Spearhead FOB. Some days later.
Shin watched as a new unit was deployed planetside. Marine FORCE RECON was one of the most elite UNSC troops, tasked with forward reconnaissance and the deployment of heavy equipment to locate and (if need be) placate enemy forces through unconventional means, such as the destruction of bridges or asymmetric warfare through the deployment of mines, ambushes and, in general, the bad kind of stuff one would expect when coming face to face with what the UNSC called the MARSOC.
Behind them was a second unit, MOS Eleven Bravo. Army Infantry being deployed alongside what looked to be Infantry Fighting Vehicles. New models, bulky, heavily armored and mounting a thirty-millimeter autocannon in a reinforced turret with some form of autocannon support wrapped around the barrel. It was painted the standard gunmetal-green of the UNSC forces, with several markings, including one of the division it belonged to.
The symbol of the division was made up of a shield crest with a horse's head in the middle on a black background. Below it, on a ribbon, the words '1st Cav. Div. "White Steeds"' read in plain white lettering. Cavalry? Not to mention the stuff they were towing out from the Albatross dropships they came in with. Apparently, the units that would be wielding the massive pieces of death-dealing hell that were being towed had the MOS Oh-Eight-Eleven.
The Field Artillery.
Hundred-and-fifty-five millimeter guns were being set up while the SeaBees were building up thick walls around the FOB and the surrounding area, as well as bunkers and security perimeters and mine-fields. The only place there were no mines was the roads and train tracks. The tracks themselves had been modified to allow UNSC Tram Cars... Because the FOB had been growing exponentially fast.
Genuinely, Shin was shocked to see the amount of security the UNSC had layered into the place. There was two companies worth of new personnel, not to mention transports, air assault units, Medical, even a power center, for god's sake. He looked to see the reactors attached to the underground tunnel access, watching as the water vapor billowed, a thick mist that floated into the sky.
Their section of the FOB had also bein heavily reinforced, with the windows layered with bulletproof materiel while the old concrete walls were thoroughly and heavily reinforced against anything and everything up to and including the 155mm cannons that the UNSC had brought into play. Their own rooms had been reinforced as well, but had otherwise not been modified much.
"It looks good, does it not?" Inquired Volkov as he approached. Shin stood to his feet and saluted, but the man waved him off it and said, "No need, captain. You fought well out there."
"Thank you, sir... How is Daiya?" He inquired.
"Doc says the kid will make a full recovery. Shrapnel surprisingly didn't penetrate deep enough to tear ligaments or anything," The man reported, sitting himself down next to Shin and watching the new arrivals joining Formation for a briefing. The newest arrival was a Colonel of the UNSC Army She and her boys and girls would provide security to the base. They were also content with keeping the MA37k ARs that they'd come with, not to mention the DMRs and the Battle Rifles. Volkog hummed, then smiled, "Look at that. First Cavalry."
"What's a cavalry unit doing planetside? And where are their horses?" Shin inquired, almost like a curious child, despite his usual attitude. The man snorted, then shook his head.
"The horses are for parade. Their current 'horses' are those," He pointed calmly at the IFVs being unloaded from the other Albatross Dropships, "The M454B Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle. We call it the Oryx... Thirty millimeter Autocannon mounted in the middle of the turret, two twin Anti-Tank Guided Missile launchers firing BGM-207 TOL, or Tube-fired, Optically-tracked, Laser-guided missiles, each with tandem warheads, plus eleven extra rounds in the transport itself. Fifteen missiles total. It can also carry a platoon of around twenty-two men, not including the three-man crew. Commander in the turret, who also acts as radioman and spotter, the gunner below him and the driver in the main hull."
"So, your Cavalry is just units made up of armored vehicles like that... Did your people not switch out to single-man armored vehicles?" Shin inquired, leaning back against the hot concrete of the base. The man nodded and Shin raised a brow, confused. He continued to watch the parade of new forces, namely Army troops, being deployed still, including the artillery.
"The Oryx has been in the inventory of the Army since before Operation TREBUCHET. She's an old workhorse and the Army never really wanted to part with any of the thousands of her that were built. The Scorpion overtook the Oryx in use, though, for anti-vehicle combat, but the Army operates mostly defensively in combat, seeing as they're meant to be the operational force that secures planets while the Marines and we are the ones who drop into battle to reinforce them," The man explained.
Shin hummed. Simple enough to understand, he thought as he saw the last Albatross dropship unload its crew and lift off back toward the vessels up above. He was pretty sure that the UNSC had sent enough supplies downstairs now to keep them well-stocked for a few weeks, if not months. At least he knew he'd have who to leave the FOB to after they were gone and the next generation of SPEARHEAD would come along.
"Much of the military knows about you. Major Milizé told me after we returned from the mission. There've been rumors going around about agents, decisions between military staff that were being placated, things like that," Shin offered, somewhat surprising the officer. Formation ended and the Army and Marines all moved to find their new posts, including the MG Nests, the watch towers and just patrolling the base in general. He added while regarding the deployment, "There have even been talks of ordering us to engage you... But those fell through."
"Probably the moment they realized you kids weren't gonna bite the new hand that's feeding you..." Volkov offered.
"Perhaps," Shin offered, "What would you have done if those orders came through?"
"We would've taken it as a declaration of war," Volkov offered grimly, "And would have burned half the Republic to the ground to send a message."
"Ah..." Shin took pause, then hummed and nodded. It made sense that they would. Admiral Nakano looked ready to do just that when he had told her their tale during their first meeting some months ago. All of the Republic, not to mention major Milizé and her friends, were lucky that that didn't come to pass. The sky above them filled once more with the UNSC's Air Force. More and more vehicles landed, including the patrolling Hornets and the famously heavily-armored arrowhead-shaped gunships known as the AC-220 Vultures.
Shin whistled, watching the massive armored beasts descend onto the newly-built landing pads while their Hornet escorts touched down just beside them. Volkov hummed, meanwhile, then said, "I should report to the Admiral... I think she intends to redeploy me and my unit to assist Captain Iida's unit later today, so I and they must be ready for that."
"I see," Shin nodded, hen stood to his feet and said, "I did not get to thank you for saving Daiya."
"Don't mention it," The man replied, "Like I said, we do not leave our own behind..."
Shin nodded, then saluted him firmly and proudly. Volkov, though slightly surprised by this, replied in kind, turning face-heel to the left to look the boy in the eye, then crisply and proudly gave him a salute back and stated, "Dismissed, Captain. Don't worry, we'll probably get rotated here again at some point soon. Farewell. Take care of yourselves," before turning to leave.
