living ith my enemys brother ch 4

0705 hours/ July 12, 2567(military calendar)/
Aboard covenant cruiser Light of Truth

Ch 4: Zaro, Thel, and Tal



Jasmine awoke from another blissfully dreamless slumber. She was quickly becoming accustomed to the relaxed life of the ship and the purple lighting of her room. She looked at her watched and sighed, it was well past the military's usual wake up time, but for once it didn't bother her. She was far too tired from the previous days' events to even care. She sat up in bed and let out a sharp breath as a pulled muscle bunched into a painful cramp. Over the past week, on their leisurely trip back to Sangheilios, Raki had insisted that she learn how to fight better in hand-to-hand combat, and would force her to fight him if necessary. At night, Jun, taught her how to speak Sangheili, which to her was a practical impossibility. So far she had only learned a few words like: hello, good morning, yes, no, thank you, and good-bye. It was a small vocabulary, but worth it now that she could at least greet the other ship members and decline something if necessary, but Tibar was always beside her with his decoding program when one of them would begin talking too fast for her to understand.
"Tibar, wake up." She whispered, glancing over at Jul as he slept peacefully for the first time in days. The AI appeared and faked a yawn, "Good morning, Love. I've been digging in their data banks and found some rather interesting stuff…" She picked up the handheld, along with her clothes and stepped out into the hall, "Store it, Tibar. I don't feel like going over the data with you. Right now, all I want is a hot shower to ease my cramped muscles." She said as she walked along a familiar path. Other Sangheili passed by her, on their way to their way to relieve those done with their shifts. They were used to her morning routines and greeted her with pleasant smiles. "Good morning." She called as they walked by, carefully avoiding someone carrying a stack of short length piping.
Once past him, it was a straight shot to the showers. A major was just leaving and held the door open for her. "Thank you." She said, slipping under his arm as she headed towards the rows of hanging armor. A slot was open so she tossed her clothes in as she stripped off the dirty ones and wrapped a towel around her. After she shampooed her hair she slipped into a waiting bath and sighed as the hot water pleasantly eased the cramps out of her muscles. She looked at the motley assortment of bruises on her arms and smiled, there was hardly any new ones, which meant that she was improving her attacks and didn't need to block as much. "Would you mind if I joined you?" Tibar translated, pulling her away from her thoughts. She looked up at the speaker and slid over. He smiled and stepped into the water then reached for the heater. "The water is a little too cold for me. I'm just warming it up a bit."  She nodded and leaned her head back, inhaling the steam as the water quickly warmed. He sighed contentedly, "Nothing like an early morning bath to really wake you up, eh Ambassador." She nodded, pulling her arms out of the water to try and cool her body temperature. "Shipmaster Raki says that it's only a few more hours until we reach Sangheilios." He informed, reaching for a washcloth. She looked at him, interested in the news, but remained silent because she lacked the ability to speak with him. "Tibar, can you use the decoder so I can speak with him?" She inquired, looking at the handheld. Instead of being in his usual space on the screen, he had used the camera to leisurely float over the steamy water's surface. "It will be difficult. the program has never been used that way, but it's worth a try, Love." he replied, "What do you want to ask him?"
"Just tell him that I think it's great news that we'll be arriving soon." She said quietly. He translated for her as she reached for the edge of the bath. Unable to stand the heat any longer, she pulled herself out and reached for a dry towel. Her legs suddenly gave out and she fell to the damp floor. The sangheili got up out of the bath and gently carried her over to one of the benches. "Are you alright?" Tibar translated for him, but she could also hear the worried tone in the AI's voice. "I'm fine; the heat of the bath was too warm for me." She said, feeling him place a cool cloth on her head. "It happens to us sometimes as well." he said, "You will feel better in a few minutes, and when you're able to stand, I can help you back to your room." She shook her head and slowly sat up with his assistance. "No. Thank you for your help, but I will manage. I'm feeling better already." He nodded and went back to his bath as she started to get dressed.
"Tibar, is what he said true?" She asked, pulling a teal dress over her head and strapping on her gun belt. She wanted to look her best when she got to meet the arbiter. "According to the ship's data, we are four and a half hours away if we continue to travel at our current velocity." He said, showing her the data. She glanced at the scrolling numbers and shrugged, "Do I look like a space engineer? There's no way I could understand any of this, I'll just take your word for it." She tied her hair into a half ponytail and walked back to her room.
