The Brotherhood of Battle
Chapter Thirteen – First Name Basis
"You'd be surprised how similar life on a ship is to normal civilian life. You know, with Titans and mopey Pilots thrown in occasionally." - Anonymous Militia Ensign
Jake panted hard as he scrambled after Golsan, and was sweating by the time they reached the infirmary. In seconds, he indentified the rest of Bandit Squad standing there, assembled around a pane of one-way glass, staring with solemn expressions at what lay within.
Jake followed their gazes and felt his heart stop in his chest.
Vodnik. Awake, and chatting with the attending medical staff. A doctor and an attending nurse.
"Oh, my God." Jake breathed out. "It's really true."
He felt a hand clap him on the shoulder, and he tore his gaze away to see who had touched him. Desmond offered a small smile, one that contained a hint of sadness, but was overcome with joy at the same time. There were terrible bags under his eyes, and his face seemed paler. Jake could smell the stale taste of hard liquor on his breath, and he winced inwardly.
"It really is, Jake. He woke up about forty-five minutes ago, just before you boarded the Argonaut. Well done on that, by the way." Desmond beamed.
Jake smiled his appreciation as he locked his eyes back to Vlad, lying in a bed that was a little too clean. The conversation he was having with the doctor was completely muted. But if Vodnik's facial expression was anything to go by, it wasn't a happy discussion they were having, and he seemed to be on the verge of tears.
"I'm sorry, you know." Desmond continued, the rest of Bandit awkwardly listening to the conversation. "That I wouldn't help you with the boarding..."
Wouldn't? Jake thought; so, you were given a choice, but you decided not to.
"I just wasn't in the right frame of mind." He lied.
They all knew the truth. He'd been drunk off his ass, probably unable to even stand, let alone fight a full crew of IMC personnel.
"It doesn't matter now, mate. It's in the past." Jake reassured him. Desmond nodded, breathing out a sigh of relief. The guilt the man obviously felt about not being able to go was weighing heavily on him, so Jake quickly changed the topic.
"Has anyone gone in to see him?"
"They won't let us. Not yet." Castillo added. "Something about a 'psych evaluation'. Pfft, he's a Pilot, for fuck's sake. We're all a little messed up in the head."
You more than most, mate. Lincoln thought.
Jake shook his head. Alan hadn't taken part in the boarding either, and he intended to find out why at some point, but now wasn't the time.
"So when, then?" Jake asked.
"Soon. Be patient." Breaker answered, he was also standing at the window, but his face betrayed very little of whatever he was feeling.
Jake nodded and sighed, searching for a seat. He found it difficult, as he was still wearing his Pilot armour from the raid, but he eventually settled into a comfortable position.
He was tired, and his limbs ached and he was desperate for a bit of shut-eye. But he couldn't. Not now. There was too much to think about, too much to do. For starters, he'd have to report to Sarah or Bish and tell them how things went on the bridge. They'd want to know why he'd shot a high-ranking IMC naval officer in the fore-head rather than hold him prisoner, and in truth, Jake wondered that too.
But he suspected he knew already, but he just didn't want to admit it.
It wasn't a need for revenge or guilt, and it wasn't honour, or a sense of duty. Or anything as noble.
Just shame. Plain and simple. Everything that Richards had said about Jake was true. That he was a coward and a traitor, and Lincoln knew it all too well. Richards saw it the moment they locked eyes.
"Chin up, Jake." Desmond told him, taking a seat next to the slightly younger Pilot. "You did well today. Nobody can say otherwise."
Jake said nothing, but nodded regardless. He wasn't really listening, and even though he didn't want to, even though he knew he had about a million and one things to do at that moment – he closed his eyes and started to snore almost immediately.
VIIIIIV
Two Weeks Later...
He paced to and fro in Bandits barracks on the Sparrow, clutching a tac-pad in his hands, analysing the logistics and recent simulation reports of the new Titan chassis. He was going to be interviewed later by Sprocket, as well as a few other engineers and technicians, to see if he would be the right fit for the Titan chassis.
He was brushing up on how well Spades would be able to integrate into the new hardware and the differences between his old Atlas and this new model when he heard a knock on the door.
His eyes snapped over to the entrance, then flitted over to Castillo, who seemed to have either completely ignored it or hadn't heard it at all, too deeply engrossed in his book to notice.
Jake rolled his eyes and sauntered over to the door, taking his time as he did so. He was in no rush. Jake pressed the access pad on the side of the door, and the panel slid away to reveal a young medical officer. The man seemed impatient; his face pinched as if someone had scolded him.
