Post by Ark on Jan 15, 2009 2:36:32 GMT -5
This will most likely be a oneshot, with possible, more scattered references to it in later episodes. Cheers.
Countless millennia of existence had brought many things before my eyes. The fall of Rome, the construction of the lighthouse of Alexandria, the discovery of fire, all evidence of mortal man’s ability to bend and warp the world around them for the purposes of both good and evil. Indeed, such trifles were amusing, but there had been many civilizations before them, innumerable universes came into existence before fading to utter nothingness in my time. None before had such faith in science that they pursued, and obtained, the ability to travel to the stars themselves.
I stayed away from mortals in a world that had forgotten the old; I am not ashamed to admit that I held newfound contempt towards them for their ability to plainly leave their mother planet on a whim. I had never left the Earth, but always wondered at the stars. I was not surprised when Earth’s skies were pierced for the second time; however, I was surprised when fire rained from the skies, reaping destruction worldwide.
I saw them for the first time that day, too. The Covenant, an amalgam of deluded cultures united in the pursuit of gods they did not understand. Religion was a powerful motivator, and faith was one their side. Their pervasion of such marvelous technology was sickening, as was their arrogance.
Their ships were imposingly massive, their shimmering walls of light flickering at the slightest glance. I watched with a scowl as they overran New Mombasa. It was clear that they were after what their gods had left behind, buried deep in time as a monument to their final sin. It was equally clear to me that my blatant ignorance of the situation at hand was no longer excusable.
It wasn’t hard to disguise myself; there were plenty of dead marines, and stealing an appropriately sized uniform of a young man wasn’t terribly difficult; he had expired moments before and after determining he was beyond saving I hauled the teen onto a nearby vehicle and pressed onward.
Just as it was easy to disguise myself, I soon found that a disguise was widely unnecessary. The human marines were well beyond outmatched, physically evidenced by the looming figure of a bulbous ship over Mombasa’s skyline.
I leave this journal here on Earth, because I can feel mother Gaia waning in her grip on me; it is time for me to leave, and one day return, perhaps. May the blessings of the earth mother guide humanity even amongst the stars.
----
Ark’s gaze traced the skyline curiously, blue eyes scanning over the bulbous expanse of the ship that now hung directly above him. He sighed, fidgeting with his borrowed helmet. The thing was obviously not very accommodating to fox ears, nor was the jumpsuit to his tail, but he managed. He didn’t have much of a choice, anyway, but he did not refrain from cursing his inexperience with a firearm. The standard issue magnum he clung to tightly was far from the usefulness of his own abilities, but he had to look the part: it was harder to shake actual marines off his trail than their Covenant enemies.
He slunk over some rubble, his form pressed low as he clambered over collapsed buildings in a demented dance set to the rhythm of a city under siege. It was euphoric in a way; mankind’s war had been taken to the stars, and he hadn’t the ability to watch over the earth mother’s many offspring when they picked a fight out of her reach.
That was not his concern at that particular moment though, as the elegantly crafted armor of an elite cast a shadow across his own tall form. Ark hissed slightly at the dull heat of a plasma rifle pressed to his skull. “Vermin.” The tall alien hissed, gripping the back of Ark’s borrowed power armor.
Ark remained still. He refused to use violence unless absolutely necessary. He cleared his throat, straightening himself as he stood. “I am not what you believe me to be, invader.” He stated rather plainly. “Though I disagree with your classification of the human species as vermin, I am aware of their frustrating tendencies.”
The elite did not respond, but the slight creak oh armor as he began to press the trigger alerted Ark that talk would not get him far. The crunch of metal and roar of agony told him what he already knew; the rifle had been punctured clean through by a thin spike of glass that had cracked through the pavement between Ark and his attacker. Liquid plasma dripped to the ground as Ark turned to leer over the elite who now sported rather severe plasma burns over most of his arm and chest.
