The Price of Sacrifice

by Saracuda

Private finds a necklace that belonged to his mother. It's extremely valuable in more ways than one. Skipper intends to gaurd it with his life, but when it comes down to a choice between life and the necklace, which will he choose?

"Skippa!" Private called from the bunks one summer evening. Skipper looked up from where

he sat at the table, talking to Kowalski over a cup of joe. "What gives Private?" he asked.

"Look what I've found!" he replied gleefully, skipping down from the

bunks, holding something behind his back.

Kowalski's lilac-blue eyes glittered with curiousity. Skipper could

almost read his thoughts, 'Maybe he found my missing invention'. Skipper

tellepathically rolled his eyes at the idea. Private revealed his finding.

Both of higher-ranking penguins' eyes grew wide. It was a gold necklace,

studded with small diamonds that led up to a much larger diamond hanging

from it daintilly.

"Private," Kowalski exclaimed, leaping up from the table and measuring the

large diamond, "Where did you get this?" he asked.

"It was my mum's." Private confessed.

Skipper stood up, "Kowalski, annalysis?"

Kowalski bit the diamond, his eyes growing wide, "It's not fake. It's

a r-r-r-rea-real d-diamond!" he stuttered.

"Did you have to nearly eat it?" Private asked.

The scientist ignored the nieve comment with redirected interest. Skipper

however, smiled with an expression that said, 'Why would he eat it, young

Private?' "How much do you suppose this is worth?" Kowalski asked.

"An awful lot. About 9800 at least." Private replied, tightening his grip on the

necklace. Skipper whistled in astonishment, "Private that's a real pricey,

valuable peice of rock you've got there. Keep it safe."

"Right sah!" Private replied, smiling brightly in his young, innocent way.

He quickly waddled way to put it in a safe place.

Kowalski turned and looked at Skipper without removing a greedy, distant

look from his eyes. Skipper caught it, "Kowalski, don't even think about

it. That's Private's prized possession. You wouldn't dare."

"No I wouldn't Skipper! I know what it feels like to have no one and

only the memories of them left to hold. I was just thinking about what I

could do if I had 9800 in my bank account right now."

"We don't have a bank account."

"I do."

"Really? Why didn't you tell us?"

"No need really. It's empty."

"Oh." Skipper mused. The HQ grew quiet again. Skipper longed for something to do. His eyes fell on his rifle sitting propped up in the corner or the room. A little target practice couldn't hurt. Skipper slung it over his shoulder and slid towards the park.

AN: Ok, really short. sry. e.e