Chapter Twenty-Two: From Bad to Worse

1956 Hours, February 23, 2558. Qamar Island Ruins, Planet Khan. "The War Inside," Outer Colonies. Day Five of the Dawn of the Prometheans

Four days later the fighting wasn't so much a constant tooth-and-nails battle as it had been at the start, but rather a background nuisance that could still potentially give us plenty of trouble while our scientists studied the ruins.

With the arrival of half of Major Dani Brewer's battalion to the island in previous days, things had gone considerably well for our side, with the Storm having no recourse but to fight it out on the ground now that most of their air support was either stowed in their ship or obliterated. There was still the technical possibility that the Remnant might try to win by bombarding the planet from orbit, yet that would put their holy site in jeopardy, historically not something they were all that keen to do. I sincerely hoped they continued to see it that way. So long as they did, we had a firm defense in place - and now, our biggest worry was not simply surviving, but ensuring that no aliens got through to the underground chamber that housed the portals.

That was still the overarching concern in all this. At the moment, however, I had a few other items to take care of now that all three of my battalions were already engaged in their combat duties. The first was meeting with Major Erin Collins for an update on our own pilots' situation.

Standing inside our newly set-up command tent by the ruins, I sipped at a cup of coffee while I watched various figures scroll across the holo-table in front of me. I'd been up for over twenty-four hours since the last time I'd been able to catch a few zees in here; now it was only the caffeine keeping me on my feet.

Major Shawn Harris grinned at me from the other side of the table. "Long days, eh, Colonel?"

I glanced up and snorted at him. "Does it show that much?"

"Oh, I'm not going there, ma'am."

I chuckled. "I suppose that's fair." I rubbed at my temple with one hand while still holding onto my coffee with the other. My weapon and helmet were lying on the small cot behind me, where I'd slept for all of three hours over a day ago. "Truth is, I've had it a lot worse in the past. Hell, we all had it worse when we got rid of the Storm presence back on the mainland. This has turned into a field exercise in comparison."

"And yet it's taken a toll," he said quietly. "You're worried about Major Hawk. It shows."

"It's...not something I can help. He's still not awake yet, Shawn. And I miss him."

"I know. I don't blame you, Colonel. If you ask me, you've been doing a great job of keeping everything together after what happened."

"Thanks." I sighed. "I'm heading out to see him again in a couple of hours. There's some things I need to get in order out on the mainland before I can keep going at it on this end."

"Well, just remember to take a break sometime, ma'am," my former XO advised me. "We need you sharp on this."

"Don't I know it. Even with the Storm more or less contained for now, they're not letting up on harassing the lines and they're keeping us busy. And there's been no sign of the Prometheans for a while now." I took another long drink of my coffee. "To be honest, it's making me nervous."

"Roger that, ma'am. We'll keep things under control here while you're gone though, Colonel." Harris offered me a small grin. "I promise we won't start any big parties without you."

I smiled back weakly. "Aren't I lucky."

"Ma'am," Staff Sergeant Porter said to me then, poking his head inside the tent. "Major Collins is here to see you."

"Thanks, Josh. Send her in."

"Right away, Colonel."

"I guess that's my cue," the other major said. He picked up his helmet from a second, smaller table off to the side, then gestured at me with it. "Good luck, ma'am. I hope that pilot of yours is doing better today. I'll see you when you get back."

I nodded. "You, too, Harris. Stay safe out there."

When our air wing commander walked inside to take his place, she looked just as exhausted as I felt. Collins had just pulled her helmet off her head and it showed, her hair done up in messy bun underneath it with several strands sticking out. Technically it was against regs in garrison, but I let it go, though. It was something that tended to come last in your mind when you were out in the field fighting, and I probably looked little better myself at the moment. I held out my hand to her and we shook.

"Major Collins."

"Colonel."

"Welcome to groundside operations," I said as I stepped back, making a sweeping gesture at the tent. "It's not much, but considerably better than the nothing we had before."

