Chapter Twenty-Three: Personal Defect

When I finally emerged from the field hospital, I was feeling emotionally drained. The tears were dry now but my heart still ached, and I longed to spend the rest of my time here just sitting by Willis's side until he woke up - something I knew he'd do eventually. He had to. I couldn't take any other outcome, so I focused on the one I hoped for most. The one we all hoped for: my husband making a full recovery.

"Cooper. I heard about what happened to Willis. I hope he's doing well."

I was a bit startled by the figure suddenly standing beside me, as well as her voice; I hadn't noticed her there. "Courtney. You're here early."

She smiled, but it was faint and short. "Something you learn as a spook. Show up early, make small talk, get the scoop."

"I see."

"So how's your husband? I'm probably the only one in this whole damn camp who knows how you feel right now."

"Yeah, probably." I let out a sigh. "He's stable, but no change on the coma front. He's still out cold. It's driving me crazy not knowing what might happen to him."

"Welcome to the club. Remember when Oliver was shot in the head five years ago by a Covenant sniper?"

I snorted. "Of course I do. I was with him. Covies went gunning for me next and got me in the hand. Hurt like hell."

"Well, I thought he'd never wake up, either. But he did, stubborn bastard." She glanced over at me then. "I think we have to concede that our husbands are often a lot tougher than we give them credit for."

"Maybe, but I'm not." I chuckled humorlessly. "I can't tell you how many times I've done something like this to Willis, and he more or less takes it in stride, every time. This happens to him once or twice every few years and I'm a fucking wreck."

"Sounds about right. The fear never leaves you. I thought after Oliver survived getting sniped that he could take anything." She shook her head sadly, the pain clearly still fresh in her mind. "Turns out that's a lie."

I wanted to reply but I didn't get the chance to. Lieutenant Lloyd showed up then, ready for the briefing, and I got the feeling both Lieutenant Commander Hayden and I were more than happy to switch subjects. After the formalities were over with, I started in on what we were really here for.

"All right. I called you both here because I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page, and kept up to date on what was happening on both the island and the mainland. Hayden, why don't you give us the details on what's been going on here since we left."

To her credit, the ONI operative deftly changed gears from our earlier conversation, transitioning smoothly to cool professional. "Not much to say on that, ma'am, to be honest. I've been keeping an eye and an ear on local activities, and on Mayor Javier Laraza in particular. Besides running his club business, I found he's been respectful of the extended truce you two agreed on." She placed her hands on her hips then, one just above her sidearm, likely out of reflex. "I haven't seen any sign that he's prudent on your behalf, such as warning his...associates about not wounding the trust between our two factions, but he's not doing anything to undermine it, either."

I released a sigh. "Well, with Laraza, that's usually the best you can hope for. As long as he's not causing problems, I'm okay with him not trying to actively prevent them from happening in the first place." I looked over at the Navy lieutenant next. "Cal?"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"With you, I'd like to go back to what's going on on Qamar now. How the Storm ship slipped our notice, and what your new theory might be on their portal use. Obviously it isn't as extensive as we first thought, because they still decided to come in the usual way when push came to shove." I stole a glance back at my best friend's widow. "I'm assuming you've already been communicating with the lieutenant commander about this, and that she's up to speed on our situation."

"I am, Colonel," Hayden answered.

"Good. So have at it, Lloyd. I'd like this cleared up."

"Yes, ma'am. My new theory is this: not that the Storm were using the portals to bring in a significant amount of reinforcements, as we believed to be the case in the past, but that they actually used them to push forward a scouting unit to find out what exactly was going on here on Khan." He took a breath. "After we defeated the Remnant on the mainland and then on the island, I theorize that a small group went back, to wherever the portals lead, and let their hierarchy know that their presence here was decimated. I also think they told their command that we now had control of the holy site and were looking into things in the ruins - essentially desecrating a space we all know is sacred for them."

"And coming back in through the portals didn't afford them enough room to bring in all the extra troops and supplies they needed to mount an effective counterattack," I mused. "Once they knew about the situation here on the ground, they figured the best way to take Qamar back was to come in in force, destroy our ships in orbit so we were left on our own here on the surface and then they could eliminate the rest of us easily."

