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Elven Suicide by The Arbitress
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Elven Suicide: Prologue
Date: 10 December 2004, 8:52 PM
What if your entire life was a test? What if you lived your life just so someone else could live theirs better? Every day these stray thoughts pass through our minds, but that's all they are. Stray thoughts. Well, every now and then, they are more than that. Against all reason and sanity, stray thoughts blossom into an entire universe. Wouldn't it be odd if that were actually true?
"You want them to do what?!"
Elizabeth Marrion sat across from Admiral Prescott, her mouth agape.
"It's quite simple. You want us to invest thousands into making your...what was the word..."
"Eldar."
"Oh yes. Your 'Eldar' unit. You want us to spend millions of dollars into making your Eldar the perfect fighting machines. We want to make sure they are worth it."
"But...you created the program! What do you mean if I want them to be made into fighting machines?"
"It doesn't seem like a big deal."
"Not a big deal! You want a group of 13 year olds to retake a base infested with Covenant. You yourself have seen them in action, why should they do this?"
"Yes, but seeing them run through training simulations is hardly the same as them actually fighting."
"And if they are killed?"
"Then apparently you didn't do your job."
"But..."
"That's it. I gave you your orders; now go tell your unit what their new mission is."
Christine (or better known as Eldar-771) drew out her throwing knives. She knew that when it came to real combat, they would be as close to useless as they could come, but the knives were still fun. Chris turned toward the target, a lifesize of an elite (it was the only thing they would let her use. Adults.) and aimed her hand at the target. As she had learned over the years, she wiped her mind of everything, and concentrated on only the small black dot in the elite's heart. Ready, aim, and-
"Christine!"
Why now.
Chris sheathed the knife in one fluid motion, and twisted around to face Elizabeth, her somewhat mother from the last 10 years of her life.
"I don't want to be rude, but I've asked you not to sneak up on me like that. I mean," she pointed at her pocket. "Knife in hand?"
"I'm sorry, but this is important. I need you and all the other Eldar to come to the atrium. You have a new mission."
"Wait, mission? The UNSC is actually sending us to do something? That's a surprise."
"I know, but, you need to come. For some odd reason, the idiots at ONI have taken a sudden interest in you."
"All right. Just please, tell me they aren't actually considering making us face that idiotic marine squad again."
"That marine squad is called the Green Beret, and you owe them some respect. I understand that you don't appreciate how the UNSC has been acting towards your squad, but you are the squad leader. Set a better example for your soldiers."
"Whatever. Let's just go."
As Elizabeth walked out the door to the gym, Christine walked up to the poster, and ripped the elite's face in half. What did they have to smile about? Oh yeah, they're kicking our asses.
Elizabeth scanned the room. 71 expectant faces. She had literally grown up with these kids. Sure, she was 44, but still, until she had been assigned to this project, her life was nothing. It really started with these children. But how could she call them that? For 10 years she had worked them till they were bloody. They weren't really children anymore.
"Everyone, I'm not going to waste time with nice talk. ONI has finally decided to do something with you all.
Elizabeth took a breath. How could she tell them this? It was hard enough 10 years ago telling them to forget about their lives, and everything they ever knew. Even their dreams. Now she had to tell them they would be sent on a suicide mission?
"Uh...I don't really-"
"Now, good Dr., do us all a favor, and spit it out."
All 72 people in the room turned to face the door.
"Sergeant Erickson. How nice of you to join us. I asked everyone to be here at 0700 hours."
"And it's now 0701 hours."
Dr. Marrion continued to stare coldly at Erickson.
"All right, would it help your mood if I said I'm sorry?"
Elizabeth let out a sigh, then turned on her heel to face the children again.
"As I was saying, you have a new mission. ONI wants to test your skills."
A half an hour later, after Elizabeth had finished explaining the new mission, she finally looked up from her charts. What she found, she could hardly be surprised.
Elven Suicide: part one-never trust a bunch of annoying elves
Date: 14 December 2004, 10:01 PM
Christine sat in her tiny cubicle with her head in her hands, trying to get some sleep. They had been aboard this damn ship for four days now, and she had gotten about seven hours of rest overall. Her thoughts just wouldn't leave her alone.
