Chapter Text
July 2557
Stationed over the Sangheili colony world of Duraan was the CAS-class attack carrier Shadow of Intent. The shipmaster of said carrier recalled how this was not the first significant trip they had made to this colony, especially regarding the type of corvette that was reported to be sighted. But that had been years ago; something different had occurred this time.
Thinking of the purpose of this new mission, Rtas 'Vadum studied the DAV-class light corvette's image on the holotank. Curiously, all it was doing was drifting. It was not heading for Duraan specifically, but would merely pass by. However, this also seemed to not be intentional - simply the choice of the vacuum that carried the ship along.
Extensive damage could be seen on the corvette's exterior. They would have to board it in order to see how the inside fared. This suggested it had been in battle, but... where did it come from? What battle had apparently taken place and who was responsible for its destruction?
"We've gotten identification at last," an officer reported, bringing Rtas out of his inner thoughts. "The corvette is More Than a Night, reported lost after battle during the Great Schism."
"Has it responded yet?" Rtas asked, referring to the message they sent to the drifting ship earlier.
"Negative."
Another officer interrupted. "Scanning is complete, there is only one life form on board."
"Only one?" Rtas turned his gaze to that officer. "Are you certain?"
"Additional scanning may need to be completed... but only one is appearing, Shipmaster."
The shipmaster's second in command, Blademaster Vul 'Soran, cleared his throat loudly after he finished his private comm conversation.
"The boarding team is prepped and ready for orders. When do they depart?"
Rtas glanced at him, then returned to staring at the holotank image. "As soon as we are in position... inform the team that I will be joining the boarding."
"You're going with them?"
"I want us both to be present when they make contact. I have a feeling about this..."
"Good or bad?"
"That, I'm still deciding."
Standing in preparation, the team prepared to enter the hangar of More Than a Night at any moment - a hangar that was strangely open for anyone to enter. That fact only added more to the mystery of the corvette. Rtas would normally be expecting a blatant ambush, except only one life form had been detected. Even if the individual was waiting for them - fully armed - they would still overpower whoever it was. He wasn't bringing along a squad of just any soldiers - accompanying him and the Rangers were his three most trusted warriors.
To start: Blademaster Vul 'Soran. Despite being the eldest of them all, the swordsman still refused to retire - much like 'Vadum himself. His golden armor was just as aged as he was; although to call it "gold" would be a bit misleading. as it no longer glistened and shined. At this point, it was more of a dirty yellow. However, none had the courage to point out to Vul that his proud armor needed changing, while Rtas himself had courage but not the heart.
Except, on occasion, Tul 'Juran would not be able to contain some remarks to the Blademaster whenever her tempers flared. She was the second of his chosen warriors - the Scion of Juran Keep. It was currently one of her commission cycles: a time when Tul would join the Shadow of Intent's crew temporarily to honor her keep's alliance with the Swords of Sanghelios. The young woman was donned in her usual red and gold armor, with a double-bladed energy lance as her weapon of choice. Compared to the rest of the warriors, she stood out in more ways than one.
Even more so than the leader of the Sangheili Rangers. Rtas's other lieutenant - besides Vul - was the Unggoy Ranger Stolt. Taller than most other Unggoy, and given far more respect, Stolt was the last of the notable trio. After all these years, he was the only Unggoy part of the carrier's crew. There were times when small groups joined the crew, but Stolt was the only one to not be reassigned or perish in battle. However, this apparently left him unbothered, as he could always be found in a relaxed state.
A state that was beginning to influence the white-armored, half-mandibled shipmaster on this mission. There should be nothing to worry about, he started to think. The corvette couldn't attack Duraan with a one-man crew, while said "crew" would be unable to fend off their boarding party. In fact, it was highly probable violence wouldn't be necessary. Given the state of More Than a Night, perhaps the individual remaining was in need of rescue - the only survivor of a fierce battle.
There was only one way to find out.
At his command, the team entered the hangar. The mystery life form was not there to greet them.
"It's clear!" Vul announced. "Shall we head to the command room?"
Rtas gave a quick nod. "Regardless of whether the unknown target is there or not, we should still be able to gain control of the ship."
As they began to exit, Tul stalled.
"Hold on..." she commented quietly, under her breath. She raised her voice. "Is that another aircraft?"
