Elster clenched and unclenched her armored fists. She hadn't had time to be briefed before the Pelican had brought her to the ship she needed to board. The UNSC Pillar of Autumn waited in low orbit above Reach. Past the canopy, the girl could see the orbital engagement still ongoing, the husks of UNSC ships hanging amidst their still-fighting brethren, MACs roaring, missiles flying, plasma countering.
Tracers and plasma bolts filled the void, the Replika bracing as bursts of energy weapons fire shook the dropship nearly off-course. They'd broken through the atmosphere, but being set ablaze by plasma cannons was more worrying than burning up mid-flight. She stumbled over toward the cockpit, eyeing the warship they were gonna be landing on. The Autumn, a massive, chiseled form of Titanium with a rapid-fire MAC and enough weapons strapped to it during its refit to outdo a UNSC Valiant's standard configuration, engaged the Covenant vessels from afar with its main and secondaries, tracers from its Ramparts lighting the void as it aimed for Covenant dropships and fighters.
The Pelican's engines roared as the pilot, a woman, called out, "Coming in for a rough landing!"
Deceleration kicked in as artificial gravity seemed to suddenly turn on, Elster's stomach doing flips. The Pelican landed on the deck, its engines smoothing the touch-down. The Pilot listened in on a radio transmission, then looked back to Elster and told her, "Off you go, Sarge. They're gonna need you on the deck. I gotta deliver a few Spartans on the deck..." only to watch as the squadron of a dozen or so Spartans stepped inside and started preparing their equipment.
Elster nodded to the pilot, then turned to the Spartans' officer and gave him a salute. He saluted back, before turning back to work. Elster exited the Pelican and marched up the deck, only to catch sight of the man she was supposed to meet dead ahead. Clad in dark-green MJOLNIR Mark V, with the number 117 written on his breastplate and the rank denoted above his head, Master Chief Petty Officer 117 stood on the deck with a pair of other Spartans.
She had heard of the Chief's exploits. Even read some of the reports regarding his most recent mission on Cote D'Azur courtesy of Doctor Halsey wanting her to know who she would be working with. She approached, took her helmet off and snapped a salute, stating, "Master Chief. LSTR Unit 512, here as per Order from the Office of Naval Intelligence. I'll be your maintenance assistant and fourth gun for the upcoming mission."
Chief looked over Elster and nodded, saluting back, "At ease, Sergeant. We don't salute fellow NCOs," before turning fully to face her, "I presume you've been briefed, but in case you haven't, parameters have changed. Spartan RED Team is deploying planetside to assist with the defense of the generators powering our ODPs. Without the ODPs, Reach is lost."
"Sir," She replied, "And Blue Team?"
"We're going to Orbital Station Gamma. Main objective is to destroy the navigation data of ONI Prowler Circumference, since its crew couldn't get to it in time," The Chief replied, then motioned forward and said, "Follow us. Your new callsign's Blue Four for the duration of the op..." as he took the lead down the busy halls of the UNSC warship. Red alert sirens blared overhead.
"Sir," She nodded as they began their march toward the closest armory. There, while Marines were gathering their own gear, the Spartans also went to pick up stuff. The two other Spartans, identified as 058 and 005 by their IFFs, grabbed MA5B rifles, the UNSC's sixty-round-firing high-caliber assault rifle, plus M6D Magnums. Similar to the Gs employed by the Army, if with a little more kick and hard-hitting potential.
Spartan 058 also plucked up an SRS-99 from the racks, sliding it onto her back just in case. Elster, meanwhile, went on to retrieve a standard assault rifle and pistol loadout, plus extra ammunition for it. The male Spartan, 005, commented, "Strange armor they have you, Elster. Looks almost like MJOLNIR... I'm seeing slight light refraction coming off of the panels."
"Semi-Powered Infiltration, sir," She nodded, racking the slide of the M6D. She peered inside, examining the weapon from the rifling to the slide and bolt, before letting go of the slide and sliding a magazine in. She thumbed the slide release and felt the heavyweight pistol slide slam forward, feeding a round into the chamber. She thumbed the safety of the pistol on, sliding it onto the maglock. She then started checking the rifle as she explained, "Turns out command had a need for more Spartans, as far as rumors go."
"What team were you assigned to before this, Elster?" Chief inquired, turning to her.
She nodded, "Noble Team, sir. Spartan unit, too."
"Never heard of'em," 058 hummed as she finished checks on her weapons, "All green."
