Chapter Twenty-Two: Friend or Foe

2054 Hours, July 10, 2561. Outskirts of Vettel Keep, Qivro, Planet Sanghelios. Day Eight of the Enemy of My Enemy

We landed on the Elites' homeworld at night - a happy coincidence that hopefully kept us off the radar of the numerous factions vying for control of the region. Human rebels had a significant presence here, along with a particularly alarming mass of Prometheans that Laraza had been funneling through the portal on Puget. And, as I'd found out from Ethan during our last deployment, the Sangheili were currently engaged in a war against their own, as well.

Sanghelios was a veritable free-for-all right now, and we were here to change that. Before all this mess spilled over into our territory, too.

"Colonel, the 213th Infantry has landed," Major Delaney announced over the command channel.

"Roger that," I replied. "Stay on task and head for the keep, Justin. Quiet and quick. I'll be bringing up the rear with the Eighth, so you've got point."

"Yes, ma'am."

A moment later, Major Mullen's hail came in. "904th is dirtside, ma'am."

"Acknowledged, Wayne. Move ahead."

I stood there in the dark for a minute, surrounded by my security detail, and waited for the final battalion commander's call. It never came.

"Major Murphy? This is Lieutenant Colonel Cooper. I need confirmation that you've arrived."

When he didn't answer, I pulled out my datapad from one of my tactical pockets and checked the Pelican blips on the screen. All of them showed they'd unloaded their cargo and personnel and lifted off again. That meant Murphy was already on the ground.

I had an idea of what he was doing, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for now, and hailed our air commander instead.

"Major Hawk?" I said over the general channel. "This is Cooper."

"Yes, ma'am. What can I do for you?"

"I need to check on the status of - "

I paused when I saw a green light flash inside my HUD. Our former Helljumper, in charge of the 8th Engineers, who I was supposed to be going in with, was finally checking in. I frowned.

"Belay that last, Major. Looks like we're good."

"Glad to hear it, ma'am. Godspeed."

"You, too, Flight Leader. Cooper out."

I wasn't much in the mood to let Murphy off the hook anymore. As several Warthogs and whole columns of Marines got into gear around me, I opened up a private channel to our newest battalion commander. But he beat me to it.

"I'm surprised he still speaks to you," the ex-ODST said matter-of-factly.

"Excuse me?"

"Your husband. Major Hawk. On the general channel just now." His tone changed to something approaching disbelief. "My wife had done something like that? And convicted, too? Not a chance."

Anger bubbled up inside me - mostly at his words, but a little at myself, too, for putting myself in this position in the first place. "I wasn't convicted of adultery, Jack," I said as evenly as I could. "And my private life is not up for discussion." Unconsciously I shifted my stance, watching my former battalion maneuver further ahead. "I expect everyone to follow orders and do their jobs while we're here, Major. That's it. Are we clear?"

He grunted in response.

At that, I took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Look, I know you don't like me personally - that's fine. But this mission is important. We have too many enemies out here and a lot that can go wrong. Not only for the regiment, but for the Colonies as well. We need to focus - not get caught up in distractions."

Murphy snorted. "Well, if the brass wanted no distractions, ma'am, maybe they shouldn't've let you back."

I was left momentarily speechless, although I knew I had to shut that shit down fast. But I never got the chance, because suddenly a burst of gunfire came our way.

"Marines, take cover!"

I dropped down into the low grass in an instant, holding my rifle tight between my hands, keeping the stock under my shoulder. Using the night vision in my HUD and my weapon's scope, I tried to see exactly what was shooting at us, but I didn't notice any discernible movement in the treeline ahead. Not yet, anyway.

We didn't even know which of our many enemies was after us at this point. And I supposed it didn't matter - whoever it was, they needed to be gone.

"Keep steady, Marines," I said over the general channel. "You're free to engage as soon as the enemy's in sight."

