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Then and now by Commander V
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Things to come
Date: 16 April 2008, 6:35 am
A man stood on the sand of a barren waste-land, looking at the sun far in the distance. His breaths were slow and steady, unaware of the things to come. But a bright light came, along with it, a rumbling thunder. In the sky, behind a large moon, came the roar of a chunk of rock. Fate hits you in some of the most ironic ways...
The man awoke with a start, quickly grasped his fire-arm resting on a nightstand, and instinctivly raised it to the forehead of a woman dressed in full military uniform.
"Shit, quick on the trigger, eh?" The woman said, half laughing.
"Be glad you're Navy." He replied lowering his weapon and returned it to it's former place.
"I wonder what would happen if I wasn't," still laughing. "But, all joking aside, we need you back." She tossed a folder she had been carrying on the bed next to him. "We're in deep, and the UNSC would like to regain it's former glory."
"You break into my house, scare the bloody piss out of me, to offer me a job? No, I retired for a reason; I made a promise to the boys on the Bonhomme Richard, and what I gave them was a head-stone in Arlington national cemetary." He rose to his feet, picked up the file, and gave it back to the officer.
"I know you feel guilty for what happened in Epsilon Eridanus, but what would your crew think if they saw their Commander, living the dream of a nobody,"
She said, turning to a wall of football trophies and awards, "nobody likes a quiter."
"Say what you want, I'm not going back there. It's quit out here, the people are friendly, and I make enough to get by. What more can I ask for?"
"Michael Valois, star quarter-back for the Acadamy's football team. 'Coach says there's a bright football future ahead for this star-player'. During your Junior year, you were in a car-crash, and were unable to play for your team."
"What are you getting at?" Michael thought about reaching for his pistol again.
"You were shut-down before you could do your part. It happened then, it happened now. Do you remember what you did after you fucked up your arm? You were at every one of your team's practices, all of their games. You stuck with it. Now? Now you go to a little unheard of town in the middle of nowhere trying to escape your past."
She angrilly threw the file back on the bed.
"Your team needs you; so what are you going to do?" She turned around and walked out of the bed-room. Michael could hear the slamming of his front door, and the distant crunching of gravel underneath the tires of a car. He felt both sorry and frustrated at the same time. His former superiors sent this puppet, a former friend, to come and try to get him back. But he couldn't help but be curious. He sat down on the bed next to it, and opened it to see a few sheets of paper.
"To former Commander Michael Valois: We here at the UNSC hereby offer a position aboard one of our newest vessels. We give our sympathy for the events the occured in Epsilon Eridanus, but ask that you seriously consider returning to your post. Should you choose to accept this position, you shall be reinstated to the rank of Captain, and will be free to choose your senior officers."
He looked to one of the flaps on the folder to see two pins with Eagles behind a shield.
"If you accept, report to Washinton D.C. for orders and your new assignment.
Thank you, Admiral James Clark.
He placed the short letter back in the folder pulled out the two pins and set them on the desk, and threw the folder next to the wall with his football trophies. He spotted something, out of place. He quickly got up and looked closer at a fadding picture of a young college quarter-back. One arm tightly holding a football, the other around one of the cheerleaders.
At the bottom of the picture was some faint writting:
M&M 4 ever!
Damn you Keyes, He thought to himself slowly walking to his closet. Tucked between a wall of suits and sweaters was a white uniform of a naval officer. He didn't deserve to wear it ever again, but apparently the Navy thought otherwise. He neatly folded his uniform, placed it in a chair next to a window, and fell asleep within seconds of lying down.
***
"Council, I know our situation seems dire, but the solution offered is not enought to-" The woman was cut-off by a man sitting along side several other council members.
"Doctor, you promised us a weapon capable to destroy the invaders. That was three months ago. We gave you your chance, now we must seek other means to fight them."
"Please, it has been delayed because we have been working on a differant project, one that promises to be more successful than what was origionally offered."
"If this is so, why have you not brought it to us? We could have provided you with the resources to help your efforts."
"With all due respect, you wouldn't believe our proposition."
"I'm sure we would all like to hear it."
The doctor sighed, she looked at her mentor to see if he approved of what she was about to say, and recieved a nod from the old man sitting next to her.
"A window..."
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