke at his pride, he'll snap for sure." I commented from my own experience, Morta had a short fuse.
Kero made a small fearful noise, "No way, I'd like to keep my vertebrae intact thanks…" he rubbed his neck automatically.
"Well, someone has to know how we're chosen at least. There has to be thousands of students in this place, you can't just look at us and say, 'Yep I'll take him…' and toddle us off to upper level training…"

"That's what they do at first…" Doxo interjected, shocking us all with his sudden insertion into our conversation.
"What do you mean? They just waltz around this place and choose us by our appearances? What happened to 'Don't judge a book by it's cover'?" Ehle asked, and then after a moment added, "And what the hell is a book?"
Everyone shrugged, the saying Ehle spoke of was an old Forerunner phrase. Nobody had heard of or even seen what a book was; maybe it was a weapon of some sort? Even so, we weren't exactly troubled by it.

"I mean exactly what I said; did you notice about three weeks ago, the Fleet of Particular Justice was back in from its patrol of the outer City perimeters?" we all nodded and Doxo continued, "They met with some nasty enemy ships, Heretics I'm sure, three of our command ships were totally obliterated and a huge hole was cut in the Covenant's defences. Who do you think were in the Guild, watching us train, taking notes on our performances, collecting data on family history and the like?"
"The exchange students?" Jurdo inserted, we all stopped to look at him, "What? None of them spoke Sangheili!"
"The Zealots, stupid!" Ehle slapped Jurdo in the head, "Those ones that didn't speak Sangheili were the damned Kig-Yar! None of 'em know civilised speech, only how to follow orders."
"Ohhh! I thought those spiky things looked strange… and they only had one set of jaws, no wonder they can't speak right…" he sighed, "So were they the ones choosing us?"

We all groaned and slapped Jurdo in the head one by one, then let Doxo explain everything in detail about the trials and how we were selected. It took a while to drill home that the Kig-Yar were currently present in the City only as a temporary nuisance until they could be replaced with more competent troops. After that point, Doxo found it easier to communicate with Jurdo without having to resist injuring him at the same time.

"The Zealots, such as Ado, have been watching us for some time since their return from the outer City rim. Apparently, one named Grena has been given the go-ahead from the Sangheili Council to admit more troops to his fleet since three of his capital ships have been assimilated. He isn't looking for plain old Gudili, he's after real warriors. Academy graduates. Us."
I shook my head, "We have to undergo further training before that happens, we aren't even in the Academy yet. Ado told me that each of us had to move up a level further before being admitted into the fleet, there's no way we could get in at this stage."
Doxo slouched back into his seat, "That's true…"

I yawned deeply and rubbed my eyes, "Well anyway, I'm calling it a night guys, try not to make too much noise okay?" I received boos and endured a barrage of empty drink cans upon my announcement, "Agh! Watch it!" I growled, dodging a full can and scowling at Kero, "Try that again and I'll chop that hand off… I'll see you all in the morning guys." I waved a farewell to the group and retreated to my bunk. Pushing aside tools and a metal orb-like device I had been working on for the past month or so. I soon found myself reflecting on the day's events while slowly drifting off to sleep, the laughter and chat outside only just audible through the haze but eventually I sank into the bedding, letting the warmth envelop my body.

