{2552-10-15}

With Zaynne keeping a swift pace at her side, the trek down to the communications room gave Vic the unwanted time for nervous contemplation. She let the ideas flow through her mind of what she could possibly be worth, but didn't come up with much of anything. Aside from a trade with another PoW, which was unlikely given the general attitude of the enemy, all she could think of was maybe the transfer of her for a non-military grade Forerunner artifact. That was, of course, considering that the UNSC would even take her back. She wasn't all that important in the scheme of things, and if the Covenant demanded too much for her freedom; well, she was probably as good as dead.
Another thought that nagged at her brain was the peculiarity of the whole situation. Covenant weren't known for regularly taking prisoners. Yet here she was, safe and sound; there were even negotiations going on. Vic had lived nearly her entire life through this war, and she couldn't pinpoint one time when the enemy did such athing. She wouldn't complain though, for she owed this odd situation her life. If they hadn't captured her, she would be taking a permanent nap in the sand outside.

While the position of his eyes gave him phenomenal side vision, Zaynne still had to glance around every few seconds to keep the human in his sights; simply because of their size discrepancy. She obediently kept to his flank, hands repositioned behind her back. He could not deny that he enjoyed being around her, for whatever reason that may be. It could be because she was the first civil human he had come across, or the respect he held for her after hearing of her capability in battle from his fellow Sangheili. Whatever it was made him overall accepting of her handicap as a human, and tolerant of her actions. But wouldn't she have to be disruptive for him to be tolerant?
Her placid behavior, in general, slightly unnerved him. She was too calm, accepting, and unfazed about her situation. While he appreciated her overall friendliness, it was just not right. Perhaps his brothers that had initially retrieved Victoria were correct in their assessment of her: that something in her mind was missing.
Coming across their destination, Zaynne just hoped he was not around when it was found.

The two stopped at a guarded door in the middle of a quiet hallway. Two imposing Elites stood at each side of the entrance. Why the Covenant would need guards on duty within their facility, Vic could only guess. One of the soldiers spoke to Zaynne in rough garbled syllables. A nod was given in response, and the guard opened the door.

The place inside was faintly reminiscent of a UNSC war room. A single table made up the bulk of the area, littered with datapads and miscellaneous items. A hologram projector was mounted on the table's center, currently displaying a map of the galaxy. There were two pulsating blips on the image; one Vic recognized as the star system that they were in at the moment. The other, which was significantly far from the first, she could not identify at all. At the far end of the room was a series of monitors, the central most featuring the grim looking face of a war-hardened human. Silhouetted before the screen was a massive Elite, clad in intricately designed armor.
The soft nudge of a hand ushered Vic into the dim room. Instinctively looking back, she noticed that she had changed escorts. One of the guards had switched off with Zaynne, leaving Vic with only a sparing glance as the door sealed behind her. She made it about mid way into the space when the Elite guiding her stopped, possibly waiting for a signal from the other alien at the console. Standing here, they were able to catch the tail end of the interspecies conversation; initially hearing the human in mid-sentence.
"…guarantee their safe arrival."
"We have an agreement then?"
"Only after you give me a show of good faith." The human, a Colonel by what his uniform suggested, crossed his arms.

The commanding Elite slightly turned his head, a bright yellow iris eyeing Vic. He waved them over with a hand, and her guard led them onward. The monitor featuring the other human seemed muted in comparison to her current surroundings. Everything, including the Colonel, seemed gray and lifeless. It seemed like even the air would smell stale.
When she came in view of the screen's camera, the Colonel looked visibly disappointed; as if he had been hoping this was all an elaborate ruse. The automatic reaction to salute him was halted by her bindings, and she gave a respectable nod to her superior instead. The Colonel seemed to study her for a moment.
"Well, shit... We'll be at the coordinates in three days. The major must be in the same condition she is now, or the deal is off."
The least he could have done was acknowledged her. Vic suddenly didn't regret her inability to salute.
"Your human will remain unharmed. And if you fail to uphold your end of this bargain, I shall slay her myself."
As the transmission abruptly ended, Vic couldn't help but notice the lack of anxiety she had to the Elite's very real threat. She supposed if you heard one death threat, you have heard them all. And even though she was still privy to almost no information, she was put at ease by the promise of her safekeeping.
She seemed to be utterly disregarded as the only two aliens in the room spoke in foreign words.
The soldier that led her in eventually grew frustrated; suddenly pulling her to the door, after what she could only guess was a barking order from his superior to leave. Faster than Vic could realize, she was handed back to the waiting Zaynne, and on her way to the cell block.

