"Wlecome to McDonald's, how may I help you?" Ok, day job aside, new chapter is up! This is basically a continuation of Chapter 17, with a few more flashbacks and a brief cameo from a certain troublesome pair of twins. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Halo.
Chapter Eighteen: Twist of Fate Pt. II
June 25, 2558 1221 hours
UNSC Reserve Base Camp Hayes
North America
Laura stared at the young Forerunner scientist, her mind processing the name she'd just given. Stronghold, she thought, remember Stronghold. How did she know?
"Laura, are you well?" Arisaya murmured.
"Not at the moment, but it will pass in time. We have much to discuss, you and I," she replied. Her dark gaze traveled to Arnyris, and she noted with amusement the way he hovered protectively nearby. I wonder what he's up to, she smiled inwardly.
"Arnyris, child, come out into the light. No one plans on hurting you here—at least not that I know of." She smiled. "Besides, someone needs to babysit the politicians around here."
"Have you no respect for our Council members?" Arnyris asked in shock. Laura snickered, an amused gleam lighting her eyes. For a moment she looked less like a battle-worn soldier and more like a civilian, and a happy one at that.
"Council members have my respect, Arnyris," she answered. "Politicians, however, try my patience, and I doubt that these are the same Council members that Alaya so respected. Then again, Alaya was more adept at politicking than a run-down soldier."
"And what do you know of Lady Alaya?" the Jiralhanae council member snarled; Laura merely raised one eyebrow, completely unperturbed by the snarling alien. She remembered completely that the Brutes (to use the standard military term) from Alaya's time were completely different from the snarling savages she'd fought in the war.
"Enough to know that your robe seams are sewn backwards," she pointed out. Arisaya chuckled softly at the flippant remark, which was also quite true. The council member simply stared at her, and Laura added, "I also remember that the Jiralhanae traditionally wore black and silver rather than silver and gray, the colors of the Sangheili. And that each race held two seats on the council, and that they were not in the habit of playing messenger."
"How…" The human councilman sputtered. Laura simply grinned.
"I have my ways, and they're no secret. I'll show you to the quarters we've prepared for you, and then I'm afraid I must borrow young Arisaya for a little while. Dr. Halsey has some questions for her, and I for one would be interested in her opinion on some topics."
Still smiling, Laura led the way to VIP quarters that had been constructed for occasions like this. Outwardly she maintained a calm façade, but she was nervous about how some of her friends would react, particularly the Sangheili ones. Sure enough, a group of them saw the party and approached.
"Laura, you are well?" Aro 'Benamee greeted her; she smiled and stopped long enough to perform a half-bow with her hand over her heart, the Sangheili greeting.
"Well enough, in spite of being a babysitter, 'Benamee," she answered. "Forerunner dignitaries have arrived to discuss a mission, and I volunteered to escort them. Figured if I was nearby people would be more at ease with some of our…guests."
"I can understand," 'Benamee answered. "If you wish, I will spread the word among the rest of us. We will tolerate these guests, but do not expect more from us. Our memories are long."
"As are theirs, when it comes to things they know," she reminded her old friend. "These had no part in the war, and don't know what the rest of their race has done. Remember this, and remember that the war is more or less over." The two parted ways, and Laura continued the journey without incident. The small group arrived at the VIP quarters, a building which served as both barracks and conference area. Laura had done her best using borrowed memories to set things up as appropriately as possible, and from the looks of things the council members were pleasantly surprised.
"We're more of a military base than anything, but we've done the best we could," she explained. "Unfortunately the lavatory is geared more for human anatomy than anything else, as are most of the furnishings."
"You have done well in a short time," the San 'Shyuum spoke; it was the first thing he'd said since his arrival. Laura smiled lightly, but her face grew serious quickly.
"I should warn you, before you find out the hard way. We, meaning the people of my world, just finished a devastating war with others of your kind. The story is long, bloody, and has left terrible scars—scars that still run rampant today." She paused a moment, trying to gather the right words. "I made sure the full history was available to you, if you wished to see it for yourselves, but I thought you should know first that things might be hostile for you. Needless to say, I wouldn't advise walking around unescorted."
"Are you saying that your people would blame us for the war?" the Jiralhanae growled.
"I'm saying that the war involved all the races of the old Empire, and that the damage will take time to heal." To illustrate her point, Laura unzipped the top of her blacksuit and pulled it down to her waist, revealing a sports bra and a matched pair of jagged, ugly pink scars in her sides. "I received these at the hands of other Jiralhanae during the war, at the orders of a San 'Shyuum, on a ship captained by a Sangheili and populated by Unggoy, Kig-Yar, and others from the old races. When the rings were fired, we grew from seeds planted and forgot all we had been—and there were those who turned that to their advantage. We were driven nearly to extinction, and the wounds are slow to heal."
