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Authors note: Assuming I even get around to putting this up for someone to read, please don't expect much from me(assuming this is any good) I tend to think up short little stories in my spare time, and figured I'd share em with folks. And second, I'll be taking a few "artistic liberties" with this fic, so don't get yer pitchforks out because there's a few canon "errors." And third, I haven't put a pen down to paper to write something like this in about seven years, so here's hoping I get better as I go along. And finally, Halo belongs to 343/Bungie/Microsoft, I am just simply a fan who likes the lore. Characters in this fanfic were created and belong to me though. Any-who, on with the show.

Mir Dakana Asteroid Belt: Unknown Star System

There was a momentary period of darkness as Jez slipped on her helmet, and then it was quickly whisked away as it connected to the rest of her suit, the cameras inside projecting what they saw of the outside world. She never liked the feeling of being cramped up like this, but this was clearly the better alternative to going outside without a space suit. Her eyes darted about, focusing on the various icons on her HUD. Everything in her suit was working fine, so with nothing else to do, she turned her attention to the crew.

There was Gar, a male of her species, upon realizing she was watching him, he quickly turned his attention elsewhere, no doubt he was eying her up in her form hugging suit while he had the chance. Jez had only arrived here a few months ago, on this gray dusty world, but right from the start, Gar was on her case as soon as he spotted her. He was older than her, presenting an opportunity for him. For Jez's species, many females held positions of power, and made sure the males new about it. But Jez was not in any position of power whatsoever as far as her species was concerned. So she had to endure Gar's constant attempts at courting her. Even though he was older than her, she was not one to give in, and often got into squabbles with him. Luckily, his time on this outpost would be over soon as his contract ended and he would likely not encounter another female in a position such as hers for some time. That of course, meant he would try even harder to court her. For almost every other being in the room, Jez had to look down, as the rest of the crew save for one were Unggoy. They chattered with each other, fiddling with their methane tanks, wheezing as they did so. Some had full suits, while others had patchwork suits that had long since been considered unfit for operations in vacuum or space. Evidently, Unggoy were for the most part regarded as canon fodder in all aspects of the Covenant, so when some did not have the tools and equipment others did, no one payed any mind, except for of course, maybe some of the braver or smarter Unggoy.

But they were surprisingly resilient creatures, their tough exoskeleton like skin was sealed from the environment save for a few vital areas. As long as they wore their breathers and masks, they were pretty much good to go as far as vacuum environments were concerned. Jez's attention turned away from the chattering Unngoy to the behemoth of a being in the front of the small crowd, a Lekgolo. Under the softer parts of it's spacesuit, she could see the squirming of the worm like creatures that formed this mountain of a creature. From her limited knowledge of this strange, alien species she knew that they usually tended to travel in pairs, but only did so when the colony became too big for one suit of armor. This one of course was not outfitted for war, and sported no spines that the pairs always did, but was still an intimidating sight none the less. She knew even without weapons this giant could kill all of them by simply stepping on them if it wished, which occasionally held true for some hapless Unggoy. Not paying attention while a giant not prone to paying much attention to the small crush-able things underneath it was not a good idea. But, she had worked with this one for many months now, and knew no such thing was likely to occur.

The giant turned to face the small crowd squished into the airlock, gesturing with one arm, before a rumbling that could be felt in Jez's bones resonated from it.

"We will take a different path today, old ore deposit depleted."

Higher ranking and more important Covenant members usually had translators and chose to speak in their native tongues, but the lower castes and their members had all been taught a simple universal language that was used for basic communication and trading. Even so, Jez had a hard time putting together what the giant had rumbled more than spoken, but got the picture. There was a sudden woosh as all the air in the room was sucked out, leaving all of them in a silent vacuum. The door in front of them opened, revealing a barely visible shimmering shield, and a small platform with a gravity lift on it. The hulking giant paused before lumbering over to it, making sure the comms in their suits were all linked. The giant calmly stepped into the lift and floated upwards. Next came the Unngoy, one of them being urged forward by a light bash from Gar. Unngoy often did not remain coordinated or motivated to stay at their task, so other lower ranking caste species higher than them stayed behind in operations such as this, making sure there were no stragglers. Once they had all gone up the lift, Gar issued a gesture to the effect of, "ladies first" no doubt to get some more peeking in.

Jez did a small shrug before commenting,

"I don't think any of them count as ladies Gar, let's keep it in order."

Jez could tell even behind Gar's suit that his feather like spines were bristling. He reluctantly walked forward, snarling as he went buy,

"Suit yourself."

Jez walked into the lift after him, a familiar feeling returning to her, as though she was weightless, ascending to something, flying peacefully. When she reached the height of her short, tranquil flight, she stepped on to the purple deck of a Scarab. Everyone else had gone below into the interior, so that meant she was the first on watch duty. Being on watch for a mining Scarab was a tedious, slow job for anyone. Although the interior provided a view of the outside world through the form of a holographic projection, real eyes were still needed for things that could be missed by scans. And no other race was perfect for this more than the Kig-Yar. In combat roles they were perfect snipers and long range marksmen, their eyes having evolved to such an extent that they could see better and farther than any other race, perfectly adapted to the lush jungles they called home and the seas were their race waged pirate wars with other far off continents and nations, along with the odd day and night cycles of the moon they lived on, orbiting a gas giant with several other moons.