“I told you, invader. I am not what you think I am. I am much, much more.” Ark muttered, kneeling down in front of the grimacing alien.
“I will not be taken prisoner, vermin. Grant me a warrior’s death and kill me where I rest now.” He grunted, closing his eyes in preparation.
“I rather hope the rest of your species has a higher respect for the gift of life.” Ark sighed, gripping the burnt arm with obvious firmness, but with no pain to the alien. “You will not die now, nor will you be my prisoner. I need you, elite.” He stated plainly, thin, shimmering glass tendrils weaving over the alien’s scaly skin, leaving only perfectly healthy flesh in its wake.
The elite huffed indignantly. “You are surely a new breed of demon spawned by these wretched demons. I will not aid a demon.”
Ark chuckled to the elite’s dismay. “I’ve been called demon by humans before, but it has never been as humorous as this. No, I am no demon, nor am I one of the human super soldiers.” Ark sighed, finishing his crafty medical practices and standing. “Now come, sanghelli, I will be your prisoner.” He muttered, offering his hand to help the tall alien stand.
“It is dishonorable to give yourself as prisoner and betray your kind.” The elite said with a growl, standing on his own accord.
Ark’s gaze steeled as he locked eyes with the alien. His hand removed the helmet gingerly and dropped it to the floor, his two ears twitching at exposure to the air. “They’re not my kind.” He stated plainly. If the elite had a reaction, he did not show it before nudging Ark along down a side street. Not too forcefully, but not in any way that showed weakness.
“From what I understand… your prejudices are religious, are they not? Surely this explains the difficulty humanity has had in swaying your actions; beliefs are hard to quell once stoked.” Ark stated quietly, his voice echoing off the smoldering ruins around them.
“We exterminate vermin who defile the path lain out by our lords.” The imposing alien replied.
“Well, I suppose we both have much to learn, then; you of humanity’s role in your faith, and I of the universe beyond this world.” Ark wondered aloud, regarding the odd spacecraft they now approached, teeming with prisoners and alien warriors. “Both are lessons time will teach, and I am eager to learn.”
Countless millennia of existence had brought many things before my eyes. The fall of Rome, the construction of the lighthouse of Alexandria, the discovery of fire, all evidence of mortal man’s ability to bend and warp the world around them for the purposes of both good and evil. Indeed, such trifles were amusing, but there had been many civilizations before them, innumerable universes came into existence before fading to utter nothingness in my time. None before had such faith in science that they pursued, and obtained, the ability to travel to the stars themselves.
I stayed away from mortals in a world that had forgotten the old; I am not ashamed to admit that I held newfound contempt towards them for their ability to plainly leave their mother planet on a whim. I had never left the Earth, but always wondered at the stars. I was not surprised when Earth’s skies were pierced for the second time; however, I was surprised when fire rained from the skies, reaping destruction worldwide.
I saw them for the first time that day, too. The Covenant, an amalgam of deluded cultures united in the pursuit of gods they did not understand. Religion was a powerful motivator, and faith was one their side. Their pervasion of such marvelous technology was sickening, as was their arrogance.
Their ships were imposingly massive, their shimmering walls of light flickering at the slightest glance. I watched with a scowl as they overran New Mombasa. It was clear that they were after what their gods had left behind, buried deep in time as a monument to their final sin. It was equally clear to me that my blatant ignorance of the situation at hand was no longer excusable.
It wasn’t hard to disguise myself; there were plenty of dead marines, and stealing an appropriately sized uniform of a young man wasn’t terribly difficult; he had expired moments before and after determining he was beyond saving I hauled the teen onto a nearby vehicle and pressed onward.
Just as it was easy to disguise myself, I soon found that a disguise was widely unnecessary. The human marines were well beyond outmatched, physically evidenced by the looming figure of a bulbous ship over Mombasa’s skyline.
I leave this journal here on Earth, because I can feel mother Gaia waning in her grip on me; it is time for me to leave, and one day return, perhaps. May the blessings of the earth mother guide humanity even amongst the stars.
