Ok, first things first, I need to give out a little bit of credit. Last chapter I somehow completely forgot (even though I reminded myself about a dozen times) to say that the conversation with Sarge was partially written by my friend and fellow writer, FalloutGuy1986. That guy is just plain awesome and has been helping me a lot to better write some of the RvB characters and add a little humor into the story. He's who you can thank for all those parts last time where Sarge actually sounded like Sarge and not whatever my attempt would have been. I can't believe I forgot to say it last time, which probably shows you all just how scatter-brained I can be at times. Anyway, major thanks to FalloutGuy and I hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

We land on Chorus a few hours later. Ruth should be sending the message to Gold now, telling him that I've come to the planet to scavenge supplies from the crashed ship. It's a good opportunity for him to kill me. I know he won't pass it up. I'm not sure how long it will take him to get here, though. We need to get in position now.

"I don't like it," Wash says as we step down the ramp of the pelican. "Leaving you out there as bate," he clarifies.

"I'm a lure, actually," I correct him, "not bate."

"What's the difference?"

"Bate is meant to be used once," I explain. "Lures are designed to last." After a moment of confused silence, I add, "It's a fishing thing, or so Nick says. He's kind of a nerd about stuff like that."

"Nick likes fishing?" Wash asks with amusement.

I shake my head. "Nick likes useless and obscure old earth facts and history."

"Alright, enough with the chit chat, ladies," Sarge says, stepping down the ramp.

I cringe inside my helmet at the tactlessness of his comment. Still, I can't help the look of sympathy I send his way. I'm sure I'd be testy too if Tinu had talked my ear off the entire flight.

Tinu bounces down the ramp next, snapping her helmet on. "I'm with the red guy. We should get moving."

I nod. "Rho, bring up the nav points," I say.

"On it," Rho chirps, and immediately arrows begin to appear on my HUD.

"Tinu, Wash, Sarge, your places are marked," I say. "Make sure to stay hidden until Rho signals you." I check to make sure they each have one of the stunners before sending them away. I then turn to Yttri and Simmons. "You two are stationed at the far end of the canyon, there," I say, pointing to a place I know is highlighted in each of their helmets.

"Shouldn't we be closer?" Yttri asks. "The stunners won't keep Gold out for long."

I shake my head. "I want you as far away from the firefight as possible," I explain. "I'd rather wait a little while for you to get over here after the fight than risk one of you getting hit by a stray bullet."

Yttri makes a noise like she's going to argue, then falls silent. "Fine," she says after a moment.

Before the two leave, I hand Simmons the last stunner.

"Don't you need this?" he asks as he hesitantly reaches for the gun.

"Not enough to go around," I explain, shrugging. "I'll deal with Gold hand-to-hand." I then pull one of the pistols from my hip and offer it to Yttri.

Yttri backs up a step. "Si, I- I can't," she says, not moving her hands from her side. "You know I-"

I step toward her and pull one of her wrists forward, pressing the gun into her hand. "I know you're a good shot," I say. "Don't hesitate." Yttri continues her mumbled protests, and I speak a little louder to drown them out. "It's just in case of an emergency".

I let go of the pistol. For a moment, I think it will tip out of her hand, before she finally tightens her grip. Her hands shake slightly as she puts the gun in the holster on her hip.

"Get going," I say, nodding toward the other end of the canyon. "You need to be hidden before Gold gets here."

Yttri nods once, curtly, before turning around. "Come on, cyborge," she says as she walks past the maroon soldier. Simmons spends a moment glancing between us nervously, obviously curious about the exchange, before hurrying to follow her.

I sigh as they leave. I know Yttri hates using guns. She has ever since the attacks. I've never gotten the whole story, but she'd been shot a few times when I found her, and her partner was missing. I never asked her to tell me more, and she never offered. A lot of us prefer not to talk about what happened that day.

I push aside these memories and focus back on the present. I turn to face the hornet sitting in the grass behind the pelican. "You know where you're going?" I ask.

"Si," Lopez voice projects from the ship.

