Chapter Forty-Two: Reckoning, Part Two

My brother had said he hoped I didn't find myself in anymore tough scrapes, but as the battle raged throughout Qamar Island, that was hard to do.

Bullets and plasma and needle rounds filled the air as Major Mullen, the 904th's newly minted commander, charged his way through the gaps and fought the pockets of Storm troops hard to get to our outer perimeter. I watched part of it through the tactical view on my datapad, where Mullen's battalion was reduced to an amorphous blob moving across a physical map of the terrain. I didn't linger on the real-time image though; it was a quick check to see how they were progressing, and then I diverted my attention back to the immediate area.

"Marines, keep up the fire! Plug those holes up in the lines and push back!"

Things were starting to get dicey now. It'd been a while and Travis still hadn't reported in about the charges being ready, and the Storm were being fierce as ever as we continued to cut down their numbers. They were getting cornered now and they knew it, but rather than succumb to the enemy, they were fighting us tooth and nail for every inch. Exactly how we would have if the tables were turned.

I opened fire myself on the closest approaching group then, helping my Marines slaughter a squad of them before they entered our lines. Racing past their fallen comrades, the rest of the Remnant kept right on coming, irrespective of the thick hail of lead aimed in their direction. I heard a couple of shotgun blasts beside me and turned to see a gutted Elite, dripping dark violet blood from a huge hole in its armor and abdomen, let out a gurgling groan as it fell to its knees. A final blast to the head obliterated his helmet and left very little else above the neck, splattering me and another Marine closest to the bastard with its gore.

The Marine who'd killed the Elite, one of Porter's men, turned to me as soon as the alien was down, breathing hard. "Sorry, Colonel."

I shook my head. "Don't be. Better him than us, and better to be dirty than dead."

The fighting went on at a frenetic and unforgiving pace. As soon as I wiped the Elite's thick blood from my helmet visor, a fresh new wave was already moving in, momentarily deterred by a few frag grenades that were chucked into the chaos. I ducked my head as they exploded, sending more sharp cries and bodies upward. The Storm fought back though, and in the midst of mass melee, plasma grenades were tossed at us this time.

I saw one hit the ground just a few feet away and I shoved the Marine who'd killed the Elite sideways as I shouted, "Grenade! Move!"

I didn't take the time to think about what that choice would mean for me. It'd been a split-second reaction, all instinct, and then I was left with the image of a glowing blue enemy grenade pulsing near me while I was well within the blast zone. Any attempt to move now wouldn't get me out of the way in time, so instead I shut my eyes tight as I listened to the roaring in my ears, hoping Willis would forgive me for not looking out for myself when he learned I was dead.

That's when I heard the guttural growl come from my left.

It wasn't an Elite or a Grunt or anything nonhuman that made it. I risked opening my eyes and went into a moment of shock when I saw that it was my aide, Staff Sergeant Porter, who'd just leapt in from the side and onto the grenade, trying to save me.

"Josh, no!" I screamed.

But it was too late. The plasma grenade burst beneath his body then, tearing him apart right in front of me. The remainder of the detonation blew me back on my ass a few feet away, dazed and disoriented, but alive. It all happened so fast I wasn't even really sure of what I'd seen, other than the fact that a man I'd worked with and fought beside for over five years now had just gone up in a million pieces for me.

When the dust finally settled I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was still lying flat on my back, my lungs filled with the tiny debris particles in the air, eyes open now but I couldn't seem to focus on anything specific. Various aches wracked my body, especially where I'd landed, but I couldn't hear anything of what was going on around me.

Suddenly another Marine's face appeared in field of vision; he looked like he was yelling something, but I couldn't tell what. I just sank my head back down to the ground and that's when the lights went out.

When I came to, the first thing I registered was the sound of gunfire - very close by. In that second between being knocked out and full consciousness, I didn't remember yet what had happened to Porter. I opened my eyes a moment later and looked up to see Doc Reynolds crouched beside me. I was glad I could hear again when he glanced at me and spoke.

