Author's Note: This was supposed to be a longer chapter, but then it started to feel overstuffed so I cut it down a little. The remainder will appear in the next installment. :P

Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Go Time

When we finally got out of bed some time later, I left for a few minutes to go take a shower in one of the makeshift stalls the engineers had set up close to the barracks. Unlike the sleeping area, these were separated by gender, so my husband and I split up to go get clean. We met back up in my quarters shortly, toweling dry fast so we could start pulling on our uniforms.

Willis eyed me as he put on his T-shirt and pants. It was a slower process for him, but I was glad to see he was able to manage without incident.

"Are we just getting dressed or are you taking off soon?" he asked, moving on to tug on his socks and boots.

"I'm probably going to need to leave in a little while," I answered. "There's still a hell of a lot to deal with out there on the island. You missed quite a bit while you were recuperating."

"Like what?"

I shook my head. "It'd take me hours to give you the full rundown. The short version is that we found out a couple of the portals down in the ruins were active and that that's where the Prometheans were coming from. Some of the Storm troops, too." I released a sigh as I finished with my clothing, then moved to go sit on the edge of the bed to lace up my boots. "And because of that, I had to blow the place sky high a little over a week ago. Now the ex-Covies are being even bigger pains in the ass than usual and seeking vengeance for wrecking their sacred space or something."

Willis laughed. "Pissing off bloodthirsty alien zealots. All in a day's work, huh?"

"More or less. And sadly I'm the one who has to deal with all of it."

"Comes with the territory, Coop. I'm sure you can handle it."

"Yeah. Sometimes I kind of wish people would stop putting so much faith in me."

My husband frowned. "Why would you say that?"

"Because it's a lot of responsibility, Will, and I don't always feel equipped to do it."

"Yeah, but...it's what you're good at. That's why you have so many people behind you. They believe you can do it."

"Well, I'm giving it my best shot. I guess we'll see."

He walked over to kiss the side of my neck. "Stop. You're doing fine."

I wish that were true, I thought to myself, but didn't say anything. Willis already knew the nightmares were getting bad again. I didn't want to tell him my drinking was becoming a problem, too.

Thankfully, he changed the subject before I could overthink things.

"Do you have time for a quick bite? I'm starving."

I glanced up from my boots and smiled. "Sure. Let's go."

"Okay. But I could use some help with my jacket first. I can button it with one hand but it would take a while." He flashed me a small grin. "Wouldn't want to be out of uniform in front of the lieutenant colonel."

"Nope. I hear she's a real hardass."

Since we weren't allowed any displays of affection in public, we settled for walking side-by-side towards the chow hall. We each got numerous salutes going through the barracks, until we stopped by one cot with a familiar-looking young man in it.

Willis grinned a little as he snuck up on his sleeping brother and tipped the edge of the cot with his boot. It spilled over and Matthew was startled awake, while my husband just stood there and laughed. That earned him a deep scowl from his younger sibling, although I found my own lips twitching in amusement, too.

"God, Will," Matthew muttered groggily from the ground. "Stop being a dick."

"Oh, come on, little bro. It's funny. The look on your face was priceless."

"Yeah? Yours'll be too when I put my fist through it."

"Hey, hey," I interjected. "Willis just got better. There will be no acts of retaliation for pranks for a while. I mean it." Then I looked over at my husband. "Will, honey, try acting your age for the last few minutes we're here, okay? That way everybody's happy."

Willis nodded and gave me a mock-salute. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now let's all go eat."

We were still finishing up breakfast when I felt my datapad buzz in my pocket. Intuiting that this meant it was probably time for me to quickly get up and go, I drained the last of my cup of coffee before I answered.

"Lieutenant Colonel Cooper here," I said.

"Colonel, this is Captain Rhodes. Are you still on the mainland?"

Beside me, Willis and Matthew were snickering loudly about something amongst themselves. I elbowed my brother-in-law in the arm and gave Willis a warning look to shut them up. "Yes, sir. Why?"

"Just got your orders in from the admiral. You're clear to accept Laraza's proposal. We need that ship in play."

Not wanting the two brothers to hear me, I got up from the table then and stepped outside the tent. "Really, sir? The UNSC is giving up its post here?"

"Well, you know from experience that the last one didn't fare so well, Cooper. We're assuming the next one won't, either. And with what we're up against out here at the moment, the brass decided it was best to just cut our losses and tag out."

"So we're leaving Khan then, you mean."

