Another Halo fic

[Hawkwings]

*claps*

I like this story

[Kuja]

*whew*


Chapter 20: Homewards

"Depart from your brother, depart from yourself." – Lekgolo proverb

Alve knew something had to be wrong because of the way the stars swung back and forth outside the Phantom's viewports. From the way they would rise, fall, and rise again, he knew the ship had to be reeling drunkenly as it flew towards home, tilting in one direction and then overcorrecting as it tried to remain level. That was a bad sign. Swift never flew so poorly.

Ensu lay face down on the deck, armor stripped off as Meras opened a medical kit and cracked open the disinfectant. "Scream if you have to," she said to the prone figure. He nodded and she poured the liquid over his back injury. Ensu didn't exactly scream, but he did make a sound akin to "aaaaarrrrnnnnn!" and balled his hands into fists, squeezing his eyes shut to ride out the wave of pain.

"Take care of him, I'm going to go check on Swift," Alve said.

Meras nodded absently. "Will do."

Alve turned and limped his way towards the cockpit, a blast of pain erupting in his left leg every time he put his weight on it. Better, better get that looked at, he thought to himself as he reached the open hatch and leaned in. "Swift?"

For a moment, silence answered him. Then, "That you...Alve?" a weak voice asked.

Alve leaned forward and felt his stomach drop. "Oh, Swift..." The floor of the cockpit had been jammed upwards in the Phantom's collision with the dropship, crushing Swift's legs between the metal and the chair. The Yanme'e was bleeding heavily, and sat awkwardly in his seat. Alve realized that the only thing keeping the pilot there were his restraining straps.

"Guess you were right, Captain," Swift whispered as he fought to keep the ship on course.

"What? What about?"

"Your bad feeling. When you told me to be careful. You were right." Swift fell silent and shook his head. "Why haven't they hailed us? They should've hailed us by now."

"Your receiver is switched off, Swift," Alve said.

"Oh," the pilot replied calmly. He looked over his instrument panel. Then he blinked and shook his head. "Which button is it?" he asked. Alve reached out and gently flipped the switch."

"-repeat, please inform status."

Swift reached out and flipped the 'send' switch, inadvertently sending the Phantom into a spin as he took his hand off the controls. Alve reached over and grabbed the now-vacant side, helping steady the ship. "Phantom One here," Swift said slowly. "Coming in. We have injured. Give me a landing please."

"Phantom One, you are to land in hanger two. Understood?"

"Understood," Swift replied. He let go of the switch and leaned back into the chair. "I'm dying," he suddenly said.

"We're almost there," Alve replied calmly.

"Alve."

"Yes?"

"Take the controls, I can't..." he trailed off and shook his head. "Are we almost there?" he asked.

Alve felt a lump forming in his throat. "Almost there. We'll be home in another minute."

"Alve?"

"What?"

"I need you to take the controls," Swift said again. "I'm...losing focus. Can't land like this. Need you to steer for me."

"I will," Alve replied, awkwardly wedging himself in past the chair and reaching out to take the controls. The slippery blood on the metal made it slightly easier to ease in.

"Tell me when to brake," Swift said, voice even quieter now. "Sorry I can't get out of the way."

"It will be alright soon," Alve assured him. He did his best to aim the ship towards the right hanger, but he was no pilot and his uncomfortable position made things worse. The Phantom's nose jerked back and forth as he tried to keep it on course.

"Phantom One, do you require assistance?"

"Answer them," Swift said.

Alve tapped the switch. "Yes, please assist in any way possible," he said.

The line was silent for a few seconds, doubtless because they hadn't been expecting Alve's voice. Then the reply came. "Hang on, Phantom. You're about to get picked up."

A moment later, the ship jerked and began fighting Alve's guidance. "A tractor," he said.

"Cut thrust," Swift said. "I can't reach it." Alve pulled the lever and sound of the engines died away. The Phantom continued on, however, gracefully gliding past the threshold of the hanger and into the safety of the Hallowed Avenger. Alve saw dozens of personnel crowding the deck and as the tractor roughly set the Phantom down, they all began swarming towards it.

