(David Pov)
I stood staring through the viewport of the carrier I was stationed on, as I watched the battlegroup glide silently behind the reinforced glass. Roughly thirty ships made up the battle group, and each one of them moved through space like steel leviathans hunting in the dark of space. Their engines flickered, like fire flies in the night.
The team was up to their own devices, doing what Spartans did in their free time. Cal had taken it upon herself to practice shooting. Daisy and Jorge remained in the room that had been allotted to us; they drilled martial arts, sharpening their close combat skills. Sheila typically watched them while reading a book, gaining some form of technical knowledge to give us an edge.
All in all, it was a productive use of the 12 hours of free time before we were inevitably put into cryo-sleep.
But I stood staring off into space, literally. I think it was during the time I spent with the Lieutenant and doctor aboard the Han that I first developed the habit.
Back then, I used to imagine humanity building Dyson spheres and ring worlds, megastructures I read about in science fiction. I thought of us taming the galaxy and universe and how intriguing that future would look. Looking back, I think I would have inevitably become some kind of engineer… had I continued to live with my parents. Unfortunately, however, that ship has already sailed.
'Besides, I am far better at this than anything else,' I nodded to myself.
No, now as I look through the window, I see it as a time to… take inventory. In a way, I filed the recent encounters away into my memory as I recalled and analyzed them. It was not dissimilar to an internal after-action report.
As I continued accounting on previous events, the doors behind me hissed open, though I paid them little attention at first.
Officers, deck crew, and technicians moved through the carrier at all hours. After just a few months in the Navy, the sounds of a warship had become background noise.
"Mind if I borrow the view?"
A voice pulled me from my thoughts.
Something in me shifted, 'That voice, I know that voice,' the voice was difficult to remember but at the same time all too familiar.
I turned slightly to find a naval officer standing a few feet away, coffee mug in hand and cap tucked beneath his arm. His uniform was the same as the other crewman and officers, a dark grey with shined black dress shoes.
KEYES
I read on a name tag pinned to his chest.
Standing beside me was a thirty-year-old Jacob Keyes. He looked… normal. No new scars or lost limbs, maybe a few new wrinkles around his eyes and a stray grey hair every so often. But otherwise, he looked like a slightly older man than the one I'd seen almost a decade ago.
"Captain," he nodded with a polite smile.
"Lieutenant," I gave a slight nod with my helmet.
"Actually-" he turned to show me a rank insignia on his shoulder, "I am a Lieutenant-Commander," I recognized the bars below a single oak leaf cluster.
"I see, forgive me then," I said, not changing the inflection in my voice. It seemed he'd gotten a promotion since I'd last seen him. I couldn't decide if I was more surprised to see him in general or see him still in the UNSC Navy. Much less did I expect that he'd only been promoted once in eight years of service.
"Don't worry about it," he said, taking a sip from his mug as a moment of silence passed by.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, motioning to the cosmos in front of us
I nodded silently. It was obvious he did not recognize me. Not that it would make much sense for him to connect a kid he saw years ago to the super soldier in front of him.
He seemed unperturbed by my weak response, "I heard you and your team nearly caused Admiral Cole's entire offensive to be delayed," he spoke now, looking ahead through the viewport.
I didn't respond, my visor reflecting the artificial lights of distant ships. But I was curious about what he had to say.
"For what it's worth. I think what you did was right," he said honestly, "Going back to help the colony, I mean. Though you would probably hear the opposite from people who weren't there,"
"I am not so certain… Keyes," I spoke as a hint of discomfort rose from his words.
He looked at me with a slightly raised brow, "If the offensive had been delayed, how many more would have died? Circinius was already lost. If I were stalled, then Harvest would have been too,"
"What I did was reckless. It should not be replicated," I judged and concluded.
It was true, what I had told Lasky earlier. That bit about fighting because someone has to was true, but it wasn't the entirety of what I thought.
Sometimes we are allowed to pick our mission, choose a nightmare, especially for ourselves. With that choice comes the requirement that we have to balance the risks and rewards to determine if the mission is truly worth it.
As such, from a logical and objective perspective, the mission was skewed heavily toward the risks. To those alive, saved by my actions, they would shout, telling me that it wasn't true that the entire ordeal had been worth it, but that's only because they can drown out the silence of the dead.
"Sounds similar to what I heard from another Spartan, John S-117," Jacob said, shifting his weight, "But he agreed with me, he doesn't worry about 'what ifs' he pushes ahead as long as he can move,"
I barely held back a snort, "Careful, Lieutenant Commander, what ifs and paranoia have kept humanity alive this long… and we'll need it for this war,"
He chuckled, not at all bothered about my warning, "You remind me of a kid I used to know years ago,"
His face became more serious as he leaned against the glass, his uniform reflecting in the pane. "He was a smart one and a bit too serious. His name was David, if I remember correctly, though it has been years," he sighed. "Back then, I didn't know it, but he had been chosen for your program. How is he doing if you don't mind me asking?"
I paused, considering what to say, "He made it through training… but I have not seen him in a while." It felt strange to deny my name, but I felt it was better than revealing my actual identity.
He nodded with a smile, "That's good to hear. He was a tough one," he patted my armored elbow, unable to reach my shoulder, "I wouldn't worry about it though, Spartan. You're young, so consider it a learning experience."
My jaw tightened, and my eyes sharpened as I looked at Keyes through the corner of my eye. What he had just alluded to was heavily classified by ONI; our ages had been recorded as older than we actually were to maintain the program's secrecy. Thankfully, he hadn't come out and said the quiet part out loud; otherwise, protocol would force my hand.
"Quite a heavy tuition for such a meager lesson," I said with dissatisfaction.
ALL NON-ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL REPORT TO CRYO BAY
A command was issued through the ship's speakers of the ship. I shifted, ready to depart.
I paused, reaching up, considering whether or not to reveal my true identity, but ultimately decided against it. What would be the point?
"Sounds like it's time for you to take a nap," he said before extending his hand, "It was good to speak with you Spartan,"
I glanced down before accepting it, my gauntlet wrapping around his hand as if it were a blanket.
"You as well… Lieutenant," I said as I moved back through the corridor