Damn you are good!

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Wolverfrog [quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Matt Eddy how can you write three stories at the same time?[/quote] I often ask myself the same question XD Did anyone notice the latest part of Insurrection? It's pretty good, if I may say so myself. [url=http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=31052475&viewreplies=true&postRepeater1-p=9#36752357]Linky.[/url] Witness the return of an old, annoying friend. Ho hum.[/quote]This ^^

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Matt Eddy how can you write three stories at the same time?[/quote] I often ask myself the same question XD Did anyone notice the latest part of Insurrection? It's pretty good, if I may say so myself. [url=http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=31052475&viewreplies=true&postRepeater1-p=9#36752357]Linky.[/url] Witness the return of an old, annoying friend. Ho hum.

how can you write three stories at the same time? i cudnt even write one! anyway.......im loving this new one your doing cant wait for more

This series is my personal favorite, Good work.

Thanks you two, it's lovely to come home after a taxing day of school to find new comments. Also, it's good to hear you stayed Teamkill.

This is your best work yet my friend. I like how you showed pete's sympathy for sorran. Keep it up :) PS (Change of heart due to outside encouragement)

Very brilliant how you added Lord of the Rings into the mix, one of my favorite novels, not to mention motion pictures. Also, another reference in here that reminded me of Lord of the Rings was when Zharn felt reluctant to hand the Ahrkin the blade. Kind of reminded me when Samwise hesitated to hand the ring back to Frodo. [Edited on 09.06.2009 5:11 PM PDT]