"Yes?" Jake asked.
"Your Squad Leader wants to see you, said it's important." The medical officer replied.
"Better be." Castillo replied, folding the corner of his page to bookmark it before closing it. "The plot was just starting to get interesting."
"What does he want?" Jake inquired as he drew the officer attention back to him.
"I'm not sure, but he made it clear that he wanted to speak with you alone, sir."
"Oh." Jake replied, casting an uneasy glance at Alan, who just shrugged.
"You sure I can't tag along. I'll be a good boy, I promise." He grinned, his joke deadpan and a little creepy for Jake.
"Sorry, mate." He offered a wry smile. "I'll let you know what he wants when I get back."
"Whatever, why would I care?" He muttered as he returned to his book. Jake sighed and turned back to the officer and nodded.
"Let's go, then." He prompted, closing the door behind him as they left.
"What the fuck is that guy's problem?" The soldier asked after the door had shut and they were well out of Alan's earshot.
"You don't want to know." Jake admitted, although inwardly scolding himself for not knowing the truth. He'd find out what made that man tick one day, but he had more important things to do at the moment.
VIIIIIV
Barker came to with the worst headache he'd had for as long as he could remember. His eyelids opened to a bright white room, which only intensified the pain. He seethed and sat up in his chair. He assumed he was in the Corsair, the on-board bar on the Sparrow.
Instinctively, his arm reached out before him to try and find whatever beverage he'd been nursing before passing out. He groaned when he felt nothing there, and his fingers brushed thin air and the hard surface of the table.
"Fuck..." He sighed, then looked up.
He wasn't in the bar, and he definitely wasn't drunk. He hated not being drunk.
"About time you woke up. How are you feeling?" A woman asked.
He opened his bleary eyes to look at the slender woman sitting opposite him. Sarah Briggs. Her stare was cold and uncaring, and he instantly knew that she really didn't want to be here, sat at the other end of the table, tac-pad in hand.
"Like shit warmed up and served on a plate with a healthy serving of-"
"I think I get the picture." She assured him, slightly curling the edges of her lips downwards in a grimace of distaste.
"What the hell do you want from me, Commander?"
She smiled, but there was no warmth to the expression. She definitely didn't want to be here.
"I want to know how to get to Leviathan." She replied, her tone even and patient.
"Second star to the right, and straight on til morning!" Barker laughed.
"I don't have time for your stupid games, Robert." She replied, shaking her head.
"Can't I have some rum, or something? I'm really thirsty."
Sarah didn't say a word; instead she just pushed her glass of water closer to Barker. He looked at the glass, then back to her and raised a single eyebrow.
"I said I was thirsty, not dying."
"Tough." She replied monotonously.
Barker sighed, then drew the lip of the glass up to his mouth. He gulped the cool liquid and sighed as if was the nectar of the gods.
"You want to know? Fine. But I want something in return."
"Name it."
"Don't ever try to curb my drinking again. It's my choice, and you've no right to stop me. You don't know what I've been through."
Sarah nodded, her eyes never wavering from his. She understood completely.
"You're right, I'm sorry. But it was the only way you'd co-operate with us."
Barker didn't move a muscle, he just stared at her without blinking. His face twitched every so often, and Sarah got the impression that he wasn't looking at her – that he was seeing something else, a memory playing out before his very eyes.
"I'm drunk so I don't remember all those things I did." He muttered cryptically. "So just leave me to my sorrows, you hear?"
"I do." Sarah replied. "Like I said; I'm sorry."
VIIIIIV
Jake knew the route to the medical wing of the ship off-by-heart by now. He'd been there countless times for dozens of different reasons; checking up on Vodnik, getting treatment and check-ups for his skin graft, as well as the occasional flu shot or antibiotics for a particularly bad stomach-ache.
But the Medical Officer insisted on escorting him all the same. As they were now part of the same battle group, the Sparrow and Argonaut were able to share the load when it came to medical and technical affairs. The latter ship, being the larger, more advanced dreadnought had an equally more advanced medical wing where the worst cases would be treated; dismemberment, shrapnel wounds and brain damage victims all found their way there.
Whereas many recovering patients found themselves onboard the Sparrow, as they were technically deemed fit to serve, but they were always relegated to the reserves - never to be deployed unless absolutely necessary. After all, the Militia needed every man and woman they could find to help even the odds, a few bumps and bruises would have to be tolerated.
