- Wolverfrog
- |
- Fabled Legendary Member
As I promised, here is Part 19, delivered speedilyt due to the shortness of Part 18. Thanks for reading it, I appreciate it.~Wolverfrog.
Part 19- Recon
“Yep, definitely got some Covenant down there boss.” Rook commented to Blade as we were lying in the snow.
“You can use binoculars? Wow, just wow.” Switch commented wryly, only to receive a sharp jab from Rook.
We were on the edge of a cliff, watching a frozen waterfall down below. Nearby the tundra was a structure of some sort, definitely not of human origin.
“I don't like the looks of that building Blade, humans didn't build it, that's for sure.” Rook sounded worried.
“Well, maybe the Covenant did, how the hell should I know?”
I was concerned too, the structure looked alien to me, but at the same time ancient.
“Wait, two of the Sanghelli are speaking now, we need to find out what there saying, Farm-Boy, hop to it.” Blade breathed through his sniper scope.
“What, why me?” I asked worriedly.
“Because I said so, you managed to eavesdrop on those aliens before, you have a knack for it.”
“Yeah, and I got captured nearly straight away, if it wasn't for Rook, I'd be dead!”
Blade muttered something about technicalities, then, raising his voice, ordered me down near the waterfall.
“Besides.” He said over the intercom as I clambered down the rock face. “If anything does happen, we all have sniper rifles, and we'll help you out.”
“Okay, I'm going I'm going, sheesh.” I retorted.
Nearing closer, I could begin to hear some of the conversation between the two Sanghelli.
“...I don't know friend, I just don't trust the Jiralhanae, not after what happened to Garthus.” One of them said.
“But the Prophets believe they are useful, and besides, they hold no real power in the Covenant”.
“Not at the moment, but think for a second. A few months back, and the Jiralhanae would have been tasked with cleaning our boots, now, the Prophets have inaugurated them into our military. And you heard about what the Brute did to Garthus, mauled him right inside the holy temple, yet no punishment was given to him by the Prophets.”
They were both silent for a moment, I was also trying to be as quiet as I could behind the rock. Then the other Sangehli spoke.
“Indeed, things have taken a change for a worse since the Minister of Fortitude replaced the high Prophet of Restraint. I'm not sure how it happened, although I suspect the name Truth is a misnomer, as I believe he has lied to us all.”
“Wait, an Unngoy approaches, you know how talkative they are, best be quiet for now.”
One of the small members of the Covenant stumbled into view. My heart soared, I had discovered the name of another species in their faction.
“What is it Grunt? Is my combat armour clean yet?”
“Yyyyes most revered Zealot, I have cleaned it to the best of my abilities!” The small alien had a squeaky, piping voice, and sounded out of place amongst the more sombre aliens.
The Sanghelli smirked.
“It's probably still tainted by war then, knowing your ability, never mind, come Tyrannous, we shall resume this conversation elsewhere.”
The two Sanghelli stalked off, leaving the Unngoy, or Grunt, or whatever it was alone in the mouth of the structure.
“....Grab him” Blade's voice sounded unexpectedly over the communications channel.
“What?” I replied, confused.
“Grab the small alien, and bring him up to me for interrogation.” Came his impatient reply.
“But...” I began.
“Just do it Farm-Boy, it's only about 5 foot tall, even smaller than you.”
Steeling myself, I drew my knife from it's sheath, and crept over to the Grunt, grabbing it from behind. The stench was overwhelming.
“OK, I don't want you to make a single sound, just head up that hill there in front of me, I'll be close behind you, you even blink, and I'll cut you up.” I growled aggressively, emulating Rook when he was in a bad mood, or Blade when he was in a good one.
It worked, and giving an involuntary squeal of fright, the Grunt began to walk up the hill to the rest of my squad.
When we reached the top, Blade took over, and walked towards the alien, bending down to it's level..
“So friend, I take it you speak a civilised tongue?” He said in a surprisingly kind demeanour.
“I speak your crude language human, as does everyone in The Glorious Covenant.”
Then Rook came over.
“Okay you little bastard, you'd better start squealing, or we're gonna send you back down there in pieces.” He shouted angrily, getting right into the terrified Unngoy's face.
“Whoa there Rook, this fellah can be reasonable, can't you?” He asked the Grunt, still kindly.
I groaned loudly, they were trying the good cop bad cop routine on an alien.
“Okay Blade” Rook said reluctantly, but like he was reading from a script. “But if he tries anything funny, he gets it.”
“This guy understands, don't you?” Blade asked the Grunt, who was by now incredibly confused.
“Now, we just want to ask you some questions, that's all. Then, if you behave, we might let you go.”
I knew there was little chance of that. The ONI dissection lab was where this guy was heading.
“Right” Began Blade. “First things first, why did The Covenant attack humanity?”
“Bbbecause the Prophets told us to.” The Grunt stuttered out.
“Who are the Prophets?” Blade asked the small alien.
“They are the ones who will begin the Great Journey, and when it begins, all you humans will be left to burn in hell!.” The Unngoy said, his confidence rising. A few threats from Rook brought it down a notch or two.
I was impressed by how the interrogation was going so far, we seemed to be gathering a lot of information.
“What is the name of your species?”
“The Prophets designate us as Unngoy, but the Elites just call us Grunts.”
“Who are the Elites?”
“They are also known as the Sanghelli, they lead the military of the Covenant.”
“So your faction is comprised of different castes then, with the Grunts at the bottom, Elites in the middle, and the Prophets at the top?”
“Yes, but there are other species that fill the gaps between them too.”
This was making my head spin, I was getting an information overload.
“What are you doing down at the waterfall?”
“There is a Prophet inside researching the Forerunner ruins”.
“Who are the Forerunners?”
“Our Gods, of course.”
“What do you mean?”
“When we embark on the great journey, the sacred rings shall send us to meet with the forerunners, and we shall live there in harmony for all eternity.”
“What is this great journey you keep talking about.”
I could tell from the look on the Grunts face that the alien had realised it had revealed too much. Before I could stop it, it reached inside it's armour, brought out a small plasma weapon, and shot itself in the head.
“Damn it, I forgot to disarm him, what an idiot I am!” Blade cursed in a colourful wave of vocabulary.
“No arguments there” Rook agreed.
“Shut up Rook, well, whatever this Great Journey is, it seems important. Maybe we'll find out more later on.”
“We'd best get out of here before the Elite wonders where his Armour polisher has got to.”
“You're right, Switch, signal for evac from a Pelican, we've gotta helluva lot to report to Larce.”
I couldn't help but marvel at how the Grunt had died for what it believed in, despite the harsh treatment it received at the hands of the Elites. It made me wonder, If I was faced with such a choice, could I ever sacrifice myself?
[Edited on 02.04.2009 5:34 PM PST]