Editing The Guards (section)

===Chapter Two===

The Guardian sat in silence, watching over the human. He would check his communicator from time to time to see if it still worked, or if anyone was listening. He glanced over at the human, the gazed out at the barren war blasted landscape around him. They weren't safe there, and he had to move. He wrapped his arms around Liena and picked her up, careful to support her whole body. He knew if she were awake she'd be kicking and screaming like a feral beast. The guardian tried to figure out where he was in relation to the war that was definitely waging around them. He almost wanted to pick a random direction.
He quickly dismissed his foolish thought. There would be only three outcomes, he finds the orkish lines, and both of them would be butchered horribly. He finds the human lines; Liena may be saved, but he would not be spared. His only true option was to find his lines, at least his people wouldn't kill him. He worried about how he would bring the guardswoman with. Despite their possible tolerance to her existence it would only be a matter of time before she went 'missing'. He still had to try.
He carried her across the recently turned dirt. Walking near aimlessly. He could almost feel the crosshairs of an enemy sharpshooter. He stood out from the rest of the nothing that was the world around. Off in the distance he spotted something poking out form the ground. It was far away, but all he could tell was it was metal, and it was something. His feet seemed to move on their own as his steps drew him closer.
The closer he got the easier it was to distinguish. The metal was the antenna of one of the analog based Imperial communication devices. A Vox. He closed his eyes as he thought to himself.
"I save her, then I die. Not an equal trade."
Yet he persisted and continued to walk towards the vox, and what appeared to be a trenchline. 

Smoke billowed from the trench, and he could smell the all to ubiquitous stench of death again. Soon he began to see corpses littering the fortifications. Guardsmen. They had been overrun, and by how fresh the corpses looked, it wasn't long ago. He figured at least a day. But the Guardian didn't notice any ork corpses, or recognize the smell of orks at all. He walked up to the edge of the trench, stepping on some burnt barbed wire. He gazed at all the human remains, thinking how easily the one in his hands could have joined them.
There didn't seem to be any life anywhere. He crept alone the trenchline to find a blasted bunker. The heavy metal door, adorned in all its imperial splendor was shut. The Guardian hoped that there were more guardsmen inside.
"Time to set her free."
He rested her at the foot of the door, and knocked as hard as he could making sure the noise could be heard inside. He leapt silently out of the trench and hid himself to make sure that no one could see him, and associate her with an eldar. For her sake. He laid patiently watching as nothing happened. He looked back at her, and realized the folly of his actions. He left his sheet on her, and absentmindedly forgot to take it off her. He jumped back into the concrete cage and rushed to take back his sheet. As he did the metal door began to creak.

He froze in terror, a feeling he hadn't felt in ages. His mistake may have cost him and her their lives. He watched as the door slowly moved, and then it simply fell inward, smashing violently on the concrete staircase. The door slid down the stairs stopping abruptly at the end. There was nothing inside, nothing but more corpses. It was shelter though. He picked up the Guardswoman up and brought her into the room. He sat in a chair watching both the door and and Liena. He kept glancing at the vox, it appeared to him that it might be in working order. However he never could tell the difference between working imperial equipment and defunct ones. Liena was secure in the room, he felt he could investigate the machine.
As he approached the Vox, he pushed a dead soldier off the machine. As it fell to the ground he saw what had killed the guardsmen. The wound was clean, and precise, nothing like the explosive and brutish weaponry of the ork. This was clean efficient, and by the looks of the corpses, quick and unexpected. He sighed heavily, and rested his face into his palm. He knew almost immediately what fate befell the guardsmen. They had been killed by Eldar. He looked back at Liena. She was now his enemy. 

Liena's eyes fluttered open. She immediately could tell she had been moved. Her vision came back quickly. the first object she could make out was the corpse of a guardsman no more than an arms reach from her. His face was pressed up against the ground, but she could make out the details of his face. She gasped in disbelief.
"Hektor?"
The woman forced her body up to inspect the corpse. Looking for anything to identify the man. She could see his face clearly, but she didn't want to believe it. Liena grabbed the man's shoulder pad and began scratching away the mud that caked on from being in the trench for so long. The more she rubbed off, the more her heart started racing. She was hoping and praying to the emperor that what she felt in her heart wasn't true. The mud came off to reveal a large white "89" on his armor, along with company designation. Theta Company, her company.
She shook her head as if it would somehow change the letters on the mans armor. She looked around and she began seeing familiar faces everywhere. Her heart sank as she fell back to the floor fighting off the swelling in her throat. The tears began to pool in the corners of her eyes.
"No... No, this can't be happening."
The guardian heard her stirring, but he didn't approach her. He could feel what she must have been feeling. He knew pain of loss all too well.
"Almost Eldar..." He shook his head. 

