Chapter 8 NAME "Shit Happens" Part 5

(Jason)
=I tilted my head a little=
Nope, not sure I do. Hard to tell a man's face when they wear a helmet.

=His shaking hands go up to his helmet, and take it off, dropping it next to him. He looks back up to Jason=

Its m-me, Jason.. Xazhi's son...

(Jason)
Xazhi.... The name rings a bell, but the only Xazhi I ever knew was a kid that got shot, and patched up here on this med-bay.
=I knelt down, and faced the assailant=

You can't possibly be him. Last i saw, he was with Delta.

I-its me, J-Jason...

(Jason)
Well than, welcome back, Xazhi. Now if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing so far away from Delta? After that mess with the XNNO's, I'd have thought you'd all be sticking together.

I c-cant t-talk anymore...

=He coughed loudly and painfully, some more blood coming up. He grabed at his chest=

(Jason)
Then let me heal you, dammit!

=Still shaking, he put his helmet back on. His eyes darted about, typing a message in text inside his HUD. He sent it to Jason=

Code:

Thats what ive been trying to tell you. I'm Srevaeran. Your medicine is poison to my body!

(Jason)
Well, if that's the case, then it looks like your a dead man. Sorry about that. All the medicine we have here is either Human or Forerunner, nothing for a Srevaeran.

=Xazhi tried to speak once more=

T-tell......

=His eyes faded, and his breathing came slowly to a stop. He slipped away into the coldness of death=

(Jason)
=I grabbed his shoulder, and shook it=
Xazhi? Xazhi, wake up. Xazhi!!!!!!!!!!!!!

=He was dead. Fuck=
Well, this is bound to end badly.

(Miranda)
=I walked over to him, and placed my hand on his shoulder=
What makes you say that?

(Jason)
Well, two things: 1) This guy is a member of the XNNO's, and from what I can tell, maybe Delta's right hand man. At the least, a favored colleague, and because of me, he's dead. If Delta finds out about this......

(Miranda)
If he finds out one of his people were killed here, on Haven, by your hand, he'll want blood. Hell, he might take it as an act of aggression.

(Jason)
Yeah. And 2) If the Council finds out about this, they'll interpret it as an act of aggression from Delta. An XNNO assassin, on my ship, on our planet? Hans alone will cry out for blood, maybe war.
=I stood up=

We need to tread lightly, on how we handle this. If we don't, if this gets out in the wrong light, it could renew hostilities between Haven and the XNNO's again.

(Dormii)
=i told her more of what had happened. When I got to the Flood on Haven, my voice became much more serious=
Diluvium exposuit in Portu. Est incipiens ad expandit, et feard quisque posset occidi. Sic fac mecum fecerat. Dormii Mali. In fac erat, ipse auxilium nisi quisque, et Lorem occidere coetus populus. Illis in in Viking progressio.

Quote :

The Flood landed on Haven. It was starting to spread, and I feard everyone might be killed. So I made a deal with myself. Dormii Mali. The deal was, he help save everyone, and I'd kill a group of people. Those in the Viking program.

(Molly)
=It was close to a half hour later, that we were in orbit over Haven. This was the part about the fighters, that intrigued me the most. Turns out, there were two separate propulsion systems for the fighters. In atmosphere, speed was attained by using the thruster, while steering was accomplished by using the rudders and flaps. In vacuum, we couldn't use the rudders and flaps, no real air pressure or atmosphere to help make use of them. So, that was where the second propulsion system came into play. Speed (sorry, velocity) was attained in vaccum by still using the main engines, but to steer, small little pressure jets were placed at strategic points along the ship, like miniature versions of the emergency thrusters on larger ships, like in the UNSC. Instead of an explosive force though, these were more like high pressure fire extinguishers. We could maneuver just as well as we could in atmosphere, and in some cases, we could perform even better. Anyway, tech aside, we were getting close to the end of our patrol run, and the end was in sight: the Silver Hawk. She was far from the largest ship I had ever seen, but that made her no less dangerous=

-Lynn and Grace-

=She had gotten up around five minutes after Draco had left for... wherever he had to go. She got dressed and went out to Research and Development to supervise things there. Perhaps upgrade a couple of her weapons. She ran into Grace along the way. Grace had just left her own room after some hours of sleep=

Grace: Hello there, Lynn.

