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The Fate of Veer
Posted By: Slaskia<dragatora@hotmail.com>
Date: 16 December 2009, 1:44 am
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A/N: Those that read The Cole Protocol probably noticed a couple of Sangheili characters just…Disappeared mid-story with no explanation (I noticed since I am a Sangheili fanatic, don't know how many others did). This story is my take on what I think could have happened to one of them.
And yes, this story contains some minor spoilers from the previously mentioned book.
P.S. In case anyone is curious: all my Halo stories are Sangheili-centric and they can all be found on FF.net, under the same author name.
The Fate of Veer
During events of Chap 29 -32 of The Cole Protocol
Veer sat in the cockpit of the Kig-Yar transport, waiting for Thel and the other Sangheili to return. With a silent curse, he shifted in the command chair, trying to get comfortable. Alas, this ship was build with Kig-Yar in mind, not a Sangheili, thus the seat was too small. He had seen Thel shift uncomfortably in this seat as well, so he took comfort that he wasn't the only one miserable in this ill-equipped ship.
He hoped Thel and the others did not take too long with their mission. They had gone down to Metisette, a methane rich world where Kig-Yar were breeding Unggoy by the hundreds of thousands: against protocols set by the Hierarchs. Due to the Unggoy's rapid reproduction rate, their numbers had to be tightly controlled, or they would be overwhelmed by billions of Unggoy within only a couple of years. Now this Kig-Yar, Reth as he was called, was breeding his own personal army: for what reason, they did not know, and Thel had intended to find out.
The problem was that someone had to stay behind to ensure the Unggoy onboard this ship didn't try anything while they were away and that someone ended up being Veer. Veer didn't like the idea of being stuck here: babysitting hundreds of Unggoy was not stanza worthy for his keep's Saga. However, Thel was their leader and to disobey Thel risked dishonor upon himself. So Veer had simply saluted like an honorable Sangheili and did as he was told.
Someday, Gods willing, I will command my own ship, Veer thought with a smile. He held little doubt that he would: being a field master, he was close to achieving this goal. Perhaps, he would meet it once the mission was over and finally be out from under Thel's thumb. He held nothing against Thel, whom was a fine Sangheili and a strong leader, but the desire to command his own ship was strong.
He broke out of his daydreamings and mentally cursed himself. Sitting around daydreaming was the foolishness of a minor, not a battle hardened zealot. The waiting and boredom was getting to him, so he pushed himself out of the chair and left the bridge. He should roam the ship corridors a bit anyway to ensure the Unggoy were not causing any mischief.
Only a moment into his patrol did he realize that something was not right. The ship seemed unusually quiet, save for the expected hum of the engines and other equipment. Yet absent from this was the chattering and footfalls of the Unggoy that shared this ship. There were hundreds of them on-board, why couldn't he hear any of them? Even if they all decided to nap at the same time, as Unggoy were opt to do any chance they got, he would have heard them snoring or mumbling in their sleep. Yet there was nothing.
It was unsettling. Veer slowed his stride and strained to hear anything but the sound of the ship and his own breathing. Nothing. He was tempted to contact Thel and inform him of this oddity, but he checked himself. There was surely a logical explanation for this, he just needed to find it. Besides, Thel would surely frown on him if he found out he was a bit spooked by this situation. Battle hardened Sangheili like him do not go running to their superiors at the first sign of unusual activity. He could figure this out on his own.
There was sound, a shuffle, behind him. Whirling around Veer finally spotted another sign of life on this ship. It was an Unggoy, which was to be expected and yet, it was just standing there, staring at him. No sound came from the creature, beyond the breathing through its respirator, and no movement. It just stared at him, with beady little red eyes. Eyes that were empty, no emotion within them at all.
"Unggoy, where are your brethren?" Veer asked. The Unggoy didn't reply. Instead, it turned and waddled down a side passage. "Unggoy!" Veer took the two steps for him to reach the passage and looked down it, wanting to grab the creature and throttle it for its disobedience.
The Unggoy was gone.
Impossible, Veer thought, taking a few steps down into the passage, looking for the Unggoy, yet he could not find a trace. Now a bit unnerved, much to his shame, Veer retraced his steps back to the main corridor, wondering if he had just imagined the creature. He couldn't get that empty, hollow stare out of his mind either.