She continued to scan the war blasted concrete room. More and more she began to recognize friends, and people she hated. But all of them familiar. She had gotten her wish, but the Emperor can sometimes be a cruel man. She was lost, the feeling of despair began filling her empty heart. She had no where to go. The guardsman's head fell into her hands as she fought vainly to stop her sobs. In one of the scant moments her vision wasn't distorted from the tears she noticed one of her friends, Jarel, hunched over strangely with his hands under his body as if he were clutching something. She dragged her beaten frame over to his corpse. The small project she gave her self helped her mentally. For now it wasn't a friend, it was just another casualty she had to report on the how and why's of their death.
She rolled his body slightly and saw what he was holding. It was a small knife, a strange small knife with odd markings. Suddenly a revelation hit her harder than the artillery shells from earlier. The lack of ork corpses, the clean and precise wounds. Then the final piece to the puzzle, the knife in Jarel's gut; she had seen one before. When the Guardian attempted to show her how the healing ointment worked. She gasped loudly and lurched as far backward as her body would let her. The Eldar attacked her outpost. They struck first in the war. That's when her hand brushed up against the strap of a lasrifle.
The guardian found it a bit strange that the human became silent all of a sudden. He stopped his futile efforts to use the antiquated human device to transmit a signal and walked in ghostly silent steps to the bunker. He feared she had found out that what happened. His suspicions were verified as soon as he turned the entered the doorway. There was a bright light and a lough "crack".
The shot grazed his cheek. The warmth of the beam might have been welcome if not so close to his face. He was confronted with an all too familiar sight. Leina backed herself into a corner with a shaking lasrifle pointed at him. the only change was it was charged, and any wrong movement would mean his end. He didn't even think of leaving her there. Any other eldar would have left her to her fate. As far as he saw it he repaid his debt. He couldn't let himself do such a deplorable act, even to a primitive human. He knew what she felt. He inched closer and closer to her.
"Leis'fei... Leis'fe" He spoke with his hand outstretched to her.

The guardsman instinctively began pushing herself harder against the wall. She watched with tear still streaming down her cheeks as the guardian crept closer. His hand was almost passing the tip of the barrel. He felt tremors shooting up and down his arm in anticipation. if she were to fire, he would die. Simple as that. As he fought one of these shakes his hand accidentally knocked the barrel. Liena's trembling stopped abruptly and her eyes widened and transfixed on his, and her finger pulled the trigger. The guardian knocked the lasrifle as hard as he could, but his torso was still nicked by the shot. Before he could feel the pain his other arm shot forward to dislodge her hand from the grip. To the woman the actions occurred almost simultaneously and instantly.
She flung herself at the eldar. His hands wrapped around her as he moved backwards to absorb her momentum. Her fists began thrashing at his torso as she let out vicious screams. She was sobbing uncontrollably as the guardian began to pull her closer. There was nothing more she could do; her arms went limp and she placed her forehead on his chest. The eldar lowered his head on top of hers and let her drench his armor in tears.

He couldn't explain why he felt so much compassion for the brutish ape, or why he wanted to help her. What he wouldn't understand, not even till the return of Isha, was the satisfaction he got from helping her. It was like a childish attachment to pet. The socially structured relationship of master and pet wasn't there. She was a companion to adventure with, in a strange way. Though he was still having trouble 'taming' her. He felt her moving in his arms. In his many run-ins with humans he had never been so close in so many ways. The moment of peace between them would come to an abrupt end as the device on his wrist would began chiming in alien tones, ripping Liena from her grief stricken trance.
He peeled away from her and began barking fluid and emphatic syllables into the device. Leina couldn't help but stare in curiosity. Then she began to hear voices respond to the Guardian, and him respond back. This was the most she got to learn his voice other than the condescendingly soft "less fee" she kept hearing.
"I don't know where I am, one of the Imperial forts that were raided..."
"Can you be more specific? Can you find designations or markings? Mon'keigh do love their large Calligraphy."
He began scanning the room for any gothic characters. He could have attempted to ask the guardsman, but the less they knew of her the better. In the infinite wisdom of the eldar they still issued basic Guardians an open channel communication device rather than the better activated channel ones the higher ranking eldar received. Inefficiency knew no racial boundary.
"I'm going to investigate, I'll attempt to raise you again when I find something." He looked at Liena, and then at her lasrifle. He hoped and prayed she would trust him as he got up and turned his back to her.