=She gives her hug=
=Lynn returns the hug and they continue walking=

Lynn: Hey, Grace. How are you?

Grace: I'm just... great. Just woke up though. Where are you going?

Lynn: Off to R and D.

Grace: Ooh. What for?

=She shrugs=

Lynn: Get some upgrades to some weapons.

(Jason)
=It took us maybe an hour, to take care of the body. Truth be told, I had no real idea what to do with Xazhi's corpse. I mean, he gave me no last wishes, and I had no idea what Srevaerans did with their dead. I knew, that he tried to kill Miranda, but that didn't mean I shouldn't give his body any less respect, in death. After all, how we treat the dead, usually separates us from those that did the killing. So, first thing we did, was wipe away the blood. We wiped the floors and the body, at least until the blood didn't show anymore. Then, I brought him outside. I thought for a while, where Xazhi would have liked to be buried. Hell, I didn't know him all that well, so it's not like I knew where he'd even consider to be buried. Maybe in a field, below the sun that always shined? Or next to a tree, or even beneath one, so that he would feed the tree. Hey, it's not as morbid as it sounds. It was symbolic, at least to me, saying that from death, springs new life. A few more options came to mind, one of them simply putting him in a tube and sending him out to space, or just plain old cremation=

=Grace stretches as they walk=

Grace: Uh-huh. What kind of mods?

Lynn: I dunno, whatever they have.

=Grace smiles=

Grace: How about we go to the rec room?

=Lynn sighs=

Lynn: Trying to distract me?

=She laughs=

Grace: Nope. Just feeling as though you need a break

=Lynn shakes her head=

Lynn: I need to train... I think I'm getting a bit stiff.

(Jason)
=In the end, I had to settle with a burial site that was, at least in my opinion, quiet, and secluded. I had Silver transport me and Xazhi's body to a mountain, snow covering its summit. We weren't really that high up for the snow though, just a quarter of the way up the slope, on a flat surface of the mountain slope. Some Sentinels were waiting for me, also per my request, and they began to make the hole. Their weapons cut into the rock, but it wasn't quiet a six foot deep hole. Maybe three feet, tops=

I'm sorry about this Xazhi. Got a feeling you didn't really want this, or even deserve this.
=I picked him up, and placed him in the hole. After a moment of thought, I took his sword, and placed it atop his chest, hands laid across the handle of the blade. His armor was left on, and the Sentinels began to fill the hole. Turns out, they were rather efficient at that task, employing tools I didn't even know they had. The hole was filled, with dirt and gravel, and when it was filled to the brim, the Sentinels used their beam weapons again, but this time, at a very low setting. The heat from the weapons glazed the surface of the grave, until it was a glass smooth surface. Hell, it even shined, like a giant crystal in the ground. I found a rock, big enough to serve as a decent headstone, and rolled it into place. I did some work with my plasma blades, such as trimming it down to be more square, making one surface very flat and smooth, so that by the time I was done, what was once a simple rock, had been shaped into a rectangular, smooth headstone, with an engraving on it-- Here Lies Xazhi, a Proud Sraevaeran=

Grace: Well, then I'll help you.

=Lynn looks to her with a look that says. What?=
=Grace puts her arms behind her back=

Grace: I've nothing else to do. So why not?

=Lynn nods=

Lynn: Alright then.

=They change course to the training room=

(Miranda)
=While Jason.....disposed, I guess, was the proper term, of Xazhi's body, I stayed on the Serenity, and did what I couyld to fix the damage. Gabby and Kenny helped me out, once they had heard what had happened, though I made them swear to keep it a secret. Gabby and I were in the cargo deck, fixing the hole in the lift doors=

(Gabby)
=I welded the new doors into the frame, while Miri, in protective gear, held up the doors=
So, you were the target?

(Miranda)
=I didn't look down into the arc welder=
For the hundredth time, yes.

