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CHAPTER SEVEN

0000 Hours March 30, 2525 (Military Calendar)

UNSC Carrier Atlas en route to the Lambda

Serpentis system

"And so we commit the bodies of our fallen brothers to space"

Mendez solemnly closed his eyes for a moment, the ceremony completed He pressed a control and the ash canisters moved slowly into the ejection tubesand the void beyond

John stood rigidly at attention The carrier’s missile launch bays--nor with activity--were unusually quiet The Atlas ’s firing deck had been cleared offroantries

"Honorsten hut !" Mendez barked

John and the other surviving Spartans saluted in unison

"Duty," Mendez said "Honor and self sacrifice Death does not diminish these qualities in a soldier We shall reh the Atlas ’s hull as the canisters were hurled into space

The view screen flickered and displayed a field of stars The canisters appeared one by one, quickly falling behind the carrier as it continued on its course

John watched With each of the stainless-steel cylinders that drifted by, he felt that he was losing a part of hi his people behind

Mendez’s face ht as well been chiseled from stone, for all the emotion it showed He finished his protracted salute and then said, "Crewlanced around the launch chamber; Sam, Kelly, and thirty others still stood at attention in their black dress uniforh the last--

ht word More or less

There were a dozen others, though, who had livedbut were no longer soldiers It hurt John to look at the uncontrollably Kirk and René were in neutral-buoyancy gel tanks, breathing through respirators; their bones had been so twisted they no longer looked human

There were others, still alive, but with injuries so critical they could not be moved

Orderlies pushed Fhajad and the other injured toward the elevator

John strode toward the their path "Stand fast, Crew my men?"

The orderly halted and his eyes widened He sed and then said, "I, sirI have my orders, sir"

"Squad Leader," Mendez called out "A moment"

"Stay," John told the orderly, and o," Mendez said quietly "They can’t fight anylanced at the view screen and the long line of canisters as they shrank in the distance "What will happen to my men?"

"The Navy takes care of its own," Mendez replied, and lifted his chin a little higher "They est soldiers--but they still have sharp minds They can still plan missions, analyze data, troubleshoot ops"

John exhaled a sigh of relief "That’s all any of us ask for, sir: a chance to serve" He turned to face Fhajad and the others He snapped to attention and saluted Fhajadarm and return the salute

The orderlies wheeled them away

John looked at what remained of his squad None of the for their next mission

"Our orders, sir?" John asked

"Two days full bed rest, Squad Leader Then ravity physical therapy aboard the Atlas until you recover fromentation"

Side effects John flexed his hand He was clu

Dr Halsey had assured hin "Your brain must relearn how to er muscles," she told hi, too He had constant headaches Every bone in his body ached

John didn’t understand any of this He only knew that he had a duty to perform--and now he feared he wouldn’t be able to "Is that all, sir?" he asked Mendez

"No," the Chief replied "Déjà will be running your squad through the dropship pilot simulator as soon as they are up to it And," he added, "if they are up for the challenge, she wanted to cover soebra"

"Yes, sir," John replied, "we’re up to the challenge"

"Good"

John continued to stand fast

"Was there so else, Squad Leader?"

John furrowed his brow, hesitated, and then finally said, "I was Squad Leader The last mission was therefore my responsibilityand ?"

Mendez stared at John with his ilanced at the squad, then back to John

"Walk with me" He led John to the view screen He stood and watched as the last of the canisters vanished into the darkness

"A leader must be ready to send the soldiers under his co to face John "You do this because your duty to the UNSC supersedes your duty to yourself or even your crew"

John looked away from the view screen He couldn’t look at the emptiness anymore He didn’t want to think of his teammates--friends ere like brothers and sisters to him--forever lost

"It is acceptable," Mendez said, "to spend their lives if necessary" He finally turned and aze "It is not acceptable, however, to waste those lives Do you understand the difference?"

"Ibelieve I understand, sir," John said "But which was it on this last mission? Lives spent? Or lives wasted?"

Mendez turned back toward the blackness of space and didn’t answer

0430 Hours, April 22, 2525 (Military Calendar)

UNSC Carrier Atlas on patrol in the Lambda

Serpentis Systeym

From the stationary corridor, it was easy to see that this section of the Atlas rotated The constant acceleration gave the circular walls a seravity

Unlike the other portions of the carrier, however, this section wasn’t cylindrical, but rather a segmented cone The outer portion ider and rotated ravitational forces froys, a boxing ring, and roup No one else was up this early He had the place to himself

John started with aree, and picked up a twenty-kilograht The spin hts down and picked up a forty-kilograht

For the last three weeks the Spartans had gone through a daily routine of stretching, iso They were under orders to consuh-protein meals a day After every meal they had to report to the ship’s medical bay for a series of etting back to Reach and his normal routine

There were only thirty-two soldiers left in his squad Thirty candidates had "washed out" of the Spartan progra froned within the Office of Naval Intelligence

He o on--they had to recover and prove theain

John wished Chief Mendez had warned him He could have prepared Maybe that was the trick to the lastHe wouldn’t let his guard down again

He took a seat at the leg ht He ain