She wanted to jump for her weapon, the thought did cross her mind to shoot him, but she dismissed it as a possibility; she thought he would be too quick. For all the poor girl knew he was calling in help to come capture, rape and torture her, but she got to her feet and started to walk behind him. The guardian was well aware of her actions behind him, but he continued to act oblivious. He scanned the premade concrete fortifications the humans loved to use. Primitive as they were in their technology he had to admit one thing. They had a proficient industrial capability. The humans had been at war on the planet for roughly six years, but it was within the first few months that these fortifications were installed. The trench they were in was simply an outpost, their reconnaissance pre-arrival showed a trench line that spanned hundreds of miles and was several miles wide itself. It was a dizzying maze of concrete and steel and the earthmoving needed to make such a thing in such short time. A marvel of the humans' war-fighting capabilities.
Though he wasn't out in the cold muddy hell that was the planet to admire the enemies' craftsmanship. He walked along the battered line. All he found was more guardsmen discarded pointlessly, more cold concrete and more bunkers. Liena limped behind him as he walked to the next bunker. Though it looked like it was more situated towards the middle of the outpost and itself was a larger building. Most likely the command post.

The building was more of the same. Due to it size and the lack of power the inside was almost pitch black. 'The command bunker will have a designation' he thought to himself. He couldn't quite place it, but other than the darkness the building 'felt' different. A rather uneasiness was washing over him. He turned on a light on his armor to see ahead. His eyes were good enough to see just enough detail, but the peace of mind it brought was what made the decision for him. He noticed how the woman carried herself changed as well. Her posture was that of someone approaching a hostile building. He also noticed she had a lasrifle in her hands again, with the stock of the rifle firmly planted in her shoulder, and her head swerving from side to side. 
He started to look for a weapon as well. The darkness began playing with their minds, hearing old metal creaking; the reverberation of their footsteps making it sound like there was more people present. Slowly Liena's rifle floated upward. The Guardian could take the tension no longer, he found a lasrifle on one of the many corpses so thoughtfully left behind for him in this occasion. The weapon did little to put his mind at ease. Suddenly the room went quiet and whatever was holding onto their minds disappeared. Long enough for a corpse to fall from the floor above landing in between them. Liena screamed in terror, and fired blindly at the dead guardsman. She started the guardian to do the same. They poured shot after shot into the poor body. They stopped, once they saw what they had done they looked at each other. A chuckle worked its way up Liena, her sudden outburst caused the eldar to evoke a similar reaction. the laughed together for a moment easing the tension. but they became solemn again, especially when Liena recognized the body as a friend she knew since she was a whiteshield. She knelt down beside her friend and began whispering a silent prayer. It ended with " In his divine light." It was a line that sparked an idea.

"Wonder if the generators can still work?" She mumbled to herself.
She pointed at the light on the eldar's armor then pointed up. In a pointless attempt to communicate she spoke loudly and slowly
"If we get to Generator, Lights come on!" He cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. He thought he should have been insulted somehow.
She foregone all the impromptu formalities of language and walked past him tugging his arm to make him follow. As they entered another hallway, their weapons went back up. Liena on point. The adrenaline flowing through her made her forget the constant pain in her chest. The heat of battle couldn't compare to the heart-pounding rush of walking into a logical ambush. Suspense always got to her. Ever time she came to a corner she shot herself down that direction ready to kill. After an arduous few minutes they finally reached the generator room. The ancient machine was a stubborn one. It constantly turned itself off. No one knew why; it wouldn't break, the switch simply would shut off. The many techpriests that looked at it said that it may have been built with a timer. Or at least that's what she pieced together, she never could understand the AdMech techno babble. As it was then, the switch was shut off. She flicked it and the machine began to hum. The hum grew to a roar and soon all the machines and lights came to life. She shot a smug smile towards the eldar, hoping she could bluff him into thinking she did more than flip a light switch.

Their journey back almost made them wish the lights were turned off. The bodies they found along the way were not as clean and well killed as the ones outside. Inside it was messy, brutal, and horrible. Blood was splattered on almost every surface, the bodies mangled and ripped apart. Still no sign of a clear enemy. It looked almost as if they were fighting each other. The brutality involved, one body looked as if its head was smashed repeatedly against a wall. Another was rent in half lengthwise. It was an inhumanly grotesque display. The poor woman covered her mouth holding back the acetone sensation of bile in the back of her throat. The eldar seemed strangely levelheaded, but under his calm exterior he was already jumping to conclusions. Conclusions that scared him.
They neared the command room. Here the scene changed - whatever her company fought, this was the last place they fought. The bodies were all against the wall, killed from afar. The guardsman noticed a dataslate in one of their hands. She rushed for it while the Guardian looked around for something. He started moving paintings and maps on the wall looking for anything. And he found something.

