A/N: Inspired by the Johnny Horton song " John Paul Jones ". Listen to it on YT
Somewhere on the surface of the Ark.
20:38pm, local time
The campfire crackled merrily, sending up a steady stream of flitting, scattered embers. For around a meter from it, light and warmth emanated, a very inviting location for anyone outdoors on a night like this- there was a chill in the air.
Which, was exactly the case.
The fire burned in the middle of a siege-scarred UNSC combat outpost- Fort Canberra-, situated on a windswept desert mesa. Surrounded by emerald-shaded, towering, stalwart fortress walls, and with numerous pivoting defense turrets-outfitted with heavy auto-cannons and napalm mortar launchers-, it was a perfect place for a battalion of the Spirit of Fire's warriors to rest, relax, and recover between their sorties and encounters with the savagely ferocious Banished.
Even the busiest of us can find time to relax. There were still sentries and patrols, diligently walking back and forth across the walkways lining the walls, but even they had a good view of their comrades below.
As duos, groups, and lines of the rank and file troops talked, laughed among themselves, three Spartans were doing just that. Relaxing.
Jerome-92, Douglas-42, and Alice-130 all sat ( which Spartans didn't do often ) in a circle around the fire. Of course, even seated, they were still undeniably the biggest, tallest individuals in the area ( unless some of the Banished Jiralhane turned up now ), and even without their armor, which they'd very reluctantly had to remove so that full overhauls could be done.
In the meantime, they were outfitted with more rank and file torso armor, though they had least at their favorite weapons: Jerome had his Laser, Douglas had his Jackhammer Rocker launcher, and Alice had her chaingun . Nevertheless, Alice had complained that not being in armor, it was akin to being naked, and Douglas had, half jokingly, said that would cause an even bigger stir than a Banished ambush. Alice had simply flipped him off, but Jerome had caught a hint of a smile.
Still, as they were gathered here, enjoying the effects of the fire, and sipping mugs of Navy- concocted coffee, the blonde Spartan woman couldn't resist bringing the issue up again.
" They must've programmed us for having an inherent dislike to not wearing our armor all the time ", she huffed, shaking her head.
From off to her left, Douglass smirked.
" That wouldn't surprise me if its true "
He sipped his coffee, as Jerome weighed in.
" It might very well be, but as the voice of reason here, I have to remind you all of how crucial that armor is to us, and what it lets us do. Its only natural that we'd come to love it so much, we'd have trouble leaving it. "
" Is that why we had to abandon it ? "
" That's a bit of a stretch. "
Alice huffed again, as Douglass just grinned with amusement again. Jerome took another sip, and watched a small swarm of what resembled fireflies hovering just high enough above the fire to avoid getting burned.
It was a nice night. Fighting the Banished was a good workout, and he took pride is holding the line against them- and ultimately defeat them- , but at the same time, it was good to sometimes take a step back. R and R. Technically, this was waiting for an armor overhaul, but anyway, it served its purpose.
If only Alice could appreciate it fully.
She must want something to lighten the mood.
Wait.
Aha !
An idea had come to him, just like that.
" Alice ! ", he turned to face her fully.
" Hm ? "
" How about an timeless classic ? ' Preston Cole was a fighting man ' ? ", he suggested.
The blonde warrior woman raised both eyebrows in surprise.
" Singing, Jerome ? I-well, no offense, but that just seems like something that Spartans don't usually do. "
" You weren't there when Jerome and I led 5 of the others out to Hazlemout Peak on Reach ", Douglass stated, with a fond-memory kind of expression. " We'd stolen some corn from the mess hall, and some charcoal. We had ourselves a good, real BBQ, complete with-yes, singing. Chief Mendez didn't ever find out ".
" What ? Where was I- Oh, right. I'd fractured my leg on that rough terrain march. " Alice sighed.
She let a few more seconds go by, drinking what was left in her coffee mug, while her compatriots looked on.
The fire crackled.
" Allright ", she finally said. " But only because I can't think of anything else. "
" Glad you're in agreement ! "
" Not she agreed, as much as she admitted defeat and acknowledged a better plan-
" Douglass. "
" Oh, ok. Message gotten. Come on, Jerome, kick this off . Got to calm her down somehow. "
Jerome put his mug down, rolled his head around, and cleared his throat.
" You all remember how it goes ? "
The other Spartans nodded.
" Then, here we go. "
He began and the others joined:
When Preston Cole was a little boy
He pointed to the stars
Said " When I get to be a man,
I'll wear some Admiral's bars
I'll leave my mark on the galaxy
And many will speak of me "
When Preston Cole was a rookie sailor
In the Human Naval branch
He had the Insurrectionists wishing they didn't ever meet
He trashed them good and proper, and sent them crying home
And for this splendid victory, he was given his own fleet
He fought with his missiles.
And he fought with his guns
And he fought for me and you
Preston Cole was a fighting man
A fighting man was he
He cruised to the east, he cruised to the west
A hero of the UNSC
When Preston Cole was an Admiral in our navy's highest brass
Fighting for the glory and existence of our race
He took the fight to the Covenant
And they couldn't match his pace
He burned their mighty vessels to smoking bits of cinder
And slew so many of their troops, they found it quite a hinder
He fought with his missiles
And he fought with his guns
And he fought for me and you
Preston Cole was a fighting man
A fighting man was he
He cruised to the east, and he cruised to the west
A hero of the UNSC
It was over sooner than they would've liked.
As the last few words were finished, the assembled Spartans now paid full attention ( full, as as they were Spartans, they'd easily spotted them before, but kept on with the song ) to how a lot of the other troops nearby ( which was more than a few; the Spartans had been singing quite loudly ) were staring in amazement at them.
Singing Spartans ? That'd certainly not been what any of them had anticipated.
But, seconds later-
They began to applaud. Cheers and whistles sounded too, along with shouted encouragement for an encore.
Jerome and Douglas stood, and raised their arms up and out in a " Come forth, my subjects " manner, and the troops cheered. Some of the females called out the kind of affectionate things you'd expect.
Then Alice stood.
And, she was smiling now. For real. It did't matter that they were Spartans, with a decade of Special Ops discipline to their names.
Sometimes, you just had to let the good times roll.
" All of you ! ", she called. " Encore ! ALL of you, and us ! "
Her Spartans glanced at her, their turn to be surprised, but then they grinned, and nodded.
Jerome shouted to the others.
" You heard her ! Sing like you mean it ! "
And, everyone did.
Because, they shared a bond.
Forged like a saber in the fires of death.
They were brothers and sisters all.