Chapter 7

Kel rushed out with Eric as soon as they heard the fighting. They came out of the cave entrance as plasma fire laced itself to their side of the firefight. Drake, Vickenson, Drake, and Jagger sat behind some crates, returning fire where they could.

"What'd we miss?" Eric shouted over the gunfire.

Kel looked at who was responding. Drake looked pissed beyond anything she had ever seen, looking about ready to murder everyone in the hanger. "Jackson just bit the dirt! Give me some fire! I need Vickenson and Khovostov in that condor Now!"

Kel, for her part, popped up from her cover and drove the red-armored commander back behind another pile of crates. Drake sprayed the rest of the area and he yelled out.

"GO! GO!"

Khovostov and Vickenson sprinted toward the condor as plasma fire rained down on them. Eric caught Vickenson getting hit in the leg via his peripheral vision before he managed to limp to the vessel's loading bay

Kel ducked back down as she turned to Jagger. "On my mark, run."

"Copy."

The T'vaoan peaked over the crate, seeing an Ibie'shan with a beam rifle enter the battlefield. "Now!"

Jagger sprinted as the remaining three fired again. Miraculously, the marine made it to the other side without issue. He knelt by the hydraulics of the loading bay, using the massive piston as cover as he reloaded. Kel, in the mean time, sent a needle round through a jackal's throat, sending him stumbling to the ground.

"Alright, Kel you're next," Eric said to her.

"No."
"This isn't a discussion!"

"No, you and Drake go. I am the fastest. I'll be fine."

Before Eric could argue any further, Kel saw a flash of blue fly from the enemy commander's hand. Drake yelled it out as Kel gripped Eric by the shoulders before he could react and threw him to the side.

"GRENADE!"

She saw the small glowing orb land next to her as she shuffled back herself. Instinctively, she turned her head and closed her eyes. This is how I die.

Then, there was a blinding flash and searing pain as she was thrown from her feet. Her entire consciousness mercifully went dark as she landed back to the ground.

Eric awoke in a blind haze, instinctually firing his pistol. He was being dragged by Drake up the ramp of the condor. His body hurt beyond anything he'd ever felt. Plasma burns scorched his lower legs and his chestplate was riddled with plasma pistol fire. Something else flashed through his mind though when he spotted the red armored form lying prone on the ground across the cave.

"Kel!"

He tried to get up, but his legs didn't respond. His entire body wasn't listening to his commands, the only exception being his hands, witch reflexively reloaded his pistol and continued firing until the enemy disappeared from view as Drake got him to the inside of the loading bay.

He tried to sit forward and crawl but Drake pushed his hand to his chest. "Stay down!"

"Let me go! I'm not leaving her!"

Drake balked. She's a damned bird!

"I'm not risking anyone's ass for a bird whose probably dead over there!"

"Then leave me here and I'll go down with her!"

"No!"

"I made a promise!"

Drake held him firm as he struggled, but his mind was a million miles away. He remembered a promise he had made a long time ago. He remembered a memory that he had repressed for the better part of a decade. I won't let them get to you. I promise. That marine's face finally came back. I won't fail again.

He looked at Kel lying on the other side of the hanger, unmoving. She covered for me.

"Shit!" he yelled. "Shit! Shit! SHIT!" he paused and looked around. It wasn't impossible. "Eric, stay down! Jagger, cover fire!"

With that, he sprinted back out of the condor. Plasma and needles raced and licked at his heels, pushing him to run faster than he had since that installation, since his broken promise. He skidded to a halt as he knelt beside the T'vaoan's broken form curled up on the stone floor.

Her entire body was scorched, some of her armor being melted into her flesh. Her once proud mane of feathers was now burned off at the tips. He cradled her head as he kept his own behind the crates while he checked her heartbeat. She had a pulse.

Lets get this done.

He hoisted her on his left shoulder into a fireman's carry as he stood and cradled his MA5 under his right arm. He emptied the entire mag in an uncontrolled spray before discarding it and drawing his pistol as he ran.

He was halfway to the condor when a plasma bolt lanced through his calf, sending him to his knee. He quickly dispatched the jackal that had shot him as he rose back to his feet even as a needle impacted into his right shoulder, faltering his aim.

Drake moved on, heedless of the pain as he took another shot to the gut. Jagger dispatched that one for him. A needle rifle round hit him in the breastplate just as he stumbled at the condor's ramp. The engines were firing up.

"Get us out of here!" he yelled as he stumbled up the ramp and collapsed to his knees.

Jagger was retreating back up and into the condor's loading bay, even as the jackals began swarming around to the entrance. Plasma stormed the loading bay even as the ramp closed and the dropship began to lift off. Drake gently set the Kig-Yar down next to Eric. His entire body burned, but he would live.

Once the dropship was away, he looked to Eric. He would live too. He looked to Kel.

"Jagger, get the medkit. Help the bird first."

"On it sir."

Eric looked over to Kel through swollen eyes as Jagger began treating her. "Kel. Kel. Talk to me. Please."

He brushed his hand across her arm and immediately regretted it as he felt her flesh shift and slough off. A tear broke across his face. Nonono.

"Don't worry Eric," Jagger said, still dressing her wounds. "I'll keep her alive until we reach Venezia. I promise."

Promises. I'm sorry.

Nof watched the transport craft drift away into the atmosphere. A part of him was glad a few had escaped. There was enough blood on his hands as it was. He looked back at the plasma burn from where his grenade had detonated. A human had gone back for their Kig-Yar comrade. That was something… he had not expected.

He glanced at Syn, who had sidled up beside him. "The dig site is secured," he said, monotone.

"What's wrong," she asked, gently grabbing his hand and returning the needler he was gripping back to his belt.

"…"

"Well?"

"Nothing. Lets just get the cargo and leave."

"What were the casualties?" she asked

"Too many. I would reckon it was almost as many since we fled the Covenant."

"They… knew the risks." She glanced down, almost speaking in a whisper.

"You know you can't lie to me."

Syn shifted on her heels as she now turned to look at him. "Who said that you were the target for that lie?"