Turning around to follow her gaze, the men spotted it as well. At the opposite end of the hangar was another transport ship - one they hadn't noticed. Except, this one wasn't Covenant. It was a completely new model to them all. Nearly all white with gray outlines, this craft was fat in width but thin in length. Glass covered the top, front, and sides of the front - most likely the cockpit. Stuck on its side, the sliding doors were wide open.
Tul approached the strange ship, leaping on top. She peered into the opening, then shook her head towards the others: nothing inside.
Nodding back at her, Rtas declared, "Let us keep going. We'll keep this in mind for later."
They continued outside of the hangar and through the hall. Fortunately, the rest of the ship maintained its oxygen supply. Unfortunately, a stale odor filled the air as well. It had to have been several years since the interior was cleaned...
As evident by the skeletal remains they began to find. Few and far between, it included a variety of different species: Sangheili, Unggoy, Jiralhanae, and Kig-Yar. Although, Jiralhanae were certainly in the minority.
"More Than a Night was reported lost during the Great Schism," Rtas recalled. "Isn't that right?"
"Yes. Contact was lost as Sangheili-commanded ships were fired upon," Stolt confirmed.
"It had to have been boarded... but why would they leave it and not add it to their arsenal?"
"More questions for whoever is still here," Vul rumbled.
When they reached the command room, the team prepared for a potential attack by anyone hiding in there. As they burst in, weapons ready, they were greeted by the usual consoles and equipment. Yet no crew to man them.
Vul voiced the question on everyone's mind: "The survivor isn't here?"
"They could have fled when they realized we were coming," Rtas rationalized. "Assess the controls. See how much is intact."
He himself inspected the shipmaster's chair. The material was worn. Rtas started to wonder about the fate of the Sangheili that once proudly sat here and gave orders to the crew. How the shipmaster died, or if he did at all. Could he be the one lurking inside this corvette? But how could he have survived when supplies surely would have run low over the years?
That thought soon overtook his mind.
How could anyone survive so long when food and water wouldn't have lasted a year, even if only one person was using them up? He cursed himself for overlooking such a simple, yet crucial detail. Could the life form onboard really be a surviving crew member? If so, they'd have to be close to death by now.
No, they would've died ages ago!
It had to have been someone who came aboard recently - most likely on that other ship in the hangar. A scavenger? A pirate? Did they stumble upon More Than a Night by accident, or did they have a purpose to be here? And who were they? That ship could've belonged to anyone, as far as he knew. An experimental new model that had never been encountered before. Or at least one he's never seen.
"Shipmaster, something approaches!" Vul boomed, turning to the entrance of the command deck.
Rtas whirled around, a hand on the sword hilt resting on his hip. It was time for the stranger to reveal themselves as either hostile or friendly. As the doors slid open, the Sangheili and Unggoy raised their weapons.
"Freeze and state-" Rtas started to order, only for the words to die in his throat.
A Huragok floated into the room. It observed each stupefied warrior - as well as the weapons they pointed in its direction. Shaking his head, Rtas barked for those to be lowered. There'd be no point for them. Huragok were completely passive beings.
The floating creature locked its gaze with Rtas’, He assumed it was because he was being the most vocal, although it was possible the Huragok recognized him as the one in charge. It glided over to him, wrapped a tentacle around his arm, then began to tug.
Stolt wadded closer. "It wants to show you something."
"Can you suddenly speak Huragok?" Rtas remarked back.
"No. But it's obvious."
His arm was tugged again, with another of the Huragok's tentacles pointing back towards the hall. Rtas gently touched a hand to its head, trying to let it know that he understood but that it had to be patient. Huragok were hard to communicate with, given their lack of verbal language.
"Call for a secondary team. Have them meet us at the hangar." Rtas groaned as the tentacle traveled further up his arm and looped around, continuing its attempt to move him. "And tell them to bring one of our Huragok."
As previously stated, Huragok were passive creatures. Unlike most other species, the Huragok were artificial in origin. A new Huragok was formed by the combined efforts of two or three "parents" using organic materials they could find and inserting all knowledge they had culminated in their lifetimes. The name of the "newborn" was derived from their first movement and buoyancy.
Their pacifistic nature came from the purpose for their existence. As the human nickname of "Engineers" implied, Huragok did maintenance and tinkering. And nothing else - unless they were the rare type that did "biological maintenance". Although, they didn't lack personality and thoughts of their own. Many Huragok valued life and were capable of attachments. In this case, it was one of only two ways to trigger a violent response - causing them to be defensive of someone or something in danger. Other than that, they'd give their life to protect Forerunner technology.
