Chapter 8 NAME "Shit Happens" Part 5

(Jason)
What do you want me to say, "I'm sorry?" Well I'm sorry Miri! I'm sorry, that I put us all in danger, even though I warned you that we could die.

(Miranda)
And I was fine with dying, but only so long as it wasn't a waste! But what you did.....that was stupid. I thought you were better than that!

(Jason)
=I didn't have a response for that. Hell, she was right. I mean, what in the hell made me think that we'd be able to take on those ships? Sure, we survived, but our home was damaged. I risked my home, for a fool's hope=

(Nexumil, Olympus)

(Traitors)

(Location: Near the Brotherhood tunnel (To anyone who remembers, the Tunnel where the Flood first escaped and infected Olympus, before being Chemically bombed.)

=A group of about five Leavines, including Hanakor (Just for clearness... He's going to be the main Traitor, or Revelots, as they called themselves.=

Hanakor: Come on, we must be near something. The forest is not the greatest hiding place.

Yusaf: Even if we find somewhere, we wont be able to move all the Humans. Too much of a chance for us to spotted.

Hanakor: You are right. We can only hope some sort of help arrives soon.

Gweedo: Perhaps we could try and contact the outside?

Hanakor: All the communications are down, there would be no way...

Gweedo: But maybe we could reactivate something?

Yusaf: The main communicator would be on the ship... That would be suicide...

Hanakor: Even if we did, theres no way we could reach comms with Home.

Gweedo: Perhaps Human help?

Hanakor: It could work... But theres no way at all we could get onboard the ship. No way at all.

(Dormii)
=i grab some food, putting it on the tray, and then turn to leave. I see Draco sitting with Lynn. I stop for a moment, deciding what to do=

Should I talk with him? Or just go back to Jay?

=i stand there for a moment, practically staring. I felt a tension build, but that could possibly been my imagination=

=He looks up to see Dormii staring at them=
=He keeps up the gaze and gives him a look that says "I'm sorry, but I have no regrets"=

He was not taking notice of anything else. He just walked through the ship trying to find Dormii.

"DORMII!"

(Dormii)
=i hear my name, Paarthurnax's voice. I give Draco a look, "This is not over. Not yet," and call back=
Paarthurnax!

=He returns to Lynn with a smile and takes her hand in his=
=He kisses it, then her=

(Miranda)
=We were both silent, none of saying a thing, none of us moving=
I've always loved you Jason, and I want to keep loving you. But goddamn it, that stupid stunt, came damn close to changing all that.

(Jason)
=My heart stopped beating, if only for a few seconds. It was only then, that I realized the full extent of what I came very close to doing. I nearly lost the love Miranda had for me, and that meant more to me than anything. Tears began to well up, and I silent cried, my head hanging. I barely noticed it when Miranda walked up to me, and pulled me into a hug. That was slightly embarrassing. I mean, here I am, a Spartan, and I'm crying so much that I get pulled into a hug. then again, despite all my training, augments, and the fact that I was half Forerunner......I was still, human. Humans still get to cry every now and then=

(Dormii)
=i wait and listen for a reply, but I don't hear anything. I walk over to Draco and set my tray down across from the table=
Amen dico vobis privatis?

Quote :

May I speak to you in private?

=He looks up again=
=Lynn leans in and tells him what Dormii had said=

Draco: It would mostly be you who will do the talking.

=He looks at Lynn and kisses her=

Draco: Please excuse me.

=He stands and walks off=

(Dormii)
=i grab my tray and follow Draco=
Nescio cur oderunt?

Quote :

Do you know why I hate you?

=He stays silent as they walk. It is better for Dormii to speak first and get things off than it is for him to try and combat him off the bat=

(Dormii)
=i step in front of him=
Nescio cur oderunt?

=i hold the tray on one hand and type on a nearby terminal with the other what I am trying to say=

=He glances at the terminal and reads it=

Your reasons for hating me are your own.

=The fleet exited slip-space, in orbit over Haven. They spread out, resuming their old positions, while the Forerunner ships entered Haven, returning to their towers=

(Jason)
=When I had finished crying (don't judge me) Miri and I got back onto the Serenity. She was in no shape for long range travel, but thankfully, she's be able to reenter Haven's atmosphere, with no damage. Unfortunately, it would probably be the last time she's ever be able to leave a planet's atmo. On the plus side, we had a whole Forerunner world, ready to repair her. We took off from the hangar of the Silver Hawk, and flew into Haven, down the tunnel. On the way, i contacted Silver Light, and informed him of the repairs we'd need, and he was only too happy to accept=

(Nexumil, Olympus)

(Traitors)

=The five Leavine had been walking around the forest for some time. There was hardly any sign of anything...=

Gweedo: Theres something here! Some sort of... Hatch?

