The Shadows In The Dark

Chapter Eight

Sitting at a table in the corner with Vex, Victor examined the room around him. Marines and crew members were littered throughout the canteen. They sat around laughing and joking with each other, ignoring the quiet pair in the corner. Victor munched on a plate of fries and a Moa burger as Vex ate a grilled Colo. Turning his nose up in distaste, Victor questioned how his friend could eat the disgusting smelling meat. 

Looking up as Etain approached, he was slightly surprised to hear the doctor ask if it was ok to sit with them. Nodding, Victor scooted further away from the cheerful woman as she sat down. Their table was overtaken by silence as nobody spoke to each other. He could tell that the doctor wanted to try and start a conversation, but he and Vex acted as if they didn't notice. It's not that Victor didn't like the woman, it's just that he didn't do well with strangers. 

After several more minutes of silence, Etain finally spoke up. "Are you still hungry? There's plenty more to eat, and there's dessert too."

Vex spoke for himself, saying, "No thank you, doctor. I don't enjoy sweets."

Victor looked away for a few seconds before responding, "Is there...mint chocolate chip ice-cream?"

Etain narrowed her eyebrows, thinking. "I don't think so. I'll be sure to check with the cooking staff though."

Victor didn't respond, and Etain quickly spoke up again. "Well, if you two are finished, I guess I'll hand you back over to Freya. I hope she doesn't have you work right away." After waiting a few seconds, followed by no response, she added, "If you two need anything, come to me, ok? I'll try and help as much as I can. I'm sure that this is.. a strange situation for you two."

She then stood up, and with a small wave left the cafeteria. Many of the soldiers greeted her as she walked out, and she responded to each by name and with a hello. Victor looked at Freya, who was seated at the table next to theirs, and was slightly creeped out to see her already staring at him. She motioned him to stand before rising from her own seat. Victor and Vex slowly stood up, and Vex grabbed both of their dishes before Victor could. Striding across the crowded room, he confidently handed the dishes to the cleaning staff. Walking back, he kept his eyes trained forward, avoiding the curious glances surrounding him. 

Victor was slightly offended that Vex had taken his dishes too, but he knew Vex had done it just so that he wouldn't have to walk through the crowd of people. Turning back to Freya, the two followed her back down the hallway that lead to the training room.

Without turning around, she said, "I'll let you two rest for 20 minutes. Then it's back to training."

Sighing, Victor trudged behind the stern woman. All he wanted to do was sit in a quiet room and rest.

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"I'm afraid that I will no longer be able to train with you, Spartan."

Drake looked up from his meal. A few minutes ago, Tor'Valen had left the Spartans private living quarters -where they were eating- to answer a call from the captain. Drake had sat silently and continued eating his meal. It had been a long time since he'd actually had time to enjoy a meal, and so he had slowly consumed the hot food in front of him. The alien had just re-entered the room when he spoke.

"Why? Are we moving onto something else?"

Tor'Valen shook his large head. "I am. It appears that me and my warriors's work on the Kig Yar pirate spacecraft had managed to bring back some of its core systems. As soon as the old datanet had been accessed, some sort of signal was sent out from its relay. We don't know where it went, or who it went to, though we think that it may have been sent to the pirates. If they're still active, and received the signal, they may be sending forces to investigate."