"This is the audio-log of Trooper First Class Albert Rickers, Theta Company First Battalion, 89th Cadian Heavy Infantry Regiment. Well the damnable generator turned off again, no warning, no nuthin. Just off. Sergeant Gregs sent me and Stacy down into the dungeon this time. Can't complain, Stacy's a fine girl. Well I'm making recording this cause both me and Stacy started hearing whispers down in the dungeon. At first we though it was Fenus and Ralf playing tricks on us again, but this one didn't sound right. It sounded like... chanting or sumthin."
As Liena listened to the recording, she felt a tugging at her arm. The Guardian was transfixed at the symbol on the wall. It became so blatantly obvious now. She ignored his gesture at first.

"Now I'm not one to be jumping at shadows, but this one really unnerved me and Stacy. She says she heard it too. well we flipped on the lights and then they went away. No big deal right? Well two days earlier the generator goes down again! Sarge sends Fenus and Ralf, Me and Stacy were going to play a trick on them since we heard rumors about the dungeon. But before we can do anything Fenus and Ralf begin freaking out, saying they felt something touch them."
The tugging on her arm became more violent Soon the Guardian placed a hand on her head turning it. She froze, staring at the symbol every Cadian knew well.
"Worst part is we gotta re configure the gu- *a loud crash is heard* AGAIN? We just turned it back on! *lasfire can be heard faintly, as well as screams* What in the Emperor's name? 
"Rick, something's happening, get your gun! It's... It's... *Loud crash is heard and a snarling roar. All that's heard afterwards is screaming and wet ripping noises*"
Liena's heart almost stopped beating. She couldn't help but mutter aloud the name of humanity's greatest enemy. 'Chaos..."

They both looked at the blood drawn symbol in disbelief. There had been no hint of chaos on the world at all. For Liena the tip should have been when the Eldar arrived so suddenly. The Guardian more shocked that he had walked straight into the den of evil without noticing. He felt ashamed of himself for being so careless. But fortune may have smiled on them, rather than the eight pointed star, it was a symbol honoring the Blood God Khorne. The Daemonic presence in the fortress would be slower to wake than one of his more occult brethren.
"Elono el eshon'ien" He urged the human to her feet.
Both of their races had their own personal relationship with the ruinous powers, each had their own agenda's for survival. By the Emperor's grace and the mercy of the Eldar gods, both those agendas matched perfectly for the unlikely companions. The Guardian wrapped the human's arm around his neck as he supported her weight making their escape. The return to the desecrated halls where all the horribly murdered guardsmen laid was still shocking the second time. Though something was off. Some of the bodies looked like they were moved, or maybe they didn't pay that close attention. The bright lights of the outside world seemed to be drawing near and welcoming them in its 'safety'. Liena had been stationed in the outpost for months, it was hard for her to believe the command building was tainted with chaos. She wondered if the rest of the fort was corrupted as well. 'It could be why the generators kept turning off and why all the guns...' 
Her eyes widened painfully, she struggled out of the xeno's arms and tried to pull him back into the fort. The faintest part of his pauldron crossed the threshold of the door frame when a hydra battery opened fire. 

The shots plucked and whinged off of the concrete chipping bits and pieces off of it. Liena overexerted her pull in her desperation, losing her footing and having the eldar fall on top of her. The impact broke her free from the peace the buzz of adrenaline was giving her. She felt her ribs throb and burn almost as if she had broken them again. The Guardian was quick to take his weight off of her, though it did little for the pain. He spoke alien words of gratitude, despite that she wouldn't understand. He may as well spoke perfect high Gothic to her and she still would not have understood. The pain was controlling her body again. The Guardian stood over her and started to pick her up; she let out a loud yelp as he took her into his arms. Any hope of rescue was gone now. She was as good as a prisoner to her companion.
She didn't want to admit it, but she enjoyed having the eldar carry her around, it made her feel like a spoiled noble's daughter ordering a loyal attendant to her bidding. Though she also felt like a wounded animal being taken to a strange place to get aid. The latter was more likely as her hopes of returning to her side didn't go as expected. In a deep recess of her mind she mused on what the inside of a Craftworld would be like. Would she get to see the other humans unfortunate enough to be captured by the depraved eldar? Would she be hurled into a range and rustled like grox or ambuls? A smirk grew on the corner of her mouth as the thoughts were amusing her, like a person laughing at others' misfortunes, except it was her own miserable fate. But before she could become the Guardian's slave they had to get past the hydras. 