A corner of Lloyd's mouth twitched. "Except they weren't counting on you to be at the helm of all this, Colonel. You made sure we were as prepared as we could be."

I managed a small grin myself. "Damn straight. If they go after my Marines and try to take this planet back, it'll be over my dead body."

Which wasn't really as defiant as it sounded, since I'd gone through plenty of times during my stay here on Khan where such a scenario had been entirely plausible. It was only thanks to Doc Reynolds that it wasn't. I folded my arms across my chest.

"What about the Prometheans, Lieutenant?" Commander Hayden asked. "What part do they have to play in all this?"

"We're still looking into it, ma'am. As I told you in my last report, we haven't heard anything from them in a while. Until they reappear again or the scientists dig something up in the ruins about them, they're still a big unknown in all this."

"Could the Remnant's big assault have anything to do with the sudden appearance of the robotic AIs?" I wondered.

Lieutenant Lloyd sighed. "Anything's possible, Colonel. I'm sure that was something the scouts reported back to their hierarchy as well. To what extent either event had something to do with the other, though, I can't say. Could be that our nosing around in the ruins was enough for a large-scale invasion like this on its own - this new sect of the ex-Covenant in particular find this sort of thing impossible to swallow. It's a matter of religious sanctity to them, and they're zealots."

"But at the same time, they're probably curious about the Promethean presence, too," I added, understanding where he was going with his line of thought. "That might also be why their numbers are so bulked up. There's uncertainty now about whether they'd be facing one enemy here on Khan or two."

Caleb nodded. "I believe that's true, ma'am. But it might be some time before the bigger picture becomes clearer to all of us."

"Roger that." I ran a quick hand over my hair and said, "Okay. At least we're starting to get somewhere. Cal, once we're back on Qamar, I want you to keep at it with nailing down motivation for the Storm and the Prometheans. I'm thinking a lot of that will depend on what we continue to uncover down in the ruins. Hayden, you stay on track with the locals and the rebs here in the mainland. Make sure they keep upholding their end of the bargain and don't get overconfident now that our forces here have diminished. I want an immediate report from both of you if anything pressing arises."

Both ONI operatives nodded. "Understood, ma'am," they replied.

"Excellent." I looked over at Lloyd then. "I'll be heading into the ruins personally soon to check on progress there once we return to the island. You're coming with me."

"Got it, Colonel."

"For now, the rest of the night's yours. You can stay in the barracks if you want to catch some sleep, or use the time to plan or eat. Up to you, but we'll leave in the morning. In the meantime, I've got an old buddy to see."

I wasn't dropping in on Laraza because I didn't trust Lieutenant Commander Hayden's assessment. It was really just a matter of wanting to see things for myself, and there was something else I wanted to talk to him about that I hadn't mentioned yet to either spook. As Major Warfield had imparted to me a few days before I left, the rebel leader/town mayor had proven himself very much the enemy since we'd landed on Khan a few months ago. However, he'd also proven to be a useful resource at times as well - it was only with his men's help that we'd beaten the Storm back on the mainland so that we could even consider moving on to Qamar afterward. Despite his general disposition and my personal dislike of the man, I once again found that it might be to our mutual benefit to see if we could come to an accord.

After stopping by the barracks to secure myself a room for the night - where I planned on sleeping for the first time in days - I dropped my armor, helmet, gear, and DMR next to the bunk and left. I kept my pistol on me for emergencies, since Laraza had tended to get a little homicidal from time to time - or at least, he ordered others to be so on his behalf. I also took Matthew with me again to lead me through the streets, although he too was only lightly armed.

"So, remind me again why we're doing this?" my brother-in-law asked as we walked, getting stares from everyone because of our uniforms. "You remember this guy's minion tried to pop you last time we came here, right?"

The now-healed wound on my left arm still hurt on occasion where the rebel's bullet had grazed me. I felt it now. "Yup. Remember that clear as day, Matt."

"So why - "

I finally chuckled, but it was mostly devoid of humor. "People keep asking me that. And the answer's simple, really - I think he's got something to give to our cause."

Beside me, Matthew snorted. "Like what? A new leader because he wants you dead?"