This mission was absurd. Did ONI actually want them all dead? How could a group of thirteen year olds do something that battle-hardened soldiers had failed at for years? The one remote base on the planet Amaethon in the Arduinna galaxy had been captured by the Covenant in the early years of the war. Anyway, if it was at, literally, the far reaches of the universe, what was the point of getting it back? Recapturing the base was useless in every angle. If ONI was only doing this to test their skills, that also made no sense. They had seen-
"So, may I ask what you are doing sitting here?"
Oh lord I am going to scream.
The mini data port on the desk suddenly flashed to life. The ship's AI had come to pester her. What else is new? Chris raised her head and stared sleepily at Forseti, the AI.
"What the hell do you want?" she barely managed to mutter through her sleep-induced monotone.
"Christine, I am shocked. You are a day away from your destination and you still haven't addressed your soldiers. What are they supposed to do when they get down to the planet? Sit and wait even longer for you? You need to go brief them on their duties!"
"You know what? Your name doesn't fit you at all."
"What do you mean?"
"Forseti is the Norse god of justice."
"Yes, well, that is why I chose that name. I think I can pride myself on-"
Chris reached down under the desk and pulled the plug to the port. The hologram flashed, then shut off.
"Thank you for boring me beyond all reason. Maybe now I'll actually be able to get some sleep."
With that, she laid her face against the desk, and was asleep within minutes.
Elizabeth paced her office. It had only been a few days since the eldar had left for the Arduinna system, she was already pulling her hair out. The admiral had forced her to stay behind, so she had no idea how they were doing. And it was driving her crazy.
Elizabeth couldn't stop thinking about nearly everything. But one thought kept returning. The Spartans.
"Damn that bitch Halsey!"
Elizabeth fell into her chair and nearly started crying. Halsey was a perfectionist who really didn't care about lives, only getting the job done. She herself had once believed the same morals, that for the good of the many the few must be sacrificed. That's why she had agreed to running the eldar training. But she had gotten to know these children, and she knew that every life must be saved. For years Elizabeth had tried to tell herself that the eldar had grown beyond their original purpose. That they now actually mattered. But now she knew it was all yet again a lie. Why else would the ONI send them on this mission? And to see their reactions to the mission made her sick. These kids trusted her, and she was sending them to die.
Chris awoke with a start. Something had...its gone. She couldn't remember why she woke up. Something about...no. It slipped past her as the last dregs of sleep drained off.
Christine looked out the window, and nearly fell out of her seat. Nothing could prepare her for what she saw. There, in the distance, was Amaethon.
Christine sat there staring for a full 10 minutes before she finally cam to her senses. It was unbelievable.
Well, as much as I hate to say it, maybe Forseti was right.
She reached down to plug the data port back in. Immediately, the annoying AI popped up.
"Ah. Christine. Decided to heed my suggestion, you have."
"Star Wars was made over 500 years ago. Please, if you are going to start going retro, do it somewhere else. Do me a favor and call all the eldar to the armory."
"Star Wars? Oh, never mind. I will call them for you."
"Thank you."
Before the AI could say anything back, Chris was out the door on her way to briefing.
Christine sat on a box of combat knives and waited for her squad to arrive. Occasionally she would look out the window. She still couldn't believe it. That had once been a human colony. Now, it resembled nothing she had ever seen before.
A soft voice ripped her out of her thoughts.
"Um...Christine?"
Chris spun around to face the gathering crowd. She had been so zoned on the view outside, she had completely forgotten about the meeting.
"Sorry, just a little...never mind."
Good. As she had been entranced by the view out the window, all the eldar had gathered into the tight space.
"So, I'm not going to waste time with nice talk. You already got the lowdown from Liz."
She glanced at the crowd. Perfect, they were all listening.
"So here's the deal. I've seen you all fight, I know we can all do this. The plan is simple. Basic split maneuver. We break into the old teams from training, red, blue, green, and black. We are attacking a simple base, so same formations. Red, you take the back. Blue, the right, green, the left, and black attacks the front. Any questions?"
Kevin, one of the shortest, and rather annoying, shot his hand into the air.
When Chris gestured to him, he stood up and saluted.
"What about snipers?"
Kevin was also one of the best snipers. He wasn't very modest about it, either.
Christine signed. She had to take a moment to compose herself. He was a valuable member of the squad, but he annoyed the hell out of her. Kevin never shut up about sniping.
"We have no need. We're attacking at night."
That set a ripple of concern among the eldar. Whispers started to go around the crowd.
"Ok..." Chris started with growing confusion. "May I ask what is wrong with that?"
