Interview
Sarah Palmer sat at the table, trying not to tap her foot impatiently. She'd been waiting in the room for at least an hour and it was starting to annoy her. She'd never been one for sitting around, but at the moment the Spartan-IVs were having a competition and for all she knew her high score was being beaten that very minute. She'd only had two chances, and although her second to had been way better than the others', there was no telling how much they could have improved over the last hour. The idea of one of the other soldiers gloating at having beaten her infuriated her and made her antsy.
"Is there somewhere you need to be, Soldier?" The man sitting on the other side of the table asked without looking up. He'd come in not long after her arrival and had sat across from her, reading a report in silence the entire time since. His hair was grayed, but he looked like he could handle himself in a fight. He reminded her of the drill instructors she'd had back in boot, but he wasn't as threatening.
"No, sir," Sarah responded curtly. She didn't need to be off with the other Spartans, but that was where she wanted to be. Still, she knew this was some sort of interrogation so she'd have to be careful. After all they didn't bring a person into a small cramped room complete with the classic two-way mirror on one wall for just a friendly chat.
"Let me rephrase that," the man said, looking up from the report he was reading. "Is there somewhere you'd prefer to be?"
Sarah considered lying to him but decided there was no real reason to. "The other Spartan-IVs are running a little competition. I'd prefer to be with them defending my place as top-scorer and improving my time. I can't let them beat me."
The man studied Sarah for a few seconds before he responded. "Would it really be that big of a deal if they beat you?" Sarah scowled, not sure how to explain it without getting in trouble. How did one explain the negative effect being beaten out by a man, to a man - without bringing up the ingrained male-centric nature of the military? "Do speak freely, Soldier. I'm here to get to know you, the real you, and formalities will only get in the way of that."
"If I lose it won't just be a loss. If I win then they say I did as expected, but if I lose then they start wondering if I can keep up with the men. I'm the only female Spartan, so I also have to do well or they'll limit the number of women they take into the project because we don't seem capable. I have to work twice as hard to earn half the respect. That's just how it is." Sarah crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. "Even if just one of the others beat me, they'll all hold it over my head like they all beat me."
"Aine," the man said, and Infinity's AI appeared on the desk's holotank. "Have any of the other Spartan-IVs beaten Palmer's score in their competition?"
"Spartan Holt has made a slight improvement to his score, but has not yet past Spartan Palmer's time," the AI answered.
The man turned back to Sarah. "Satisfied?"
"Yes, sir," Sarah responded, relaxing a bit. She knew she'd had a good lead on Holt before she'd left, so if he'd only made a little improvement then she wasn't worried about them besting her any time soon. For now she could just sit in this room and let the other Spartans hopelessly try to beat her time. The only thing that would have made it better was if she was able to be sipping fruit juice. She didn't even mind that it was another ten minutes before the man spoke again.
"Your record is rather unimpressive for being chosen to be a Spartan." The man's face was blank and stared across the table at her. "I was expecting more."
"I'm only here because I saved an officer's life," Sarah informed him. She'd never thought her record impressive either, so saving the Admiral was the only reason she could come up with. That wasn't something she had much of an opinion on, really. She was a Spartan now; this was a whole new part of her record, so she that should be all that mattered. She certainly wasn't concerned with her record before the augmentations.
"That must be why as you have one of the least impressive out of all five recruits for the project." The man set the tablet down and frowned at Sarah. "You're reckless and suicidal under pressure. You show no regard for the destruction or damage of UNSC property. I can't even begin to fathom why they made you a part of this project."
Sarah knew she should keep her cool, brush off the comment, but she just couldn't. It was a stab at her skills as a soldier - the thing she'd given her life over to. "I was an ODST, being reckless and suicidal are in the job description. And I rather have ruined equipment than dead people." She bit off saying any more, knowing already that she was going to get in trouble now and there was no reason to make it worse. None of what she said seemed to even register with the man; his face remaining stern like it was carved out of stone. Sarah sat up tall, unashamed of what she'd said and not willing to back down.
The man pressed on as though she hadn't said a word. "You've served seven years as an ODST, making it to the rank of Corporal." The man hit the home button on his tablet and Sarah waited for him to get to the point. "Why was this that the highest rank you were able to reach?"
"Because I didn't aspire to it," Sarah answered. "Though after twelve tours and eight planets, I don't think it's that unimpressive without trying."
"So you have no ambition?" The man asked.
"My only ambition is to serve," Sarah responded, not liking his tone much. "I loved being an ODST, and that was all I wanted. Private, Corporal, it doesn't matter to me as long as I get to drop outta the sky in a hail of fire and kill every bastard that gets in my way. I did my job, that was all I wanted and there's no reason to promote a person for just doing their job."