"Whole new body, and you can still only speak Spanish?" I ask. My only answer is silence and the slight hum of a motor. "Alright, get going," I say, shooing him away. Lopez takes off and disappears over the top of a cliff.

"What about me?" Doc asks from where he's standing at the back of the pelican.

"Stay in the ship," I tell him. "And be ready if anyone needs you."

Doc nods before walking back up the ramp. My sincerest hope is that we won't need him and that he'll spend the entire mission sitting and waiting. I assume that's how most people feel about doctors. It's smart to have them around, but you really don't want to need them.

I spin in a slow circle, surveying my surroundings. Everyone's in place. All that's left is to wait for Gold.

Luckily, I don't have to wait long. It's less than an hour before the sensors we left in orbit alert me to an approaching ship. It matches the type we know Gold's been using.

"Alright, Rho, let everyone know he's here," I say, stepping away from the pelican.

I begin walking toward the wreckage of the UNSC ship. I make sure to keep my eyes focused ahead of me, not allowing myself to scan the sky for the ship I know is cloaked somewhere up there. I try to guess what Gold's doing now, if he's landed yet or if he's still watching from the sky. He's probably using an active camo unit again, so I won't see it coming when he does attack.

As if he's reading cues from my mind, Gold chooses that moment to kick me in the back. I fall forward and roll back to my feet, spinning to face my brother. He fades into view as I raise my fists.

"Gold," I gasp, feigning surprise at his presence.

"You never did learn to watch your back," he says, stepping forward slowly. "You're so used to having someone there to take care of you. First Manny, then me. You never figured out how to work alone."

"She isn't alone," Rho says, projecting herself just over my shoulder.

"Rho," Gold says, voice containing a menacing happiness. "Mom will be glad when I bring you back."

"Not gonna happen," I say, raising my fists higher.

"Come on, Si," Gold says, holding his hands out to the side. "You know you can't beat me."

I rush forward and throw a few punches, which Gold dodges. "I wouldn't be too sure of that," I say. I aim a kick at his chest, but he spins away from it and comes back with an attack of his own.

I dodge a few punches before letting one hit my stomach. The force of the blow knocks the breath out of me and I stagger back, drawing Gold toward Tinu's hiding spot. Gold lets me stumble away from him as he talks.

"You never should have left, Si." Gold's voice is filled with anger as he stalks toward me. "You shouldn't have abandoned mom."

"I didn't abandon anyone," I spit out. "She left us for dead. She betrayed us."

"She's our mother!" Gold shouts.

"She never cared for us," I insist, backing closer to the cave where I know Tinu is hiding. "We were nothing but experiments to her."

Gold stops in his tracks, and I take a half step toward him. "Please, Gold, just listen. We don't need to fight."

"Yes, we do," he whispers, hand disappearing behind his back. I realize what he's doing just as his hand comes back into view. "Catch!" he shouts, hurling the glowing blue grenade at me.

I dodge to the side just in time, hearing the hiss as the grenade flies by my head. "Mom must be affecting your sense of humor," I comment, trying to sound casual as Gold charges toward me. I raise my arms to bock his hastily thrown punches. "Burning plasma to the face isn't really the same as playing catch."

"Just die!" Gold growls, kicking me in the chest. I stagger back under the force and struggle to regain my balance.

"You know you don't mean that," I pant as I duck under another punch, nearly falling to my knees.

Gold takes the opportunity to kick me in the side and I roll in an attempt to lessen the impact. "You're a traitor," he snaps.

I stumble to my feet exaggeratedly, hoping to convince Gold of his victory. "Almost there," Rho whispers in my helmet's speakers.

"I'm also your sister," I tell Gold. I know I have to keep talking, keep his focus on me. "Even if I'm a traitor, we're still family. I know you don't want to kill me."

Gold laughs, but the sound lacks any form of humor. It's a noise of anger and pain twisted into resentment. "You've never been betrayed," he says with scorn. "You've never had everyone you loved, who you thought you could trust, turn against you. If you did, you'd understand."