Hanarok: A hatch?

Gweedo: It doesn't seem locked... Should we go in?

Yusaf: We have to. Its either that or we go back empty handed.

Hanarok: Open the hatch Gweedo. I'll go in first.

=Gweedo proceeds to open the hatch, and Hanarok jumps in. He looks around, seeing some flickering lights. Nothing else so far.=

Hanarok: Wait. I'll go onwards, call you later.

Gweedo: Are you sure Hanarok?

Yusaf: You know him, first to the glory.

=Hanarok ignores the comments, and proceeds onwards. The lights continue to flicker. He pushes a nearby door open, noting the bullet holes in it. Hanarok looks around, seeing... Bodies? It was some kind of cell... Prison room? There were a number of human skeletons on the floor... Something had happened here. But there was no sign of anything other than Humans.=

Hanarok: The rest of you, come down!

(Dormii)
Quia mentita es mihi, odio. Sensi ira cum erant cum Shelby, sic. Sed dic mihi verum quoniam non odio. Dixisti mihi non erat amplius: et dicas fuisse.

Quote :

I hate you because you lied to me. I felt anger when you were with Shelby, yes. But I hate you because you didn't tell me the truth. You told me she wasn't in there anymore, and then you tell me that she was.

=i sigh=
Te fratrem meum. Quid mentiri? Quid de eam?

Quote :

You were my brother. Why lie? Why about her?

=He reads the terminal again and then places his eyes on Dormii once more=

I am the same man that I had been before this had occured.
To get my way, I lie.
I decieve.

=He shrugs=

It's my way.
I promised myself to become a better man, however.
For Lynn, for my friends, for you. My brother.

Paarthurnax had saw Dormii, and made a wave. He continued looking around the ship meeting new people.

(Jason)
=We landed the Serenity down at the ship-yards inside Haven, and I met with Silver Light, who was waiting for us=

(Silver Light)
Greetings Inheritor! Oh, I have so many wonderful ideas for your ship--

(Jason)
That's nice Silver, but all I need is some repairs.

(Silver Light)
Certainly not! I can repair your ship of course. But you need to upgrade! After all, your ship's previous systems failed you. It is my responsibility to help ensure your survival Inheritor, and the best way I can do that, for this situation, is to give you the best ship technology I have to offer.

(Jason)
=I considered that for a moment. He had a point; in my last engagement, my ships systems, while effective, still failed us, and were now damaged. What was the harm then, in getting an upgrade?=
Alright, you can upgrade the systems. But, I want you to work with Argo, and my engineers on this one. I need them informed on how to operate this new stuff, without us having to come back every time we have a problem.

(Silver Light)
Understood. Oh, you will be pleased with the results.

(Dormii)
=i sigh=

Code:

You realize, this means you have lost all trust from me.

=He reads the terminal again=

Then we'll start from the beginning.
Rebuild.

=They pull me into the Pelican and we head off for a cruiser of some sorts=

=The UNSC Refit station comms the bridge of the Whisper of Life=

RS- Station to Whisper of Life. On a personal request, we are stationing a Spartan on your ship. Do you copy?

(Dormii)
=i turn off the terminal and poke him in the chest as I say these next words=
Face. Non. Menti. Mihi.

Quote :

Do. Not. Lie. To me.

=i grab the tray with both hands=
Shelby voluit me ad vobis dilexit vos.

Quote :

Shelby wanted me to tell you she loved you.

=i turn and walk back to Jay's room with the food=

=And thus work on the Serenity began. What Silver failed to mention to Jason though, was that it was more than an upgrade: it was a complete remodeling of the ships structure. The ship was first emptied of all crew materials, as well as supplies, weapons, cargo. Furniture, such as dressers and chairs, were all stacked neatly outside. Then the ship was broken down. Once Silver had scanned the ship, he took it apart, piece by piece, not tearing anything up so much as unscrewing things. Materials were brought in, be they new armored panels for the hull, or more advanced stealth systems and cloaking generators. Jason and the crew were opposed to the redesign at first, but Silver managed to convince them otherwise.

New engines were installed, and they came equipped with ablative baffles, reducing heat emissions as well as the glow, while still keeping the ship extremely fast. The shaw-fujikawa drive was replaced, with a Forerunner slip-space crystal shard, as well as a radiation shield for the shard, allowing the Serenity to make faster jumps, with shorter travel times. Sensors were upgraded, and could now detect objects in space down to the smallest of dust particles, from even greater distances.