After a few minutes, I was prodded from my stupor. "Hey," Doxo's deep voice drifted in from my bedside, "You still awake?"
I opened one eye and rubbed my face to try and wake myself, "No…" I groaned, "What is it?"
"Listen, I think you have a decent chance at making the upper ranks, your performance today was close to flawless, you were very good to watch." He smiled to me warmly, I had missed it a lot, "Well, apart from the close combat task; that was just purely entertainment… but still, the way you decoded the system? You have a fair talent…"
"Doxo." I cut him short, "Don't bother flattering me until you give me some form of apology for the way you acted the other day, it was inexcusable."
He folded his arms on my bunk and looked at me," Like you were any better, Zyrra, you know as well as I do of that Prophet's past."
"I didn't back when it happened." I seethed, "All I knew was what I had been told. Everything I knew of Prophet Sanctuary was information on a diskette which is now hidden away in Ado's quarters somewhere. You didn't bother to explain why you hated Sanctuary so much, all you did was tell me I was a liar, which I am not, and then you walked off in a huff!" I was now half sitting up, nose to nose with Doxo, "I had to get Ehle to explain to me exactly what was going on, what Sanctuary supposedly did."
"Zyrra, stop. I don't want to discuss Sanctuary right now." I closed my mouth and listened, "I sometimes forget exactly who and what you are, I sincerely apologise for that. Zyrra, I understand that you've led a sheltered life; I think it's cruel how the Prophets are making you prove your worth before allowing your freedom… I can't help but feel like they're using you right now…" He looked at the floor and insecurely rubbed his arm, "I just want you to know that I wish you luck with your results, I hope you do well…" he placed his hand on my shoulder and nudged his forehead on mine, "Ado is not going to regret admitting you to his squad."

Before I could say a word, Doxo left me to sleep, assuring me that the results would bring good news for each of us in one way or the next, all we had to do was wait until morning. I slept well that night, content with the knowledge that Doxo and I weren't fighting anymore. It was soothing in a way but there was something sad in his voice when he left me in my bed, something I didn't quite pick up immediately, something which I wouldn't realise until later in my career…

NEXT MORNING

"Holy mother of- Jurdo! Ehle! Get up you bags of meat!" I jumped on them and shook them into consciousness.
"What…?" Ehle groaned, still half asleep.
"We made it Ehle! We made the upper levels! Jurdo, by the Rings, get up!" I threw a spent can of nutro drink at him which bounced off his head with an empty clank.
He yawned and rubbed the spot where the can had hit him then sat up, "Show us the paper then…"
I waved it in front of him and Ehle saw it. He sat bolt upright and head-butted me, causing us both to fall backward in a daze while Jurdo plucked the note from mid air and read it, "To the Gudili trainees on HC level 28C quarters Alpha-183, the following Sangheili have been accepted into the upper level training institution…"

I clutched the new bump emerging on my forehead and sat up again, being careful to avoid hitting Ehle a second time, "Go on, read it all!"
"Doxo Tahnamee, Ehle Oikumee, Jurdo Hurriamee and Zyrra Jiserramee… you are each to report to the 'Light of Passage' for transport to your new home onboard the 'Truth and Reconciliation'."
"By the Rings! That's one of the most powerful Capital ships in the fleet!" Ehle exclaimed, "Juno, himself is a commander of that ship!" he punched the air and hugged me tightly, "What rank are we starting at?" he snatched the note and scanned it.
"It doesn't say, just that we have to meet for dispatch this morning," I cheered, giddy with excitement, "Get your stuff guys! We're in!"

"You have about an hour to get ready; I suggest you all hurry up." Doxo said from the doorway, he was already in his armour and smiling at us.
I couldn't contain myself; I leapt from Ehle's arms and embraced Doxo, "I swear you're a friggin' psychic! How did you know we would make it?"
"I didn't, but like I said, you did well yesterday. There was no doubt in my mind that you would all proceed to the upper level…" he patted me on the head and said a bit more quietly, "Zyrra, this is your big break, if you do well at this, you'll be able to fight in the war, you'll be able to prove to the Hierarchs that you're worthy."

I looked up at him, "Even without this, I would do it somehow. This just makes things easier for me."

Doxo leaned down to tell me something but stopped. I waited in anticipation but nothing came, he just straightened up and removed his hand from the top of my head, "Come on, we have to get going guys." He smiled to cover his uneasiness and gave me a nudge toward my bunk, "Quickly!"