When she opened the door she saw an odd sight. Jul was pacing the length of the room, as if he was worried about something, but as soon as he spotted her he let out a sigh. "Where've you been?" He asked with a touch of irritation and relief in his voice as she set her stuff aside. "I went to the shower like I always do when I first wake up."
"Why didn't you wake me up and tell me?"
"It would have been rude of me to wake you, because you were sleeping so peacefully. Besides you deserved a good rest after taking the time to teach me." He hesitated then gave in, "I suppose you are right, Jasmine." He mutters as he sat down on the bed. She smiled and tossed her clothes into a bag then sat beside him. "I know I'm not the best student you've had to teach, but it doesn't take a genius to know when the teacher needs to take a break. Oh, that reminds me, we'll be reaching Sangheilios soon." He looked at her, and shrugged as she pointed to her handheld. "Tibar's a bit of a hacker." She leaned back on the bed, and put her arms behind her head, "Jul could you tell me what it's like?"
"Tell you what?" He inquired looking at her as she closed her eyes like she was going to fall asleep again. "Sangheilios of course, I've heard stories about it from the Sangheili squad I worked with before my injury, but I want to hear you tell me about it, please Jul." She heard him sigh then he began to speak. The image began to form in her mind.
"Sangheilios circles three suns: Urs, Fied, and Joori, making the summer seem almost unbearable. It's roughly the same size as Earth…in many ways. The only difference perhaps is the sky. In the afternoons, the sky is a bright yellow, and at night it's almost blood red with twinkling stars like the valiant warrior.
"In winter it snows in the northern regions and the lakes freeze over. A few keeps allow sangheili from other regions to come and stay during those months. There are numerous oceans, each containing an assortment of sea creatures unique to that region." She opened her eyes and smiled. "Sounds like I might just end up liking Sangheilios more than Earth." She sat up, stretching her arms, "there are hardly any natural plants and animals left on Earth. The ones that are, are in climate controlled zoos while the rest are either killed or exported to other planets." He laughed lightly, "Unlike your Earth, there are many native creatures around the planet. There's a forest that you might find lovely in the valleys and mountains surrounding Vadam keep." Seeing him relaxed made her finally let go of rumors about the planet she'd heard the ODSTs talking about on the trip to the RV point.
By his account the planet sounded like a virtual paradise with multitudes of strange flora and fauna just waiting to be found. She tried to imagine what the forests might look like, but another thought crossed her mind. "The other day I heard someone call you a kaidon. Did you have a keep somewhere on Sangheilios?" she inquired and heard him let out a homesick sigh. He nodded, "Yes, I was a kaidon of Bekan keep in the Mdama province, but I've been in your human prison for so long that another sangheili may have taken up the title of kaidon in my absence," he replied sadly, "My mate Raia probably thinks I'm dead." She placed a comforting hand of his shoulder and smiled, "I'm over eighty percent sure she still believes you're alive, and the first chance you get, I want you to call her." She said kindly. He was about to reply when she frowned. Something wasn't right, his shoulder felt unusually warm, then she remembered how he had not liked the idea of wearing that bandage she'd put on him after the battle with the jackals.
"Jul, could you take off your body suit," he looked at her, confused, "just the upper part?" She asked hopping off the bed and going for her portable medical unit. "I should have figured that you'd remove the bandage." She said while opening an antiseptic bottle and pouring its contents onto a rag. "It's a good thing I packed this when I did." She set it onto the wound and pulled a bottle of clear liquid out. He winced slightly as the antiseptic bubbled, cleaning the wound of the current infection. "What is that stuff?" He inquired, pointing at the bottle she held. "It's a clear bandage. They used to use it a long time ago for small cuts, but I figure that it'll also cover and protect your wound without making it look like you have a bandage on." She responded gently as she removed the rag, wiped the excess off and began brushing it on. He watched as it turned from glossy clear to a dull color, almost matching the wound and chuckled. "Do you find ways around rules and traditions every time you wake up in the morning?" He asked, as she sealed the bottle and turned away, she shrugged "Had to find my way around a lot of things while I was on active duty and during basic training." She began to pack it into her suitcase and hide it among her things when Jul's hand shot out and startled her. He pulled a clip of the M6 ammunition from under a shirt and frowned as she turned red with shame. She expected him to yell at her, but his voice contained not anger as he spoke, "You shouldn't have brought a weapon with you. Some sangheili may take this as a threat."