One of the quietist, Whitney, hesitantly stood up and saluted.
"With respect," she started shakily, "don't you think that's going a little overboard?"
"Not at all," Chris stated through clenched teeth, trying to keep her voice under control. She thought these soldiers trusted her judgment enough not to be this doubtful.
She opened her mouth to try again.
"I understand that you all may think me silly for reading the old textbooks, but they actually have good ideas. Has anyone every heard of the American Revolution? The battle of Trenton?"
She once again glanced at the crowd to check their reaction, and wasn't very surprised to find several bewildered faces.
"Of course not. Trust me, please, I know this will work. I trust you all enough, I hope that you can trust that this is the best decision possible."
Chris reached down to pick up an SMG and a combat knife.
She straightened up to address them for the last time her patience could handle.
"I'll let you decide what weapons to use, just keep in mind that this needs to be kept quiet."
Without another backward glance at her squad, she walked out of the armory, with growing concern for the safety of her soldiers.
Elven Suicede: Part Two-The Covanent did THAT?!
Date: 26 December 2004, 8:42 PM
Author's note: sorry for the long delay. I got serious writer's block.
Christine scanned the horizon.
Good. It's all in place.
She turned around to face the gathered teams. Chris glanced down at Kevin, stretched out on the ground, peering through a scope. She had finally caved and let him bring along his baby- an old and battered S2 AM sniper rifle.
She put her hands on her hips and started to address the soldier.
"So, Kev, what do we have?"
Kevin jumped around and scrambled to his feet. He snapped his hand to his forehead and stuttered out a reply.
"Uh...well..."
Chris put up a hand to interrupt him.
"Kev, it's almost sundown. We don't have time for this."
He let his hand fall to his side, then glanced down at the ground.
"Sorry, you just startled me."
She opened her mouth to offer a retort, only to be stopped by a quick response from Kevin.
"I know, I know. Spotters. I just figured...never mind."
He looked up at Chris, afraid to find what his squad leader would say. Instead, he found her staring off into the distance.
She still couldn't believe what she saw.
Its, crazy. How...there's no way this could have once been a human colony. People don't do this. But since when did the Covanent?
In front of her lay miles upon miles of untouched beauty. Rolling green hills, glittering gold wheat fields,in the far distance a mountain range touching the very horizon, and touching the mountain tops, amid a mixture of every color imaginable, from baby blue to blood red, the most beautiful sunset she had ever-
"Uh...Chris?"
She spun around to face Kevin. She had, again, forgotten he was there.
"Sorry, preoccupied again."
Kevin's eyebrows knitted together in worry, then softened as he donned a look of pure amusement, which, in turn, painted a confused look on Christine's face.
"What?" She asked, bewildered.
"Oh, nothing. You've just been..." he trailed off, searching for the right words.
Her features loosened as she figured out what was going on.
"Say no more. Just tell me what you found at the base.
Kevin shook his head, a light smile still on his lips. He held up his hands in defeat.
"Ok, I'm saying no more."
He turned around to point at the little spot in the distance, then continued.
"It's about a half a mile from here, with only about four elites guarding the outside. I don't know if there's anything else."
"Good," she answered half mindedly, chewing on her lip. With a glazed look on her face, she was already thinking about how to take the elites out.
Christine peered out of her hiding place among the trees. It was about midnight, and the teams had snuck into their assigned positions. Or she hoped. Chris was with the green team; they were crouching amid the brush to the right of the base. The UNSC hadn't equipped them with any type of radio system, so the only proof that everyone else was in position was faith.
She turned around to face her teammates, looking for the right thing to say.
Chris closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and started.
"On the count of three, we jump out and attack. Since this is supposed to be a surprise, the elites shouldn't have their shields on. Other than that, just listen to my commands, and...good luck."
The could barely see their hands in front of their faces, so Christine didn't know what kind of reaction she was getting from her teammates, but she could hear steady breathing.
They're calm. Strange. I'm terrified.
As she started the countdown, she could hear her heart hammering inside her chest. Chris prayed that no-one else could sense how scared she was.
"One," she whispered, "two, three!"
They jumped out of the woods, drawing their various weapons, only to find the little field in front of the base deserted. As if on queue, they started to voice their thoughts.
A new kind of fear rippled through Christine's heart. She spun around to reprimand the soldiers.
"What do you think you are doing?" she whispered through clenched teeth. They were going to alert everyone of their position!