"That Elite we've got banged is a nutter, punched the Sarge in the gut he did!" the first human spoke in a heavy accent. "Yeah, well, the poor thing was kind of being abused Harry." the second human replied. "'Poor thing'!" the human named Harry exclaimed, crowing with laughter, "that's an Elite mate. They're the enemy, remember?" "Yeah, I know, it's just that it looked so pathetic snivelling and bawling like that. Besides, it says it used to be a Librarian or something." "We're not allowed to drink on duty Richard, remember?" Harry mocked, whilst Zharn drew ever closer to the one named Richard. "I've not been drinking! I'm being serious, jeez man stop being a --" Richard never had a chance to complete his sentence however, for at the moment Zharn struck, landing a heavy blow on the side of the man's head with his plasma rifle. The human collapsed instantly, dead or alive Zharn did not know. The other human, Harry, swore when he saw Zharn's camouflage fade as a result of the attack, but he could not cry for help, for at that moment, Ahkrin sprang into action, jumped upon the human, covering his mouth with one large hand, and, reaching down, broke Harry's neck with one fluid motion. The silent screaming ended. "Nice move." Zharn complimented Ahkrin, looking down at the two bodies. Ahkrin pointed down at the human Zharn had felled; Richard. "Is this one dead?" Ahkrin whispered. "I don't know." Zharn confessed. Ahkrin took one look at the human lying on the ground, raised his plasma rifle, and shot the body twice in the head, melting it into a puddle of fleshy liquid. "It is now." Zharn didn't like the way Ahkrin had handled that. He had no problem killing human, by no means, but killing one in cold blood, whilst it lay on the ground, unconscious; there was no honour to be found in that. Still, they had a mission to complete, and so he forced the unpleasant thought out of his mind. "Where now Ahkrin?" Zharn asked of the other Sangheili, who was checking the corpses for a pulse, just in case. Thorough bastard. "Can you not read the sign above Zharn?" Ahkrin jested, motioning upwards. Human letters were wrote upon a green, luminous board. "Those are not Forerunner glyphs brother." Zharn stated bluntly. "Your point being?" "I cannot understand them." Ahkrin froze in disbelief, and rose up from his corpse checking duties. He turned towards Zharn. "Truly? Gods, what do you learn when you become an officer of the Covenant then? All Stealth Sangheili are taught to fluently speak and read the languages of every known species." "Even that of the Huragok?" "Yes, but it is by far the hardest. Sangheili throats are not made for making all those chirps and whistles. More often than not, we use sign language when communing with them." Zharn scowled, painfully aware that his own education was...lacking. No doubt Sorran was as educated as Ahkrin, being the scholar he was. "We can discuss this later. Tell me what the letters say, and let us be on our way." Zharn ordered, despite the fact he and Ahkrin's rank amounted to the same. "Hmph, very well. It reads "Detention block A", with an arrow pointing down the ramp on your right." "And do you think Sorran could be down there?" Zharn replied earnestly. "It's wholly possible. Come, let us go. Re-engage your camouflage." They both moved swiftly down the ramp, which was painful to traverse with Zharn's hoofed feet. Cameras died as they moved past them, as a result of Ahkrin's jammer. They would have to move quickly, it wouldn't be long until the humans realised something was wrong. They reached a dark corridor at the end of the ramp, where a large steel door barred their path into a room, likely where the cells were kept. "Is it open?" Zharn questioned, knowing the answer already. A quick try of the door and shake of the head by Ahkrin confirmed his suspicions. "Nay, and there are no weak spots either. We cannot blast the door off with a standard rifle. Thankfully, I have with my a set of plasma grenades. Stand back." Ahkrin brought out three plasma grenades, and gently laid them by the steel door. The small explosives were extremely powerful when detonated, in spite of their size. Ahkrin moved away from the door, and hit a switch on his arm. The grenades sparked into life, and began hissing. ************************ "I'm calling it a night Tom, good luck guarding the deadly prisoner." The fair skinned human mocked, closing shut his book. The dark skinned one, Tom, laughed. "Alright Pete, but tomorrow, you're staying up." Tom called as his friend Pete walked towards the metal door leading out of Detention Block A. Those words would be the last words Pete would ever hear. For at that moment, the heavy steel door exploded in a cloud of plasma, incinerating the human named Pete on the spot. Sorran sprung out of his bed at the commotion, and moved towards the cell door. "What the hell?" Tom screamed, firing randomly into the cloud of plasma. Moments later, plasma fire rained back, which Sorran identified to be issued from a standard plasma rifle. The superheated bolts burned through Tom's stomach, and he fell to the floor, writhing in a pool of his own blood and stomach acid. Two tall figures came into Sorran's view, familiar ones. "Ah, Sorran, I trust you've been keeping well." Zharn laughed, gripping the cell door with Ahkrin the Stealth Sangheili, ripping the heavy door from it's hinges, a feat Sorran could have never done alone, especially in his weakened state. "You...came for me?" Sorran questioned, confused that they would so such a thing for him. Him! "We never leave a needy brother behind." Ahkrin grunted, tossing the door away, and reaching out for Sorran's arm, hoisting him onto the floor beside him. Sorran felt a rush of weakness, and nearly collapsed to the floor there and then. Before he did though, Zharn caught him in his hands, slinging the Sangheili Minor over his back. "I see the humans haven't been under feeding you Sorran." Zharn commented wryly under the bulk of his weight. Sorran didn't reply, he was too tired. "We must leave, now. The humans will no doubt of heard the explosion." Ahkrin stated, alert for danger. "Then leave we shall. How do you propose we do this?" Zharn replied, worried. "The back wall looks weak, perhaps we can force our way out." Zharn grunted in confirmation, passing the limp Sorran over to his friend. He then walked to the wall, braced himself, and hurled his weight against it. Cracks were formed. After repeating the process twice, the wall finally gave, and Zharn burst through to the outside. Alarms were now whirring across the human base, and the barks of dogs could distinctly be heard. Escaping wasn't going to be easy.