After gathering our extreme minimal belongings, we poked our heads out of our quarters. The halls were packed with excited Sangheili, all greeting each other and chatting while massing out into the walkways.
"Wow, there are a lot of elites about today isn't there?" Jurdo muttered, "Never knew the promotion of a few warriors would be such a big deal…"

Doxo grinned, he knew a lot more about this day than he had initially let on, "Today the Hierarchs unveil a great leap forward in our quest for the Great Journey, little has been said, but I'm sure it will be an excellent display… the Council has ordered us all to meet in the hangar while the Covenant is addressed about this matter in the Sanctum. We will be briefed on what's going on upon our arrival on the 'Truth and Reconciliation'."
"Will we find out what the big deal is with the Journey?" Ehle asked as we slipped into the steady stream of Sangheili flesh filing out of the residential barracks and veered into a less crowded passageway.

Doxo took Jurdo by his wrist to keep him from falling behind, "Hard to say, I can only find so much out at a time… but I figure we'll be informed of what the Council has found, either that or we'll hear through the COM system, whispers in the mesosphere most likely. This sort of news is rarely kept quiet for long."
We reached the intersection near the Mess Hall and slowed pace, taking the time to figure out which way we had to go to get to the hangar, "Isn't that dangerous?" I asked, "I mean, if loose COM messages get out of the Covenant battle-net can't the Heretics, or more importantly, the Humans use that information to track us?"

Doxo dragged us forward, past a gaggle of wandering adolescents and swerved to the left corridor, "Possibly, but the Covenant is far too smart for that, each COM message is encoded with a special recognition sequence, it would take hours to decipher it, in our case, minutes seeing as most transmissions are in Sangheili. By the time an enemy figures out what the message says we would be mega-lights away."
"But with all of the new advances in technology like phonic detectors and artificial intelligence, it won't be long before those processes quicken."
Doxo looked at me and smiled, "Are you suggesting that the Humans and Heretics are beginning to catch up to us?"
"I am." I concluded, "When the enemy defeats a branch of our military, they capture our knowledge in the process. They have the means to study it and they probably are already developing technologies such as personal shielding and DNA recognition for their own cause." I watched the ground under my feet, "We are an advancing race, but we are not advancing fast enough…"
"It is little to concern with, Zyrra. We are constantly making steps forward in our development, leaving the Humans and Heretics behind us will not be a problem."

Before I could question Doxo further, we burst into the hangar and simultaneously awed at the majestic Seraph fighter before us. It was spectacle enough to make you weep. The armoured hull was clad with Covenant symbols of hope and victory, and across the starboard bough, the name 'Light of Passage' was carved into the metal.

"Nice to see you've joined us fellas…" Gura cooed from his perch atop a weapons crate, "As you can see, you are some of the few who have made it to the next level." He gestured to a pair of elites, one I recognised immediately as Morta Serracree but the other was foreign to me, "Seeing as we're all present…" Six warriors? This had to be a joke! "… shall we?" Gura slid down from the crate and boarded the Seraph. Morta followed, and then Doxo. I hurried to catch him up while Jurdo and Ehle fell into line behind me, and then finally the last elite. Once each of us was on-board and seated, the hatch closed and the craft hummed into life.

"Everybody in? Excellent…" the Nukura pilot grinned back to us as Gura took the secondary controls, "… It's your show Sir, take her out…"
Gura prepped the Seraph for takeoff, pumping the cells first, then slowly easing the 'Light of Passage' into the cradle of the anti-gravity field, "If you ain't holding onto your breakfasts, I suggest you do, because if any of you lose it on my Seraph, you'll be wearing it by the time we get to the 'Truth and Reconciliation'…"