"I can see that. Thank you, ma'am."

Growing tired of watching the continuous flow of data scroll across the holo-table, I finally shut it off and leaned back against it, folding my arms over my chest. "I'm a bit pressed for time so I'm going to get right to the point. I'd like a report on how our air support is holding up. I realize the Excalibur has been gone for a few days now, so I want to know how much longer you guys can sustain what you're doing up there without resupply."

Collins shifted her stance, gripping her helmet in one hand. "Well, truth is we're running on reserves right now, Colonel. Fuel and ordnance are getting very low across the board. We've picked up what we could from the staging area on the mainland; we had some canisters placed there as backup for the squadron that was shuttling supplies down from the Ex before all this began. But even that's drying up now. If the Ex doesn't come back soon..."

"Then we'll be in trouble," I finished. Our air support was the whole reason things were going as well as they were since the invasion started. Without that considerable aid for the Marines on the ground, it was very possible the Remnant would gain the upper hand again - regardless of whether or not they decided to deploy their remaining fighters once more. If that happened, shit would really hit the fan without aircraft of our own to stall them. "Okay. So what we really need is to bring in the rest of the 213th to the island tonight."

"If possible, yes, ma'am. You're going to want as many boots on the ground as you can if our birds get grounded."

"Right. I'm still going to leave a company of Marines there to maintain our presence, but everyone else needs to get here to Qamar ASAP. Get it done, Major."

"I will, ma'am."

"Good. Anything else?"

Surprising me, Collins's expression brightened suddenly. "There is one piece of good news I thought you should know. Captain Daniel Rhodes, CO of the Suave Affair, is still alive. I just got confirmation from one of my pilots."

My eyes widened in an instant. "How's that possible? I thought he went down with his ship."

"No, ma'am. He should have, and would've if he'd been aboard the Affair when it was taken out. He was actually aboard the Ex at the time, though. Meeting with the senior officers on it. The pilot I spoke to had shuttled him there herself."

Relief flooded through me at the news. That meant that not only did I still have some sort of command resource at my disposal and wasn't in charge of this entire operation on my own anymore, top to bottom, but it also meant we could be expecting support from the Excalibur to jump back in soon. Rhodes was a damn good commander - he wouldn't leave us out here alone for long. I was sure he'd think of something to get us the supplies we needed, as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

"That's the best thing I've heard in days, Major. Thanks for telling me."

"Of course, ma'am. And Colonel?"

"Yes?"

She bit her lip. "I know you're going to the mainland yourself soon to see Hawk. I just wanted to say your husband is the best pilot I've ever served with, ma'am. A great talent. I hope his condition improves."

It was a subject that was still raw for me. I had to take in a breath before answering. "That means a lot, Collins. I hope he wakes up soon, too."

Getting to the mainland proved simple despite the fact that I worried about the amount of fuel we were using to fly there. It was something that needed to be done, but with our reserves nearly depleted and the return of the Excalibur uncertain, I realized this might be the last time I'd be able to do so for a while. That would make my visit to Willis all the more important.

I stepped off the Pelican and parted ways with Lieutenant Caleb Lloyd, who'd also accompanied me on the excursion for a briefing I'd have with him and Lieutenant Commander Courtney Hayden, our other spook, later. For now, I set off with Matthew in tow and my DMR slung behind my back, helmet in hand.

It'd been a few days since I'd seen my brother-in-law, so I turned to face him as we headed for the field hospital. "Hey, kid. How've you been holding up?"

"Pretty good, I guess." The young ex-rebel scratched at his chin, dotted with a few hairs of growing stubble here and there. Not enough to turn into a beard quite yet, but Matthew would be turning twenty soon - and as he so often liked to remind Willis and I, he was a man now, not a boy. "Storm've been putting up a decent fight, but those Broadswords..." A huge grin enveloped his face. "They're awesome, Nat."

"That they are." I saw him sober then, as if he felt bad that he'd had a moment where he'd allowed himself to smile while Willis was still in what had turned into a coma now. I sighed. "Ready to see your brother?"