WHACK
Everyone turned toward the sound. Before their eyes, time seemed to screech to a halt as Andrew crumpled to the ground, dead or unconscious. Behind him stood a towering crimson Elite, bringing a plasma pistol above its head, readying to smash it down again.
Strangely enough, or so Chris thought, the Eldar reacted with unity. She could feel the electricity in the crowd as she watched through unbelieving eyes as each and every one of them brought up their guns and started firing.
She shook her head and snapped out of her trance. Not a single thought raced through her mind besides fight as she drew out her combat knife.
Concentrate.
An Elite shoved a pistol in her face; she reacted by smashing the knife through its face plate.
She spun around as she felt a rush of air behind her. In front of her was an arm crashing down to her skull. She grabbed the arm and twisted violently until she heard bones snap. She kicked it in the gut to finish the job, then started on the next target: an Elite bearing an energy sword that was staring down at Rachel, who was cowering in the dirt with her hands over her head.
Chris kicked the alien in the back to grab its attention, then dodged to the right as it spun around and brought the sword down at the place she had been a split second ago. She could hear the air crackle and a wisp of hot air brushed her cheek. Christine pulled out her SMG and started to pull the trigger, only to have to dodge the impending blade to keep her shoulder intact.
This is not gonna work.
"Chris! Duck!" sounded a voice behind her. She obeyed the command and dropped to the ground just as the sword came whistling down dangerously close to her head. She felt her hair rustle as a bullet whizzed over her head, crashed into the Elite's helmet, and exploded.
"Thanks." Christine breathed a sigh of relief as she turned around to face her savior, only to feel a hard object impact with the back of her skull and resonated through her entire body with what seemed like a nuclear explosion. She fell to the ground, quickly losing consciousness. As her hearing and sight faded, she thought she could hear extra voices, some that shouldn't be there; was that Sergeant Erickson? No, couldn't be. She was just imagining. Didn't really matter, though, did it. No, the battle was lost.
Wait, what? She wondered as her mind finally gave up fighting.
Elven Suicide: Part Three-Oh Shit
Date: 26 February 2005, 2:53 PM
Running. That was all she could think of.
This was too hard. Why did they think we could do this?
Chris didn't know how far she had run, as long as it was away from Liz and the training camp.
She stared at the ground rushing by as she fled. Branches scratched at her face, but Chris didn't care. She was at the point of exhaustion where she couldn't hear or feel anything any more.
She looked up just in time to notice something in her path. She slid to a stop before she crashed into it: the largest tree she had ever seen. She had heard of massive ones called redwoods on earth, but around Reach, they were lucky if they could find a fifteen foot tall pine tree. This monster had to be at least seventy feet tall.
Chris craned her neck to see how far the rough bark soared into the sky, and was startled to hear a scratchy voice calling to her.
"My dear, you look like a mess."
She took a few tentative steps backward. She could have sworn-no. She was delirious from the day's work, that was all.
"Don't be frightened," came the strange voice again.
When she brought her face up from staring at the ground, she noticed that the branches seemed to be moving. She stared in awe as a few thin branches slithered forward and wrapped themselves around her thin form. She tried to pry loose and expected the branches to retaliate and squeeze her, but instead, they just held firm.
After a few moments of regaining her composure, she peered up at the massive trunk. She figured that her best bet was to remain calm.
What the- she thought. She could faintly make out, what, no- couldn't be. The tree seemed to be smiling, and it was then that she noticed a nose wreathed in moss, two sappy eyes, and a beard made out of a bird's nest. She had to be dreaming.
As she started to settle down, the tree started to sing.
"Learn now the lore of the living creatures!
First name the four, the free peoples:
Eldest of all, the elf-children;
Dwarf the delver, dark are his houses;
Ent the earthborn, old as mountains;
Man the mortal, master of horses."
Christine was lulled by the words. She lightly rested her head against the nearest branch, and drifted off to sleep. With her fading consciousness, she heard a few more lines of the song.
"Beaver the builder, buck the leaper,
Bear bee-hunter, boar the fighter;
Hound is hungry, hare is fearful,
Eagle in eyrie, ox in pasture,
Hart horn-crowned; hawk is swiftest,
Swan the whitest, serpent coldest..."
Elizabeth stood before the empty table, waiting for the office to fill up with the ONI spooks, her arms limp at her sides.
She had failed. That was all there was to it.
