Chapter Text
The ship was dark, cold and cramped.
Rtiko looked back behind him, seeing two grunts messing with one another. He hissed at them, ordering them to stop their foolish behavior.
He turned back, looking around the dim lit ship. He let out an aggregated sigh. Rtiko had recently been appointed to a major role. He had proved himself in battle, and was no longer a minor. He was rather proud of himself. He was excited to hear he would be given his own lance. He was heavily disappointed to see that he would be commanding only 11 grunts. A file of 4 grunts along with another 4 grunts, and a grunt major. He had nothing against grunts but Rtiko felt that he was better than this. He had not worked as hard as he did to be rewarded with.. grunts.
Not only that, but most of his other elite majors did not see him as.. a real major. Which didn’t help his temper. The same temper that held him back from being appointed to a major with his own elites. Rtiko barred his mandibles and let out a growl. Out of everything, that angered him the most.
Rtiko opened his eyes, adjusting to the googles he had been given. They had been given interesting armor, not like it mattered. They hopefully wouldn’t be fighting here. Once apart of Thel ‘Vadamee Fleet, Rtiko and the rest of the artifact retrieval group lead by Sesa ‘Refumee, were off to a nearby threshold. He didn’t understand quite why they were being sent there, he would’ve assumed their help would’ve been needed on the Halo. But it wasn’t Rtiko’s concern, they were only an artifact retrieval group after all.
The grunts behind him had gone back to playing again, fighting over a plasma gun. Rtiko looked around and had ordered them to stop. To his surprise, they did not. Rtiko went to speak again, but heard a laughing from behind him.
He turned back around to see a minor elite snickering.
Rtiko’s browbone furrowed, “Something funny?”
The elite stopped laughing as he looked up to meet Rtiko’s eyes through their goggles.
“Your “commanding”, that’s all.”
Rtiko huffed. This hadn’t been the first time he was insulted over his lance, and it certainly wouldn’t be his last. He tried to dismiss the comment and keep to himself, but the smug look on the other elite wasn’t helping his mood.
The ship shook. Rtiko was caught off guard, balancing his feet. He had been looking to his side to avoid the eye contact of the elite, and when he looked in front of him again, there was no time to move before the elite hit him.
Rtiko felt the elite’s gun slam into his left eye, cracking the glass.
He groaned in pain, one of his hands flying to his face and the other pushing the elite off of him.
His eye hurt like hell.
He let out a few deep sighs, bending over to pick up his gun with his free hand.
Rtiko looked over to the minor elite, who was picking himself up from ground, rubbing his arm from where Rtiko had shoved him.
“Well, at least both sides of your face are messed up now, symmetric.”
Rtiko’s eyes widened from beneath his goggles. That was new, being made fun of the scar on his face. From atop his head to under his left mandibles, he had a large white, hyper pigmented scar. Rtiko’s grip on his gun tightened and he felt like a bottle about to pop.
He looked back at the minor elite, that same smug face from before. It was a face that read “you can’t do anything to me”. Oh, but Rtiko could do something.
Rtiko stepped forward, placing the tip of his gun onto the left goggle, his other hand pushing the elite up on the wall.
“An eye for an eye, sound fair?”
Rtiko’s hand and gun struggled to stay near the elites face as he fought back, trying to escape Rtiko’s grasp. The elite let out a pathetic yelp. Quite the commotion had started up in the ship, grunts and elites exchanging glances and few words. For a moment, Rtiko thought he might actually kill the minor elite.
Rtiko looked towards the window in their ship, looking outside to the Halo. Rtiko’s grip lightened and the two elites stoped fighting to see the outside. The Halo was in pieces. Destroyed. One of the pieces had flown to the ship, which caused the shake from earlier. Rtiko was dumbstruck.
Rtiko was so distracted over the Halo, he hasn’t even noticed the other major elite who had made his way to the two. The major elite who was in charge of the elite Rtiko had pinned to the wall with a gun to his face.
Rtiko dropped his gun, and immediately backed off of the minor elite. The minor elite scrambled to get behind his major, as if he was a scared cat.
The major elite scolded Rtiko, “What has possessed you? Have you gone dumb? Insolent?”
The major elite turned around as the ship landed on top of the gas mine. He mumbled under his breath, something about Rtiko should have not been given his own lance as of yet.
Rtiko followed the others out of the ship, grunts and elites stood in crowds outside the few ships landed on the gas mine. Some talk was of the Halo, others were about Rtiko and his.. stunt.
Rtiko walked over to where the major elite was complaining to Sesa ‘Refumee, their leader, about Rtiko.
“I can’t believe they have already entrusted him with his own lance! He is ill tempered! Can you imagine if he were to attack his own lance, or worse, another elite?”
Sesa brought his hand up, shushing the major. He turned his attention to Rtiko.
Rtiko had heard of Sesa ‘Refumee, but had not met him face to face. This was not the best first impression. He looked Sesa up and down, his red armor in contrast to Rtiko’s yellow. He did not expect his leader to be so.. short. While Rtiko’s did not stand much taller, Sesa was the shortest out of three elites.
“What do you recommend we do, hm?” Sesa asked to the Major.
The major shook his head in anger, “I do not know.”
The Major and Sesa came to an agreement that Rtiko would have to be kept under special eye by Sesa over the next few days to ensure no more fights broke out.
Sesa turned his attention to Rtiko finally.
“Such a shame that this is the circumstances that brings me to you.”
Rtiko looked down, “I apologize, leader.”
Sesa shook his head, “Don’t be. I apologize for your goggles, I’m afraid we don’t have any to replace.”
Rtiko looked back up, meeting Sesa’s eyes, as best he could with the shattered glass.
“I will do better, Leader.”
“Please Rtiko, I’d perfect if you’d call me Sesa.”
“My apologies, Sesa.”
“Stop apologizing while you’re at it.”