Chapter 9

Disclaimer: So, yeah. In the last chapter, I said I hoped to get the next one out quicker. So much for that. Also, I don't own Red vs Blue.

"The Unicorn has destroyed her first ship! She is currently waiting to recharge and is taking fire from two other ships."

"And the fourth cruiser?" Duke asked.

"We're hammering it pretty hard. Our missiles tore through it's shields immediately and now our cannons are finishing it off."

"Excellent. As soon as the cruiser is down, we're headed for the planet."

"What?" Simmons spoke up. "Aren't we gonna assist the Unicorn?"

"We don't have time for that! We have to take the planet and get to Halsey as soon as possible! Understood!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

"Cruiser down, Commander!"

"Excellent, full speed ahead! Get us to the planet's surface!"

"Landfall in t-minus 30 minutes!"

"All soldiers, this is a message from your commander. Head for the docking bay and prepare for battle!" He then turned to the soldiers surrounding him. "My friends, let's win this thing!"

(**)

"I don't know about this," Roberts said as they waited at the pelican. "The commander doesn't seem like himself."

"You noticed that, too?" Snyder asked. "Personally, I'm terrified. It seems like he's becoming unhinged."

"It definitely seems like he's going off the deep end," West added. "I say we power through this battle and hope he calms down afterward."

"Doesn't seem like we can do much else, huh?" Snyder asked. "What do you think, Simmons?" When he didn't answer, she turned to him. "Simmons?"

(**)

"Simmons! You're really pissing me off, here!" The boy was only two years older that Simmons, but was a lot stronger than him. "Where's my money?"

"I don't have anything for you." The pain was sharp as the boy hit him across the face, but Simmons was numb to it.

"Wrong answer, boy! I think I need to beat some manners into you!"

"You're the one who needs some manners, boy!" They both turned to see a man with blond hair and a beard, his green eyes piercing through the both of them.

The boy let Simmons go and took a few steps back. "I-I..."

The man took a step forward and the boy ran off.

Simmons slumped to the floor and just sat there. After a few moments, he noticed the man had walked up to him and was now kneeling. "You alright there, lad?"

Simmons looked up and just stared at him. The green eyes that seemed so fierce a moment ago appeared softer now.

Simmons didn't answer. He just stared at the man a bit, then looked down. "Go away."

"Well, that's just rude." Simmons could hear the man sitting down next to him. "So, what's your story, lad?"

Simmons looked up at him. "What do you care?"

The man shrugged. "I got a soft spot for orphans."

Simmons gaze hardened. "What makes you think I'm an orphan?"

"Aren't you?"

"...How'd you know?"

The man looked away for a moment, before focusing his gaze back on Simmons. "I know what it's like to lose your family. You just got that look."

Simmons looked down. "My parents were murdered by UNSC soldiers. We were farmers, living somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Then, the Covenant attacked. And the UNSC...they...they bombed us. They just..." Tears started gathering in his eyes. He could feel the man wrap an arm around his shoulder. He pressed his face into the man's chest and cried. Everything he'd been burying for months was welling up and he couldn't stop himself. He didn't know how long they were sitting there, but he eventually calmed down.

"Feeling better?" The man asked after they sat in silence for a while.

Simmons nodded. "I just don't understand why they did it."

"I do. They wanted to kill the Covenant."

"But...my family. The town."

"They didn't matter. Not to them. They just cared about killing their enemy."

Simmons sniffed. "I hate them."

"Me, too." Simmons looked up at the man. "They took my family away as well."

"To kill Covenant?"

"...Yes. To kill Covenant."

"...What did you do?"

"What I've always done. I fought."

"You're a soldier?"

"Yes, I'm an officer in the Insurrection. I've been fighting the UNSC since I was your age."

"Really?!" Simmons could feel excitement rising up in him. "Could you...could you teach me to fight them?"

"Why?" The man turned to Simmons, his green eyes piercing right through him. "What do you want?"

"I want to avenge my family."

The man remained silent for a while. "War is not something to be taken lightly, lad. What happened to your family was only the tip of the iceberg. If you come with me, you'll be subjected to far worse."

"I don't care. I want to fight. What else am I supposed to do?"

"Ah, and there we are. Do you really want to fight, or do you just think you have no other options?" Simmons didn't know how to answer that. "What is it you really want?"

Simmons thought about that. He remembered the fire raining from the sky. People screaming in agony. Buildings reduced to dust. His family. The scent of his mother's perfume. The way his dad stroked his beard while reading. Everything he had taken for granted until it was gone. "I want a family. And I don't care if I have to fight a war to get one."

The man got up. "What's your name?"

"Richard. Richard Simmons. My parents called me Dick."

The man smiled. "Hello, Dick." He reached out his hand. "My name's Roland."

(**)

"Simmons!" Snyder's shout snapped Simmons out of his memory.

"Huh, what did you say?"

"We were talking about how weird the commander has been acting lately. You noticed that, right?"

"What of it?"

That startled them. "What of it?" Snyder asked.

"When a drug lord almost made you his whore, who saved you? Who was it that massacred the entire drug cartel and gave you a new life?"

Snyder looked down for a moment before answering. "The commander."

"Roberts, when the UNSC would have thrown you in prison for stealing military property, who freed you?"

"The commander did."

"West, who was it that recruited you into the Insurrection, saving you from being a simple thug for some lowly gang?"

"The commander did."

"The commander has been through far worse than any of us. But still, he found the time to help random children. He gave us a home. A family. And you doubt him because of some erratic behavior?"

"...You're right," Roberts said. "The man has always been a father to us. He's never given us any reason to doubt him."

"Exactly. We are going to go out there, we are going to kill Halsey and we will drink ourselves silly in celebration!"

They all laughed.

"Thanks, Simmons," Snyder said, smiling warmly. "I know I've already said it, but, it's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back."

"Attention, lads!" Commander Duke yelled as he entered the hangar. "Landfall in five. Move to your pelicans!"

"This is it, guys," Simmons said as he put his helmet on. "Time to finish this."

They got into the pelican and strapped themselves in.

For the commander.

Simmons could feel the pelican rising up and accelerate as it flew out of the ship.

For the friends we lost.

The aircraft started rocking as anti-aircraft missiles attempted to shoot it down. Despite his conviction, Simmons was afraid that they might die before landing. His thoughts turned to his mother and father. Simmons was ashamed to admit that he could barely remember what they looked like. Still their loss pained him. To commander Duke, who had become a father figure to him and given him a life and family worth living and fighting for.

Finally, as he felt the pelican land and the saw the hatch open, he thought of the one person he missed the most. He got up, picked up his battle rifle and started towards the hatch.

For Liv.