The Life Of Ryau Cinotee 2012 edition Act I pt 3

Part 3: Welcome to Sanghelios

Age of Reclamation [July 14 2552]
CCS- Battle Cruiser Mercy and Betrayal
En-route to Sanghelios via Slip-space
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Four days had passed and Ryau had only gotten through half the recorded Covenant history that Naki had downloaded for him. He and Naki sat in her room reading their data-pads when suddenly an announcement came over the ship wide intercom. "Attention, dropping out of Slip-space in one unit. Prepare for deceleration." A moment later the ship shuttered and the lights dimmed. A cheerful tone sounded from the speaker and another announcement came on, from a female this time. "Mercy and Betrayal, this is the SSTC. Welcome to Sanghelios, warriors. Shuttles will arrive in a moment when you dock."

Ryau looked to Naki and saw her packing some things into a bag. He hopped out of his bed and did the same. "Well time to go, I presume," he said.

"Yes it is, don't forget to pack your data-pad," she said. "Oh and suit up your armor, don't walk around in your body suit."

"Well it's not like I have much of a choice." Ryau picked up his chest pieces and latched them together.

"Okay good." She finished packing up and headed to the door. "Ready to go?"

Ryau set his helmet on his head and nodded. "Yup, I'm good."  

"Alright, follow me." Naki took Ryau through the halls of the toward one of the hangar bays.

When they entered the hangar bay, four craft were being loaded up. 'Well, it seems that these shuttles seem to be just a cross between a Phantom and a Spirit, and then enlarged three times.' Ryau thought as he boarded with Naki.

They sat down in the last row and secured their harnesses while the rest of the passengers got on. "Well Ryau, let's see some of Sanghelios, shall we?" Naki said. A few moments later the Shuttle lifted off and left the Battle Cruiser in orbit.

The Shuttle entered the planet's atmosphere and the windows were dimmed. Ryau could see flames from re-entry barely lapping at the window. The internal temperature rose but the air systems activated and kept it comfortable. He reflexively gripped the edge of the seat as the Shuttle began to shake. It was something he couldn't shake, even with years of Spartan training. Then, almost as soon as it started, the shaking stopped. The windows depolarized and clouds flashed by in a reddish sky.

The Shuttle's speakers came online and the pilot made an announcement. "Landing at the Varo-Cleavete Space Center. Five units."

Ryau looked over to Naki and nodded to the window. "So what is it like in this Varo?"

Naki thought for a moment. "Well I guess you'd say it's like Washington. Cool for Sanghelios, rainy. And it is part of the State of Zelso, which is 'disliked' for being too human. But it became that way, centuries before first contact."

"Sounds like an interesting place. Do you live there?" Ryau asked.

"Yes, I live there. On an island by a wildlife park. But I haven't been home in almost a year. "

"Hmm, why is that?"

"They've had me working on this project and others for quite awhile. I'm glad that I get to spend some time off duty."

"Ah okay," Ryau looked out the window as the shuttle settled on its pad. A massive forest dominated the area outside the spaceport while the top of a city peeked out of the tree tops. Massive snow capped mountains flowed down to tree topped foothills which in turn met the city and then finally the bay.

"Welcome to Varo, Ryau." Naki said as she unclasped her harness.

He undid his harness as well and stood. A pair of Major Domos in the row ahead of him were also up and watching him. "Hmm, probably watching me to makes sure I don't destroy the tracking bracelet and make a break for it." He chuckled.

Naki looked at the window as the suns set on the horizon. "Damn I missed these sunsets. Nowhere else has better ones, even when a storm is moving in."

"Wow, I agree with that, beautiful." Ryau said. He followed Naki out of the shuttle and she grabbed her luggage from the cargo hold. They went into the large structure that Ryau presumed was the terminal, and followed the crowed through the security checkpoint.

"Come on, on to the Shadow. We're going to the street market to get you something proper to wear." Naki hopped onto a shadow in the transit terminal bellow the main road.

Ryau hopped on behind her and stood by the door. "So new clothes, and something to eat?"

"Yes Ryau, I'll get you something to eat." The Shadow drove through the forested hills and entered the Sangheili city. Eventually Ryau and Naki got off at a street market. Vendor shacks lined a wide road and crowds were all over, lots of crowd noise. "We're going to my favorite shop, she makes some of the nicest clothes around here. Hopefully she's still here." Naki took Ryau's hand and guided him through the crowds. She pulled him up to a shack where a young female sat looking bored. When she noticed Naki and Ryau she perked up.