Slowly I crawled forward in the grass, keeping my head as low as possible, but that still didn't stop a round from hitting the dirt right by my leg. It wasn't scorching hot, and it wasn't neon lit - so that meant bullets.

I got the unnecessary confirmation shortly after, from one of Murphy's captains.

"Colonel, it's the rebs!"

"Take 'em out!"

These were the same troops who'd started this whole mess by destroying a Sangheili temple nearby - and likely, the same we'd fought on Puget. Who'd been responsible for my internment, and Cal's, and that of several others we'd rescued as well. And who'd willingly followed a leader like Javier Laraza, who'd coldly killed one of my battalion commanders - my friend - in front of all of us. Among other hideous deeds.

If my anger wasn't boiling over before, it sure as hell was now.

Still, I did my best to reel it in. Pausing in the grass, I found my first target, a dark silhouette standing tall among the trees. I quickly squeezed the trigger, and again, and then again. The first burst hit the bark beside him, sending wood fragments exploding into the air. The next two, though, didn't miss, and the rebel fell backwards in a spray of blood as the rounds pierced his armor at his gut.

He'd die a slow, agonizing death that way. All I could think was, Good riddance.

I moved on fast to the next target. Both sides were well engaged now, lighting up the field we'd landed in with tracer rounds that flashed brightly in the night. In short order I began to hear a few light machine guns open up along our lines, along with the occasional crack of a sniper rifle, silencing enemy guns on the other side in an instant. After taking some casualties on their main line, the rebels who'd poked out of the small forest seemed to retreat back into the trees. I thought it might be over and started to rise to a crouch, but I was quickly brought back down again when the entire field between us became enveloped in smoke.

The action clicked in my mind right away. They were going to charge us.

"Marines, hold your positions!" I yelled out over the COM. "They're coming; be ready!"

As the smoke coalesced in the air into a thick screen, more of our MGs opened up, beginning the slaughter before we could even see the devastation it left behind. Plenty of bullets were still coming from the rebs' side as well, though, as no matter how much lead we poured their way, they had the advantage of being momentarily invisible. For my own part, I fired my gun blindly into the smokey haze, hoping I hit some that tried to make it across the grass, but with so much chaos around me, and so much noise, I couldn't truly tell. I just did my best to keep as low to the ground as possible while the enemy ran for us, and kept firing back.

The moment the rebels broke through the smokescreen, my Marines and I went into action, rising up from the earth to fire at our fellow humans at point-blank range, in many cases, or lashing out with combat knives in others. Off on my left flank, I saw Major Murphy suddenly appear among his battalion, dumping an entire mag from his SMG into one reb, then pulling out his blade from a hip sheath and driving it deep into the neck of another. Blood splattered across his visor and his uniform, but if anything, he seemed invigorated by the carnage. Even if it wasn't the Elite he'd been hoping to sink his knife into back on the Stars.

But I supposed out here, we'd run into that eventually as well.

Not tonight, however, and not yet. For now I had my own problems to deal with, as my security detail fired around me, keeping most of the rebels from ever getting too close. It was only when one of the enlisted men on my team was shot that I risked leaving their safety, and quickly rushed out into the melee to help.

"Colonel! No!" I heard Gunnery Sergeant York shout behind me, but I was already on the move.

I did my best to dodge and weave as incoming fire continued pouring in from the smoke, now starting to dissipate a bit further out, but still plenty thick in the middle. I probably missed being shot by mere millimeters several times. When I finally got to the Marine who'd been hit - a young lance corporal - I quickly knelt down beside him, raised my weapon up, and fired, downing a reb who'd just appeared a few feet in front of us, aiming to kill. The lance corporal or me was up for debate, but in either case, he was a threat no longer. The rebel lay dead in the grass now.

"Corporal, we're going to get you out of here," I said to him, grabbing a hold of his torso armor to drag him back. "You're going to be just fine, you got that?"