"Colonel. Welcome back."

"D-Doc?"

"Yes, ma'am. Somebody has to look out for you out here. You tend to be very bad at doing that yourself."

I almost snorted, but then the memory hit me all in a rush and I sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh, God. Josh..."

The medic's voice fell considerably. "Yeah. This time it wasn't me who saved your life. Wouldn't have been able to if that grenade had gone off next to you, as it should have. The staff sergeant took it for you, ma'am. I'm sorry."

I didn't know what to say. I just swallowed hard as the emotions welled up inside me, but I knew I was in no place right now to show it. I lifted my arm to run my rolled-up sleeve across my eyes, but then thought better of it when I saw all the dried blood all over it - not Porter's, but the Elite's from earlier. I let it fall back to the side and used the collar of my T-shirt beneath my battledress jacket instead.

"Fuck, Michael," I rasped out. "I really thought...these days were behind me now. I'm...sick as shit of losing people."

"Same, ma'am. It's why I left the Corps after the War. Only came back on since I knew you'd probably need my help." He gripped my shoulder and squeezed it. "You know you can't bring the kid back. He's gone now, Colonel, for good. But you can make his sacrifice worthwhile by staying alive, and finishing up this fight."

"R-right."

"Just please, try to take it easy. Being that close to a grenade going off, even one that's covered, is not something your body can just bounce back from right away. I know you have your job to do but...I'd hate to lose another member of the old Bravo Company today."

I winced a little as I slowly sat up. "We're a dying breed, aren't we, Doc?"

"Just me and you now, ma'am. Let's hope it stays that way."

In the half-hour I'd been out, a lot of things had changed. For one, my security detail was now being headed by Porter's second, Sergeant Derek Lynch. He had jet-black hair cut short and warm brown eyes, and was about the same age I'd been at the tail end of the war. He had a young son he spoke incessantly about, but other than that he kept his personal life private and made it clear that he was here to do his job and nothing else. His no-nonsense attitude was different from Porter's, who'd known me for a long time and knew what I was comfortable with tolerating and what I wasn't when it came to lighter moments. But Lynch was solid, and I knew he was as loyal as his predecessor - even if his demeanor didn't draw attention to it.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry about the staff," he said to me as I approached. "He was a good leader and an honorable Marine. And he died doing what any one of us would do for you in a heartbeat, Colonel."

I gave him a look. "I hope it's a duty none of you have to discharge again. If I could have stopped him, I would." I let out a sigh then as the fighting raged on around us as if nothing earth-shattering had occurred, even though it had for us. But now that I was up and mobile, it was time to get back to it. "Care to bring me up to speed, Lynch?"

"Yes, ma'am. We're finally breaking down the Remnant offensive. Major Mullen's battalion broke through about ten minutes ago, and since then, things've loosened up. We've got more room to maneuver and less of those alien bastards filling the void their dead comrades are leaving."

"That's very good news. Any word from our demo team yet down on the beach?"

"No, ma'am. I find that strange, too. The captain should have reported in by now."

"Okay. I'll look into it."

I stepped off to the side then to open a COM channel to my younger brother. "Travis, it's me. What's the hold up? We haven't heard anything in a while."

"Sorry, Nat. This cave thing is proving a lot tougher to rig than that big chamber on the other side."

"How so?"

"The proximity to the ocean isn't doing the fuses any favors. We've compensated for that, but it's taking a little longer to put together."

"All right. Well, we're busting ass out here to stop the alien army, so anything you can do to speed things up..."

"Be quick about it. I got it."

"Yup. Cooper out."

Once the connection was closed, I clicked the radio again to check in on Major Harris this time. "Shawn, it's Cooper. You guys still holding your own okay?"

"Yes, ma'am. It's been a tough fight since the 904th pulled out, but I think we got it handled. Collins is doing wonders for us with the air support and the tanker we've got here is providing good backup. Surprisingly, so's that rebel company you sent us. The Prometheans won't leave our lines anytime soon."