"Miss Cimutee, welcome back!" The female said cheerfully.

"Good evening Auva, glad to be back. Is your mother around?"

"Eh, she's at home making some more clothes. Who's your friend here?" Auva asked giving Ryau a nod.

"Oh. This is Ryau 'Cinotee, he was helping me with my latest project."

"Interesting, are you two...together?"

"No, I'm just getting him some clothing; he lost it all in one of the latest battles." Naki winked at Ryau when Auva looked away.

"Alright, I'll let you two look around." She giggled. "Don't forget about the discount for friends."

"Thanks Auva." Naki waved and took Ryau over to a rack of clothing. "Now let's get you something." Naki started to pull out shirts of various colors. Red, blue, green, white, then she pulled out a dark midnight blue shirt. "Hmm I think this fits you."

The shirt's neck hole was rimmed in blue and had a small black pad of hard plastic over the upper chest and two similar pads were on the sleeves. "I like it, the pads are an interesting add-on." Ryau said looking the shirt over.

"Alright, and here's a good pair of pants." Naki tossed him a pair of dark gray pants. She put him in a changing room and gave hum a duffel bag of sorts. "Change into those and put your armor in the bag, I'll go pay for it." With that she shut the door.

Ryau disassembled his armor going in reverse of what Zeik had showed him earlier. He placed all the armor into the bag and dressed in the clothes. They fit snugly and the hard pads did nothing to hinder his movements. He came out of the changing room and met Naki leaving Auva at the shack. "So where are we headed now?"

Naki looked to the sky, the two visible suns slowly sank behind the mountains. "Its getting dark so I think its time to get something to eat. How's fish sound to you?"

"Sounds good, I'll follow you," He said. Ryau followed Naki through the crowds and down a small dirt path through a forest. The sound of the crowds were blocked out by the trees and the path sloped downward. "Its nice out here." Ryau said.

"Yeah, its hard to believe we're just a walk out of the city." She hopped onto a down tree and walked across a stream. Ryau followed her, hopping onto the log just as she hopped off the other end.

"Shouldn't we stay on the trail?" Ryau chuckled and crossed the log.

"Trail? There is no trail. Its all formed by years of walking." She laughed as he slipped and fell off the log into the dirt.

"Ow..." Ryau stood back up and bushed the dirt and twigs off his shirt. "Okay so where is this fish place?"

"Its just on the other side of the forest. But we still have a mile," She said.

"Oh alright, just a quick walk then." Ryau started to jog though the forest at a slow enough pace for Naki.

"Oh yeah, that's what it is to you as a full grown male." Naki matched his speed. The hill they traveled down steepened and the roar of the ocean became louder. "Almost there!" Naki yelled.

Ryau ran though the wall of ferns and other brush, onto a sandy beach with a board walk leading to a fish stand. "I presume that, that is where we are going?"

"Yes, that's the fish stand." Together they walked over to the fish stand and a few moments later Ryau was munching down on the local Muka Fish.

"I must say, this is a great tasting fish." Ryau commented, nomming it up. The last of the suns' rays disappeared behind the mountains and they were left in the light of the city and the moons. Ryau glanced back at the pair of Major Domos, they weren't the same pair he had seen on the Shadow and one of them was female this time. "I guess they weren't following me. That, or they just took shifts." He let it slide as he continued to eat.
Later that night Ryau and Naki walked across the massive four mile long bridge that crossed the opening of the bay. Ryau was what most would consider 'buzzed,' Naki had shown him a local bar up the hill from the fish stand. There he came to the realization that Sangheili alcohol was much, much stronger that Human and his body wasn't quite use to it yet. Around the center of the bridge Naki pointed off into the darkness at a cluster of lights near the rim of the cliffs.

"That is where I live, its an island and only three other families live there." Naki said.

"It must be nice living on a-an island," Ryau said.

"Most of the time yes, but then there's the winter storms you need to worry about." She glanced out to the ocean side of the bridge and pointed to a dimmer cluster of lights. "That there is the Varo Military Academy Skirmish field number two. It is were you will be receiving your Sangheilian combat training."

