[centre][h2][colour=ff4d27]Yalu 'Suumko[/colour][/h2][/centre]

"Alright, big guy, time to wake up."

Yalu's vertical eye slits dilated open to see a human marine's grin disappear. Yalu was still short of practice understanding what the expression meant but he could guess enough from the tension in all of the marines when he was around.

"We're, uh..." the marine continued. "We're about to land."

Neither of them blinked for a moment.

The marine coughed. "About ten minutes out." He turned and walked back along the deck of the cargo hold, running one hand on an overhead bar.

[colour=ff4d27]"Thank you, Stefanovic."[/colour] Yalu spoke at a much deeper timbre.

The marine tensed up even more. "How do you know my name?"

[colour=ff4d27]"The word is written on your harness,"[/colour] he responded. [colour=ff4d27]"If I pronounced it incorrectly, I would hear its proper sound from you, should you prefer."[/colour]

"Naw, I just...didn't know you learnt to read English."

[colour=ff4d27]"Why do you think I asked you how long an hour was, human?"[/colour] Valu said. [colour=ff4d27]"It is because I learn."[/colour]

After counting it all up based on the timepiece on his own HUD, Yalu had sat in his small canvas seat with legs cramping for fourteen hours straight. He had nothing to do and no one to talk to once the humans left him alone, save for the food and drink they brought him. 'A few hours,' was what they said about the flight time. Yalu did not think that one 'hour' was anything to complain about once it had passed. Their lack of honesty was irritating. Yalu thanked his ancestors that sleep and meditation were not beyond him in such an environment.

The cargo bay door opened to bright yellow sunlight contrasted against black tarmac. Yalu strode down the ramp with his equipment over his shoulder, being sure to duck under the low headroom. Marines with their rifles were on his left and right. His eyes adjusted to see another human with a front-brimmed cap and even more guards. Probably someone ranking. A few words and it was not long before he was lead across to one of their non-combat land vehicles.

From that point the extra time did not pass too slowly. Yalu had never been around so many humans before. He wondered if they were as unsure about him as he was about them. How many sangheili lives had they taken? As many human lives as he had taken?

"You seem kinda quiet back there," the driver said. "Y'nervous?"

[colour=ff4d27]"Is it your custom to speak of fear?"[/colour] Yalu retorted.

"Sometimes."

[colour=ff4d27]"It is not mine."[/colour]

They were silent after that.

Everything blurred together until they pulled into a compound with a group that stood out like a boil. Yalu saw an unggoy, a hunter, a sangheili, and a...Spartan, if he remembered correctly. If there was one creature he preferred not to need to outnumber, it was one of them.

Yalu was let out of the vehicle. "Right over there," the human escort said as if it was not obvious.

Yalu approached and only slowed his gait when he noticed the markings of the sangheili in particular. He was checking the dossier of the unggoy, which meant Yalu's history would soon be on display as well.

[colour=ff4d27]"The joint operations team rallies here?"[/colour] Yalu said simply. [colour=ff4d27]"I am Major Yalu 'Suumko."[/colour]