"No. Manpower and supplies. Whenever Laraza realizes his back's against the wall unless he helps us out, he's usually inclined to help."

Willis's little brother frowned. "I don't know about this, Nat. I hope you're right."

"Noted, kiddo. Now sit tight outside the club until I come out. It's nighttime so the place should be pretty crowded; you don't have to worry about getting noticed."

"Okay." Matthew still looked nervous, just like the first time we'd come here. "I'll try to keep a low profile in the meantime. Good luck."

"You too. I'll see you in a bit."

When we turned down the street onto the next block, the whole sidewalk was packed with people trying to get in. I found it funny that just on the other side of the water on Qamar, my Marines and I were busy fighting an invasion force that could easily overwhelm the planet if we weren't there to act as a strong buffer, yet here, on the mainland, the locals didn't seem to have a care in the world. I was starting to see now why Laraza had such a hard time taking my warnings seriously when this was the environment he enveloped himself in every day. None of these civilians had any clue what was just outside their doorstep.

And they usually never find out, I thought to myself. That's because of us...and yet they're constantly clamoring to have the UNSC presence gone.

That was the paradox of the often strife-filled relationship between the UNSC and its Outer Colonies. I'd just been introduced to the politics of it a relatively short while ago, and I still didn't understand it. But I figured that was best left to the brass; I was only here to do my job.

I'd been inside the club for all of a minute before Javier Laraza's assistant, Giovanna Torri, came up to greet me.

"Colonel Cooper," she said graciously. "Mayor Laraza is waiting for you. This way, please."

I could hardly hear her over the pulsing beat of the music, and I had to sidestep a couple of drunks as we wove our way through the main floor of the nightclub. For a moment I longed to be as blissfully ignorant as they were about the danger just beyond the city, but I realized that had never been the case for me. Because of the War, I'd always been acutely aware of potential threats for years. For a long time once the great conflict had ended, I didn't want to believe - couldn't believe - that the Covenant or the Flood weren't coming back.

In hindsight, it had been silly of me to think they were the only ones out there with a grudge.

"Right through here, ma'am," Torri said to me then, indicating a locked door to the right. "The mayor will open it for you from the inside."

I nodded. "Thanks."

For a moment I wondered at all the secrecy, but I guess I could see why the mayor wanted to keep his ties to me on the down-low. It would also help to have a quieter, private space to talk while the club was this full. I didn't have to wait long for the esteemed local politician to appear.

"Lieutenant Colonel Cooper, please," Laraza said, gesturing grandly past the door. "Enter."

I gave him a slight nod of acknowledgment and stepped inside. Torri came in behind me. When I took a quick look around, I could see armed guards standing at either side of far end of the room - one male, one female, each gripping an old model assault rifle with the barrels pointed at the ground. Rebels.

I was instantly on edge. "What is this, Laraza? Our meeting was supposed to be me and you. No one else." I didn't mind Torri and expected her presence, but the others made me more than a little apprehensive. So did their guns.

The mayor waved a dismissive hand at me. "Not to worry, Colonel. They are here for my personal security only. This room is soundproof. Should something unexpected happen..."

"I've never gone trigger-happy on you before. In fact, it's always been the other way around," I retorted.

"Nonetheless, this is how we shall meet. Do you agree to the terms?"

I thought of Matthew standing outside the club. If I got in a real bind I knew I could count on him. And if this was the only way Laraza would agree to a meeting, I'd have to take it. "Fine."

"Wonderful. Let us have a seat. Would you like some refreshment before we start? My beverage selection has improved since the last time you were here. I'm using new merchants."

I was vaguely curious if that meant Jackal dealers; they traded more than just weapons with the rebs. But with everything that had been going on on the island lately, and Willis's revival still very much up in the air, I needed a stiff drink more than I needed to cling to ideals. "Sure. Let's see what you got."

"Do you mind if I make the decision? I have just purchased an imported brandy from Roost I think you'll admire."

"Sounds good. I'll give it a shot."

Laraza seemed pleased, and motioned to Torri to ready our glasses for us while we sat at the small round table in the center. Then he reached for a panel on the side that revealed a wooden box. "Tell me. Do you also smoke, Colonel?"