"I...I don't know. I just...I really want him to wake up already."

"Me, too, Matt. Will you be okay if I go see him by myself first?"

"Yeah, sure."

"After that he's all yours, promise. I've got some other stuff to take care of while we're here."

Matthew nodded. "Go ahead."

I paused to give his shoulder a squeeze once we got to the hospital's entrance, then I walked inside. What with all the fighting going on across Qamar Island now, the place was full and a buzz of activity. It looked like most of the patients had been taken care of for the night, though, and so it seemed my presence was easily noted when one of the doctors came up to me.

"Colonel Cooper, ma'am. Welcome back."

"Thanks, Doctor Kiev. How's my husband doing today?"

"No change yet in terms of consciousness, I'm sorry to report. But he's stable, and his physical wounds have been showing steady improvement."

I swallowed hard. "I guess that's good. Can I see him?"

"Of course, ma'am. Over here, same bed and room number."

"Right, I'll find my way."

"I'll come by in a few minutes myself. Need to check on another patient first, if you'll excuse me."

The doctor hurried away then while I walked down the narrow hall to Willis's room. Once inside, my emotions got the better of me and my eyes clouded up. I'd had to keep up a stony-faced facade for four days now in front of my Marines as I led them through the invasion of the island. I couldn't do one more, especially when I saw him lying there, still unconscious, and still so clearly hurt.

I sat down on the small chair beside him carefully, as if any nearby movement would jar him. Willis was off in his dream world still, but I took his hand in mine anyway and looked him over.

It was hot inside the hospital, so he had the sheets on up to his hips but was bare-chested beyond that, with several rolls of bandages wrapped around his middle to brace his broken ribs. Just above that, I could see a big purple and black bruise peeking up from his sternum, the rest of it covered by the bandages. He had an IV drip in his arm and a respirator still on his face, and a second drip that I just noticed now that was likely a painkiller for if and when he awoke. There were a few cuts and scrapes on his face and both arms, but all in all those looked mostly healed now. Currently, the biggest impediment was simply the fact that he wasn't awake yet.

I wiped at my tears with one hand while I continued holding his in the other, feeling his wedding ring beneath my fingers. It was so damn hard to see him like this - the hardest thing I'd ever done. I figured this was probably the same hell I'd put him in tens of times before when I'd gotten into rough scrapes myself in combat - most recently when I'd been sniped through the chest by one of Laraza's hired Jackals. I felt terrible that I'd ever made him feel that way...because I sure as hell was feeling it now.

"Colonel, I'm sorry to intrude."

I turned around at the voice and glanced up. Doctor Kiev had just come in.

"It's okay, Doc. What's up?"

"I wanted to let you know since we hadn't run the exams yet when you'd come in last. There's more hopeful news for the major, ma'am. We found no signs of any internal bleeding as a result of the crash. He's still got enough hurdles to overcome with the remainder of his injuries, but at least there's nothing extra going on inside his body that would make recovery slower."

"Good." I leaned over again and ran my free hand through Willis's short hair as he slept. "So why hasn't he gotten up yet?"

"To be frank, sometimes we don't really know. His body took a pretty brutal beating in that crash-landing, Colonel. He's lucky to be alive. Between that and his severe concussion it's not too strange that he hasn't woken up so far. Could be his body just needs more rest before he's ready to tackle the greater challenges that a state of full consciousness presents."

"Well...you can't give me an estimate on when that might be? When does this start to go from a bad after-effect to something more alarming?"

"We'll give it another day or so, ma'am. If he hasn't shown signs of coming back around after a whole week, we might need to take a look at altering our prognosis."

I pressed my husband's hand between both of mine now. It felt warm and comforting, at complete odds with the doctor's words. "You're saying there's a chance he might not come back from this?"

"I'm not saying anything yet. He's young and was healthy and fit when this occured, so that helps. We'll keep our fingers crossed."