- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
The End of a War
Chapter 10
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Janissary James felt her dreams slip away and slowly be replaced with cold harsh reality. She whimpered as a resonating pounding sounded off in her skull. Trying her best to remain perfectly still she dimly noted that she was lying on something.
Oh God, it feels like I’ve been listening to one of Jersey’s crappy ‘Flip’ albums. Why the hell did I refuse to take the helmet back on Cairo? I’ll be lucky if I don’t have a cracked skull.
After a few moments she realized she still had her eyes clenched shut, and experimentally opened them a fraction of the way. A ceiling filled her vision, along with strange lighting. It was a far different design than she remembered seeing back on Cairo station, in fact it looked almost alien.
Now why the hell does that thought make me on edge? she groaned mentally. Moreover, why am I getting the feeling that something’s wrong?
A memory flashed through her mind, one of her clutching weakly to the Master Chief’s arm and begging him not to leave her. Jan flushed slightly, wondering how she would explain that to the Spartan later.
Her musings were cut short however when a chattering noise off to the side caught her attention. Craning her neck slowly to the right, Jan felt her breath get hitched in her throat.
“You awake now?” the small Grunt asked, standing no more than six inches from her. It watched, perplexed, as the human girl looked shocked and then angry. Had the creature anymore time to consider why the girl might have been angry, it most likely would have moved out of the way when Jan leapt from the medical compartment and delivered a strong roundhouse kick. The Grunt wailed as it skidded across the medical bay, knocking over tables and other devices before it was stopped by the far wall.
Jan had picked up a small device that looked as if it were some kind of scalpel, and was advancing on the Grunt even before it had time to scramble to it’s feet.
“Wait! Me not your enemy!”
“Shut it!” Jan shouted. “Where’s the Master Chief? What did you freaks do to him?”
She’d gotten within a few feet of the Grunt when a new voice sounded in the chamber.
“Put the knife down girl, the only danger that little guy poses is to your shins, and I’ve never seen them capable of kicking before.”
The decidedly human touch to the voice made Jan pause, turning slightly to gaze at another medical table. A large muscular Marine was sprawled out on it, and Jan recognized him immediately. He had been at the televised awards ceremony with the Master Chief on Cairo station.
“You mind telling me what you’re doing here?” the Marine asked, his voice was gruff and Jan could tell an order when she heard one. “Last time I checked the only humans on this ship were me and the Commander, so unless you sprouted wings and flew here, than there’s gotta be an explanation.”
“My names Jan, Janissary James,” she said, sputtering slightly under the Marines intense gaze. “I’m not too sure how I got here, the Master Chief said the Covenant picked up our escape pod, but the next thing I know I’m lying on an operating bed waiting for some Grunt to start dissecting me.”
The Marine grunted, even as a smirk worked its way onto his face.
“You were with the Chief?” Jan nodded, and the Marine continued, “So I presume you’re a Marine as well, though you look a little young.”
“I’m not a Marine,” Jan replied. “And I’m seventeen by the way.”
“Huh, too young to join the Corps,” the Marine paused. “A Navy tech?”
Jan shook her head, “I’m not in the military buddy, and now that I’ve answered some of your questions could you maybe answer one of mine. Like why are you on a Covenant ship and why have we not been killed yet?”
The Marine laughed even as he shifted uncomfortably, and Jan noticed him wince when he moved his right side.
“I suppose the Master Chief didn’t tell you, but things are strange in the Covenant now. The Elites, Hunters, and Grunts have been kicked out, meaning we’ve got a temporary alliance in the works here. I also don’t think kicking that little guy was very nice given the circumstances.”
Jan found herself somewhat embarrassed and turned around to apologize to the Grunt, only to see it had passed out.
“You gave it quite a scare with that knife,” the Marine commented. “I don’t think even a normal Marine wouldn’t have pissed himself seeing you come at them like that. Where’d you learn those moves?”
