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Chapter 2. Pt.1 Disconnected State

Kvaz frowned with discontent as Tha approached him, handing him a data card: with the same distaste for the Commander, Tha looked away as well. Kvaz glanced down to the chip and nodded, placing it into his gauntlet, stood up from his desk and turned to Tha.

"Is this a collection of all their logs?" Kvaz began mildly, "From every floor?"

"Yes, all from the past two weeks. It includes my own reports and thoughts on the events," Tha commented proudly. "I am sure the Prophets will enjoy seeing my dedication."

"Amidst the hundreds of videos?" Kvaz asked in a serious tone, "Do you think they listen to each one?"

"Yes, I believe they do." Tha said with an affirmative tone, "Why else would they ask each of them to make video reports, Commander?"

Kvaz turned his face away from Tha and nodded, frowning as he, and Tha, began to walk down the hall together, heading towards their rooms. As they walked, Kvaz began feeling the burn of regret for accepting a promotion to the Commander of the Popul Vuh, and more so, being aboard it with Tha. The male droned endlessly about the experiments and the Forerunner Technology, explaining his views about the progress, and whatever else. Kvaz admittedly tried to tune it out, but when Tha mentioned they were the harbingers of freedom and religion, it had sparked another altercation.

The men aboard the ship, which included some women whom had the honor of becoming scientists or doctors, remained incredibly secretive. In the refectory, Kvaz conversed with old friends from his clan and regiment, however, the workers were always amongst them-selves, and expurgated any discussions about their activities. He was curious about what it was they intended to do about the Flood, his own mind suggested extirpation through atomizing.

"I did manage to speak to one scientist," Tha admitted with pride, "And oddly enough, he relayed to me information. However, it was limited to a sort of enigma: something about the resonance of salvation. I have no idea what he means, but I suspect it will be cosmic."

"Given that we're in space," Kvaz sarcastically began, "Anything we do can be considered cosmic. That salvation nonsense--it was probably just to stir your religious loins." Kvaz chuckled at his own joke, "You'll conjure up your own cosmic resonance out of it."

The Sangheili looked at his Commander with a frown at the crude remark, shaking his head with disappointment.

Tha 'Varakee became Kvaz's first assistant when he was promoted, and he admitted that in the beginning, Tha's antics amused him. However, over time, he had begun detesting Tha with an assiduous bane, and as the weeks passed, their public altercations increased. From small discretions with nervous laughter and bumptious didact to belligerent shouting, their hatred for another had escalated to fully-fledged abhorrence.

By the gods, will he please just shut his damn mouth. Kvaz bitterly thought to him-self as Tha, he believed, purposely preached out about the scientists. He admitted to admiring and even envying them for all the servitude they showed to the prophets. Then Tha made a comment to Kvaz, along the lines of them being at the vertex of achieving salvation, soon to eliminate a need for heretics, as they will be shown their ignorance. This angered Kvaz; and while he never held sympathy for the ideals, he sympathized with his brothers desiring freedom, and Tha's irreverence was insulting.

"So far we have been placed at the spire of a summit of brainless dreaming. Half of our brothers detest us, the other half detest the other: this dichotomy will only cause more schism. It is unnatural to do what the Prophets demand--if the Forerunners could not, what makes them think we could?"

Tha turned his nose up at his commander with a grunt of disdain, "Must you be so churlish, Commander? The Prophets expect us to find a cure, embrace science and religion! I would expect_you_, of all, to sympathize with unnatural activities."

"Oh, and why is that, Tha?" Kvaz asked with a twitch of his brow.

Tha smirked at him from behind the mandibles, and in a more mocking tone, admitted, "The men talk about their commander. You're loved, and I know you love your men--quite a bit, too."

Kvaz narrowed his eyes, stopping in place and spoke threateningly, whilst the occupants of the hall braced them-selves for another argument.

"Be wary, Tha--you may be my brother, but I will beat you down just as easily if you dishonor me." Kvaz watched as Tha's stance changed to a more defensive position; however, Kvaz was in no mood to beat the male to the ground, knowing he could.