(Gabby)
=The job was done, so I turned off the welder=
Okay, sorry. Just still trying to wrap my head around this. I mean, I know you've made some enemies in the past, but never thought they'd try to kill you, at least like this. Besides, who'd know you're here?

(Miranda)
Yeah, that's a very small list, close to non-existent.

-Draco-

=The air blows quickly past the two of them=
=He sighs=

You want to know something.
You have already ruined me.

You killed me once. When you killed my family, but in that same instance you gave me new life.
You say you have killed the one that brought happiness into my life.
You've killed me.

(Dormii)
=my voice grew quieter, but I continued to tell the story=
Ut aliquam mirabar navicula lumen quondam factum est diluvium olim provisum. Abstulit me in loco ubi scientificus erat et occidit. Adventum trans a vulnerati Lorem nomine Paarthurnax in processus. Venit itineris mei. Ut occidi populum, finita sanguine ...

Quote :

So, I asked Silver Light for a small ship, once it was done, once the Flood was taken care of. I took off for the place where the first scientist was, and killed him. Coming across a wounded Elite named Paarthurnax in the process. He came with me on my journey. As I killed people, ended blood(lines)...

(Gabby)
=I stood up, walked over to a crate, and put the welder away=
Kinda scary though. I mean, not only is someone trying to kill you......

(Miranda)
=I took off the protective gear=
They also know about Haven, a place that no one back in the UNSC colonies, short of ONI, should know about.

=He thinks of ways to prolong his time. The only answer that came to him was to keep talking=

You've lived a life of hunting.
You've had a child.
You've messed that up.

=He retracts the blade=

My plans... never had her out of my life...
My plans... had her in them...

=He places his hands on his helmet and removes it with a hiss=
=His eyes a dead red=

(Jason)
=Once Xazhi's grave was done, I returned to the Serenity. Despite my experience with the teleporter, I still felt a little queasy, but it wasn't from the teleporter. I've killed people, sure. In the heat of battle, or just plain cold. But, I've never watched someone die before, especially in agony. It was bound to show up in my nightmares, but it was something I'd bear, along with all the other demons in my life=
Damn collection is getting pretty big though.

=He tosses the helmet. He could hear Atlas's protests=
=He places his hands atop his head=

Everyday I wake up to dreams of the past that I would rather let die.

=He drops them=

There is one dream though. Just one. That I want to relive.
I should have followed her that day...
I should have went with her.

=He curls his hands into fists=

I don't live in regret, but that is the only thing. The only thing that I regret. Letting her go that day.

(Miranda)
=The cargo doors opened again, and Jason walked through=
Jason, how did it go?

(Jason)
He's been buried Miri. He's got a nice spot, with a good view.
=I walked further inside, and removed my helmet=

Now all that's left, is to find out who sent him. Maybe we should contact Delta, ask some questions......

(Miranda)
No, that's the last thing we should do. We need to get as much info as we can first, then contact him, otherwise, he won't believe us.

(Dormii)
=i went silent, holding Jay close, thinking quietly about what I had done to those scientists. I know they had family, lives, friends, and I didn't even consider them. I know with Joli I tried to comfort her, but I didn't try to help. I didn't try to stop the killers. I just left them to die, left them to suffer. Was Dormii Mali really getting out? Was he really coming back?=

"I'm coming back, Fortuni. I told you I would, and you can't stop me..."

No, I won't let you.

"You have doubts."

Doubt is not weakness.

"Doubt IS a weakness. It makes you weak. It makes you hesitate."

You will not escape. You will not come out. I will not let you. I. Will. Not. Let. You.

=he didn't respond. Not even a laugh=

I. WILL. NOT. LET. YOU. OUT.

=He uncurls his hand. A look of anger and sorrow on his face. His scars twisting=

Do what you will with me.
I've learned now.
That I have died long ago.

Do what you want.
I can care no more.

=His head drops=

(Jason)
=Couldn't really argue with that. Hell, I was picturing it now, calling up Delta. "Hey, we just killed one of your men because he broke into my ship and tried to kill my fiancee. Still want to be friends?" Yeah, I could see that ending well=
Okay, so we gather info. But where do we look?