"Eldar, listen to me well..." The xeno only understood the first word. " You need... run when... zapp zapp.." She pantomimed the words the best she could for him to understand. 
"Dico, tua eunt, Tua curro, rapides."
he continued to look at her in confusion. From what he pieced together he believed that she wanted him to run into the gunfire long enough for her to make an escape. He knew this wasn't what she was trying to communicate, but he still had trouble understanding her hard barking grunts her race called a language. It was so rigid and constraining. It lacked a flow and inflection that he had grown so used to. The only more brutish language he could think of was the guttural rumblings of the orks.
Liena tossed her head into her hands groaning loudly. She didn't want to stay in her cursed fort any longer. She needed to think of something fast. She started to fumble about her pouches. She pulled out a grease pen and started to draw on the floor. She made two parallel lines for the trench, and an 'x' for every turret, then a circle. She pointed at the circle then pointed at the two of them and smiled and nodded her head in an exaggerated manner. She pointed at the 'x's and then the hydra turrets and stuck out her tongue and made a gagging noise. The Guardian's face was stoic to his infinite pride. The hilarious display the human was giving was almost too much for him to bear.
She placed the pen on the circle. 
"Eunt" she quickly dragged the pen to the halfway point of the trench. She said it again "Eunt" and dragged the pen to the other end. Now came the tricky part. Telling him how to flip a switch. 

She drew the switch and motioned the action needed to to turn it off. It went a bit smoother than she thought it would, but it still took time to explain. Liena dragged herself to the doorway and aimed her lasrifle at the hydra. She never was that great of a shot and she could feel her heart pounding. She had been one in the trench before. On average they would lose a man a week to this ordeal. It was nothing to scoff. She took three deep and long breaths and a fourth with a long and slow exhale. She pressed the stock deep into her cheek and closed one eye. Her finger pulled back slowly, then the light crack of the lasrifle.
"EUNT!"
With an amazing haste the eldar flung himself out the door without thinking. If he thought about how insane the idea was, he would hesitate, then learn what human munitions felt like in several vital organs. The other gun began firing upon him, but he was covered by the far wall of the trench, just barely, if his head rose too far it would find him. He stopped at the halfway point, and noticed the reason for the stop. By this point the terrain raised high enough that one turret could fire on him, and when he passed the threshold the other turret that tried so vainly to end him would have a second chance. He heard the second faint crack and started to push his body forward prematurely.
"NON!" Her shot missed.
The Guardian was too far forward and the turret was beginning to swing towards him. if she waited any longer the first turret would recover. She took another hasty shot, and prayed.
"EUNT!"
His feet carried him as fast as he could with the solid munitions flying about in the air around him. The second turret was disabled, and the first was seeking to atone for its failure to spot the guardian before hand. 

The eldar disappeared behind a wall as both guns unleashed their anger on him. The guns continued to fire, there was no indication that he made it. All she could do now was wait. Seconds dragged on and felt like minutes until finally the load roar of the hateful barrels ceased. The eldar appeared from the doorway like a conquering hero. Liana let out a cheer and thrust her arms into the air playfully. The Guardian began to stride back to the female, when he noticed the lights in the bunker beginning to flicker. Then suddenly they were off again. She still had the light from outside on her face, but she felt the darkness behind her, almost as if it was pressing down on her shoulders. That's when she began to hear footsteps growing closer. Her battered body could not have risen faster and she sprinted out the doorway screaming like a child, and into the arms of the eldar. Her instinct took over when she fled to the xeno, and again when she fought to get away.
"Leis'fei.."
He pointed his lasrifle at the doorway, walking back slowly. Liena freed herself and pointed her weapon into the darkness, but nothing came. The world around them was silent. They still stood with their weapons trained into the doorway still inching back toward what they believed was safety. eventually they came back to their wits, and left for a different area of the trench, somewhere that felt more 'comfortable' where the taint of chaos wasn't as strong. They took a moment to rest, and gather some supplied and charge packs. The Guardian watched the woman move to each corpse, mutters some prayers then press her hands together in a weird way. He figured it was a funeral custom of sorts. The eldar pressed a button on his wrist and sent out another signal. There was nothing more they could do. if they left now they would be at the mercy of the orks. The Imperial forces could be days away, and there was a threat of a daemon nearby. Their luck could only get worse, or so he thought.