The heavy oak door behind her creaked open. Didn't matter. She stood still, facing the front of the office, not even paying attention any more.
"Ahem."
She slowly raised her head to look at her judges. That was what they were. Her career was in their hands.
Liz locked eyes with the person sitting at the head of the table, Admiral Prescott. The one that had started this all. Immediately she paled.
"I assume you know why you are here."
She closed her eyes and prayed for this to be over. But that nagging voice in the back of her mind yelled at her to listen and wait. So she nodded her head.
"Excellent. Shall we start?"
She again nodded, attempting to swallow the lump that had formed at the back of her throat.
"Very well then. All any of us can say is that this was despicable. A pure display of insubordination and direct disobedience of given orders. Not only that, but..."
No matter what the voice told her, she eventually lost interest. She already knew all the facts. Her Eldar had performed horribly. Thirty-one dead. They simply didn't know what they were doing. She had given in and ordered Sergeant Erickson to bail them out. And he did. He led a group of soldiers--trained soldiers--to the base and finished the fight. If she hadn't done that, they would all have died.
Christine drowsily lifted her head from her pillow. She glanced around to check out her surroundings. Why the hell was she in a hospital bed? She put her hands against the bed and sat up. The last lines of that song rang through her mind.
Swan the whitest, serpent coldest...
What did that mean? Sure, they had hard training days, but talking trees on Reach? She was sure she never became that delirious.
Chris felt a light tugging on her right wrist. One glance was all she needed. She ripped out the IV and fell back against the pillow, exhausted.
God, why needles.
A light voice managed to filter into her cloudy mind.
"That's probably not a good idea."
Christine turned her head to face the chair at her bedside. She didn't expect to find what she did.
Elizabeth was sitting with her head in her hands. Chris thought she could hear tears in her voice.
"Liz?" she called worriedly.
Elizabeth let her hands fall into her lap, and Chris's fears were answered. Liz's face was puffy red, and her eyes were bloodshot.
"Christine, I'm so-'Liz tried, but buried her face in her hands again and started to sob.
Chris swung her legs over the bed and rested a hand on Elizabeth's arm. Genuine worry spread across her face.
She noticed a packet of papers in Liz's lap. With a little tugging, it came loose. She rested it on her lap, and flipped to the first page.
Page after page. Chris absorbed it all, but none of it could be possible. She glanced up at Elizabeth again, with a look of unbelieving confusion.
The door to the hospital room creaked open. Elizabeth peeled her cheek from her palm and rolled on eye toward to door.
"Ah, we're looking so happy today, aren't we?"
Elizabeth closed her eyes and prayed for the dream-nightmare-to end. When she opened her eyes a crack a few minutes later, the nightmare became real.
"What do you want Halsey?" She moaned, muttering the last word as if it hurt her to say it.
Doctor Katherine Halsey stole a glance at the catatonic Christine.
"Hmmm...interesting." She whispered to herself.
"What?" Elizabeth asked.
"Nothing. We have to talk." Halsey replied, poison dripping from her words, or it seemed to Liz.
Katherine gestured to the hall, then turned on her heel and walked out.
Elizabeth lifted herself from the chair and shook her head.
This isn't happening. I'm just still dreaming.
She walked around the bed. She looked up from the floor, and noticed Chris, still sitting in the same position.
Oh no.
She reached down and picked up the packet from the floor. One glance and her guilt overpowered her.
Chris was catatonic.
Elven Suicide: Part Four- Dancing Around the Answer
Date: 9 March 2005, 2:31 AM
Why do we do this? Why do we live our entire lives like robots? The only thing we concentrate on is making anyone more powerful then ourselves happy, and carrying out whatever orders we've been given. And when ever anyone decides to do anything different, they are labeled as rebellious, and society shuns them. But, sometimes, society takes it further. What happens if you make the wrong people angry? Society is unpredictable. There's no way to tell what will happen. Unless you're dealing with the military. Pure protocol. And sometimes, usually, that protocol may not agree with you.
"Enough of this drama. Elizabeth, we need to talk, NOW."
More hell.
Halsey literally had to drag Elizabeth out into the hall.
Once out in the hallway, Elizabeth braced for the title wave.
"Marrion-" Katherine tried to start as passively as possible.
"Katherine, just say it. I'm screwed. I know it. Just fry me already and spare me the softy crap."
