Chapter Twenty-One: Journey's End

Undetermined Shipboard Time, July 9, 2561. Onboard Sangheili Transport Ship Glory In War, En Route to Sanghelios. Day Seven of the Enemy of My Enemy

Four days into our stay aboard the Glory, the exhaustion was starting to hit me. And not just because what little furniture the Elites had in this place was clearly not meant for humans. My back ached from sleeping on what passed for a bunk inside my quarters, and I hadn't been getting much sleep in general. All the work we'd been doing preparing for our arrival on Sanghelios soon - training, logistics, rosters - seemed never ending.

And of course, being housed inside a vessel full of aliens that once wanted us eradicated from the cosmos had everyone a bit on edge. There was always a unit of Marines awake and ready, on rotation throughout the regiment, that guarded our quarters as we slept. Just in case.

Right now, I'd just gotten off yet another long duty shift and - uncomfortable or not - crashed onto my bed as soon as I reached my room. I took a moment to pull off my jacket and boots, tossing everything on the floor, but beyond that, I needed a minute to decompress before I finished undressing and crawled underneath the single sheet.

Yeah. Not big on luxuries, the Sangheili.

Slowly I brought a hand up to my temple and massaged it. I had to remind myself that despite my current gripes, we'd actually been pretty lucky so far. The transfer of personnel and supplies had gone more or less smoothly, the Swords had agreed to send a second ship out to help the Stars with their repairs, so that they could make it back to UNSC space for a more thorough fix, and we hadn't been attacked again so far - from the inside or out.

I still worried about what we'd find on the surface when we arrived, though. Willis and I had made many strides in our relationship recently, but news of the ONI contact had set things back again. I hadn't seen him much the last few days, and we were back to staying in separate quarters. It was often frustrating, to be constantly taking one step forward and two back - but I accepted that this was all part of the consequences of what I'd done, and that I just had to find a way to deal with it.

My kids came to mind as I lay there as well, and my heart clenched. I missed them terribly. We'd had so little time at home before we'd left - and it'd been so tumultuous - that it felt even more awful to be away from them this time. I missed my dog, too; I could've used Chief's calming presence now. I hoped that whatever we encountered on Sanghelios would resolve itself quickly - although I knew that was wishful thinking.

Even with how tired I was, I found my mind wandering in too many directions to sleep. I was staring frustrated at the ceiling, fingers interlocked behind my head, with one leg half hanging off the bunk and my dogtags outside my shirt, when I heard a soft knock outside the hatch.

"Coop? It's me."

I took in a deep breath then before answering. This was the last thing I needed when I had so much going on in my head already. But I felt if I turned him away now, things would only get worse. And that was not what I wanted going into a potentially damaging situation on the Elites' homeworld.

"Come in," I called out. I reached over to press the door release that poked out on the bulkhead, just behind the bed, then resumed my lounging position.

In the meantime the hatch to my quarters slid open, revealing my husband - dressed in his own fatigues - on the other side.

"Hey," he said quietly as he stepped inside.

"Hey," I returned.

He paused at the foot of my bunk like he wanted to say something, but instead he looked down at me and frowned. "I came to see how you were settling in. Everything okay?"

I shrugged as I laid there on my back, keeping my gaze fixed on the overhead. "Yeah. Things are going well enough I guess, considering." Then I smirked a little. "These bunks are fucking awful, though. I can't remember the last time I slept well."

My husband chuckled lightly at that. "Yeah. Me, too. The Elites really need to upgrade."

"Mmhmm. Sleeping on the ground once we're dirtside'll feel better than this."

Willis hesitated again before sitting down on the edge by my feet. Gently he reached out and put a hand on my shin. "You look upset. Do you want to talk?"

"Not really."

I heard him swallow as he straightened. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No." Finally I let out a sigh. "I'm just exhausted, Will, and there's too much going on to sleep."

"You mean the contact?"

"I mean all of it. Being on this ship full of Elites, getting dropped on their planet soon, the fight on the Stars, leaving the kids, us...I just - "

I was going to say I felt a little in over my head. But I never got the chance to, because suddenly Willis was leaning over me, and our lips met.

It wasn't what I was expecting after several days apart, but in that moment, I realized it was exactly what I needed. What we both did.

We wasted no more time on talk. Instead I let my crowded mind drift until his kisses and his touch pushed everything else away. By the time we were breathing heavy and tugging off our clothes, I wasn't thinking about anything anymore.

Except being with him. Here. Now.

When I woke up sometime later, I was glad to find Willis was still beside me, also asleep now. We were naked and the temperature had dropped in the room; it was clear from the dimming of the shipboard lights that several hours had passed. I pulled up the solitary sheet and draped it across both of us, then leaned over to the small desk in the room, molded from the floor, to check my watch. It was 0430 shipboard time.