(Miranda)
Maybe in the colonies? Those are the only places I can think of, that would have anyone that even remembers me. Hell, call Parangosky. She knows me, and where we are.

(Jason)
But I warned her, that if she came after me, or anyone I care about, then I'd blow the whistle on her and her schemes.

Scythe:

=i get out of bed and carry Lana to the ship and place her in the seat before heading to the bridge=

Scythe:

Sunrieon, c'mon your my A.I., we're leaving.

Sunrieon:

What!? no! this is my Ship, I'm not lea-

Scythe:

=i plug in a hardrive to hold sunrieon's data=

to bad...

= I leave a note saying I took the A.I. and then walk to the med bay=

Hey Tar?

Tar:

... yeah?

Scythe:

we're leaving, c'mon, there'll be plenty of women where we're going.


Tar:

= he struggles to get up=

alright, sounds good...

Scythe:

= i help my brother to the hanger and we board the Kernkurbis=

=I sit next to my wife and hold her hand=

here we go...

= i plug sunrieon into the ship=

Sunrieon: -ving! wha- you took me out of my ship!

Scythe:

don't worry, i'll get a house that i can plug you into or something...

Sunrieon:

fine... where too?

Scythe:

=i type in the coordinates=

Sunrieon:

alrighty!

Tar:

so, what will life be like not on a ship?

Scythe:

Better than this...

Sunrieon:

Kernkurbis! Wir tun ist fur mehr!

=the ship starts up and blasts out of the hanger...=

(Miranda)
You warned her, that if anyone under her command came after you or us, you'd blow the whistle. I highly doubt that Xazhi was ever under her command.

(Jason)
Good point.......ugh, so many goddamn different possibilities, all of them valid, and all of them with no way to prove....

((These next few posts are going to be explaining what has happened with the relevant characters up untill now))

=When the six XNNO capital ships pulled out of slipspace, there was a moment of brief silence as they all stared at the new planet before them. Scans showed millions of life forms on the planet, though they did not match Human, Srevaeran, or Sethalii signatures. They were about to turn away, when a ping appeared on their consoles. None of them knew what it meant, but Alpha recognized one thing. It was sent by an AI, the one she had with her when she was building the first Five XNNOs, lost when they were attacked near Chi Ceti IV countless years ago. Each of them went to the hangers of their respective ships, and loaded into Transports, along with three SS soldiers each. They descended to the planet, which was covered in massive trees, easily 20 feet in diameter. The transports landed in a clearing on the rather dark forest floor, and they exited. It was quiet, save for the sounds of the birds chirping and singing. Suddenly, around 15 humanoid figures emerged from the shadows, and approached the XNNOs. The SS kept on their guard, while Sigma was becoming very curious. The humanoids were tall, and covered in black and green and red and brown paints of all designs and patterns. They wore simple clothing of animal skins and leather, and wooden masks with no facial features but eye holes. The strangest part about them wasnt their apparent primitiveness, but that each and every one of them carried a UNSC Rifle. They seemed to whisper about to eachother. They didnt speak any distant unknown language, but rather English. Delta was becoming very confused. Alpha stepped forward=

Al- We are the XNNOs. I am Alpha. This is Beta, Theta, Delta, Sigma, and Giga. Who are you?

=There was even more talk between them, and some gasps. One of them came forth to meet Alpha. He took out a small metal disk, and activated it in his hand. Out sprang a small hologram of an AI's avatar=

Unknown AI- Sigma? Beta? Can it truly be?