Well thank you. Here's part seven, it's nice and long. Enjoy, and please comment. [b] Part Seven - Covert Extraction[/b] Sorran paced up and down the small room, stretching his ached legs. His jaw had swollen up, as a result of the 'interrogation', and his teeth dug into the lining of his puffed up gums. Luckily, Sangheili were quick healers, the wound would go down soon enough. That didn't stop it hurting at that moment though. An ugly bruise had arisen on the side of his waist, from where he had been kicked. The humans truly were barbarians. Two of the infidels stood posted outside the metal bars of the cell, each armed with one of their primitive weapons. Crude as they were though, they were still powerful enough to kill an unshielded soldier of the Covenant. For the first time since being drafted into the legions of the Covenant forces, Sorran missed having a plasma rifle, or any weapon for that matter, at his side. The Sangheili felt defenceless, weak, vulnerable. Which, Sorran reflected, he was. He looked closely at the two humans. One was dark skinned, with short hair and green eyes, the other fair skinned, with what seemed like hair to be growing on it's face, much in the same way of the Prophets, and Brutes. They seemed to both be male, quite young too, if Sorran's observations of human age were anything to go by. The dark skinned one was at full attention it seemed, watching me with narrowed eyes, his finger perpetually resting on the trigger. As if he were a threat in this condition, hah! The other human seemed to be sat on a chair of sorts, brow furrowed in concentration and eyes trained on an object in his hands, with human writing plastered all over it's papery surface. Sorran was intrigued. "What is it that you are doing human?" The Elite asked softly, walking to the edge of the cell, so he was close to the barred, steel door. The human looked up from the object in his hand startled, with a questioning look upon his face. He then noticed that Sorran was looking at what he held in his left hand now, and comprehension dawned upon him. "I'm ah...reading, Lord of the Rings." the human replied, confused by Sorran's interest. This surprised Sorran. It was obvious, now that he thought about it, that some humans could read; despite how primitive they were in the Covenant's eyes, they still possessed some impressive technology. Naturally they would write instructions down. "Can every human read?" Sorran asked, curiosity piqued. "Well, yeah, basically everyone. We're not idiots you know." This revelation shocked him; whilst it was true that most Sangheili and practically all the Prophets could read, the lower classes such as the Unggoy, Kig yar, and even the Jirahanae were taught but a few runes. Knowledge was power, and the higher races of the Covenant, especially the Sangheili did not want them to have power. That the humans considered it normal to read was an alien concept. Before Sorran could reply with another question, the dark skinned human chose then to speak. "Enough chit chat!" he barked at the battered Elite, who slunk away from the cell door, disappointed. The human then turned to the fair skinned one who had been reading, "come on man, you know what the Colonel said. 'No speaking to the Elite', I believe his words were." "Yeah, I know. My bad." "I didn't know you liked all that fantasy crap by the way." "Crap? It's Tolkien man, it's a classic." "It's like, six hundred years old!" "So? It's still great." [i]So I wasn't to be spoken to?[/i] Sorran thought to himself. Interesting, although not surprising. Indeed, if he had held a human captive, he would have forbidden any but him to speak to it. Despite the danger Sorran was in, he was growing extremely bored. He could not sleep, the pain in his jaw and side saw to that. Units passed in the cell. What was it that the humans named units? Ah yes, 'hours.' Regardless of the name, they passed. ********************************* "The exit is barred Ahkrin!" Zharn hissed to his companion, who was behind him in the ventilation shaft. The two Sangheili had made it into the base where Sorran was held captive, yet they had run into a problem. "That's a rather large thorn in our side." Ahkrin replied dryly, peering over Zharn's shoulder, "well noble