Chapter Forty-Five: Switching Places

It was chaos in the field. Total chaos. So far, the "boxing in" plan wasn't working at all. Instead of creating a neater, easier situation where the enemy was in place between the keep and the human rebels coming from the south – with Mullen's batt coming in from one side to help disperse both – I'd inadvertently created something even more unpleasant, where all factions melded together, and nothing was clear.

And the rebels were moving in at a faster pace than I'd thought capable of, especially after we'd mostly killed them off at the temple. I couldn't fathom where all of these fighters had come from, but then again, maybe it wasn't their numbers. Maybe they were just that determined to see us lose. To see the UNSC fail, even at their own peril.

I grit my teeth. That was definitely something the rebs would do. They probably knew they would lose – it was just a matter of who they'd take down with them.

"Colonel, Captain Rapada is requesting instructions," Murphy said over the COM then. "They can't break through the main gate."

"They have to. We need them to."

"Yes, ma'am. It's just – you know Rapada is new to this. He wasn't expecting his CO to – "

"I think he knew when he became a Marine there'd be many things happening that he couldn't expect. He's got to adapt."

"Colonel Cooper – "

A ball of anger built in my chest. My face was pounding – I'd just taken a hell of a beating, something I'd had several of in my career. Over the last several months, I'd been captured, tortured, and spit back out, only to be put through a wringer of my own making afterward - fighting for my career, my military life, with everything in me. All of this while at the same time, trying to save my marriage. None of it had been completely fair, and none of it had been easy, but I'd done it. I needed to be sure that the men and women I led – especially my officers – could handle it, too. "Murphy, you know this same as me. Out here, it's sink or swim. If he can't thrive, he's got to go. I have Mullen's entire battalion helping him, and we've got rebs closing in from the other side. If he can't make it work, it has to be me. I have to lead Delaney's battalion out." And Rapada, obviously, would be out of a job. "Are you saying we've reached that point?"

There was a lengthy pause before his answer, one I couldn't afford to wait around to hear. The battle was still raging on around me in the meantime, and I had to react. Gunny York was to my right, as always, firing off automatic rounds into a crowd of enemies that was increasingly blended. I wasn't even really sure if what he hit was alien or human – I just knew that it wasn't us. I'd adopted to the frenzy as well, and settled for tagging anyone without a UNSC uniform on. Other than Torran's group, all the other ally Elites were closer to the keep, not here on the outskirts. Anyone here that didn't match the description of a Marine or ONI was a threat, and I used my battle rifle to bring down as many as I could from where we stood.

"Murphy? Still with me?" I asked, bringing my rifle up as I squeezed the trigger into one of the nearby craters from the airstrike. The bullet went right into a rebel's head as he peeked above cover for a split-second too long, just a fraction too high over the crater's rim. If he'd been lower, or looked up for less time, he would've still been alive. Now, he was just another lifeless body in the dirt.

"Yes, ma'am," Major Murphy finally returned. "And yes, Colonel, I think it's time."

"Okay," I said into the radio calmly. "Standby."

I slung my rifle fast in one motion and tapped York on the side of his arm. York lowered his weapon a fraction and faced me, throwing his head up in question.

"Delaney's batt isn't going to make it," I said to him. "We've got to head in there. Now."

"Colonel Cooper, I wouldn't advise – "

I waved a hand at him. "I know there's a lot you'd prefer I didn't do, Gunny. This is just one of those things. I don't have time to argue with you right now. Let's move."

It would mean taking a direct route into the mess of enemy fighters – some human, some alien, all out to get us. The only good news was that they were also out to get each other. And that might just provide enough distraction for us to get the remainder of my Marines out of the keep, and into the storm.

I was hoofing it past the perimeter with my security detail when I got the news – Cal's voice came through our private channel with the announcement. "Things are looking up, Colonel. Commander Cooper says he's on his way back. He's got reinforcements."

Instantly I felt lighter, like a weight had lifted, and now there was some hope in its place. I was also just glad to hear my big brother was okay. "All right. Excellent, Cal. What's their ETA?"

"That part…might be a little trickier, ma'am. He's almost fifty klicks out with a handful of vehicles. Most of the convoy is walking, but some may get here a little faster. Either way, it's not going to be as quick as we'd hoped. And it looks like they'll arrive in waves."

"Great," I said as I kept up a light jog in the steadily growing heat this morning. Between that and my gear, I was already starting to sweat. "Well, we'll manage. Got to, right?"

He sounded amused. "That's my understanding."

"Then that's what we'll do. Thanks, Cal. Cooper out."

A feeling of dread filled me for just a moment. I wasn't sure how long we'd last out here against two factions vying to kill us. The only way this could work was if Willis managed to shed the enemy aircraft above, and although he was fully capable of doing it, I didn't know when, and I didn't know how good or bad the odds were against him upstairs. I just knew he was busy right now. And I didn't have time to worry about fighting in the skies and on the ground. I already had enough on my plate. I just had to trust him to get it done.