Liena sat next to him with ration bars in her hand. She started devouring the tasteless bar. It wasn't the best meal, but when you were starving and had nothing else, it was your friend. She kindly offered one to the eldar. Half hoping he would take it just to see his reaction. He grabbed the brown wrapper and looked at the human. She picked up a second package, showing him how to open it. She held it with bother her hands, and placed the flat end in between her teeth then pulled the wrapper, tearing the top open. The Eldar looked on in disbelief. He knew humans were primitive, but the fact they manufactured their combat rations to be opened in such an animalistic way.
"I can't imagine what else you use your mouth for..."
"Whose mouth?" A response finally came through. The eldar snapped his head towards his arm.
"Don't worry about it, musing to myself aloud... I have a better understanding of where I am."
"Understood, you must be hasty if we are to retrieve you, our mission on this human world is over."
"An Imperial fort with a daemon locked away in the basement."
"And you are still alive? Yes, we know that one but we will not go back. If you can make your way thirty fierets magnetic north of your position we will meet you. Be wary of Imperials - last report is they are sending more soldiers to your position... Guardian please respond." 

The guardian sat frozen for a moment. He had a chance to get the human back to her own, and possibly warn them of the fort's dangers, but if he waited he risked being left behind and at the mercy of the humans. The other option was to go and rendezvous with his compatriots, and bring the human. He didn't know what would become of her, and she had already saved his life many times. His honor, and heart demanded that he return the favor. The prospects of returning to the craftworld seemed pleasant compared to the harsh and untamed world the humans lived in. Maybe he could protect the human and give her a comfortable life in the craftworld? It seemed unlikely. There was another option, but he couldn't take it. He could leave her and return to his own. The options were weighing on him.
"Guardian, please respond..."
"Yes I understand, the distance is too far I am harboring wounded, is there another rendezvous?"
"Allow a moment... Yes Warlock Tamiel and his cohort are only six feirets polar west of your position, though they are closer to the imperial lines. Their mission is to disrupt the mon'keigh a little while longer as we make our escape. Is this understood?" 
"Understood, I am moving now." he pressed on his communicator and closed the channel
It was a dangerous one, but he made his choice. He wrapped and arm around Liena. He peered into her confused emerald eyes, ignoring her race for a moment, forcing a human smile to put her at ease.
"I'm sorry human, we are going to my people."
She had a faint smile on her face 'Quid?"

Self preservation. No manner of evolution, sophistication or training could ever completely remove this instinct. It was the universal law that bound all creatures together. The Guardian couldn't help but feel his decision was being made for such a primitive reason. His mind was set, he was going to bring the human to the craftworld. He would 'rescue' her. The best treatment that she would face was as a house tender at best, a shunned pet at worst, but she would live. He watched as she bit into the bar noisily and began chewing. A slight grimace flashed on her face as she ate. Liena had to psych herself out for each bite, it had all the calories and nutrition a soldier could ask for, but the stale taste almost dulled the senses for consuming it. Once again Liena reached out with a brown packet in her hand. 
The Guardian reluctantly took the bar from her hand and stared at it vexed. "There is no way it was meant to be opened like this..." he spoke under his breath. He placed the wrapper in his hands and bit the top of it. 'this is stupid...' he thought as he yanked the ration bar quickly, only succeeding in pulling the packet from his mouth. The woman let out an emasculating laugh (another universal language, the Eldar discovered). She reached out and took the packet from him. This time she grabbed the top with one hand and ripped it open. She stared at him the whole time with a smug grin on her face. She couldn't wait to boast to someone that she outsmarted an eldar. The best reaction was when he finally bit into the horrid meal. His face instantly came alive with the emotion of disgust and he spit the small amount he bit off, tossing the bar to the far side of the room. Liena couldn't help her self, she burst into an uncontrollable laughter, the pain in her ribs did little to stop her as she watched the eldar's fit. 

