Reach for Halo

The Ark

Mutasim P.O.V

A low purr licks my ear and I moan quietly as I feel myself start to wake up. Opening my eyes, I'm greeted with a nude Thelya, her mandibles trying to form a smile as she leans into my ear. 

Thelya: Good morning, Mutasim. ~

Her hand caresses my chest and I blush at how soft and supple her giant hand is. 

Mutasim: Good morning, Thelya. Have a nice rest? 

Thelya: One of the best. But I am afraid we must cut this short. We are arriving swiftly. 

Nodding, I sit up from the bed and start getting dressed. Thelya does the same and once fully dressed, leave the chambers to go to the hangar. As soon as we reached the hangar, soldiers and Elites were all boarding ships to be deployed. Amidst all the faces, my gaze fell onto a familiar Spartan visor. My cheeks redden as I recall last night's events and wondered what Six would've thought of this. 

Thelya and I approach the ship Six hovers outside of and she sees us. Her hand raises to wave us over. 

Six: Hey! Mutasim, you okay? 

Mutasim: Y-Yeah. Just, uh... Um... 

I trip over my words, unsure of what to say. She quickly picks up on it and pats my shoulder. 

Six: Mutasim. It's okay. I talked to Arbiter about it. Hope you enjoyed yourself at least. 

My blush worsens and I rub the back of my head while Six just laughs. She wraps an arm around my shoulder and walks me inside the ship while Thelya follows behind. Upon entering the ship, I recognise Lilith sitting down on the side. The Flood Marine raises her hand shyly to wave. I smile reassuringly and sit beside her. 

Mutasim: Hey Lilith. You doing okay? 

She holds a thumbs up. Six sits on Lilith's right and pats her back. 

Six: Don't worry Lilith. We've got your back. 

Thelya: I'll admit, I'm still surprised at how she's able to control herself. I was under the belief that all of the Parasites worked as one. 

Lilith can only shrug her shoulders. But if Lilith was able to control herself, then it gave some form of hope that other people infected might be able to retain control of themselves. The ship starts to move and we arm ourselves as we approach the Ark. Over the radio, I can hear Covenant and Human/Elite forces starting to engage in battle. But Truth's ship isn't taking part. 

Thelya: Mutasim. Where is this Ark exactly? 

Mutasim: We'll be looking for a giant base. Not much help, but I've never been good at descriptions. But Truth can't activate the Ark unless he has a "Reclaimer" to do it. 

Six: And a Reclaimer is...? 

Mutasim: It's the Forerunner term for human. 

Thelya: The Forerunners were the ancient race that made the Halo rings, yes? 

Mutasim: Yep. 

Six: So wait. If Truth needed a human to activate all the Halo rings, why did we follow him again? It's not like he has human prisoners onboard his ship. 

Mutasim: You really wanna take that risk? I mean, I've often thought about what if he can just carry a dismembered hand and then use that to activate the Halo rings, but... I'd rather not leave it up to chance. 

The back of the ship opens up, revealing a sandy landscape. I stand up from my seat and hold onto the side as I look out. Lilith, Six and Thelya join me as we ready ourselves to jump out. Once the ship slows and hovers over a hill, we all jump out with snipers in hand.