"Yes. Just as soon as the alien problems are solved. Beyond that, there's nothing more we can do here - and with the portals neutralized, so is the threat of the Storm or Prometheans returning."

"What about the reconstruction we'd started? The build sites?"

"Up to the locals now. We gave them a shot at a peaceful coexistence and they blew it."

"Right. I understand, sir."

"That makes your job very clear-cut, Colonel. Defeat our enemies on Qamar, and you're done. We're going home."

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

I heard the smile in his voice, even if I couldn't see it. "You're welcome, although it didn't come from me. Rhodes out."

When I walked back into the mess, I couldn't quite make sense of my emotions. My initial reaction was to be excited and happy - going home meant leaving behind everything bad that had happened here in the Outer Colony world since our arrival several months ago. It meant seeing my kids, who I'd missed so much every day. It meant Willis would get to complete his recovery in our own house. And it meant I'd get access to my medicine again, so the nightmares would finally stop.

But something struck me as I crossed over the threshold into the large tent. Leaving Khan behind also meant leaving the last place I'd seen my best friend, Major Oliver Hayden, alive. It meant leaving the civilians under the care of a man who ran not just the political side of the city but also the business one, a man who was more than willing to injure and kill and manipulate to get what he wanted. I felt bad for those who'd never taken up arms against us while we'd been here, but got lumped together in that group anyway when we left them with him.

All of these were thoughts I tried to erase from my expression when I returned to the table, but I wasn't a spook. I couldn't just turn things on and off in my head, so I sat down hard next to Willis, not even bothering to finish the last of my food. I'd suddenly lost my appetite.

My husband glanced at me, worried. "Natalie? What happened? Who was that?"

"Captain Rhodes, the Affair's CO," I said. "He said after we're done on the island, we're going home."

Willis didn't seem to get how the news could possibly upset me. Though he hadn't said anything yet, I could tell it caused a subtle rift between us - like he thought I wasn't interested in going back to Earth. I was, and more than anything I wanted to finally be home with him and our daughter and sons. I wanted this mission to be over. But the situation was a little more complicated than that for me.

As I stood out in the field by the Pelican, dressed in full gear and getting ready to take off along with Matthew and Heat, I watched as he folded his arms across his chest and stared straight ahead.

"So you're leaving, huh? When will you be back?"

"When it's done," I replied, slinging my DMR behind my back and picking up my helmet. "For better or for worse, the endgame's in motion now. Either we get them, or they get us. Simple as that."

"And what if I want to come with you?"

I looked up at him. "Will, you're not cleared to fly yet."

"No, but I'm still a damn good sharpshooter. I'm sure you can use an extra sniper out there."

"One who can pull the trigger, yes. But as long as you're battling buttons, it's a no-go." I walked the few paces separating us and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I'm sorry, honey, but I just don't think you're ready yet. Stay here and rest up. I'll be back before you know it." Then I flashed him a grin, both to bolster my own resolve and for his benefit. "And go take advantage of those nice command quarters I left you."

He smiled back weakly. "Okay. I will."

I hugged him hard then just before I had to get on the bird - not so hard it hurt his ribs, but enough for him to know how much I didn't want to let go. He hugged me back and tipped my chin up with his fingers for a deep kiss.

"Be careful on the island, Coop. Stay safe."

"Of course."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll see you soon."

The Pelican ride back to Qamar was silent and filled with tension. Afraid to speak in front of Matthew, Heat said nothing the whole time, making it unbearably quiet. I was glad when we finally landed, and the three of us were able to go our separate ways.

As usual, Staff Sergeant Porter and his squad were there at the LZ to greet me.

"Welcome back, ma'am!" Porter shouted above the din.

"Thanks! So what's the skinny?"

"We've been holding off both sides while you were gone, Colonel! But things've really picked up in the last hour! We're getting pressure from the ex-Covies and the Prometheans. It's good you're here!"

"Roger that! Let's get started pushing back!"

I pulled on my helmet then and opened a regiment-wide COM channel to all the Marines. "Marines of the 52nd, this is Lieutenant Colonel Cooper! I know things are tight so I brought back some help from the mainland. We're going to have two companies of rebels join in the fight to boost our numbers. I'm attaching one to Major Brewer's battalion and the other to Major Harris's. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harris replied.

"Copy that, Colonel," Brewer said.

"Good. Majors, I want separate sitreps on each of your sectors, too. Warfield included. Let's finish this up so we can go home."