(Jeremy)

=Even though traveling took a while, I still ate food, read books I found in the storage, and checked the ship for things. It was really boring just being alone, I was thinking for a while when the image popped in my head. What if Haven was gone? I haven't been there in a while=

(Jason)
=Once it was clear, that discussing the issue would lead us nowhere, we decided to drop it, for now anyway. That said, there was still a nervous tension aboard the ship, as if we were expecting more assassins to show up. I had Silver run a scan of the planet, a very thorough scan, to search for Xazhi's ship. He had to come here some way, which meant his ship was probably on the surface somewhere. Silver estimated that a scan of that size, and scrutiny, would take a few hours, maybe a day, before bearing any results. So for the most part, I just remained on the ship, with the others=

(Dormii)
=i started the story again, still quiet, almost fearful of what was being said as it finally dawned on me what I did=
Ut occidit, accepi librum de singulis. Notum signum sensi, ut sciam quid sit. In navi autem agant. Aperire oculos eorum intus adhuc enim habeo.

Quote :

As I killed them, I took a book from each. The symbol felt familiar, like I should know what it means. They're in the ship now. I have yet to open them and look inside them.

=i go silent for another moment, then go over those that I missed=
Cinis est mortuus. Nescio quomodo contigerunt et mortua est. Draco concussa per eam, et suus sepultus in Olympo, iuxta sedes. At gravis, simplex, et tollam vos ad minim veniam, cum Olympo.

Habeo quidem tirones exercebantur. Zeru aliquid arma occidit, et tironum sunt erudiendum ad esse in eis. Duis autem me sectorem pax, si posset, si non desinat pugna vi.

Quote :

Ash is dead. I don't know how it happened exactly, but she is dead. Draco was shaken up by it, and she's buried on Olympus, near the settlement. It's a simple grave, and I will take you there when we get back to Olympus.

I have some recruits in training. Zeru made some armor sets, and the recruits are training to be in them. They'll help me broker peace, if possible, and if not, stop the fighting by force.

=i went silent for the last time, letting everything I said settle and be absorbed=

I know you hear me, Dormii Mali. And you will NOT be let out again. No one will know you are here. You will NEVER see this universe again. You will NOT return to inflict pain and fear again. You were the spawn of a broken mind, and you WILL DIE IN THE RECESSES OF MY MIND.

=his response was quiet, but forceful=
"Pain and fear is what motivates life, Fortuni. Fear is what drive us to do what we want, for fear of losing the change in death. Pain is a reminder that you are alive. It is a reminder that despite the injury, you continue to live. Lack of pain is what should worry you. Without pain, how do you know you live? How do you know what comfort is?"

You tortured, you inflicted fear and killed. You didn't motivate, you froze life and ended it. You disrupted life and tore it apart.

"DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS?"

=his response was so loud and forceful, I almost jumped=
"DEATH AND DESTRUCTION IS ENCOURAGED! IT IS ALLOWED BECAUSE IT IS THE BEGINNING AND END OF IT ALL! When you smack a rock, it does no break into orderly pieces, it falls into uneven, sharp, wicked pieces. Pieces meant to kill, to maim, to harm. The universe WANT pain and death because that IS HOW LIFE IS! LIFE WITHOUT DEATH IS NOT LIFE."

Regardless, you will not inflict your influences again.

"But I will...I will see to that...

=He begins to laugh again=

Zayne: You are so pathetic. Giving in to this old man.

=He raises his head and extends the blade out=

Zayne: All this old guy needs is a nice blade in his head.

=He begins to walk towards Macgraw. Laughing=

Such a cocky bastard ain't you?! I guess comes with youth....

=He cocks his gun ready to fire at his hostage=

Back off!

=His hands shook slightly=

I will end you, like I ended everything else! Your just wasting time!

=After a brief conversation with the apparent natives to the planet, the XNNOs were lead to their main city, leaving the SS back at the Transports. The city was made mainly of stone, with very little metal anywhere. Visible on the horizon was the wreck of a UNSC frigate. As they entered the city, they were greeted by even more of the apparent natives. After a day or so on the surface, and a lot of discussing with their leaders, the XNNOs began to learn a lot about their history and culture. As they got to learn more about eachother, they came to realize something. They were in fact the same people. These 'natives' were the XNNOs aboard the second Frigate stolen from the Sol system, never seen or heard from after the attack near Chi Ceti IV. Immediately after this revelation, relations between them strengthened greatly. The ships in orbit began sending down supplies and raw materials to build with. The XNNOs on the planet were delighted to be reunited with their counterparts from the Obsidian Wolf, and welcomed their presence. When Delta contacted the Sethalii, they came with all their ships could carry from the OW's wreck, and left. It didnt take long after that with their combined efforts for cities to spring up all over. The republic would be rebuilt from here...=

=He smiles and raises his hands up. Still cuffed=
=He works his hands so the blade retracts then reenters the cuff. Breaking it=

Zayne-Freedom is a nice thing to have.