"Same here," 005 added.
Elster replied, "Good to go as well, sir..."
Chief nodded, then radioed, "Captain, this is Blue Team. We're commandeering a Pelican for the trip out. Advise doctor Halsey:the Sergeant has joined our rank..." before he motioned for the team to follow. The titan clad in MJOLNIR Mark V stepped out and marched back toward the Hangar with his team in tow. Elster hummed, checked her weapons again, then slid her helmet back on and let the seal kick into place.
Boarding the Pelican, the Spartans and Replika prepared themselves for the worst, with Chief handing Elster some spare ammunition and telling her, "Keep it loaded. The MA5B isn't accurate beyond five hundred meters..." as he sat himself down in one of the crash seats. The Pelican lifted off toward the station, dancing through the fire of enemy weaponry as it boosted forward at maximum speed.
Gamma Station was in orbit over Reach, thankfully, meaning that their arrival was quick. Chief pulled up a holographic display of the station, noting some of the damage it sustained. In the distance, there was an ongoing battle between a Corvette and a Frigate, while the Pillar of Autumn was coming in from the rear as well, though they were lagging behind.
Elster noted a chunk was missing out of the ring structure, murmuring, "Hope everything's pressurized," as she activated her suit's oxygen system to test things out. Just in case, she thought. Even as a Replika, depressurization might pose an issue to her biomechanical components. She stood to her feet and sat herself back down closer to the hatch, checking her rifle even more thoroughly
005 told her, "Important sections probably sealed off, 512. Keep it steady," as he readied his AR. He looked to the Chief and stated, "She's a bit twitchy."
"If she worked with Spartans before, she'll be fine," Chief replied, though he was wary about this 'Noble Team'. He'd ask Cortana when they got back to the Autumn. Looking over to the pilots as the Pelican flew, he saw the flashes of MAC Rounds flying over the Pelican. They struck two Covenant Frigates that had just dropped out of Slipspace and started deploying their own troops.
Elster donned a jump pack and walked over to 005. She quickly gave his a check, tugged at a fuel line and found it too lose. She then rapidly re-threaded it into place, pulled on it and found it didn't go taut as easily. Patting 005 on the shoulder, she said, "Pack's fine now," before she checked her own. Chief and the others looked to her, a bit surprised, before 058 gave her an approving nod.
058 stated, "I'm Linda, Elster."
"James," 005 stated, "Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Don't wanna lose a Spartan out there," She replied, her tone low, but friendly. The Spartans and Replika soon went quiet as the vehicle powered its main thrusters, allowing them to touch down in the base's hangar. The back hatch popped open, with James and Elster popping out first, both sweeping in 90 degree arcs with their rifles, until they locked onto the same wall. Linda and Chief jumped out next, with James giving Elster a tap on the shoulder.
They started going along the edges of the station, toward where their NAV was pointing. Chief reported, "On board. proceeding to the Circumference..." as he swept each corner they passed by with his rifle and pied each doorway. Covenant were already on the station, so that meant they would encounter hostiles soon enough. Elster was tense enough about that, but the professionalism of the Blues kept her grounded and somewhat calm.
She was also thankful to find that the Station was, in fact, somewhat pressurized. The Spartans and her continued their push past several rooms they had little time to clear, before the hairs on Elster's neck stood on-end and a voice whispered to her, "Right..." causing her to dive low. Flames exploded from the wall, the metal melting under the impact of a micron-sharpened plasma blade. She swiveled up and aimed her rifle at where she thought his gut would be, then opened fire.
Bullets pierced a weaker shield and purple blood sprayed across the wall. The hunchback shape of an Elite resolved, its optical camouflage dying. It collapsed onto the floor in a heap, energy sword hilt clattering to the floor. The Spartans all swiveled about and, as soon as the first Elite was noticed, they opened up. Bullets clinked against the metal floor, some falling through the grating as the fireteam opened up on a platoon of stealthed Elites.
The Spartans didn't even give the bastard commandoes enough time to reply, volleys of bullets puncturing through the weakened shields of stealth Elites. Several did get plasma rounds out, bursts landing near Elster, one round boiling through the grating. Another struck and sprayed itself across Elster's chest, staggering her. She thanked the lord for her shields, which were drained almost completely from the burst.
The surviving Elites moved away from the engagement, camouflages reactivating as they dipped into a side hallway. Elster grit her teeth as she stood to her feet, glaring at the bastards and keeping her assault rifle trained. Chief and the other Spartans formed up with her, each watching a different direction. James commented, "Good instincts, Elster... A nanosecond slower and..."