"As I was saying-- the humans and Jiralhanea know not of the operations aboard. We're alone, and Qikost is not a safe place for this business--doing it on our own planet would have been more rational."

Tha shook his head, as he stood defiantly and spoke aloud. "The Prophets would not simply leave us stranded in space, vulnerable like babies! We are protected by them, our gods, and the fierce army of Covenant brothers, and you should not be so scared."

"Do you think I fear isolation? I have been in terrifying places that few brothers would dare venture to! However," Kvaz stepped towards the male and looked him in the eyes fiercely, "I also know that we're sitting targets, and you would be ignorant to argue!"

"Why can you not appreciate the status given to you, instead of being so resistant of these advancements? The Prophets want our salvation, and you are just so much focused on YOU. It is not all about you, Kvaz, it is about US."

"God dammit Tha, how can salvation come from us NOT fighting alongside our brothers!"

Tha grit his teeth as his Commander's narrow-mindedness had begun to take its toll on his patience, and furiously he stomped his foot into the ground. "The war is being fought by more than one means, and you're simply cherishing your own ways, you gaumless cannon fodder!"

The Commander's eyes widened at the insult and his blood surged with adrenaline and cortisol, and he now breathed heavily, whilst Tha held no qualms over his comment. In a blitz of muscular extension, Kvaz's fist had crashed against Tha's left jaw, and the Sangheili collapsed to his side. He quickly moved up onto his feet and reached for his plasma rifle at his side, but Kvaz was all ready on him, with the hilt of his energy sword drawn.

Tha stared at the Commander, his breath rapid; however, he was calm, and forgiving. He took his hand away from his hip, and spoke slowly, with a tone of acid, and derision.

"Your titles are worthless to you, and you know that. What matters is what you do--and I see you doing very little, brother. You often remark on your own feelings, as if no one else feels--you are in your own world, and you will die in it too. You should not be Commander of this Ship; it is not something that you deserve."

"I would rather die with my own feelings than live alone and be commanded by your stupidity!" Kvaz's voice carried down the hall with the velocity of his shout, and Tha turned his back to the commander, stepping calmly from the situation.

Kvaz stomped away from Tha, leaving behind the foolish brother while his feet slammed heavily against the ground and he veered right down a hall, emptying slowly at the sound of the altercation. He trampled through the labyrinth and away from the dark, mauve interior of the tunnels and exited into a deserted part of the ship far to the right, which took him several minutes of stair climbing.

It was unlikely in the beginning that Kvaz would show antipathy towards the operating aboard Popul Vuh, and it was even more surprising when he engaged in a public altercation with his assistant. Kvaz's overall contemptuous opinion about the ship, and his deadpan outlook on life had earned him the reputation for notable disconsolation, and being obstinate. It was unknown why the Commander had developed such a hostile and crestfallen behavior: wild mood swings plagued him, bouts of dejection, and hostility beget him. The position he endured had only magnified the feelings, and to the many around him, he appeared reticent, often muttering to him-self.

In time, however, Kvaz found peace remaining isolated and maintained his sentry duty throughout the many weeks, whilst fighting off recurring headaches that plagued him daily. It was presumably night time, though having been so far from the sun, his body began forgetting when it should be tired, or not.

On occasion Kvaz would walk around the precincts to enjoy the pseudo gardens, embellished with a verdant flora from their home world: but even these pleasantries seemed insipid to him. As he returned to his position in the halls, Tha's words about what was unnatural had glued them-selves to his brain, and he felt an immense, burning detestation for him.

Damn that fool--how dare he talk about me in such a way! All of that righteousness, and what does it cause? A goddamn schism--that is all this war is! I wish they would listen to me, and not be engrossed with such glamorous notions of a god damn afterlife!

The Sangheili tried to clear his mind of such things, and sighed outwards, turning around to catch site of one of his men, standing at attention not too far from him. Kvaz tilted his head as the male stood there silently, as none of his brothers would be patrolling the gardens at this time. He marched up to the male and greeted him calmly, his voice free of the trimmers of ire that had sit in earlier.