"Ok...well," Halsey replied, a little flustered. "I'll just lay it out. You are screwed. I don't know what you did to these children, but its not...what I expected."
"What exactly did you expect? A group of machines?"
Halsey was lost. What did this woman think she was doing? This was the United Nations Space Command, not Girl Scout camp.
"Do you remember your training?" She asked, rather skeptikly.
"I was only trained as a private, then the brass yanked me." This should drive Halsey crazy. Act as innocent as possible, then watch the results.
"So why were you chosen for this project?" This wasn't happening. She was supposed to be in control, not Marrion!
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno, didn't you choose me?"
Halsey rested her forehead against her palm and sighed in frustration.
"Just answer me this," she asked lightly, "what went wrong." Her voice was flat. She really didn't care. It wasn't as if her job was on the line, only Marion's.
"I don't know what you mean, it seems to me they performed just fine," Liz retorted, rolling her eyes.
Katherine grabbed Elizabeth by the shoulders and viciously slammed her against the wall. Her eyes seemed wild, or maybe that was just Liz's imagination. Either way, she found it rather funny. And felt like voicing that opinion.
A grin slowly crept over her face. She struggled to free one of her hands and clamped it over her mouth to stifle the laughter.
Halsey just watched this and grew angrier.
"Do you have any idea what's at stake here?!" she shrieked.
It still didn't seem to affect Liz at all. She calmly pried Halsey's fingers from her shoulders and dusted herself off, noting the thin lines of blood oozing from the nail marks.
"Tell me Halsey, since when did you get rabies?" She politely asked.
Katherine gritted her teeth. If she had any remaining hope of coming out of this argument with victory, she had to keep better control over herself. She took a few deep, calming breaths, and clasped her hands in front of her. Her long nails dug into her palms, but that pain was worth seeing Marrion lose her job.
She mustered a semi-placid smile, and searched her brain for the right response.
"Elizabeth, I understand that you have been through quite a bit, what with losing nearly half of your unit, but I hope that you can regain some of your senses, at least long enough to answer my questions."
Elizabeth just grinned, then decided to make the best of the situation, maybe even have a little more fun.
"Why Katherine, I am sure we can work out some answers, don't you?" she said with mock politeness, trying to hide the caustic remark.
"Liz, please. Just this once," she pleaded.
Elizabeth fluttered her hand in the air, brushing away the previous argument.
"Fine. Enough battle. What do you want to know?"
"Oh thank heavens," Halsey said, letting out a short, relieved yet strained laugh, "I just want to know what went wrong."
Elizabeth studied Katherine's face, trying to find where she had set the trap. But her face seemed chiseled from stone, as if she were a statue.
"I really don't know," she said, shrugging her shoulders again.
Ok, so maybe keeping my cool won't be as easy as I thought.
Halsey dug her hands into her palms harder. Elizabeth sensed Halsey's agitation, and decided maybe this was the time to quit the game.
"Ok, well, maybe it was because I pulled them from their families at age four. Who knows?"
"Or maybe it was because you only have a private's training," Halsey muttered.
"What?"
Katherine snapped her mouth shut and stuttered a reply. "Uh, nothing. So it's because they were only four when they started. Ok, good enough for me."
With that, she spun around and walked down the hall, without a backward glance.
"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth called, but it didn't matter. Halsey didn't even notice her presence in the hall anymore.
Excellent. She doesn't even know what went wrong. Maybe this will be easier then I thought, Katherine thought as she headed toward the board room to discuss what would happen next.
Elizabeth paced her office. The same thoughts raced through her mind. She was going insane again over the safety of the Eldar. She didn't know Halsey well enough to guess what was going to happen, but she knew the spooks well enough to know this wouldn't be good. Deja vou could be cruel sometimes.
She fell down in her seat and logged on to the view screen. The little pad next to her hand crackled as her personal AI, Hera, popped to life.
"ONI driving you nuts again?" she asked with a wry grin.
Elizabeth shook her head and let out a little laugh.
"Is that the only thing you think about?"
Hera just grinned wider.
"You have to remember, you programmed me this way," she shrugged, putting up her hands defensively.
"Maybe I should have passed on a few of those experimental programs I installed."
"What do you mean? I think they turned out well." Hera sat down in a huff and drew her legs up to her chin. She stared moodily at Liz.
"Hera." She wasn't fooled by her childish fit.
