[h1][center][color=0072bc]Ben-E218[/color][/center][/h1] 

Ben-E218 followed the others, keeping a close eye on Rex and the Hunter. For what it was worth, he occasionally looked at the Grunt. No suspicious behaviors. Perhaps he was just being paranoid. Of course, he was paid to be paranoid. That's what Epsilon's company unofficial slogan was, at least. Paid to be paranoid. Not that there [i]was[/i] an Epsilon company on any official record. 

The mention of war games snapped Ben out of his reverie. 

[color=0072bc]"War games. I think it's a good idea. Any sniper will tell you that they key to getting one-shot, one-kill is constant practice. Like Simo Häyhä said."[/color] He had a feeling that the Finnish Sniper from the Winter War would go over the heads of most of the assembled crowd, but Häyhä had been Ben's idol in training, even more so than any of the Spartan IIs. 

Ben sat next to Grikgar, one of the only seats available. He turned to look at the Unggoy, finally answering his question.

[color=0072bc]"Of course we're going on a mission. They didn't bring us here for fun. This isn't a child's game."[/color]

[color=fff79a]"If I may, Ben, don't hold it against him too much. Unggoy raised by the Covenant were tossed into battle from a young age after being put on an extensive regiment of drugs and given little time to learn anything apart from combat, and were often trained in a rather haphazard manner. Intelligent as he is for his species, much of this must seem like a game to him. At least, that's my assessment."[/color] Strangely enough, the way the Grunts had been treated offered some eerie parallels with the Spartan IIs and IIIs. Taken into the military from childhood, frequently drugged up, and a childhood with nothing but war and training for war. Of course, Phong's analysis was hardly perfect. Unggoy aged at a vastly different rate than humans did, even though they kept several features which humans at least would consider child-like; high-pitched voices, frequent naps, cowardice in battle, the frequent lack of footwear, and a fairly 'cute' appearance in terms of proportions. Of course, the average adult Unggoy was actually quite heavy next to most normal humans, and the parallels could only go so far. If anything the Brutes were the closest species the Covenant had ever had to humans, and the comparisons between the two species fell flat on most accounts.

[color=0072bc]"Are we just about ready to get on with things?"[/color] He wasn't sure if promptness or patience was appreciated by the Sanghelli, but he had a feeling that this was taking longer than the group leader would have liked.