"We're here, Swift," Alve said, gently grasping his shoulder.

Swift stayed silent for a long moment. "Alve?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know the Prayer of Ascension?"

"I do."

Swift reached up and took Alve's hand. "Say it with me, please."

Alve didn't argue.

"The Prophecies will guide us
To that shining place
Where there is no end
The Great Journey will take us there
So long as we walk it
The path is not easy and nor is it short
But we will believe and we will arrive
Because it is our destiny
The Great Journey awaits none
For we are upon it every moment
Even to our dying breath
And we will not stray
Even to our dying breath."

Alve felt Swift's grip loosen as they spoke, but another hand suddenly came down and pressed it back firmly. It was Meras, and she joined them in the prayer, her voice trembling. As the spoke the final words, Alve felt the last of Swift's strength leave him.

Silence descended on the cockpit as Swift's head slowly fell forward. Alve found himself unable to speak. Even after everything that had happened, Swift's passing struck him like a hammer and he bowed his head. But before he could lose his composure completely, Meras tapped him on the shoulder. "You need medical attention, Alve. Right now."

Alve 'Essonee took a deep breath, slowly backed out of the cockpit, and stood, ignoring the pain in his leg. "Right," he said with more than a hint of force. "I do."

[Lindar]

*cries for Swift*

[Ford Prefect]

What an emotion charged scene. It was just plain amazing. You, Kuja, you have succeeded in moving me through the death of an insectoid xenos.

[Companion Cube]

I can't recall feeling sorry for a giant insect before, so bravo.

[Kuja]

Epilogue: Consequences

"I think all soldiers need to be a little crazy...if you do not start out that way, it will happen to you later on, and that never bodes well for you or your friends." – Alve 'Essonee

"So, are you receiving visitors?"

Ensu looked up from the slate he'd been reading to see Meras standing in the doorframe. Without hesitation, he set it down and waved her in. "Come in. I could use someone to talk to," he said.

She closed the door behind her and sat down on the side of the bed. "How are you?"

"Feeling has returned and I can move again," he replied, pulling up his right leg to demonstrate. "But I am still supposed to stay off my feet as much as possible. I have another exam tomorrow."

There was a moment of silence between the two. "I'm very glad you made it, Ensu," Meras said.

Ensu nodded. "So am I. I was afraid for awhile, but I made it." He turned an indulgent grin on her. "And you made it out without a scratch on you."

"Not true," Meras said, her voice grave. "The Evaluators are debating whether or not they'll let me ever see action again, period."

"You were blindsided," he said reassuringly. She shrugged. "What about Alve and Gedda?"

"Gedda's secure. He's going to be temporarily transferred to an Unggoy team until they can put him back in the SpecOps. Alve...is in a more difficult situation. His helmet camera caught some of what he did to Erebus. Last I knew he was confined to quarters, might be brought up on charges, might be declared certifiably insane. He is arguing that he only did it as a scare tactic. I don't think anyone believes him, not even himself."

"Do you?" he asked.

She thought about it. "No," she finally said reluctantly. "I think Alve...I think something really went wrong when he took that fall. For heaven's sake, he tore a person's skull out of their head!" she shivered. "I think, I really think, that Alve lost control down there. I listened to the recording and it sounded like he was enjoying himself." She shivered again. "I don't know, I just don't know."

Ensu reached out and took her hand. "He'll be fine," he said calmly. "If it had been me down there, I think I would have been enjoying myself as well. It was Erebus, after all." Meras laughed and nodded agreement. "Alve is very tough," he continued. "Don't worry for him. I think he will be back with us soon."

"Before or after you re-learn to walk?" Meras asked.

Ensu shook his head. "The problem with you, Meras, is that you think you have a sense of humor and no one can convince you otherwise."

She chuckled. "And the problem with you, Ensu, is that you think you can tell who has a sense of humor and who doesn't."

He tightened his grip on her hand and pulled himself to a sitting position, putting his other arm around her shoulders. "You know, it's generally not a good idea to mock a sniper."