I held my breath and clutched the harness over my shoulders while the Seraph rose into the air and Doxo laughed at me. I had never flown in one of these before and I was scared for my life enough without Gura co-piloting it. "Relax, Zyrra. This is perfectly safe…" he told me, "… think of it as another test of courage, just like the one where Gura wanted you to defeat him. You kicked that one easy!"
My eyes widened, "Doxo!" I managed before Gura punched the accelerator angrily; the wind was squeezed out of me as the Seraph launched into the exosphere of High Charity. Through the cockpit window, the velvet of the universe, vast and littered with pinprick stars became visible through tears. I took a moment to catch my breath.
"This, this is what we've been training for…" Doxo mused breathlessly. The Seraph shot through the fleet like a drone in a swarm, other space craft in the fleet saluted, sending violet flares in our wake as we weaved between Flagships and the gargantuan Dreadnaughts. As Gura turned the 'Light of Passage' around to cruise along the fleet a second time, I caught a look at the colossus that was High Charity, her grace was breathtaking to say the least, to think I had only seen one hundred-billionth of my home before leaving that hangar, and now, I had seen all of it. It rotated slowly on its axis, tilted slightly to one extremity, surrounded by its equally enormous Covenant fleets, eleven in total. My eyes were ripped from the spectacle as Gura guided the Seraph toward a nearby Dreadnaught; "I give you the mother of the fleet…" the cockpit was suddenly flooded with violet light emitted from the underbelly of the 'Truth and Reconciliation' as it opened up to swallow us.

"We're connecting with the Dreadnaught now, Sir." The pilot reported, "This is Light of Passage to Truth and Reconciliation, requesting permission to dock."
The COM remained silent for a moment then a deep Sangheili voice replied, "Permission granted, ready to dock in thirty seconds… we just have to clear you a parking space…"
"Many thanks, Truth and Reconciliation… Light of Passage out."

We hovered in the sleepy hues for what seemed like forever, then the voice came from the COM again, "Whenever you're ready, Light of Passage, you're clear to dock." the Seraph elevated into the Dreadnaught and did a lap of the landing bay. It was huge, not as cluttered as the one we had disembarked from on High Charity, scattered with heavy and light vehicles as well as other Seraph fighters and the slightly larger Drop-ships, I even witnessed a Flagship undergoing repairs toward the end of the hangar. We decelerated and coasted leisurely into the yellow-striped landing area, then with a small jolt, landed on a cushion of negative gravity while the secondary landing gear contacted with the deck below.

"Okay, before we leave this vessel, Morta you are needed in the Commander's chamber, I suggest you stick with me, you five, find something to do with yourselves…" Gura rattled off some things for us to do which were impossible to do without any real knowledge of the ship schematics at all. We were ushered from the Light of Passage and left in the hangar alone while Gura and Morta marched through a large hexagonal door and disappeared.
Jurdo staggered a few steps before collapsing and ejecting yesterday's drinks all over the floor, I began to feel the same way but managed to keep it all down. As he continued to empty the contents of his stomach, the stench wafting from the puddle made my gut contract.

Ehle looked up to Doxo, "Well, this is definitely… erm… a moment to remember…?"
I covered my snout to try to shield myself from the tangy smell of nutro drink, hydrochloride and Sangheilic bile, "And I thought Jurdo couldn't get any more disgusting than he already was…"

Created and Consumed (Chapter 7)
Date: 9 June 2010, 3:40 am

We helped Jurdo to his feet after he had expelled most of the contents from his stomach, and then guided him toward the hangar bay doors. They opened automatically into a small room lined with desks and communications equipment.

"This must be where we check in…" Ehle observed, "Look, there's a free registration outlet over there, let's go that way…" he pointed to a little free space in the crowded room with a bored looking aviary creature inside observing the scales on his claws. It was dressed informally with a small headset attached to one ear and a couple of wires were hanging from small devices on its skin. As we approached, it didn't acknowledge us.