Jake was probably the prime example of that philosophy. After all, less than three weeks ago he'd had a hole blown through his chest and he'd only needed a few days to recover, all thanks to the tissue cloning process. Jake touched the new skin with a gentle finger, his shirt the only obstacle, and he grimaced at the memory of the pain of having his chest ripped apart by a plasma round.
They stopped outside Vlad's room, and the medical officer said nothing as he slid an ID card over an access panel. It blinked a couple of times, then the opaque grey door slid open in a well-lit room. Jake thanked the officer, who shrugged and replied with a gentle grunt.
"Ah, Jake! Good to see you. Come in, come in! Would you like some tea?" Vodnik exclaimed as the English Pilot entered.
"I'll be alright, thanks." He politely declined.
"A good decision, it tastes like horse-shit." Vodnik laughed loudly, but his laughter quickly turned into dry shuddering coughs.
Jake's brow furrowed in concern, but Vlad waved him away as the younger man approached to offer his help. Instead, he waited for it to subside than took a few sips from a glass of water.
"Are you alright?" Jake asked, knowing the answer already.
"Of course." Vodnik replied. "It just hurts to laugh."
"Almost being squeezed to death by an Ogre will do that to you." Jake replied, followed by a small chuckle of his own. "But I digress; you wanted to see me, sir?"
Vodnik nodded, his face suddenly becoming grim.
"Yes, indeed. Please, have a seat."
Jake did so, and looked over to Vodnik, who paced the room with a distinct limp in his gait, but Lincoln didn't mention it for fear of embarrassing the man.
"Do you consider us friends, Jake?" Vodnik asked, as he stopped pacing and looked at Jake with an unreadable expression.
The question caught him off-guard, but Lincoln nodded his head after a moment.
"Sure, I mean... I hope so? What's this ab-"
"Please, Jake. No questions." Vodnik scolded him gently, and continued his line of questioning without hearing his reply.
"Would you lie to me?" He asked.
"I don't think so."
"A 'yes' or 'no', please, Jake." Vodnik clarified, taking a seat on his bed.
"Then, no. I don't think I would." Jake told him.
Vodnik hummed. "I've spoken to Desmond. He told me that he did not help you when you went to capture the Argonaut. Is this true?"
"It is." Jake swallowed a lump in his throat. This was horrible, like rolling every job interview and police interrogation he'd ever had into one.
"Why do you think that is?"
"I don't understand the question." Jake narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"Yes, you do. You said you wouldn't lie to me." Vodnik replied. "Why do you think Desmond wasn't there? What do you think his absence was due to?"
Jake sighed. He knew exactly why, but he didn't want to tell Vlad. It felt like ratting out a close friend, which is exactly what Desmond had become.
"Because he was... drunk, sir." Jake looked down at the floor in shame.
"Go on." Vodnik urged, crossing his arms.
"Look, ever since you put him in charge of the team, he's been drinking. It wouldn't normally bother me, but..."
"You're worried about him?" Vodnik finished his sentence.
"I suppose so." Jake admitted. "But that's not what bothers me so much."
"Go on."
"He's meant to be our leader, sir. When you were in charge, you lead by example. But Desmond, I don't know. He's a good person, and a great Pilot. Probably better than I'll ever be, but I don't think he's the person to lead the team, if you can't."
Vodnik sighed. "Good answer."
"Permission to speak freely?"
"Granted." Vlad nodded.
"Why are you asking me all this?" Jake demanded.
Vodnik rubbed his beard. It had grown shabby and unkempt in his coma, but apparently Vlad hadn't bothered to correct it yet.
"Because he came to me first. Desmond. He was sober, but on the verge of a breakdown."
Jake raised an eyebrow. This was news to him; he'd had no idea what Desmond had been doing in the last few days. He was too busy preparing for his Titan compatibility test.
"What did he want?" Jake pressed.
"He was, for lack of a better word, broken. It is like you said; he's a good man, but not a good leader. Desmond told me about how he hadn't been able to stand up from his bar stool when the time to fight for the Argonaut approached." Vodnik clarified for him. "He told me that he didn't think he would be a good example to the men. So, he asked to step down as leader. He wanted to leave the Militia. He thought he wasn't worth anything to this team - or to the war."
Lincoln was shocked. He'd known that Spectre had been shaken by his absence from the battle, but Jake didn't realise his feelings ran so deep.
"And?"
"I talked him out of it. He's staying, but Desmond insisted on stepping down from his position as Squad Leader." Vodnik held up a placating hand."
"I'm glad to hear that he's still with us, but I think I understand what you're saying."
Vodnik raised an eyebrow. "And what is that?"
