Katya Volkovskaya spent much of the ride glaring at Maddie. She was glaring as the engines fired, staring as they took off, and staring as the Pelican hurtled through space like a race car, weaving and dodging masses of frigates as they assembled over Earth.
Maddie avoided eye contact, knowing that it would make her seem weak if she were the first to look away.
When it came to an iron will, Katya was no joke. She'd once won a training exercise singlehandedly, crawling three hundred meters over a seven hour period and capturing the enemy flag. It had become a legendary exploit, one that Maddie had never quite been able to match. The fact that it still came to mind, even as she sat victorious in their rivalry, was a testament to Katya's ability to push the pair of them. They fed each other's drive for success. Parangosky once said that it was more like starving than feeding and Maddie saw the old Admiral's point. Katya made Maddie hungry for more. She made her greedy. She made her dangerous.
Only the clunk of docking clamps could assuage her glare as she rose from her seat and picked her things from the floor. The ramp hissed as gravity returned and the bay of the UNSC Enigma came into view. The Sahara-Class Heavy Prowler was her first posting, and the sailors of the ONI Prowler Corps busied themselves as they went about their business. Even Katya seemed a little awestruck by the scene as she gawked at the slick and well-oiled machine of a Prowler crew during departure procedures. All around them ship hands and officers busied themselves, preparing the ship for its 'maiden' voyage and its first engagements up in the skies above Meridian.
Except it's not her maiden voyage.
Like most things at this stage of the war, the UNSC Enigma was smoke and mirrors. It, and the rest of the 7th fleet weren't the gleaming new ships the human race had been promised, and they were likely little more than a minor propaganda coup for section 2. Regardless of all that though, Maddie found herself stood alongside Katya, bag in hand, being led down the hallway to the officer's cabins.
"Your room." Said the little brick of an Ensign, who had escorted them there.
"Mine?" Maddie asked, tilting her head.
She looked at us both and cocked an eye, "No, the Captain hasn't the room for one each so you will have to share. Settle in, there's a briefing in 20 minutes with the Captain in his office, you'll find out more then."
The brickish woman took her leave, letting the two women glare at each other as they waited to enter the room. Katya pressed her hand to the pad, watching Maddie as she entered, her eye's piercing and sharp.
Luckily, the room was equally sized, with two cots placed at either end. One was far more spacious, with the ceiling being higher, and a small window to see from. Maddie figured she'd let Katya have it, hoping to offer her some kind of olive branch.
"Move." She demanded, as Maddie went to place her things on the bed.
"You don't want the other one?"
"I don't want the charity, or the pity of a common whore."
Maddie shook her head, and smiled as she crossed the room. She'd certainly done her research. What she had done had really gotten under Katya's skin, she never usually resolved to insults.
Then again, Maddie had always been an exception to that. The pair of them were always bickering, even when they first met as friends at school. When Maddie arrived at Earth, she'd lived at her Grandfather's house in Sydney, and attended a boarding school with Katya. They'd never exactly swam in the same circles, but their relationship had not been unpleasant.
At least not until it became clear that it would be one of us who took the top spot at the Luna Naval Academy.
Maddie sighed and deposited her things on the bed, tidying it all away and producing the drive containing Walsingham from a compartment in her duffel bag. The LED glowed as she turned it in her hands, and grasped it tightly when Katya made a noise behind her. All the girl's past experiences had taught her that she needed something like Walsingham. She needed a wild card, something to play to change the game. On Skopje, that had been Naomi. Drake had his hulking, war-crime, bred-from-childhood, warrior goddess.
I have Walsingham.
She pulled her hair tight and turned to face Katya, who had placed her things in the corner furthest from her and locked them securely away in her locker and drawers. She freshened up in the bathroom, rubbing water into her face and pulling the skin around her eye down to reveal the thin scar, long since healed.