"Good to know. We've got our own bag of problems here on the opposite end. Just keep me updated."

"I will, Colonel."

With that done, I was finally able to return my focus to our own battle. It was difficult to get my head back in the game with the knowledge that my trusted aide was gone forever, that he'd died for me - but for now, with all the lives counting on me to see this through, I had no choice but to push it all back to the recesses of my mind and ensure I gave every ounce of my attention to what was happening. The remainder of my Marines deserved no less, and there would be time to digest the loss and mourn the heroic staff sergeant later. For now, like Reynolds had said, the best thing I could do to preserve his memory was to give this fight everything I had.

My own gun joined the chorus of others as we fought to beat back the Storm - just as above us, Captain Rhodes and Laraza's rebel stealth ship did the same. I hadn't received an update on the naval battle in a while, but I was sure the combat was all-out up there in space as well. There was nothing less the UNSC would do when there was a planet at stake.

Just a few minutes later, I found it was already time to reload. We were all burning through ammo fast, so it was a good thing I'd been able to coordinate a steady delivery of supplies from the mainland throughout the fight with Major Collins's help. When I turned back around, I noticed that some of our own members of the rebel detachment we'd been sent were fighting beside me. Not at me like they had when we first landed on Khan, but with us, against the Remnant. It was heartening to see, as it had been when we'd teamed up on the mainland to beat back the ex-Covies, and it gave me a sudden surge of adrenaline and hope again.

"Marines, let's go! Pick it up, and don't stop firing! We can do this!"

The moment didn't last long, though, as the tables soon turned on us yet again. All of a sudden, a couple of Promethean Knights started teleporting into our lines, entirely unexpectedly - then a handful, and then a dozen.

"Shit, where the fuck did these guys come from?" one of Porter's men shouted. I'd always think of them as his squad, even though now Sergeant Lynch was in charge.

"Don't know, Corporal! Just shoot 'em!" I yelled back.

If I'd thought things were a veritable mess before, it hadn't been anything like this. Soon some of the ex-Covies turned away from fighting us to go up against the Promethean troops now steadily populating the openings, all while us Marines and the rebels shifted our focus from one alien baddie to the robotic one and back again. In short order we were on the verge of getting overrun, so I quickly called up Major Collins for some support.

"Major, we could use a hand over here!" I said over the COM, all while rattling off another burst from my DMR at the enemies that crowded us.

What I received in response was less than encouraging. "Can do, Colonel! But be advised, we just ran into a group of Phantoms hiding out by the ruins! If we leave this station, the Eighth Engineers aren't going to have any coverage on the ground or in the air! They'll be wide open to attack! Your call, ma'am."

"Fuck," I muttered. We really needed the help on this side - if I didn't send Collins in, Earth was in danger from the new threat we faced now with the Prometheans. But if I did, Harris's battalion - the men and women I used to lead myself just a few months ago - would almost surely receive a catastrophic amount of casualties trying to contain the enemy on their own. I'd already pulled their support from the 904th and given them the air wing in exchange, so if I pulled any more...they'd be toast.

I made the tough choice then and there. The portal was the top priority, but I was sure Travis and his team wouldn't let me down. We'd just have to hold on until the air commander was freed up on her side to come lend us a hand.

"Okay, Collins. Go ahead and remain with Harris's unit. We'll figure something out until you've got the skies over there cleared. Just do it fast, Major."

"Yes, ma'am. We're on it."

Meanwhile, we still had two large groups of very pissed off and determined extraterrestrials to go after. With Porter gone, Sergeant Lynch had taken up his mantle in an abstract way and had even picked up his former squad leader's SAW in a more concrete one. With a bulletstorm of automatic fire downing Remnant troop after troop, and Crawler after Crawler, the rest of us were freed up to take on the big guys - the Knights and the irritatingly persistent Watchers.