"Hello brother." Kvaz said smoothly, nodding to him. "Is there anything that I can assist you with?"

The Sangheili breathed slowly and slumped forwards, drooling slightly and then groaned loudly, gripping its head and looked upwards. The soldier then, in a bizarre manner, jerked it-self away from Kvaz and stumped backwards, as if it were about to walk away.

"Brother, are you ok?" Kvaz asked with some concern, and turned away at the foul odor coming from him. "What are you doing here, in this hall?"

"I heard a noise, let me go check on it." The solider said slowly, his head tilting upwards, following with a low, gurgling couch. "_Uuurgh--_my head--I need to check that noise."

"I hear no noise. You must have suffered a concussion from sparring. Get to the medical ward: I will call for someone to--"

"A noise, outside--let me go check on it," The Sangheili said again.

"My brother," Kvaz began suspiciously. "Are you attempting to pull some kind of prank on me, or are you very sick?"

"I heard a noise, let me go check on it."

The solider looked up instantly, and then turned, walking away. Kvaz followed reaching up to him but when he had done so, the male looked over at him quietly. The commander reached to touch his shoulder to stir him, "My brother, please, let me escort you to the elevator, at least."

The male looked over to him with an empty gaze and opened his mouth, muttering to the Commander, "Yes--ok, commander."

That soldier is sicker than I expected, Kvaz worriedly looked the male over while walking him to the elevator, and sent him off to floor Sixty-Two. The elevator departed and Kvaz nodded, sighing softly, "God, I hate this ship--I want to just go home, all ready."

As he followed the path back to his room, the arid smell intensified, and he grew almost nauseas, and looked up to the vents. The smell was coming out of it, and he brought up his receiver, regretfully summoning Tha, sent for someone to come and clean the vents as well. He looked down by his feet and then tilted his head, leaning down to touch a tepid liquid, sniffing at the sour smelling anomaly and recoiled.

"What in the great hell is that odor!" He covered his nose with his forearm and then quickly stepped back, seeing now that a long trail of the fluid led down the hall, where the male must have come from. Kvaz followed it until he met the end of the trail that was at a door, leading from a bedroom: he paused at the door and apprehensively knocked at, listening for a reply. With no indication of occupancy, he barged into the room to find it neat and orderly and void of any anomalies to suggest the Sangheili's odd behavior.

He stopped and cocked his head, looking at the foot of the door, where a large puddle of saliva had culminated, and he snarled his lip, stepping away. He had shut the door without regard, for had he taken the time to look at it, he would have seen the thin trickle of blood, and saliva, that ran down. . .

Chapter 2. Pt.2

It was now half an hour into the investigation; departure from the loading station left a forewarning to the team that where was much to be projected, specifically in the form of a putrefied corpse. This grim omen, paired with the mystery of the ship's denizens being utterly untraceable, left a breadth of apprehension cloaked behind translucent helmets. Commander Z ba stood at the front of the tram in thought for some quiet minutes while Anfi spoke to the men about their obligations to investigate the first level.

"We're going to investigate the first section, 1 through 1-7. The first lab is empty: we will need to thoroughly search for survivors or specimens. I want every terminal, if accessed, to be copied in its entirety to our ship."

"What if we do not find any?" Endv asked, "What if we are unable to locate anything?"

"Then we will continue searching." Anfi replied smoothly and laughed a bit, crossing his arms. "The council stressed the penalty of an unsuccessful operation. We have a hundred floors to search, it would be impossible for us to not find something of interest."

Z ba looked over his shoulder and spun around on his heel, "And we will not have an unsuccessful operation, so put it out of your minds! We came here to find the supposed cure for The Flood, and we will not leave until we do."

The men nodded in unison, and Z ba turned back around; his expression, unseen behind the mask, held the features of apprehension as he looked outwards at the tunnel. The great barrenness of the dark halls brought a feeling of high and a terrible sense of unease that, despite the numbers of men around. It was as if their heretic brothers left a stain of malevolence, bleeding through the steel walls, and into writhing shadows where light dare not ventured. It planted in the unconscious an unnatural feeling of omnipresent abhor, silently festering and damning them from the very corners they walked.