Huragok were therefore easy to push around. They were obedient most of the time and rarely fought back against attacks on themselves. The cruelest example was the Jiralhanae's treatment of their Huragok during the last weeks of the Human-Covenant War. They strapped the poor things to explosive harnesses, effectively turning them into unwilling suicide bombers in certain cases.
By the end of the war, though, most Huragok had vanished. Any that remained were scattered; mainly possessed by the multitude of factions fighting for dominance in the post-war galaxy. Rtas himself had four within his crew - three given to him by the Arbiter, while the fourth was subsequently built by the trio.
Subconscious Sinker was that fourth Huragok, as well as the one that greeted them alongside the secondary team of Sangheili Rangers. Stolt went to fill his men in on the situation while the Huragok flew over to the one currently trying to divorce Rtas’ arm from the rest of himself. Rtas sighed in relief as Subconscious Sinker's arrival was enough to cause the fussy thing to relent its attack. Rubbing his aching arm, he had gained a new appreciation for their strength.
At the same time, the two Huragok conversed in the form of sign language their species had, but that would not be for long. Humans, after getting a hold of their own Huragok, found the language barrier more troublesome than the Covenant had. Learning the sigh language and whistling languages of Huragok seemed less efficient to them. Therefore, they developed translation software capable of giving a Huragok a "voice". They were even nice enough to give some to the Swords of Sanghelios.
This was why Rtas wanted Subconscious Sinker here. "Sinker, what is your new friend telling you?"
Sinker turned, switching to its robotic voice. "Wanders the Space is complaining about your lack of assistance."
"So that is its name?" Rtas mused. "Can it understand our speech? I have tried to tell it to be patient."
"I believe so. However, Wanders the Space is very insistent."
"Fine. We can have our questions answered on the way to whatever is so important." He then addressed the Rangers, both the new arrivals and the ones that came with him. "Secure the rest of the ship."
With that, Rtas, Vul, Tul, and Stolt followed the two Huragok as they led them back into the halls. Tul got her question in first.
"That white ship in the hangar. Who does it belong to?"
"Wanders the Space is unsure, as it drifted close to More Than a Night a few days ago. Its first guess was that humans owned it, though, when it first recovered the occupant."
"Occupant?" Rtas tilted his head.
"That is what Wanders the Space is insistent on showing you."
Glances were shared between the four warriors. Shadow of Intent's scanning only picked up one life form - scanning that would include Huragok. Unless some mistake was made, then the occupant had to be dead by now.
Rtas decided that mystery could wait a few more minutes, as there were other matters he needed clarity on. "Speaking of... why is the Huragok here? Where has it and More Than a Night been all these years?"
A long tangent of sign language followed from Wanders the Space, with periodic pauses as it allowed Subconscious Sinker time to retell the story for the others.
"Wanders the Space was not originally assigned to More Than a Night. It was part of the crew of Resurgence of Faith, a CAS-class assault carrier, when Jiralhanae began rallying other species against the Sangheili. Realizing that it soon would be under Jiralhanae control, Wanders the Space used the conflict as a distraction to make an escape.
"Alongside a group of Unggoy, they slipped into an escape pod and traveled to one of the nearby ships, which happened to be More Than a Night. However, they found that the corvette had already been raided and heavily damaged. Wanders the Space was able to repair the slipspace drive before their presence was discovered or the ship destroyed after the Jiralhanae dealt with active threats. Although, the sudden jump with the rest of More Than a Night damaged caused a failure in the drive, which is why it hasn't been able to make additional jumps since.
"The Unggoy did not survive. No matter how much methane Wanders the Space produced, food suitable for them ran out."
Rtas gave a side glance to Stolt, but found no change in the Unggoy's usual demeanor.
"Wanders the Space survived by resorting to other materials to digest, although it says that even it is close to starvation by now. It has since passed the time by making repairs to More Than a Night. On occasion it will take in other wrecks to either repair or salvage."
Vul finally spoke up. "Are the communications damaged?"
"Negative."
"Then why did we get no response earlier?"
"Wanders the Space has been busy in the armory... 'repairing'... the aircraft occupant."
"The armory?" Rtas was taken aback. "Why not the medbay?"
"'The armory was better suited'... is its claim."
Right after the statement, the group arrived at said armory. Wanders the Space gave a quick warning about the clutter before allowing them entrance. Rtas immediately noticed the mock operating table in the center, with a few machines surrounding it. Out of the machines came wires attached to the person on the table.