Zharn Refun'ee, what is your plan?" "I cannot break the bars hunched as I am. There is not enough room to apply real force. I could melt the bars with my rifle." "No! That would not be wise, the humans would hear the shots. Here, use my energy blade." Ahkrin snapped back instantly, reaching his arm around Zharn, the inscribed hit of the plasma blade offered in his outstretched hand. Zharn grimaced at the blade, and turned his head around to face Ahkrin. "It is not permitted for one of my rank to use such a weapon my brother. The council, would have my head." the Sangheili Major lectured, pushing the hand holding the hilt away. "Do not be foolish Zharn, the council need not know! Just cut the bars, and hand back the sword. I would do it myself, yet I cannot reach from where I am, nor can I move past you. Just take the blade." Ahkrin intoned, shoving the hilt of the sacred blade into Zharn's reluctant hand. It was a strange custom, but none below the rank of Zealot were permitted to use the holy Energy Blade, designed by the Forerunners themselves. The only exclusion from this rule was that of the Stealth Sangheili's, and Spec Ops operatives needs. Which was why Ahkrin possessed such a weapon. Heresy though it may be, Zharn took the weapon, and activated it. A sharp crack rung through the air as the plasma protruded, shaped by the magnetic boundaries around it. Had even this been witnessed by a councillor, Zharn would be in shackles. The weapon sung of purity and honour, even as it was lowered by Zharn onto the metal bars of the grill excluding the two Sangheili from the confines of the base. It cut through easily, leaving the severed ends of the bars a searing mess. Zharn slightly pushed, and the grill opened enough for the two to fit through. "Was that so hard brother? Come, pass me my blade back, and let us go on." Ahkrin said then, and for a moment Zharn felt a rush of irrational jealousy. Why should this sneaking, dishonourable bungler be allowed to use a weapon of the gods when he, Zharn, he who had won countless battles in the glorious Covenant's name was forbidden to even hold it? The jealousy subsided after a moment, however, and Zharn was left feeling very foolish. Wordlessly, he passed the sword over to Ahkrin with no little reluctance, and moved through the exit of the shaft, dropping some eight feet to the ground below, with elegant grace. The Stealth Sangheili followed the Major's suit, surveying the room. "And now?" Zharn demanded, looking helplessly around the small room they had dropped in. Human computers were stored in the corner, devoid of activity. A ornate clock hung in the room, it's pendulum rocking back and forth. A single human fan stood, blowing cold air into the small enclosure. It was all very mundane. "I've infiltrated human bases before, they usually have their detention blocks on the ground floor. Follow my lead, and stay plastered to my tracks." Ahkrin intoned, bringing a small device out from his belt as he did so. Zharn recognised it as an Electronics jammer, used by stealth operatives. Once activated, it would send out a signal, knocking out all electronic surveillance items in the area. Zharn engaged his active camouflage, as did Ahkrin. The humans may be able to detect it with a heat sensor, but it was still well worth using. Stealth at the expense of slightly weakened shields. The Sangheili Major approached the wooden door of the room's exit, and, grasping the small handle, opened it slightly ajar, to reveal an empty corridor. "All is clear." Zharn whispered over a secure communications link, derived from Forerunner technology. His voice would be undetectable to all but Ahkrin. "Then proceed brother, unless you consider yourself inept." Ahkrin mocked, amusement evident in his voice. Zharn scowled, and moved into the narrow stretch of corridor, wary of danger. Ahkrin followed up, sniffing the air before them. "Humans have been here recently, and behold, fresh footprints scatter the floor. Hurry onward, this area is patrolled frequently." Ahkrin reported, and Zharn took the Stealth operatives advise, heading down a flight of stairs on the left. The Sangheili Major suddenly paused when he heard murmuring -- human voices around the corner. [Edited on 09.06.2009 3:33 PM PDT]