Again the man stared blankly at her and she wasn't sure if a single word got through. She was sure he was doing that on purpose, but she couldn't understand why. Was he an ONI spook come to check on their investment and decide if the price had been worth it? Was he some sort of test to see how she handled stress and interrogation? She couldn't be sure if he was either, as she didn't have enough information to tell. He had no insignia for his rank so Sarah didn't even know if addressing him as "sir" was correct.
"On your first mission you disobeyed the commands of a superior, risked the life of you and…" he looked to the table and then back to Sarah. "Edward Davis. You also risked the safety of both Captain Del Rio and Commander Lasky. Would you have considered the mission a success?"
"Absolutely," Sarah answered without a moment of hesitation. "Infinity is safe, Davis, Del Rio, and Lasky are all fine, and Jun didn't really give me any orders I disobeyed." The last part was only partly true, but he didn't need to know that. "No casualties, and the threat was dealt with. Seems like a success to me."
"So you find that taking such risks are acceptable, soldier?" The man asked.
"Spartan," Sarah corrected. The man frowned and one of his eyebrows rose slightly. "My rank is Spartan, and I should be addressed as such."
"I think you're far from deserving of that rank," the man shot back.
"That doesn't matter," Sarah retorted. "My rank is Spartan. I've met Captains I thought no more capable than a Private, but they're still Captains. Rank is given whether you think it deserved or not."
The silence in the room was heavy but Sarah ignored it as best she could. Maybe she'd crossed a line, but she was tired of being disrespected and him avoiding her rank. "Do you find such risks acceptable?" the man asked again. Sarah noted that he still was refusing to call her "Spartan".
"Yes," she answered with confidence. Maybe this man didn't like how she did things, but she supposed he mustn't have been around many ODST. Thinking outside the box was a part of their job and made them unique. "If I remember correctly, the Master Chief used the Pillar of Autumn's engines to blow up a Halo. Seems like risky, uncommon plans to deal with difficult situations is the Spartan way."
The man's gaze turned to the tablet that was sitting on the table. When his gaze rose again he seemed as stoic as ever. "Why'd you join the UNSC?"
It was an oddly casual question and Sarah wondered if there was something else he was fishing for. "Because I wanted to serve. Humanity was at war and it needed every soldier it could get. I was able to fight, so I joined up to do my part."
"And why become and ODST? There are many ways to serve. Why not become an officer or join a different branch?" The man leaned back against his chair but it looked odd with his stiff posture. "Why the most dangerous option?"
"I don't want to lead, so why would I become officer? Maybe joining the ODST is the dangerous option - but I don't see why that matters. Marines, pilots, and all the others get stuck with the boring duties. I wanted to make a difference, and that's what the ODST do. We did the jobs the others weren't able to handle. And it didn't hurt that I got along with them more than any other branch of soldiers either."
"Except for particular officers," the man added. Sarah stared blankly at the man and refused to give up anything. "I think we're done here," he said before standing up.
"What, I don't get to ask any questions?" Sarah asked mockingly. The man stopped and looked down at her. "You know you never gave me your name or told me why we were even having this meeting. So who are you? What was the point of this discussion?"
"What makes you think you get to ask any questions?" The man asked back.
"Well for all I know you're actually below me in rank, so perhaps you have no right to be asking me anything," Sarah explained. The man sat back down and Sarah was surprised that he hadn't just ignored her. "So why don't you start with your rank?"
"And what if I just get up and leave?" He responded, hitting the ball back to her.
"If you really wanted to go, why did you sit back down?" Sarah shot right back. She was more than willing to play question squash all day if it got her any information about this stranger.
The man turned toward the two-way mirror that Sarah knew they were being watched through and drew his hand across his neck in a quick cutting motion. "You've got too much ODST in you to be a Spartan," the man stated.
"In your opinion," Sarah added, crossing her arms. "I think the Spartans before me don't have enough ODST. Maybe if they had a bit more spirit, people wouldn't think them walking tanks rather than actual humans."
"How would be being like and ODST be productive?" The man seemed to be interested but Sarah couldn't be sure if it was real. "How would that make a Spartan better?"
"I'm fairly certain I'm supposed to be the one asking the questions now, not you," Sarah pointed out. "Though if you tell me your name and rank, maybe I'd be more inclined to explain."
The man paused, considering her offer for a moment. "Senior Chief Petty Officer Mendez," he informed her.