Jez walked along the scarab, standing near the front, but not too close, as a dangerous slope edged downwards to the main gun. Although there were barriers along the sides of the Scarab to prevent falling, the front was still the most dangerous part of it. Slipping and falling down off the front could prove fatal, but slipping and falling while the main gun was firing sounded worse to her. Good thing her suit had a grav generator and magnetic boots installed. Even still, she stayed away from the slope. Making sure her generator and boots were active, there was a heavy vibration along the craft as it started to come to life. With a sudden rush the Scarab stood up to it's full height, it's legs beginning to move in their regular fashion as it set out on it's journey. Jez turned around and looked back, to the dock they were now leaving, connected to the main structure of the the mining outpost she called home.

There it sat, a large, triangular sleek purple structure, with several other docks absent of Scarabs, it's protective dome of energy shimmering slightly now and then. Turning her attention back towards the front, she sat down, watching the gray landscape pass along as they headed out towards their destination. She didn't need to watch for much yet, so she got lost in her thoughts fairly quickly, watching the stars pass slowly along in a silent void.

Several Hours Later

Jez was still watching the stars and gray, dust filled landscape when Gar gave her a less than necessary shove on the shoulder. He barked into his comm,

"Shift's over, better check your suit, wouldn't want a pretty thing like you getting hurt on the bumps ahead."

Jez snapped back,

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Gar said nothing, turning his attention to the landscape, leaving her alone to head into the belly of the Scarab. Passing through the shield door and descending down a rather steep ramp, her eyes adjusted quickly to the gloomy purple interior. The shield door she passed through kept a sealed environment in here, so she could breath without using her air supply. At the end of the ramp, sitting on the wall were several oxygen stations and methane stations. She disconnected one of the small oxygen tanks on her back connected it to the station. The was a brief hissing noise as air filled the tank and then was pressurized, filling up completely. Disconnecting the small silver canteen like object, she slotted it back into place on her suit. Making sure to put her suit's filters on, her lungs were filled cold, dank air from inside the Scarab, that had a metallic bite to it. Taking a short sloping curve she found herself in the control room of the scarab. A large, flat terminal was in the center of the room, surrounded by the Unggoy.

The terminal in the center of the room generated a three dimensional map as the Scarab's scanning systems did their work. The Unggoy would mark locations if interest picked up by the scanners on the map, and make sure the Scarab was moving along it's intended course. Taking a peek at the map, she could see why Gar had mentioned what he did to her earlier. They were just starting to pass through a valley sandwiched between two, immense mountains. The valley was scarred with numerous crater impacts, some large, some small. Bumpy road indeed.

Turning her attention away from the map, she spotted the Lekegolo up in the front. It was hunched down, massive, three fingered "hands" working the holographic controls. There were several wires connected to the back of it's suit, some connected to the ceiling above, others snaking their way to the map in the center of the room. Jez had tried asking the Lekegolo once what the wires were for, but didn't get much for an answer. Since she hadn't much to do, she turned to two Unggoy chatting at the map. Placing a hand on one's shoulder, it turned to face her, the other one quickly returning to it's duties. She could see through it's transparent faceplate, that it was an older male of it's species, it's tough, bumpy skin faded, with a large gash, long ago healed, placed right over his left eye. Jez wasn't one to beat or go overboard with Unngoy, but she understood that one had to have an air of authority in order to get much from them. Mustering the most commanding voice she could, she barked to it,

"What is your name?"

The Unngoy responded with it's typical, high pitched wheezing voice, albeit tinged with touches of a deeper, confident voice.

"I am Ker, mistress Kig-Yar."

Jez was temporarily taken back by how gruff and confident this Unngoy's voice was, she was used to ones that sounded a bit more, subservient. She quickly regained her composure.

"Ker, the Lekagolo that drives the Scarab, why are there wires connected to it?"

If Ker could have scratched his head, he probably would have, but instead he took a few moments gathering his thoughts and choosing his words.

"You know how Lekagolo work?"

Jez nodded.

"Little Lekagolo have no eyes, and when they make big one, they have no eyes either, but they speak with rumbles, these rumbles are what they see with."

Jez could make out most of that, they used vibrations to "see." Ker continued his explanation.

"Big walker use scans to see, and makes big thumps on the ground with legs, Lekagolo suit plugged into it, so he can see very far, drive very well."

Jez got her answer, and promised the Unngoy extra time off along with more food-nipple time. He gave what she could guess was a snort of approval, before going back to work. With nothing else on her mind, she watched over the Unngoy, occasionally putting them back in line if they slacked off. The map showed that they were near the center of the valley now, completely surrounded by mountains. At least another hour passed when the Scarab came to a sudden halt, having reached it's destination. The map stayed powered up, but the Unggoy left, to either rest or replenish their methane tanks. The Lekegolo stayed at it's post though.

