Purpose Of Existence chapter 34: The Memories You Never Knew Hurts The Most
Doctor Halsey was tired.
Jesus, she has stared the orange screen laid in front of her for hours. Its orange glow lightly illuminating the rather large research facility, given to her by Captain Cutter when they arrived landside.
She picked up the long gone cold cup of coffee and took a sip. Anybody else would have spit it out but Halsey had gotten used to the taste by now. "Long sleepless hours" She muttered setting the cup back down and forcing her focus back to the monitor.
She had done this for hours, almost two days straight with no more than four hours of sleep and it was showing. She had noticed that every passing minute she read the data collected from Maethrillian slower and slower. Missing a flew lines in the process, or so she thought, Halsey really couldn't be sure at this point. Not that she could afford to complain, everyone else were in this mess just as much as she was...Expect they had no hope of fixing it. Glassman was smart but naive and a bit afraid of forerunner objects after the Requiem incident.
So the task of finding them a way out of this mess was thrown over her shoulders, even tho she was still technically a prisoner. Lasky didn't seem to mind, he was a good man, quiet but smarter way beyond his years and that hurt of gold. A small amount of naivety mixed with everlasting kindness makes a man that should have nothing to do with warships…
Yet he was the perfect man to quide Infinity and her people beyond this nightmare, beyond any nightmare. He had earned the respect and loyalty of her crew by his actions, by being the captain they needed him to be. Not like Del Rio who ruled by fear, intimidation, abusing his captains seat to fulfill his need for power. To forcefully make others respect you.
No. That might work for the elites but no in UNSC. Yes you might survive and even rank up with those beliefs but true heroes are not born, they aren't made. They choose their own path and follow it till the end. She might have given the spartans the tools to save the universe, but she was not the one to fight those battles, she did not decide what was necessary to keep going, to survive. That decision they made themselves.
The spartans saved the human race.
And the quilt still follows her around to this day. She was the one to orchestrate the kidnappings, she chose who to take. They never saw their parents again. Never felt the warmth of their mothers embrace or played basketball with their father.
It was all necessary if we wanted to survive.
Yeah. That's what she tells herself to this day. Yet the quilt never leaves. She took John as her own, even tho she had no right to. Still doesn't have.
Halsey sighted deeply and stared at her lap. Now was not the time for this, there's too many lives at stake.
Yet she found her mind wandering if people like Thomas Lasky were truly able to be so great without any augmentations, were the spartans truly necessary? Were all those sacrifices for nothing? Every lost human... possibly destined for greatness, dead because she decided so?
Her melancholy thoughts were interrupted by a synthetic voice. "The decisions of the past are the ones that weight on our shoulders the most, yet on your shoulders I see the quilt of hundreds". Medicant Bias was staring her. His arms were limp by his side and his face showed almost...Saddened expression?
"Many thousands years ago a decision was made by the librarian". Bias paused to step aside and an image of the librarian appeared.
"The war as we knew it...Was lost. The flood was unstoppable after our mistakes with the ancient humans. So a decision was made to fire the halo super weapons to give you a change to start again. To give you hope for the future, a future free of the parasite". The holo followed Biases story and shifted through the events that shaped what the galaxy was today. Events recorded thousands of years ago, yet only recently discovered.
"Before the ignition of the rings Librarian hid seeds in your species genes. Seeds that would be passed down for generations until one day they would blossom and a human would be born. This human would have a gift and this gift would be so special that he or she would save the galaxy". Once again the screen followed his speechs showing images of heroes and geniuses long dead. Darwin, Edison, Faraday, Tesla, Napoleon, Häyhä and Carpenter.
"Do not dread over your decision of abducting this children and what you did to them. These events were decided a long time ago". Bias pausing for a moment, realizing how that sounded. His voice came out softer "Without the augmentations those soldiers would have been dead long ago. Master Chief included. What you did to them makes our current dilemma possible. It makes our existence possible". A image of their galaxy popped up. "If you didn't augment them, the flood would have prevailed and everyone would be dead. There would be nothing left to save". After this the holo shut down and Bias walked back to the center of the pedestal.
"The only thing that did not go as planned...Was the dead of Master Chiefs anchilla".
"Cortana? What does she have to do with this?" Halsey cut in.
If Bias was offended by her cutting in, he didn't show it. "Those two are bound by a bond far deeper than simple comrades in arms or lovers". At this Halsey's eyes almost popped out.
"Spartans against common belief do feel, they just bury it better than normal soldiers...But love? Spartans don't love". The statement could have sounded cold, and it did but there was cold, raw logic behind it.
"Ahh Doctor but this is where you are wrong. Love is not a thing that can be removed, attachment is a powerful emotion, putting other people's beliefs and needs before your own is something not done lightly". Biases stare suddenly got a lot sharper as he said out loud the last few words of his observations "It was decided thousands of years ago that those two will change the galaxy and mark my words. Their story is not yet at an end".
"Now I believe your console has been trying to tell you something for over an hour. I believe it should be most helpful in our current predicament". With that Bias disappeared. Leaving a slightly dumbfounded Halsey behind.
Halsey pulled herself together and made her way back to the console. Pulling her glasses back on and staring at the line the computer had picked off among the thousands of others.
Her eyes widened and she inhaled sharply "My god, how could I have been so blind?" Immediately picking up her tablet she contacted Roland.
"Ma'am" Was the passive answer after around 3 seconds of waiting. Halsey couldn't care less "Get me Lasky and fast".
"Doctor Halsey, I take it you have found something". The captain's voice was passive yet reserved. Not showing any hostility what so ever.
"Two things in fact". Lasky could hear loud bangs and small curses. Items being thrown?
"First you need to get my spartans out of High Charity right now" The last part being emphasised.
"And why would I do that. You know just as well as I do that we need a way off this rock and High Charity is just as good place as any to start".
"Perhaps this will change your perspective on "how good" place it truly is" Irritation was now evident in her voice and a file popped up on Infinity's bridges main terminal/holotable.
"Lasky managed to read about three lines before Roland's voice cut in "My god".
"What is it Roland?" He could hear the fear in the AI's voice and didn't like it one bit.
"Sir I think I agree with Halsey". Roland pulled up the lines Halsey had been studying. "We need to get our spartans out of there right now". Lasky didn't even have to finish it before he was yelling to the nearest comm officer to get Palmer to the Bridge yesterday.
"Captain?" Halsey's voice cut through halting him in his tracks.
"I believe we still had the other thing to discuss". Was all she said. Lasky now turning around and shooting her a glare. "And what would be so important, as to overrule our soldiers safety?"
Halsey just gave him a look "I believe I have found a way off this installation".
Alright folks so I know this wasn't quite the chapter you were expecting and to be frank...It wasn't the chapter I was expecting to write but the Halsey/Bias think took much longer than I believed so...Here we are :D. Have a good one. All of you.