"You, too, sir... You, too..." Shin replied, though he was out of earshot of the Major.
He felt a heavy hand slap him on the back and turned to see Raiden. The boy gave a nod to his friend, then said, "Agnieszka told me they're being reassigned to Shiden's squad. She said she's waiting to see what the ODSTs can do, if the Marines are as, and I quote her, 'Bum-fuck crazy' as the rest of their forces..." then he crossed his arms to his chest.
"I see Shiden's colorful vocabulary translates onto the Online medium..." Shin remarked dully.
"Heh. Should see her on the Com Forums. The UNSC techs had to establish different sections to separate what Agnieszka called Shitposting from the main channels where reports were being shared. Haruto is really going at it in those," Raiden offered, then he looked around at the modifications brought to the base, including the multitude of extra layers of defense, and said, "Looks like they really are here to stay, doesn't it?"
"Several Herons and Albatrosses just dropped off troops," Shin nodded, "Not to mention IFVs and general construction equipment for units like the SeaBees and the Combat Engineer Corps of the Army. They plan on rebuilding the old rail system as well, as far as I understand. Making it a series of underground tunnels to directly link the FOBs with one-another and provide support if the need arises."
"Just in case the Legion brings its AA too close and using aircraft's out of the question, I assume?" Raiden quirked a brow and received a nod from his friend.
"It's strange to see them doing another mass deployment, but I believe that's what we get when they're revealed to the Republic's highest echelons..." Shin switched the subject rather calmly. He looked to see the last Oryx IFV lined up with the others and being given a once-over by the mechanics, including the most terrified and angry version of Lev they had ever seen.
Raiden smirked, watching Lev storming toward them, then said, "Old Man's blown a gasket with all the new things he has to learn to fix..."
"We should be fine..." Shin remarked rather absentmindedly, watching as the man stormed past them. Raiden stared on, surprised. He'd have expected the man to chew them out, since that's what usually happened, but nope. Seemed like he was about to go tear a new asshole to the new commander of the Marines and Army units on the FOB. A Colonel, he remembered, who had authority over every unit by Admiral's and the General cadre's orders.
Three generals were with the UNSC aboard the fleet, though only one of them came planetside, if Shin remembered correctly. Each general was assigned a branch while the Admiral maintained the Naval Command and general command as one of the highest-ranking officials of the UNSC currently in orbit. She was the de facto commander of the entire Expeditionary Force, so...
Their cohesiveness wasn't hurt none, either, save for some friendly inter-service rivalries, it seemed. Shin had read that used to be standard across most militaries in the world, that Navy, Army, Air and whatever other branches existed would be taking jabs at each-other, or, as one Marine officer he'd met while they were having lunch had put it, "We just love taking the piss out of each-other, but we'll cooperate and raise hell when the fecal matter hits the proverbial fan. Doubly so when someone messes with any of us".
So, in reality, every branch of the UNSC military was like one big family that just enjoyed the light banter. Going by the way the Marines and Army Troopers were laughing with one-another in the corner, Shin assured himself they'd probably be fine. He hummed, then watched Lev approaching them again. The Old Man spoke with annoyance in his voice, "I swear... The more gear they bring down, the more I hear my fellow engineers crying."
"Take it the new stuff is tough to fix?" Raiden asked.
"As is usual with the military-grade kit, it's stuff made by the lowest bidder for the least amount of cash, but it somehow still works," Lev sighed, pinching the bow of his nose, "At least we got the Combat Engineers, SeaBees and their Mechanics with us this time around, so the learning experience shouldn't be so bad..." and he gazed upon Shin and Raiden before asking, "You two doing good?"
"We are," Shin nodded.
"You've changed your demeanor a bit, Shin," Lev remarked, eyeing Spearhead's own Grim Reaper, "Thankful you probably don't need to pull Reaper duty anymore?"
"I..." Shin paused. He hadn't actually thought of that, had he? He didn't need to pull the duty of Spearhead's Reaper, much less the Reaper of the Eighty-Six. He narrowed his lips, that thought eating away at him for a moment. He did not know if he had just become irrelevant to the whole force of the Eighty-Six and the UNSC. His entire reason for living was to ensure he put his comrades to rest instead of letting them fall into the Legion's grasp.
He sighed, "In a sense..."
"Don't worry," Raiden looked to his friend, then flashed a grin and spoke, self-assured, "We'll still need our Reaper to free the friends we lost to the Legion..."
And that... Well... Those words helped ease Shin a bit. He offered his friend the most tiny of half-smiles, then turned to watch Lev's reaction. A nod of approval was all they got from the man, before he stated, "He's right. There's still a lot of folks we lost who are Legion..." his look somewhat grim. Uneasy, the two young men stayed silent as they watched the old mechanic ponder the nothingness in front of him for a moment. He sighed, then said, "Never mind... We got work to do. Shin, with me. Raiden, mind going to check on Daiya? Shin's gonna be fidgety about it if I don't send someone else."
"Sure thing," The boy nodded, then he gave a quick mock salute to the Spearhead Squadron lead. As Lev started in a direction, specifically toward their old hangar, which was being refurbished, Shin followed close behind, every once in a while regarding the Army and Marines near by one of the newly-built barracks near the FOB. A few of them were shotgunning what Shin could only assume were alcoholic beverages in some form of competition with one-another.
Anju had just exited the medical building, too. The same building that Raiden had walked toward. Yes, the UNSC had created an underground facility specifically for the treatment of their wounded. Then, their Construction Battalions and Engineers layered it and the rest of the base so thick with reinforced concrete, it would probably take an act of the Divine to break through the top. That, of course, had meant that they needed to build the building low and below so that the terrain could remain flat, with the only entrances being an emergency hatch off to the far right, built into a concrete pillar of some kind, and the main entrance itself:a wide tunnel where UNSC ambulances and vehicles would go while carrying the wounded.
"Saw the look," Lev offered, garnering the boy's attention. He asked, "Are you okay?"
"Fine," The boy nodded, "Just... Surprised..."
"Didn't think you'd stop looking at the bunch that just landed over here without wondering when they were gonna stab you and your friends in the back, huh?" Lev inquired, stopping in front of and leaning against one of the walls of the hangar as a squad of Army Rangers ran morning cadence behind them, smiles on heir faces and several pounds of kit packed onto their backs.
"Yeah," Shin nodded.