Admiral Parangosky had spared no expense on repairing her eye after it had been damaged on Skopje, and Maddie had even asked for her benefactor to go further with the cybernetic upgrades. Strangely, the old Admiral had declined. She said that simply restoring the eye was enough for now, that she wouldn't give more without getting something Admiral had expected a little pushback from that but Maddie and the Admiral were of the same opinion: children can't make decisions like that. At the time, Maddie believed she'd been making a point about Naomi, that what had happened to her was wrong; little had been said to change her mind to the contrary. Margaret Parangosky was a terrifying elemental force of a woman but she was not cruel without purpose, and that made her alright in Maddie's eyes. It made Maddie think that while she undoubtably approved of the SPARTAN's effectiveness, she hated the methods of their creation. It was a shining example of the woman's eccentric moral code at work.
Maddie sighed and dried her face before stepping out into the room where Katya was waiting.
"You waited?" Maddie frowned, expecting Katya to spend as little time with her as humanly possible.
"The Captain wants to see both of us." Katya replied, irreverently.
"Do you know who they are?" Maddie asked as they slipped out of the room and into the hallway.
"No." she said, bluntly.
The rest of the walk up to the top deck was spent in silence and Maddie found herself watching Katya as she prowled in and around the ship hands, busying themselves with the ship's final preparations as they headed up towards the bridge.
It was a short dark walk from the elevator, passed the Captain's quarters and on towards the bridge, where the blast doors stood tall and imposing. Katya put her hand to the pad and watched as the hulking metal doors hissed and receded.
"...final preparations for ARCHER are almost complete. Have Admiral Reitker notified of the current intel packages we've cleared them for and then forward need-to-know intel to the other commanders in the fleet. We do this by the book and we come out in one piece, got it?"
"Aye, Sir!" came the reply, as an Ensign hurried out of the room.
Maddie watched him, the Captain, recognising his stature and tone almost instantly. She smiled as Captain Drake turned to face them and snapped to attention with Katya.
"Lieutenant's Volkovskaya and Harper reporting for duty, Sir!"
Drake smiled warmly, "At ease, Lieutenant's. Come over here, I have something to show you."
He walked around a large holo-table and tapped a few buttons, igniting a large scale replica of a region from a distant planet.
"Time is short so I apologise for the quick introductions." His eye wandered to Maddie as he said it, nodding slightly.
"Welcome to Operation: Archer. Three weeks ago the penultimate continent on Meridian fell. Needless to say that the siege will be over soon but our job, is to find out what exactly it is that the covenant are still looking for." He said, zooming into a small region near the UNSC held portion of the continent.
"Three years without glassing the place completely is strange for the covenant." Katya observed, glancing over the map.
"Exactly." Drake replied, "ONI believes it's related to their religion, which is why we have every available agent looking into the matter as we speak."
Maddie raised an eye, "So we are here to gather military intelligence?"
Drake shook his head, "usually you would be, but shortly before the last continent fell, we received an encrypted transmission from this region."
He pointed to the map.
"Solar Fields, Sir?" Katya asked.
"Yes. This entire continent is almost entirely flat, intersected by three great rivers, two of which surround this mountain, which the locals call Mount Sundial, and join here, in front of Solar Fields."
"Seems simple enough. The flatness is going to be a problem, though." Maddie said, searching the terrain.
"It's the centre of the Covenant's defences, naturally, but that's the Marines problem, for now. Your objective is to follow that lead. The transmission was routed through the central hub; Katya, when we take the city, you'll need to find the origins of that transmission."
"And me, sir?" Maddie asked hopefully.
Drake nodded, "We know who sent the message. It was our old friends, Mr and Mrs Nazari."
Maddie's attention was instantly roused but Katya seemed confused. "Who are they?" She asked.
"They are the owners of Chalybs Defence Solutions." Drake said, leaning forward, "their involvement is a lead, as they have been known to have contact with Covenant religious relics in the past, and finding them could be the key to this whole operation." He said to Maddie, knowingly.