I back up a little further and Gold follows, finally stepping past Tinu's hiding place.

"If you were in my place, if someone betrayed you, you'd want them dead too."

"That's not true!" Tinu shouts, jumping out of her hiding place and kicking Gold in the back. He stumbles forward but stops himself before running into me. "She would never hurt any of us. She doesn't want to hurt you."

Gold turns, trying to face both Tinu and myself at once. "I didn't want to believe it," he says, looking at Tinu. "I can't believe you'd choose to side with her!"

"We just want to help you," Tinu says. She holds her hands out in a disarming gesture and takes a tentative step toward him. "Please, let us help."

Gold charges toward her. "I. Don't. Need. Your. Help!" he shouts, each word punctuated by a barely dodged kick or punch.

I run toward them. Tinu won't be able to hold out for long against Gold's onslaught, not on her own. As I reach them, I see Wash and Sarge out of the corner of my eye, running toward us. Rho must have signaled them while I was distracted. I kick at Gold's legs from behind, trying to knock him off his feet. He somehow sees it coming and jumps over my kick. Still, it gives Tinu enough time to get out of Gold's reach, which is what I'd wanted.

By the time Gold regains his balance, Sarge and Wash have caught up with us. Gold glances at the new arrivals as we surround him. "So you're still working with these idiots," he observes.

"I'll show you who's an idiot," Sarge challenges, brandishing his stunner. "Prepare to taste red justice!"

Gold darts toward Sarge before he has a chance to fire. He knocks the gun out of Sarge's hands and kicks him in the chest, sending him sprawling back in the dirt.

"Sarge!" Wash shouts, stepping between Gold and the older man.

Tinu and I lunge toward Gold at the same time, trying to grab him, but he dodges out of the way. He snatches Sarge's gun off the ground and sprints a safe distance away before turning to face us again.

Gold glances down at the gun in his hands for a second, studying it. "Yttri designed this?" he guesses. He doesn't bother to wait for an answer. "I wonder what it does." He aims at us and fires.

Rho flashes a line on my HUD to show the path of the plasma blast. I push Tinu to the side before jumping back, barely making it out of the way in time.

Gold laughs and raises the gun to fire again. He stops, though, when he notices that the gun has started to glow and hum. "What the hell?" he whispers. An instant later there's a bright explosion of plasma and electricity.

There's a momentary pause before Tinu sprints over to Gold's side and checks his pulse. "He's okay," she calls out, and I release the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

With Tinu taking care of Gold, I reach down a hand to Sarge. "You can get up now," I say to the deathly still man, amusement lacing through my words. Sarge's hand shoots up to grab mine and he practically bounces to his feet as I pull him up. "That was some good acting," I comment.

Sarge grunts happily as he brushes the dirt off his arms. "Acting is a time honored military tradition," he explains in what I assume he thinks is a scholarly tone. "You have to fool the enemy with superior intelligence and nerves of steel."

I smile at the comments as we walk toward Gold. My eyes harden instantly when I see him, lying on the ground with the burnt remains of the overloaded stunner still clutched in his hands. Tinu's pulled his helmet off, and I can't help but think how young and peaceful he looks. For just a moment, he looks like my brother again. The moment doesn't last, however, as Gold's eyes slowly drift open and a scowl fixes on his face.

He tries to stand but Tinu holds him down.

"Let me go!" Gold growls.

"Calm down," I say, trying to keep my voice gentle despite the adrenaline still in my veins. "This'll be over soon." I turn away from him as Rho turns on my radio, getting ready to tell Simmons and Yttrium to come over.

"Are you hurt?" Tinu asks Gold, hands still planted firmly on his shoulders.

Gold makes a noise that's half laugh, half pain filled groan. "If I were you, I wouldn't be too worried about me. I'd be worried about Yttrium and that sim-trooper."

The same moment my radio activates, I hear an explosion from their side of the canyon.

Also, I leave you this evil cliffhanger. Mwa ha ha.