----
Ark’s gaze traced the skyline curiously, blue eyes scanning over the bulbous expanse of the ship that now hung directly above him. He sighed, fidgeting with his borrowed helmet. The thing was obviously not very accommodating to fox ears, nor was the jumpsuit to his tail, but he managed. He didn’t have much of a choice, anyway, but he did not refrain from cursing his inexperience with a firearm. The standard issue magnum he clung to tightly was far from the usefulness of his own abilities, but he had to look the part: it was harder to shake actual marines off his trail than their Covenant enemies.
He slunk over some rubble, his form pressed low as he clambered over collapsed buildings in a demented dance set to the rhythm of a city under siege. It was euphoric in a way; mankind’s war had been taken to the stars, and he hadn’t the ability to watch over the earth mother’s many offspring when they picked a fight out of her reach.
That was not his concern at that particular moment though, as the elegantly crafted armor of an elite cast a shadow across his own tall form. Ark hissed slightly at the dull heat of a plasma rifle pressed to his skull. “Vermin.” The tall alien hissed, gripping the back of Ark’s borrowed power armor.
Ark remained still. He refused to use violence unless absolutely necessary. He cleared his throat, straightening himself as he stood. “I am not what you believe me to be, invader.” He stated rather plainly. “Though I disagree with your classification of the human species as vermin, I am aware of their frustrating tendencies.”
The elite did not respond, but the slight creak oh armor as he began to press the trigger alerted Ark that talk would not get him far. The crunch of metal and roar of agony told him what he already knew; the rifle had been punctured clean through by a thin spike of glass that had cracked through the pavement between Ark and his attacker. Liquid plasma dripped to the ground as Ark turned to leer over the elite who now sported rather severe plasma burns over most of his arm and chest.
“I told you, invader. I am not what you think I am. I am much, much more.” Ark muttered, kneeling down in front of the grimacing alien.
“I will not be taken prisoner, vermin. Grant me a warrior’s death and kill me where I rest now.” He grunted, closing his eyes in preparation.
“I rather hope the rest of your species has a higher respect for the gift of life.” Ark sighed, gripping the burnt arm with obvious firmness, but with no pain to the alien. “You will not die now, nor will you be my prisoner. I need you, elite.” He stated plainly, thin, shimmering glass tendrils weaving over the alien’s scaly skin, leaving only perfectly healthy flesh in its wake.
The elite huffed indignantly. “You are surely a new breed of demon spawned by these wretched demons. I will not aid a demon.”
Ark chuckled to the elite’s dismay. “I’ve been called demon by humans before, but it has never been as humorous as this. No, I am no demon, nor am I one of the human super soldiers.” Ark sighed, finishing his crafty medical practices and standing. “Now come, sanghelli, I will be your prisoner.” He muttered, offering his hand to help the tall alien stand.
“It is dishonorable to give yourself as prisoner and betray your kind.” The elite said with a growl, standing on his own accord.
Ark’s gaze steeled as he locked eyes with the alien. His hand removed the helmet gingerly and dropped it to the floor, his two ears twitching at exposure to the air. “They’re not my kind.” He stated plainly. If the elite had a reaction, he did not show it before nudging Ark along down a side street. Not too forcefully, but not in any way that showed weakness.
“From what I understand… your prejudices are religious, are they not? Surely this explains the difficulty humanity has had in swaying your actions; beliefs are hard to quell once stoked.” Ark stated quietly, his voice echoing off the smoldering ruins around them.
“We exterminate vermin who defile the path lain out by our lords.” The imposing alien replied.
“Well, I suppose we both have much to learn, then; you of humanity’s role in your faith, and I of the universe beyond this world.” Ark wondered aloud, regarding the odd spacecraft they now approached, teeming with prisoners and alien warriors. “Both are lessons time will teach, and I am eager to learn.”