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Blue Team Week Day 2 – Kelly-087

Prompt: 

Duty & Honour: « It is our duty to protect humanity »

This is from a larger WIP I have going right now, but I decided to post this snippet for Kelly’s day for #BlueTeamWeek! It’s set just before the On The Brink comic.

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“You got anything, Blue-Four?”

“Negative.” Linda sounded even more curt than usual. “Again.”

“Aye,” Kelly sighed, sending her a green status light in a consolatory gesture. She peered over the crest of hard earth and out towards the research facility. The only other member of Blue Team in sight was John, who was turned towards the southern edge of the complex, staring out at the desert. She allowed herself to watch him for a moment before turning away and skidding downhill. One hundred twenty-two more paces and she’d complete her third perimeter check of the construction site around the facility. The most interesting thing she’d seen had been a weird burrowing lizard that had squawked at her as she passed by its nest, and she was tempted to go disturb it on purpose now, if only to give her something to do.

“Order’s will get here soon,” Chief assured them over TEAMCOM. “Just have to be patient.”

Kelly didn’t bother to remind him he’d said that two hours ago. Instead, she made sure the sparse outcropping of desert scrub-bush nearby wasn’t housing any hidden Covenant battalions and leaned against the closest rock when she confirmed she was alone. Her helmet did an excellent job of filtering out any dust from the planet’s atmosphere, but the air was still dry as all hell. She pulled up the lip of her helmet and downed the contents of the water pouch from her hip compartment, sighing again when it was empty. Exhaustion and boredom were a really bad combination while deployed, and she was starting to run low on ideas of how to remedy either of them.

Kelly took a few minutes to rest and eventually saw Fred circle around to her position from the other direction. She nodded to him in greeting when he got close, and his helmet dipped forward in reply.

“You good?” He asked over a private frequency.

She waggled the empty water canteen in her hand. “Just having a quick pit stop.”

“We should start taking shifts if this keeps up.” His visor turned towards the facility, which was obstructed by cresting hills and thick fencing from where they stood. “It’s dangerous to be going this long without a proper rest.”

It was subtle, and if she wanted to she could easily ignore it, but the hint of disapproval in his voice made her bristle. “Chief knows what he’s doing, sir.”

Fred lifted up his own helmet to take a drink of water, and the copper tint of his visor cast a ruddy glow over his face. He looked painfully old in the harsh desert light, and her heart clenched. “I don’t doubt that he does,” Fred replied, capping his water.

“But?”

“But he’s being reckless,” he finished, giving her a measured look. “Navy’s got more Spartans now than they know what to do with. Enough that we can take a day to rest without the galaxy blowing up.”

She gave him a tired smirk. “Someone’s got to set an example for the Fours, though, don’t they?”

He slid his helmet back down, but not before she saw the responding smile. “Suppose you’re right.”

“Blue-Three, report.”

“All clear, sir,” Fred responded immediately, switching back to TEAMCOM. The accusation and the uncertainty in his voice was gone—he just sounded calm now, if a bit weary. “Permission for Kelly and I to head back?”

“Affirmative. Perimeter can’t get much more secure than this.”

They made their way back around, following the path Kelly had stamped smooth with all their walking. They’d meet up with Linda and John and then they’d… wait for orders. Her nose wrinkled at the thought.

“Chief’s tired, too,” she said to Fred behind her. “He’s just being productive with it.”

“Was that an insult, Petty Officer?”

“I’m not the one gossiping about Team Leader in the bushes.”

Fred snorted in lieu of replying, but he sounded like his old self again, and she relaxed. The transition back to Chief being Blue Leader hadn’t been seamless, and even though the Lieutenant had been quick to relinquish control of Blue Team back to John, she knew he was still adjusting. They all were, really. And Fred’s reservations about the intensity of their deployments were coming from a good place, even if she didn’t like having sidebar conversations about John while on duty. Even if she agreed with everything Fred was saying.