100 Challenges

Promp052: Deep in Thought

Title: In the calm


Sometimes, even in combat, there were times of rest and peace. During those times it was hard not to think. To most people thinking is a good thing, but if a soldier really thought, they started to question. Question things they would never get answers to. This was the reason Kathleen avoided any thought other than strategy.

Still, in the calm like this, it was hard for even her to not think too much. The Covenant had backed off from their position, for now. She was sure they'd be back. Until then her soldiers were taking a break, regrouping. Kathleen stared out at the corpse-covered battlefield. Grunts, jackals, brutes, and hunter bodies lay about the open space. It had been a long fight but a successful one.

Kathleen wondered what the Covenant would try next. They'd already tried almost all of their tricks. Ground troops, ghosts, choppers, banshees, and even wraiths had been sent after her team. The only options left were scarabs, seraphs, and cruisers. Seeing as the Covenant wanted this location, she wasn't really worried about the cruisers, or the seraphs for that matter. Scarabs, although big and powerful, didn't scare her much either. Her team had taken them down before, and would again before the war was over.

Her mind then wandered to the other soldiers currently fighting. She'd seen the pods dropping from orbit, so there were ODST fighting. She was sure there had been other pelicans sent down so there were marines and soldiers on the planet. The real question was, were they still fighting? This far into an engagement it wasn't uncommon for most ground troops to have already been killed. It really all depended on the soldiers, and what the Covenant attacked them with. If there was a scarab stomping around it wouldn't have been much trouble killing some average ground troops. Even ODST would find a scarab rather hard to beat. It would take a Spartan, or her soldiers, to take a scarab down.

The thought of Spartans made Kathleen's attention turn to the threat of the super soldiers. Maria had reported some time ago the deployment of Spartans. There had been no sign of them yet, though, which was good news. Having them show up now would cause big problems. She would have to abandon her soldiers in order to remain hidden, per her orders. At a time like this, where the Covenant would be throwing their best stuff at them, she would be needed by her team. Hopefully the Spartans would stay away and not mess everything up.

Kathleen wondered what Spartans had been deployed. She had a list of Spartans she knew were dead, but she had no idea which were still alive. Sure, she had a mental list of ones she'd seen in reports and in news articles, but that was a small list and left the fate of many Spartans unknown. It seemed the same small group of Spartans were always used as the poster boys for the war. The old squad leader, she couldn't recall his name at the moment, was the most prevalent. She'd seen Kurt once, but only once. Will had been in the background of one picture, so had Kelly. She'd seen Fred a couple times.

Kathleen wondered if Fred was even still alive. She hadn't seen him in any articles in a while. It always seemed to be just the Master Chief, though the article always stated it was a team of Spartans. A slight smile tugged at her lips. Fred had probably asked not to be featured. He'd never been comfortable with being the center of attention. She was sure that part of him had never changed. The amusement faded as Kathleen came to the question that kept rearing its ugly head in her mind. Would Fred recognize who she now was after all these years?

"Sarge, we got Spartans." James's words snapped Kathleen out of her thoughts.

Kathleen pushed the question to the back of her mind. It was one she would never get an answer to, so there was no point in dwelling on it.