"You want to ask who I think should take over Bandit, don't you?" Jake asked, receiving an affirmative nod from the Russian man moments later. "But why can't it just go back to how it was? You're the best leader we've had."
Vodnik returned his warmth, and nodded.
"I am unable to do so, in my condition." Vlad smiled. "Sarah doesn't know about Desmond and has asked me to report to the Argonaut as soon as I can."
"What for?"
"I'm the captain now, you see. She's my ship, once I'm ready."
Jake beamed. "That's fantastic, sir. You should be proud."
"I am. But, unfortunately, it means I won't be able to lead the squad."
"And if Desmond doesn't want to..."
"Then we need to decide who should take over." Vlad confirmed, nodding. "Tell me. What do you think of the others?"
"Well, I've already told you about Des. He's a great Pilot, and he knows how to follow orders. But he doesn't know which ones to give."
Vodnik said nothing, clearly waiting for Jake to continue.
"I don't know what to say about Castillo."
"No one does." Vodnik laughed, bellowing a few hearty chuckles before descending into a fit of coughs again.
"I mean, he's crazy. I don't think it was a good idea to make him a Pilot, let alone the leader of four of them."
"What about Golsan?" Vodnik asked.
"As a leader? I'm not sure. He's too young, I think. And he's angry. He fights with rage, and that's a good thing, don't get me wrong. It'll keep you on your toes, keep you alive. It's a great fuel to use when you're killing wave after wave of IMC, but I know that decisions made in anger are usually the wrong ones. And if he makes the wrong choice as the Squad Leader, he could get all of us killed."
Vodnik nodded in agreement. "Palmer needs a cooler head, this is true. A good soldier, which he certainly is. But you are right. He wouldn't be the right person to plan and anticipate the enemy."
"Breaker's the same story. I've never seen him back down from a fight." Jake added. Vlad hummed in agreement.
"True. But that is a good thing, no?"
Jake pulled a face; his expression was clearly one of disagreement. "It depends on the circumstances, I guess. In a lot of ways, it's fantastic. When regular soldiers see a Pilot fighting dozens of infantry and other Pilots alone, it does miracles for morale. But he needs someone to rein him in, he struggles to back off once he's started a fight. I don't think he'd be a good fit for leadership if he can't control himself in battle."
"Well put." Vodnik agreed. "What about you?"
Jake was bemused. "What about me?"
"You could lead them. Don't you think?" Vodnik smiled like he had some hidden knowledge.
"No. That's probably not a good idea."
"Why?"
Jake shrugged, clearly searching for a satisfying answer. "I'm too green. No ever listens to a Rookie."
"The fact that the Argonaut was captured under your direct orders proves otherwise, wouldn't you say?" Vodnik asked in a teasing tone.
"It's not that you're wrong, it's just that I don't think the others would listen to me." Jake pointed out.
"You remember that I said Desmond visited me earlier?" Jake nodded. "After he stepped down, he told me that he thought you should be the one to pick up where he left off."
That was news to Jake, who ran a hand through his hair. It meant a lot for Spectre to endorse him like that, but that wasn't enough for Lincoln.
"I don't know, Vlad." Jake conceded. "If the others don't support the decision, then I won't."
"But what if they do?"
"Then, I suppose I'll have to." Jake smiled.
"It shouldn't be a question of 'have to'. Bandit needs a leader, on and off the battlefield. But that leader should want to step up to the mark. They have to want that position, it shouldn't be bestowed."
Jake sighed; he had to admit that the Russian man was making a very strong point. "Alright. I'll do it, but only if they have to want me be their leader, too. All of them." Jake requested, and Vodnik nodded.
"A fair demand." He sniffed, as if weighing up his options. "Very well." Jake smiled, thanked the man, then got up to leave. He stopped by the doorframe and looked back at the Russian.
"So what's going to happen to the Argonaut?" Jake asked. "Are you going to rename it?" Vodnik pulled a face, as if he hadn't even considered it. But his eyes lit up with enthusiasm.
"Yes..." He smiled. "Yes, I think I might. Tell me, how does Leonidas sound?"
Jake gave a theatrical 'ooh' noise. Like a stage audience just learning of a plot twist during the final act of the play.
"If I were still IMC, I'd be shaking in my boots."
Vodnik laughed at that, but this time, he didn't cough - his laugh was pure heartwarming merriment.
VIIIIIV
"Name?" A bored military officer monotonously droned, as if he'd said the line a million times before. Which he probably had, the girl thought.
"Rhian." She lied.
