They stood huddled together at the base of the soaring edifice. Lines of deep silver metal flowed towards the clouds and then curved down into darkness. The sky above was blanketed in a deep, impenetrable layer of clouds bringing the light to near twilight levels, casting everything into shadow, but somehow, the massive alien ship seemed to glow with a soft silver light. They waited at the bottom of the ramp unwilling to go up, but unwilling to go away.

Movement, just at the head of the ramp, and they looked up to see two absolutely towering figures looking down at them. Otherwise they were very still, standing like trees watchful glittering eyes staring down from the darkness. Even despite their glittering armor, they nearly blended into the background of the ship.

So, they were waiting, but no one was willing to move clustered together as they were.

They wouldn't have known what was coming next if they hadn't been looking. The footsteps were so quiet.

They seemed to glide from the interior of the ship on a wave of silence, their movements as lithe as dancers every foot placed perfectly. Their muscles waved and rolled in perfect lines of synchronization. Where those at the base of the ramp were short and stocky, these creatures were tall and willowy, with long legs, long arms and delicate hands alive with precise movement, and they were absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Their faces angular, their eyes deep and haunting, one a deep amber, the other a stunning green.

There were two of them now, one a flawless ebony black like the most precious of stones, and the other an ethereal white like a polished crystal so clear it was almost translucent. They could see the delicate veins of blue running through its skin like veins run through marble. The wind picked up at that moment tugging at their statuesque bodies, rippling through hair like spun gold. The clothes they were rippled with the wind, perfectly tailored to their strange statuesque bodies.

Behind them other creatures came, most of them ugly, none with the superior grace and power of these. They shrunk closer together in fear. This was more than they could understand, than what they could take, not months before they had assumed they were the only ones alone in a deep blackness, that it was just their planet encircling their star, but come to learn there were eleven planets in their system, and billions of galaxies outside that, and hundreds and billions of other lifeforms. Some, watching from the distance and willing to save them from their own planets destruction, but these.... These creatures were the ones, just as perfect, as otherworldly as they had been described.

So perfect, so beautiful that it brought tears to their eyes collectively. None of them could help but weep throwing themselves to the ground at the feet of their saviors. No one spoke, finally being able to look up, they found the creatures staring at them, their faces masks of unreadable, unemotional stiffness. "You need not do such things, please, rise." The voice that spoke was chilling, hauntingly beautiful like a melody carried through the forest dazzling like a thousand winking stars. They could have danced to it, the rising and falling of his voice soaring high rolling deep with only its simple rhythm. They quickly scrambled to their feet. The creatures waited as they stood awkwardly at the base of the ramp, until a hand reached out beckoning them with a flowing sweeping motion.

"Come."

They did as they were told scrambling up the ramp, feeling so jerky and awkward as they moved slipping on the ramp, nearly falling sometimes as they reached the top. They looked up caught in the gaze of a single green eye. They could see better now, see the slight hitch in the creature's movement, see the blue metal on his feet, see the pain of ancient injuries.

What could have been so horrible, so terrible as to take grace from such a creature? It was so sad, so horrible. This time they wept for his pain, for the ruining of a perfect body. The only response of the creature was to raise an eyebrow over his single working eye. "Why do you weep?" He wondered melodic voice washing over them like a wave.

They could hardly speak, couldn't articulate how they felt.

One of the other creatures stepped forward, and the ancient one leaned in to hear them never breaking eye contact from them as he did. "We have yet to perfect the translation patterns so be In the knowledge that your words come off differently to them." The ancient slowly swayed back into position like a tree bending and waving in high wind.

"No matter.... Come." His order was obeyed instantly, and they followed at his heels racked with pain and awe at his movement, the grace despite injury, the flow of near perfect imperfection. As they went, they could sense eyes all around them, but could not see, shapes flitted through the darkness, sometimes a face would coalesce from the shadows and then pull away just as quickly.

The further they went the less sure they became. The interior of the ship was a maze of shadow, like the deepness of a forest. Lights glittered form the darkness, pinpricks of red and green winking from the cold silver set to illuminate arcane symbols etched upon the metal in the flowing, strange script of the ancients. Pools of blueish light tickled from open doorways and out into the hall. Beautiful, echoing, ghostly voices rolled through the ship carried on a distant draft of air unseen from where they walked. Their sound of distant laughter was the sound of vibrating crystals, it flowed off the walls and then dispersed like fog.

