Halo: The Dunes of 2560

Chapter 11: Vision Group

Thel 'Vadam is given a pardon and was scheduled to meet with UNSC Officials on Earth, so he takes a UNSC Ship to Earth while everyone on the UNSC Spark await orders in the atmosphere of Earth. They all sat in the cafeteria awaiting David to give orders, he was pouring over a lot of paper work, he finally speaks after half an hour, "Earth is taking care of this situation quite well, all the Ex-Covenant were put on some land in Nevada, US. They're... happy, which is good. The Covenant on The Dunes, according to Satellite reports, show they have lost interest. The SFA remain silent. As for us... They are giving us a Partial, however the problem is I might've fucked up when I used Thel's Testimony for an Alibi. The UNSC refutes my claim of the Flood not having been destroyed in the incident on the Ark in 2552. Now... Osa... About the Elephant in the room." David reaches down and grabs something, he throws it on the table. Its a crushed ODST Helmet with a purple stripe on it. "Osa, what's his... it's status?" Osa hesitated, "It's... alive, at least..."

Osa drags in Stripe, and sets him in a chair, Candy covers his mouth seeing his face, Red gags quietly. David is behind him, he grabs his arms and ties them, "How does he have... five fingers?" Red speaks low, "How the fuck does he have human knees??" David snaps his fingers, "Get me a bucket of ice water ASAP!" Crystal grabs a big pot and sets the faucet, and grabs ice. Osa grabs a chair and sets it in front of an unconscious Stripe. He stares at the Sangheili face before him, he feels a pit in his gut about this. Osa ponders while the sound of the faucet fills his head, "He's another victim of the SFA, there's something telling me that no matter how much is uncovered, this will only go deeper and deeper down this disparagingly horrific pit of war crimes." Red shakes his head, "Even that's an understatement. Which would you rather have if you could only have one, the SFA, or the Flood?" They all were silent. It was a rhetorical question of course, however David felt the need to speak for a good reason, "The SFA. The Flood is on the fast track to annihilating all life. The SFA is like the Forerunners, if they were like... I don't know, a tyrannical secretive paramilitary death squad." Red scoffed, his initial statement remained in place in his train of thought. All he could think about is what will come next. 

David dumped the ice water on Stripe, his head jerked from right to left, he was grunting and violently writhing. Osa grabbed his face holding it still, "Hold still! Get in here." Trent looks at him, "He's not having a seizure, he's fine. He's reacting to the shock of the cold, he's fine." David nodded, he and Osa know of his minor background in Sangheili Medical and Anatomical Science, the others were confused. Osa let go of Stripe, "Alright, glad to have you here with us. I'm Vixon, before you're allowed to speak I will read you off your rights, we will proceed to ask you questions. Do you understand? Say yes or no verbally." Stripe looked Osa in the eyes, he was staring at him coldly. A memory struck Trent, he remembered when Osa was having a mental breakdown in David's Truck back in the Dunes, he wondered how Osa had went from being a calm, introverted member of their squad, to being borderline PTSD, to now being the controlling factor of situations they've encountered over the past week. Stripe cut Trent's thoughts, "Yes." His voice was raspy, it startled Trent. "Good. Now I will inform you of your rights. You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Anything you say may be used against you in a court of law. Due to the War Incentive Status currently initiated by the UNSC, you do not have a right to an attorney, you will not receive one. You are under War Criminal Detainment. With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak with me?" David is impressed that not only did Osa read him the UNSC Miranda Warning Code 046 properly, he read it calmly and fluently. Just weeks ago, he was a blabbering mess. David looked at Trent, he glanced back but stayed focused on Osa and Stripe. Osa only stared at him after reading him his rights, and he stared back. "I will speak." Osa wrote down on a piece of paper on his right knee, "Suspect confirmed Miranda Warning 046. Questioning is initiated." 

Osa 'Drazam (Codename: Vixon): What is your full legal name?

Khyvo 'Sratum (Modified post-scriptum): My name is Khyvo 'Sratum.

Osa: What is your planet of Nationality?

Khyvo: Qikost. House Numeira

Osa: How did you become a soldier of the UNSC under the SFA's Directive?

Khyvo: I don't know.

Osa: Did you sign up to join the Special Fields Agency? Or did they conscribe you? 

Khyvo: ...

Osa: (Whispers to Trent. Trent brings him a hand held screen from Pilot.)

Khyvo: ...

Osa: What do you know about this? (Showing the Suspect video footage of him in the hangar two weeks ago, Commander Lancer speaking to the man at the desk.)

Khyvo: ...

Osa: Who is the man in black? If you continue to be silent, David will instill physical stimulation to help you move forward.

Khyvo: ...

Osa: (snaps fingers, David proceeds to slam his fist into Khyvo's head with a monstrous right hook.)

Khyvo: His name... his... Oh... His name is General Yuno. 

Osa: Will you explain this to me? (Shows Khyvo Commander Lancer talking about Number 19)

Khyvo: Number 19 was the result of... Ow... The Special Field Agency had sparked a deal long before that event with the Covenant, the exchange was weird. The deal was... The SFA builds Top Secret Underground Bases there, and use the planet as a big laboratory, and the Covenant will get a War Ready Artificial Intelligence. At some point, the deal had expired, the Covenant threatened to Glass the planet, instead, they sealed the entire planet off and committed Genocide. The Covenant tried to Glass the planet, their ships were malfunctioning, and even a Prophet was held hostage. If I recall... They wanted to save their experiments by turning the planet from a Covenant World to a Wasteland within a day, so the Covenant would forfeit the deal. Say... Aren't you part of the deal Osa 'Drazam?

In that moment, Osa was finished with writing down everything and being formal. He knew Khyvo knew something about him. Red could feel Osa was alarmed, "Let's leave." David looked at Red as if he had said he'd kill his family, "No! This is..." Osa stood up, "I need to be alone with the Suspect for a minute." David looked at him, "Don't kill him." They all left Osa 'Drazam and Khyvo 'Sratum alone in the cafeteria. Osa knelt down close to him, "I really don't want to know... I need to know. What did they do to me?" Khyvo held in a laugh, however, he's bad at holding it in, "You know!" Osa shook his head, "What did they do to me Khyvo? He just sighs, "How do you think you broke into Hangar 8? Do you think nobody knows? Everyone saw 'Drazam!" 

30 years ago: 

On the planet Number 19, in an underground Base under the village of Liranha, a group of scientists worked tirelessly in a lab full of large glass tubes hooked into the floor, they were the size of tables. A sangheili and a human both in black, walk into the Laboratory, the Sangheili speaks with him quietly, "This Laboratory is probably the closest to achieving one of the factors. Before you get on my back about materials, I offered myself. However they told me I was inferior... General Yuno, I'd like to introduce you to the Vision Group."