The lights in the Scarab flickered briefly for around a minute or two, before being restored. Jez knew the Scarab was powering down various parts of itself on the outside, so that it would have enough energy to fire it's main gun, while keeping the occupants safe inside. It was then that she realized something was off. Gar was still outside. The rules for sentries on watch were to return to the inside of the Scarab when it began mining. Almost all of the precautions that were active when the scarab was moving were powered down now, and if he were to slip, it would likely be the end for him. As much as she disliked him, she'd be better off hauling him inside. Besides, maybe she could pull a favor from him at some point. The Scarab shuttered as the main gun fired, and continued to rattle until it stopped and began it's recharge cycle. This rhythm would likely continue for a few hours until they had blasted to the ore or mineral they were seeking. Walking past the cluster of Unggoy near the methane stations, she went up the ramp, activating her mag boots and grav generator as she did so, making sure her suit was switched onto her oxygen tanks, she passed through the barrier to the outside.

The sight that greeted her was surprising. Gar was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't like he could go very far, and it wasn't in his character to play jokes. Taking a quick peek around to make sure she hadn't missed anything, she went back inside the scarab. On her way down she spotted Ker heading up the ramp. His eyes looked inquisitively at her. He rasped a bit before talking,

"You come back alone?"

Jez was in a hurry, but slowed down to talk momentarily.

"Gar's gone missing, I'm on my way to check the map."

Ker headed down the ramp to tell the other Unggoy of the news, no doubt they would be pleased. For the most part, the Kig-Yar and Unggoy were always in a power struggle with each other, and the fact that the Kig-Yar had remained above the Unggoy for so long had gotten to many of their heads, in which case, Gar was one of them. If Gar was confirmed dead or even just missing, there would be much celebrating amongst the Unggoy at the station. Passing the Unggoy crowd around the oxygen and methane tanks, Jez rounded the small sloping curve and found herself back in the main room, the map nearby. Stooped over it, watching every detail on it, she found nothing. Gar was nowhere on the map and no identification tag made itself present. It was time to take this to the higher authorities. Walking over to the Lekegolo busying himself at the controls, was startled when it made the first move. It let out that familiar rumbling again that could be felt throughout her entire body.

"What do you want?"

Jez spoke up,

"Gar seems to have gone missing."

The Lekegolo paused for a moment, before rumbling once more,

"The Unggoy will be happy if this is the case, Gar was not liked by a wide range of them. This is not our concern at this time, we will continue excavating."

Once again surprised by the response, Jez turned away, not knowing what to do. She was about to check on the map again when everything happened all at once. There was a thunderous roar as what could only be described as the Lekegolo screaming in agony, followed by all of the air in the room being sucked out and the lights inside switching to emergency power. Still shocked and disorientated, Jez turned her attention to the Lekegolo, who was convulsing. Acting before fully realizing it, the first thing she went for was the four wires hooked up to the back of it. Using the closest ones as steps to clamber onto it's back, she reached up to the top as far as she could go, pulling the top two with all the strength she could muster, they came free unexpectedly sending Jez toppling back down onto the floor. Recovering as fast as she could, she pulled another one out with both hands, and was about to pull the final one out when she was flung into the wall with such force she was knocked unconscious. The last thing she remembered was a short stocky form approaching the still convulsing form of the Lekegolo.

Jez's vision slowly returned to her, and she became aware of fuzzy shapes all around her, and the almost crippling pain in the back of her skull and spine. She sat there, and tried to stay still while everything in her head started to work right again. There was no sound, and for a moment she thought she was deaf, but remembered the sound of all the air being sucked out. She panicked briefly, before realizing that if her suit was ruptured, she wouldn't be awake now. Her vision was finally starting to clear up, and she could make the shapes out better now. There were some at the map table, they looked like other members of her species, but they seemed larger. Slowly swiveling her head to the front, she spotted more working the blinking holographic controls. The normal lights came back on and air slowly filled the room. Her vision was almost normal again, and she spotted other shapes lying on the floor. The enormous crumpled heap of the Lekegolo at the front and a few scattered Unggoy were all lying on the floor along with various panels and wires hanging from the ceiling.

Without thinking, she tried to get up but was forced sharply back down by a clawed boot on her shoulder. Looking up, the last of her blurriness vanished, and found that she was staring up at a plasma pistol. Slowly looking past it and up the arm of her would be assailant, she realized why the familiar shapes seemed bigger. The Kig-Yar that was holding her down was a different variation of her species that had colonized the asteroid belts in their home system when they were granted space travel from the Covenant. They were built slightly larger, were several times stronger than regular Kig-Yar, and a lot faster. Even though this one was wearing an armored space suit, there was no doubt that this was one of them. The others noticed the commotion and quickly came over, plasma pistols drawn. Several charged them up, pointing them at her.

