Gathering Darkness✔️

Chapter 13: Nightfall

The day passed slowly.

Noxa spent most of it stalking around the encampment, checking up on the varied projects that were paramount in not only getting the headquarters operational, but also in unraveling the growing enigma that was this wet human forest. Currently, Noxa was on one of his long walks through the facility. There were things to check on.

As promised, the facility had been operational and online shortly after daybreak. The Sangheili under his command worked fast. He had checked out each of them on the way to this planet, looking through their careers. They were competent, certain, tested in the fires of chaos and death. It was good to be among other seasoned veterans, especially in such circumstances as these. Noxa kept it to himself, but he didn't like this assignment at all. Normally he didn't give much thought as to whether or not he liked his assignments.

He did them, regardless.

A warrior did not let such things hinder him.

But there was something about this forest, this land. Besides the simple fact that there did not seem to be any inhabitants to fight, that, in fact, the only combatants they had encountered had immediately given up, (not that he could blame them, although the Imps he had faced in combat were skilled fighters, worthy of a distant kind of respect, to have fought against he and his warriors would have been foolish suicide), there was a pall over this land.

A shadow.

He had never experienced such a thing before. And he didn't like it. It was unbecoming of a warrior to have these vague, uncertain feelings of dread and anxiety. After forty years of combat, Noxa thought himself exempt from such emotions. Apparently not. Once the base was operational, he'd begun tending to the varied projects. They ranged from curious power fluctuations they'd been experiencing, to strengthening their communications and scanning abilities, to dealing with the prisoners, to mapping out the region and managing the varied scouting teams that had been sent out into the field.

It was hectic, but he kept busy.

Primarily, what he wanted to know was where those power signatures had gone to. They had disappeared. The field that blanketed the region was still there, and was still growing slowly stronger, but that was all. He wanted them found. He demanded them found. Noxa had only one more place he had to visit before returning to his office and filing his latest report. The Prophet requested them every two units.

Noxa stepped into the command center and took a small satisfaction in the way the four personnel within sat up straighter.

"Update," he said.

"Communications strength remains unchanged," one of them said.

"The energy field continues to grow in strength at the same consistency."

"Our field scouts have filed reports. They are at your terminal, commander."

They had a few more reports, but everything was unchanged. He was still letting the prisoners stew. In his head, and only there, he was disturbed. Normally he wouldn't have done something like that. Killing those two humans...he'd been angry. Furious. Disgusted. But, and this was where he was having great difficulty, he thought that the seed of his motivations in those murders had been from fear. But why?

What was he afraid of?

Noxa snapped out a few responses to the operators and left them to their work. He strode quickly through the corridors, trying to think of nothing but the mission, the objectives, frustrated that he was not out in the field with his scouts. He kept walking until he had arrived at his office, his sanctuary, starkly furnished, brilliantly lit.