With Memoirs out of the way for now, I can concentrate on this and Insurrection. This part isn't the longest, but it's good. [b]Part Twelve - Heresy, of the greatest kind[/b] Ahkrin lifted Sorran onto the wooden table within the human house, and Sorran lay, gasping. Ahkrin turned Sorran onto his back, and removed the Commando harness he wore. The Sangheili minor grimaced as he turned his head and saw the bloody welt running down his back. "Are you sure it was a knife he attacked you with, or was it a broad sword?" Ahkrin muttered dryly, going to a nearby sink and damppening a rag with` water. The moment the sodden cloth touched Sorran's wound, he cried out in pain, the stinging nearly unbearable. "Do you not have anything more...advanced to treat me with? Other than a rag and water." Sorran questioned through his teeth as the Stealth Sangheili washed the cloth out of purple blood and applied the rag again, cleaning the wound. "Well, there is this biofoam canister I looted off the body of a human. It should hold you together." Ahkrin replied, holding up a grey cylinder with a metal nozzle on the end. Sorran eyed it doubtfully. "If you say so Ahkrin." Once the wound was clean, Ahkrin then ejected the healing foam into Sorran's wound. Forget about the water on the rag, [i]this[/i] was a hundred times more painful. He could feel the disgusting foam pour into every bleeding effidice of his body, sealing it up. Sorran did admit that once it had all been finished, he did feel a lot better. Ahkrin then sc­­-blam!-d the excess foam from his back, and reattached Sorran's Commando harness. "That should hold you together for now brother. If you feel any urges to be cut in half once again, warn me beforehand." Ahkrin stated wryly, and Sorran swung a punch at the Stealth Sangheili, who evaded the playful blow with a laugh. Sorran lifted himself off the table, bouncing on the balls of his heels. He took a look around the human house. "Do you think this house is deserted?" Sorran breathed quietly, suddenly suspicious a human was lurking behind a door with a shotgun. "In all probability, yea. However, it shan't hurt to look around. Lead on, mighty warrior." Ahrkin implored, and Sorran, ignoring the last mocking comment, procceeded through the human abode, wary for signs of danger. The two Sangheili stole through the house, cautious. Suddenly, there was a loud bang at the front door, and both Sorran and Ahrkin whirled around, rifles ready. The door crashed in, and a Brute was standing in the doorway, evidently surprised. He was on his lonesome, a spiker rifle in hand, garbed in Brute power armour. "Noble Sangheili..." the Brute said suspiciously, looking around the room. Ahkrin narrowed his eyes. "Jirahane. What are you doing here?" the Stealth Sangheili demanded, hand still brushing his rifle. The Brute seemed to squirm. "The Chieftain...ordered me to kill any humans who may be hiding. He was under the impression that the Sangheili were at the front gates." the Brute told the two Elites, who nodded. "Not all of us." Sorran spoke up, surprising himself. "We dropped in from a Phantom. You are welcome to join us Brute." The Brute seemed happy with that. There was then a sudden sharp pain in Sorran's side, and he jumped. Ahkrin was looking at him angrily, as if to say '[i]I don't want a Brute with us.'[/i] Sorran shook his head, and turned to the Brute, who was eyeing Ahkrin with hurt. "We're searching this home for any marines who may be cowering. Assist us." Sorran ordered, and the Brute nodded slowly, his eyes still on Ahkrin. "My name is Hestaphus. I am honoured to be in your prescense...Sangheili." the Brute told them, and Ahkrin nodded. "Just look around, and try to refrain from going beserk." The unlikely trio then began to search. The downstairs seemed to be clear, and so Sorran preceeded upstairs, Ahkrin and Hestaphus closely behind him. "I shall search the rooms on the right side. Sorran, Hestaphus, search the left side. Be wary Sorran." Ahkrin told the two, adding the last ambiguous sentence as if on a whim. Sorran wondered what he meant, be wary of the possible humans, or the Brute? Maybe both. The Sangheili Minor cracked open a door to a bedroom, Hestaphus behind and heard a rustling from behind one of the curtains. Sorran crept towards it, rifle in hand, and pulled them back, ready to fire. A gleaming kitchen knife struck out, and punctured Sorran in the leg. He just had all the bad luck today...he looked at the assasilent, intending to fire, and stopped, eyes widening. A child of what could only be seven was staring at him with wide eyes, lips quavering. His hands were warm and sticky with Sorran's blood. The Sangheili minor fell back, unsure of what to do. The Brute came up behind him, huffing in his blue power armour. "A human child? Interesting. You should kill it, Sangheili." Hestaphus advised, and Sorran frowned, taken aback. Kill a [i]child?[/i] It was the same situation he'd had with the old man earlier. He couldn't do it. "Kill a child? It has done nothing wrong, Brute." Sorran protested, aware that the young boy was frozen in place, his eyes round and fearful. Sorran felt a strange, almost paternal urge to reassure him. "Except stab you in the leg." Hestaphus commented dryly, his canines protuing from his mouth. The boy shrieked loudly, pressing back further against the window. "I would have done the same in it's position. Nay, I cannot call a child Brute, it is wrong. The Forerunners forbid the killing of the innocent." Sorran stated crossly. "Look at it Sangheili...Sorran. It looks harmless enough now, but it will grow, and become another marine, with one of their guns. Kill them young, before they are old enough to fight back!" the Brute insisted, his voice turning aggressive. Sorran flexed his muscles instinctively. "We are leaving Hestaphus." Sorran stated, glaring at the Brute. The Jiralhanae growled, and then without warning, siezed the child by it's neck, and the Brute took out his spiker rifle, holding up it's blade in anticipation. Without realising it, Sorran drew out his own metallic blade, and leered at the Brute, who still held the young boy's neck. "Jiralhanae; release the child. Now." Sorran commanded in a stern voice, holding his sword up threateningly. The Brute laughed, and turned away from the Sangheili, his spiker blade gleaming in the light of the fire outsie. The child cried out, looking helplessly at Sorran. "No!" Sorran cried out, lunging forward with his blade. Before he knew what he was doing, the sword plunged into the Brute's body, sinking in slowly. Hestaphus turned towards Sorran in rage, his bloodshot eyes widening. With his last breath, the Brute brought the spiker rifle down on the huamn child's head, before Sorran could stop him. Both bodies collapsed to the floor, dead. [i]By the Forerunners, what have I done?[/i] Sorran screamed in his mind, looking at the dead Brute corpse. Sorran looked out the window with dread, and sure enough, saw five Jackals outside, watching with their large, buggy eyes. They'd seen it all. Seen the Sangheili murder the Jiralhanae over the life of a [i]human.[/i] Sorran suddenly couldn't breathe. He collapsed against the window frame, the Brute's red blood still on his hands. "Sorran...what have you done?" a familiar voice asked softly from behind him. Sorran turned, with red eyes, to see Ahkrin standing in the doorway, arms folded, looking at the scene before him. "Ahkrin, I--" Sorran couldn't finish the sentence. Instead, the Sangheili collapsed to his knees, weeping. Killing another of the Covenant in cold blood, over the life of a human. That meant certain death for him. Ahkrin walked over, and placed a hand upon his shoulder. "Worry not, nothing shall happen to you Sorran. I, and Zharn shall do our best to make sure of it.d [Edited on 10.10.2009 6:17 PM PDT]