The Guardian stood up and walked away from the hysterical woman, mostly out of humiliation that he didn't want to show. He was unsure if humans could blush, but he wasn't going to take the chance of letting her see him blush and find out. She began to calm down as her wounds started to win over her joy. He started thinking about how truly horrible it must have been for her, on top of everything else, the food they expected her to eat was hardly fit for wild beasts. Yet another reason to take her with him. The human constitution was different from an Eldar's, but he was sure that she could be kept soundly nourished. He looked back at her as she had calmed down and was finishing her meal. It was very fascinating for him to watch her. Her action were so uneldar, yet so familiar. She would take a bite, look up and scan the area, almost as if she were distracted, then look back down and take a bite. The actions were no different, but it was the manner in how she did them. Her actions seemed slowed down, as if submerged in water. It wasn't slow enough to drive him mad, but just enough that it was noticeable.
She finished the bar and crumpled up the paper to toss it to the side. She caught him staring at her, as if he were lost in thought. She waved at him to break him from his trance. He responded with a similar wave. Time was being wasted; he had no idea how to tell her his plans. He wondered if that was for the best. He picked up his lasrifle, and walked slowly over to Liena who was attempting to lift herself with her own weapon. Without thinking he wrapped her arm around his neck and lifted her to her feet.

"Gratia" She didn't notice she was more relaxed in his grip.
They shuffled closer to the doorway, neither was brave enough to poke their head out. They knew they had deactivated the generators, but didn't know if 'it' was still in control of them. Liena remembered another trick her sergeant taught her. She rummaged through her pouches to find a mirror as she drew her bayonet. The guardian gave her some space as she did. The idea was to attach the mirror to the end of the bayonet and shine a light into the turrets optical sensor. If it was active the turret would fire harmlessly at the mirror. if not, then it was safe. She couldn't remember how many times they ran though the routine of shutting the turrets off, then reconfiguring them. They had such an understanding of the machine spirits in the weapons they could make a techpriest blush with whatever face they had left. The flaw in her plan was she had nothing to get the mirror to stick to. Normally they would use chewing adhesives; she had none left. She showed the eldar what she was hoping to accomplish.
He watched as she kept placing the mirror on the end of her knife and saying "Ecce" He figured she was trying to look at the turrets to see any sign of operation without showing herself. He had such an item on his person. It was a foldable optical device used specifically to look around corners. He pulled out the device, earning a tilt of the guardsman's head. He placed the optics to his face and bent the end to show her its use. The Eldar gently pushed the woman aside and curved the device around the concrete door to look at the turrets. Nothing was active on them. He assumed it was safe, but he needed to be sure. He slowly reached his hand out the doorway. Nothing happened. He waved his hand, again nothing. He pulled his hand back in and let out a sigh. He turned to Liena and let out one of his alien smiles. She halted her pained breathing to lift an eyebrow at him. 

The familiar sight of the open expanse of nothing greeted them as they made their way west. Liena was keeping up with the Guardians slow pace, but she couldn't help but wonder where they were going. Her company was destroyed, the only hope she had was finding other Imperial Forces before the orks found them. Yet she didn't know which direction they were heading, just that the eldar kept looking at something on his arm, then off in the far distance. She hoped whatever it was that he kept looking at was friendly. They kept walking, and walking. The pain from her broken ribs was beginning to become too much for her to bare. She tried to urge him to stop, but he didn't pay attention to the tugging at his arm. He kept walking. He felt he wasted too much time in the outpost, and that they'd be too late. The human's pleas for rest would only dwindle their chance of escape. Instead of giving in to her cries, he tossed another arm under her leg and lifted her up. Her pain began to subside, there was no more harsh jolt from footsteps anymore. She was still intrigued by his ghostly steps. There wasn't the slightest indication that he was walking. She closed her eyes and pretend she was floating.
It was a momentary escape, but it did wonders to ease her mind. She stopped caring about the war, her fate, everything melted away for few short minutes. For all her aloofness the Guardian was vigilant. While he carried the hurt guardsman in his arms he kept scanning the horizon for anything that looked metal. It was strange, for hundreds of miles there was nothing, no sign of the orks, almost like they avoided the area. It was too quiet for his taste. Hard to believe that only a few days before he was part of a large skirmish against the beasts. How noisy and undisciplined they were. They couldn't help but leave their mark on everything, even the ground itself with their disgusting presence, yet nothing hinted at them ever being near.

An hour had passed and the duo continued their seemingly aimless journey. The Eldar fumbled Liena around like a scrumball, going from carrying her, to having her use him for balance, and when she felt comfortable enough, finally walking on her own feet again. There was a small hill ahead of them, and they could almost make out voices. They started moving slower, creeping closer to the hill's base. The closer they got the more distinct the voices became. The tones were too soft for orks, and too fluid for human. A weight had been lifted from the Guardians chest as he let out a relived sigh. He grabbed Liena by the hand and pulled her along as he stood up to meet his kinsmen.
"We're safe now human..." His face took on a more relaxed expression. Liena could tell he felt happy, but his natural reaction was far different than a humans. His eyebrows raised and his face lit up. The round almond shape eyes widened into round orbs. Her reaction was to show her teeth, his was to show his eyes. She didn't dwell on it too long as she began to recognize the strange alien language. Her heart plunged deep into her chest and her face took a stark contrast to his.
'Eldar... he took me to the eldar... he- he tricked me...' She thought as she pulled against his hand. She fought back ever tug, grunting loudly every pull.
"Please calm down.. This is for your benefit." He held out his hand and continued to utter the words he always spoke to her. "Calm down.."
"Leis'fei."

