Re: Fireteam Glory
Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2020 2:50 am
Fireteam Glory Part 138
Parvisal sat by herself, watching as the soldiers from Fireteam Glory argued amongst themselves and debated plans she couldn’t quite hear. She wasn’t surprised to see that her commanding officer, Sergeant Jon Donovan, was nowhere to be seen. He was a coward at heart, a bully that relished in the position of power he found himself in. Parvisal wasn’t even sure why or how he was their commander, she had only been assigned to the unit three months before the Covenant had attacked Earth. A Marine with three years of service, she had seen many commanders and officers. None had held a candle to the incompetence and crude nature of Donovan. She remembered all the times the man had targeted her specifically, making her run extra laps the track for minor mistakes and berating her while she did. She wasn’t unfamiliar with the standard drill sergeant attitude of harshness towards soldiers, having been on the receiving end of many such soldiers’ tirades, but Donovan couldn’t even back up his attitude with serious strength. For that, Donovan had relied on his muscle: a tall, heavy marine named Hector who followed Donovan’s every order. It had even been Hector who was the only one of the squad to come to Donovan’s aid, despite Parvisal asking him not to, when he had ended up in a fight with Booth. She smiled as she thought about how they had all laughed a little at Donovan getting beaten up by the sniper, but had also felt bad for watching Hector get hurt too. Going after Booth for hurting Hector had crossed her mind, but she had decided against it with how she had put both Donovan and Hector down at the same time.
Anyone who stood up to him was put down by Hector, with the incidents covered up by Donovan through what she assumed to be bribery. He always did seem to attract certain higher-ups when a problem occurred. Hector was now dead, of course. Gunned down by a Covenant patrol as Donovan had ordered him to cover the remaining survivors of November Squad as they fell back into a sewer after a Covenant assault carrier had initiated a Slipspace jump over the city of New Mombasa. She had turned back for a second to see that he had taken a plasma round to his chest and was laying on the ground reaching to them for help. Parvisal had tried to go back for the injured Hector, but Donovan had stopped her and pulled her into the sewer. The look she had seen on Hector’s face as she fell into the sewer was burned into her mind. His face of realization that, even after however long he had followed him loyally, Donovan simply didn’t care enough to bother trying to save him.
Parvisal, along with three other marines, had run with Donovan through those sewers, until he was satisfied that they had lost the Covenant. She had thought about how Donovan left Fireteam Glory to die earlier that day, trapped by Covenant forces within a building that they were rescuing trapped civilians from. Donovan had stated that they wouldn’t make it out alive and that November Squad could be doing something more useful in the fight for the city. She knew that it had all been hot air, given that Donovan avoided fighting as much as he could; unless the fight was small enough for him to not be in any danger, then he would act like a selfless leader who led the charge. Of course, he hid somewhat behind Hector during such occasions and Parvisal questioned why Hector hadn’t caught on to Donovan’s view of him far sooner. She had even seen Hector show a softer side, hesitating to carry out Donovan’s order to abandon Glory when he gave it. Donovan was cruel, she had figured that out long ago, but she truly hated him now. Deep down, she hoped she would find him one day and make him pay for the men and women he had abandoned on that night. She had watched him run as far as he could away from the ambush they had found themselves in, slipping away in the chaos of the battle. They had pulled back to the base, eventually being captured after two of the surviving members of November were taken down by fatal Mauler shots.
The rest was a blur of pain and rage, as the Brutes had tortured her and the other marine for their own amusement. The marine with her, a man she only knew as Killian, has been taken away and likely had suffered a fate far worse than death given the bone-chilling screams she had heard coming from the vehicle bay. She had been lucky. The ODST named Cass and a marine from Fireteam Glory had stumbled into the Brutes, ruining their plan to ambush the rest of Fireteam Glory within the base. After what felt like eons of listening to the noises of battle outside, someone finally came to her rescue. The leader of Fireteam Glory, a gunnery sergeant the rest of Glory called Ivanoff, had found her and taken her to be examined by their medic. The woman who had treated her wounds was gentle, caring, and one of the best medics Parvisal had ever been treated by. Her name was Teresa, she had told Parvisal. The medic sat not too far away, having been mostly silent save for a couple of outbursts towards the others. The look in Teresa’s eyes while she had tended to Parvisal’s injuries had hinted at some underlying sadness or guilt, something that Parvisal could now see was eating away at her from the inside. Mustering enough will and strength, Parvisal pulled herself to her feet and sat down next to Teresa.