Laura pulled her blacksuit back together, and indicated a holotank in the room. "This will show you whatever you need to see, provided you've been cleared to see it. ONI will be by soon, and there is a conference area here for your use. Now if you will excuse me, I must steal the young scientist for a moment." Taking Arisaya's hand, she led the young girl out of the room, tugging her toward a nearby barracks.
"Where are we going, Laura?" she asked breathlessly; Laura was leading her at a pretty good clip.
"Somewhere we can talk candidly, and where we can't be overheard. ONI has a tendency to bug any place I might be. And for the chat we need to have we'll need a lot of privacy." Having reached the barracks, she rapped twice on the door before opening it and ushering Arisaya inside. Looking around, she spotted a previously unobserved tail lurking nearby: Arnyris had followed them.
"Shouldn't you be guarding the Council?" she asked.
"I wanted to be sure you intended no harm to her," he answered.
Laura smiled knowingly. "She will be safe with us, you need not fear for her." Moving closer, she placed one hand on the young warrior's shoulder. "Your secret is safe with me, young one."
"How did you know?" Arnyris asked, shocked; he honestly didn't think he'd been that obvious.
"I was in the same boat, once. Besides, I am a mother and a lover, I know what it feels like to be protective of those we care for. Does she know?"
"No, I have not told her. She would reject me, and I have nothing to offer her."
"Don't be so sure, young one. She is perfectly able to decide for herself, I think." With a final parting smile, Laura turned away and entered the barracks. Arisaya was already seated, studying the faces around her in mild amusement.
"I'd recommend using Standard rather than the Forerunner dialects," she opined. "Not everyone here is as fluent as you and I, and I'd prefer if everyone were on the same page."
"Of course," Arisaya answered, stumbling a little over the words. She still had a little difficulty with the language, but she was learning rapidly. "How may I help?"
"Laura has been having some…difficulties lately," Dr. Halsey began. "Difficulties that you may be able to help with."
"Alaya's memories?" Arisaya asked. "What has happened?"
"Alaya, I guess, has been sending out a mental distress call—that's the closest description I can come up with," Laura answered. "For about two months I've been going slowly and steadily insane, and a few nights ago was the worst episode yet." She then proceeded to explain what she'd been seeing, with help from Dr. Halsey and the other Spartans.
"I have never heard of something like this before, nowhere in our histories has something like this ever occurred," Alaya murmured in amazement.
"You've never had an incident like this before, either," Linda pointed out. The normally quiet Spartan had an amused look on her face. "How many times have you had to destroy a galaxy?"
"Linda!" Laura was shocked by what she considered a low blow. Arisaya merely smiled, a sad look on her face.
"We had no choice, the Flood were spreading too rapidly. We tried to save what we could before we fired the rings."
"I know, Arisaya," Laura smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "But putting that aside, Alaya's ghost is getting restless. I'm not entirely sure why she's contacting me, apart from the memories, but she needs something from me. And it has to do with Stronghold…or someone that was on Stronghold at some point."
"Someone on Stronghold?" Dr. Halsey asked. Laura winced; she'd never told them what she'd seen after she'd put the circlet on.
"Alaya…she was working on something when a Prophet came in the room, her friend Thaddeus. He had a transmission from a somewhere on Stronghold, an emergency broadcast. She recognized the woman sending the transmission, someone she knew…and loved." Even now she felt the sadness and worry she had experienced in the vision.
"A woman? Did Alaya have any female friends?" She wasn't sure who had said it; her mind was wrapped in a fog, and she felt distant, separated, detached.
"Two, maybe three: Lady Naryse and her younger sister Eilinn, who married her brother Marin. And a friend of her mother's who helped raise her."
"Who?" Arisaya asked.
"Myrnia," she whispered, and the world vanished.
She had just reached her sixteenth year, and had retreated to her bedroom in tears. Her father had told her to enjoy the day as she liked, but her trip to the woods had been cut short by a group of youths who had sneered and torn her dress. That had been horrible enough, but they had dared to tell her "a nobody has no place in a general's woods," apparently not realizing who she was. She had slipped into her father's dwelling by a back way so he wouldn't see what had happened to her.
"Alaya, child, where are you?" she heard a familiar voice, almost as beloved as her father's, or her dear departed mother's.
"Alaya! My word, child, what happened?" The woman rushed to her bed and touched her forehead gently; the closest Alaya had ever felt to a mother's touch. Her father followed just behind her, a scowl growing on his face.
"I…I went to the woods, or tried to," she cried, trying to calm herself. Myrnia hugged her, offering comfort.
"What happened, Alaya, my daughter?" her father asked.
"Some…some boys…they told me I had no place on a general's property, wearing these clothes."
