"Roar—! Bastard!"
The moment Nathaniel Grace finished speaking, before Dr. Halsey could respond, the Jiralhanae prisoners in the other cages began clamoring again.
"Human! The High Prophets will not spare you! The Covenant will not spare you!"
Some of the iron cages had just been transferred into the custody of UNSC defense soldiers when the Jiralhanae inside suddenly smashed their faces against the bars, slamming both hands violently against the metal.
Bang! Bang!
Under the force of these half-ton brutes, the iron cages swayed violently, as though they might fall apart at any moment.
"Don't move! Damn aliens!"
The UNSC defense troops were startled, instantly raising their rifles and aiming at the rampaging Jiralhanae as they shouted hoarsely.
"Hahaha!"
Watching the human soldiers retreat two steps in unison, weapons raised, faces tense and vigilant, the Jiralhanae burst into unrestrained mockery.
Lifting its scar-covered black face, the captured Jiralhanae warrior sneered disdainfully at the group of "dwarfs" before it. Even after being tortured again and again by the Night Lords' interrogators, it remained utterly contemptuous. (PS: An adult male Jiralhanae typically stands around nine feet tall—2.7 to 2.8 meters—and weighs over 500 kilograms.)
"I can smell your fear! Cowards! You humans are all cowards! Heretics who deserve purification!"
It extended a hand now missing one finger, stretching its body proudly. Filthy bloodstains, sweat, and dried scabs caked its yellow-brown fur. From that battered, tortured body, it seemed to flaunt what it believed was honor.
In physique, Jiralhanae were similar to humans—two shoulders supporting a single head. Aside from their fur, the only major difference was that their hands had four fingers, with two opposable thumbs, allowing them to wield most Covenant and human-designed weapons.
Outside the cages stood fully armed human soldiers. Inside were wounded, unarmed captives. Yet in Jiralhanae tribal culture, human caution was nothing more than weakness.
"Come on, cowards! If you have the guts, let me out! One-on-one!"
As it spoke, the Jiralhanae bared its teeth. The UNSC soldiers could see clearly that beneath its dark, ferocious visage, its teeth had been smashed to fragments, broken and incomplete. Raw flesh still clung to the ruined gums where teeth had been violently torn out.
"Hahaha, I bet you don't dare."
Judging by their arrogant display, one might think they were the victors.
Truly—after witnessing the miserable state of their commander and using him as an example, they still dared to clamor.
Should one call them stubborn? Suicidal? Fanatically loyal to the Covenant? Or perhaps unyielding in the face of torture and threats from the Holy Selene Empire?
In truth, none of the above.
Through interrogations, dissections, and soul extractions conducted on various Covenant alien species, the Holy Selene Empire's expeditionary forces had gained some understanding of this "ape" race's behavioral traits.
They were simply reckless brutes.
With the exception of a few once-in-a-century anomalies, the Jiralhanae as a species were impulsive and quick to anger. Dissection revealed that, in theory, they possessed intelligence superior to that of ordinary humans. Yet they lacked imagination, rigidly adhered to rules, showed no creativity, and were easily dominated by instinct.
They rarely used their brains—which was why they had suffered tremendous losses in space warfare against Elites and humans alike.
As for why they were clamoring again now, the explanation was simple: once the pain faded, so did the memory.
In other words: Hmm, the Night Lords haven't beaten me in nearly an hour. Yes... almost an hour...
After a brutal beating and round of torture, they might behave for a while and display fear. But soon enough—so long as you stopped hitting them—they would recover and think they were invincible again.
On this point, even the Night Lords' Astartes warriors had to admire them. Were their brains single-threaded?
"Are these Jiralhanae so enraged because we attacked their commander?"
Unable to understand the Jiralhanae dialect, Halsey naturally had no idea they were insulting humanity. She shifted her gaze away from the horrific wounds inflicted by the Night Lords and turned toward Parangosky.
"General, how do you intend to handle this batch of Covenant prisoners? May we perhaps—"
"Use tranquilizer guns. Make these alien apes behave," Parangosky cut in before Halsey could finish. She already knew what the doctor was going to say and had no intention of listening further.
"There's no need for such trouble. Night Lords—deliver the goods to their doorstep."
The next moment, accompanied by a sharp rush of air—
An iron fist whistled through the air and struck squarely between the brows of a particularly ferocious Jiralhanae.
Thud!
Metal met skull with a dull, heavy impact. The Jiralhanae collapsed instantly.