Jez didn't know what to do, there was nothing she could do. So she closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable, but it never came. De-charging their pistols, they backed off, still keeping watch of her. They went to the back of the room, until a smaller bodied Kig-Yar in a familiar space suit pushed through the crowd. It was Gar! Motioning for them to leave, Gar unsealed his helmet, tossing it onto the floor, revealing his smiling face and bright red spines. Closing the distance to her before she could react, he pinned her down with one of his boots and wrenched off her helmet. Gar let out a long laugh, his spines bristling as he did so, his bright yellow eyes filled with malice.

"Oh have I ever been waiting for this for a long time."

Before Jez could speak, Gar punched her in the gut, knocking the air from her lungs. Taking his boot off her, he let her fall forward onto the floor. Backing away from her, he did a few circles around her, before snarling at her,

"Get Up!"

As she tried to get up he kicked her in the gut.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been on this rock!"

"Do you know how long it's been since I've seen a female of my kind, excluding you, you stuck up bitch!"

Gar went to kick her again, but this time Jez was ready and caught his foot, twisting it and throwing Gar off balance, giving her time to stand up. It didn't take long for Gar to get back on his feet, and he came flying at her. Jez knew how to fight, and could hold her own, but in the shape she was in from Being hurled into the wall earlier, and the fact that Gar showed expertise in fighting far beyond her own, she couldn't keep the fight up for long. All she could do was block and dodge, and even that didn't work well, her body felt like a sack of rocks. Gar came up with an uppercut that she dodged but was struck in the side of the head by his other fist, which sent her reeling back. Taking his opportunity, Gar sweeped her legs out from under her and was on top of her in a moment. Placing a knee down on her chest while grabbing her by the neck, Gar brought his face close to hers and said, almost gently,

"I'm going to beat you some more, and then I'm going to break you."

Jez was stuck with no way out again, and knew exactly what Gar was planning, and he knew it too, showed by the devilish grin he sported. Trying to avoid his face, full of evil and malice, Jez caught sight of something in the tangle of wires hanging from the ceiling above where a panel had fallen out. It was an Unggoy! Moving a little more and making sure it wasn't caught in anything the Unggoy hung from the wires silently, waiting to drop down onto Gar. Jez spit in Gar's face, and in response Gar snarled at her increasing his grip on her throat. She felt her vision begin to cloud, btu spotted the Unggoy preparing itself to let go. The Unggoy let go of the wires and came crashing down on top of Jez and Gar. Jez had whatever wind she had knocked out of her again, and assumed the same had been done to Gar, as he released his grip from her neck, laying pinned by the Unggoy, gasping for air. Trying to roll the Unggoy off of him, Gar yet out a yelp as the Unggoy began viscously tearing at his neck and back.

Elbowing the Unggoy as hard as he could in the stomach, Gar used the opportunity to toss it off of him and turned his attention towards it rather than Jez. As the Unggoy was getting to his feet, Gar hit it in the face with a powerful elbow smash from above, breaking it's faceplate and knocking it's helmet off, sending the mask channeling methane to the Unggoy along with it. Choking on the air, the Unggoy frantically grasped for the mask that had been tossed a few feet away. Gar placed his foot on the Unggoy's back, pinning it to the ground. Pulling a small pink crystal dagger out of a pouch on his suit, Gar ignited it.

"Insolent piece of filth! They should have glassed your world in the rebellions!"

Jez had only one chance to save the Unggoy. Hauling herself up, Jez moved as fast as she could towards gar, whose back was to her. Gar let some pressure off the Unggoy, letting it get closer to the mask, before pinning it again. He was waiting for the right moment to kill it, which was a fatal flaw, as Jez, lunged at him, grabbing his arm holding the dagger, wrenched it downward, hearing bones crack, his hand releasing the dagger and into her grip. Gar holwed in pain, but before Gar could do anything else Jez buried the dagger into his back, pulling him along to the side and letting him go as far away backwards from herself, Jez dived and hit the floor flat on her stomach. The pink dagger pulsed for a few seconds, before detonating. Gar was blown to pieces, bits of his insides spattering the walls with dark purple blood and pink crystal shards. In the commotion, the Unggoy managed to slide his mask back on, wheezing and gasping for breath. Jez rolled over and looked into the broken faceplate of the Unggoy.

Ker's scarred face looked back at hers, blue blood streaming down his forehead where Gar had struck him. The two stayed like that for a while, before Ker broke the silence.

"Unggoy back home will be happy mistress Kig-Yar, you exploded Gar, best possible way get rid of him!"

Jez managed a weak smile before responding.

"Ker, I owe you a debt, a really big one."

Ker managed a few, almost happy wheezes before he passed out.