The hull was improved upon, with Forerunner alloys being installed. They were surprisingly lighter than the previous materials, yet not only were they stronger, but the materials they were made of were better suited for the cloaking field. Among the more impressive features, the Serenity finally had shields. While nowhere near as powerful as a true warship, they could take enough of a beating to give her a fighting chance.

Weapons came last. The pulse laser turrets that were already aboard, were deemed insufficient, and were replaced with newer pulse laser turrets, resulting in higher damage, and faster firing times. In addition, four, micro-versions of the plasma beam turrets, essentially Sentinel beams, were attached, two to the fore sections of the ship, and two aft. The combination of shields, weapons, and cloaking systems, resulted in the required addition of a second plasma reactor, in addition to the main plasma reactor already aboard.

Crew quarters were also improved upon, with some new rooms even being added. The main room was increased in size by two meters, and all other rooms were increased by one. The med-bay was improved, with new technologies being added.

All in all, the Serenity was renewed, and better for it. She was increased in size, by an extra 10 meters=

Tch.

=He shakes his head as his gauntlet goes off=
=Comms=

I copy you, over.

(Jason)
=About 7 hours later, after the remodeling of the Serenity was complete, I was walking around inside the ships crew area, and I was impressed. We now had, in addition to original six rooms, two more rooms (though for who, i still didn't know. Maybe I'd have to hire a full crew) The engineering deck was bigger than before, and the second generator was quite a site. It was smaller, but there was still a steady hum emanating from it. And there was still the fact that this generator was what powered our weapons and shields, as well as our cloaking systems. There were dozens of other features, and I had all the time in the galaxy to check up on them. Thankfully, Silver kept his word, and helped Gabby, Kenny, and Argo, understand all the ships systems. From what they were telling me though, the ship was, quite frankly, the fastest vessel they had ever even heard of, and with her stealth features.......well, no one was ever going to hear about her, or see her, unless we really wanted it. As I rode the lift back up to the bridge, i couldn't help but smile, and rub my hand affectionately on the wall=
Enjoy the new look old girl. You've earned it.

(Dormii)
=i walk into Jay's room with the tray of food and walk over to the bed=
Cibum habeo tibi. Utinam velis manducare.

Quote :

I have some food for you. I hope you are ready to eat.

=i sit down on the side of the bed and set the tray down=

=Hanarok heard the rest of the Leavines jump down, which broke the silence of this... Place. He heard them moving towards him, probably just noticing the bullet holes.=

Yusaf: The could really sort out the lights in here.

Gweedo: Lights? Have you failed to notice the bullet holes?

Yusaf: They're just bullet holes, nothing important or dangerous.

Hanakor: Hurry up, we have to get back soon and we need to finish checking this place out...

=Hanarok heard the door behind him open, and the clanging of the Leavine's boots as they entered the cell area.=

Yusaf: Are all the lights broken?!

Gweedo: Is that... A human skeleton?

Hanarok: It looks like it. Someones been here before us... Quite a while before us.

Yusaf: So we are the first non-humans here right?

Hanarok: Most likely. We must carry on however. This place might just be what we''re looking for.

=Hanarok stands up, and the begins to walk past the cells, noting more dead bodies. The Leavines following him.=

(Jason)
=When the doors opened, I found Miri, sitting at one of the consoles, the comm terminal. She was currently typing in commands, checking communication systems=
Hey Miri.

(Miranda)
=I turned to face Jason, a small smile on my face=
Hey Jason. These upgrades, are unbelievable. We can call anyone in the galaxy with these new comms, and they'll be faster then ever.

=I moved over to a different console, the navigation/pilots seat=
I've also been checking the reactors and power outputs. We can crank out more power than ever, go faster......it's, just amazing.

(Jason)
=I smiled, and walked over to her. She was still talking about some other ship features when I pulled her close, and kissed her lips=

(Miranda)
=My eyes went wide at the kiss, and a soft moaning sound bubbled from my throat. My body melted to his, arms reaching around his neck and shoulders, keeping him close=

=The station comms back=

RS- We're sending him over now.

=The Spartan entered the small hallway-bridge that extended from the Station to the Ship, and started walking down it=

(Jason)
=We stayed locked in each other's embrace, neither one of us wanting to break off the kiss. Minutes, or hours, maybe even days went by. We didn't care. It was nothing but a kiss, gentle, warm, and sensuous. But, in the end, I broke the kiss off. By the look on her face, I could tell she was a little disappointed=
Sorry.....I just, wanted to say, that I'm sorry. For risking your life, all our lives like that. You were right. I....I was an idiot.

(Miranda)
Yeah, you kinda were. But it's fine Jason.
=I felt a wicked smirk appear on my face=

That kiss just saved your life.