-

A silence that had accumulated on their returning travel immediately broke as the cell door was erected. Zaynne had hidden his curiosity well on their walk, but speaking now, his voice betrayed his emotions.
"What did the Officer and your people decide upon?"
Vic paused, allowing herself the time to sit down and rearrange her arms before she spoke.
"I'm honestly not all that sure. All I know is that I'm probably getting released in three days, and that my people are very adamant about my safety."
"You are unaware of what will be given in return for you?"
"They kept me in the dark about that."
He seemed disappointed, and let the conversation drop. Vic wished he hadn't, because she now found that she wanted an excuse to hear his voice. Her brief interaction with another human had reminded her of just how boring her species usually sounded. It was true that she had not even been held in this facility for a day, but hearing the Colonel speak had put her off slightly. The way Zaynne spoke, along with his whole species, seemed to have layers of complexity woven in to each syllable. Their deep, rumbling voices and sophisticated pronunciations gave every word a deeper, more profound, meaning. She felt that listening to Zaynne was like being spoiled by a regal vernacular. She edged forward the
conversation, even if just to get him to speak again.

"I noticed something kind of strange, during the negotiations… There was only one Eli- er, Sangheili, in the room. At least, that's strange from my experience; for one person alone to make decisions of this sort of caliber."
Zaynne remained close to the cell door, tapping a long finger on its shifting surface. He heavily sighed, and slightly turned away. With one eye still trained on her, he spoke softly.
"Times have been trying for my people as of late, and I fear I am unable to give any insight on Officer Sahnkaee's actions. I trust in both his decision to deny a council and his settlement regarding this situation, and shall not question him."

Vic internally cursed herself; that definitely struck a nerve. Before she was able to compile a response, he spoke again; his solemn tone suddenly gone.
"The hour is late, human. Do you require any previsions for the night?"
The question struck her by surprise.
"I guess if you have a spare pillow or something that would be great. Oh, and would it be possible to remove these cuffs? It's not like I'm going to stage a break out, or anything; I value my life too much to do something stupid like that."
Zaynne was facing her again, and seemed amused by her words. Witch a brief chuckle, he spoke.
"Forgive my people, as we are not used to such behavior. One of my kind would have either escaped or terminated himself by this time. Humans act so differently. Come here, so I may remove the bindings."

Another pleasant surprise, Vic hadn't expected him to comply so easily. After gaining the knowledge that she was safe, a breakout was the farthest thing from her mind. Sitting herself up, she walked to the cell entrance. With a low swish the door fizzed out, and she raised her wrists, so that Zaynne could undo the shackles.
"Yeah, I heard about stuff like that. Humans are usually more in to self preservation than being martyrs."

Zaynne had stepped closer, and raised both hands to deactivate the handcuffs. Vic felt utterly dwarfed by his size, but was not bothered by it. His hands engulfed her wrists as he worked with the device. He seemed to be having trouble with the cuffs, grunting in annoyance as he fiddled with the controls.
Being so near him, Vic took the time to study. Glancing up, she looked at his face. Slit pupils on a backdrop of bronze focused on their task, unaware of her stare. His four mandibles were slightly agape, revealing rows of sharp, predatory teeth. Zaynne steadily breathed, sending wispy waves of heat down upon her face. She could make out both fine and thick scars across exposed patches of skin round his brow and mouth. His armor covered mostly everything else, and Vic absently wondered how many more testaments to battles survived he held on the rest of his body.

"I have heard of humans becoming nearly suicidal in similar situations. Depending on what is at risk, I believe both of our species may be inclined to act similarly."
Being so close, his voice sounded like a low instrument. Vic could not only hear, but feel his words.
"I guess it just shows you how we are all, in the end, just smart animals. Not too different in the scheme of things."
There was a click, and her shackles were unlocked. Zaynne paused for a moment; hands wrapped around the bindings, and Vic's wrists still held in place. Her neck craned up to see his face, which was in turn lowered to look at hers. Their eyes locked, and she could have sworn that his cat-like pupils slightly dilated.

As quickly as the moment started, Zaynne ended it. He took a long stride backward, taking the handcuffs with him as he withdrew. With a touch, the cell door materialized, and he sighed.
"I fear, Victoria, that there are many differences between our two races; some of them more substantial than others."
Hearing her name in what could have possibly been a very sentimental sentence put Vic off, and she was stunned.
He continued seamlessly, "I must take my leave now, as my shift has ended. I will instruct the night guard to obtain you a cushion, and shall return in the morning."
Turning, he began to walk away. Before he left her line of sight Vic spoke, just loud enough for him to hear.
"Alright then. Good night, Zaynne."
He hesitated in his step, and looked back; giving her a brief nod before disappearing down the hall. Lying down on her cold bench, Vic decided that she probably wouldn't wait for that pillow. Staying awake for that would give her too much time to ponder what just happened; and even with her previous nap, she was still exhausted. Supporting her head with newly freed arms, she closed her eyes. Sleep then slowly claimed her, plunging her into a nightmare clouded with sand.

Just a few moments more of consciousness would have given her the sight of Zaynne returning back up the cell block, violet cushion in hand.