Jez stumbled up to her feet, leaning on the map table for support, trying to prop Ker onto his back to slow the bleeding on his head. It was easier said than done with his backpack in the way, but she eventually managed it. Her eyes caught the map table, the scans showing a large, drop ship like craft hovering above the ground about 50 feet from the scarab. Jez knew the rest of the crew would be back since Gar hadn't reported back to them, and she was in no fighting shape. She had to turn the Scarab on them. Making her way slowly over to the front, tying not to stumble on the Unggoy corpses and strewn wires all over the place, Jez made it just short of the holographic controls before collapsing onto the floor. Something was wrong, she shouldn't be this played out. And then it hit her. The explosion from Gar's crystal dagger must have ruptured the hull. It was too late to do anything, and Jez was getting tired. She knew her helmet was somewhere on the floor, but wherever it was, it felt a million miles away. She tried to crawl closer to the controls, if she could at least fire on their attackers, she could die happy.

She had no idea what controls did what, and ended up moving a few holographic sliders along in a futile, hazy state, but it was all for nothing, as she closed her eyes, and let a peaceful sleep overcome her.

Jez opened her eyes slowly, vision returning to her, as she came face to face with an Unggoy. Had she been in a better state she would have tried push him back, but he quickly moved away anyway. His large stubby hands grasped at something on her face, and as she heard a few snaps and clicks, the Unggoy pulled off a small harness. The Unggoy squeaked to her,

"Harness for air, you sleep for long time without air, surprise you come back so quickly."

Jez's thoughts were still all over the place, but she managed a slurred question.

"How am I? What happened?"

The Unggoy did something to one of her arms, likely injecting a painkiller, but she could barely feel it.

"You get tossed around lots, mostly just bruises, but your head and back take a bigger beating. I give you drugs to make pain go away."

He placed the harness back into floating purple cabinet near by, door sliding closed over the medical equipment with a soft hiss. The Unggoy took a few long wheezing breathes before speaking again.

"Rogues, they wanted to steal big walker, one had snuck into this place many years ago."

That must have been Gar! Jez mumbled out another question.

"How did I get here?"

The Unggoy walked towards a door on her left, but turned to answer her.

"Pilot of big walker bring damaged walker back, brought you and several others in his arms."

The Lekegolo survived? Jez thought for sure it had died when either it had started convulsing or when the pirates showed up. Jez was about to speak when the Unggoy interrupted her,

"Pilot wanted to see you when you woke, come, I lead you to him."

Jez wasted no time in getting up, noticing her suit was still on, thankfully, slowly planting her feet on the ground she slid off the hovering bed. She was a little groggy, but closed the gap to the Unggoy shortly. She had many questions to ask the Lekegolo. The door in front of them opened, and the Unggoy marched onwards. Jez looked around the corridor they were in, no doubt this was the medical wing. There was dim lighting everywhere, more so than normal, and each room for a patient was no bigger than a large closet. Everything down here almost looked like it was accusing whoever came down here. Evidently, the Sangheili likely had a say in the design. Their species was generally disgusted by doctors, and often they employed no medical treatments whenever they could get away with it. They would fight as much as they could, and they would die fighting whatever ailments they had or come out victorious, in which case their honour would be redeemed. Jez always thought they were a stubborn lot.

The pair saw nobody else down in these cramped corridors as they traveled along, until they reached the central lift station and took the gravity lifts upward. As they rose, they passed by Unggoy habitat zones and maintenance decks, and occasionally others in the lifts near by as they went about their business. In most cases, Covenant land structures used a pyramid based scheme, the lowest tier being on the bottom, usually below ground level, while the highest was up at the top. It was a long trip upwards, seeing as the Lekgolo were generally in charge of this operation save for the illusive San 'Shyuum at the top of the structure, the Minister of Toil. Once they reached the top, Jez stumbled out of the lift, still groggy. The Unggoy helped her onto her feet. This deck was very different than what she was normally accustomed to. The halls were wide, the ceiling tall. The usual purple metal that made up most Covenant installations was all still there, along with dim blue lights, except everything was taller and wider to accommodate multiple Lekgolo passing through. The Unggoy leading her hesitated.

"This place, make me nervous, we move fast."

Jez had no complaints there, she didn't like it either. She felt as if some giant would come out from one end of the corridor and chase them until it crushed them. She felt almost like a child, everything unfathomably large. Luckily, it didn't take long before they were at the door to the Lekgolo that requested her presence. The Unggoy rapped on the massive door three times, a short pause, before the door slid apart. Jez was stunned at what she saw inside. Taking advantage of Jez's stupor, the Unggoy made his way back to the lifts.

Jez stepped inside, the door sliding closed behind her. Instead of the usual purple or silver of Covenant rooms, everything in here was large flat slabs of light, white and grayish stone. There was what looked like a shallow pool of water in the center of the room. The Lekgolo was sitting in front of it with it's back to her, facing a large, sloping window with a view of the outside. It wasn't wearing it's space suit anymore, and looked less bulky than before. Without warning it rumbled, speaking to her and that deep, almost eatheral voice.

"You are something else Jez, of the Kig-Yar"

The Lekgolo shifted.

"Please, come sit, you are a guest to my home."