Doxo waited a while and then cleared his throat, "Excuse me…"
The creature looked up for a moment then resumed its preening, "Mrrrugh! Grrreeegh, riigh riiigh keeeera mrrrugh…"
Doxo blinked, "I beg your pardon?" it just continued to speak in the strange dialect, "For the love of… speak Sangheili! I can't understand a word you're saying!"
It just repeated the phrase and pointed to a sign, 'All new arrivals please go away…' written in what looked like ink daubs from slender fingers. Upon closer observation, I noticed the ends of the creature's claws were blackened.

Ehle shrugged, "At least he said please…"

Frowning, Doxo looked down at the creature, "Now… or I'll report you for not doing your duty."
"Not authorized to let you in." It finally replied, "Got nothin' to do with duty… never seen you abouts, so no need to chat, go away…" it replied impertinently, not looking up from its preening.

Ehle walked to the counter calmly, figuring that if he was courteous, the creature would act the same, "Perhaps you could tell us where exactly we move on to?"
"No." It said.
"What do you mean, 'No'?" Ehle demanded.
It looked up and cocked its head to the left, "Don't speak your language, you don't get it, then speak your language and still don't get it…" it sighed, "Don't serve your kind, so go away."

Doxo growled a warning, "Tell us where to go, bird…"
"Said no. Go away. Busy…"
I noticed Ehle and Doxo clench their fists over their training blades. There were a few tense seconds where I thought they were going to snap the insolent beast right there, but a second aviary creature relieved the first of its post and smiled up at us. This one had a brilliant crimson and navy crest and its skin was brightly lit with more of the small devices, "Yes?" it asked, removing the makeshift sign.

I stepped past Ehle and Doxo, hauling Jurdo on my shoulder, "We'd like to register, please…"
"What are your names and how long are you staying?" it asked and began to tap on a touch-screen in front of it.
"Er, well I don't know how long for… we just got here… but my friend here doesn't feel well and we'd like to give him a bit of a lie down if that's alright…"
"Ah, you four are part of the exchange… Yes, you're Gura's warriors, right?" I nodded a reply, "Ha, well that makes the job easy, don't need ta register you or nuthin', just gotta wait a while 'till we leave for Eayan." It pointed to itself, "Part of the exchange too. All getting' on a big Seraph with 'the selected' and heading off to upper portal training…"
"Sorry, Eayan?" I asked.
"Big planet, lots of water and big, big trees! Oh, it will be splendid! Haven't been there for years!"
"Alright, well, for now can you direct us to a medical wing please?" I asked, placing a hand over Jurdo's forehead, his temperature had risen beyond normal. "The flight here has affected my friend more than anticipated and I'm concerned for his well being."
It nodded, "Sure. Got a place where everyone meets up anyway. It's close to there." It scanned the desks along both sides of its cubicle then smiled up to me again, "Be out in a minute. Gotta find a replacement before leaving…" and with that, it unplugged itself and disappeared from sight.

"What was that thing Ehle?" I asked after a while, "Behind the counter?"
"Kig-Yar. They're more commonly known as Jackals. Never had much respect for the Sangheili, they're much faster and more nimble than we are. Excellent riflemen too. It's a pity they have no manners." Ehle replied.
I looked back at the counter where the nice one had now returned, "Not all of them…" I smiled at it as it climbed over the desk to join us.
Ehle frowned, "There are the odd few who learn the basic forms of etiquette, yes." He scowled as it passed, "Mostly the fledglings I'd wager."
"What about the short ones?" I pointed over to where a group of halflings had gathered.

"They're Grunts…" Jurdo croaked.
"They're what?" I looked at him for the answer but was forced to dodge another onslaught of vomit, "By the rings! When did you eat that?!"

Doxo took over the explanation, "Unggoy, yes. They aren't exactly the most finely tuned instruments of the Covenant …" he nodded toward another small group who had just entered from outside. They were led by a slightly taller halfling in black armour.
"Looks like new recruits…" Ehle muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Yep! Fresh from Balaho. Got about six lots of 'em in this last shipment. Half-pints aren't real smart but they sure can cause diversions…" the aviary creature pipped. We all looked at it, "What? You think Jik hasn't fought in mixed battle before?"
"'Nuff said…" Ehle grinned.