"Everyone has a change of heart," He offered, then he tilted his head to the left. Theo and Mary were talking, with the former, one of the most abrasive of the kids in the early days, laughing and smiling now with one of their allies. She'd gotten a scratch in combat and was wearing a bandage over her right shoulder, but she'd survived taking a shell from the Legion artillery by the skin of her damn teeth. Lev then commented, "Theo's been all the more relaxed nowadays... Should see some of the things he's drawing."
"Oh?" The boy raised a brow.
"The FOB, the places around it, the greenery you kids see," He stated, then grinned, "Her."
"Ah," Shin hummed, "Not surprised. They do seem to be getting along."
"Oh, I'd say it's more than just 'getting along'," The man offered, "They got things they wanna do. Raiden's been teaching some of the 92G, or the Army Chefs, as they're called, how to do more with less in regards to cooking... Less being the MREs they kept tossing our way to replace the cheap crap the Republic's been sending this way, not to mention some actual livestock that's boosting the things Daiya and Anju have been growing, Haruto and Lecca are learning construction and electrical work from the SeaBees, Daiya and his platoon are running explosives training courses, Kurena's getting tips from UNSC Snipers..."
"In short, the help we're receiving keeps growing," Shin offered, "We'll owe them a lot..."
"And I doubt they'll come collecting unless you volunteer for it," The man shot back, smirking, "And knowing you kids? I'm sure you'd volunteer if asked."
"Hm?" Shin seemed almost confused by what was being said.
"Hah. Nevermind," The man shook his head, "Take care of yourself, Shin. Even if you don't think so, Spearhead still needs you around. You're not just their personal Reaper..." And with that, he departed, entering the hangar to check up on the construction work, leaving Shin alone outside once more. The boy looked outward once more, watching as the defensive towers were being completed and the rest of the subterranean base was being completed.
Warthogs rolled around, carrying crates and troops in the back, while the gun-armed 'Hogs continued their patrols in and out of the base and the mass of UNSC troops milled about, doing varying training exercises and just chatting in general. Some Army troops passed by him, giving him snappy, crisp salutes which he barely returned in time, eyeing the tall walls that now surrounded the fob and the barbed wire being tied to the top. Gun turrets had also been built intermittently, linked to the generators of the base through insulated underground wires. Missile turrets, AT turrets and MG turrets...
Layers of defense that Shin had never thought he'd see grow out of their small FOB. He sat down in front of the hangars and just watched the unravelling of the military force that had come to assist them, regarding each man and woman on that tarmac and around him with the muted respect one would generally give the military of his own homeland. He then looked in the back and saw the line of black bags. A dozen person-sized plastic bags with zippers sat on the tarmac, with a Priest giving them their last rites. Those twelve had died, immolated, shot or eviscerated by the Legion while protecting his own unit and their comrades.
Each had a holographic tag strapped to their bag, with a photo of their face, their service number and their name.
Each was a soldier.
A young medic tightened the last bag's zipper, then stood to his feet and removed his helmet, revealing buzzcut black hair and a tattoo on the left side of his neck, hidden underneath a neck-protecting armor plate set that linked the front and back plates of his armor. Doc. That one man in a squad or platoon was the person every member relied upon to bring them home. And taking into consideration Shiden was telling the truth, the mad bastards actually went all-in to get their patients out alive.
He sighed, then stood to his feet and marched toward the medical building. Clambering down into the deep tunnels that made up the massive underground portion of the FOB, Shin was met by the scent of disinfectants and the buzzing of recessed LED lights. Inside, he entered a clean area, where a multitude of lamps similar to the ones he'd seen in the makeshift medical room in their section of the base. He saw medical officers and staff carting around patients, namely several wounded with nasty burns or gunshot wounds.
The smell of blood mixed with that of disinfectant, creating a nauseating scent that assailed Shin for a moment as he entered the place. A woman sat at a desk to his right waved him over, then asked with a smile, "Looking for someone?"
"Daiya Irma. He's one of my soldiers," Shin stated calmly. She nodded.
"Room three, just off the right as you go down the hall," She stated. With a quick 'thanks' and a nod, Shin stepped off to go find his wounded comrade. He found the room past one of the wards where they were treating a couple of the burn victims. He focused himself to tune out the noise of one of the two screaming men inside before closing the door behind him.
He saw Daiya and the blonde boy saw him. Daiya then smiled at Shin and said, "Well, I'll be. What's up, captain? Came to check on one of your wounded?"
Shin nodded, then inquired, "How's the leg?" as he saw it hung up with a medical brace.
"Docs'll let me out tomorrow," He shrugged, "Though the main issue's what I'm gonna do. I don't have a Juggernaut anymore and with everything that's happened, I doubt we'll get a new one from the Republic... Not that I thought they'd have given their Suicide Squadrons a new vehicle, but ya know, it'd have been worth asking the Major about it at least."
"Yeah..." Shin sighed, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Just fine, Shin," He smirked... And Shin noticed the faintest trace of an old red lipstick on his cheek. Shin's eyes grew wide for a moment, then he processed it. He hummed, then nodded. The boy then inquired, "What about you, Shin? You seemed pretty shaken back there. Figure it has to do with the fact you were surprised by the fact the UNSC's who they say they are?"
"Pretty much," Shin shrugged.
Daiya's smirk grew into a pearly grin, "Figured... I had my doubts, too, but then they did the thing for Theo's camp... Captain Iida's trooper being rescued... And now, this. Treating me with their own meds and stuff," He then sighed and leaned back into the automated bed, which cushioned and assisted with his repositioning, "They're good people, Shin. Good people that someone or something pretty much dropped in our laps..."
"Let me guess. Shouldn't look gift horses in the mouth, right?" Shin replied almost monotonely. Daiya detected the faintest trace of joy in the back of that speech, but it was tinged with the usual Shinei Nouzen coldness. Shin added as a reply to his own rhetorical question, "I've... Already accepted that they are here to help, no matter how unlikely it seemed to me at first. I'll admit I shouldn't have been so reticent."
"Good," Daiya nodded, "Very good... And hey," He smiled, "Least now you don't have to worry as much about carrying us over, right?"
Shin nodded, one of his hands in his pocket, still hesitantly trying to accept that little new tidbit as he felt for something.
Daiya sighed, then said, "Sorry... I meant that as in you can focus on leading us, rather than worrying about us dying all the time... I don't think the UNSC's gonna let one of us tread the world out there alone, so, yeah..."
"We still have our Mission," Shin replied, "You know that."
"Yeah... Guess we're gonna have to sneak out, eh?" Daiya smiled.