"Nope, never have. Not planning to, either. My one vice is drink and that's plenty enough for me."

The mayor chuckled. "Heh. You do not fool me, Cooper. I am sure you have more than the one. You just don't want me to know what the others are." He met my gaze then. "I'm correct in assuming you wouldn't care for a cigar, then?"

"No, thanks." I fidgeted slightly in my chair, highly aware of the armed guards nearby and how much they'd probably love to put a bullet in my head. "Mind if we speed this up? My husband's in a coma and I'd like to get back to his bedside."

Laraza's eyebrows shot up. "Your husband is injured? How?"

"The Storm. They attacked Qamar Island in force a few days ago. One of our ships in orbit was destroyed, the other left. That's why I'm here."

"You need something from us."

I snorted as our drinks finally arrived and took a generous gulp of mine, enjoying the burn. "Come on. I thought that was obvious."

"What is it you want, then?"

"A couple of things, if you'd like to keep the situation over there contained and eliminate the risk of spillover on the mainland." I raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't need to tell you how bad that would be for business, do I?"

Javier Laraza grew mildly annoyed. "No, Colonel. You do not. Name what you need."

"First off, I need some fuel for our overhead support - and ordnance, if you have any on hand. Without resupply from our ships, we're almost down to nothing now. Given the Remnant's considerable force that could put us in a bad spot when we've just gotten things stabilized."

"I will see what I might acquire for you. What else?"

"More ground troops. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I've moved out most of my Marines now from the staging area. I can't spare anymore, though, and if those new Promethean bastards come back into the mix - which I know they will at some point - that could cause a lot of problems, too."

Mayor Laraza scoffed. "No. With that you are on your own."

"That's not what we agreed to, Mayor."

"I do not care. You will have your supplies, but you will not use my men and women again. You're the Marines, you figure it out."

I leaned back casually in my chair. "All right. You know, if you think you've got your bases all covered, we don't need to be here at all anymore. I can recall our ship tomorrow and be off of Khan within the week."

This time, Laraza's eyes blazed at me. "You take me for a fool? You just told me your ships were gone - eliminated or left. You're bluffing. You couldn't leave this planet if you wanted to."

"Just because one of our ships departed doesn't mean it won't be back."

"Then why use our fuel?"

"For the interim. But if that's a risk you're willing to take, it's your call."

The rebel leader looked beyond displeased. He was quiet for a long time, and I could almost feel him fuming. Finally, though, he said, "We will compromise on this matter."

"How?"

"I will prepare one company of my men for you. When you have need, they shall be ready to make for Qamar right away. But I will not send them unless required."

"Okay. I'll take that."

Laraza seemed surprised. "Very good. When do you return?"

"Tomorrow morning. I'll need the fuel by then."

"As I said before, I will do what I can." The mayor drank more from his glass then, looking over his rim at my empty one. "Would you like another drink?"

I thought of Willis and the deep hurt engulfing my chest and nodded. "Yeah. I'll do one more."

I wasn't exactly sure how it happened. One minute I was sitting there in Javier Laraza's private back room sharing drinks with the rebel leader while Torri and his guards kept watch, the next I was getting up unsteadily on my feet. The room was swaying and it wasn't because he'd slipped anything into the liquor. I'd just downed way more than I'd thought.

The next thing I remembered was standing outside the club with two men holding me up on either side of my shoulders. Or maybe "standing" was too strong a word when it took a couple others to keep you vertical. Either way, it took me a lot longer than it should have to start worrying about who they were.

"Matt?" I heard myself slur to the younger one.

"Yeah, Nat. I'm here."

"And who's...?"

"It's me, Natalie. Travis."

"Travis?" My muddled brain couldn't make sense of how or why my kid brother was here. "How did you - ?"

"I had to call him up to help me when you came out of the club barely conscious," Matthew answered. "How much did you have to drink in there?"

"More than I...should have. That brandy was...damn good." I had to pause in between my words because the street tried to come up to swallow me at one point. And then the hideous nausea kicked in.

I didn't have time to warn them. I just stumbled out of their grip, leaned over by a sewer grate in the street, and retched.