She placed a hand on his chest. "It's generally not a good idea to mock a female, either." She suddenly grabbed his lower left jaw and pulled on it playfully. "We don't have as many vulnerable points." He raised his hands in surrender and she let go, sliding her hands around his neck and leaning forward to let her jaws interlock with his, eyes closing as she did so. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned back again, pulling her down to the bed with him. She pulled her legs up onto the bed and straddled him, gently rubbing his neck before they finally pulled apart.

"Forgive me?" he asked.

"Forgiven," she confirmed, and leaned back into him. He reached downwards to push the sheets away and they both kicked them down and out of their way. Her hands went to his collar and pulled, breaking open the clasp and forcing the shirt's zipper down to his midsection. His own hands opened her uniform jacket and slipped inside, gliding over her taut frame and making her shiver. Her mouth left his and she gently nuzzled the base of his neck as he finally slid her jacket off, leaving her bare from the waist up.

She was just reaching for his buckle when the door chime rang.

Acting on impulse, Ensu practically threw her over his left shoulder, grabbed his bed sheet and used it to cover her, then wrenched himself to a sitting position and grabbed the slate he'd been reading. "Come in," he said casually.

The door slid open and Alve 'Essonee stepped into the room. He was once again clad in the white armor, helmet cradled in his right arm. His posture was ramrod straight and his eyes cold. "Ensu, good to see you recovering," he said, his cadence fast and toneless.

"Thank you, sir."

Alve's gaze briefly went to the floor, then came back up to him. "Is Meras still here?" he asked.

Behind him, Ensu felt Meras sit up, gathering the sheet at he shoulders. "Here, sir," he said calmly.

"Good, now I don't have to go looking for you," Alve said.

"Begging your pardon sir, but aren't you confined to quarters?"

"This has to do with that," Alve replied. "There's been an incident. About thirty minutes ago, we picked up a distress signal from High Charity."

"What?" the two troopers chorused.

"Exactly. The Hallowed Avenger is currently changing course. Ship Master 'Letousee is ordering all combat personnel to prepare for action immediately upon exiting subspace. That includes all three of us."

"It's that serious?" Meras asked.

"This is a distress call from the leadership of the Covenant, trooper," Alve replied. "Nothing is more serious. There's a briefing exactly one hour from now in room seven. Both of you are to be there. Is it clear?"

"Yes sir," they chorused.

"And Ensu, your armor hasn't been repaired yet, so I expect to see you in full dress uniform. Understood?"

"I won't disappoint," he said quickly.

"I expect nothing less," Alve replied. "That's all. I'll see you in an hour." With that, he turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Meras and Ensu turned to look at each other. "Does he seem different to you?" she asked.

"He's not ready for this," Ensu said gravely. No matter what he thinks, he's not. This is bad."

Meras pulled her legs into a crossed position and prepared to rise. "We'd better get ready for that-"

Ensu dropped the slate and spun, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his lap before she could do more than squeal in surprise. "Not yet. I believe we were in the middle of something, weren't we?"

"But-"

He leaned down and pressed his jaws to hers, quelling her uncertainty. When he was finally done, he pulled back and whispered, "This is the last moment of time we'll get for awhile. Let's make the most of it."

"All right," she replied.

------------------------------

"Forerunners and Prophets, you're a walking miracle, 'Essonee," Gedda said.

"You didn't like your new unit?" Alve asked calmly.

"Of course not! What a bunch of cowards! It's shaming to think that some of my race act like that!"

"I was afraid I would have to beg to get you back."

"Not likely." Gedda shook his head. "Special Operations is what I'm all about."

Alve stopped and held out a fist. "Good to have you with me again, Gedda."

"Until the End Times, Alve," Gedda said as he rapped his own fist against his commander's. "Until the End Times."

They continued down the hall.



END

[Lindar]

*awwws* very good. but i still miss Swift.

[Ghost Rider]

Great epilogue.

Hope to see more it someday

[screamer_3]

This is a sweet fanfic. One of the best Halo ones I've seen. Keep up the good work

[Agent Fisher]

Uh, I'm pretty sure its done.

[Kuja]

Um, yeah, the little 'END' there at the tail of the epilogue should be a pretty clear signal...

Always glad to see someone enjoying my work though.