I look up at him

And what about you. Did you eat?

(Dormii)
=i shake my head=
Huc usque non essem vobiscum.

Quote :

Not until I was back here with you.

=i smile and move so I'm sitting next to her=
Bene, hic sum. Paratus manducare?

Quote :

Well, here I am. Ready to eat?

What did you bring? My tastes have changed you know....

(Dormii)
=i gesture to the tray=
Ego aliquid pulmenti et fructus. Si non vis, ego et fragor aliquam caseum.

Quote :

I have some soup and some fruit. If you don't like them, I have some cheese and crackers.

Hmm. What soup?

(Dormii)
=i try to say the words, but I can't get the right words to form. I give up trying to speak and tap it out in morse code=

Code:

T...O...M...A...T...O

Nescio verbum.

Quote :

I don't know he word.

=He sighs and begins to walk down the corridors back to the messhall=

She did love me, and... I...

=He sighs again and picks up the pace of his walking=

(Jason)
I'll be sure to keep it on hand then.
=That, was probably the cheesiest line, I will ever say. But, I loved her, so I didn't really care (that, and I hoped she didn't care about the line)=

(Miranda)
=I kissed him lightly again, then whispered: =
That was one hell of a cheesy line Jason. Work on your material.

(Jason)
Hey, my material is all kinds of good.

(Miranda)
=I walked back towards the lift, smirk still on my face=
Maybe in the bed Jason, but when you talk.......I give you a bronze medal.

=the lift doors closed behind me=

=He enters the messhall and returns to the table Lynn is at. His face shows some concern=
=She notices this and quickly comments=

Lynn: Are you alright?

=He nods slightly=

Draco: Yeah. I just need to gain my footing.

=She tilts her head and takes his hand. Pulling him down, she kisses him=

Lynn: It'll be alright.

=Her voice soothes him=

(Jason)
=I leaned back against the side of a chair, arms crossed=
Bronze medal? Not the impression I've gotten from you.......Dammit libido, go back to your room!

=So far, events had died down. I mean sure, it had still only been a day. But for the most part, it was all very quiet, and frankly, I did not mind that=

=He pulls her in close for a hug=

Draco: I'm sorry for all of the pain that I have caused you over these years. Especially this one. I apologise for the arrogance that I have shown. I apologise for the way I have treated you. I promise to you, Lynn. That I will never cause you harm again.

=His voice is how it always is. Monotone, but for each apology that leaves him there is a sense of sincerity in his voice=

=She pulls away to look into his eyes=

Lynn: It's alright, It's alright. I know you are, and I forgive you. To an extent.

(Argo)
=I appeared on the holo tank behind Jason=
All systems are green, Jason. Would you like to give the ship a test run?

(Jason)
Hmm, not yet. Right now, I just want to rest, relax....maybe try an have a normal day.
=I started walking for the lift=

Who knows, maybe we finally will have a normal day.
=the lift came back up, opened, and I entered=

=He kisses her=

Draco: Thank you.

=She kisses him=

Lynn(smiling)-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

=They break from each other and stand. They leave for the bridge=

(Gabby)
=Kenny and I were still down in engineering. Jason had stopped by a few minutes ago, but we didn't talk. We were more interested in the upgrades engines, reactors, and slip-space drive had received. To be honest though, it was odd. I knew that the upgrades were more advanced than anything the UNSC or the Covenant had ever made. But with the previous systems........well, put it this way: The ships previous, human made systems, were a work of engineering art. They were the most advanced systems Humans had ever made. But these Forerunner systems......well, I could tell they were a technological marvel, and a piece of art (at least to me) but it wasn't human. It wasn't really racist. Just.....well, I could appreciate Human art, more than alien art, because it was art made by humans. That didn't mean I wanted the upgrades removed, far from it. I was just going to miss the human tech was all, because it was familiar to me. Anyway, Silver had worked with me and Kenny, and taught us what we needed to know about the new systems, and how they worked, and more importantly, how to fix them when needed=

=The Spartan comes to the end of the long hall, and steps into the ship's Hanger. He looks around, observing every detail=

-The hanger of The Whisper of Life-

=A couple of marines approach the newcomer=

Hernandez: If you're the guy the people from the station sent, follow us.

Gold: Don't fall behind.

=They begin their walk to the bridge=

-Draco and Lynn-

=They eventually make it to the bridge. He goes up to a terminal and begins to type in codes. Soon a planet appears on the screen. The world of Olympus=

Lynn: We're going back?

=He nods=

Draco: I've got some men I've to pick up.

=He looked at the two marines, and nodded=

Yes, sir.

=He followed them closely=