"Thanks..." She growled back, on alert. She didn't mean to be hostile to the Spartan, but the release, combined with whatever voice she heard, caused her to turn extremely cautious about her surroundings, even to the point of being more tense regarding even interacting with her new teammates. Chief nodded to her, however, then gave a chop of the hand forward, ordering the team to move out.
The team advanced in a diamond formation, Linda bringing up the rear to keep watch while James and Elster sat on each of John's flanks. All reloaded their weapons, putting the magazines they'd expended rounds from into distant pouches, before slamming in fresh ones and locking them in. They did this on the run, with each keeping eyes open for Elites.
Linda hummed as distant pops, repeating in a familiar pattern, echoed. She called out, "Friendlies in the next bay. Engaging Covenant units, from the sound," words to which Chief gave a nod. He staggered the teams, threw a fragmentation grenade ahead the first sight of air distortions. The grenade landed square in the midst of a pair of the Elites, shrapnel tearing through the two and even distorting others' camo.
Elster ducked under the blade swipe of the first, drew the knife attached to her armor and, whilst sliding, slit the tendons at the second joint of one of the legs, causing the creature to crumple. Cancelling her forward momentum, the girl threw herself toward the Elite and slammed the tip of her blade into its throat, tearing flesh and sinew before twisting and pulling out. She drew her sidearm as they ran forward and sniped the first Jackal in a space suit she saw.
A slew of the beasts surrounded a fireteam of Marines, probably out here for the same reason as them. And farther ahead was their objective. The station shook as it was hit by plasma fire, but the Spartans kept steady on their feet. One of the Marines cried out, "SARGE! We got Spartans incoming!" his voice full of joy. He ducked behind the box he was using as cover as a corner of it was melted by plasma.
The leading man, a dark-skinned male with an officer's cap and a shotgun, peeked out of cover and grinned, the cigar between his lips flaring at the tip as he took a puff, then pushed it out of his nostrils. He called out, "Good eye, Bisenti! Marines, the Cavalry is coming! Jenkins, I want our asses in gear toward the Circumference the moment they get here! Ain't got time to waste!"
"Aye, sarge!" Jenkins called out, wary, as he poked out and fired his rifle. Chief and the others joined them, firing their weapons at the advancing Covenant units. These ones weren't cloaked. The Elites had better shields, while the Jackals carried gauntlet shields and somewhat heavier armor thanks to the space suits. Elster found that annoying and wondered if a Grenade was a good idea amidst this entire mess.
Plasma and needle rounds quickly answered whatever killer thoughts the Replika might've had, forcing her behind cover. Chief took a knee beside the Sergeant and asked him, "Prowler?" as he fired back at the Covenant.
"Just down that-a-way, on the docking ring!" Johnson shot his open hand out in the direction of their objective, "Bastards got us cornered before we had a chance to get to it and wipe it clean! You'd think ONI spooks were more careful with secrets like where Earth is..." before he pumped his shotgun's pump and put two shells of buckshot into an Elite that got too close for comfort.
Chief gave him a nod and told him, "Prepare your men for exfil, Sergeant. Spartans, let's move it," as he began firing suppressively toward the Covenant, nailing a couple of Jackals with well-placed close quarters bursts. The Spartans and Replika all stood to their feet, the Marines tagging along with them as per the Sergeant's own wishes. Chief wasn't about to tell the man 'no' if he wanted to provide support.
The Elites and Jackals focused on the Spartans, to the point Elster was almost going non-hit by plasma rounds. Thankfully, that made her far more capable of laying down her own hate. Bullets struck shields from the assault weapons as the Marines, Spartans and Replika made a mad dash toward the target. Bolts of plasma did strike shielding, finally, causing the Spartans and Replika to stagger for a moment.
However, Chief and the others continued unabated, with the Covenant needing to focus on multiple targets at once. They entered the Prowler, with the Chief immediately heading for the computer with Elster. The Marines, James and Linda covered the rear, weapons barking as each Covenant member that attempted to advance was turned into Swiss Cheese.
Elster tapped away at the holographic display, hearing another murmur of a female voice that was so familiar, "... Perhaps you'll make it in time, but I would move faster..." with the Replika freezing for a moment. She shook her head as Chief cast a concerned glance her way, then refocused and redoubled her efforts, initiating the automated COLE PROTOCOL systems and making sure that they worked properly.