Jez had never heard the Lekgolo speak so much before, and so fluently. It still had the deep reverberating rumble to it, but it was spoken slower, with more care. Not wanting to offend it or keep it waiting, she walked over to it, making sure to avoid the pool in the middle of the room. She had no idea what it was for, and didn't want to dirty it or disturb it. It was still sitting there, massive legs cross legged, waiting. Jez couldn't sit cross legged due to the shape of her double jointed legs, so she just simply sat down, with them stretched out in front of her, leaning back and using her arms for support.

The Lekgolo's "head" turned, facing her.

"You have something on your mind, speak."

Jez replied,

"If we're going to talk for any length of time, I'll need something to call you. I can't just call you by your species's name anymore can I?"

The Lekgolo nodded.

"You may call me by my first name, Insu."

Jez had never heard a Lekgolo's name before, and never knew that they had more than one. Some species had longer names, like the Sangheili, but more than one name must have been a bit of a mouthful. No wonder they usually stuck to themselves. Jez toyed with the name in her head for a while, wondering what the others could be.

"Insu, that's an interesting name, could I hear the others?"

The worms that formed Insu bristled a bit.

"You may not, but I will tell you of how our names work if you are interested. You are curious, no?"

Jez would take what she could get, after all, she'd likely never have an opportunity like this again. She simply nodded. Insu began.

"As you know, our forms are not born such as yours, but formed from individuals. When enough of us form together, we grow into a connected consciousness. Our first name is given to us, by the pair that created us."

Jez sat silently.

"As we mature, our second name is given to us by our governing body. And, our third name is chosen by us, when we become bond brothers."

Jez tilted her head and asked,

"Bond Brothers are when there are two of you right?"

Insu nodded.

Jez took a quick look at Insu's back, remembering it was only the pairs that had spines.

"You don't have a bond brother do you?"

Insu nodded again.

"Why not?"

Insu shifted slightly.

"It was our wish not to."

Jez didn't want to prod any further than that, she could see that Insu seemed uncomfortable. Instead, she asked him,

"What did you want me here for?"

Insu "looked" out the window. If he had eyes, she guessed they would be looking into the distance. Various small patrol ships flew off in the distance, and a Scarab approached, the crew inside having finished their shift. Jez watched the outside as well, noting a rather beaten up looking Scarab, laying just within the protective energy shield around the station, with a large, black blast mark on it's side. Her attention was focused back to Insu when he suddenly spoke.

"Your care for living beings surprises us, for one such as your kind. Were you replaced with another of your kind, we doubt they would have saved us, or the crew. But in your actions, you saved us, the little brave one, Ker, and a few others of his kind. We owe you a lifelong debt and our gratitude."

Jez was stunned. Of all the things that she could possibly think of, having a Lekgolo owe her was not on the list. Insu motioned back towards the door,

"You may leave now if you wish."

Jez wasn't finished just yet.

"I think I'll stay a little longer, I still have some unanswered questions."

Insu nodded,

"Very well, ask and we will answer."

Jez ordered her thoughts, putting the more important questions up first.

"What exactly happened to you when we were attacked?"

Insu stayed quiet for a few moments, before finally answering.

"The suits we wear are partly mechanical, they help us maintain our form, assist us in movement. When we connect our suits to the Scarab's scanning system, it amplifies how we see, tenfold. But this does not come without some cost. Our senses are heightened to great levels, and as such, we are very sensitive. We must concentrate hard if we are to do our job. The ship that attacked us, was hidden, waiting for us. When I began preparing the excavation beam, the short power down disabled the scanners, allowing them to get close enough to strike. They overloaded the systems of the Scarab. The feedback was like the buzzing of thousands of Yanme'e right next to you, all at once. Our suit also received a large jolt of energy, causing it to overload and burn us in places. If you had not intervened, this would have gone on until all of us had died."

Insu continued.

"We watched the records of what happened after we were disabled. The ship fired a light mortar at the Scarab, which was what knocked you into the wall. Shortly after, the pirates boarded, leaving any still Unggoy alone, figuring them for dead, and murdering the ones that tried to fight or recover. The brave one, Ker, was lucky to have climbed the wires when he heard the pirates approaching. After that, the rest was what you both encountered."

Jez looked over the exposed part of Insu. As far as she could tell, there didn't seem to be any worms with burn marks. Jez commented on it.

"You don't seem to have any, um, parts of you that are burnt."

Insu let out a series odd sounds. As best as she could tell he was laughing, or at least chuckling. It was a bit unnerving.

"You do not miss much do you? Most of the burnt ones died, but the ones that survived are deep in our core, given time to recover in peace."

As Jez leaned forward, finally putting some weight off her arms, there was a slight pain in her back, and an ache at the back of her head. The painkillers must be wearing off. Deciding it was time to go, Jez clambered back onto her feet, before falling back down as a wave of pain broke out in the back of her head. Insu was up on his feet in a instant.

"Your pain returns to you. You should go back to the medical deck."

Jez put a hand on the back of her head, shutting her eyes tight as another wave passed over her. She said with clenched teeth,

"I don't think I can walk that far."

Insu lumbered closer to her fallen form.