I mean't human as in I can understand what they are talking about and they use reason and have emotions example-a normal elite would have left him to die a "dis-honorable dead" not lauch a reacue attempt I like the way you portray them

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Gunman1208 you always have a way of making elites seem....human [/quote] Really? Damn, that's not good. Unless you meant their emotions being human? I just try to make the speech seem archaic.

you always have a way of making elites seem....human keep up the good work

Nice. Akhrin was very well written.

As ussual i don't have much to say but amazing work :) I cant wait for the next part!

Very nice.

awesome! I think you characterized Ahkrin very well. As ussual, i have no suggestoins for improvement seeing that i can find no way to make it better :)

I love writing this... [b]Part Six - Assessment[/b] Zharn took a long look at the fortress below him, and sighed wearily. Many humans guarded the fortifications, armed and deadly. Active camouflage could only go so far, and the humans did have heat vision technology. Somewhat irritatingly, the camouflage systems actually [i]radiated[/i] heat, rather than masking it. "I take it you have a plan." sounded a familiar voice from behind, making Zharn jump. The edge of the cliff crumbled procariously, causing rock to tumble down to the snow covered gorge below. "How long have you been following me Ahkrin?" Zharn asked dispassionately, not bothering to turn around. This prompted a laugh from the Stealth Sangheili, and Zharn heard the sound of a stealth system deactivating. "Since you left the outpost." "Did you see any other survivors?" "Nay, I did not. So, answer my original question. Do you have a plan?" Zharn sighed, and shrugged. Finally, he turned around and faced Ahkrin. The sight of the Sangheili made Zharn wince. Whilst Ahkrin may have survived the brutal massacre at the outpost, he had not emerged unscathed; a great, ugly scar ran down the side of his face. It looked raw, and painful. "Ah, you noticed my momentum of our encounter with the infidels." Ahkrin commented sardonically, perhaps a little too much so. Stealth operatives could be very cold at times. "How did it happen?" "A human bullet caught me with my shields down; it was all I could do to quickly activate them before it penetrated further." "I'm certain your thick skull would have protected you Ahkrin. "Very amusing Zharn, I'll remember that next time you ask me to save your life." "Save [i]my[/i] life? If I recall correctly, it was I who rescued you from the barrel of a human shotgun back upon Harvest." "And I have rescued you a hundred times since then. Now let us stop bickering like old Councillors, and focus our attention on saving Sorran." Ahkrin reminded Zharn, ending the argument. "I take it you've already scouted the area." Zharn stated. It wasn't a question. "Ah, sometimes I think you know me a little too well brother. Yes, I have scouted." "And?" Zharn pressed. "And what?" Ahkrin replied, and Zharn clenched his jaw in annoyance. "Why must you always be so difficult Ahkrin? What have you discovered?" "Details are very important my friend. Now, to the east of the base, there is a ventilation shaft I noticed. It's a tight fit, but I'm sure with our shields down, we can fit. It should lead us directly inside." Ahkrin explained, and Zharn frowned. "And what do we do once we are inside the belly of the best?" he asked concerned, and Ahkrin smiled. "We improvise. Do not question Zharn, I am the expert of infiltration here. You can try a frontal assault if you wish, I'm sure you'll provide an ample distraction to make my job easier. That is, until you die." Zharn grimaced, and shook his head. "Dying isn't one of my priorities as of now. We shall try your plan, there is no other way." "There's always another way Zharn; finding it is the real challenge." Zharn merely grunted in response to the Stealth Sangheili's frosty demeanour, and checked the battery of his plasma rifle of a way of reassuring himself. It was on 73% charge. Adaquete enough, he could recharge it later. "Let us waste no time, every moment we wait brings closer the chance of Sorran being killed. Lead on to this shaft Ahkrin." Surprisingly, Ahkrin merely shook his head. "No, not now. We shall wait until twilight before striking; the humans see poorly in the darkness, and so we will have the advantage." "Sorran is in danger Ahkrin! We do not take risks where our brothers are concerned." Zharn barked, not wishing to wait. "Are your brains addled? If the humans wanted Sorran dead, then he would be so. As it is, they seem to wish to question him. We have time enough, Zharn, to request reinforcements if we so wished it. Sorran would probably hold. But even I would not risk that, so we shall strike tonight." Ahkrin's rebuke stung Zharn, and he stared at the floor. "Very well, we shall wait. I but pray to the Forerunners that you are right Ahkrin." "When have I ever been wrong?" [Edited on 08.30.2009 4:15 AM PDT]

Thread Saved.

nice work on the story intro, real good stuff do you publish this?

[quote][b]Posted by:[/b] Xd00999 Why is it forrbiden to give away High Charity's name? As far as I can tell that would not cause any security breach because the Covenant does not write the ship names on the hull. BTW another great fan fic![/quote] I think its more of not revealing the name of the Covenant's base of operations. If the name was given away and the UNSC captured a Covenant vessel, they would know what to look for in navigation logs. Otherwise the marines would see the name High Charity in the logs and think it was another common ship.