"Probably... I'll let you rest, Daiya. And I'll go see if I can't get you another vehicle," Shin offered. Daiya nodded, then gave Shin a quick salute which the boy returned. He departed, his left hand still fiddling with the item in his pocket. He sighed, pulled his hand out and continued walking. He probably shouldn't worry, he thought, since his team still seemed to need him. He wondered for a second how long that'd last before pushing that stupid thought all the way down.
His team needed him. And as much as he would never really admit this, he needed them. For how emotionally stunted Shinei Nouzen was, he still cared for his team, because, in the end, on the battlefield, when one was bleeding out, the men and women beside them were the only family they had left. He had failed his brother when he was younger. He would not fail his friends... No matter if and when the need for him to do his duty as the Reaper would arise again. He unconsciously caressed the cold steel of the handgun on his thigh, then breathed in and out.
Exiting to the tarmac again, he watched as a convoy of UNSC Vehicles began rolling out. He ran toward one of the vehicles that hadn't yet left, then waved an Army Trooper bearing Lieutenant's insignia on his shoulders to him. The CO hoisted his BR55 onto his shoulder, then turned and saluted Shin out of instinct and respect. Shin returned it for much the same reasons, then asked, "What's going on, Lieutenant?"
"Command wants us to expand out into the wild. An Early Warning System, of sorts. We're the first company out, immediate. We'll be setting up the outpost near the ruins of a city... I think it's the same one you found Major Volkov and his men in," The man replied, then mounted up onto the Troop Hog while a squadron of three Oryx IFVs rumbled past them in a column. The man spoke again, calm, "Don't worry, Cap. We've got the firepower and the radios to call for backup. Command's really going all-out now with the deployment."
"Take it it's because of the Republic government?" He raised a brow.
"And Admiral Nakano beginning the talks with the uppermost echelons, aye," Replied a soldier, smiling at Shin from the Troop Hog's right seat, a shotgun firmly gripped in his hands and set on safe. Behind them, a female Corpsman was doing last checkup on the medical supplies in her pack. She had features much like Admiral Nakano's, though she was much younger. Beside her, a rocket trooper held close a pack full of double tubes with Spanker rockets, while to his left, the sniper of the team was slotting ammunition into the mags. Finally, to their backs sat the two riflemen of the team, each toting MA37ks.
The Marines, Shin remembered, used the MA5B and MA5C in seeming unison, while the Army had remained standardized on the old 37k, a workhorse of an assault rifle that looked way more angular, sort of like the UNSC ships one would see in the images their allies brought planetside, while the MA5s looked more like the sleek Covenant ships they'd seen, if he were to make proper comparisons to the designs.
One of the Riflemen was fast asleep, hugging his rifle, while his pal smiled and gave a salute to Shin. Or Shin thought that he or she had smiled at him. It was kind of hard to tell anything with the balaclava and tinted glasses. If anything, the thinner frame told Shin that that was possibly a girl. To him, it didn't really matter. He saluted her or him back, then looked to the Lieutenant and stated, "We're a Para-RAID call away if you need us, Lieutenant."
"We know, Cap," The man offered a curt, but respectful nod, "We're counting on you busting our asses out of trouble. Oryxes can only do so much 'till the tanks show up."
"I understand... Still," He offered, his mind flashing back to the dozen body bags he'd seen lined up on the tarmac. Shaking his head, he said, "Compared to us, the UNSC's assets are valuable. You have few men-"
"With all due respect, sir," The Lieutenant frowned at the boy, raising a hand to interrupt him, "Nobody in this FOB or in any Eighty-Six FOB is more valuable than the Eighty-Six themselves. Especially not greenhorns when it comes to fighting the Legion. People like us are reliant on you to keep our asses alive against the damn machines out there, or at least to give us the indication of what to do when we're in battle."
Shin remained silent, regarding the Lieutenant. The man spoke on, "So don't give us the crap that you ain't valuable. Vets are always one of the most valuable parts of a unit. We'll see ya if and when you inevitably have to rescue our asses from the bots. Kalinin, get us rollin' out to join the Convoy. And hit the road tunes... Highway to Hell, if'n'you don't mind."
"Hah. Aye, El-Tee," The driver said as the man clambered aboard, flipping on a makeshift radio they'd strapped to the dashboard of the Warthog and slotting in some form of USB drive. The slow riff of a guitar was soon joined by drums as the vehicle's hydrogen engine purred to life. The Lieutenant looked to Shin, offered him a smile, and a quick salute as he set aside his BR55.
"We'll see you when we see you, cap. Take care."
"You too, Trooper," Shin replied respectfully. The machine rolled forward as the vocals kicked in, joining up with the line of about a dozen other 'Hogs and Oryxes as they rolled out, equipment strapped to webbing that hung off the sides of their vehicles. Above them, a pair of Hornets were flying to provide escort. The Captain crossed his arms to his chest.
His Para-RAID device pinged and he hummed, then ran a hand over the item on his ear and started, "Major."
"Hello, captain! Apologies for these two days. I've been made busy by... Everything that's going on..." She greeted jovially, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine," He replied calmly, "Adapting to the new reality of our life on the base... You should see what the UNSC has done to it," He then offered and turned to walk toward their own section of the base. As he walked, he asked, "I take it that the negotiations are ongoing between the Republic government and the UNSC? If you've been so busy, they must've required someone who viewed the Eighty-Six as... More than just numbers."
"Indeed. Believe it or not, it turns out that the current president of the Republic is sympathetic to the Eighty-Six... More than that, she's fairly familiar to me, seeing as she, my father and General Karlstahl were all part of the military in the early days of this war. My ONI agent friends told me as much while we were preparing for Samantha to take on her patrol mission today," She explained, the noise of china clinking against itself echoing over the auditory nerve link. She took a sip from whatever she was drinking.
"That is..." Shin paused, "One of the current leadership is with us? And she's the president, no less..." a small warmth growing in his chest.
"Yes! I was as surprised to hear she retained her beliefs. Auntie Jeanne was always a bit mean, but... She and dad always cared about you and your people. With the UNSC around, she's been emboldened... Been contacting me a lot more, too, when we hadn't really talked after dad and I took that fateful trip. Said she's planning to get the Eighty-Six home as soon as the preparations are complete, but we're still running through the possible plans for... What is supposed to happen."
"I see..." Shin paused, "I'll make sure to pass the news on to everyone else. Thank you, major."
"No problem, captain... I apologize, but I must go again. I have to go to that party soon and... Mom's forcing me to get ready..." She sighed deeply, "I'll try and contact you tonight, what with the Festival's last preparations."