Four years ago, Maddie had stumbled across Drake as she fled her home. Her journey off the planet had seen her wrapped up in a conspiracy that revealed the true nature of the Covenant God's. Maddie knew the awesome truth: the forerunners were ancient aliens, and one of them had a gift for the human race. Drake had saved her life and the pair of them had been irreparably changed since those days. As she looked into the aging Captain's eyes, she saw weariness and the quiet danger of a trained killer.
"So, are we staying on board the enigma until the UNSC takes Solar Fields?" Katya asked, folding her arms.
Drake shook his head, "that's a luxury reserved for me, I'm afraid. As I said, we don't have enough agents on the ground providing ONI and HIGHCOM with intel, so you're going in with the ODST." Maddie's heart beat loud and strong, racing with excitement and terror. Drake scratched his head as Katya relaxed, seemingly glad to be doing something rather than sitting around.
The Captain pulled up some images using his wrist-mounted computer.
"I'm sending you the details of your newest assignments, courtesy of Admiral Parangosky herself. She's taken extra care to test your abilities on this one and having seen your scores and achievements at Luna I can see precisely why."
"42nd ODST Infantry Battalion, F Company, 3rd Platoon" Maddie said aloud, eyeing Katya, who grinned savagely.
"F company, 2nd Platoon."
This really does have Parangosky's fingerprints all over it.
"They're stationed aboard the UNSC Ides of March. They're pretty green but we've managed to scrape together a few… seasoned officers."
"By we, do you mean the Admiral?" Maddie asked, a brow raised in suspicion.
Drake shrugged but Maddie knew better. Once again, the old Admiral wanted her toys tested, and forcing herself and Katya together was just the beginning.
"There's not much in the way of cover, is there? That plateau there is all there really is for miles around the city." Katya said, watching the holo-map like a hawk.
Drake nodded. "The only natural barriers on the whole continent are plateaus of varying size, large ones like this one," he pointed to the map and highlighted a suspected covenant artillery position between the city and the mountain. "As well as rivers and forests" he added, pointing to the City of Solar Fields, which sat on the joining point of two massive rivers.
"When do we meet the men?" Katya asked, ever focused on the mission.
"You'll ship out to the Ides in an hour, I apologise for the quick turnaround but time is short and we need to get this show on the road. Any questions?"
"No, Sir" the two women replied, almost in unison.
"Good, I need to speak with each of you privately, Lt. Harper, if you would wait outside, please."
Maddie wanted to say something and she struggled to hold her tongue. Dutifully, she snapped a sharp salute and took her leave, wondering why he wanted to see Katya first, what they were talking about, and try to find out more about the lead. She knew, deep down that it was nothing personal. It was to be expected, even. Maddie was naive if she believed that things would be the same now as they had been on Skopje. That had been different, she realised.
On Skopje, they were a cobbled together team, with a last-ditch effort to extract the last thing of value left on a lost world. That, coupled with her age, had granted her a unique chance to work outside the bounds that ONI and the UNSC usually allowed.
No more special treatment, you're a cog in the machine now.
Minutes passed until finally, Katya emerged from the bridge looking rather pleased with herself. She fired a glare at Maddie but continued on down the corridor, not looking back until she stepped into the elevator, a grin slapped on her face.
That'll be trouble.
It was only when she sighed loudly, that she realised the Captain was stood beside her. Maddie jolted to attention but Captain Drake chuckled, "at ease, Lieutenant."
Maddie smiled and offered her hand, "it's good to see you again, Sir."
Drake put his hands on his hips and grinned, "that it is" he said motioning for her to follow him. "I'm sorry I couldn't visit in the last four years, lass, but I have been busy, I promise."
They came to Drakes office and quarters, stepping inside and taking seats opposite each other. It was a steel room furnished with brown leather chairs and wooden cabinets. It seemed decidedly Scottish to Maddie and made her feel a little nostalgic for the planet they were about to leave.
"So, Admiral Parangosky has had you chasing my dreams for four years." Maddie stated with a sigh.
Drake laughed and reached under his desk to produce a bottle of chocolate coloured liquid, "not exactly" he said, pouring two shots into glasses.