"Murphy, how bad is it? Think we'll make it through?" I hailed my XO over the COM.

"I hope you like compactors, ma'am, because that's what getting past this will feel like. But with guns."

I chuckled. "Doesn't it always?"

Plasma fire pockmarked the ground beside me, bringing me back to the fight. I jumped out of the way and ran faster in response, not saying anything else until Murphy spoke again.

"Colonel? All good? Sounds like things are getting heated out there."

"All good, Major. I'll let you know if I'm not."

"Hope that head injury of yours isn't working you over too badly."

I smirked at his ribbing. "I got it."

I cut the channel then and kept running, York and the rest of my detail beside me. The smoke was getting worse here. Finally, we heard the first salvo from yet another Wraith tank soar above us.

"Jesus. How many more of those do they have?" one of my detail, Corporal Adams, said.

"Let me worry about that, Marine," I replied. "Just keep going!"

In a great display of how chaotic the battlefield had become, I suddenly stopped dead in my tracks as plasma fire and bullets crisscrossed each other ahead. I knew the bullets weren't ours because of my HUD – even through the smoke, friendlies were outlined in green, so the human rounds weren't coming from them. This was the rebs. And as soon as they began to push in, I heard the volume of fire from the enemy Elites decrease, even if just a bit for now.

"Murphy?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Do what you can to get more of the Elites to go the rebels' way. We'll need some kind of distraction – a big one. It'll take the heat off of us at the keep long enough to push Delaney's batt out to help."

"Any ideas?"

"Actually, yes. You're going to have to contact Will – uh, Major Hawk on this."

"What can he do?" Murphy asked plainly.

"Tell him we'll need his pilots upstairs to outrun the rebel fliers for a sec. Just one run," I answered. "If he can do it, that'll give me enough time to push our batt out, and get us some more wiggle room."

"Will he manage?"

"He's an artist in the sky, Jack. Let him know and I'll get the battalion ready."

There was a pause, then, "Yes, ma'am. Where exactly are they supposed to go?"

"We're going to drop some ordnance right behind the rebels' line. It'll take care of their rear guard, make 'em panic, and hopefully push them forward into the enemy Elites. In the meantime, the Elites should focus on the drops and push back. If it works – "

"If it works…it'll be a sight to see, ma'am. Contacting Hawk now."

With that in motion, my detail and I charged ahead. I wished Torran and his group were still with us. He'd stayed behind with Murphy to help them out in the field. That he'd trusted me enough to cover the keep alone was something I never would've anticipated. He still hadn't told me yet where Sennu was, but I suspected from our talk earlier that she and the rest of the keep's senior leadership were inside those underground tunnels he'd talked about. Since we hadn't actually used them to lure the enemy Elites in at the start of the fight, I figured that was likely where Sennu and the others had been evacuated to later on. It was the safest place around at this point. And given that the battle had gone on for days now, they might be in need of resupply – which we'd also be in a position to provide once we reestablished contact with our own forces inside.

The thick layer of smoke made approaching the lines much faster and easier. We were a relatively tiny group in the backdrop of a battle that had at least twelve hundred troops – on both sides – vying for the advantage, and those were the numbers nearest to the keep alone. That didn't include the six hundred or so rebels that had just appeared, who, though small in number comparatively, fought like hell to keep both our ally Elites and ourselves engaged. Their air power so far certainly helped even things out a little, too.

As soon as my team and I broke through, with one last shot from York to an enemy Elite in our way, we had a whole platoon of Marines sweep us in and funnel us to the middle of the formation, keeping me safe. Their CO paused then to bring us up to speed.

"Lieutenant Colonel Cooper, ma'am," First Lieutenant Ty Barton said to me. He didn't salute or shake my hand, following combat protocol not to call attention to the highest ranking officer in the field, but instead gave me a barely perceptible nod. "We're glad you're here. Captain Rapada is – well, he's trying his best, ma'am," he acknowledged diplomatically, "but we're not making much headway so far."

"So I gathered, Lieutenant. Where is he? I need to speak with him now."

"He's…a little further back, ma'am."

That made me frown. "Why? Is he with the rear guard?"

"No, ma'am. Just…let me get him on the line for you."

The lieutenant turned his head for a moment and glanced down, clearly concentrating on his hail, but I grabbed hold of his shoulder and pulled him upright.

"No. I don't need him on the line, Marine. I could've taken care of that offsite if I wanted. I need him here. Now. Get. Rapada. Here."

Lieutenant Barton stood straighter and barked, "Yes, ma'am!"

I turned back to exchange a glance with York. He didn't look too happy, either. The gunnery sergeant realized Rapada was in the back of the pack and not out here leading, like he should be. I tried to keep in mind that the captain could have another reason for it, so I tried to keep an open mind until I spoke with him. It was difficult, however, when I knew I'd just put my husband's life on the line – and mine, and our respective teams – to get Delaney's batt out of this situation, and all I could imagine Rapada doing, instead of helping, was cower somewhere deep in the safety of the unit he was supposed to be commanding.