He sighed deeply, as if she'd just uttered the stupidest name in the galaxy.
"Your full name." He implored.
She bit her lip, the nerves flaring up inside her for the briefest of moments.
"Rhian Kinley." She told him. Both names were completely false, as were the credentials she'd passed him a moment earlier. She'd had to pay a pretty hefty fee to the right people to get her hands on the fake copies, but it would be worth it if she could get off this planet.
Only the space-port officer stood in her path.
His eyes studied the credentials with a discerning eye. His gaze swapping between her face and the grainy picture of her on the passport.
"Alright." He said after a while. "Go on through. But don't cause any trouble for the officers; they get real twitchy trigger-fingers in Militia controlled space, if you catch my drift."
"But the IMC says that this region belongs to them, right?" She asked.
"Don't believe everything you hear, kid. This is a war, after all." He confessed, his strict personality softening for a moment. "Next!"
'Rhian' pressed onward, feeling the cold glares of the IMC Military Police officers on her as she boarded the shuttle that would take her away from this god-forsaken planet and to her eventual new life on the Frontier.
VIIIIIV
Author's Note:
Sorry this took so long. I don't have any excuses this time, I was just lacking the energy to do anything. I started another story in the Elder Scrolls universe to kick-start my writing again, and so far it's worked. I promise all of you that I'll be getting more frequent in the future, but please don't expect more than one chapter every month or two, I have a very busy schedule at the moment, but I will try to make time for this.
Thanks for reading.
Reviews:
Mac Gustah
Bloody loved it. Even with moderate to heavy losses, it would have been worth it to take out a skilled commander like Richards *and* get a new ship to boot. And of course the saved prisoners, those are nice too. And the captured equipment. Etc etc.
I see that Rainbow team Six has also arrived :) Ah, Thermite and Thatcher, the dynamic duo. And who can? Kapkan! The Turner thing is an interesting development as well. Didn't see that one coming. Ash would be a great pilot; she's fast, well trained, but most importantly she does not have a head hitbox.
Also, Vlad's up! He's gonna be so proud of Jake, stealing a ship like the Argonaut. It'll make his dusty old man heart warm. Or that might be the internal bleeding, but who cares.
Cheers and till next time, Mac Gustah
Thank you for such a lovely review. It goes without saying that Vlad will probably try and take the credit for the siege, after all, he basically taught Jake everything he knows about stealing stuff for the 'greater good', right? And yeah, it wouldn't be okay with me to make a chapter about a Siege without including some characters who know how to do just that. I' a massive fan of the game, and I'm on Xbox, if you were wondering. We should play together sometime, if you're able to.
Guest
I think if you had Roe and Ace walk into each ither during the boarding would give the story an extra flare as their ex kinda love life may get in the way of killng each other...
Now that you mention it, it would've been kinda awesome, but my friend who is writing his own story parallel to this one already has a plan in store for her during the siege, you'll just have to wait to find out...
Xx13deathsxX
Thanks man I appreciate the feedback, I do write but right now I'm working on a star wars story so thats my main focus especially with a lot going on. I think you making another titanfall story would be awesome especially with how much you know
Well, thank you very much for your continuing support. I'd like to do a follow-up to this story one day, when it's all said and done. I'm planning to end this story at the last mission of the first game, but it will feature an epilogue set a few years after the events of the penultimate chapter. It's all planned out, but writing it out is going to be the hard part haha
Regalus27
Great story, love your writing! Keep up the good work whenever you can.
Thank you! And cheers for reading. I hope you like this update too!
Guest
UPDATE FUCKER...pls
Lmao okay, but only because you asked so politely. 'Fucker' lol
Crookedreader
I can and will wait for the updates to come loved this chapter and all the twists it had to it
Thank you for your patience. Like I said, I had some shit going on and I have a super busy schedule these days, but I'll continue to surprise with plenty of twists and turns.
SpartanDelta-118
I know we're losing, Commander." He told her. "I just want to know if we've lost
Is that a Halo Reach reference I spy?
Mayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyybe...
Yeah, it is. It's my favourite line from the entire saga. I love to stick in little easter eggs wherever and whenever I can.
Reviewerguy
I cant wait for next chapter
Yes, you can. But I'm glad that the story is keeping you in such suspense. But here's the reward for your patience! A whole new chapter – with plenty more to comeeeeeeee
Gotasegway
Hey! I was just wondering when you are going to upload the next chapter. I want to know what wil happen with Ace and David!
Boom; new chapter, just for you – fresh off the press. Get it while it's hot!