I tried to snuggle back into the warmth beside my husband, but found that once again, I couldn't sleep. All the discomfort of the damn bunk - forgotten in the heat of the moment - came back now, and I tossed and turned. I was trying my best to shift quietly, so as not to wake him, but he did.

"Natalie?"

"I'm fine, honey," I mumbled absently. "Go back to sleep."

Willis smiled in the dark. "Hey. You called me 'honey'."

A small grin formed on my face, too. "I guess I did."

He moved closer then, nuzzling the back of my neck. "I think that means we're going to be okay, Cooper," he whispered in my ear, his voice still thick with sleep. "No matter what we find."

"I think you're right."

I turned my head slightly to kiss him, but things didn't end there. Soon I'd turned my whole body over to face him, and held both his cheeks in my hands as I kissed him deep. At the same time he ran his own hand up and down my side, finally rolling me gently onto my back. After returning the kiss just as passionately, he pulled away to dip his head low, pressing his lips against my neck at first, then between my breasts. I moaned softly as I grabbed a fistful of his short hair, enjoying the direction things were going. For a second time.

The world easily melted away again, and I felt pretty certain we weren't going to get much more sleep tonight.

We were just starting to drift off again once we finished when there was a knock on the hatch. This time I sat up fast, pulling the sheet up with me. Willis glanced over at the door and frowned.

"Trouble?" he asked low, but I shook my head.

"Not likely. Stay here."

Careful and quiet, I scooped up my underclothes and uniform pants from the ground, then slipped my T-shirt on. Once I was dressed, I pulled my loose hair into a quick bun, grabbed my sidearm, and stepped forward. The hatch opened automatically from the inside.

I peeked my head out the door, gripping my pistol tight but keeping the barrel low, and glanced down the corridor. Two Elites were walking by, heading away from us now, but I couldn't imagine it'd been them. I furrowed my brow as I stood barefoot in the passageway, unsure what to make of the sound.

"Colonel Cooper! There you are."

I watched as my XO came around the corner and backtracked to my quarters. I quickly tapped a button on the side, and the hatch slid shut on his approach.

"I just came down to get you," Delaney said to me. "The Shipmaster's been trying to get a hold of you for the past twenty minutes. He said - "

"Why? Is something going on?"

The major shook his head. "No, ma'am. Not exactly. He just - "

Delaney stopped in mid-sentence then, suddenly seeming to realize that I was not in full uniform, had very hastily and probably messily put my hair together, and that I'd very quickly sealed the hatch shut behind me when he'd arrived. That, and I hadn't been answering my calls for a while. "Oh. You...I interrupted something, didn't I?"

I folded my arms across my chest, feeling the cold metal of my dogtags underneath my shirt. "Not quite. Just...get me up to speed."

"Yes, ma'am." My XO took a breath. "Shipmaster 'Vettel wants to see you on the bridge. And...my apologies, Colonel."

I waved off his concern, then waited until he'd gone out of sight to open the hatch up again. Once inside, I picked up a towel from my sea bag so I could shower before meeting with the Elite.

"What's going on?" Willis asked me from the bed, and I frowned as I set my pistol down on the desk, clicking the safety back in place.

"I'm not sure yet. I'm supposed to meet with 'Vettel on the bridge. Apparently I'm late for something, and about to be even more late." I went over to him and leaned down to give him a quick kiss. "I love you. I'll be back when I can."

"I love you, too, Coop. Be safe."

Ten minutes later I was on the bridge, being escorted up by two dark-armored Elites, along with Delaney and Lloyd. I wondered what was in store for us, and suddenly all the ease and serenity I'd gained from my night with Willis was overtaken by apprehension again.

"Shipmaster 'Vettel? You wanted to see me?"

The bridge of the alien ship looked different from any of ours. The lights were dimmer, yet the colors more vibrant, and it seemed quieter, too. Each Elite at their station was wholly engrossed in their work - even in the middle of empty space, there was no idle chit-chat, no distractions. It spoke well to their extreme discipline - and their excellence in space-faring operations.

'Vettel turned to face me, drawing his attention away from the large viewport in front of him. "Yes. There is something I wanted to show you and your officers."

He gestured for us to come forward, and, a bit hesitantly, we did.

Beside me, the major and lieutenant commander both let out a gasp.

Sitting small off in a corner of the viewport, I could see it now: a clear view of our former enemy's homeworld. Sanghelios was a rust-and-gold world, checkered by dark ocean - and flanked by twin moons. Just like Mars.

"It's beautiful," I finally said. "I could see why you wanted us to see this."

"It is what we fight for."

Shipmaster 'Vettel stood stoically behind us as he spoke, saying nothing else for a time. Then he walked forward, looking more closely at the planet before turning back. "We are arriving ahead of schedule, Colonel. We will reach the surface in one more day."

I nodded. Like before, it'd be a lot to get ready in a short amount of time.

"So this is it," Cal murmured next to me, sounding completely in awe. "We're really here."