Commander Xal had taken to leaning against the back wall, turning his snout over and staring through the window and watched as the rails vanished from his peripheral vision.

"Five--six--seven--" Xal muttered under his breath, tapping his claw against the window frame, "Eight--nine."

"What is it you are counting, commander?" Gat asked, looking up from his hands.

"I'm counting the number of times I hear a prayer being mumbled."

Gat frowned a little and turned his eyes away, shutting his mouth and Xal turned back to the window. "I do not understand why you are being so thick-skinned."

"I am sick of the mantras--they make the Sangheili even more anxious than they need to be. Can you not agree that these superstitions are not prudent?"

Gat snorted and crossed his arms, "And spending long hours in loathing is prudent?"

Xal snorted and shrugged his shoulders, turning his nose away.

The tram began to slow down, nearing their first station that would lead them to the lab; Xal took a deep breath and turned to look at the dark wall of the outside of the station. He tilted his head, noticing the odd discoloration over the letters A-1, and leaned in towards the window, placing his hand against the cold glass. Steel pillars passed by, every second a repeating blur of tunnel greeted the Kig-yar's sight, and it brought him some comfort to recognize the architecture. The quite mantras had subsided and Xal reclined back against the cold leather seat with his rifle in hand, thinking about the bounty that he would receive at home.

It was then, only in an instant, that Xal caught in the corner of his vision the blurred image of something monstrous, pallid and torn running by the window. His senses barely had time to catch up with his reaction, as he had then jumped from the seat with his weapon raised, crying in alarm as the phantasm disappeared into the darkness behind the tram.

"Commander Xal, what is it!" Z ba shouted in alarm as he burrowed through the crowd, standing over the Kig-yar who pointed at the window.

"What is it?!" Anfi demanded from behind, "Commander Xal!"

"Something outside the tram, Commander!" Xal shouted in return, "I saw something-- it looked decayed, like one of your own! It disappeared behind the tram, Commander!"

Z ba looked behind him at his brothers, who were staring intently, waiting for his word; he sighed, turning back to Xal and leaned down, whispering against his ear angrily, "Don't get my men worked up, Commander Xal. I don't need them under any more stress!"

"But what of the--," Xal began, his expression turning to disbelief, "I saw something!"

"Seems are Kig-yar are not used to mirrors, men! Hehe, what can we expect? Ok then-- brothers!" Z ba stood up and spun around, waving his men down, treating Xal's sudden worry with preterition.

"False alarm, it seems the lights played tricks on our very nervous Commander--this place is unarguably eerie, isn't it!" Z ba looked at Xal with a slight glare behind his helmet, "Let's make sure we keep our heads from now on."

"Yes sir!" The regiment resounded, though Xal's lips remained shut as he turned his eyes to his cousin who looked at him with worry. Xal turned away and growled under his breath, gripping his fists tightly while he steadied his heartbeat.

Commander Z ba reassured his men of the false alarm, and he began to lead his men out of the tram, while Sub commander Anfi gave a glance over his shoulder, and then turned back to leave. The Sangheili lined up behind each other and the Kig-yar remained in the back in formation, and Xal gripped his fist, his eyes narrowed,God damn insouciant Sangheili! They are all the same--nothing but frantic, foolish, morons!

"Xal, what did you see?" Gat asked asker Xal's shoulder, "What frightened you?"

Xal turned his eyes to the window and snarled, his face burning with anger. "I can't be certain; I recognized that anatomy-- but the face, it was mutated, putrefied almost."

Gat nodded, about to reply when a hand on his shoulder had brushed him aside for a moment, and a tall Sangheili approached them, and Xal turned his eyes sharply up to him, glaring from behind his helmet."

"Commander Xal, I am Elsv. I want to ask you, are you certain you saw one of our own?" The Sangheili spoke with a more convivial timber than the others had, and he was more relaxed than the rest of the regiment. Gat looked at his cousin apprehensively, but Xal nodded to the Sangheili, confirming his site. The other Kig-yar looked at the two and listened to the conversation, and Xal cocked his eyebrow at their eavesdropping.

