Four Months after Requiem Campaign
Joe's place, New Alexandria, Reach
Music pumped loudly into the small, condensed bar, as the patrons either sat by the island, at tables in crowds, or on the dance floor. The twin doors leading in and out of the joint opened, as the bar keep nodded, grinning widely at the new patron.
"Welcome, Admiral." He shouted over the loud music, beckoning the man over.
"Hey Boris, how's life?" The soldier asked, looking around at the other patrons.
"Mary's doing well, and the kids are loving every moment of their freedom. Can't thank you enough for saving them from New Phoenix, Spartan." Boris nodded. "Hell, drinks are on me tonight."
"Thanks, but I don't drink." The soldier replied.
"Ah c'mon Blaine, you can't have virgin lips forever."
"I'm technically on duty right now, I'm just looking for someone."
"Oh aren't we all." Boris chuckled. "But I know you're looking for him. He's in the corner. The other Spartans on leave have been trying to get him to sign stuff."
"I'll talk to him, thanks Boris." Blaine said.
"Well here, take two." Boris said, pouring two light drinks of fresh beer. "One for him too."
Blaine nodded, taking the two glasses over to the fair skinned individual in the back. Blaine still couldn't get over how much he had aged over the years, but the things he had seen, Blaine was surprised that his normally trim hair wasn't grey completely, or gone all together.
"Mind if I join you?" Blaine asked, as the soldier, previously distracted by something, stood in a crisp salute.
"Of course Admiral, sir."
"Stop calling me that Chief, and this time it's an order." Blaine said, placing one of the drinks in front of him. "It still bothers the hell out of me. You are and always were the leader of the Spartan IIs."
"Old habits die hard, sir." John spoke quickly. "What brings you here?"
"I was told to come here to preform a psyche test on you, to see if you can come out of debrief. If I'm still fit for work, you can too." Blaine said. "However, I am aware of the things you've seen. I haven't seen all of it, but I've heard a thing or two. I can understand if you don't want to come back to duty."
John, however, watched into the crowd of dancers, most of them were Spartan IVs on temporary leave. The way they rubbed up against each other in their drunken stupors both intrigued and disgusted him.
"Things sure are different for the newer Generations." John said.
"Humanity doesn't really need Spartans anymore." Blaine replied. "Our Generation was the curtain of iron, a last line of defense."
"No, we were created to kill rebels, you know that."
"Of course." Blaine nodded. "But the Covenant showed up, and they are no longer a threat. The Elites are still unsettled by the Storm, but for now, all is well in the Universe. No homicidal Forerunners, no Halo ring firings, no Flood."
Blaine cringed on the last thing on the list, before continuing.
"The Generation IIIs were Ackerson's attempt at taking some of Halsey's glory, but he made them cheap and built for suicide runs. Agent Nine and the rest of Bailey's IIIs are the only exceptions. They were trained to fight for what is right, vastly different than what we were taught." Blaine replied.
"But the IVs, they seem so... defenseless." John shook his head. "We were trained to always be on guard, even when off duty."
"They had different training, because they are now used as guard dogs, not last lines of defense, like us. They are strong like us, but they aren't as durable as us. They are the fist of the UNSC's law. They were trained to retrieve intel, drive vehicles with expertise, be masters at infiltration, and other such perks."
John nodded, understanding. Blaine still wasn't content, he knew something was eating him.
"Remember when we first got Mjolnir?" Blaine smiled, taking a sip of the alcohol in his glass. "You, Sam, Jorge, and I were so hyped up to try it on, instead of that tight ODST armor?"
"Yeah." John said. "That was the day I received- met her."
"Ah." Blaine nodded sincerely. "She's still on your mind."
"It's so empty." Chief shook his head, staring into the liquid.
"I will never know that loss." Blaine placed a hand on his old leader's shoulder. "She was a valuable member of the UNSC Navy, and she will dearly be missed."
"They tried to give me another Cortana model." John's hand tensed, as Blaine could see the glass start to tense.
"I'm sorry, there will never be another Cortana." Blaine replied. "I'll tell them to knock it off."
"Things are just so different now." John took a mighty swig of the drink. "No Johnson to joke with, Halsey missing, Miranda, dead before I could get to her, and then Cortana."
"It's hard to lose people you care about." Blaine said.