The battle went on around us in the few minutes it took Captain Rapada to show. I even heard the Wraith tank somewhere out in the field fire off two more rounds – something I hoped my regiment's officers were directing our heavy weapons groups to fend off. It just impressed on me that the more time we spent dawdling and getting the battalion together and ready, the more of our men and women and allies were dying.

To his credit, Rapada stood tall when he did finally approach. He looked nervous, so clearly knew he was in trouble, but he came up to me with his chin up nonetheless – maybe because he stood a full head taller than me and thought he might be imposing. He wasn't. I'd stared down Elites twice my height before without batting an eye, and I certainly wasn't going to let him walk away from this without admonishment. If nothing else, he'd still feel my deep disappointment and disgust.

"Stand here, Rapada. Now," I ordered.

Rapada immediately moved to a spot right in front of me, which I indicated. I was growing increasingly aware that the Marines around us – including Lieutenant Barton – had stopped to watch.

"Yes, ma'am," Rapada said. "Here, Colonel. What can I do?"

I didn't answer at first. Instead I studied his features for a moment. Rapada was tall and slim, with platinum blond eyebrows behind his clear visor. Awkward-looking for a Marine; he didn't seem like he had the right build for this. His features were soft and light, like he didn't pack any punch. It made me wonder if being an officer in the Corps was something he'd wanted for himself or if he'd been pushed into it somehow, by family or society, or if maybe he'd just joined up to have somewhere to be. A group to belong to. Post-war, a lot of youth were looking for their way again, having been raised on worlds in flux, with a whole generation ahead of them that had known nothing but combat. I knew the armed forces had their allure to them, since they hadn't been old enough to fight in the war everyone around them always talked about.

Except it didn't appear that he'd factored in the actual job the position came with. And if he was truly up to the task.

I took in a deep breath and sighed. "Captain Rapada, we don't have a lot of time. I'm relieving you of duty. Your next in charge, First Lieutenant Barton, will take the helm. And I – " I said with emphasis, "will be moving the 213th forward. Is that clear?"

Rapada's whole face went white, and he almost looked like he'd stopped breathing. In an instant, all his confidence in his approach was gone. "I…ma'am, I-I accept your decision, but…why?"

I folded my arms across my chest. "I've got a whole laundry list why, Rapada. Suffice it to say, you're not doing your job. So I had to step in, and for that, I've lost confidence in your command, and you now stand relieved."

"But I…but…Colonel, with all due respect, I'm a captain. I was only ever supposed to be Major Delaney's XO. When he died, I…" I could feel his anger growing. It was starting to come out in his words. "This wasn't supposed to be my job, ma'am," he finished tightly.

That was the wrong thing to say, and I thought I saw a flash of surprise in his eyes that told me he realized it, too, as soon as the words were out. But there was no going back now. It took everything in me not to reach out and shake him.

"Captain, let me remind you, in no uncertain terms – this is the job," I said, biting off each word. Just as he'd become angry and indignant over the dressing down, I was getting pissed that I was wasting my time with this when I needed to get people out. "Your job. I know you weren't expecting this, but it's what we – officers – train for all the time. This is nonstop for us. You know that." I stepped in closer. "You're the last line of defense. You're the leader that needs to rise when others can't. You need to take charge and take care of your men, and see to it that they make it out of here with you. Is that understood?"

"Y-yes, ma'am."

"You are not made to hide behind your own lines and do nothing – absolutely nothing – to help. Even when you're surrounded, outgunned, tired, hungry, feel like shit, and don't know if you're going to make it. Even if you're scared. You do your fucking duty. Do you hear me? That is the damn job, Rapada. You didn't do it."

Rapada stood there lamely for a time, not knowing what to say. I didn't let him dwell on it for too long. I still had a regiment to pull out of this mess.

"Trade ranks with Barton, Rapada. Now. We'll see if he's got the chops you don't. You take over his platoon in the meantime. We'll readdress this later, when things are calm. But you won't get your rank back."

The former captain still didn't say a word. He just turned stiffly to his subordinate – now his CO – and swapped ranks. When that was complete, I let Rapada head off to handle Barton's platoon, then turned to face the newly promoted Barton.

"Well, Captain. Up to the task?"

Barton nodded solemnly, without hesitation. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good."

I pulled him aside as the Marines around us got back to the fight. I waited for my security detail to disperse, except for Gunny York, before I looked the new captain up and down. Barton was clearly younger than Rapada - in his early-twenties - but somehow looked more grizzled. More serious. I had no doubt that however few the campaigns he'd fought in, he had actually fought. And now, I hoped to see him lead from the front.

Without moving my gaze, I spoke to Barton again. "In that case, I'll let you in on the plan to get us out of the keep."

"Ma'am?"

I smiled a little. "How do you feel about fireworks?"