"Ah interesting, I look forward to learning your ways," he said. When they finally finished crossing the bridge, Ryau found them in the industrial sector, a large illuminated sign read Arica Armories. Naki pulled him onto a Shadow that drove them the rest of the way, heading into the Varo Nature Park which the island that Naki lived on seemed to neighbor. The Shadow slowed to a stop at the base of the three-hundred foot cliff and a lone street light illuminated a bridge stretching off to the lights. Ryau yawned and followed Naki off the Shadow.

"And here we are, just across the bridge is my home." Naki let him across.

Naki's house was circular and from the outside it looked small. However when Ryau stepped inside he saw that it extended far into the hill it was built against.

"Nice place Naki." He said.

"Thank you, now follow me to your room. You  need your sleep tonight, training starts tomorrow and you need to wake early enough to take the Shadow to the docks."

"Oh alright." Ryau followed her through her home to a small office with a bed occupying the middle.

"So goodnight, sleep well. I'll see you in the morning." Naki said.  

"Goodnight Naki." He set his bag down and crashed out on the bed.

Two weeks later
Age of Reclamation [July 28 2552]
Varo, State of Zelso, Sanghelios
SpecOps Minor Ryau 'Cinotee
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Ryau sat in the sea going landing craft as it bounced through the waves. Naki and two fresh recruits sat next to him clutching their training rifles. This was his final test organized by Ziek  to achieve his Special Operations Major rank. The objective was to secure a power core that was being used as a mock Forerunner artifact and get it to the extraction point on the top of the mountain. The Military Academy's Trainers were the bases defenders and his small team of four including him were obviously outnumbered. Ryau gripped the railing as the landing craft bumped onto the beach, the ramp went down and the attackers armor systems booted up.

"Okay move to the trees lets go!" Ryau shouted. His team sprinted to the tree line as a beam from the Beam rifle cut through the air. The beam missed one of the recruits and threw a handful of sand into the air. Plasma bolts shot from the trees and peppered the ground all around them as they ran. Naki caught one in the leg but her shield held and she kept running. Ryau slid to a stop in the foliage as the shooting ceased, they had passed under the shooters' minimum sight line. The others stopped next to him.

"They've got the ridge line defended. How are we going to get to the base on top of it Sir.?" One of the recruits asked.

Ryau brought a map up on the data-pad Naki had given him and traced a path with his finger. "We're going to go around this way. There's a bridge to another island that we can use to cross over back to the main island. From there we can climb up the less steep part of the ridge and make it to the objective." He sighed. "Sure it will take longer but its the best chance we have."

"Oh I see. Good plan Sir." The recruit said after looking over the map.

"Now lets get moving." Ryau started moving in the direction of the other island. They moved quietly, trying not to alert the Trainers of their location with snapping twigs and brush. Suddenly Naki tripped and fell, when she hit the ground her Plasma rifle discharged and the plasma bolt struck a Trainer in active camouflage square in the face.

"They know we're here!" yelled one of the recruits.

They began to fire in all directions trying to hit any others in active camo. Only a few bolt found targets and revealed them. Ryau took cover behind a tree and fired at the Trainers on the hill above. He took down two and the other got the rest. Ryau looked around at the fallen Trainers, their shields flickered brightly and their armor was locked down. He could hear them grumbling about how they were bested by a minor and some recruits. They didn't even mention Naki who was still laying down in a pool of water. Ryau moved over and helped her up. "Nice shot there Naki." He said with a chuckle.

"Why thank you. I always shoot my best when falling." She replied sarcastically.

By the time the suns had begun to set they had made it across the bridges and were hiking up the lower ridge. When they reached the edge of the forest Ryau spotted Auto-turrets that created a perimeter around the structure. "Hmm, Naki your armor is green, so can you sneak past the turrets and shut them down?"

"Got it." Naki nodded and disappeared into the forest. A few moments later the turrets powered down and folded into standby mode. "All clear- turret systems are down." She radioed.

Ryau and the two other recruits ran across the open field and slid into the doorway as Naki held it open. The halls of the facility lead directly to a central room that was designed like a forerunner vault. Ryau spotted the power core resting on a stand against the opposite wall. "Hmm, there isn't anyone guarding the base.... odd."  Ryau muttered. "You two," he pointed to the recruits. "Keep the door covered while Naki and I move in."

"Yes sir," they said and moved to the doorway.

Ryau and Naki crept into the room and watched for places the Trainers could be hiding. They reached the other side of the room and Ryau wrenched the power core from its cradle. The lights dimmed and turned red while an slight alarm started to sound. "Power levels falling." Called the intercom.