"We can assist you if you wish. The mineral pool in the center of the room is quite warm. It will help relax any parts of you that are tensing up, as well as help relieve the pain in areas. We will fetch the Unggoy for more medicine."

Jez had no objections. Without warning, Insu picked her up in one of his massive, three fingered, claw like hands. Insu said to her,

"The effects of the water will not work if you remain in your suit."

Realizing what that meant, she was about to object, when another throbbing wave of pain passed over the back of her head. Insu, with slow delicate care, began to unlatch parts of her suit. In to time at all she was down to just the black, skintight under-suit. With even more care, Insu slid one of his claw like fingers across her chest, tearing the suit. Insu ripped it off with ease. Tossing the wrecked under-suit aside, Insu slowly lowered her into the water. The pool was not as shallow for her standards, but enough that she could submerge herself up to her neck, before hitting the bottom. The pool was sloped around the edges, the warm smooth stones fitting the arch of her back almost perfectly. Wasting no time, Insu lumbered out the door and beyond.

Although Insu was right, the warm water had affects on her aches and pains almost immediately, she let out a long sigh. Gods only knew what she had gotten herself into now. As she lay in the pool, Jez couldn't help but look herself over. It had been a long time since she had ever payed any attention to anything involving her body, as she never had the time for it. Her skin had become a lighter sandy color due to all the time spent in her suit. The quills on her arms had become more solidly colored with age, becoming fully bright colored orange rather than transparent, and her body was lean and lightly muscled. Her breasts, while always small, were slightly more prominent now. The pain in her head and back was subsiding enough that she could decently move now. Without thinking, she began exploring herself. Flexing her arms, revealing light muscles, her hands traveling downwards over her breasts, gently squeezing them, before traveling downwards over her defined stomach. One of her hands traveled a little lower, circling her thighs before coming dangerously close to her private area. She brushed ever so slightly over her lips, letting out a soft gasp as she did so. A little voice in the back of her head told her she was only setting herself up for more trouble, and she listened to it, for a time, when her other free idle hand found it's way up to one of her breasts. She squeezed it gently, tweaking her already hard nipple. Her head layed back, eyes closed, she was about to pick up the pace, when the large purple door hissed open and Insu lumbered back in.

Jez was quick to stop what she was doing, trying to cover herself, but no doubt, Insu had probably caught part of her in the act, and as if it wasn't enough, her cheeks were blushing purple furiously. Without any modesty whatsoever, Insu commented,

"We see you have found another way to relax, this is good, as the Unggoy Doctor could not find anymore of the right kind of drug you needed."

Insu's casual comment on catching her in the act only served to make Jez blush more, her orange eyes the size of dinner plates, Jez remaining petrified stiff. Insu wandered over to his spot in front of the window, sitting back down. Jez simply stretched out into the pool, trying to make a recovery from the awkward moments a few minutes ago. But it seems the gods had other plans.

Insu turned around on his spot on the floor, facing her. Jez had a really bad feeling about where this was going. Insu leaned forward a bit, his head tilted thoughtfully.

"You do not continue your relaxation efforts? We could tell you were feeling much better as we approached the door."

Jez blushed again, mentally slapping herself, remembering how Lekgolo worked.

"Oh gods, he didn't even need to walk through the door to see me!"

Jez nervously spoke up.

"Insu, what I was doing before you came in was, a private thing for individuals, and I had no right to do it in the hospitality of your home, I apologize."

Insu pulled back a bit, almost seeming baffled.

"What you were doing was private, and will remain private. We invited you into our home as a guest, and we see no problems you caused while being here."

Insu was running circles around her with his innocent logic. Insu got onto his feet again and approached the pool, "staring" down at Jez.

"If you like, we may be able to assist you in your stress relief."

So this was it then. This was the moment were Jez could walk away, but she would forever remember this moment, this horribly, horribly awkward moment, or she may as well continue and try to make the best out of the situation. Fearing the words that came out of her mouth, she accepted. Insu let out another one of his strange chuckles from earlier.

"You surprise us yet again, Jez of the Kig-Yar. Where others might shy away, you persist. You are true to yourself and your feelings. But now is not the time for talk. You needn't worry, no harm will come to you."

Insu's massive form lowered towards her, one of his massive hands scooping her up right out of the pool, staying level with his exposed midsection. Jez was now cold, sitting in Insu's armored hand, and it only helped make her even more anxious. She was beginning to regret her decision when Insu's other free hand moved her so that back was to him, and brought her closer until she made contact with his "body." The feeling of the worms on her back was something she hadn't expected. She expected them to be slimy, slippery things but found they had a rubbery texture to them. Her back was warmed by them, and she shivered when one of them trailed along her spine. They most have done something to her, as her senses seemed somehow heightened. More of the worms seemed to be getting into it, exploring her backside.