"I was keeping an eye on you, when I could. Admiral Parangosky was eager to oblige my requests for information." He said, wryly.
"Aw, Sir, that's adorable!" Maddie teased.
Drake shook his head and sipped his scotch. "At least that hasn't changed."
"I'm still that innocent little girl you met on Skopje, honest."
"Yeah, and I'm a cuddly charity worker."
That made the pair of them laugh raucously but Maddie paused as it died down, glancing up at the Captain as he leaned back in his chair.
"So, what do you think of Katya?"
"I think you've made things more difficult for yourself by pissing her off" he chuckled, with a shake of his head. "A hell of a find for Veronica."
"Veronica?" Maddie asked.
"Her sponsor, Captain Dare picked her up. A bit similar to how I found you and got you into the organisation."
Maddie scratched her head, "I see. So, she's been through the wringer too?"
"Nice try, Harper," Drake chuckled, " but I have strict orders to let you two sort this spat on your own. No special treatment. If you want to know, she will have to tell you."
Maddie grinned. "Fair enough. Does she know this is about Bornstellar's gift?" She asked, leaning forward.
Drake shook his head, "no, and she'll stay in the dark if we can help it."
"And if we can't?"
"Then you better fix your relationship quick because you'll be working together on this."
Maddie jolted, "seriously?"
"Compartmentalisation. It's ONIs modus operandi and you'll do well to remember it." He said, sternly.
"Yes, Sir." Maddie replied, her mind racing.
This just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?
She was thankful that Walsingham was sitting pretty in her bunk, he'd come in handy with all the sleuthing she would have to do to keep Katya in the dark.
Keep Katya in the dark. As if it's that easy.
"Is there anything else, Sir?" She asked.
"Not unless you've had any more dreams?"
Maddie shook her head, "you know that I haven't. They stopped after… Maggie."
"Well then, get prepped, you'll be shipping out in a bit, there's some armour waiting for you downstairs that I think you will like. As well as a special requisition, courtesy of yours truly."
He handed Maddie a small chit, a token for the requisitions officer on the Enigma and smiled.
"So much for no special treatment," she teased, before standing at attention. "Thank you, Captain."
"You're welcome, Lt Harper, dismissed and… good luck."
She nodded and left the room, stepping out of the private quarters and started down the corridors to the lift, deciding to pick up Walsingham before she did anything else. It was good that Drake was back, it felt right. Even if he couldn't bend the rules quite like he used to, he was still there to give advice if she needed it.
When she reached it, her room was empty of life. Katya was nowhere to be seen and only her things, packed tightly into the corner, were present. Maddie rolled her eyes and wondered how they would ever be able to trust each other. Walsingham's uplink module glowed in the bottom of her drawer and she took the device, slipping out of the room as she switched off the light and made her way to the lower deck.
The requisition's officer was a young, fair haired man, polite in his mannerisms and gentle in his voice. As she handed him the chit, she wondered how it was that he had ended up in the ONI Prowler Corps.
"Ah, Lt. Harper! I was wondering who would be the one to claim it."
Maddie raised a brow, "claim what?"
"This." He replied, placing a mean looking hatchet on the table in front of him, "it's beautiful, don't you think?"
Maddie smiled and bobbed her head, "definitely." She said, feeling the weight of it in her hand, from the viper etched into the blade, to the ergonomic pommel that fit perfectly into her hand. It was light, too, and sharp. It came with a mag-clip that would graft it to her ODST webbing.
"Good hunting, Ma'am. Your armour is in the locker with your name on it." The ensign said, saluting.
Maddie returned it and walked away, still turning the axe over in her hands. It brought a lot of memories back to her. The last days on Skopje where her friend, Ellen Stagg had died, and the two marines who buckled under the pressure and got her killed had been given slaps on the wrists as far as she knew. There was also her brother, Preston, who had been nearly killed. Maddie had lost an eye trying to save him, with an old hatchet a little like the one she held in her hands now.