I crouched to speak to the aviary creature, "Jik, is it? Can you take us to the medical wing now?"
Jik nodded, "Sure thing! Follow! Follow!"

"Piptik! Me tells you stuff and you not listen! 'Leets got sicks all over place! Find 'leet sicks and clean 'em up! 'TIZ NOT HARD CONCEPT TO GRIP YOU KNOW!"
"Sir! Me no hears you the first times! You not make order clear!"

We walked into the medical wing to the sight of five Grunts, four in orange armour and one in black, obviously the leader, "You never hears orders, Piptik! You never listens to me! What if you was in battle? You be dead in two spats of a pistol!" the leader addressed his four followers, "You all needs to listen to me now. See puddles?" the four of them looked directly down and shook their heads; they were standing in a dry spot, "LOOKIE AT ME YOU NUMB BRAINS!" the leader screeched. I had to shield my eardrums to keep them from collapsing, "VAMAT!"
"WHAT?!" the smallest yelled, throwing down a soiled rag and pointing, "ME FOUNDS A MESS!"
"DID ME TELLS YOU TO WIPE IT?!" the leader growled, face to face with the one named Vamat, "NO! SO NO WIPEY!"
"STOP YELLING AT ME!" Vamat cried out and pushed the leader down. He flailed on his back and grunted obscenities while Vamat stomped past us.

Jik took him by his shoulder, "WHAT?! Oh… Jik, hi…"
"Vamat?" Jik soothed.
"Dikdik is a poo face…" he muttered and Ehle began to laugh, "Shut up, 'leet!" Ehle stopped laughing, "He learn his tempers from your type!"
"Vamat! Be nice!" Jik helped up the black armoured Grunt, "These 'leets are nice so be nice to them." Jik watched as Vamat kicked Dikdik in the head, "Vamat! That includes him!" there were sounds of disgruntled struggles as Jik helped Dikdik from the ground, "Dikdik, be nice too…?"
"Fine… but tell Vamat me no speaky to him now…" Dikdik folded his arms and looked away indignantly.
Jik sighed, "He's right here… tell him yourse--"
"Tell him!"
"Jik, tell Dikdik, he is a poo face…" Vamat said indifferently.
Jik looked to Vamat, "But he's just…"
"Tell Vamat he eats poo…"
"Dikdik! You said you'd be nice!" Jik growled back to him.
Dikdik pointed at Vamat angrily, "He started it!"
"I don't care! You contin--"
"Jik, tell Dikdik he IS poo…"

"Ooooohhh!" the surrounding grunts all stared at Dikdik, as if the argument had finished him. The argument seemed to have been won.
Until…

"Jik, tell Vamat…" Dikdik searched for words, "… that… he… piddles his self!!!" he finished triumphantly.
Jik slapped herself in the forehead, "By the Rings…"

"But Vamat already knows that!" the one named Piptik interjected, "Heh, me remembers yesterday! Weeee-wee-wee-wee-weeeee!"
He proceeded to hold himself around the groin and dance in a circle while his two comrades joined in after him, singing, "We needs to pee! We needs to pee! Wee-wee-wee! Wee-wee-wee!"

Jik narrowed her eyes to the three, "Piptik, Nanik, Mazap!" she slammed a foot down on the floor making them stop dancing, "Shut UP!" she glared icily around at every halfling in the room, "Anyone not s'posed to be here, get out!" she thrust a talon in the direction of the door, "Exchange Seraphs leave in one hour, if you all aren't ready for dispatch, by the Rings these 'leets will eat you!"
The Grunts in the room squealed and scuttled out of the medical wing, all except a couple remained. One of which was Vamat. He slowly approached Jik and braved a touch to her feathered shoulder, "Jik okay?" he asked timidly, "Me no wanty her to be mad…"