"Very well... We may take a small patrol mission farther out. To use the gift you've given us," Shin spoke.
"I'm happy to hear that. Take care of yourselves out there, Captain. And don't worry, we'll talk more tonight," She offered. After the two bid goodbye to each-other, Shin stood to his feet, entering the FOB to be met by the sight of Kurena, Theo, Mary and the Lieutenant of the Mechanics playing cards. And gambling. He didn't like the idea of his troops being taught gambling, but he could do little to them. This was their free time.
"Yo, Shin," Theo waved, "You look more chipper than usual."
"If I do," Shin shrugged, unaware of what 'more chipper' was supposed to mean, "The Major just called," and, ignoring Kurena's scoff and Mary's chuckle at the girl, he started explaining what she'd told him. To say that the entire crew was dumbfound was an understatement. He gauged their reactions, noticing the two UNSC soldiers in front of them taking it in with smiles, while both Kurena and Theo seemed dumbfound.
"Gotta be shitting me..." Theo murmured, "We had an in? All this time? She could've..." He sighed.
"I'm going to assume that the woman couldn't do much because of the current governmental structure of the Republic and the lack of support. Now that she and the Major have the backing of the UNSC, which, to the Republic, is a terrifying entity to behold, they're emboldened to move ahead with the plans, as is the UNSC..." Shin supposed, pretty much, "And they seem to be moving along decently fast."
"This sounds too good to be true," Kurena remarked, clearly reticent.
"Nah," The Lieutenant shrugged, "Admiralty told some of us as much in communiques from up-stairs. They were just waiting for confirmation that several members of the Republic's staff were willing to assist them."
"... You guys could've mentioned that, you know?" Theo stated.
"You didn't ask," Mary shrugged and the echo of two palms hitting foreheads rippled through the mess hall. Shin snorted, then shook his head. With a wave of the hand to Kurena, he departed, letting the four continue chatting it up. Kurena blushed, then smiled as she looked into her cards, to which Mary hummed. She raised a finger, signalling a break in the game, then showed Theo to follow her.
As the two retreated out of earshot of the Lieutenant and Kurena, Mary asked, "... Does Kukumila have a crush on the captain?"
Theo's cheeks grew red, but he grinned, "You can read her that easily?"
"Like an open book," Mary grinned, "Oh, boy, oh, boy... I wonder if there's already bets."
"There are," Theo nodded, "I and Raiden bet the dishes for a whole month if Kurena does confess and Shin likes her back," Before he and Mary both felt a looming presence of danger to their immediate right. Slowly, both turned to see Anju looming to their right. She was smiling, but the narrowed eyes and the shade over her face was certainly a threatening enough aura for the two to reconsider their life choices.
"Mister Theoto... Miss Mary... I don't think that's very nice..."
"... Oh, no..."
Later that day.
Republic of San Magnolia
Revolution Day Festival Ball
The Palace Blancneige's halls had been decked out in colors, flowers and golden lights and streamers. The Eastern Hall, filled to the brim by the highest echelons of the Republic's government, military and general aristocracy, felt like one of the most stuck-up places to be, currently, on the planet. So many ass-kissing diplomats and politicians, so many up-and-comers of both the Military and the Noble Families...
And there Lena was, sat in a corner, a bouquet of flowers in one hand and clad in a dress as black as the starless night outside, with her hair loose and barely arranged and a flower of some sort in her hair. Her lips were red, covered by the lipstick her mother had chosen for her. She remained ever-thankful that she had had the option to choose her own dress and her mother could say little.
She sighed, feeling the Para-RAID device that was wrapped around her neck. Of course, she'd taken it, seeing as she'd promised she'd be talking to the Captain and the others during the party. She looked around, watching as the fat cats of the Republic rubbed elbows and laughed with one-another, waiting for a certain someone to appear. Lucky for her, the first person to pop into her Field of View was Samantha.
Clad in a backless red dress that was about as eye-catching as they came and with lips as red as it, the girl approached her friend, calling out, "Lenaaaa! You look..." And she gave her a once-over, "Good...? Who died?"
Lena rolled her eyes, "Oh, hush. I like black. Keeps possible suitors away."
Sam snorted, "Yeah, yeah, fair enough... So. You seen Matt or Annette?"
"Not yet," She shrugged, "Wait... Why would Matt be here? Wouldn't he be doing..." She leaned forward and looked around, then pulled Sam down and whispered, "Wouldn't he be out there reporting to the President or doing some odd job?" to which her friend grinned the most shit-eating grin Lena had ever seen an ONI spook wear. Admittedly, this was the first time she saw a Spook this smug.
She hummed, then saw her staring past her, at the entrance. Following the gaze, the young woman was met both by the whispers of the locals, but also by the strangest sight ever. Walking arm in arm, with one of them wearing one of the fanciest tuxes ever seen beside being well-groomed, while the other was clad in the dress she'd picked for herself, which included a yellow short-sleeved jacket and a pearl necklace around her neck, Mathieu and Annette walked in together, gauging the reactions of everyone around them.
Lena seemed to copy Sam's ear-to-ear grin at this point, watching the duet strolling forth together under the sister and major's watchful gaze. The two noticed them and both turned red in the face, averting their gazes from the two familiar faces in the crowd. Lena covered her mouth as she let out an ugly snort, trying to stifle the laugh, while Sam crossed her arms to her chest and gave a slow, approving nod to his brother.
"Oh, what is it?" Annette whispered, "I accepted so some of my other suitors don't try anything..."
"And I kind of volunteered for guard duty," Matt added.
Sam and Lena looked to one-another, wearing knowing grins, before Lena looked to Annette and said, "Sorry, Matt, but I have to seize miss Von Penrose for a bit... We're going to the punch bowl..." before grabbing Annette by the arm and dragging her away, much to the surprise of both of the siblings. Stopping by the opaque, alcoholic pink drink and pouring themselves a pair of glasses, the two girls stood for a moment.
Before Lena asked with the widest grin on her face, "So, how'd that happen?"
"... Oh, my god..." Annette whined and planted a palm on her face, "No... I should've known you two would..."
"Hey, c'mon... He is a nice guy. Sure, he's..." She leaned forward and whispered, "An agent of a foreign extraterrestrial army, but he's been nothing but open and warm to you."