She pulled out the pistol and set it aside. "It was going to be for self-defense only." She said quietly. Suddenly, without warning he attacked her. She rolled and went for the pistol as he activated his energy sword, but wasn't fast enough. His blade stopped, bare centimeters from her throat and she had only managed to wrap her hand around the pistol. "This just goes to show you how ineffective your gun would have been against another sangheili." He said, putting his sword away as she tried to take a calming breath. It took her a few moments before she could move, and she glanced from her pistol to his sword then sighed. "You're right…I have to depend on you for everything…I'm so weak." she stood up, "If you'll excuse me, I need time to think." He nodded and did not stop her as she slowly walked out of the room.
Lost in her thoughts she let her feet carry her to the ship's galley. She didn't care what she got, and sat at a table away from most of the sangheili. She had neglected to bring Tibar along, so now she couldn't understand a thing they said. A black armored stealth sangheili sat down across from her and said something, but she shook her head, "I'm sorry, I don't understand you." He tilted his head and repeated what he'd said but slower. "Oh, good morning." She said when it finally dawned on her. He snapped his jaws together in amusement and began eating, but she didn't have much of an appetite and merely nibbled on what she'd gotten.
Afterwards she wandered to the aft of the ship, near the engines and watched the sangheili repairing a loose conduit. Like all covenant ships, the cruiser ran on antimatter. It provided nearly unlimited power, but the tradeoff was that nothing could get too close to it. She heard something clatter to the ground and a sudden panicked warble. One of them had accidently dropped a tool behind the conduit very close to main generator. They argued among each other and repeatedly pointed to the generator.
She walked over to them and bent down to see if she could spot it. The tool rested close to an open plasma coupling over a pool of coolant. She quickly tried to get their attention and pointed under the conduit. Each one bent down and looked but shook their heads. 'They must be too big to fit under there.' She realized as she measured the opening. "I can fit under there and get it for you!" She said, pointing at herself then at the opening until they understood. They shook their heads again, not wanting to risk her life because she was the ambassador and they were to bring her to Sangheilios alive, but she shrugged and went under the conduit anyway.
The steaming sluice of luminescent coolant bubbled below her as she crawled across a length of piping. The coupling was just two meters away and already the heat form the plasma was beginning to make the tool tilt towards the coolant. It would take some luck to even be able to grab it and she tried to make her way across as quickly as she could. She reached for it. "Just a little closer." She said to herself as her fingertips brushed the handle. Unbalanced by the tap of her fingers, the tool flipped and started falling towards the coolant, but she quickly hooked her legs around the pipe and caught it just before it fell in.
Her hands felt slick as she curled upward and wrapped an arm around the pipe.  It groaned a little but held as she shimmied back to the opening and pulled herself back out. The sangheili helped her stand up and looked her over for any signs of cuts, but there was only a little singed area on her dress to tell of her little adventure. She handed one of them the tool, "Try to be a little more careful next time." She said, not caring that they didn't understand her, but they nodded and waved as she walked away, feeling a little better. 'Maybe there is an advantage to being smaller than the sangheili.' She thought fondly, slipping between two sangheili who were taking to one another. They didn't seem to mind and gave her a curt nod as she greeted them.
Tibar suddenly appeared on a pedestal near the door, startling her and a few others. "Jasmine, I've been looking all over for you!" he said in an exasperated tone, "The shipmaster informed me that you should begin packing your things. We are dropping out of slipspace and will be taking a squad of seraph fighters to Vadam keep." His stance made him look like he was slightly annoyed, but she just smiled as she passed through the door. "Are you even listening to me?" he asked, transferring his voice through her comms unit. "Yes, I heard you. Just tell him that I'm on my way to the room and will be in the hanger bay in half an hour." Her pace quickened, but she tried to appear calm as excitement built up in her chest. It wouldn't be long until she set foot onto a truly alien planet and begin her job.


Landing platform of Vadam
Vadam keep, Yermo, Sangheilios,
July 12, 2567 in the human calendar


It was mid-afternoon as kaidon, Thel Vadam, known as the arbiter by the humans, calmly waited for the ambassador's arrival. A bit of unnatural peace had settled over Sangheilios after the disappearance of the human called Philips. He still had some of his people investigating the matter, but it was not the issue today. Hood had sent a portfolio and photographs of her so that he'd know what she'd look like ahead of time, but it wasn't like he couldn't remember her face after he brought he half-dead body to the humans, and when she was placed in cryostasis next to the other critically wounded soldiers.