One of the Knights teleported in behind us then and as I whipped around quick to take down the sentinel over its shoulder, it turned to me with blazing eyes and a purple sword ready to skewer me. I backpedalled fast, trying to get out of the way...and found myself bumping right into the back of an Elite. Caught between a rock and a hard place, I thought for sure I'd just made Porter's sacrifice void when the Knight's blade shot out for my hide. Without a second thought I ducked, throwing myself flat on the ground and covering my head when I heard the sound of the blade sinking into the Elite's back and the alien giving a surprised groan. More dark blood fell onto my armor and fatigues, but before I could dwell on the dry-cleaning bill, I slipped out from underneath the duel and scrambled back, breathing hard as I realized how close I'd come - again - to being made a corpse.

I'd just gotten myself back on my feet and was searching for a new target - not that hard to find - when I saw the ammo counter on my gun had gone to zero. I reloaded again and then set back to the task at hand.

I kept up the fire alongside my Marines, fighting harder and feeling more invigorated since I'd lost a great aide and friend today. But I felt worried, too, knowing that without any air support, there was a very real possibility that both the Storm and Prometheans might break through. They were fighting hard, and taking them on both at the same time - even if they were also going after one another - was almost beyond our ability to handle.

Then I got a message on the COM.

My brother's line was filled with static when he hailed me, but I still made out his words.

"Hey, Natalie? We've run into a problem."

"Again? What now?"

His voice changed, and that's how I knew it was bad. A seed of fear sprung up inside me, and I thought again of my nightmare - the one where my brother had appeared on the Highway, looking down at me next to Lewis and Hayden.

"Nat, I don't know how to say this. But if we want this portal gone, we need to do it manually. We tested the remote det and it's not going to work."

The seed of fear burst into full-blown anxiety then and I found myself holding a hand to my helmet, as if that was all it took to keep me together. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said, sis. We can't take the portal out from a safe distance. If it...goes, we go with it."

"Trav..."

My voice faltered and I stopped there. This couldn't be happening again. I thought of the two good Marines I'd sent to their deaths in Ecuador five years ago, when we needed that Flood ship gone to stop the parasite from spreading...except this time it was on a much, much bigger scale. There was a whole platoon of Marines involved this time - not just Travis's demo team, but the two squads of Marines I'd sent in with them after we left to protect them in case we couldn't hold the lines and some of the ex-Covies slipped through. None of them would make it out in time.

And this time, it was my little brother who was among them.

"I'm sorry, sis. You have to make a choice," my brother said steadily.

"I can't," I breathed.

His tone went hard. "Listen. If you don't order the det, all this shit will go to Earth. Another war, Natalie. My girlfriend, my son, your kids are going to be the recipients. And billions of other people, too. Please, don't do that for me. Let us take the hit instead."

Shit. He was right. I couldn't prioritize my brother's life over everyone else's, or the lives of the Marines with him. It was forty men and women I gave death sentences to today to save several billion later.

But their deaths would always be on my hands. Always.

"Do it," I said in a rush, before I could stop myself. "Blow the charges, Trav. Whatever it takes."

The was a moment of silence on the other end, then a resolved, "Okay."

"Travis - "

"I know. Be good to Kelsey and Adam for me, all right? Tell them I love them, and that I'm doing this for them."

The connection cut then and I was at a loss - with what to say or do. I realized that there was nothing I could say or do to stop the flowing tide of events that would end in my brother's death, and the death of thirty-nine other brave Marines. It was what needed to be done - there was no question about that, and any other choice would have been reckless at best, callous and treasonous at worst. We were getting our asses handed to us and I just couldn't risk an entire planet to wait on the air wing.

But the right choice I was left with, the one I was making, still didn't sit well with me. It sent sharp spikes of pain right through my heart, and I didn't even breathe again until I heard the huge series of detonations go off behind us.

With those sounds, I knew that Earth's salvation was complete.

And that Travis and each and every one of the other Marines I'd sent down there with him were gone.