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Birth of a Covenant Legend: CHAPTER 6
Posted By: Ryst Airasee<RystAirasee0208@AOL.com>
Date: 21 February 2005, 4:27 PM
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CHAPTER 6
Six successions had passed since that day. The baby grew quickly, learning from its mother. He listened intently to her tales of the battlefield, even if he didn't truly understand them. By the age of six successions, 'Zextramee was still quite small, only knee-high to his mother, and not very muscular, but his mind was sharp. By now he could fully understand the tales and the wise advice passed down to him by his mother.
Now he stood by 'Lihamee, who was gazing skyward. She held the same expression that she did at the nights she thought he was asleep, and was left to her thoughts. She was careful never to show it in front of him. The expression was once puzzling to 'Zextramee; now he knew it was an expression of pain, or sorrow.
"What is it, mother?" he asked.
She looked down at him, unable to explain. "Well... you're going away, son."
He nodded, but didn't quite understand. "I know."
"You won't be coming back. The thought of not seeing my only son again..."
"Mother, I will come back. You'll see," 'Zextramee insisted.
"It's not your decision," his mother sighed. "The Noble Prophets choose who goes where; and all my life I've never seen a son return to his birthing place. It is considered a waste of time to them."
The child cocked his head. He had never heard the Prophets talked about like this.
"Most of us are just troops to them," she almost spat, "Their property. Only a few, besides the Council members and Honor Guards, get to be valued. But it is not for who they are; it is for their fighting skills."
This news quieted 'Zextramee. Suddenly, he spotted a shape on the horizon, growing quickly. As it approached, the unmistakable purple sheen and blue engine exhaust revealed that the shape was a Phantom. The three guns attached to the bottom were not in use; they hung there almost limply without swerving, scanning for prey.
'Lihamee knelt down and embraced her son, a single tear falling out of her eye. "Farewell, my child..."
She released him as the Phantom stopped right in front of them. 'Zextramee glanced at her uncertainly, but at her nod walked forward. He stopped and looked up; he was right underneath the lift. Soon he would be inside.
"Farewell, mother!" he called. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "I promise I will come back!"
Any other words were cut off as he was sucked inside; the feeling of weightlessness was strange and unsettling, if brief. Glancing around, he saw that he was indeed inside the dropship. The walls were covered in bulges and were dark purple in color; on the floor were glowing, pale blue glyphs. Standing on the troop compartment rings were five other children and one adult Sangheili clad in gold armor.
The children all looked nervous. 'Zextramee took his place in the empty troop compartment ring which was, coincidentally, right next to the Zealot. He glanced up in awe, and then was shocked to discover that he was not afraid. He took this to heart and raised his head a little.
Suddenly, a question sprang into his mind. He was uncertain how to address such a high-ranking Sangheili, so he tried the first thing that sprang into his mind. "Uh... excuse me, Excellency..."
The Zealot turned his head to peer down at the miniscule Sangheili but said nothing. The gaze intimidated him.
"I was just wondering... where we are h-heading..." 'Zextramee was surprised to hear a stammer in his voice.
"To the planet Xenris to begin your training," the Zealot replied, in an almost shockingly deep voice.
Letting out his breath, 'Zextramee glanced at the other children. They were trying to avoid each other's gazes. Most of them looked tired; 'Zextramee himself wasn't, but he had no idea how long they had been standing inside the Phantom.
He was surprised to find his thoughts going back to his mother, and suddenly he felt very lonely. He missed her. He wanted to see her again...
"Approaching refit-battle station Holy Will," the pilot said over the intercom. "Prepare for docking. Trainees, stay with 'Pekrumee. He will help you get situated and, once we reach Xenris, begin your training."
'Zextramee nearly jumped as a glowing ring opened up; once the glow subsided her could see the floor of a Covenant ship. It was a pale blue color. He couldn't see much else beyond that.
The Zealot calmly walked over to the ring and dropped through. He landed neatly on his feet and looked up at them. 'Zextramee knew what he wanted them to do. Carefully, he approached the ring and jumped; the fall wasn't as long as he thought it would be and he, too, managed to land on his feet. He was infinitely relieved to see the Zealot pass him and approving glance.
[inmdent]The other Sangheili trainees followed; most managed to make it to the ground without falling. A few had to pick themselves up off the cold, sleek floor, showing every inch of their hurt pride.
"Listen, children," the Zealot called, "When not in your quarters you will stand by me at all times. If something happens and you get separated, a nearby Sangheili will direct you to me. If you wander off, you will be punished. Once we reach the living quarters, I will give you further instructions."
They set off. 'Zextramee managed to get a good look at the room they were in before he left; there were uplink stations stacked against an upper platform, where many Covenant personnel were manning the shields covering the open doors and the connections holding the many ships in place.
Their walk was a long one, through winding halls with white floors and lavender walls. The doors they passed through were all alike; they consisted of two sliding panels with a dark purple symbol painted onto them. He was wondering how far they were to go when the doors in front of them open and they were exposed to what looked exactly like their birthing place.
The ground was covered with lush grass, there was a shallow body of water stretching out at the end of the area, and tress of all sorts were scattered throughout the room. There was a sky above them. Even the air smelled as it did at home.
"This is one of the environment simulation rooms. It is built to remind you of your home planet, to make you more at home. Every shrub, tree, and blades of grass are real. It is small in comparison to the others in this station, but it is yours. Find a proper living space and mark it with these flags," 'Pekrumee told them. "I will be back in 120 units; approximately two timeframes."
'Zextramee observed his flag. It was black, but seemed to be a lighter hue than his scales. A single light-emitter sat on the top. He turned around and bumped straight into another trainee.
"Ow! Watch it, or I'll call Overseer on you," the child growled.
"I'm sorry," 'Zextranee said. "My name's 'Zextramee. What's yours?"
"I don't have a name yet," replied the Sangheili. "What's wrong with your scales? They're black."
"I was born this way," 'Zextramee said proudly. "I even have silver markings."
The other trainee looked him over. "Hey yeah, you do. That's weird."
"Weird?"
"Yeah. Why don't you just go away?" the trainee said, backing away. "I shouldn't even be talking. I should be finding a living space."
With that the trainee left 'Zextramee. The black-scaled Sangheili lowered his head sadly. Then he looked at his flag, and was reminded of the task at hand. He scurried off to find his own living space.
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