His companion, a field marshal named Zaro Veros, grumbled beside him. "Is there something on your mind, my friend?" He asked, trying to start up a conversation with him as they waited. "Yes, kaidon, Thel. Why do you place this human under my care?" he growled, "It's a job for a minor or even a major." He chuckled and gave the sky a casual glance, "Because, you are the only one I know I can entrust this task to." He judged his reaction and smiled inwardly when he shrugged.
Three sonic blasts, like the sound of a human shot gun, signaled that several ships had broken into the planet's atmosphere. "There will surely be assassination attempts against her, but you are one of the best warriors and can protect her." He said as a group of seraph fighters circled the landing platform and descended. They lightly set down and several Sangheili stepped out first, followed by a small human.
The first thing about her that caught his attention was her inquisitive green eyes, but she was trying not to show her excitement as she casually looked around. "Is that her?" Zaro asked, giving a snort of disapproval, "She looks no bigger than a child." He ignored the comment and approached her. "Welcome to Sangheilios, Ambassador." He said, holding out his hand. She let out a soft sigh and bowed, ignoring his hand. "I didn't think there was another Sangheili, besides Jul, who could speak English." She said, as she straightened up, another Sangheili stepped out of the ship and walked over to her. He muttered something in her ear and she turned the most interesting shade of red. "Excuse me for a moment, Arbiter." She said and quickly ran back into the ship, leaving him with the translator. He smiled when he recognized him as Jul 'Mdama of Bekan keep. He didn't say anything, only giving him a polite nod as they waited.
A few minutes later she came back out carrying toting a suitcase behind her. "I'm so sorry. I'd forgotten my bag and some Sangheili were a bit too curious as to its contents." She explained, glaring at two apologetic looking Sangheili. "It's understandable. Ambassador, I'd like to introduce you to your bodyguard." He said, motioning for Zaro to approach.
Her expression didn't change much, but she took an involuntary step back when he leaned down to look her in the eye. Suddenly, he pulled out his black energy sword and attacked her, but she just as quickly dropped her bag and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the slash. Her hand rested casually on the Kig-yar energy cutlass as she straightened up from a crouch. "Hey, Jul, compared to this guy, your attack on the ship was moving at a snail's pace, and I would've lost my head had I not been expecting something like that." She said and laughed lightly as she walked back over to him. "Arbiter, it's truly an honor to be here on Sangheilios." She wiped her forehead with her dress sleeve, tiredly.
That's when he noticed that, despite only evading the blow and carrying the suitcase, the heat of the afternoon was getting to her. 'She must not be accustomed to the temperature.' He thought, motioning towards the keep. "You must be tired from your trip, why don't we go inside?" He offered as she picked up her suitcase with one hand while pulling out a handheld in another. "Thank you, arbiter, I'd be delighted to come inside." She said while following Jul. "Tibar, What are the average temperatures for Sangheilios?" A male voice laughed, "The temperature here varies from a chilly negative five degrees Celsius to a balmy fifty-two degrees Celsius." She let out a weak chuckle, "And I thought the deserts on Earth were hot."
"Indeed, were you to be exposed the heat here for more than an hour or two, you'd surely pass out from heat exhaustion."
"Guess I'll need a parasol or something."
"And you'd look lovely with one of those."
"Always the charmer aren't you, Tibar?" He glanced back at her as he lead the way, she was so busy looking around at the interior of the keep, and she didn't even seem to hear the clatter of feet as a young Sangheili came racing around the corner, but somehow she stopped at just the right time for him to run harmlessly past. He was one of the keep's children, but his rushed actions were not what he had been taught. "So sorry ma'am," he bowed, "I saw the kaidon walking by and I thought I should inform him that Tal Cordom has arrived." He said after turning to him. "Thank you young one. Now return to your training. I will see him in a few moments." He replied and nudged him along with a hand. "Ambassador, you heard him coming?" She looked up, seeming confused and shrugged. "Not really. It was just an old battle instinct that someone taught me." She replied, a hand on her cutlass, seeming more and more like the always teasing and ever attentive soldier he'd fought beside with the Master Chief, "Old habits die hard," She added almost as an afterthought.