Then, one muffled blow after another echoed out as the Jiralhanae dropped one by one, dragged from their cages by the Night Lords.
"We've delivered them safely. There's no rush for negotiations—the location is yours to choose," Nathaniel said amiably.
"..."
Tilting her head back, Parangosky studied the pale face of the blue-armored giant for a long moment before making her decision.
"Very well. But only you may come. Your subordinates will take your 'gifts' and deliver them to the prison."
"And surrender your weapons," she added expressionlessly.
"No problem."
Nathaniel agreed immediately. Without changing expression, he removed the finely crafted bolt pistol, master-crafted meltagun, tactical combat knife, and chainsword magnetically attached to his belt and handed them over to a nearby UNSC soldier.
The pistols were manageable—at least they could be held. But when the chainsword was tossed over, its weight nearly crushed the soldier. He staggered, almost flattened by it, barely managing to hold on thanks to his tactical exoskeleton.
As they strode through the base corridors, Parangosky spoke sternly.
"Dr. Halsey, I must inform you—this batch of Covenant prisoners will be handled by Miranda and her alien technology research institute."
"But John brought them back. Mr. Nathaniel explicitly named them as a 'gift' for me. They should belong to me..." Halsey insisted. "You cannot exclude me from researching and analyzing them."
She continued playing the part of the obsessed scientist. Though it was not entirely an act—she was genuinely fascinated by Covenant captives.
"We have been at war with aliens for a long time. Earth Command needs answers. These Jiralhanae prisoners are an excellent breakthrough point. You understand what that means, Doctor. Unfortunately, we cannot hand them over to you."
After a pause, perhaps out of consideration for future dealings, Parangosky added, "At least not in the short term. The tasks assigned to you will not be reduced."
"Fine. But you cannot exclude me from researching and analyzing them."
Thus, amid the bargaining between Halsey and Admiral Parangosky, they arrived at a conference room specially prepared for bio-enhanced soldiers like Nathaniel.
Calling it a conference room was generous. It was more like a cell. As Nathaniel sat down, he could immediately tell the dimensions were severely undersized—likely modified according to Spartan proportions. Sitting there felt constricting.
"There's no need to be so afraid. I'm human, not an alien."
Seeing Parangosky and a group of staff officers seated far away behind thick bulletproof glass, Nathaniel continued smiling as though nothing displeased him.
"Ahem..."
After clearing her throat, Parangosky placed both hands on the table and spoke sternly. "Mr. Nathaniel, we only have a few questions. We are all human. We harbor no ill intent. It's just that the young men seem somewhat afraid of you."
"Of course. We are all human."
Parangosky then yielded the floor to the staff officer beside her.
"First question. The prisoners you delivered to us appear to have been subjected to brutal torture. Why did you do this? Do you bear a deep hatred toward the Covenant? Have Covenant aliens harmed your homeland?"
"Do you need a reason to torture aliens?" Nathaniel countered. "Any who dare resist—extermination is their only outcome. Besides, the Jiralhanae eat humans."
The Jiralhanae treated human captives as playthings, tormenting some to death while forcing others, under threats and cheers, to fight their fellow humans to the death for entertainment.
For deeds like that, the Jiralhanae had no value for recruitment in the Holy Selene Empire.
They were destined for extinction.
No matter what certain extreme animal protection groups might think, any functioning state—whether the creature in question was a Class 1 or Class 2 protected species—if it had ever eaten humans, even corpses, its fate would be death.
Injury and cannibalism were two different concepts. The former left room for negotiation. The latter left none.
Take the Unggoy, Sangheili, or Huragok within the Covenant. Though they had slaughtered countless humans in war, each fought for its own cause. The Empire bore them no excessive malice.
But the Jiralhanae and Kig-Yar were different. Eating humans meant they did not even qualify to serve as laborers or cannon fodder.
The staff officer nodded.
"Second question. Where do you come from, Mr. Nathaniel?"
"Beyond the Outer Colonies. In regions your United Nations Space Command has yet to reach," Nathaniel replied casually, as if discussing the weather.
"Very well. Third question. Why did you come to Madrigal? And your encounter with the Master Chief..."
...
After a lengthy exchange of questions and answers, even Nathaniel began to feel weary. Fortunately, it was the Night Lords handling this task rather than the Retributors or the World Eaters.
Ironically, among the three Legions deployed, the Night Lords had become the most adept at negotiation and diplomacy.