"Ma'am? We're not returning to the mainland after this?" my former XO asked.

"Negative, Shawn. We end this here and now and we're done. Cooper out."

Once that was done I started ahead with my aide and his squad, DMR at the ready as we prepared to enter the chaos. I could hear gunfire and explosions coming from everywhere around us, making it clear that neither the Prometheans nor the Remnant were going to make this easy. We'd be home free after this was over, but only if we managed to come out on top - and not only win the battle, but eradicate them both altogether.

Taking in the view before us, I turned to the staff sergeant and said, "Josh, where's our Mantis deployed?"

"I don't know, ma'am. Haven't seen it in a while."

"All right. I'm sure Major Brewer's got a location for me."

I opened up a separate channel then to my new second-in-command. Her answer was prompt.

"Ma'am?"

"Brewer, where's our big bad beast? I don't see it but there's definitely a lot of spots where we could use its firepower."

"We've got it on the far side of the island, Colonel, close to our original LZ," she replied. "I'm not sure why, but it looks like what's left of the Storm's air wing have congregated there. Last I heard from Major Collins, she was busy fighting them off. They're down to low numbers now, but they're tenacious bastards."

I frowned at the news. "What the hell's down there? I know the ruins are gone, but I figured they'd want to protect even the damn crater that place left."

"Maybe they just don't want to get too entangled with the Prometheans' lines, ma'am."

"Yeah. Maybe."

Still, something about this didn't feel right. By all accounts the Remnant should've been more interested in the remains of their holy ground than an area several klicks away. I cut the connection then and looked back to Porter.

"Ma'am? What is it?"

"The ex-Covies are up to something. We need to keep an eye on them. Let's head for the old LZ."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll get us a troop 'Hog out here right away."

In order to get to where we needed to be, we had to pass through some of the worst parts of the fighting. Even gunning it, the ride seemed to take forever as we wove in and out of skirmishes and past large, pluming detonations. If I'd thought coming out here to wrap up the battle was going to be a quick in-and-out job, I couldn't have been more wrong.

"Corporal!" I yelled to the driver beside me as we raced along the ridge. "What's our ETA?"

"Five more minutes, ma'am! We're almost there! Hang - "

The Warthog took a sudden hard right turn to avoid incoming fire, and I used my left hand to keep a firm grip on the overhead bar while keeping my right glued to my gun. When the vehicle finally straightened out again, I let go of the bar and gripped my rifle more securely, letting loose a trio of bursts at the Storm troops as we drove past. It was difficult to hit anything at this speed, but I managed to nail a Jackal looking down its sights at a group of Marines. The bullets ripped through its skull, sending a spray of blood out the back of its head before the angle changed and I couldn't see its body anymore.

One less to worry about, I thought.

I was still thinking about the kill when I heard the loud sound of enemy ordnance whoosh through the air. Instinctively I started to look up, but in the fraction of a second that I turned my head, it was already too late.

A massive plasma round from one of the Phantoms still circling up above crashed into the sandy dirt just scant meters away from us. We were blown out of the 'Hog in an instant, the vehicle upending and sending all of its passengers sailing across the terrain. I heard the harsh whine of metal as it was boiled away, and then the screams of several nearby Marines as I took flight.

The first time I landed on the ground after the hit wasn't my last. I bounced off the hard dirt with a brutal grunt and went back up again, impacting against the earth a second time a few feet away, then rolling. By the time my momentum finally slowed, my helmet and weapon were gone and I was disoriented - and in a world of pain.

"Fuck," I mumbled. I tried to push myself up off the ground, breathing hard, but my arms wouldn't hold me up. My muscles had taken a beating.

"Holy shit! Colonel!"

The panicked voice was Porter's. If I could have I would have breathed a sigh of relief - I was glad he was okay at least.

"Jesus. Ma'am, are you all right?"

His voice was closer now. I figured he was either crouched beside me or standing over me. I didn't open my eyes yet to see because I felt like I was on a merry-go-round.

"I think I'm...still alive." I tried to move again but winced when I did so. "Shit. My head..."

"Careful, ma'am. Take it slow. You're bleeding a bit."

"I know. But we can't...stay here."

"I'll help you up."

I opened my eyes then and saw the staff sergeant move to do just that, but it seemed the Storm had other plans. A small group of them were converging on us, just as the rest of the Marines in Porter's squad started to rise from the dirt.

"Josh...belay that. We've got...company."