He nodded in agreement; every now and again he sometimes awoke from a battle dream expecting to be surrounded by the Flood, but then would realize that he was safe in his home and not in a war zone. "Indeed…Jul, would you mind if I took the ambassador to my office to talk to her in private?" He asked, noticing the slight hesitation and quick glare he gave before nodding, "Of course, kaidon. I'm sure she can manage without me." He said reluctantly then switched to English and whispered something into her ear. He would find out what it was later, for now, he opened the door to his private study and motioned her in. she tightened he grip on the handheld and followed him in, closing the door as he sat down at his desk. She gratefully sat in the chair across from him. "Would you care for something to drink?" He asked, pouring some water into a cup and offering it to her. "Thank you arbiter. I'm just not used to this kind or heat, but I should be fine in a few days." She replied, taking the cup and draining it. With a casual touch, he opened her profile, displaying it before her. "Hood sent this ahead, but I would prefer to hear about your past from you personally."
She set down the cup and looked away, "There's really not much to tell," she began, looking out the window at the harbor, letting her mind wander down the path of memories, "I grew up like every other kid during the covenant war, always waiting for them to attack our home.
"My parents were retired soldiers from the old Insurrectionist war. My mother was a UNSC soldier who fell in love with an injured insurrectionist fighter. A few years later, I came along. They moved to a remote location on Tribute, but it wasn't remote enough…or maybe it was too remote, I don't know.
"The Covenant came and attacked my family. I was only eight at the time, so I could only hide and watch as a zealot class Sangheili killed my mother and father just for the fun of it. I managed to grab my father's pistol and shoot it, but it didn't even bother the zealot, it's shields deflected the bullet. It laughed and pulled out it's sword, but didn't kill me, instead it cut my parent's wedding rings off their fingers and showed them to me. 'When you grow up, I want to see if you can get these from me.' It said and ordered its Jackals to chase me away.
"I ran, well after they'd given up the chase, and hid in the back of a UNSC pelican drop ship. Exhausted, I fell asleep on the seats and the pilot didn't realize I was aboard until after he was docked in a carrier class ship, already in slipspace. The captain was going to drop me off at the nearest populated planet, but a kind sergeant took me under his care. He became like a father to me, teaching me all he knew about how to fight and survive.
"Several years later I found myself aboard the Pillar of Autumn with the Master Chief, and we made our way to Installation 04, where I had a run in with the same zealot who killed my parents. Through a small amount of luck and some help from a rouge Sangheili, I was able to beat him but I wasn't able to bring myself to kill him. He died by his own hands and let me escape. The rest of my story you should know already." He watched her quietly for a moment, 'So this is the one who slayed Tal's brother.' He thought chuckling quietly to himself as she pulled an arum out of her pocket and played with it, 'This could become quite interesting should he find out.'
"I've heard you've been learning how to speak Sangheili." He said, getting her attention. "Yes, but I'm not nearly as good as professor Philips, and some words I can't even pronounce." She replied, putting it away as the door opened and a middle-aged Sangheili came in. "Ah, Tal, you have impeccable timing." He said, offering a seat beside her. "Thank you, kaidon. Has there been any news about my brother's killer?" He inquired calmly as he glanced over at the ambassador. She gave him a curt nod and turned to her handheld, maybe searching for some data about him. "None so far I'm afraid," he lied, "I have a favor to ask of you, though."
"Of course, you are the kaidon after all,"
"This is the ambassador of Earth, Jasmine Lunari, and I need you to play host to her."
"She cannot stay in your keep?"
"No, I'm still visiting other provinces, and I can't be around to look after her, but seeing as you were a translator before the war ended, you could understand and teach her our language."
"You know I do not like female humans, but I will do my best to teach her." The temptation to laugh at his naivety was almost too much for Thel, and he coughed to hide it. "Yes, I do realize that, but perhaps you can learn something from her and find some peace from the experience." She began to fiddle with the arum again and caught Tal's attention. "There is one problem though. I can understand her, yes, but I cannot speak the human's language. She looked up and set her handheld onto the desk as an AI appeared. "That is where I can be of assistance. I can translate what you say to her. I've been doing it for the whole trip here, so it's become no harder than trying to process a megabyte of data."
Tal looked from the AI to her and gave a sigh. "It will be an honor to house such an esteemed guest of yours," he said in defeat and stood up, "I shall go and prepare a room for her at my home." She saw him leaving and said good-bye in passable Sangheili which made him pause for a second longer before leaving. "He seems rather nice," she commented. "But I don't think he likes me all that much." Thel chuckled and stood up. Outside the sky was beginning to turn blood red as the suns set. "He will get used to you. It's almost time for the evening meal; would you care to join me?" She nodded and followed him out of his study.