Erun… I hope it hurt.
The Elite had taken so much from her, and she could still feel the brand on her shoulder beneath the tattoo burning with anger. Maddie placed it on the bench as she placed her hand on the bio-scanner and unlocked the large "locker" to reveal a set of pristine black ONI Recon Armour.
Maddie grinned, taking the under-suit out of the compartment and placing it on the bench with the axe. She ripped off her boots and clothes, sliding into the suit with grace and poise before pulling the armour from its shelving and clipping it to the suit. It was less armoured than the standard ODST stuff she'd seen several years ago, but this offered more manoeuvrability, and let her clip the axe to her thigh, where it clung menacingly.
Finally, there was the helmet that she had coveted all those years ago, up-armoured and with a special uplink module attached to the side. The space grey finish glistened in the light of the ship and Maddie found herself wishing she had someone to share the moment with. She sighed and booted up the helmet, which spurred into life with a silent coolness that made her grin. Maddie slid Walsingham into the slot on the side of the helmet and copied him across, integrating him into the new hardware that would become his new home.
Maddie muted the helmet as she placed it on her head, stopping anyone from listening in as she fiddled with the settings.
"Ready, Ma'am?"
"As I'll ever be, Walsingham." She said looking about, "glad to have you along for the ride."
"Glad to be here, Ma'am."
"Transfer my settings from Luna to the new helm, and get me what information you can on my new unit."
"Aye, Ma'am."
Maddie removed the helmet and clipped it to her side, looking around for anyone else as she scooped up her fatigues and moved them back to her room, where she found Katya napping in a ball on her bed. She didn't look like the formidable thorn in Maddie's side in that moment, she looked almost innocent. That was, of course, if you ignored the armour she wore. Maddie tried not to make a sound as she stowed her gear, but Katya woke and watched her as she went to leave the room. It was a cold and calculated look, one that made Maddie shiver as she left.
She's a light sleeper.
Her long legs, their shape enhanced by the armour, extended confidently out below her as she decided to get to the shuttle bay early.
With everyone else on station or settling into cryostasis, the bay was quiet. Only the pilot, who drummed his foot lazily on the dec, occupied the space, and Maddie spent several moments with her eyes closed, waiting for Katya to arrive.
"Permission to speak, Ma'am?" Asked Walsingham, muting the helmet for her.
"Go ahead, Walsingham, what do you have for me?"
"News." He replied wryly.
"Good news?"
The troop list emerged on the HUD of her VISR and Maddie instantly spied the problem.
They promoted him?
There, under third platoon's roster was one Sergeant James Davenport, the man who's cowardice had killed her friend.
"Not ideal is it, Ma'am?"
"No. It's not. What about everyone else?"
"Greener than you are, I'm afraid. The other NCOs have good service records though and the company list includes Lieutenant Braeburn, who you are also acquainted with."
Parangosky, you really aren't pulling any punches on this one, are you?
Maddie mulled this information over in her head, trying to figure out a play.
"How do you think he will react?"
"Open hostility. Captain Denning has been looking to promote him, so losing out was always going to annoy him. Given that its ONI screwing him over, it'll downright enrage him."
Damn it.
Spooks were hated enough by the rank and file without one of them actively trying to sabotage someone on a personal vendetta. As she leaned against the hull of the transport with the world against her, Maddie wondered why she had ever given up smoking. The doors to the flight deck hissed open and Katya entered the room, a towering and intimidating mass that swaggered with each step and each sway of her hips. Smoking seemed like an easy out and to Maddie, a cowardly way to resolve her problems. It was a lesson she'd learned at her lowest point. She had survived a great trial without it, and she would never need to use a crutch again. Her training would see her through to greener pastures, now.
The pilot looked up and seemed to spring into life. "Lieutenant's." He said, firing off a sharp salute, "Captain Drake wants you on the Ides ASAP, you ready to go?"
Katya nodded and the pilot half bounced away, "Epic. I'm itching to get back to flying broadswords myself."