"Jik's a girl?" Ehle croaked, "I thought they didn't let girls in the Covenant?"
"Not 'leets." Jik replied, taking a seat on the floor between two large puddles of unmentionable substance, "Jackals though, Prophets gave up trying to figure out sex with them a long time ago."
"You don't get discriminated against at all?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"Nup. Most of the time not even other Jackals know Jik is female…" Jik replied. I noticed she never addressed herself as 'I', she only spoke in the third person. I made a mental note of this and decided that perhaps the Kig-Yar never fully learned how to speak the native Covenant dialect correctly.

I decided not to think any more on speech impediment and my mind wandered back to training, "Jik, can you tell me more about Eayan? It would be nice to know more about where I'm to spend my next level of training before utilising the terrain."
Jik began to stare at the floor, "It's pretty, that's all you need to know…" she was quick to change the subject, "Your friend doesn't look too crash hot… lay him down over there and put a wet compress on his head…"

Ehle and Doxo assisted me, placing Jurdo down on the table Jik had pointed out while I dampened a towel to place over his forehead. Vamat climbed onto the table and looked Jurdo over, pressing him in various places on his feverish body, "Vamat! Stop that!"

"Hey, Jik? Any idea what may have caused such a bad reaction to the flight in here?" Doxo inquired. Jik shook her head gravely.
"Excessive consumption of protein supplements will do it… was it his first flight?"

I turned around and met with a broad-shouldered Sangheili warrior wearing some sort of rawhide body armour. He was looking over Jurdo with apprehension.

"It was…" Doxo answered, "Zyrra's and Ehle's too, so what?"
"How many drinks had they consumed the night before?" the Elite asked.
"I had about three, Zee headed off after half o' one… Jurdo was up long after I was though…" Ehle recalled.
"Protein poisoning…" came a grim reply, "The G-forces during the flight acted like one big centrifuge. His erythrocytes have separated from his leucocytes and the excess proteins have attached to the unprotected oxygenated cells, leaving no room for oxygen to attach to them and be transported around his body." He took Jurdo by the hand and felt his pulse, "It's only temporary but it may cause muscle death in some areas…"
"But isn't protein s'posed to be good for muscle growth?" Ehle asked, cocking his head to the side, "Just give him some more to drink, solve the muscle death like that!" he snapped his fingers.
"Oh, no, we can't do that." He placed Jurdo's hand back down on the table and poured some cool water over his chest. Jurdo's breathing was steady but he was clearly not feeling well, "What he has thrown up – I'm assuming he has by the smell of him – was mostly partially digested protein supplement. It isn't a symptom of the centrifugal treatment, it's just motion sickness he's feeling in his gut. The fever, however, is. His body is slowly suffocating. Adding more protein will only infect more of his erythrocytes, disallowing any oxygen to reach his muscles. I'm afraid he may lose an entire limb if left untreated and I haven't a clue how to cure him…"

I took Jurdo by his hand and squeezed it, "Come on, Jurdo, hang in there… you've worked so hard to get this far! You can't just throw it away…"
Jurdo coughed a laugh, "Zyrra, there is no way I'm gonna let some bug kick me in the… wherever…" I smiled, "… I did a course in medicine before joining Gura's band of merry monsters… listen carefully and you'll be able to help me out…" he leaned closer, "… Mr. Broad-shoulders should be able to find the things you need, ask him for a tank of pure oxygen; it will help to flush my body of the impure blood…"

I looked up at the new face, "Excuse me er…"
"… Ziuaghi…"
"Ziuaghi, can you find me a tank of pure oxygen? Jurdo says he needs it."
The Elite nodded and produced a small capsule-shaped metal container and a face-mask, "Here…"

Jurdo motioned for me to place the mask over his mouth. I did so and he breathed in the gas as deeply as he could. Ehle, Doxo, Jik and Vamat all watched as Ziuaghi and I kept tabs of Jurdo's vital signs.
"Zyrra…" Jurdo drowsed, "… I'm going to fall asleep for a while… the pure oxygen is making me sleepy…"
I nodded, "Do you want us to take you onto the transport?"
"Please…" Jurdo uttered a laugh before relaxing completely.