Jasmine couldn't believe her luck, besides having that field marshal, Zaro following her around everywhere; things seemed to be going fantastic. The people within the keep greeted her kindly and she had access to almost every place inside. Thel had shown her through most of the secret areas, and he even read some of his family saga that was carved into the very mountain that the keep was built on. When dinner time came around she found herself as the center of everyone's conversations as she sat on the arbiter's right side. Although the chairs weren't all that comfortable for her, the meal was quite extravagant, and she was finding out how Jul had felt when he had to eat human food. Hardly anything before her resembled what she was used to eating, but she forced herself to try a little of everything. "Jul, do the Sangheili eat like this all the time?" She asked, toying with the silverware as everyone else ate. Most of us do, but we have to relearn how to farm and store food like our ancestors did." he replied, chewing a slice of meat thoughtfully, "Before I left, my mate Raia was overseeing the construction of a silo for storing wheat." She took a small bite of some meat and found it palatable. "I'm sure it's already built, but I wouldn't mind seeing it for myself." She said after another bite. 'I wonder how different their method of farming is compared to ours.' To wash down the taste, she sipped on a tangy drink.
Tibar was more than occupied as he carried out several conversations in Sangheili, leaving her alone to her thoughts. She was so used to being unnoticed by most people, but she now felt as if she was the center of all their conversations. Everyone kept glancing at her and the female Sangheili would giggle amongst themselves, throwing her occasional looks, so she turned to the arbiter, "Excuse me, I'm not feeling too well." He nodded and she left the table.
A child's ball rolled towards her and a couple of younger Sangheili stood nearby. She picked it up and held it out to them. "Is this yours?" She asked, bouncing it on the palm of her hand. They nodded, fascinated as she rolled it over one arm and back over the other. "Here," She tossed it to them and they laughed happily as they ran off with it. She rounded a corner, not paying attention and ran into someone. It was the Sangheili from before, "Oh, I'm so sorry…Tal is it?" He nodded, showing his teeth in a smile. "Over dinner, the arbiter told me I was going to be staying with you. What's your house like?" She asked, falling into step beside him as he walked over to a window. He shrugged and moved his jaws like he was trying to articulate the words, then sighed in frustration. "Oh, I see…You understand me, but you can't speak. It's okay I guess. I just need someone who'll listen to me for a while. You can tell me when you want me to shut up. I just feel a little homesick is all, I've spent most of my life around other people like me, always waiting for the next attack, but now because of my injury, I have to stay out of the fights I'm used to, and play the role of an ambassador. I don't think I'm even qualified to be one…did you fight…I mean were you a Covenant warrior at one time?" He nodded and pulled back his sleeve to reveal a battered ranger's gauntlet. "Me too," She showed him the combat knife that was strapped to her wrist by a specially designed band, "It's better to be safe than sorry. I learned that the hard way from the Master Chief after the destruction of installation 04." She noticed that he took a slight interest in that, and growled deep in his throat. "I lost a lot of friends there, some I even considered family at one time." She heard a different growl and turned around to see her bodyguard, Zaro, glaring down at her. "Sheesh, you're worse than my old nanny. Can't a girl get a little peace once in a while without having someone practically breathing down their neck?" She snapped, readying herself in case he took it as an insult. Tal spoke quickly with him, motioning to himself several times. Zaro let out a low grumble as he walked down the hall a ways before leaning on a nearby column.
"Thanks Tal. I don't mind having an armored Sangheili around me, but that field marshal armor is kind of intimidating." He laughed and began to talk. 'Finally, I didn't think I'd be able to find a common ground.' She thought, lightly touching the molded earpiece and activating Tibar's translating program, and made a mental note to keep it on at all times. "…My older brother was a great warrior, and far more intimidating than any field marshal. I always looked up to him, but then he was killed by a human soldier." It translated and she lowered her head. "I know how you feel…I lost my parents when I was little." He set a hand on her shoulder and smiled kindly. "Then we both have lost ones that we've cared about." He said softly. She nodded in agreement, feeling akin to this oddly gentle Sangheili. "Since the war is over, what has kept you busy all these years?" she inquired, "I don't know many Sangheili who do well with idleness." He looked up and she followed his gaze to the planet's two moons. Suban and a slightly larger one Jun said was called, Qikost.