Because the humans could then actively look for Covenant messages containing the name of High Charity. It would be like a human giving away the name of Earth, until they discovered it in Halo 2 the Covenant didn't know what the our homeworld was named.

Why is it forrbiden to give away High Charity's name? As far as I can tell that would not cause any security breach because the Covenant does not write the ship names on the hull. BTW another great fan fic!

Poor Sorran. I can't wait for the next part to read >.<

"Smart choice freak," one of the marines said smugly. He would not be so smug were he facing Sorran on an open battlefield, him with a sword in hand. "Tell us then, what do you know?" the Ambassador whispered. Gone was the smile, replaced by a frown. Sorran felt afraid. "Human, until but a week ago, I was a librarian upon High--" Sorran stopped himself, realising he had nearly revealed the name of the holy city, "upon a ship in our fleet." he lied "I know little of the Covenant's plans." "A librarian? Hard to imagine you stacking books you monster," the same aggressive marine taunted, and Sorran growled a warning. The human was beginning to try his patience. "What is your rank in the Covenant Elite?" Ambassador Errand asked. "Minor Sangheili." Sorran replied curtly. "Sangheili? What is that?" "The name of our species." "Ah, I see. Who do you command, if anyone?" "The lower caste of the Covenant; Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Yan'mee, Mglekgolo, Jiralhanae. Not other Sangheili, nor the Prophets." "Whoa there, slow down. I didn't understand anything what you just said, speak English. I'll hold up photos, and you'll identify them for me." And so the human held up images for Sorran, which he promptly identified. He felt like a traitor, selling out these secrets, but what else could he do? "So," Errand said, once Sorran had finished, "let me get this straight. Grunts are called Unggoy, Jackals are called Kig-Yar, Drones are called Yan'mee, Hunters are called. . . bloody hell, I can't pronounce it..." "Mglekgolo." Sorran filled in for him. "Right, and the Brutes are called Jiralhanae, and your race, the Elites are named Sangheili. Is that right?" The Sangheili nodded. He felt sick. "Good, good. We're making progress. This information will be very helpful, thanks. And, one more question, what is a 'Prophet'?" Sorran perked up. The fools didn't know what a Prophet was, they had no image of one. He decided to play dumb. "Prophet? What do you mean?" The Minor pretended not to know. "Don't play coy with me alien, you don't want to see me angry. Before, you mentioned a Prophet. What did you mean by that?" The Ambassador retaliated angrily. "I know not what you speak of." Sorran replied tartly, hoping the human wouldn't be able to detect he was lying. Errand narrowed his eyes, although what that signified amongst the humans was unknown to Sorran. To the Sangheili, it showed suspicion, perhaps it meant the same for the humans too. "You're a liar alien, I can sense it. You said Prophet, we've got proof on tape. Sergeant Harper, beat the truth out of our guest would you?" Errand asked of one of the marines, who grinned wickedly, and walked over the Sorran. "What's a Prophet eh?" The man asked, and Sorran shook his head. "What do you mean?" Sorran replied uncertainly, and was rewarded by a punch to the jaw. It hurt, and Sorran tasted blood. "What's a Prophet?" "I don't know." Sorran repeated, and was hit again, this time on the temple. Before he could collect his thoughts, he was asked the question again. "What's a Prophet?" "I don't --" Smack! Sorran was hit once again, and felt himself get pushed out of his chair. He hit his head on the hard ground, and all turned blurry. A voice called again, asking the same question. Sorran gave the same answer, albeit slurred, and was this time kicked in the side. He doubled over in pain. Maybe he should just tell them. What could it hurt? It would give respite from the pain. No! He could not betray the Covenant; not again! He would remain silent, take the information to the grave if he had to. Fear was replaced by anger. He was a Sangheili, not some common Unggoy! Why was he allowing himself to be abused like this? The anger surged through his body, filling him with adrenalin. "What is, a Prophet?" The human named Harper emphasised once again, leering down at him, but this time, he received a kick to the stomach as an answer. Sorran heard the man gasp with shock and pain, and double over. The Sangheili stood tall, and faced the rest of the humans angrily. They were staring at him with newly found fear. They raised their weapons nervously. "Freeze!" one shouted, and Sorran's anger faded as quickly as it came. He grew afraid again, afraid of the weapons aimed at him and the bullets they would fire out, ending his life. He froze. "Stand in the corner, and put your hands on your head!" Sorran complied with the order, and one of the other marines went to go check if the Sergeant was alive. "He's got a pulse, he'll live, but he's gonna have one bad ass headache when he wakes up." "[i]Poor Sarge[/i]." Gun barrels remained trained upon Sorran. Ambassador Errand stood. "Ah, violence, how I hate it. I think we have enough information for now men, let us depart. Elite, I will question you once again in the morning. This time, I think I shall bring the Spartan in with me." "Yes sir Colonel Errand." one of the marines spoke, and Sorran stared. The man had lied; he wasn't an Ambassador at all. Sorran had been duped, and worse, he had fallen for it. The humans scooped up Sergeant Harper and left, slamming the door and leaving Sorran alone in the room. He gently caressed the side of his jaw. Pain shot through him; it was probably broken. His side hurt too, where the human had kicked him. Sorran felt his eyes go moist. What had he done to deserve this cruellest of punishments? [Edited on 08.21.2009 8:01 PM PDT]