With one final press of a button, the computers flashed scarlet with warnings, to which the girl told the Chief, "I set the sole shipboard Havoc to detonate in ten mikes! Should shake the Covenant up plenty. EMP will wipe out the remaining traces of corrupted data!"
The leader of Blue team gave a nod, then radioed, "Objective accomplished. Exfil," and motioned for Elster to follow along. These Spartan-IIs were a tad more professional than Jorge, as it seemed. Or, well, Jorge was plenty professional when it mattered. They just seemed more machine than man at the very moment. The group began their sprint back toward the Pelican...
"Right! Linda!" The voice barked in her head again. Elster moved almost automatically, slamming into Linda as bursts of plasma fire melted the wall to their left. They would have hit Linda. The volley was so thick, Elster could feel her synth-skin prickling at the heat and radiation. Linda looked over to Elster, a bit surprised, then gave the girl a nod, to which the Spartans watched Elster pop two frags out.
Damned be the damage to the station, it was already lost. She simply held onto the Marines in case of depressurization, the twin thump of grenades temporarily silencing the plasma volley. Just enough for the Spartans and Marines to pop out and engage. The still-dazed Covenant soldiers swiveled around to try and engage, but the bursts of speed with which the Spartans and even the Marines ran out stunned them.
Two Jackals were gunned down by Linda's deadly precision bursts, while another trio and an Elite died to Chief's automatic fire. He dropped a spent magazine and looked over the end of the barrel to make sure he wasn't warping it. A plasma round struck his shoulder, causing shields to flare, then another, a green bolt from an overcharged pistol, partially charred his armor's chest.
James replied in kind, throwing two more grenades toward the Jackals and Elites that had fired. The concussive blasts and shrapnel shredded three more Jackals and dazed two Elites enough, their shields flaring. Linda drew her pistol and snapped off two shots, the bullets piercing the shields and punching clean through the Elites' open maws, killing both.
Immediately after that display of cold, calculated precision, she turned her head to her Replika compatriot and said, "Thanks."
"Don't mention it," Elster replied.
"... Blues, if you can hear me, get yourselves aboard ASAP. We have one last thing to retrieve, per Doctor Halsey's request, and the evacuation is handled by the others," Cortana's voice played over the radio, "We'll be moving in to retrieve you now. New Covenant fleet just jumped in-system as well. Seems like the final wave..." and the Chief and others wordlessly quickened their pace. Elster felt a pang of hope, that maybe Halsey and Ariane would tag along with them, then...
Linda, Chief and the Marines quickly pounced onto the Pelican, while Elster fired another quick burst at the pursuing Covenant forces. She then jumped in next, leaving James as last. He called out over radio, "Take off! I'll be right behind you!" as the Spartans and Marines opened fire to cover him. Bursts of plasma struck around and on the plates of the Pelican's armor.
As the vehicle lifted off, the rear hatch close to sealing, James turned toward them. In a mad dash, the Spartan dodged bolts of plasma and powered on his thrust pack, utilizing it at maximum power to throw himself into the Pelican. A momentary warning flashed onto his HUD, but his hand outstretched toward those of his fellow Blues adn of Elster, all of whom caught and pulled him into the ship as it lifted off. The back hatch closed, with every single Marine breathing a sigh of relief.
Johnson told them, "Saved our asses just in time, Spartans. Thanks..."
Chief gave Johnson a nod, while James removed his pack and told Elster, "Thanks for the fix... Got a warning about pipe damage. Thing might've sent me careening into outer space if you didn't fix it," to which Elster gave a nod, stunned at herself. She'd managed to save two Spartans from potentially losing their lives and winding up on the Missing-In-Action list.
"How did you do that?" Linda asked, sitting herself down.
Elster shrugged, then partially lied, "Gut instinct..." as she stood up. A short chuckle, ethereal and distant, echoed in her noggin as the Pelican touched down. Amidst firing its guns, the Pillar of Autumn prepared to descend down to the planet's surface. However the hell a Cruiser of this size and tonnage was going to land safely onto a planetside drydock, only they knew. It would probably have to undergo a quick rearm and refit, too.
She hummed, then looked to Chief as they dismounted and asked him, "Sir, we really going to try and nab enemy leadership...?"