"After the great schism, I became a scholar. I taught many of the keeps children how to understand the human language, but I'm still looking for my brother's killer. I was told that it was a ruthless and cunning female soldier." She tensed slightly at the mention of his description, be he let out a boisterous laugh "You definitely don't fit those categories, Ambassador." She laughed weakly, "Just call me Jasmine, please." And in her mind thought, 'Did I kill his brother or was it some other soldier who did it?' Tal may have taken her unease as a sign of sickness and asked, "Are you feeling well?" She nodded, shrugging his arm off her shoulder and stretched, "I'm fine, Tal, just bored I suppose. Is there anything interesting to see at night?" He nodded and led her to the outside courtyard where teen-aged Sangheili were practicing their swordsmanship. She heard Zaro's footsteps not a few seconds later as she became fascinated by the fast parries and counterstrikes they were using as they trained in groups of twos and threes.

"What are they using? It doesn't look like any energy sword I've ever seen."
"For now they're training with wooden ones, it's far too dangerous to use the real ones just yet." She walked over and attempted to pick up a discarded practice sword, but it was surprisingly heavy despite the thinly carved blade. "The training weapons are weighted so that when they use a real energy sword, they'll be able to swing it much faster than without the weight." Tal informed as she set it back down, "I did not expect a human to be as fascinated in our culture as you are." She smiled and responded, "After I got to spend some time with a squad of Sangheili warriors, I took a liking to their way of life. It reminded me of a book called Shogun I always liked to read during my free time when I was going through basic training." She found a comfortable place to sit for a while, well within Zaro's view and patted the spot next to her, inviting him to sit beside her. "This Shogun, it sounds like some sort of title for someone of importance," he said, sitting beside her, "May I read this book someday?"
She nodded, feeling a bit like a teacher as well. 'Maybe this is going to be one of those symbiotic relationships. I'll teach him some things and he'll teach me.' She felt him set his hand on her shoulder again, "You look tired. Perhaps it is time I take you to my home, so you can rest." He said as she tried to hide a small yawn.  "Wait here while I bring the vehicle around." He got up and headed over to where an assortment of Covenant vehicles were parked, leaving her and Zaro alone for a while.
"So, Zaro, what do you like to do with all your spare time?" She asked, trying to start up a conversation with her silent bodyguard. He muttered quietly and pressed something on his helmet. She could faintly hear a familiar tune and grinned, "So you like our music, huh?" She pulled out her handheld, and thumbed through her personal music list until she found the exact same song. He turned his head towards her, and for a second she thought she saw him smile as his stance relaxed. Maybe she had just become more than just a minor annoyance, in a good way. "What other songs do you have?" He inquired curiously as he sat down nearby, and she recited some of the list.
"You must let me borrow some of those songs some time, Ambassador." He said as Tal brought a Covenant Specter around to them.  Zaro quickly jumped onto the plasma turret as she carefully sat on the side. She looked around, expecting to see Jul coming over, but he was nowhere around. "Jul's gone to see the state of his keep." Tibar informed as Tal drove to a road just outside of the keep's walls, "He won't be around as often as you are used to, so it would be wise to learn as much as you can from our host."
The ride wasn't very long, but it gave her time to think about her past. Of all the Covenant Sangheili that she'd faced, she'd only fought against one Zealot class warrior, and she couldn't remember it had ever mentioned anything about a brother, but to them, even a fellow warrior was considered a brother, if not in blood, which meant that there were no absolute known relations. She reached into her chest pocket, and pulled out her parent's wedding rings, stilled stained with their blood. 'Well, mom, it looks like the war's finally over,' she thought, 'I've got a great job like you always wanted me to, and I get to hang out with really cool aliens too. I'll try to live the life you wanted me to.' She slid them back into the pocket, and momentarily forgot where she was as Tal pulled up to a quaint Asian style house.
It looked like it had almost come directly from one of the fifteenth century paintings that hung in a museum back on Earth. A small garden surrounded it, and from her position, she could just barely see a pond that was fed by a natural waterfall. "Is that your home, Tal?" She inquired, straining to get a better look at it from her seat on the Specter. "Yes, I've worked hard to get it to look nice after that crazy inventor nearly destroyed it with one of his experiments."

"Crazy inventor?"