"Apparently they did not realize who they insulted," her father scowled. "Would you recognize them if you saw them again, little one?" She nodded, but inside she dreaded the thought of seeing them again. The matter was taken out of her hands, however, when there was a knock at the entrance of her father's house. He went down to open it personally, Alaya and Myrnia following at a distance.
"General Petrarch, I thought you should know you have trespassers on your lands," a young man's voice greeted her. Alaya shivered, recognizing the ringleader of the boys who had accosted her.
"Trespassers?" Petrarch asked, playing a deceptive card; Alaya saw her brother coming to stand beside him, fully dressed in his training uniform.
"A commoner girl was wandering around on your land. We decided to do you a service and expelled her." The boy's smug tone made her visibly ill. Myrnia put one hand on her shoulder to steady her.
"A commoner girl?" Petrarch's tone was even as he signaled. Alaya and Myrnia moved forward, the latter keeping a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Is this the one?"
The boys didn't answer. "Alaya, are these the boys that insulted you?" She nodded, tears prickling at her eyes. Remember who you are, she thought to herself.
"Yes, Father," she answered quietly. "They told me I had no business being on your land, wearing clothes above my station." She gestured sadly to her dress, a gift from her father for the day.
Petrarch motioned to unseen guards, who moved forward and grabbed the boys. The look on his face scared her, even though she knew it wasn't aimed at her. "You attacked and insulted my daughter, and claim to have done me a service? That was no service, to me or my beloved daughter. And by boasting of your 'service' you admitted your own guilt. Rest assured the High Council will hear of this, and until then you will receive fitting reward for your service." The guards took the boys to a secluded room in the house, while Myrnia took Alaya back to her room.
"Alaya, child, do not take this to heart. Young boys are foolish at this age, and in time they will grow to understand that there is no such thing as station in the Empire. They think that they are the elites of our race, simply because their families are well known. In time they will mature enough to realize the truth."
"I do not blame them, Myrnia, but it is not something I can easily forget," she answered. "I doubt that they knew who I was, since I do not resemble my father."
"You are your mother's child, little one," Myrnia hugged her. "In time you will be as well known as your father, I do not doubt this."
"Laura! Laura, wake up!" A slap to her face brought her back to reality, and a roomful of scared faces.
"Don't ever do that again!" Kelly bellowed; behind her Fred put a hand on her arm, trying to calm her. John stood over her, and she guessed he'd been the one to slap her.
"I'd prefer to not, believe me, " she muttered, holding one hand to her stinging cheek. "Help me up, please?"
John pulled her to her feet and she made her way to the lavatory. Pulling a washcloth, she ran the cold water until it was ice cold, soaked the washcloth, and wrung it out before holding it to her face. "Still got the knack for that, Chief," she quipped.
"How can you joke about this?" Kelly was still quite rattled—understandable, since this was probably the first time she'd seen Laura space out without the circlet.
"Because I'll go bonkers if I don't. Can't stop the flashbacks anyway, so I might as well deal with it." Laura frowned, thinking back to the memory she'd just experienced. Apparently, the woman called Myrnia had been an important part in Alaya's life, at least until Petrarch's death and falling in love with her brother's CO (which she still didn't understand how well that worked out, but let it be).
'"The woman…the woman who sent this…she was an old friend, and a dear one."'
"Holy shit!" Laura's exclamation caused several heads to snap around. "That woman, the one who sent the transmission from Stronghold—that was Myrnia! Alaya's friend, surrogate mom, however you want to call her--she was on Stronghold!"
"Possibly a coincidence?" Dr. Halsey asked.
"I'm inclined to doubt it. Myrnia was a scientist, just like Alaya. She sent the distress signal from Stronghold, and what does Alaya want me to remember?"
"Stronghold," John grumbled. "I agree, can't be coincidence."
"There's something on that planet she wants me to find, I'm convinced," Laura shook her head. "I just wish I knew what. That, and that I didn't have to go insane just to figure it out."
"You are not insane," Arisaya interrupted. "You can still reason out your problems, and approach them relatively calmly. I think that Alaya's spirit was desperate and did not realize the difficulties that lay in the contact. Now, I think she may understand and is backing down a little."
"I hope so," Laura muttered. "I've got too much going for me now to go insane." John grabbed her hand and held it, and Laura let herself relax a little. This mission is going to decide a lot, she thought.
A scuffling sound outside snapped her head up, and a series of small bangs made the entire room drop to the ground. Belatedly she recognized the sounds as firecrackers, not gunshots.
"Oh no!" she groaned. "I told those two not to play with those!" John watched her dart up and out the door, and moments later grinned at the sound of her yelling:
"Samuel Frederick Spartan! Kelly Linda Spartan! What have I told you about playing with firecrackers?"