A human girl.
She didn't seem to be an adult, but was close to what he would deem a fully grown human. The girl was on the paler side of the human range of complexions, though even more so than what Rtas was used to seeing. Freckles dotted her upper cheeks. Her body was entirely limp and her green eyes open - black pupils expanded in a way he didn't think possible. An unusual orange was the color of the long hair, rounded at the ends; it was a color he'd heard of occurring naturally in humans, albeit rarely. Stranger was the prominent strip of hair that stuck up at the top. A black bow was at the back of her head, which appeared to also be pink on the other side. The majority of the outfit consisted of a silver blouse, a black abdominal piece with four gold buttons, a light green skirt under that with a darker shade at the very bottom, and a pair of black stockings with green lines on the sides and boots over them. Other details included a black collar piece around her neck with a black ribbon and green symbol at the center, two green suspenders over her shoulders, a small backpack-looking accessory on her back, and a pair of black gloves with golden accents at the knuckles.
This style of attire was unfamiliar to Rtas. He'd hardly seen humans in formal wear. But the few times he did, nothing like this had been worn. Well, the blouse was close at least.
Soon, he realized that Wanders the Space had been "speaking" during his time studying the girl, with Subconscious Sinker beginning the translation.
"The aircraft was not properly sealed. This caused the vacuum to damage the occupant over time. The internal systems were nearly lost by the time Wanders the Space found it. All power was being directed to preservation of the memory banks, leaving everything else vulnerable."
Puzzled, Rtas looked at the Huragok. What was that supposed to mean? It couldn't be replacing medical terms with mechanical ones, could it? Huragok didn't usually speak like that; although he couldn’t discount a rare eccentric personality, especially with a life-story as Wanders’.
Striding over to the girl's side, Tul wrapped a palm around one of the wrists, before shaking her head. "There's no pulse."
Of course. The Huragok claimed she was exposed to the vacuum of space for an extended period of time. No one could survive that.
And yet, Wanders the Space bobbed in the air in a careless fashion.
"Wanders the Space will..." Sinker paused, as if double checking what it was about to say. "'Turn it back on.'"
"Excuse me?" Vul fought back against the urge to totter. "Did you not just say the human was out in the vacuum? Damaged by it? And now you say you will 'turn it back on'?"
"That is correct. You understand clearly" Another pause. "Is what Wanders the Space said. Not my statement."
"We know-" Rtas assured, only to be cut off by Vul, who was still exasperated.
"No! I do not!"
Rtas approached Tul, the latter giving him room to stand next to the table the human was situated on. Putting his hand on the girl's arm, he found it to be cold and hard - completely frigid. And just as Tul said - no pulse.
"Huragok, there is no life left in this human," Rtas stated, in a calmer tone than Vul's booming voice. "You cannot bring her back to life."
An indignant chirp from Wanders the Space followed. It then turned to the wires attached to the human and began removing each carefully. Vul, meanwhile, addressed his shipmaster.
"Shipmaster, the years of isolation must have rendered it mad. Have you ever heard of a Huragok bringing back the dead?"
"I agree on the confusion," Stolt added. "But don't be so harsh! It was stuck on this ship alone for 5 years."
“That is my point!”
“And you’re not getting mine!”
Subconscious Sinker traced its tentacles over the body, interrupting the conversation with a surprised whistle.
"No... Wanders the Space is right! It is simply powered off..."
As Vul began another protest, Wanders the Space removed the last of the wires at the girl's head. Rtas could not see what the tentacle underneath all that orange hair did next, but suddenly-
The pupils of the human constricted back to a normal size as the green in her eyes and stockings glowed. A mechanical whirring sound was heard. Rtas and Tul stepped back from the table - the source of the noise. Tul held her energy lance in front of her in defense while Rtas held onto his energy sword hilt. Vul activated one of his own swords and Stolt brought up a plasma pistol.
All of them watched as the former corpse hoisted herself up to a standing position on the table. Her eyes, now full of life, studied each startled alien. Rtas could see her examining the weapons as well, head tilting in a mixture of confusion and curiosity. When she had taken note of each individual, the glowing green lights of the girl dimmed.
"Salutations! I am P.E.N.N.Y. M374! You may also refer to me as Penny Polendina. How may I be of assistance?"
At the mention of "assistance", Rtas realized this was not a hostile encounter and eased up. He also gestured for the others to do the same.