Yeah, I just noticed! Four! Wow, proof of how inconsistent I am eh? Anyway, here's Part Five, I like it personally, and it's longer than the others. Enjoy. [b]Part Five -- Interrogated[/b] Sorran was thrown into a small cell by an entourage of five humans, not Demons. Perhaps, if Sorran hadn't been so weak, and his shields had been functioning, he could have overcome them. As he was though, there was no possible way he could have done so. As he staggered into the cell, desperately trying to keep his balance, the Sangheili heard a heavy steel door shut behind him. Sorran's eyes searched the room, yet he could find no possible way to escape. He was trapped in the room, reinforced steel surrounding him. A motion in an upper corner of the room caught his eye. It looked like a lens, encased by a white box. A camera, if Sorran's studies of human technology were anything to go by. He was being watched. A table sat in the middle of the room, with a large chair next to it. Evidently, if the size of the two pieces of furniture were anything to go by, this room had been catered to Sorran's needs. On the table sat a plate of human food, and a mug of what seemed to be tea; a human beverage popular amongst some Sangheili. They were both, Sorran presumed, for him. The Sangheili Minor sat down in the chair, and found it to be relatively comfy. Odd, that the humans would care about how settled the enemy was. Sorran had been expecting chains and a dark, dingy dungeon. Strange. He was, however, reluctant to touch the food, at first. What if it were laced with poison? Sorran put that thought out of his mind; if they wanted him dead, then he would already be lying face down in a ditch. No, these humans evidently wanted to question him. So without further pause, Sorran wolfed down the food, attempting to soothe the hunger which gripped him. The mug of tea soothed him, the warmth spreading through his shaking body. The camera remained trained upon him the entirety of the time. There was no doubt in his mind that every move he made was being scrutinised by human experts. Time crept by, and Sorran took the opportunity to rest. He refused to fall asleep though, after all, he was in enemy territory. Hours later, and Sorran could not tell whether it were morning or night, a bolt clicked in the steel door confining him, and a human walked in, flanked by three marines, as they were known. The lead human didn't seem to be a soldier, he wore no visible fire arm, and was dressed casually, in a shirt and loose trousers. Not the rigid, militaristic uniform the others wore. To Sorran's bemusement, the man gave him a warm smile, yet it didn't quite extend to the eyes. Strange, once again. It was almost as if the humans were trying to convince him they were friendly... Aha, that's what they were trying to do, Sorran realised suddenly, they were acting friendly so he wouldn't feel intimidated, and thus, he would release more information, in theory. Undoubtedly, once they had what they needed, the humans would toss him in a ditch somewhere. Then again, perhaps they were trying to broker a piece of sorts, it would be understandable that they would've mistaken Sorran to be a high ranking soldier in the Covenant hierarchy. They would be disappointed to learn the truth. Regardless, the human pressed a button, and a stool rose out of the floor, on the other side of the table. He sat down, and faced Sorran. Sorran tried to keep his features blank, to keep the fear out of his expression. Then again, how was a mere human to know what a nervous Sangheili looked like? "Good morning." The human greeted, confirming the time of day. "My name's Ambassador Errand, how are you?" Sorran remained silent, this so called Ambassador of the humans would get nothing out of him. Sorran huffed, and crossed his arms in defiance. He noticed that