I looked up at the others, "Well? You heard the boy. Ehle, Doxo, take that end of the stretcher, Ziuaghi, you help me out with this end. Jik and Vamat, you two are our scouts. If you see anyone, tell us, alright? We don't want to have any collisions." They both saluted and exited the ward in two directions,

"Clear!" Jik called from one end of the hall.
"Clear!" Vamat called from the other.
"Alright… on three…" Ziuaghi ordered, "One… two… three… "
We each lifted our respective ends and carried Jurdo out to the landing where a collaboration of Unggoy, Kig-Yar and Sangheili had joined with half a horde of Yanm'ee and two dozen Lekgolo. They weren't arranged in any particular fashion but our small group seemed to be the only mixed-species ensemble to be seen.
"Time to get onboard!" Jik called from a ramp leading into a brilliantly lit Seraph, "Got a place for Jurdo to rest up the back here!"

Each of us followed and carefully placed him down, then, after checking him over again and establishing that he was recovering, Ziuaghi, Doxo, Ehle and I each took a seat on either side of Jurdo's stretcher. Vamat eventually ventured on-board after we heard more Unggoy obscenities and throwing of blunt objects outside - he had obviously payed his instructor a visit before boarding – and then Nanik, Mazap and Piptik followed him along with some other nameless Grunts.

Then came the Kig-Yar, noisy and bickering. I noticed Jik lower her head as one walked by with a trimmed scarlet crest. I heard her mutter, "Riko…" as he sat down beside her and folded his arms.

"Hey, Ziuaghi?" I asked, feeling a new concern bubble inside of me.
"Hmm?" He leaned over to hear me over the deep hum of the Seraph's energy cells.
"Wouldn't another trip in a Seraph hinder Jurdo's recovery?"
My gut turned when I saw him nod, "It could quite possibly make his illness worse…"
I gulped, "… marvellous…"

"Don't worry, Zyrra. Jurdo may be a nut, but he's a tough nut. He wouldn't let this travelling thing beat him down, and besides, he's thrown up most of that excess protein already! He can't possibly absorb any more." Ehle assured, giving my shoulder a light rub, "Chin up, he'll be fine!"
I hope you're right…" I replied as the Seraph rose.

"Attention passengers, this is your pilot speaking…" came a voice over the intercom in the Seraph, "We are now in bare and open space, if you at all feel the need to vomit, please utilise the chutes either side of the exit… you may now remove your harnesses."
Upon this announcement several Grunts made a beeline for the chutes. "We will be in flight for approximately forty hours so make yourselves comfortable and I'll provide updates on travel progress every two hours or so." I unclipped my own harness and stretched out on the floor, "I'll warn passengers an hour before touchdown. Enjoy the trip and good day."

Ehle lowered himself down beside me and rested on his stomach, "Four months of intense training, one week of intense waiting and one day of intense events… when I signed up for this, I never imagined it would be like this…"
"Me neither…" I replied, "… my whole vision of the future, of where I am now, it didn't involve other individuals. I didn't think I would ever view males as kind and caring people…"
"Ah, you've been through a tough bout, Zee…" Ehle patted me roughly on the head, "I'd be willing to give my life for you, I'm that damn caring!"

"We all would, Zyrra." Doxo agreed, "It's the way of the Covenant, valour, truth, virtue, they all make a warrior. All of those who have not shown these qualities during Guild training have not been permitted to higher training."
"Ah,well, I'm gonna catch the Banshee to Snoozeville… next stop…" Ehle yawned and trailed off.

"… home…" Jik finished quietly.

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