Maddie followed him in to the shuttle and took a seat beside him, with Katya in the back, watching as she always did, with those piercing blue eyes.
The shuttle lifted off and the pilot squawked commands to the fleet, swinging by the now pulsating mass of ships preparing to leave for Meridian.
"That is a huge fleet, HIGHCOM aren't messing around with this one, are they?"
"Doesn't look like it, Ma'am."
"What's your name, Lieutenant?" Maddie asked as the shuttle shot out of the hangar.
"Al-Shiran, Ma'am, when we link up with the Ides of March, I'll be on station for air support, I imagine."
"Good to hear, now bring us in, I'm anxious to get this show on the road."
He nodded and swooped alongside the UNSC Northwest Passage, one of the ships that comprised the tiny 7th fleet.
"The Northwest Passage and the Yggdrasil are old ships, correct?" Maddie asked as the pilot swooped between them.
"Aye, Ma'am, they're all old, apart from the Invictus and the Ides." He chuckled, "I'm not supposed to know that, obviously, but I've served alongside half of them since Actium."
Maddie nodded, "it's just for civilians, they like to live in their ignorance."
"Look, the Talavera. Heavy-hitters those. If we had Paris class frigates from the start, we might have had more of a chance." He said, swooping by it gracefully.
"So, the fleet is all Frigates?" Maddie asked, searching space for something different.
Al-Shiran shook his head, "no, the Season of Light is a destroyer, and Shiroyama is a cruiser."
"That's a lot of firepower." Maddie mused, watching the ships clear the view of the cockpit.
"It's the Navy's idea of QRF. Small and hidden inside a mass of frigates, you know that tactic, right?"
Maddie nodded, "It's a favourite of Admiral Harper, and popularised by Cole."
"Exactly." Al-Shiran replied, closing in on the two lead ships, "unfortunately we just don't have enough of them."
Katya grumbled something in Russian at that, as if saying a prayer or a curse. Maddie had seen first-hand how outmatched the Navy was four years ago on Skopje, and didn't see how a small detachment like this could really make all that much difference.
"So that leaves the two new ones." She said, as the hulking length of the UNSC Invictus appeared below them, streaking by, at great speed.
"Beautiful, isn't she? Epoch Class Carriers are mean bitches." He grinned, "they'll actually give the Covenant a run for their money."
"As long as they have the right back up."
"Naturally. The only ships that really put the scare in the hinge-heads are the destroyers, though."
Maddie agreed, sim after sim, recording after recording showed the Destroyer's effectiveness, with their beefed-up MAC guns dealing multiple blows per charge, and their countless missile pod batteries wreaking havoc in enemy fleets. Naturally that made them a target, and by this stage in the war, destroyers and even the cruisers had become a rarity outside of massive battle groups such as this.
"Beware the Ides of March. Maddie said, grinning."
Al-Shiran chuckled, "definitely, ma'am."
The UNSC Ides of March floated at the front of the small fleet and proudly lead the way as they headed out towards the edge of Sol.
"There she is." The pilot said, grinning, "I'll bring you in."
The shuttle swooped and swung gracefully through space as it began its approach to the destroyer, moving out in a wide arc as the ships traffic control centre gave Al-Shiran his approach vector.
The landing was as smooth as the ride and Maddie thanked the young pilot for it as the bay doors opened and the flight deck unfurled before us. At the bottom of the ramp stood a very sharp looking man in ODST fatigues and a naval officer, wearing the rank of commander.
Katya stood and eyed Maddie before striding down the ramp towards the men. Maddie followed quickly, glancing around as she took in the sights of a much larger warship. Until she reached them, snapping sharply to attention before them.
"Ah, the Spooks!" The Commander said, smiling. "At ease."
Maddie relaxed as she took in the commander, he was handsome and stood almost half a foot taller than even she stood. His hair was pulled into neatness, but Maddie got the feeling it was itching to explode into a mess of dirty blonde waves.