The creatures ahead moved silently flaked by the other strange star dwellers, but they hardly paid attention as they walked through an open door and into a massive room dominated by a high table. Light filtered in from above a strange bluish color trickling off the skin of the ancients like liquid diamond. They were offered a seat and awkwardly sat like children atop the tall chairs at least three times too large for them.

At the head of the table the ancient folded his hands together expression strange, distant, and cold as he watched them, "Before we commence, I must apologize for my lapse, I am Commander Vir of the UNSC representative of the Heavenly Conclave." His voice was deep, rolling, it seemed to fill the room. They felt small before him, "We have come to speak peace with your people as we wish for you to join the Heavenly Conclave as allies in peace. If you do wish to ally with us there are decrees you must follow..."

They didn't even bother waiting for him to tell them the rules before agreeing whole heartedly. He didn't show much of a reaction as they could sense, accept for a slight expression of perplexity, but they could have been wrong the ancient was so hard to read, but why wouldn't they be willing to ally with them. It would have been stupid not to agree, and they were so happy. They could learn more about travel, more about these strange beings that had saved them.

They were happy to agree to anything, and their intermittent instruction by the ancient was dotted with questions about his race, and his species. He answered hesitantly as if unsure what to tell them. In secrecy he seemed to hide to keep his race an enigma to them. They asked how long his species could live, and he answered, they were stunned by the age, so ancient so knowledgeable with lifespans three times that of their own, if not more.

Not only were they beautiful, but they were warriors, like a race of heavenly soldiers built to fight. They could run forever, could fight past the greatest injury, defeat entire armies with their strange mystic weaponry. They were incredibly strong and fast, there was no way the Tvek could match them, in war against them they would fall like trees in a wildfire. And so too were they wise beyond what should have been acceptable. They spoke in languages more ancient than time itself, and their passed down intelligence and knowledge of history surpassed what the Tvek had ever known. When they spoke to the rest of the strange beasts, they spoke of pacts and agreements made may years in the past, barely longer than living memory for the Tvek.

They had lived so long, seen so much.

They couldn't help themselves, they wanted to be closer to the strange creatures, and with his grace and acceptance, he allowed them to come forward. They swarmed at his feet touching his hands and his clothing. He was so warm, which made sense with the inner light he seemed to give off, the glow about him. They touched the metal that had replaced his limbs, and were sad again for his loss. The Tvek were a race driven completely by their emotions, they could not control them. It made them wonder if these other creatures even had emotions at all, so cold and distant were they, but not uncaring or unkind.

"You must return, now, and I shall carry your message to the conclave."

And they went watching from the ground as the ship fell upwards into the sky, a paragon of power and speed.

***

"You should probably go now, and I will let the assembly know your decision."

Commander Vir stood next to Sunny, watching the Tvek representatives toddle their way from the room. They were so small, humanism in form like the way a goblin or a gnome was, but surprisingly childish. He glanced over at sunny who looked down at him with one brow raised, "Wow, they sure have a thing for you."

He snorted, "Yeah, kind of weird wasn't it. You'd think I was an angel or something."

"Angel?"

He shrugged, "Ancient religious symbol. Human in form but better, filled with holy light, flying with wings, sometimes soldiers for god, ancient, wise, unknowable. Far superior than man etc. etc."

She gave him a critical once over barked a laugh and then walked off. He stood there stunned for a moment then burst into a jog after her, "He, hold on, what's so funny."

More laughter.

"You're just jealous that they can see me for what I really am."

"And what might that be?" She wondered as he caught up.

"I don't know ancient celestial being of pure power and grace."

"Hmm." she tugged at the translation device on her head, "I'm sorry, Commander, I didn't catch that, I think something is wrong with my translator."

"What, why do you say that?"

"Because I swear I heard you say ancient celestial being of power and grace when you must have meant, a 25 year old massive dork of average intelligence who routinely runs into door-frames."

"No, no I don't think so, clearly the first one."

And then they left the room together the strange ancient being, and his six limbed beast.