Elizabeth mocked annoyance, but she knew what was going on. Hera was modeled to be a personality. She had mood swings and 'times of the month' just as a human does. Though, not quite that far. She was programmed to act as if she did. Once every month she grew crabby. But that was just a glitch she still hadn't figured out how to get rid of.
Hera still just stared.
"Fiiine," Liz sighed, giving it. "Please help?"
Hera jumped up, grinning again.
"Glad to be of service. And what hacking would you like done today?"
Liz smiled inwardly. That was also one of those 'experimental' programs. Hera's specialty was hacking into anything and everything. That was partially how she had gotten this job in the UNSC. And that was also the one thing Elizabeth knew the Eldar could do exceptionally.
"'ello?"
Liz snapped out of her thoughts. How many times was this now that she had completely zoned out?
"Sorry, just...out of it."
Hera nodded her head. "I understand. So how 'bout a little spying on Halsey?"
"Meh. Normally I would....
"Liz, the woman had treated you like target practice through out this entire project. Right now she is probably working on getting you iced-"
"Thanks for the support," Liz interrupted.
"Either way, don't you think you deserve a little...you know?"
Liz mulled over this for a sec.
"Eh, what the hell. Go ahead; let's see what she's doing."
"Excellent."
Hera jumped up, a sly grin already nearly taking over her face. She moved her fingers in the air as if she was typing on a keyboard and-
"Clickidy click click."
The display screen came to life to show the board room, where Halsey was already busy persuading the brass.
Elizabeth's eyes danced across the screen, keeping track of what was going on. Most of it was just protocol crap, so, needless to say, she half paid attention. Except for the last bit.
"Doctor Halsey, we have gone over this mission countless times, and keeping your opinions in mind, we have reached a decision," spoke Admiral Prescott.
This woke Liz up. She put her elbows on the table and rested her chin. Her attention was glued to the screen.
"As we have thought about this further, we have decided that the Eldar present a danger to the UNSC. They have seen things within our walls that we prefer to keep quiet. Though, we do not precisely know just how serious this problem is. Therefore, we leave this in our hands. Do what you wish."
Elven Suicide: Part Five- Closing Circle
Date: 12 March 2005, 12:32 AM
Elizabeth rested her head against the cool glass and put her hand up to steady herself. She stared at the shrinking planet, too numb for anything. Her guilt had finally overpowered her for good, her doctors suspected deep depression, and even suspected brain damage, self-infliction a possibility.
Her hand still felt the last fleeting touch with Christine's. Her mind flashed back.
Pressing a data chip into her hand, folding her fingers over it and squeezing until Chris thought her hand would break. According to military protocol, Elizabeth couldn't show any emotion, nor could she let on at all what was about to happen. But that didn't mean Chris couldn't. The way her mouth slightly dipped, her eyes widening slightly, her sharp intake of breath. Liz could only wonder if Christine understood what was happening, but her last glimpse of Chris's face would haunt her forever.
Then the walk back to the waiting ship, leaving forty teenagers standing at attention, with no idea what was happening. All she wanted to do was run back to the kids, and cling to them. Or at times pull out the gun holstered to her side (she still wondered why they would let her carry one) and shoot the bastards. The Admiral and Halsey, that is. But it took enough work just making her feet move, let alone shoot past the guards.
So now she was here. On the ship. Returning to Reach HQ, leaving behind forty teenagers on a wild planet that could still be crawling with Covenant for all they knew. And it finally sunk in through the fog in her mind.
They are going to die.
At first she was just stunned, then let out a cry and crumpled to the ground. She lay in a heap with her head wedged between her knees, shoulders rocking back and forth, sobbing and throwing up, barely noticing the foul taste and mess in her lap before vomiting again.
By the time anyone was able to reach her quarters after being alerted by her shrill cry, Elizabeth was unconscious.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christine watched Liz walk back to the ship, leaving her and her unit in the sweltering heat. She wasn't worried, ok, maybe a little. Usually they were told at least a little of what they were supposed to do. But this was probably just a new kind of mission.
A sharp jab in her palm brought her back to what Liz had handed her. The bright, iridescent pink of the object told her it was a data chip, but much larger then what she was usually given.
Probably just instructions.
She put her hand to her brow and slowly scanned the horizon. When she turned around, she recognized the base as the one they were supposed to 'infiltrate' before. But for once in her lifetime, it didn't bother her. She knew Sergeant Errickson well enough to know that it was Covie-free.