"Shit, lets get out of here. They know where we are now." Ryau said to Naki. They ran out of the room and into the halls. The recruits ahead of them were busy firing out the doorway. "Whats it look like out there?" Ryau asked one.

"Six or seven Trainers guarding the door, they have us pinned down." The recruit said.

"Naki, how much time do we have tell the mission is lost?"

"Um, about twenty units." She said.

"Hmm, okay." Ryau walked over to the turret controls. "Lets see if this works." He pressed the activation button and the screen flashed to life. Turret Systems online flashed across the screen and almost immediately the sound of the turrets firing blared from outside. Then the turrets went silent and Ryau shut them back down. "Now recruit head out and makes sure its clear."

"Yes sir," he said and ran out toward the tree line. A few moments later he shouted back, "Okay its clear!"

Ryau sent the others out one at a time and went carrying the Core. As soon as he stepped out, training rounds sliced through the air around him. Naki and the recruits fired in the direction that the shots were coming from. Ryau sprinted for the forest and dove into the underbrush. He slammed onto the ground and dropped the Core down the ridge. Ryau lifted himself up and saw Naki holding the Core. "Thank you Naki." he said.

"No problem, now lets get out of here." She said handing the Core back to Ryau.

They ran through the forest up to the top of the mountain where the extraction transport should be waiting. When they got to the top, a Spirit sat hovering just off the ground. "Here we are, lets get out of here." Ryau said.  The recruits got aboard first and then followed by Naki. Ryau handed up the Core and hopped on board himself.

"Congratulations Major, the official paperwork should be possessed by tomorrow." Zeik told Ryau.

"Thank you Ultra," Ryau said.

That night Naki took Ryau down to a small town down the highway and ate at one of the expensive restaurants. When they went out to the bar Ryau built up a tolerance to the alcohol, so he didn't get buzzed this time. Later when they got back to Naki's home, they crashed on her bed together.

"In this case, I guess its not so bad having you humanity taken from you and replaces with...uh... Sanghelity..." And with that he drifted off to sleep.

The morning came and Ryau awoke to find his arm wrapped around Naki's waist and her purring. "Huh... didn't know they purred. But shit! Gotta move slowly." Ryau carefully lifted his arm from her waist and rolled out of bed . He donned a robe and a set of slipper like things and shuffled to the kitchen. Ryau grabbed a snack and stood in front of the shifting mosaic that took up the entire wall. Suddenly there was a beep from nowhere and the entire wall shifted to a computer terminal. "Wow..." Ryau muttered. There was a message addressed to him in the inbox.  He pressed the message on the wall and it opened up.

:T: rcinotee@zpdn.cpdn.acduty
:F: cmdo@chc.hc
:Message….
: SpecOps Minor Ryau Cinotee,
: Pre-promotion evaluation session has been completed, enclosed are orders for  redeployment
: -Enclosed-
: SpecOps Major Ryau Cinotee -Varo, State of Zelso, Sanghelios
: Varo Military Center
: Team Leader: SpecOps Commander D`rok Tallamam
: Location of pick up: Varo-Cleavete Space Center
: At sunset today you are to report to Shuttle 225 Piloted by Meko 'Vekamee
: and board Leveling Strength. Meet up in Squad Lounge A003 on the starboard side.
: Missions will consist of SpecOps recovery and specialized combat.
: -Covenant Military Deployment Offices

Ryau looked the message over a few times. It said nothing about where the Leveling Strength would be heading, just that he'd been assigned to a squad on board. He felt something lean onto his shoulder, he looked up to see Naki leaning there.

"So I see you've been assigned to a squad. Coincidentally its one lead by D`rok." She said.

"Who's D`rok? Do you know him?" Ryau asked

"He's the one I employed to bring you up from Standard. And from what I read about him, he seems okay."

"Alright, you coming with or staying here?"

"I am coming with you, I got a message similar to  yours last night. Council Orders." She paused for a moment. "Oh my thats during the Inspirational March, we need to get our armor cleaned so we look our best."

"What's the Inspirational March?"

"Its a march dedicated to boost the moral of soldiers and young recruits.  Its somewhat of a tradition in this area." Naki said.  "Hopefully your Major credentials will finish possessing by the time we reach the Spaceport, or else they won't let you inside until the march is complete. Its used as a meeting place for anyone over Major."

"Oh interesting, yes lets hope it does finish, wouldn't want to be late." Ryau said as he picked his armor bag off the ground.