"Y-yes, ma'am," he answered faintly. "I - "

I heard his sharp intake of breath at the same time I registered a second rebel popping up from the smoke. I pulled out my sidearm fast and shot him, too, four times in the chest for good measure, but as soon as he went down, another sprinted up from our flank. I was scrambling now to hang onto the Marine and get a shot off, and my first two rounds missed.

There wasn't going to be time for a third.

I ducked a moment before the rebel pulled the trigger and the shot went just above my head. Had I been a split-second slower, I would've been dead.

Thinking fast, I covered the corporal with my body, lifted my gun again, and -

Stopped.

The human insurgent in front of us fell forward suddenly, killed by a spray of bullets - but not my own. Not anyone behind us, either. Friendly fire.

I realized then that my breath was coming in quick gasps, but I needed to get us back. I rapidly holstered my sidearm, slung my rifle behind me, and pulled the corporal to safety as my security detail finally pushed up and surrounded us. I didn't let the Marine drop lightly on the grass until he was behind the only bit of cover we had out here - us.

"Gunny, watch the lines," I said to York.

"Yes, ma'am."

My detail immediately clustered tighter around us. In the meantime, I switched back to the general channel.

"Corpsman up! We've got wounded!"

That was likely the case down the lines at this point, I imagined. I swore under my breath at the luck we'd had. Being ambushed instantly upon landing was not my idea of a good time. It seemed Sanghelios was already living up to its potential as the most hostile planet we'd ever touched down on.

But there'd be time to ruminate on all that later. Right now, I was focused on the corporal in front of me - and after, I needed to find a way to get us disengaged from the fight.

Inside one of my cargo pockets was a first-aid kit - standard issue to all Marines - and I pulled it out right away. Tearing open a pack of bandages quickly, I pressed the largest gauze pad hard against his bleeding wound - a bullet hole near his hip, just below his armor plate - and he groaned.

"Hang tight, Marine," I reassured him. "Doc's on his way."

The corporal attempted a reply, but only managed a painful grunt instead. Keeping one hand firmly in place on his wound, I used the other to signal one of his teammates.

"Private, take over for me here."

"Right away, ma'am."

As much as I wanted to see the lance corporal healed up, I needed to concentrate on the bigger picture for now. He'd get the treatment he needed, and he was in good hands in the meantime. Once the private had taken my place, applying strong pressure to his fellow Marine's wound, I got on the COM to my husband. Via private channel this time.

"Willis, we're under attack. Could use a heavy drop at this location when you're ready."

"Roger that. Turning back now, Coop. Keep your heads down. We'll take care of it."

"Remember: keep damage at a minimum," I amended.

"I know the rules."

Had we been closer to the keep, I wouldn't have called in air support at all. Shipmaster 'Vettel had made it clear to us that their structures on the ground were to remain intact, as much as possible. But given that we were scant meters away from the LZ, and in the middle of an open field - with no idea how many rebs were hiding in the nearby woods - I felt a shock-and-awe approach was best. We needed to send a message, as much as the rebels had here tonight. This ambush against us wouldn't be taken lightly.

I keyed the COM then and reentered the general channel. "Marines, this is Lieutenant Colonel Cooper. Air wing coming in hot. Hold your positions. I repeat, stay put. Friendly ordnance incoming."

True to his word, Willis and his squadrons came roaring in in less than two mikes. As my Marines and I hugged the earth, flattening ourselves against the grass and wrapping our arms over our helmets in lieu of proper cover, the ground beneath us began to shake from the bombardment. There was a moment when the noise of the explosions and the heavy ship-mounted guns overtook everything else - the sound of my heart beating hard inside my chest, my breathing, even my thoughts. For those brief seconds, my mind was devoid of anything but primal reaction to the cacophony of battle.

And then it was over.

Most of the smoke the rebs had deployed earlier was gone now, replaced instead with fragments of grass and dirt that still swirled in the air from the detonations. The assault had done a number on the open field, and very few pockets of insurgents - mostly along the treeline, where I'd ordered my husband not to shoot - remained. Those that did found themselves among the dead and dying, or badly wounded, and surrounded by craters of blackened earth and blood.