"Someone is there!" An eldar barked from behind the hill.

Liena fought trying to free herself from the grip of the guardian. She was a wild animal again trying to escape a predator. The eldar fought back trying to calm her down. If his kin saw him fighting her like this she would be in danger. Her yelps turned into panicked screams as she fought wriggling away. Every time she broke free he grabbed her again. They knew she was there, and they ran down the hill with their weapons pointed at the two. Tears began rolling down her face as she saw her captor running towards her. A fate worse than death awaited her, she thought. She only wondered if she'd live to be one of the thousands of horror stories to tell others around a fire. She freed a hand and struck her companion in the jaw. She broke free for a moment. He hurled his body on top of her bringing her crashing to the ground. He managed to keep most of his weight off of her as they hit the ground. Even then she still continued to struggle.
"Leis'fei. Dolo'nei Leis'fei.." His voice was filled with desperation, and she could tell. Whether it was the fear of him losing his prize, or concern for her, she couldn't tell.

"Comrade! Lay still, we'll deal with this parasite." one of the other guardians spoke as the rest of the squad charged down the hill.

"Trying to take trophies, Guardian?" The warlock spoke in an ethereal voice as he approached the two.
One of the Guardians pried the two apart while a second dragged Liena from under. She let out a painfully shrill shriek as she was pulled out by her hair, and lifted to her knees. Her hands shot up to the eldar's hand. Her companion was lifted to his feet; his gaze wasn't torn from her.

"What is your name Guardian?" 

"Guardian Frieren" His voice was empty as he watched Liena.

The Guardian holding her drew out a knife and moved it towards her neck. "Let me take care of this vermin for you." his carefree tone almost disgusted Frieren. What disgusted him more was only a few days ago he would have been just as apathetic to the death of another human. As the knife grew closer a fire lit in his gut. He could feel the rage beginning to build. 'He is going to kill her.' he kept thinking. His thoughts so focused he couldn't understand the Warlock speaking to him. The knife touched the skin of her neck, and the Guardian's emotions took control. Without thinking he shot up the lasrifle in his hand and pointed it at the other eldar. His finger was tight around the trigger.
"You will not harm her!"

Everyone, including Liena was shocked, and frozen in place. Such an act was unheard of. An eldar threatening a fellow eldar, over a mon'keigh? The rest of the squad had their weapons trained on Frieren. Liena watched confused and scared. 'He's defending me? but he brought me here to be tortured... Right?' The guardian with the knife began to press it deeper into her flesh, more a reaction to the rash actions, than threatening him.
"Back away from the human... Now!" He let go, and raised his hands. Liena bolted from her spot and leapt towards Frieren, grasping his leg, crying into it, scared and confused.

"I see, you and that human are 'comfortable'. Maybe you would fit in better with our dark brethren." The eldar spoke stepping backwards with his hands in the air still.
Every available weapon was still pointed at the Guardian. All they waited for was the warlock to give them a command. The warlock took a step closer to the Guardian and placed his hand on the lasrifle, getting Frieren to lower it slowly. 

"Your actions are rash and out of line, Guardian. Threatening your kin, with such a primitive weapon, and over an animal? I do not understand what you and the ape have been through, nor do I care. What I do care about is that our mission is done, and I am to get everyone under my command back to the craftworld. Now are you coming or not?"
"I am, with the human." His weapon continued to lower.
"That is not possible, the human is too dangerous to bring with us. You saw how it reacted when we got near."
There is an unexplainable fear about hearing people talk in a foreign language, especially over one's fate. The uncertainty of what is being discussed, the differences in culture. One tone in yours could mean a pleasant thing, but anger in another. Liena was scared, her eyes were closed as tight as her arms were wrapped around her companions leg. All she could do was wait.
"Look at it, cowering in fear, and as you have demonstrated, fear makes us commit rash and foolish actions. I am willing to forgive you, but you must do one thing, before we let you return with us."
"What is it?" He was apprehensive to ask.
"Kill her."