"Lena!" Annette snapped, though her voice was low as she was glaring at her friend, "It's not happening... He may be nice, but we're just here for the sake of being here. He's saving my ass from my other suitors..." And she looked around, seeing a few of them already glaring at the poor lad, "... And I saved him from going alone to the Dance, but... I think I should've let him be. Seriously, some of the people glaring at him aren't exactly nice... Nor are the girls that are giving me the stink-eye."
Lena smiled, seemingly at her friend's obliviousness, "You're cute when you're trying to deny things, dummy..."
"SHUT..." Annette jabbed a finger in her friend's face, "We're just friends..."
"Aww... Denial is but the first stage in acceptance, my friend," Lena chuckled. Consider this payback for half the times you mocked me, the good Major thought to herself as she stared at her struggling and clearly-annoyed best friend. Annette, meanwhile, looked ready to choke her on the spot, which was even funnier, considering everything between the two of them. A little friendly teasing never hurt anyone, so went the old saying, right?
Right. She sighed, "I'm just playing. It's nice to see you with someone, actually... Someone that isn't a twelve-year-old or an old man."
Annette breathed out, seemingly calming down from the short bout of impotent rage she felt, before turning to see Matt being approached by some other girls. She pouted, then said, "I guess so... 'Scuse me..." She then stated and walked off to go rescue her poor 'date' from the clutches of the other women in the room. Lena chuckled, then leaned against the table and took a big swig of the drink, the small amounts of alcohol stinging the back of her throat.
She watched as Annette played coy and managed to ward off the dozen or so young girls that were lowkey 'harassing' him, then the two exchanged one look and... Annette actually laughed off the event with him. Lena was pretty sure the alcohol had hit her suddenly. Sam, meanwhile, seemed to stare with just as much pure surprise at the two as they began talking.
She approached Lena, then said, "How strong is that?"
"Either too strong or not strong enough..." Lena murmured.
"Hah... Noted..." Sam offered, then poured herself a glass that was full almost to the lip, before downing the entire thing in one breathless go. She shook her head, then turned to face them again and stated rather bluntly, "Damn, this thing's got that cheap alcohol in it..." and pausing as he saw a man about her age entering the place. She hummed, then said, "Fuck it... Sorry, Lena, guess you're being left alone for a mo... Gotta go try something."
"Sure," Lena nodded, "I'd suggest leaving the fifth glass here, though."
The woman looked at the amount of consumed alcohol. The Punch contents of the bowl had dropped considerably within the last few minutes, unbeknownst to either of them. If Lena was to be believed, Samantha had just consumed over a quarter of the punch bowl in one go. Narrowing her lips, the Spook set her half-empty glass down, then stepped away under Lena's gaze.
The girl sighed, then shook her head and smiled at the antics of their comrades, before turning her attention to Annette as she strolled back, this time with Matt in tow. The two stopped beside Lena, with Matt commenting, "Someone let sis in the punch bowl, didn't they?" to which both Lena and Annette snorted. The major smiled at the two of them, then raised her first, half-finished glass in a cheer.
"Surprised that Annette had to save you from so many girls, Matt," She commented, "Even more so that she went in and did it."
"Hush," Annette narrowed her eyes at her, then paused, gasped and snapped a crisp salute. Lena hummed, paused, then turned to the left. Clad in a clean, pressed uniform of the Republic's military and bearing a row of medals and pins upon her chest, the president offered the trio a smile. Both Matt and Lena snapped salutes, to which she said, "At ease, kids. I'm not officer enough to be saluted anymore."
"Ma'am," Lena voiced, "You're the president, though."
"Don't matter, kiddo. We're at a ball. Rank and file goes out the window when we're just fellow party-goers," She replied, shutting Lena down then and there, then started, "So, Lieutenants Von Penrose and Moulin. I didn't know..." and she flashed a smile. Annette paused, her cheeks glowing red. She stormed off, trying to avoid communication while Matt chased after her. She chuckled, then looked to Lena again and asked, "How're ya doing, Firecracker?"
"... Just fine, auntie," Lena smiled, "Apologies for not... Well, not keeping up the letter-writing after everything."
"It's fine," She raised a hand, "I understand. You don't really wanna talk to Politicians that much."
"It's not that," Lena replied, sighing deeply, "I've been stuck, working through the ranks of the military for the better part of the last couple of years, so I could grow and be able to do something as a Handler. Something to help the Eighty-Six..." And her voice grew low at the mention of their common objective, which caused Jeanne to tense up for a moment. Lena continued, "And... You know how it is."
"I do," She nodded, "Feels good to know that we've got the backup we need now, huh?"
Lena grinned, "Sure does... You didn't invite the Admiral down?"
"Half the people here don't even know about the UNSC, Lena," She replied in whisper, "I'll do so when we've got a more firm base of power set up for the... Operation... Ahead of us. So we can introduce the UNSC properly to the rest of the world. Hell, if time allows it, I may force Yvonne to announce their presence and let the Admiral speak on live broadcast..." And she grinned, "Bound to shake that bitch up a bit."
Lena snorted, "That'd be a sight to see..."
"Indeed... Anyways..." Jeanne pulled an antique pocket watch and clicked it open. She spoke, "Shouldn't you be contacting Spearhead at this hour?"
"I should... If you don't mind, ma'am," Lena nodded, then motioned toward the balconies. The President took a step back, offering Lena a nod and smile in reply. As the girl departed, Jeanne poured herself her own glass full of Punch, took a sip to taste it, then wrinkled her nose and pulled out her own flask, pouring some nice, cheap, hard-smelling whiskey into the liquid. She took a sip, then smiled, content with the taste as she watched Mathieu asking Annette to the dance floor and miss von Penrose unknowingly replying warmly.
Lena, meanwhile, stepped out into the cold darkness of the balcony which overlooked much of the city.
She activated the Para-RAID...
First Ward, Eastern Front.
UNSC Outpost Alpha, Border of Legion territory.
Within the ruins of an old University, the UNSC Army elements providing the Early Warning System for the entire force located within the First Ward had set up. Each floor was packed with Army troopers, while the old underground parking lot had quickly been converted to a motor-pool where they could service their 'Hogs and the Oryx IFVs, while, above, on the helipad of the place, the squad of Hornets they'd brought for air security had been nested in place.
The Hornets had had to fly in fast and low with warnings about enemy triple-A tracking them every time they passed through a gap between the buildings of the city. Within spitting distance from them, the Legion's territories opened into a wide area of ruins, destroyed towns and fields of greenery. However, that was not the item of interest. Coming up from the rear, the Eighty-Six's Spearhead Squadron had just called in that they were here to be able to test out the stuff major Lena had sent them.