Both the sight and smell hit me hard, even after all these years in combat. As I had many times throughout my career, I forced myself to push past the feelings of panic and fear and harness my adrenaline, making it work for me. I was the first to get back up and focus my attention downrange again.

"Everyone up, now!" I shouted as I did so myself. "Our flyboys did the work, now we finish them off! Let's go!"

Just as I'd thought, mop up duty didn't last very long. The majority of those who'd been caught out in the field had been killed on impact, given the location, and those in the forest, who'd escaped mostly unscathed, weren't as keen on fighting us anymore. After gunning down any survivors who still posed a threat, I had Murphy's battalion press forward into the trees to track down the others - but they'd already fled. I supposed we'd save that for another day.

Since my regiment had landed only five klicks south of Vettel Keep, the trek there was short, even at night in a new and hostile place. I still hadn't spoken to Murphy yet, but with the attack from the rebels we'd just endured, my adrenaline was up, and my memories - ones I had buried, at least for the time being, while I'd been back home with my kids, and as I'd tried to navigate the uncertain state of my marriage and career - were beginning to take center-stage again. As I walked through the grass and into the small forested area just before we hit the keep, I gripped my rifle tighter than usual in one hand, and made a hard fist at my side with the other. My breathing was coming in quickly now, and not because I was particularly strained by the short march, or the weight of my gear.

I was furious. Plain and simple.

As soon as we reached the outer perimeter unharmed, I slung my rifle behind my back, pushed past my security detail, and shoved aside several other Marines until I finally found Major Murphy.

"You and me. We talk. Right now."

The former Helljumper scoffed before slowly turning around. "What do - "

He stopped then and there when I reached over with one hand and yanked him forward, holding on tightly to the top of his chestplate.

"Hey! What are you - "

"Shut up," I growled fiercely. "You shut up right now, and you fucking listen. Do you know what happened to me on Puget? Did you hear that through the grapevine, too, like you think you heard what I did to get court-martialed? Or did you only concern yourself with the outcome?"

I didn't wait for a response. I could tell by how wide his eyes had gone that he wasn't going to speak right now.

He wasn't afraid of me. Just clearly astonished.

"I was a prisoner of the rebels there for three weeks. Three fucking weeks!" I seethed. "I was tortured, interrogated, and I had to do some things I wasn't prepared for to get out. And when I did get out - finally - I lost my way for a while.

"I admit that, okay? I cheated. I got involved with someone who wasn't my husband, and I regret that, deeply. But not in the way you think. Do you know what I did to get demoted? A kiss. It was one kiss. Not an affair, and nothing else. And for that one slip in fifteen fucking years, I was stripped of my rank, and nearly lost my command, my husband, and my family. So if you'd like to judge me for that, fine. Go ahead. But at least now, you actually know the damn story."

I was shaking when I released him. It was only once I'd backed away that I saw one of his hands resting ever so slightly on the grip of his combat knife, still in its sheath at his hip. Just in case, I guessed. I should've been more troubled by that, but for some reason I wasn't. He was a veteran ODST and a burly man. I had no illusions that he couldn't take me down in a hand-to-hand fight. But in the moment, my rage had taken over. I was tired of the snide comments, and tired of the disrespect. I'd had to say my piece.

The major still looked stunned, and he didn't say anything for a long time. Just as I realized that many of my Marines were loosely surrounding us now - watching, waiting for a fight - he finally released a long breath. "I recognize you as my commanding officer, ma'am," he said loudly, so everyone could hear. Then he lowered his voice. "But if you ever come at me like that again, CO or no, woman or no, I will lay you out flat."

That got my hackles up again, but thankfully, this time, Major Delaney intervened.

"What the hell's going on here?" he barked.

After pushing through the crowd, my XO very strategically got between Murphy and myself, looking at us both in confusion for an answer.

"Nothing," Murphy replied gruffly, and after one last stare at me, he turned to go.