As more of the worms explored, they began pressing gently down just outside of her tense areas, and then rubbing gently, before repeating the process. Jez let out a soft moan, letting herself go limp. It was the best thing Jez had ever felt in her life. The worms were so warm, and so gentle with her, she felt like she could just fall asleep. There was more to come though. Jez was temporarily brought out of her haze when worms shifted and parted, allowing her to be pulled inwards and almost surrounded by them. Insu no longer had to hold her, so he let his hands sit idle at his sides. Since Jez was now sitting "inside" Insu, more worms took the opportunity to massage her neck and shoulders like they were to her back, while some made their way around to her front.

Jez gasped as these ones were more aggressive, coiling themselves around her breasts, squeezing them gently. More worms began exploring down below, rubbing her thighs, but avoiding her opening. More and more worms enclosed around her, exploring her stomach and thighs. She started laughing as they moved along, being ticklish on those areas, when they suddenly pulled back. Insu said nothing, but she assumed this was not the desired effect he wanted to have on her. The worms continued what they were doing, as others explored, a little more cautiously. She felt a light tugging on her head as some up above were among her quills. It seemed Insu wanted to explore her a bit before continuing. She didn't mind, she had asked her questions earlier, she guessed this was his way of asking questions.

Jez had been surrounded by the curious worms now for some time. She was beginning to sweat, the warmth of them all acting like an oven. From Insu's earlier actions, Jez was already heated up, warm juices running down her thighs. She was becoming impatient. She spoke heatedly, lust deep in her voice.

"Insu, I think it's time we moved along, I want you inside me, NOW."

Insu said nothing, but the reaction was immediate. Several worms made their way to her opening, parting her lips and toying with her clit. Jez let out a frustrated snarl. Taking the hint, one made it's way over her opening, before plunging itself in. Two more arrived and went in as well. They began moving in and out, at random intervals.

Jez moaned loudly, her eyes rolling back. She was glad she had excepted Insu's offer. It was as if she was amongst the realm of the gods right now! She was panting hard as the worms continued to thrust in and out, but she wanted more! She cried out,

"Insu, more please, don't stop!"

Insu's arms came into play again, as he gently grabbed her legs, spreading them wide. Another worm made it's way over, forcing it's way in. Jez was packed tight now. She felt some that were massaging her back withdraw, going lower, rubbing between her cheeks as they traveled lower. Suddenly, one gently made it's way into her ass, before two more followed. They wasted no time in pistoning back and forth, but at a slower pace. Jez was drunk with pleasure, the only thing she could get out was,

"Faster!"

The worms picked up the pace on both ends, the ones toying with her breasts released their grip, allowing them to bounce freely as she was hammered into. Insu raised her legs higher until they were above her, allowing the worms to better work themselves back and forth.

Jez's tongue began lolling out as she lowered a hand down to her clit, rubbing furiously, her other free hand hanging on to a cluster of worms above her, not too tightly, but enough to keep her from sliding around. Her body was slick with sweat and other fluids. She couldn't hold it back anymore, it was too much. Insu felt what was coming, and picked up the pace as fast as he could one last time. Jez was screaming now, both hands hanging on to clusters of worms that hadn't joined in up above. Insu let out a massive roar, all the worms in him vibrating, setting off Jez.

"OH GODS, I'M CUMMI-!"

Jez was cut off as a worm entered her mouth, pistoning back and forth violently. Jez reached her climax, as Insu did moments after, any worms involved with her shot out sticky orange goo. She swallowed what was in her throat, the worm withdrawing, leaving her gasping for air. The other worms began to slow down, before pulling out, bringing a messy mix of Jez's and their own juices out with them. Insu lowered her legs, pulling her out of the hollow in his chest, the worms reforming together. He gently set her down on the warm rocks next to the pool. She was quiet for a while as she cooled down. Insu took the time to clean himself, letting the worms involved slither out of him into the pool, before returning safely back to the colony.

Jez looked over to Insu, exhaustion in her voice.

"Insu, that was... thank you so much."

Insu turned to her, bowing to her, but still remaining giant compared to her.

"It was our pleasure, Jez of the Kig-Yar, we are glad to have shared ourselves with you."

Insu returned to his full height, turning and lumbering towards the door.

"We will find new armor for you, we damaged part of it when removing it."

Even for a giant like Insu, Jez was surprised at how fast he was back on his feet. Jez thought for a moment, before saying,

"Insu, can you just call me by my first name from now on? No need to use the other bits."

Insu nodded before rumbling.

"We will call you Jez from now on. You may refer to use as Oro if you wish."

Insu silently headed out the door. Jez sat there for a time, pondering the events of the day. She was happy she had chosen not to remember this day as a horrible awkward one from nightmares. She thought of Insu, the massive giant, peaceful as a seaward breeze. She had many questions to ask again. Her heart lept at the idea of spending more time with him. She must be falling love! Talk about a one hit wonder. At least she finally had some company on this hard world. She slipped into the pool, cleaning herself off. She figured she had better pay a visit to Ker sometime today, he deserved the thanks most of all in this. Things were finally looking up in her life. She leaned back in the pool, watching outside Insu's window, as passing spacecraft went starwards on their journeys. She wished she was back on her homeworld. Maybe one day she could return, maybe even with Insu' Oro, her friend and, now lover.