The Army Trooper guarding the gate saluted them as they passed and called out to them loudly from the guard post, her South African Accent breaking through, "It's a long way to Mukumbura, capt'n! Welcome to the first UNSC Outpost, mukkas!" with a smile on her face. A pair of UNSC trucks had also come with them with some trailers tied to their backs, filled with some extra supplies.
Entering the prospective parking spot, right in front of the damaged building's lobby, Shin and his team disembarked from their vehicles, with Anju carrying the wounded Daiya in her vehicle. The boy was walking with a crutch, but was seemingly capable enough of moving on his own after she'd helped him out. The Lieutenant that Shin had talked to came through the broken glass door.
He and Shin saluted one-another, then Shin offered, "We figured we could use this place for our own little celebration of the Revolution Festival... If that's fine with you."
"Certainly, captain," The man nodded, then motioned toward the place's stadium and said, "You can use that place. It's got plenty of space to launch the stuff and just have fun. We'll get you some MREs and maybe a rehydrated cake or something if you want... We're still setting up our own base here, but we've got some electric and pot-belly stoves running."
"We'd appreciate it," Kurena grinned.
"Right," The Lieutenant nodded, "Take care of yourselves..."
The group unloaded the supplies from their vehicles, while Mary and a couple of her fellows hauled the box full of fireworks for the celebration. Entering the stadium itself, to the sight of the decrepit seating areas which were just concrete steps from which the chairs had clearly been torn out, the damaged floodlights meant to illuminate the place and the untrimmed grass, the girls and boys of Spearhead hummed.
"Well, it looks nice," Raiden offered.
"Should be just fine for deploying the special artillery," Mary remarked with a grin as she and her boys and girls set the crate down, as well as a few other things like fold-up chairs and tables which were soon filled with basic things like pop soda and some sweets that they got off the Phoenix-class ships' own mess halls. As well as some of the stuff that Raiden had learned to bake.
As the group began to set up the Fireworks, Shin had climbed to the top of one of the bleachers, looking out over the wide football field, before sighing and leaning forward. He watched over everyone:Over Kurena as she, Haruto and Lecca smiled, laughed and got a sleeping Myna back to her feet, over Raiden and Daiya chatting each-other up over a cup of actual coffee made from genuine coffee beans and over Anju as she helped the others search through the 'ordnance' that the Major had so-keenly gifted to them.
All of them seemed much calmer, including the UNSC Staff that had joined them on this little unsanctioned outing of theirs. Admittedly, Shin had to thank them somehow. To share in the fireworks display must've seemed somewhat mundane to the UNSC, compared to the Eighty-Six, but it was the least he could do. He regarded some of the Marines and Army troopers as they milled about. Smiles and laughter filtered up to him.
He was alone with his thoughts again. He allowed himself to rest, remembering that he was in a friendly Forward Operations Base now, a forward outpost controlled by the very people that had worked so hard to prove themselves to him and his comrades. Theo drew a portrait of Mary at the girl's behest, all the while wearing a healthy blush on her cheeks, while Kurena worked to light some of the roman candles and Anju and Daiya watched the starry sky together. From this vantage point, the boy saw them intertwine their hands.
Some of the Army boys and girls strolled into the place, carrying extra food laid out on cleaned plastic trays, as well as an actual two-layer cake of some kind that must've been made from a reconstituted something or other, even though it looked naturally-made. Shin almost jumped next, watching as the first roman candle fired off into the sky and detonated with a loud, colorful pop. Streams of light met the white stars and the shining full moon, pops of color interspersed with the beautiful scenery of a silent, natural sky.
More of the fireworks lanced up, whistling all the way before striking their intended altitude and detonating in bright, beautiful flowers blossoming. His comrades laughed, cheered and raised high paper cups and cans of energy drinks and soda while he regarded the show from up above. He had missed when Raiden slipped out of the place, only to find him now approaching him. He extended Shin a can which he took with a quick, "Thanks," before popping it open and letting much of the excess gas fizzle out. Raiden sat himself down, a half-eaten sandwich in his hand.
His eyes locked on Anju and Daiya as the two danced in front of the display of fireworks, with Fido finally joining the rest of the group, the boy spoke, "To think that one step... And one missing unit... Would've meant Anju was crying instead of celebrating."
"And Daiya would've been, metaphorically, six feet under..." Shin murmured, then took a slow sip from the fizzy pop, savoring the moment despite himself.
"Good to see you finally swinging around, to our point of view," the team's unwilling 'mom' remarked with a grin on his face. He bit into his food item again, then looked forward at Anju and Daiya again, laughing with the rest of the team. Kurena, Haruto, Lecca and Myna cheered them on, as did just about everyone else of the dozen or so remaining operative within the unit.
"It was hard not to, after major Volkov and his team did what they did," Shin replied, then bowed his head, almost apologetic to the UNSC and to Raiden, "I..."
"We all had doubts at first." The boy started, calm, as he stared up at the winking dots of light around the stars... "Then came Theo's camp getting liberated and the whole sitch with them getting our gracious Handler in on the plot... A lot of us swung to the UNSC's side slowly, but we did. I think you were the last resistant member," The boy stated, watching Haruto lighting a strip of fireworks and running around as they launched. Army Medics were prepared with fire extinguishers in case the boy wound up burning himself, but he seemed to be pretty well-versed in moving fast. Lecca, meanwhile, was just terrified of him injuring both himself and others, clearly.
"Seems the effect of being given the option to live has provided our squadmates some... Desire to see some things through," Shin hummed, then pointed to the three couples. Daiya and Anju, Theo and Mary and Lecca and Haruto. Though the latter pair didn't know, Shin had become acutely aware of their exploits through rumors and actual evidence from the UNSC troops patrolling the place at night. Meanwhile, the middle pair was slowly advancing, mostly thanks to Theoto's inability to interact normally. He was usually the most abrasive out of the lot, but he turned into a puppy when around Mary. And she didn't even take advantage of it, rather becoming a puppy in her own right.
Daiya and Anju, meanwhile...
Daiya Irma had had the closest brush with death anyone in Shin's squad had had without actually needing him to put them out of their misery. Anju had screamed for him when he got hit and Shin had felt the relief washing over the girl like the show of flaming blossoms washed over the sky. The two stayed close to each-other, with Anju seemingly clinging onto the boy for dear life. Daiya had always been Anju's rock in this mess of a world. The poor girl had been a mix of a Colorata and an Alba race... She had been abused.