"I believe you commander Xal--it doesn't take a fool to realize what we're up against." Elsv shook his head, "My brothers are sometimes much too naïve of the dangers they face."

"Cousin, do you think we should--" Gat began with some concern.

"We will be fine," Xal assured him, cutting him off to avoid any more stress of the matter. "We Kig-yar are much more agile; we can outrun the beasts if needed."

Elsv smiled, delighted by Xal's nerve. "Confidence is a cornerstone of Strength. I am glad you are not as timid about this voyage as the others are, Commander Xal."

Gat laughed and cocked his head up to the Sangheili and warned him. "More philosophy and less religion. Otherwise my cousin will hate you."

"Yes Gat, you are right." Xal admitted with a smirk.

The Sangheili smiled with a slight chuckle, and then looked over his shoulder carefully, before he whispered to them. "This ship was never evacuated, and I believe our Commanders are being more superstitious, than prudently cautious."

"I am glad to see one of them is sane," Xal nodded to Elsv more causally. "Elsv, was it?"

"Yes, I am Elsv Tavanee." He saluted them, and then bid them good-bye, before moving back to the front of the line. The team assembled into an evenly divided group of three and without further conversation, they walked quietly to the first computer lab. The halls were damp with an all-pervading odor that was almost as unbearable as before and penetrated past the oxygen filters. Their lights allowed the walls and floors to tell the story: a long trail of blood, now dried, retained the impression of footprints. On the walls, more blood prints led towards the tram, and bullet holes indicated that something had pursued them, or the Flood had taken over.

"By the gods the smell is everywhere." Anfi muttered, his mandibles riled as he suppressed the urge to gag.

"Let us not stray too far from each other. We do not want a battle with attenuated forces--not in this environment."

"I double that will happen, Commander." Anfi replied, "The smell of death is so strong that I believe they've all since decayed. There is no way they could survive for this long without the sports having devoured them."

Z ba motioned for his men to follow as they stepped along the metallic floor of a hall, guided by dust covered signs that led them past the commons area and towards the Computer Lab. The men quietly analyzed their surroundings, and though there was no communication, there was a great sense of unease that all of them felt coordinated with each other. The ship's interior was an anecdote of death, with this lifelessness, as if there had never before been any of their own aboard it.

Commander Z ba approached the steel doors and looked at them with uncertainty, and then placed his hand onto the biometric scanner to the right of it.

"Sir," Anfi piped up. "Do you think we should risk such a direct entry, when there could be a possibly infestation awaiting us?"

"Well yes, this is true." Z ba answered, "At the same time, most of this ship is on lock down: we're only accessing this floor. If we detour too much we will run out of time: we have to keep our investigation limited."

"Sir I personally feel that accessing directly routes might endanger us: when the outbreak happened, many would have tried to escape through this path. I'm cautious that we could be ambushed by the parasite."

"Anfi, if you are scared, please, you can wait outside the door for us to return." Z ba snickered, as did some of the other men. After this, the red light disappeared, and the doors parted.

The men stepped forwards as the light from their helmets illuminated half of the large, pallid room with a lower deck accessible through a lift at the far end. Z ba and Anfi led the way, ordering the men to spread out and have the techs investigate every inch of the room. The computers were still functioning, though many wiped due to security protocol.

The terminals held endless documents of medical terminology that Xal had no understanding of; most of what he encountered, from what he deciphered, did not even pertain to the actual purpose of the ship! He ventured through three more computers with continuous miscellaneous information, until he came across a great archive of video logs. Each one was entitled Resonane of Salvation with a date affixed at the end, however, the name of the Sangheili was left blank.

Xal clicked on one, and then watched for just a moment or two before suddenly calling the commander over, "Commander Z ba!"

Immediately the Commander sprung from a file cabinet, slamming down a stack of folders in his hand and ran behind Xal, "What, what is it now?"

