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Birth of a Covenant Legend: CHAPTER 10
Posted By: Ryst Airasee<RystAirasee0208@AOL.com>
Date: 22 July 2005, 6:28 pm
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CHAPTER 10
'Zextramee looked around him. The other Trainees' expressions of delight had turned to doubt and fright. None of them were sure exactly what that beam would do, and none of them wanted to find out. The black-scaled Sangheili was sympathetic.
But he snorted at his own feelings. I… am not afraid, he told himself. Maybe this is another test. He thought back quickly to the holographic images his mother had shown him of gravity lifts. They matched perfectly with what he was seeing now.
He took a step forward and sucked in a deep breath, not realizing he had been clenching his mandibles. Two more hesitant steps followed. He looked back and saw that he was standing three steps away from the other five Trainees. Slowly, however, the Trainee he had befriended followed.
Their next steps took them right in front of the violet beam. 'Zextramee stared transfixed at the dancing white particles. This time, the rest of the Trainees followed them, gaining confidence with each step. 'Zextramee looked at them one last time before jumping into the gravity lift.
A sudden feeling of weightlessness enveloped him. He looked up and saw that he was actually moving down quite quickly, yet very smoothly. The port in the ship that the beam was spilling from was growing smaller and smaller.
Next, he looked around him. The gravity lift was lowering them right onto an upraised metal platform, which was nestled in a circular grassy clearing. A lush canopy of trees spread out as far as the eye could see, and different species of birds were flying above.
And then he felt his feet touch the cold surface of the platform, and gravity took hold again. His friend landed right next to him, and the other four Trainees touched down behind them. 'Yelamee landed in the very center of the platform.
"Welcome to planet Xenris," the Overseer announced, spreading his arms grandly.
'Zextramee thought that 'Yelamee looked like a holy figure, towering above them on the upraised platform, the bright morning light glancing off his orange armor.
"Your training will begin here," 'Yelamee said. "Follow me, and I will lead you to the base at which you will be staying, and you individual quarters. Once assigned to your quarters, I will see to it that you are fed and properly settled in. Then you will have half a timeframe to organize your thoughts and rest. After that, 'Pekrumee will arrive and begin your training."
The orange-clad Sangheili lead them down off the platform. 'Zextramee loved the feel of damp grass against his bare feet, and found the varying amount of plant life very interesting. Beneath the trees, it seemed there was an ocean of greens and browns. He could see different animals scurrying among the foliage.
"I'm excited," his friend whispered. "Even a' home, we didn't have 'dis many animals."
"Yes," 'Zextramee whispered back. "This place doesn't seem so bad. I just hope there aren't any dangerous animals lurking around."
"Dangerous?" gasped his friend, his eyes going wide.
"Don't worry… uh… hey, what should I call you?" 'Zextramee asked suddenly. "I never got your name."
"I don't have a name," the Trainee responded. "But my number is 05."
"Alright," muttered the black-scaled Trainee. "I'm going to call you Five… just until you get a name."
"Five," his friend responded. "Sounds fine ta' me."
The rest of their walk was made in silence. The base was a fair distance off, and it took them another full timeframe to arrive. It was fairly massive, and shaped like a giant oval. A bulbous metal pod extended from each corner. The metal outside was hued a deep purple that glimmered slightly, and the surface seemed to be pocketed in many areas instead of being completely smooth. The base was so large that 'Zextramee doubted housing Trainees was its only purpose.
"Trainees!" 'Yelamee barked, pulling 'Zextramee out of his observations. "This is where you'll be staying. The training fields and obstacle courses—or as we call them, gauntlets—are just a little ways from here. But until 'Pekrumee arrives, you are not allowed to leave these grounds."
He led them up to a door which resembled those found on the insides of ships. Two panels, a grey in coloration with magenta runes on them, slid towards each other, one slightly overlapping the other to close. There was also a small console to the right of the doors; 'Yelamee punched a few keys and swiped his double-thumbed hand through the holograph that sprang up, and the doors slid open.
The inside of the base was seemed nearly completely blank. However, 'Zextramee was surprised to find out how little of it was actually devoted to the Trainees. There were six doors in the small lobby, each with a label on them in the standard Covenant language.