"I'm Commander Sterling, Captain of this ship, and this," he said, gesturing to the man beside him, "is Captain Denning, your new CO."
"Good to meet you." He said, unconvincingly.
"Right, well, Captain Drake has put you on here for God knows what, this is my first Command but I'm not a fool, fall in line, don't cause trouble, and you'll be alright in my book at least."
"Of course, Sir," Katya said, "we will try to keep out of your way."
"Oh, on the contrary, I think I would like to know a little bit more about you two." He said, wryly, his broad frame cast an imposing shadow over the conversation as Katya looked at Maddie, for once not in disgust. Rather, it seemed as though she didn't quite know how to proceed.
"There's very little to say, I'm afraid. We're here to provide local intelligence support for the 42nd ODST Infantry Battalion" Katya said, cautiously.
Commander Sterling raised a brow and looked her dead in the eye, "of course" he replied, slickly.
Maddie watched the two square off and felt like the Commander didn't quite understand just how formidable Katya could be.
"I'll be happy to fill you in with any relevant tactical data that Lt. Harper or I come across." She added, looking stoic. The suspicion was plastered on his face, but Katya deflected expertly.
He looked at Captain Denning, who shrugged, his glare not leaving the two officers stood proudly before him.
Maddie swallowed. She wanted a good rapport with these two, but she couldn't dole out the specifics of the mission to anyone. Not unless she wanted them permanently tied to the hunt for Bornstellar's gift, or left floating in dead space by an ONI kill squad.
"Sir, if I may," she said, asserting herself, "you know we can't divulge official secrets but…" she added, ignoring the glare Katya was shooting, "if I can do anything to put your mind at ease, let me know and I'll see what I can do."
Sterling remained unconvinced but he seemed to see the olive branch for what it was.
"Is this your first campaign, Lieutenant?"
Maddie nodded.
"Join me on the bridge when we come out of slipspace and I'll make it clear to you exactly why I'm concerned." He spoke darkly and without the jovial energy he had only a second earlier.
"Just me, Sir?"
"Both of you."
"Is that an order?" Katya asked, pointedly.
Commander Sterling didn't skip a beat. "It is now, Lieutenant. Dismissed."
It was Maddie's turn to shoot a glare at Katya, who scowled as she chewed on her bottom lip, watching ravenously as the Captain and Commander took their leave.
"Is that an order? Really?" Maddie snapped, scowling.
"What?" She growled. "He wants to show off."
"So what if he does, we need this guy to like us. You know how ONI types are seen by the rest of the UNSC, right?"
"I don't care. I do my job and that's it, the rank and file can like it or leave it but we're not here to placate them, hold their hands, or play councillor.
Maddie seethed, Katya was trouble enough when it was just her that she hated. That was something she was coming to terms with; she hadn't considered all the other problem's she might cause, however.
She put her hands on her hips. "You're making things harder for us."
"Harder for you maybe." She spat, "if you wanted an easy ride, you should have kept your legs closed." She added, before storming off towards the cryo bays, leaving Maddie a little stunned as she gawked at the woman, striding away without a second thought. A claxon sounded, and Maddie followed, her armour parting the sea of swabbies and marines rushing about the deck. She basked in that power as usual but cursed her situation, her face flushed red under the helmet in a toxic mixture of fury and embarrassment. She watched as Katya stormed ahead, shadowing her all the way to the pods. They were like a giant metal sarcophagus, housing the great warriors in their frozen tombs for one final journey into the howling dark of space.
As Maddie stepped inside, she felt the slipspace drive spooling up. None of this was ideal, according to the mission briefing in her helmet, her troops would drop within an hour of emerging from slipspace so there would be little time to gel with the troops before they hit the dirt. On the bright side, that meant less time for him to poison the men against her. She thought she'd seen the last of him all those years ago, the coward who killed her friend. Now, she would be leading him into battle and she would need to rely on him.
The lid closed and the world shuddered, cooling, Maddie relaxed, having trained for this for years.
And then…
Black.