"Never mind, he's no one of importance."

"Oh…okay." He parked the vehicle just outside the gates to the house and helped her down as she tossed her suitcase to the ground. "Thanks you, Tal." She said when he handed it to her. As he opened the gate, Zaro was instantly stepping inside to look around as she entered more cautiously. "Zaro, there is no need to be so worried. I checked the garden myself after kaidon Thel told me the ambassador was to stay at my house." She watched him check over the entire garden before stepping further in, "A threat can come, even from where someone considers being safest." He replied, pushing some reeds aside as Tal shook his head and opened the door.
He stepped inside, and carefully looked around as she used the doorframe for support. "Is anything the matter, Ambassador?" He asked as she hooked the edge of her shoe and pulled it off, and then worked with the other one. "No, I simply find it rude to walk into someone's home with my shoes on." She replied as she set them aside and walked into his house.
As she walked down the hall, she realized just how tall the Sangheili really were. Most homes had four meter high ceilings at the least, but his was nearly five meters. Some of the support beams were made of a highly polished jet black wood that set off the softer brown of the walls and trim. "You're house is beautiful." She commented, running her hand along the wall as he led her to the last room on the left. "Thank you. My ancestors built this house ages ago, before the war. It's fallen into disrepair since the war, and I've been trying to fix it, but I lack the skills necessary to fully restore it." He slid the door aside to reveal a room with furniture from salvaged UNSC ships, except the bed which was neatly set under a mesh bug net. "I hope you don't mind living like this for a while. It's the best I can do I'm afraid." She stepped into the room and smiled, "This will do just fine, Tal, and if you need any help around the house, I'd be more than happy to lend a hand." He chuckled and closed the door as she found the dresser and begun to unpack.
She was just about to slide the safety on her pistol when Zaro opened one of the hidden door that lead out to the garden. Instinctively she aimed it at him, and tightened her finger around the trigger, but didn't fire. He reached for his sword and growled threateningly as she tossed it aside, "sorry, you startled me." She said as she attempted to look a little less dangerous. It took a full minute before he relaxed but then he chuckled, "you have good instincts, but if I were an assassin, you'd already be dead." She shrugged and continued to unpack as shifted a few things in the room, looking for anything suspicious. 'I definitely don't want him as an enemy. I'd be dead within the hour.'
She watched him from the corner of her eye as he picked up the pistol and looked at it for a while, then set it on the dressed. "Keep that hidden if you take it out of this house." He warned, tensing up as Tal opened the door. "The bath is ready for you, for when you feel like bathing." He said, setting a towel on the chair. Calmly she gathered her night clothes and the towel, then followed him down a stone path to what appeared to be another house, only much smaller. Steam rose out of a covered opening in the roof as he slid the door open, "Take as long as you like. Zaro will wait out here." He informed, closing the door behind her.
She heard his retreating footsteps and sighed contentedly as she undressed and eased herself into the hot water. She could only stay in it long enough to wash the sweat and grim off before dragging herself out of the tub. She carefully dressed, using her bathrobe to hide the reddish tint of her skin. The door slid open a little and Zaro stuck his head in, "Are you done already?" he inquired, "why not stay in and soak for a while longer?" He stepped aside as she pulled the door open the rest of the way and walked out. "I might have ended up asleep and par-boiled." She replied, walking back to the room with him following close behind. "Zaro, you know you don't always have to follow me."
"It's my job to protect you."
"I know, it's just that I don't mind if you took the lead sometimes," She glanced back to judge his reaction, but he simply snapped his jaws together and sped up his pace. She smiled and followed him into her room, bumping into him as he stopped dead in his tracks. Tal was shifting some of the furniture, "What are you doing?" Zaro growled, looking over the furniture he had moved. They began speaking, too fast for the translation program to follow, but finally Zaro gave a deep growl and walked out onto the porch. "Is he alright?" Tal chuckled, "He takes his job of guarding you very seriously, even considering me a possible assassin." She looked once more at the shadow of Zaro as he passed the window and sighed. "Okay, and Tal,"
"yes?"
"Thanks you for letting me stay here."
"It is my pleasure, Ambassador."
"Just call me Jasmine, okay?"
"Very well. Good night Jasmine." He closed the door as she laid down on the bed, covering up with the soft down blanket. She soon drifted off to sleep as she watched Zaro pace the length of the porch, knowing that she was safe with such a noble warrior for a bodyguard......