=He continues to laugh as he approaches Macgraw=

Freedom!? Hah, what do you know about being free?!

=He steadied the grip on his gun, his pulse violently beating through every vain in his body=

Your a Spartan my boy! Your born to fight, you have no freedom. Only war and hate surrounds us...

=He smirks=

Zayne: War and hate.

=He nears him and delivers a hard right punch to his face=

Zayne: Are my Freedom.

Ugh...

=He takes the punch stumbling backwards, he wipes a smudge of blood away from his mouth=

You hit like a girl.... Heh...

=He gets back up, positioned in his full fighting stance=

Fool still doesn't know about the mines... Hehe...

You don't have forever Zayne my boy...

=He prepared himself for another hit, he was ready to counter but the pain made him feel... Feel so alive, he just wanted another surge of pain=

=He continues the smirking=

Zayne: I have all the time in the world. Old man.

=He cracks his neck and walks up to him again=

Zayne: How about you hit me this time. I want to feel some pain as well.

Do you now....?

=He stepped backwards again, painting a map in his mind of the minefield he just filled moments ago=

I thought you liked to play the hero.... I know Draco isn't at the door right now... But he's in there. Just like you.

=His eyes locked with Zayne, a burning hate and fear rose within them=

I saw it you know, all those years ago, the first time we met. I saw all that madness. To be honest you reminded me of myself.

=He began to strafe around Zayne, waiting for the perfect moment and position to attack=

We aren't so different are we....? We think the same... We think only about our survival...

=He follows Macgraws strafing pattern=

Zayne: I love to talk. You know I do, but I like to play even more.

=He stays put. Waiting for an attack=

Think you can hide behind Zayne for ever do you? The clock is ticking....

=He continued strafing until he finally saw a change to tackle Draco's robotic arm, he lunged forward pulling out his knife=

I'm going to rip that thing out of you!

(Dormii)
=i hug her as well, trying not to think about everything, only Jay. When, I spoke, it was fairly quiet, mostly because I was concentrating on her, not speaking=
Ambulare vis? Vide quid possumus?

Quote :

Want to go take a walk? See what all we can find?

=He retracts the blade from his left arm and swings it upward as Macgraw lunges=
=He makes contact with the jaw=

You are fighting me now, Macgraw.

(Jason)
=The scan was still in progress, so I decided to head on up to the boot camp, inside Haven. The camp in question, known as Camp Valhalla, was Haven's prime military recruitment and training center. In fact, we had seen a rise in enlistment, following the attack by the UNSC, the Covenant, and the Flood. Oh, it wasn't anything dramatic like millions, but at the same time, it wasn't anything to sneeze at either. I arrived in my Combat Skin, with a duffel bag containing my training wear-- sweats, T-shirt, water bottle, and some boots with clean socks. As I walked through the entrance gate, I saw a group of soldiers, grouped together into even rows, go jogging by, their drill sergeant at the groups side, barking orders. I made my way to the main building, where the base commander, COL. Strickland, was expecting me. Strickland was a man of average height and build, just entering his middle years, but he carried himself with an air of authority. Despite being a Colonel for only a few months, he filled the role well and from what I'd heard, the men respected him=

Colonel Strickland, pleasure to meet you.
=I held out my hand=

*Strickland*
=He shook my hand, though I could tell he was edging towards a salute=
Admiral Shepard, welcome to Valhalla.

(Jason)
I'm just here to check on progress, and maybe get some training myself.
=I absently patted my stomach=

Been getting soft lately. need to fix that.

*Strickland*
=he grinned=
Well, as I'm sure you're already aware, we should be able to help you with that, quite easily. As for our progress....well, I'll let you see for yourself.