"Drop your weapons," he commanded. "She is friendly."
"But... what is she?" Tul asked. "She can't be a human..."
"That is correct." "Penny Polendina" nodded. "I am an android created with the aid of the Atlas military. I was designed to be the first synthetic creation to generate an Aura and to pass as an organic being."
"...what?"
"You were designed to mimic organic beings?" Subconscious Sinker bobbled in sudden excitement. "Like a Huragok?"
"I..." Penny turned to face the two bouncing Huragok, head tilting in confusion. "I don't know what that is. Or what you are..." She went on to stare at the Sangheili and Unggoy again. "Or what any of you are."
"You do not?" Surprise slipped out in Rtas' tone. Given how long the former-Covenant species had been in the lives of humanity, he thought their existence would've been common knowledge. Especially so with her estimated age bracket. Then again... "What is this 'Atlas military' you spoke of?"
"Atlas..." Penny repeated. Then she paused. For a moment, her face was blank, before she finally admitted, "I'm not sure either... It's in my scripted responses, but the links to the relevant data in my memory banks are coming back with errors."
That was when Wanders the Space began signing again.
"Wanders the Space tried to explain earlier," Sinker translated. "All power in Penny Polendina's systems weas being directed to the memory banks. While repairing, Wanders the Space had to sever that connection in order to redirect the power. However, messing with the memory systems triggered a self-defense response. The memory banks became locked. At the time, Wanders the Space decided to leave it in favor of repairing the rest of Penny Polendina."
Shifting her head's position, Penny stared off into space. "I see. All I have access to at the moment are crucial operating details, pieces of an education, and programmed responses. Everything else is password protected."
"So there is not much you can tell us about yourself?" Rtas pressed.
"Only what I have access to."
As Rtas thought for a moment, Vul spoke up. "Did the humans create you?"
Looking down at herself, Penny stared off once more. "It's a possibility... My database only lists two different sapient species: humans and Faunus. I also see a vital mission objective to 'protect the people of Mantle', but the links to specifics also draw errors."
Vul looked back at Rtas in confusion.
Rtas could only shrug, then murmured, "Well, we have one clue at least... Humans must be involved in this." Placing a hand onto his chests, he addressed Penny once more. "I am Rtas 'Vadum, shipmaster of Shadow of Intent."
Then, he pointed to the Sangheili and Unggoy in the room as he introduced them. "These are my trusted warriors: Vul 'Soran. Tul 'Juran. Stolt." This was followed by the Huragok's introductions. "That is Subconscious Sinker, one of my own Huragok. And that Huragok - Wanders the Space - is the one who found and repaired you."
Following his hand's movements with her eyes, Penny did not take long to seemingly memorize them all. When she returned her gaze to him, he continued on.
"We were sent to investigate this ship, as it drifted too close to one of our colonies. I must report to that colony first. Only then can we return you to the humans." After waiting a few moments for a reaction to appear on her face, he found that he would receive none. "You do not object to that, do you?"
"Nope!" Smiling, she hopped off the table. "Although I do have lots of questions..."
"Of course..." Rtas pondered the girl. Seeing how the two Huragok already began to flock to her, it gave him an idea. "How about you speak with Sinker and Wanders the Space for now?"
"Alright!" She turned to the Huragok instantly.
"Good." After nodding, he addressed the other three. "Let's head back to the hangar and return to our ship."
"What about More Than a Night?" Vul asked.
"I will speak with the Arbiter about incorporating the ship in the fleet. For now, we will have it moved where it is in no one's way."
With that, he led the group out of the armory. As they made their way back through the halls, his mind raced. He'd have to explain to the rest of his men about Penny and why she'd be staying on their ship. Plus, he'd have to figure out what to do with her until they could meet with humanity. He gave a glance back at her; she was happily conversing with the two Huragok.
Surely the "android" won't be too much trouble for a few days.
"So that's why I'm here?" Penny asked after the two finished retelling the story of Wanders the Space and More Than a Night. She paused, the gravity of one part of the story finally hitting her. "I'm sorry about your friends..."
"There was nothing that could be done," Subconscious Sinker said for Wanders the Space. "They were long dead by the time you and your aircraft were discovered."
"Still, they waited for so long to be rescued... Why did you have to leave Resurgence of Faith, anyway? What is a 'Jiralhanae'?"