"Yes," The Spartan nodded, "That was the mission. Missions change, though..." before motioning for her to follow. Johnson and the other Marines and Spartans dismounted from the Pelican as it was getting refueled, the Hangar doors closing in behind them as the ship began adjusting its systems for the upcoming descent. The group marched over toward the ship's ice box, with Linda and James having decided to follow along.
"We going into Cryo?" Elster asked. Chief nodded, to which she said "... I'm staying for now, sir. maybe they'll need help getting whatever it is aboard."
Chief replied with a nod and said, "We'll see you soon, then, Elster."
The girl nodded, then turned around and marched back toward the Hangar, watching as the crews prepared and steadied themselves and the vehicles. The vessel began to vibrate as they descended into the atmosphere. Some minutes later, a reverberating metallic thunk echoed as the vessel touched down amidst the Aszod Break Yards, with Elster already attending to repairing and/or keeping the Pelicans in working order.
It would only be thirty minutes before the Hangar doors opened, Captain Keyes walking onto the deck. Elster and every other man and woman present stood at attention, snapping salutes. The Captain saluted and nodded back, before telling them, "Three Pelicans, one gunship. Sergeant Elster, with me. We're going downstairs personally to retrieve the Package."
"Yessir," Elster nodded as she and a few Marines packed into the Pelican with Keyes.
Keyes hummed and arranged his uniform, then said, "Catherine told me about you. Welcome to my crew for the foreseeable future, Elster..." and he quickly checked his sidearm. Elster nodded in thanks as the Pelicans lifted off and headed down toward the cliff face. Around them, Banshee flyers and Dropships were destroyed by accurate fire from a mounted MAC Gun. The man told her, "Noble Team's present already, I see."
"Noble, sir?" She smiled, "They have Halsey and Ariane with them...?"
Captain Keyes seemed to know that Elster would ask this. His features, like chiseled out of stone, formed into a frown. He sighed and said, "Catherine also warned me you'd ask that... I'm afraid not..." as he stood up. Elster's heart sank in her chest when he told her, "Miss Yeong and her are back at CASTLE, according to her own message to me. We're to retrieve the Package and bug out."
"Sir, we can't just-!" She stood to her feet, heart starting to race.
The Captain shot her a calm, knowing glance, "I know, Sergeant... I know... The good doctor told me of the bond between you and Ariane. As much as I hate to tell you this, we'll just hope they hold underground until ONI can put together a search and rescue party..." which caused Elster's heart to sink further. She fell back into her seat as the Pelican moved in to land.
The girl sighed deeply, almost wishing to jump out and join Noble on the deck. Standing to her feet and drawing her MA5, the girl took a knee beside the captain as the hatch propped open, with half of Noble present on the deck. She noted their IFF tags flare up, including Kat's, Jorges and Six's here and Emile's and Carter's near the mounted MAC Gun. And she also saw another certain someone, her body scarred by burn marks, but her rifle still held up and at the ready.
Six, whose armor had been stained by carbon scoring, stepped up and said, "Captain Keyes, sir," as he pulled the package, a glowing blue cylindrical container, off of his back. Rita stepped up to the line and noted Elster, then flashed the girl a grin. Elster gave her a nod, before looking to Six as Captain Keyes descended onto the landing pad beside the shipbreaking yard's drydock. The Spartan also saw Elster take her helmet off. She offered a kind, but wary smile at him, her Synth-skin damaged, but visibly still attached. He gave a nod and said, "Elster..."
"Good to see you are all still well, Nobles," She told them, "Doc Halsey probably knew she could count on you all."
"You ain't without thanks, Els," Jorge noted, jovial and clearly smiling behind his helmet.
Keyes nodded to Six as he was handed the package, telling them, "Noble should pack up and be ready to Exfil with the rest of us. We'll need every Spartan we can get in this fight..." all while gazing at the gathered force. Above, on a different platform next to the Aszod facility, the Onager MAC cannon, a planetside mass driver, fired one of its ferromagnetic slugs through the coil-hoops. A flash and a crack of thunder later and a Covenant dropship vanished.
"Sir, can't do, sir," Six noted, "We got orders from Vice Admiral Whitcomb to redirect and try to defend the planetside generators, too. Word of mouth is a Company of Army, two of Marines and a few Spartans have been redirected there, as well."
"Red Team," The man nodded, "We can lend you a Pelican. Fly it safe."
"We'll try not to slam it into a Scarab, sir," Chortled Rita. Though concern washed over both the Captain and Elster, neither commented on it, while Kat gave the girl a slap upside the head. Rita pouted, then sighed and shook her head as she took up defensive positions, before gasping. As the air around them electrified to the point of discomfort, she called out, "Emile! Cruiser comin' in off our ten o'clock!"