Here's a really old classic from the 21st Century. 'Carry On' by Fun.
"But don't let their sacrifice go to waste. Live, for them." Blaine smiled. "That's what I do."
"I just don't know anymore." John growled, frustrated.
"If you're lost and alone, Or you're sinking like a stone,
Carry on. May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground, Carry on!" Blaine sang lightly with the song, having been familiar with it.
"Do you ever think about them?" John asked. "What could've been?"
"You mean my parents?" Blaine asked. "I only knew one of them, and he passed away before Requiem."
"I liked to think that everything I did for the UNSC kept them safe." John smiled, chuckling softly.
"I'm sure they did."
As the song continued, Blaine stood, as John looked at him, confused. The other patrons began to sing along, as Blaine sang to the song.
"If you're lost and alone or you're sinking like a stone,
Carry on!" Blaine sang. "May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground and-"
"Carry on!!!" The other patrons sang along with him.
John clutched his head, wishing to remain secluded from the other patrons, as Blaine held out a hand.
" 'Cause we are
We are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we're miles away
So we'll come, we will find our way hooooome!" Sang the Spartans in the bar.
"If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone!" Blaine and John sang together, Blaine finally breaking John's hard shell.
"Carry oooooon!" The patrons sang alongside them.
"May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground and" Blaine roared above the crowd with a grin.
"Carry ooooooon!"
As the song diminished, so did the patrons, finally exhausted from their night of spoils. John shook Blaine's hand firmly, as he finished the drink.
"Thank you for your talk, Blaine." John smiled for the first time in a very long time. "Tell Captain Lasky I'll be returning for duty, for them."
"Will do." Blaine nodded, as him and John left the bar, reminiscing on their boot camp days.
Joe's place, New Alexandria, Reach
Music pumped loudly into the small, condensed bar, as the patrons either sat by the island, at tables in crowds, or on the dance floor. The twin doors leading in and out of the joint opened, as the bar keep nodded, grinning widely at the new patron.
"Welcome, Admiral." He shouted over the loud music, beckoning the man over.
"Hey Boris, how's life?" The soldier asked, looking around at the other patrons.
"Mary's doing well, and the kids are loving every moment of their freedom. Can't thank you enough for saving them from New Phoenix, Spartan." Boris nodded. "Hell, drinks are on me tonight."
"Thanks, but I don't drink." The soldier replied.
"Ah c'mon Blaine, you can't have virgin lips forever."
"I'm technically on duty right now, I'm just looking for someone."
"Oh aren't we all." Boris chuckled. "But I know you're looking for him. He's in the corner. The other Spartans on leave have been trying to get him to sign stuff."
"I'll talk to him, thanks Boris." Blaine said.
"Well here, take two." Boris said, pouring two light drinks of fresh beer. "One for him too."
Blaine nodded, taking the two glasses over to the fair skinned individual in the back. Blaine still couldn't get over how much he had aged over the years, but the things he had seen, Blaine was surprised that his normally trim hair wasn't grey completely, or gone all together.
"Mind if I join you?" Blaine asked, as the soldier, previously distracted by something, stood in a crisp salute.
"Of course Admiral, sir."
"Stop calling me that Chief, and this time it's an order." Blaine said, placing one of the drinks in front of him. "It still bothers the hell out of me. You are and always were the leader of the Spartan IIs."
"Old habits die hard, sir." John spoke quickly. "What brings you here?"
"I was told to come here to preform a psyche test on you, to see if you can come out of debrief. If I'm still fit for work, you can too." Blaine said. "However, I am aware of the things you've seen. I haven't seen all of it, but I've heard a thing or two. I can understand if you don't want to come back to duty."
John, however, watched into the crowd of dancers, most of them were Spartan IVs on temporary leave. The way they rubbed up against each other in their drunken stupors both intrigued and disgusted him.
"Things sure are different for the newer Generations." John said.
"Humanity doesn't really need Spartans anymore." Blaine replied. "Our Generation was the curtain of iron, a last line of defense."
"No, we were created to kill rebels, you know that."
"Of course." Blaine nodded. "But the Covenant showed up, and they are no longer a threat. The Elites are still unsettled by the Storm, but for now, all is well in the Universe. No homicidal Forerunners, no Halo ring firings, no Flood."