Although still not very good at reading advanced literature, 'Zextramee knew enough to interpret three labels. The door on the far right read "Trainee Quarters", the door right beside it read "Nourishment Center", and the door on the far left read "Rejuvenation Bay".
'Yelamee led them into the Trainee Quarters. Inside, everything was a scheme of monochromatic blues. Besides that, there was nothing but beds. They were arranged in four rows of three, and were very plain looking. The metal supports, purple in coloration, had a mattress and a single blanket on them. By each bed was a small console.
"Trainee 01, here," 'Yelamee said, pointing to a bed.
The Trainee called approached the bed and sat on it, apparently satisfied by the way it felt. 'Yelamee approached the console and activated it. A single holographic bar appeared, and the orange-clad Sangheili hit two keys on the key pad. 'Zextramee saw that the Overseer typed in "01". After the display disappeared, he shut the console off.
'Yelamee repeated this step with all six of the Trainees. As 'Zextramee sat on his bed, he asked, "Excuse me, Overseer, but will more Trainees be arriving here? I notice there are more beds left over."
'Yelamee cast a seemingly irate glance at him. "No. Due to the special nature of your training, the High Prophets have asked that your group be the only ones here during this time."
"Special nature?"
The orange-clad Sangheili froze and mentally berated himself, coming up with a quick excuse. "All cases are special when dealing with young Trainees…"
Thankfully, 'Zextramee seemed to accept this. Or maybe he doesn't, 'Yelamee thought frantically. Maybe he's going to discover that we believe him to be… no! Stop this! You act as paranoid as a newborn. He is an infant, a Trainee. Nothing more until he passes his trials.
He ran a hand over his orange helmet. "We should head to the Nourishment Center," he nearly spat.
'Zextramee sprang up, remembering the delicious foods they had been offered aboard the ship. They lined up in three rows of two. Five was directly behind 'Zextramee. 'Yelamee looked them all over, grunted with satisfaction, and lead them out of their quarters.
The door slid open, and for nothing but a few time-units they were in the blank lobby. Then they passed though the door leading to the Nourishment Center. Iniside, the room had metal floors and a ceiling dark-blue in coloration. The walls were a paler, glimmering blue with pocketed surfaces similar to the exterior of the base. Lavender-hued metal pillars jutted up from various points of the room, and low tables rested near them.
'Yelamee pointed to he nearest table, and all of the Trainees eagerly sat down. "Do not move," he told them. "I will return soon with your food. If anyone asks, tell them you are with 'Yelamee."
With that he left.
"I hope he brings us back somethin' good!" Five said. "I'm really hungry."
"So am I," agreed 'Zextramee.
He sat comfortably on the floor. The table was so low that he could easily place food on the table and retrieve it without standing up. He hadn't realized how hungry he was, and the thought of food awoke fresh stirrings in his gut.
'Yelamee returned, pushing a small tray. He quickly handed a plate with food on it to each of the Trainees. 'Zextramee's face fell when he saw the meal. It was nothing but a flat roll and a small portion of some dry fruit. He also handed each a glass of water.
"Is food limited here?" he asked 'Yelamee.
"No. But on the battlefield you will often find yourself with a shortage of both food and water. This will help prepare you. Plus, a full belly makes one sluggish, and you need to be at your peak of physical readiness when the training begins," the Overseer answered.
'Zextramee tried to hide his disappointment and picked up the bread. The texture was good, he had to admit, but the taste was as flat as the bread's appearance. Swallowing his distaste, he finished it off and took the fruit in his small hands. He chewed off a tiny piece and swallowed. Although more tasteful than the bread, it was still far from satisfying.
The rest of the Trainees wore their anger or discontent right on their faces. They ate slowly, as if not wanting to, but not daring to stop because 'Yelamee was watching them. 'Zextramee drank his water as slowly as they ate; it was fresh and cool and was the best-tasting part of the meal.
After eating, 'Yelamee lead them back into the quarters. He activated each of the consoles by the Trainees' beds and then left them. 'Zextramee settled onto his mattress slowly, taking pleasure from the fact that it was quite comfortable. Despite the measly meal, he was quite excited to begin training.
However, as he sat there he figured it was better to be rested when he appeared at the training grounds. He decided to try and sleep for a little. He would've been surprised at how fast slumber took him, if he was still awake to observe.
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