Keyes blanked, then noted the massive frame of the warship punching bow-first through the clouds of smoke and ashes. He radioed, "Noble Four, I'm gonna need fire on that cruiser or we're not getting off this planet!"
"You'll have your window, sir!" Emile replied proudly.
"Six, Rita, move up to us, we're gonna need the backup in a second! Jorge, Kat, keep the Pad open for our ride! And Elster, get moving, they'll need you up there." Carter's voice echoed over com as the Pelican Keyes had ordered forward touched down. The Spartan and War Replika turned toward Elster, who gave them an approving nod. They both gave her a quick salute, before rushing off to assist as a Covenant Dropship flew in overhead.
"Jorge! Kat!" Elster called out as Keyes boarded the Pelican. The two turned toward her, which allowed her to tell them, "Stay safe! And get to Menachite if all else fails! Please!"
They knew why she wanted them to go to Menachite if the Generators fell. Both gave her silent nods, with Jorge hefting his LMG and telling her, "We'll get her off this rock safe, Els..." garnering a weak smile from the girl as her and Keyes's Pelican maxed out its engines. Overhead, the Covenant Cruiser's excavation beam charged, causing her synthetic hairs to stand on-end.
"Hey, Elster!" Emile called over a staticky radio, courtesy of the MAC charging. Elster tapped her com to signal she was listening as the Pelican was halfway to the Autumn's hangar. Emile chuckled and said, "Give'em hell out there!" before the MAC roared, burning white trailing a line in Elster's vision, before the belly of the Cruiser exploded in a flaming flash. The Autumn's takeoff assistance engines roared below.
Elster felt tears welling in her eyes as the Pelican touched down, Keyes calling out, "All stations, brace for castoff..." over radio. He turned to Elster and put a hand on her shoulder, telling her, "We'll get them back, Sergeant..." to which she nodded. Wordlessly, she stepped off the Pelican and toward a window as the Autumn accelerated out of orbit. Breaking through the atmosphere allowed Elster to see the extent of the damage.
Down below, Reach burned. The Covenant fleet's plasma beams boiled away her oceans, her mountains being flattened by beams from the poles to the ecuatorial line. Around them, the debris of dozens of UNSC vessels littered the void, destroyed and gutted. A vessel's name came into view, a Frigate. The Black Baron. Her hull boiled, split in half amidships...
And below, fire flashed over the Menachite mountains, Elster's heart stuck in her throat. No, no, no, please no!
... She collapsed to her knees as fire seemed to burn over Menachite, over CASTLE Base, over Reach. The sole human world she and Ariane had known in this place burned away below her. And she was all the more helpless to stop it. Her mind raced as rivers of tears flowed down her cheeks. She prayed at that had been an explosion above Menachite, not on it...
Though, how could she know? All she saw now was ashes and the trail of Covenant plasma fire as they chased the Autumn. Half-a-dozen Covenant Cruisers gave chase to them. She could see them in the corners of her blurred vision as the voice spoke to her in her mind once more, a derogatory, vile tone, "You failed her... You broke your promise, you worthless little robot... But, maybe, you'll be capable enough to make these bastards pay for it!"
... Elster felt fury well in her chest... This was it, then, wasn't it? She had failed Ariane...
Standing to her feet, the Replika glared at the Covenant vessels trailing them as they prepared to enter Slipspace, plasma bolts and beams lancing past the hull. Turning away from it, fists clenched. Whatever it was these bastards were hoping to achieve, they weren't going to get it. She marched toward the deck once more, knowing her time moping was better spent working...
"Good, you insufferable little copy. You took my place in this reality, so make yourself useful. I couldn't protect my Alina and you couldn't protect your Ariane... We are alike... But, through you, we get a chance to right the wrongs, because you're still alive. Now, work! Work yourself until the synthetic skin and armor on your hands peels away..."
The visage of a soldier of the Eusan Volksarmee came to Elster, her right eye bandaged and a rifle in hand. Lilith Itou stared back at LSTR-512 within the confines of her biomechanical mind. She spoke to Elster, her face a scowl, "And when all the Work is done and your blades are sharpened... Kill them all for what they've done to you! ALL of them! For our loves... And for ourselves!"
She cracked a grin. One Elster copied beneath her helmet.
... No more tears. Only work. Only payback.