Blaine cringed on the last thing on the list, before continuing.
"The Generation IIIs were Ackerson's attempt at taking some of Halsey's glory, but he made them cheap and built for suicide runs. Agent Nine and the rest of Bailey's IIIs are the only exceptions. They were trained to fight for what is right, vastly different than what we were taught." Blaine replied.
"But the IVs, they seem so... defenseless." John shook his head. "We were trained to always be on guard, even when off duty."
"They had different training, because they are now used as guard dogs, not last lines of defense, like us. They are strong like us, but they aren't as durable as us. They are the fist of the UNSC's law. They were trained to retrieve intel, drive vehicles with expertise, be masters at infiltration, and other such perks."
John nodded, understanding. Blaine still wasn't content, he knew something was eating him.
"Remember when we first got Mjolnir?" Blaine smiled, taking a sip of the alcohol in his glass. "You, Sam, Jorge, and I were so hyped up to try it on, instead of that tight ODST armor?"
"Yeah." John said. "That was the day I received- met her."
"Ah." Blaine nodded sincerely. "She's still on your mind."
"It's so empty." Chief shook his head, staring into the liquid.
"I will never know that loss." Blaine placed a hand on his old leader's shoulder. "She was a valuable member of the UNSC Navy, and she will dearly be missed."
"They tried to give me another Cortana model." John's hand tensed, as Blaine could see the glass start to tense.
"I'm sorry, there will never be another Cortana." Blaine replied. "I'll tell them to knock it off."
"Things are just so different now." John took a mighty swig of the drink. "No Johnson to joke with, Halsey missing, Miranda, dead before I could get to her, and then Cortana."
"It's hard to lose people you care about." Blaine said.
Here's a really old classic from the 21st Century. 'Carry On' by Fun.
Well I woke up to the sound of silence the cars
Were cutting like knives in a fist fight
And I found you with a bottle of wine
Your head in the curtains and heart like the fourth of July
"But don't let their sacrifice go to waste. Live, for them." Blaine smiled. "That's what I do."
You swore and said we are not
We are not shining stars
This I know
I never said we are
"I just don't know anymore." John growled, frustrated.
Though I've never been through hell like that
I've closed enough windows to know you can never look back
"If you're lost and alone, Or you're sinking like a stone,
Carry on. May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground, Carry on!" Blaine sang lightly with the song, having been familiar with it.
"Do you ever think about them?" John asked. "What could've been?"
"You mean my parents?" Blaine asked. "I only knew one of them, and he passed away before Requiem."
So I met up with some friends in the edge of the night
At a bar off seventy five
And we talked and talked about how our parents will die
All our neighbors and wives
"I liked to think that everything I did for the UNSC kept them safe." John smiled, chuckling softly.
"I'm sure they did."
But I like to think
I can cheat it all
To make up for the times, I've been cheated on
And it's nice to know
When I was left for dead
I was found and now I don't roam these streets
I am not the ghost you want of me
As the song continued, Blaine stood, as John looked at him, confused. The other patrons began to sing along, as Blaine sang to the song.
"If you're lost and alone or you're sinking like a stone,
Carry on!" Blaine sang. "May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground and-"
"Carry on!!!" The other patrons sang along with him.
John clutched his head, wishing to remain secluded from the other patrons, as Blaine held out a hand.
Woah my head is on fire
But my legs are fine
After all they are mine
Lay your clothes down on the floor
Close the door
Hold the phone
Show me how
No one's ever gonna stop us tonight!
" 'Cause we are
We are shining stars
We are invincible
We are who we are
On our darkest day
When we're miles away
So we'll come, we will find our way hooooome!" Sang the Spartans in the bar.
"If you're lost and alone
Or you're sinking like a stone!" Blaine and John sang together, Blaine finally breaking John's hard shell.
"Carry oooooon!" The patrons sang alongside them.
"May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground and" Blaine roared above the crowd with a grin.
"Carry ooooooon!"
As the song diminished, so did the patrons, finally exhausted from their night of spoils. John shook Blaine's hand firmly, as he finished the drink.
"Thank you for your talk, Blaine." John smiled for the first time in a very long time. "Tell Captain Lasky I'll be returning for duty, for them."
"Will do." Blaine nodded, as him and John left the bar, reminiscing on their boot camp days.