"Well, let me tell you why the UNSC and humanity are better off with heels like ODST." Sarah slouched in her chair and explained further. "When I was growing up, ODST were the greatest thing you could be. If you wanted to be a soldier and you wanted to be the best, then you became an ODST. Now it's heavily armored Spartans. But that's like wanting to be a superhero; sure kids look up to them, but even in their own comics they are always just these far away ideals that aren't realistic. ODST are the soldiers in the bar you can buy a round of drinks for as a thanks. They're seen as people, as humans. That's the thing that ODST can bring to the Spartans. They make it within reach, but still elevated above the common soldier - if they keep a standard of recruits. Or at the least make every recruit meet standards of skill after being chosen."
"And who exactly would keep these ODST-like-Spartans in line?" Mendez asked, leaning forward against the table.
"Musa will figure that out," Sarah said with a slight shrug. "So what's the point of this meeting anyway? You try to act like an ONI spook, but you aren't, and I don't understand the point of this meeting at all."
"How do you know I'm not ONI?" Mendez asked.
"You're too sloppy for ONI. You're serious, which is classic interrogation...but you're too serious. And you weren't leading me anywhere with your questions. You closed the documents on your tablet, but clearly checked it later as though you didn't remember information - that wasn't subtle enough for ONI. Now answer the question."
"I'm just getting to know the Spartan-IVs," Mendez answered.
"If you want to get to know us, this is far from the way to do it. Give us a task, come talk to us, but don't pretend to be ONI. You look like a respectable soldier, clearly been military most of your life." Sarah didn't get why anyone would think pretending to be ONI would make someone open up more. "If you want to know about me, why pretend to be someone who a person would shut up the most around?"
"You didn't seem to shut up," Mendez countered.
"That's because you aren't ONI," Sarah reminded him. "Though I still don't understand why you'd record this."
"For future reference," was Mendez's answer. He frowned slightly and Sarah was a bit annoyed. If he needed reference then he wasn't just getting to know her. "Do you know who I am?"
"Do you know Jun?" Sarah asked, and the man nodded. "And you know Musa too, I'm sure." She didn't need to ask, something in her gut told her that she was right. "You're too old to be from Jun's generation of Spartans. So what are you to the Spartans exactly? Another washout of the Spartan-IIs?"
"No," Mendez answered, standing and picking up his tablet. "I trained the Spartan-IIs." Before Sarah could really register the information the man turned and walked to the door. "That will be all, Spartan."
Sarah sat in the room for a few seconds before she finally stood from her seat. "Aine?" The AI's avatar appeared over the holotank. "Have they made any progress?"
"Not yet, Spartan Palmer," Aine answered. "Spartan Holt hasn't gotten any closer and the others have only made minor improvements on their own score, but have not beat Holt's time."
"Thank you, Aine. Suppose I should head down there and show them again how it's done." Sarah turned and left the room, leaving thoughts of her conversation with Chief Mendez behind for now. She had more pressing matters, like showing the boys how to properly run a course.
Mendez stood in the observation room with the two other Spartans; a strange sight, considering the three generations of Spartans and how different they all were. Jun looked too young to be amongst them, reminding Mendez that the Spartan-IIIs were hardly more than children when they'd been tossed into the most dangerous of combat. Musa sat in his powered chair, a living reminder of the faults of the Spartan-II augmentations. Both of them had been forced into the programs and had suffered for it. Mendez had agreed to be a part of the Orion Project, and it seemed like he'd come out of it better off than either of them.
"What do you think of them?" Musa asked, folding his hands in his lap. He was the one who had asked Mendez to advise on the Spartan-IV Project and evaluate the first group of its recruits. Jun was unusually silent, and he knew that the Spartan-III was watching him for a hint of his reaction.
"They seem competent, though I'm not sure about how disciplined they are. It could be problematic during more sensitive missions or when strict obedience is necessary. There is potential, but whether or not that potential is met will have to be seen in the future." Mendez had to be as objective as he could be, even play down some of the more positive aspects of the new Spartans, less Musa or Jun become too optimistic. These Spartans would be under a lot of scrutiny and they couldn't relax. These were the Spartans where the public would be able to talk to them, that would be the most visible. And with the history of the Spartan Projects they would be asked a lot of questions.
"Are they Spartans?" Musa asked. Mendez should have guessed that he'd ask the toughest questions. He had the full brain power of any Spartan-II, he'd really only lost his legs.
"They aren't the Spartans the public is used to," Mendez began. "But the public didn't really know about Spartans like Gray team, or Spartan-113 either." Musa nodded and Jun looked between the two of them.
"I hate it when you make references I don't get," Jun muttered, sounding slightly annoyed.
"Maybe I'll tell you all about them over a glass of scotch," Musa said with a slight smile. "Care to join us, Chief?"
Mendez considered the proposition for a moment and then nodded. "I see no reason not to." It couldn't hurt to take a trip back to the old days, with someone who didn't think everything that had happened was a crime against humanity.