one marine tightened his grip on a side arm. "Yes...quite." Errand replied somewhat nervously, his smile faded slightly. " You are an Elite yes? One of the Covenant officers?" An Elite? Sorran had never heard the term used before. The Ambassador evidently was confused. But, to some degree at least, Sorran was a Covenant officer. He commanded Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Drones, lower class Hunters, and if the situation required it, the Brutes. "Elite?" Sorran simply phrased, trying to seem disinterested. Errand saw the opening though, and launched into a reply. "Yes, it's the name we have given to your race. Do you..uh..have another which would be more apt?" Sorran remained silent, he was not going to divulge any information to these barbarians. "Elite is good then?" The Ambassador asked, clearly mistaking Sorran's silence as a yes. "If you wish it so." The Sangheili replied coldly. "Good, good. Now, as you are no doubt aware, Elite, you are now a prisoner of war." Errand stated, as if something like that happened every day. "I see. Am I to be executed?" Sorran asked, trying to seem like it didn't matter. The reality was that he was terrified of dying. Yet he knew breaking down in front of the humans would not help. "Executed? No, it would achieve nothing. You are far more valuable to us alive." Errand replied, prompting a nod from Sorran. "That is understandable. Now, why have you come here? I am sure it was not to exchange pleasantries human." Sorran replied, noting the wince the Ambassador gave when he spoke the word 'human'. "Why are the Covenant attacking us?" Ambassador Errand asked, his voice thick with emotion. "What did we ever to to you?" The question caught Sorran by surprise, and he searched for the answer. Then he realised, he didn't have one. He fought because he had been told to, nothing more, nothing less. "I. . .know not." Sorran replied to the question, feeling foolish and ignorant. One of the marines scoffed. "He doesn't know why he's fighting us? Yeah right, and my girl back home's a super model!" The marine said, and the others found this funny. The joke was lost upon Sorran though. "I think he's telling the truth guys." The Ambassador said, and the marines stopped laughing. "Seriously? You don't even know why you're attacking? That's pretty sad." A marine said, and Sorran grew angry -- how dare these infidels question the glorious Covenant's motives! "Nay, what is truly sad, human, is how your pitiful species cannot withstand our might." Sorran replied, in the heat of the moment. He regretted it afterwards, it wasn't their fault they were weaker, and less advanced. "Right, that's it squid face!" The burliest of the marines shouted at Sorran, ramming his rifle into the side of Sorran's face. Sorran flinched, yet did not retaliate. Luckily, the other marines restrained their friend, although, Sorran noted, they did it reluctantly. "Let's all calm down here shall we?" Ambassador Errand soothed, looking nervously upon Sorran. He remained still. "So you know nothing?" Errand asked anxiously, and swore when Sorran wouldn't answer, "dammit, we're getting nowhere here. Maybe I should ask the Spartan to do the questioning." A thinly veiled threat, yet one which Sorran detected instantly. Fear showed upon his face. "No, I will talk, just don't bring the Demon in here. . .please." Sorran pleaded, disgusted with himself. What kind of a warrior was he, to break down at the first threat? Not a warrior at all, he reminded himself, but a scholar in the wrong place at the wrong time. Would the Covenant rescue him? Bah, unlikely. Even if they knew where he was, Sorran doubted they would waste time and resources saving him. It was more likely they would send an Assassin to silence him, doing so would be simpler and more efficient than a rescue operation.