Though she wasn't sure the rest of the unit. She mustered her best leader voice again, hoping it would work better than it did last time.
"Ok, just set up inside. Leave watches outside on each side, with a buddy to watch your six. Other than that, just do what you want." She didn't bother assigning jobs, she had her own to do.
She walked inside, noting the musty smell, the walls thick with mold. Her mind was already in mission mode, so she stored that into her subconscious and concentrated on finding a computer terminal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chelsea Fronet pushed her cart of daily medications through the medical wing. She plastered a smile on her face, readying herself for the black hole that had once been room twenty-eight. She never pried into patients lives, but she wished just this once she had been given a little information about Elizabeth Marrion. There didn't seem to be anything physically wrong with her, except for the fact that every day she brought her antidepressants. Chelsea couldn't understand why the woman was so depressed.
She wheeled into the room, gathering Elizabeth's daily meds.
"How are we feeling today Eliz- oh my god."
She flew out of the room, forgetting entirely about her cart.
Elizabeth was laying in her bed, her arm stretched out over the edge of the bed. Her face was chiseled from stone, her eyes wide open, staring into space, clouded over, her mouth set in a permanent line. Angry red marks crisscrossed the length of her arm, and a deep gash was set in her wrist, with blood cascading to the ground like a waterfall. In the other hand she held her IV needle tight against her heart, staining her pillow with a light red rain.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christine landed in the chair, raising a cloud of dust. She stood up and coughed into her sleeve.
"Oh man, what kind of mission is this? This is the kind of office I find after hours of searching?" she irritably muttered to herself. Well, it could be worse, she thought. You could be stuck with the mildew covered quarters that everyone else got. At least I got one that could be livable with a little air freshener.
Carefully, Chris lowered herself into the dusty chair, scrunching her nose from annoyance. Her hand absent-mindedly wiped at the filthy computer screen as she attempted to get the data pad to spring to life.
After a few minutes of whacking the pad against the desk in a futile attempt at awakening it (and a few pain in the ass shrill screams that sent the Eldar running to her office) it crackled to life. She jammed in the chip, nearly breaking it. Chris winced and softly patted the pad in apology.
Then nearly jumped out of her seat as an AI dressed as a scantily clad Greek princess jumped up.
"Ah! Finally!" the figure breathed, stretching her arms into the air with a groan and giving her head a little shake, letting her golden curls fly. "Do you have any idea how claustrophobic that can be?"
Chris regained her senses quickly, still partially in mission mode.
"So I guess you're here to help with the mission?" she asked coolly, a little more peeved (if that was even possible, she thought) that she had gotten no warning that she would have an AI to deal with, one that seemed to even have a wry personality.
"Jeez, you don't have to be so rude!" She even seemed to be puckering her lips in a pout, which Christine did her best to ignore.
"Do you have anything to show me?" Better to just get any personality problems set aside and concentrate on her mission.
"And jumping right to the conclusion! Just like Liz." The AI tapped one long, polished fingernail against her lower lip.
"You know Liz?" Chris asked, her perked interest noticeable, unfortunately for Chris.
The AI hid her inner smile, delighted at finding a weakness of Chris's.
"I am Hera, a personal AI of Doctor Elizabeth Marrion, and your new personal hacker," she said, sweeping into a bow, making sure to let her hand float to the side, doing her best to look as aristocratic as possible.
"Save me the drama," Chris said, killing the urge to put her hand up to her temple. It never looked very professional. "Would you mind just telling me what you have for me?"
Hera crossed her arms and set a pout on her lips, making her appear like a four year old who didn't get the candy she wanted. "Fine. Business, business, business. No time for me." Chris just glared at Hera, playing the part of the annoyed parent perfectly.
The AI swept her hand in a graceful, if slightly irked, arc, and pages of type began to appear. Christine leaned forward, placing her elbow on the desk and her chin in her palm. Her eyes darted back and forth, taking in the data. Gradually, her eyes began to dip, then crinkle in confusion, and eventually, as she neared the bottom, slightly quiver as she realized she was reading the full mission report from the fiasco at this base before. And the facts sunk in for the first time.
Thirty-one of her teammates really were dead.
They had completely failed the mission.
ONI wanted them gone, and left the problem to Halsey.
The Eldar project was merely a test subject for a project of Halsey's, titled Spartan II. ONI didn't care at all about them.
So now the remaining forty Eldar were now abandoned on this godforsaken piece of rock.
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