"I'm... I believe the term I'm searching for is 'happy'," Shin stated as he stared up at the starry sky with Raiden, "That we haven't lost anyone else..."
"Same here..." Raiden sighed, "But the UNSC paid for us..."
Shin's mind flashed back to the dozen body bags on the tarmac he had seen earlier today, catching a glean of the sadness one would feel when their comrades from another unit were lost. He spoke in a murmur, his expression grim, "A life for a life. The UNSC are fighting armor with infantry and the few tanks they have... They're fighting a war we've been forced to fight alone..."
"And they're with us," Raiden nodded, eyeing Theo and Mary as the two continued to gaze at the fireworks.
Shin jumped, then felt his right ear with his hand. Raiden smiled, then nodded and gave a quick mock salute to him. He knew his friend needed privacy for what came next. Brushing his fingers against the device strapped to his earlobe, the Captain greeted, "Good evening, Major. How is the party?" as he watched an Army trooper shotgunning his third beer for the evening, with Fido and the others already concerned.
"It's fairly boring, Captain. A lot of suits and dresses with wooden planks stuck in them, really," The girl replied, "How's your celebration?"
"It's going as planned. Save for some of the Army troops we're cooperating with bringing out the liquor," Shin winced, watching as the Lieutenant of the Army platoon dragged the man-his drunk NCO-out of the place and putting him on time-out, "Though that's being handled by the Army's officers. My squadron's trying to be have, at least..." and he locked his gaze onto Kurena as the girl was testing out her accuracy by throwing rocks at cans stacked on top of boxes. Nailing one of the stacks square in the middle, she caused it to collapse and let out a cheer muffled by an electronic song that began to play. Shin hummed, "Well... Most of them."
"... That certainly sounds more appealing than being in here," She chuckled, "How are the 'special munitions' I sent?"
"As I remember them," Shin mused, crossing his arms to his chest and leaning back, "It's nostalgic."
"Happy to hear. It means they didn't get damaged on the way over. Especially if we ignore the little incident with the Republic Officer..." She offered.
"I did not think that man would get angry enough to pull a pistol on me when I was not looking, but thankfully, major Volkov was quick on his feet in disarming the threat without causing any permanent damage... Except for a fear of polarized visors and the colors grey and black in the back of that man's head, I hope," Shin actually joked, garnering a laugh from Lena. It was a most beautiful of laughs, warm, welcoming and familiar.
"... Hah... Sorry..." Lena then spoke, "I'm glad. I would've hated having to lose the leading Processor of the elite unit I'm in command of..."
Shin hummed, then allowed himself a smile when nobody was looking. He spoke, "I won't go so easily, major. My comrades still need me... or so they say."
"I'm certain they do," She replied kindly, "Oh, the Fireworks here are starting, too... Woah..." and Shin listened calmly to the roar of the massive fireworks within the Eighty-Five Districts going off, through his link with the good major. The sky ahead of him filled yet again with the second volley of fireworks from their own arsenal, with the Army troopers also launching flares from tube grenade launchers strapped to their weaponry.
Shin felt genuine happiness for a moment. What was left of his squadron was alive and kicking, still, even after the closest brush with death one of them has ever had. He hummed, leaned forward, then asked, "How are they? Just as beautiful as in the old days?" with the undertone of the desire that she describe what she saw to him. She understood and took it upon herself, with Shin sensing the girl's heart skip a beat for a moment.
"They're big... And, yes, beautiful. There's some that look like roses, while others look like simple plants and others that are rainbow-colored, probably from the mix of chemicals between the gunpowder. There's some that are made to actually make intricate designs in the sky, with some smaller ones detonating in sequence to make the Flag of the Republic..." She described calmly, then inquired, "What about your side?"
Shin hummed, then said "Similar to the first two you mentioned, the roman candles are splitting off like roses and various colorful flowers, while the other ones are handheld and fizzle with color from the tips. Others are just cherry bombs with a few chemicals mixed in to make the small explosions look colorful... And, currently, the most distracting thing is my team-mates," Shin explained.
"Heh. What are they doing?" She asked.
"Anju and Daiya are just... Enjoying each-other's company. Kurena's currently trying to stop Haruto before he burns himself with the last ones I described... Theo is still drawing a portrait of one of the Marine Mechanics he's befriended, Raiden's running interference with the Lieutenant of the Army unit so that nobody here winds up in the makeshift infirmary that they must've set up and Lecca's helping Kurena. The others, meanwhile, are just messing about," He continued, at peace.
"Sounds like Raiden and the Army officers have their hands full," Lena remarked, probably smiling, "I'd like to be there, honestly..."
Shin narrowed his lips, a pang of guilt striking at his heart as he remembered the Long Range Reconnaissance Mission. He lied, both to himself and to her, "Maybe some day after the war is over, we will all get to see the Fireworks together..." and he felt her heart rate grow. Or was it his own? He didn't know. Calmly, he asked, "What do you want to see when the war is finally over?"
"... The sea, I think. The ocean, the wide expanses of water... I've always seen pictures in books..." She replied warily, almost melancholic.
"... Ah," Shin hummed, "I see..."
"What about you?"
"I..." Shin paused. For the first time in his life, he had no idea what to answer. He'd never really thought he'd make it past the war without his own death being added to the ledger of casualties that the Republic must keep somewhere. He answered as truthfully as he could, "I... I don't know, Major. I've never really had time to think about it with everything..."
"... Oh..." Lena seemed to pause, "... That just won't do, captain," She then stated firmly, "Take this as a piece of homework for when we meet, so either after the war or after everything in the Republic is done and dusted. I want to know what you want to see, what you want to do and where you want to go when you get out of the service. We can all do what you and your squad want, together. Provided your squadron wants me around, that is."
Shin narrowed his lips once again, then hummed and nodded, "I... I can't promise anything, but I will try, at least," before he finished up his drink and crumpled up the can.
"All I ask, captain," She added jovially, "I'll let you celebrate and then prepare to head back home. I'm sure tomorrow's going to be a day full of work for all of us."
"Very well. You have fun at the party... Or as much fun as you can have. We'll talk tomorrow, major. Good night," Shin replied, standing to his feet and starting to descend and join his team as Lena offered her own 'good night' and shut off the link. He figured he'd allow himself to do so, considering he and his folks did get a new lease of life. He paused for a moment, turning to face the dark corridor behind him. In the darkness, shapes danced and a bright light flickered. Around it, a dozen familiar faces gathered, each of them smiling at Shin... He recognized them. All of them, in the light.
... He was still the Reaper of Spearhead Squadron.