Sinker was the one to explain, without any signing from Wanders. "Jiralhanae are large, furred creatures that hail from Doisac. They are generally tribal, as well as ruthless. Humanity refers to them as 'the Brutes', among other unflattering nicknames. At the time of the Great Schism, Jiralhanae were replacing the Sangheili as the right-hand of the Prophets - of the San'Shyuum. They took over positions Sangheili once did in the Covenant. It meant that Wanders the Space and his Unggoy companions would have to follow orders from them.
"And they were smart to flee. Many Huragok put under the command of the Jiralhanae were attached to explosives and blown up on the field. Unggoy mistreatment also grew worse than when they took orders from Sangheili."
Clearly shown on her face was Penny's horror. Sinker gently placed a reassuring tentacle on her shoulder.
"But now those days are behind us. The Covenant remains only as remnants that are slowly being extinguished. The Huragok in the possession of the Swords of Sanghelios and the UNSC are given the utmost respect and care. And as you can see with Stolt, the position of Unggoy in the post-war galaxy is improving."
"That's good..." Penny sighed in relief. "There's something about people getting hurt and abused that really makes me... feel negatively? Is that normal to feel?'
"You're upset. I believe what you feel is sympathy. And that is good... It is generally believed that a lack of sympathy is abnormal - at least by humanity, your likely creators', standards."
"Ah, okay then. It's not in my programming, but... I'll mark it down for future reference."
Soon after, they arrived at an open space where more Sangheili were waiting - some she could only guess were Sangheili, though, due to sealed helmets encasing their heads and obscuring their faces. Alongside all the lifeforms were large metal constructs. Penny figured this was the hangar that was mentioned. Most of the aircraft were sleek - either purple or orange - but she noticed one that was white... That had to be the one she was found in.
Her staring was interrupted when Rtas addressed her, noticing her curiosity. "Do you recognize it? Is there anything in your... 'database'?"
Penny could only shake her head.
"I see..." He then turned to his confused men. "This is the only other survivor onboard. Her name is Penny Polendina. She and the Huragok will be traveling with us, until it is figured out where they will go. I am expecting you to treat them with as much respect as you would a fellow Sangheili."
A choir of "Yes, Shipmaster" followed as they bowed their heads in unison. Although, one still eyed Penny in a way that was different from all the other stares. While confused, she decided to ignore it for now.
Rtas, Vul, and Tul led Penny and the Huragok into one of the orange crafts. Stolt, however, stayed behind with the other Sangheili.
They sat in the seats inside, all quiet. Penny processed the information she was given already. The Human-Covenant War. The UNSC. The Covenant. The Swords of Sanghelios. More Than a Night...
It hardly matched anything in her available memory. The only common factor seemed to be the human race. Speaking of...
"Wanders," she began. "Since you repaired me, is it possible you could unlock my memory banks with a password?"
The Huragok swayed as it signed.
"Wanders the Space would have to check under the proper working conditions - to ensure your safety," Sinker explained. "It is possible, given the protocols that were already activated in your systems, that further damages could be done unintentionally."
"But it would be easier if you just knew the password, right?" Tul cut in. "Do you have any idea on what it could be, or how to figure it out?"
Penny shook her head while Wanders the Space bobbed in a similar fashion.
"If I knew it," Penny added. "Then it must be one of the files I'm locked out of..."
"It would be best to save that for the humans," Rtas said. "If Penny truly is their creation, they will know what to do with her."
"How will you get me to them, though? Sinker and Wanders said there was a war..."
"It is true... We once fought against the humans under the Covenant. Because of that, despite our current alliance, they still are uneasy with us."
Faltering, he seemed to internally debate whether to add an additional thought to that or not. Nonetheless, he soon continued his explanation. "However... If there is one Sangheili the UNSC leaders trust the most, it is the Arbiter. He will be able to deliver you to them, I'm certain."
Penny nodded. This was not the first time this "Arbiter" character was mentioned to her. It sounded like Rtas - as well as the Huragok - thought highly of him. In that case, he had to be trustworthy.
Trust...
As their journey to Shadow of Intent continued, she silently searched her internal systems. For some unknown reason to her, that concept was eliciting powerful feelings inside her. It was almost like what she felt before, when Sinkers explained "sympathy" to her.
Noun - was what her limited memory came up with - a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.
That definition surged through her. While she may have lost access to a majority of her memory, something inside her told her that trust was something relevant. She examined her saviors once more.
I can already feel that I can trust them...
Then, she thought back to the strange gaze of the stray Sangheili warrior.
And I hope they trust me, too.