“I’ve had a few good teachers in my time,” Jan grinned. She was about to elaborate when the Marine’s face suddenly contorted with agony and he fell back against the table, swearing roughly. Before Jan could rush to his side, an alarm sounded and a pair of side doors slid open, revealing a squad of unarmed Grunts, who began a series of checks on the control systems in front of the Marine. A long mechanical arm appeared from underneath the table and something akin to a syringe was produced. It administered a shot to the Marine, who immediately lost consciousness.
A lone Grunt broke away from the action surrounding the Marine and trotted over to Jan.
“Human Commander say when girl wake for her to see her. She on bridge, you want me to take?” the creature asked in broken English. Jan shook her head, mentally noting that when not in combat the Grunts could look quite cute.
“I’m sure I can find it on my own,” she replied, shooting one last look at the Marine before exiting the medical bay. Without any real knowledge of where she was going, Jan hung a right and walked down a long corridor, populated with several groups of Grunts and Elites. As she approached they cleared a way for her, even the Elites, who watched her with intense eyes. The Marine fatigues she wore seemed to make her stand out more than she normally would, which made her slightly uneasy.
The corridor soon emptied into a large network of crossways, leading off in several different directions. Jan stopped and glanced around, wondering if perhaps declining the Grunt’s offer had been a wise choice. The ships architecture was confusing to say the least, and her experience navigating ships was somewhere on the low-end of the spectrum.
As she was about to turn back and ask one of the Elites she saw earlier where the bridge was, a resounding crash echoed down from one of the corridors. Curiosity got the better of her and she turned down the corridor, approaching the open doors that led into an enormous chamber. Before she could enter, a pair of voices caught her attention.
“-lieve that the Flood leader was aboard this vessel ever since the parasite arrived on High Charity. It had accessed the ships schematics and your Construct has informed me that it learned of the location of your home world, as well as ours.”
The Master Chief and an Elite were standing near the door of the chamber, facing the other end. Several Hunters were clearing away rubble that looked like it came from the upper deck. The Spartan and the Elite weren’t facing each other, but Jan could see that both soldiers looked tense.
“I checked in on Sergeant Johnson before speaking with Cortana,” the Chief said, his voice belaying an underlying tone of apprehension. “Is there any other way we can confirm he killed Gravemind?”
The Elite in the strange armor shook his head. “Honor Without Mercy’s security systems were somehow bypassed by the parasite, any recordings we may have been able to analyze were destroyed. Regardless of whether or not the parasite survived, it is no longer aboard this ship.”
Jan inched closer to the door, and saw that the Hunters were now using their fuel rod guns and firing constant streams of concentrated radiation down into the collapsed deck. As the Hunters continued their work, an uneasy silence descended on the pair of soldiers.
“Is the Prophet of Truth dead?’ the Elite suddenly asked. Jan noticed the Master Chief pause slightly before responding.
“No, I destroyed the Forerunner artifact he carried with him and it triggered an explosion. I’m not sure what happened but I was thrown off the ship and before it could be destroyed, it entered Slip Space. I intercepted several transmissions from the Covenant fleet before it was destroyed, one of which was a series of coordinates. Once were back on Earth, we’ll be able to analyze them closely and determine exactly where they lead.”
Something close to a sigh was emitted by the Elite, and Jan saw his shoulders bunch up.
“I do not wish for those aboard this ship to be killed once we land on your planet Demon,” the Elite said. The Master Chief finally turned and looked at him.
“Cortana has informed the defenses that we’re not under Covenant control, they won’t open fire when we approach,” the Spartan explained, somewhat confused. The Elite gave the Master Chief a hard glare in response.
“We are warriors Demon,” the Elite snarled. “Do not pretend you are unaware of how your people view us. I have witnessed the extermination and cleansing of many planets your kind inhabited. Millions of humans wiped out as we burn their bodies into ash. What about you Demon, we murdered the other members of your unit on Reach.”
The Spartan had turned fully to regard the Elite, and Jan saw his right hand flex slightly. The motion didn’t fail to catch the Elite’s notice either.