"I think your informant has been identified," Xal croaked as he pointed at the screen where a Sangheili spoke quietly, his masked in some shadows.

Z ba put his hands on the table and stared, "Turn the volume up!"

". . . isn't stabilized and I am entirely certain the preceding efforts to contribute to our new aspiration led to the rapid deaths. It is like music to their little brains, a different kind of tone--hehe, their DNA is like an instrument, and our minds are musicians! A genetic panacea, played by the mind right into the marrow is genius!" The Sangheili laughed and turned his head over his shoulder, quieting down and speaking with a more intimate, menacing tone. "Would the world learn of this, we might be called madmen; harmless, perhaps, but madness nonetheless."

Z ba cocked his eyebrow and gripped the edge of the table with discomfort. "What in the hell is this fool going on about? Play the next video."

Xal nodded, and brought up the second video; by this time, everyone had gathered around the monitor. As the next video was loaded and the scientist began to elaborate on their technique, the video began to glitch and the audio staggered, repeating it-self incessantly before the terminal abruptly malfunctioned. A furious Z ba shouted and slammed his fist on the table. Abruptly the screen went blue, and then black, and then the monitor shut off before their eyes and Xal sighed under his breath.

"Dammit it-- I do not know what happened." Xal rubbed his head, "It must have been a failsafe they installed to prevent information from being stolen."

"The ship has a backup archive of all its information stored in the hundred's floor's Data Reserve." Anfi began, gazing at his wrist and running his fingers along an LCD screen, having all ready prepared him-self. "At least these apostates did something meaningful with their time."

"Watch your tongue," Z ba warned. "Blasphemous or not, they're still our brothers! Hurry up, and clear out. We'll head directly to Floor 100: I do not want us to prorogue this more than necessary."

The men immediately moved away, muttering under their breaths quietly as Anfi ushered them away and towards the door. Xal picked up his carbine, fit it back on his back, running his hand over the feathered crest, and sighed under his breath, "Thank the gods."

"Heh, converting, are you?" Elsv chuckled quietly, standing behind the commander.

Xal cast a stare up at him, and then chuckled at a joke that came to mind. "If it means placating Z ba, I'll erect a damn idol for him. There are many forms of worships."

Elsv laughed rather loudly at the joke and leaned over for a moment while Xal snorted at his own risqué remark.

"Commander, if I may ask-- why did you agree to this if it brings you such discomfort? I know from word of mouth that you're not the friendliest of men with my brothers."

Xal frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "My cousin is young, inexperienced and wanted to, in his words, Experience the Thrills." Xal rolled his eyes, "The youth are so quixotic. Who told you about me?"

"Your cousin. Gat is quite a talkative little one. I do not believe he was born with an off-switch." Elsv smiled a bit, "He gave me a list of things to avoid saying, I have to say, you're high maintenance, Commander Xal."

Elsv smirked when he heard the commander growl under his breath and briskly joined his brothers again. When Xal had aligned with his team, there was a snarl of pain as he punched Gat firmly between the brows, and warned him of gossip.

As the men began down the hall, Z ba turned his attention upwards to the roof for a second, his pace slowing down and he stared at the ventilation shafts, flipping back his helmet. Z ba extended his arm to halt his brothers, stepping near the wall and extending his hand towards the cool, grated wall with the natural unease that emanated from the structure. The men watched with confusion, whilst Z ba growled under his breath, his eyes wandering around the hall.

"What is it, sir?" Anfi began quietly, "did you hear something?"

"I am unsure." Z ba began, inspecting the metal grate that protected a layer of pipes, "There is something here, on the ship--such as a predator, it is watching our moves carefully."

Anfi nodded and looked up, "The let us finish before it decides to greet us formally."

Z ba turned his attention back towards the tram and began marching forwards. Elsv took a seat next to Xal in the back and began speaking to him very casually, Xal felt uncomfortable at first speaking to subordinate so casually, let alone one of Z ba's men. The Kig-yar had again turned to watch and whisper amongst them-selves at the union, and spoke in his language at them threateningly, remarking of a certain punishment involving Target Practice.