Years spent in suppression operations and interrogations had made the Night Lords' Astartes exceptionally calm, patient, capable of disguise, and skilled in dealing with mortals.
In contrast, the Second Legion—the Retributors—were too proud, valuing dignity and honor above life itself. With Parangosky's attitude, they might have twisted her head off on the spot.
As for the World Eaters, their generosity only extended to comrades and citizens of the Empire.
"..."
Having gathered the information, the staff officer exhaled deeply.
"Mr. Nathaniel, one final question. Your bio-enhancement technology and weapons—who provided them? Who is your leader? Is any of this related to Dr. Halsey?"
Here it comes.
Nathaniel raised his head. The curve of his lips gradually flattened.
"It has nothing to do with Dr. Halsey. This is a gift from our God-Empress. Nothing more."
"God?"
"Please elaborate."
"A god is a god."
Behind the bulletproof glass, the staff officer and Admiral Parangosky exchanged a glance. Nathaniel's entirely different attitude toward this question left them momentarily at a loss.
"Mr. Nathaniel, this issue is critical. It concerns the treatment you will receive upon incorporation. Please consider your answer carefully," Parangosky stepped forward and said coldly, her tone carrying a faint threat.
"Pfft—hahaha..."
Nathaniel burst into laughter, shoulders shaking. Even the table before him trembled with the motion.
"Watch your attitude, Mr. Nathaniel," Parangosky said, displeased.
"Give me a moment. I couldn't help it. My apologies."
Slowly, Nathaniel rose to his feet, casting a contemptuous glance at the mortals behind the massive pane of bulletproof glass.
"Incorporation? You wish to recruit me? Who gave you the confidence to think such a thing? What are you..."
"Mortal!"
In an instant, all traces of gentleness vanished from Nathaniel. What remained was boundless killing intent.
The Midnight warrior's voice thundered, his dark eyes exerting suffocating pressure.
"You misunderstand one thing. It is not you who recruit me—it is I who recruit you!"
"Target out of control. Lethal force authorized," Parangosky ordered without hesitation.
She was thoroughly practiced at discarding allies once they had served their purpose.
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, a burst of muzzle flash erupted. A 0.5-inch anti-materiel round shot straight toward Nathaniel's unhelmeted forehead.
Nathaniel merely bared his teeth in a grin.
"Iron Body."
Clang!
"Impossible!"
A gasp swept through the room.
Without Mjolnir-powered exoskeleton armor, even Spartans—though several or even dozens of times stronger than ordinary humans—could still be pierced by live ammunition. Yet this towering bio-enhanced warrior had deflected a supersonic 0.5-inch armor-piercing round with his bare head.
"Mortal. Your turn is over. Now it's mine."
The teleport beacon activated.
Bzzz—!
Reflected in everyone's eyes was a heavily armored giant descending amid arcs of crackling electricity.
"For Selene—!"
The next moment—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
...
Large Magellanic Cloud. Flagship of the Imperial Navy fleet.
"So quickly... they've already reached Reach?"
Standing before the viewport, Selene frowned slightly. After learning of Konrad Curze's plan, she knew the best option would be to go personally.
Reach's defensive forces were not weak, and there were many hard bones to chew.
The Spartan Operations Division's Spartan-IIs and Spartan-IIIs, as well as the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, were far from easy opponents.
Even if the Astartes reconnaissance forces had taken control of the upper echelons of Reach Fleet Command, persuading UNSC rank-and-file soldiers to surrender to an unknown Empire would, in all likelihood, fail.
And once fighting truly began—once tempers flared—based on Selene's understanding of the Second Legion Retributors, the Eighth Legion Night Lords, and the Twelfth Legion World Eaters, they would undoubtedly unleash a massacre.
After all, this was the result Selene herself had subtly encouraged. So long as they were not citizens of the Empire, even if they were human, they were not considered "people" in official Imperial documents.
Charity? Assistance? Perhaps—depending on the Legion or the individual. There were no strict regulations in that regard.
But once hostility was confirmed—or even suspected—the Astartes had the authority to slaughter freely, even to enact Exterminatus.
"Perhaps I should temporarily set aside my work in the Large Magellanic Cloud and make a trip to Reach."
Otherwise, by the time Selene returned to the Milky Way, human civilization under the Unified Earth Government might resemble the Covenant's alien domains—reduced from prosperity to ruin beneath Imperial assault.
And in the end, she would be the one paying in resources and manpower for large-scale reconstruction.
That would hardly be ideal.