He continued on his patrol, noting that once again the ship was unnaturally quiet. This time he was checking every side passage, every alcove and yet he still saw no sigh of the Unggoy. Turning a corner, he finally spotted three more of the creatures, appearing to be chatting amongst themselves: yet he could not hear any voices.
"Unggoy, why are you not at your posts?" he demanded.
The trio of Unggoy all slowly turned as one toward him. Like the first, they just stared, the empty hollow look in their eyes. Veer felt a chill go down his spine.
"Be off with you!" Veer sneered, not liking this game they were playing. "Be gone before I rip your skulls from your pathetic hides!" The Unggoy trio again slowly turned and dispersed, disappearing down another passage. Again, Veer approached this passage and looked down it, only to see no sign of any of the three Unggoy.
Thel will know of this when he returns, he decided, having had enough of this. Next Unggoy that pulls this stunt will meet its end at the end of my blade.
Veer walked purposely now, eager to finish this patrol and head back to the bridge, away from the creepy Unggoy he had encountered. He had no further incidents for the next several minutes and Veer started to feel they had gotten the message. Still though, besides those four earlier, he spotted no Unggoy, or any other sign of them.
A few more places to check on, one of them being the cargo hold. The lights were off when he entered and after a bit of fumbling around he found the switch, illuminating the room. The cargo hold was largely an open space; most of the cargo there was lined up along the sides with a few 'islands' of crates there and there. Veer moved deeper into the room, knowing that Unggoy loved to hide so they can sneak a nap in such a place. So far, there was no sign of any Unggoy.
Then the lights went out. Veer, cursing and nearly tripping over a crate he had been walking around, activated his armor's headlights. What the lights revealed, made his blood run cold.
Illuminated by his lights, were countless dozens of reflections off the backs of Unggoy eyes. Turning around, he saw only more Unggoy: he was surrounded. Worse, all of those eyes had that same empty, hollow look in them. Where did they come from and so quickly? It didn't matter, for Veer was fed up with this whole ordeal.
"Enough with your games!" Veer roared, igniting his sword. His next roar was not from him starting an attack but of agony as pain erupted in the calf of his left leg. Reflexively, he kicked, throwing off whatever had attacked him. He took a moment to inspect the wound and found two perfect semi-circles of teeth impressions on his calf: Unggoy teeth.
Looking back up at the Unggoy, he found they had drawn in closer while he was distracted. All of them had their arms out, their little fingers flexing, and a collective, continuous moan coming from all around him. What madness is this!? Veer thought, fear starting to grip his mind. "Stay away from me!" He slashed his sword back and forth, cutting down a few of the Unggoy.
One grabbed at his leg and he instinctively slashed at it, removing its head from its body. Another leapt onto his back and managed to knock of his helmet before he was able to grab it and toss it away. More of them were climbing onto the crates now and jumping at him. Most missed, but some managed to latch onto him, weighing him down. Veer ripped off, or cut off those that he could, but for every one he disposed of; five more took its place. He was being overwhelmed. What could one zealot hope to do against a swarm of determined Unggoy?
Within moments, he was disarmed and prone on the floor; his armor being ripped off. The last moments of the would-be shipmaster's life was spent screaming as he met his grisly fate to ripping teeth and clawing fingers.
"Unggoy."
The pair of Unggoy looked up from carrying their cargo up at Thel, whom had recently returned from a mission. "Yes, your excellence?" One of them asked.
"What do you have there?" Thel asked, gesturing toward the large bag they were struggling with.
"Trash, your excellence. Clean ship, serviceable ship."
"I see. Have you seen Veer? The Sangheili I had left behind on-board?"
"No, your excellence, we have not."
The imposing Sangheili narrowed his eyes briefly, and then nodded. "Carry on then." The Sangheili shipmaster walked off then, muttering some curse about Veer disappearing on him like a coward.
The two Unggoy breathed a sigh of relief and continued on their way. Soon after, they had deposited the large bag down the into the garbage hold: it would later be jettisoned into space. "So," one of the Unggoy said after the deed was done. "What he taste like to you?"
"Chicken," his companion said.
"Really? He tasted of dirty socks to me…."
"That cause you idiot and not remove bodysuit first before eating!"
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