"Truthfully, I'd like to investigate the whole ship," Elsv said boldly, looking over his shoulder at his brothers. "They all are terrified, but, I feel more saddened we're just forgetting our brethren."

"Hmm," Xal mumbled a bit, turning his snout up from his chest. "It's not exactly in my custom to act so empathetic. I am more concentrated on the mission, than grieving."

Elsv looked at him unsurely and crossed his arms. "Are you sure, Commander Xal? Surely even the Yar have a sense of compassion."

Xal sighed and rubbed his hand over his crest once more, unsure how to answer entirely; sorting out his own ambitions from the instinctual empathy left him feeling very ambivalent about anything. He sat back and crossed his arms with a croak, "I do feel it, and I just try deterring it. It's understandable to not want to feel sadness, yes?"

"Yes, very." Elsv nodded and smiled behind his mandibles, "I understand you dislike how habitually my brothers pray. It is in our custom, prayer, belief, sadness--it is all just to respect the fallen. Macto Cognatus, I glorify my kin."

Xal scratched his chin and sat up right, interested by Elsv's eloquence and persuasion. "That sounds more congruous with my ideals, instead of overzealous worship. However, sadness--I would not want that. I do not think anyone would."

Elsv looked over at his brothers and then to the red-crested Kig-yar whom spoke with a shift into refined speech, and this made Elsv chuckle. "Every emotion is part of the spectrum that reminds us we are alive, Commander Xal. We have to embrace them, even if we do not want to."

The Kig-yar all nodded in agreement with Elsv and he smiled at them, nodding as his didact installed wisdom in them all, and Xal admitted that Elsv was influential though his words made Xal's brain itch a bit.

"Elsv, can I ask you a question?" Gat began.

"You just did so, but you may have another." Elsv snickered out and Xal snorted with a stifled laugh, trying to hide his smile.

"My cousin is actually a very intelligent male, and a brilliant tactician. However, when it comes to being friendly, he is incredible reserved--what can I do to make him 'not' punch me when I do something he dislikes?"

Elsv thought for a moment and glanced to Xal who was glaring menacingly at Gat, and Elsv hatched an idea. He explained that Gat should either learn to dodge when Xal attacks him, and Xal was quick to remark that there was no chance of that happening. The Kig-yar snickered, still quietly listening, anticipating what Elsv would say, and the Sangheili then brightly said, "Tell him to pull the sick out of his ass, then."

At first Gat's eyes widened as he expected Xal to become furious, but Xal resounded with a sibilant laugh and shook his head at someone speaking to him in such a way. He complimented Elsv on the suggested, and Elsv further explain to Gat his Cousin's behavior.

"Xal is prudent, calm, and I believe he focuses on precision and logic, rather than feeling. However, he seems to have forgotten that you must love your friends, and your men: not just command them." Elsv cast a serious glance to Xal, nodding to him to make sure the Commander understood well what Elsv said to him. Commander Xal pierced his lips and crossed his arms, but he nodded his head.

"Elsv, you're very insightful: how do you know these things about me?"

"I am good at reading people," he admitted proudly. "If a Forerunner did not all ready have the name, I'd call my-self The Didact."

"It would suit you well," Xal admitted. "You're good, to know me as you do. Though I imagine Gat's little expose must have influenced you."

"Oh, no actually." Gat interrupted, "Elsv told _me_all about you, before I could even do so!"

"Oh yes, as I said, I am good. And, Commander Xal I forgot to ask you a question," Elsv asked smoothly. "Commander Xal, are you able to access a list of active personal?"

"Yes, I can, but I need the commander's clearance." Xal shifted his weight and looked up, "What reason?"

Elsv looked over his shoulder a bit, holding onto a pipe overhead as the tram began moving gradually from the dock. "We are not alone on this ship, Xal-- I would suggest you always keep a radar open, to mind the number of occupants."

Commander Xal blinked, looked up at the Sangheili with confusion, but before he could say anything, Elsv walked off and joined the team again.

_He really is the strangest Sangheili I have ever met. I have to admit, I like him. _