She Made the Right Choice

The shrill report of a mass driver firing cut through the roar of the Pelican's engines, and a beam of light ignited against a Phantom hovering overhead. Cries of alarm filled the cargo bay as the Marines inside were tossed about by the ensuing explosion, and the dropship shook as shockwaves splashed against its hull.

Captain Jacob Keyes stood next to the hatch, one hand pressed against the hull to keep himself steady. He watched as the destroyed Phantom fell in a mess of metal and smoke. The airspace around the Autumn was teeming with Covenant, but it was nothing their guns (and Cortana) couldn't handle. He was more concerned about getting off-planet before the aliens listening into their transmissions got too curious about the Package.

He pressed two fingers against his earpiece. "This is Keyes, on hot approach to Platform Delta. Ready to take possession of the Package, Noble."

As the Pelican settled in for landing, he was pleased to see Noble Six already standing on the platform. He held out the Package as Keyes disembarked.

He accepted the storage unit. "Good to see you, Spartan. Catherine assured me I could count on you."

"Not just me, sir."

The words reminded Keyes, not for the first time, of the person beneath the armour (physical and otherwise); after all they had suffered for the UNSC and Covenant alike, they were still human. Keyes placed a hand on Six's arm, thinking of every Spartan claimed by the war. "They'll be remembered," he murmured.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a dark shape hovering in the sky. He turned and saw it emerging from the storm clouds. "Cruiser, adjusting heading for the Autumn! Noble Four, I need fire on that cruiser or we're not getting out of here! Do you copy?"

"You'll have your window, sir," came Emile's response over the COM.

It all happened too quickly. As soon as the Onager's cannon pointed up and away from the surrounding airspace, a Phantom swooped in and shot down the escort Pelican. Then it went straight for the mass driver. By the time Keyes' dropship steadied itself, the Phantom was gone. So was Emile.

"Lieutenant, get aboard!" yelled one of the Marines, holding out a hand to Six. "We gotta get the hell out of here!"

"Negative," replied the Spartan unflinchingly. "I have the gun...good luck, sir."

Unlikely as it was that Six understood the importance of the Package he delivered, he had decided upon the only logical solution without a second thought. Once again, Keyes couldn't help but feel that Spartans were made too well. "Good luck to you, Spartan," he murmured. His gaze lingered on Six's form for a moment as the Pelican departed.

Keyes looked down at the storage unit in his hands. There was no telling whether Halsey's research would be enough to win the war. He hardly had an inkling as to what it contained. ''Whatever it is, we'll make it count. We have to.''