When Teresa didn’t react to her arrival, Parvisal tried to get her attention. “Hey,” she said, “you’re the medic that took care of those gashes on my arms, right?”
Teresa didn’t answer.
“I don’t mean to be a bother,” Parvisal apologized, “I just wanted to compliment you on how well you did with it. Never met a doctor with quite that level of skill and bedside manner.”
Teresa shuffled a little and revealed one side of her face, showing an eye and part of her mouth. “Glad I could be of use to someone, even if it was a moot point given the situation we’re in now.”
Parvisal thought for a minute, trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to say. “I… I also wanted to tell you how sorry I am for the losses you guys have suffered. I lost my entire squad last night, but I can’t even begin to understand what you’re going through.”
Teresa brought her head fully up into view, resting it on top of her knees. “Yeah? I’m glad someone understands that.”
Parvisal looked at the other soldiers, watching as they discussed strategies and ideas. “They haven’t given up trying to fight, why have you?” Parvisal turned back to Teresa, looking at her with genuine curiosity.
“I haven’t given up.” Teresa responded defensively. “A lot has happened recently and it’s just hard to… to… process it all. Some of the people I was charged to care for and keep alive have been killed, along with thousands of others that I’ve seen taken by this war.” she wiped away a tear that had formed in her right eye. “It’s all catching up to me, and now we’re stuck in this hopeless situation where we are used as toys by these aliens. What reason is there to fight? The best we can hope for is some remaining UNSC force to find us before it’s too late.”
Parvisal looked away for a moment, contemplating Teresa’s words. “What about your friend, Ivanoff? He found me and brought me to you, had nothing but praise for your attitude and spirit. I know it might be hard to think about him, but do you think he’d want you to give up?”
Teresa’s expression went from sadness to a mixture of anger and pain. “Don’t even try to use that against me.” Teresa hissed. “I already said I haven’t given up, and I don’t need someone I barely know trying to guilt me with my dead friend’s name.”
Parvisal quickly tried to apologize. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
“Go away.” Teresa cut her off with a hostile tone. “Just go away.”
Parvisal decided to not try her luck anymore and simply stood up and joined the rest of the soldiers in the pen in their discussion.
Teresa tucked her head back into her legs. Her mind was full of conflicting thoughts. “She’s right, maybe you have given up.” her mind whispered. “Are you going to let Ivanoff’s sacrifice go to waste like this? Resign yourself to die or hope someone decides to rescue you?” Teresa experienced a sudden pang of guilt. Her attitude towards everyone, the way she had just treated Parvisal, it wasn’t right. “It wasn’t what Ivanoff would have wanted…” she said to herself softly. “But what can I do? There truly is no way out of here without many of us dying.”
Deep in her own thoughts, Teresa went back and forth at herself and fell further into despair. After endless doubting and questioning herself, something she remembered being said to her by a medic she had met early in her training came to her mind.
“Doc can’t save everyone. Sometimes you’ll blame yourself and want to quit, But Doc can’t quit, because no matter what there will always be someone that can be saved.”
Teresa realized that as the war had moved from world to world, she had let that advice slip away from herself. She was quitting, guilty that she couldn’t save everyone who she cared for. That was her greatest fear, the inability to save everyone. The feeling of being useless. That somehow it was her fault when a soldier was maimed beyond repair by alien weaponry. That it was her own failure when aliens crushed cities and slaughtered refugees. That all she could do was watch helplessly as the light of the human race slowly dwindled in the galaxy, like the life leaving the eyes of a dying soldier under her care. She had put herself down, deemed herself as insufficient within her own mind in spite of those who were under her care knowing she tried her hardest.
A flame began to grow in her soul, and soon she made her decision. She wouldn’t sit on the side and let those she still had to care for throw away their lives. To do that would truly betray the duty she had taken upon herself when she had become a medic. She would not let that happen. She would not fail Ivanoff, Lawrence, and all the other soldiers she had cared for in their final moments now by letting it all slip away from her in a cloud of self-doubt and pity. As she stood up to join the conversation, a small amount of doubt remained within her. The plan she had created in her mind involved waiting a few days for any sign of help coming to them soon. How would she convince them to follow that idea with lives on the line; how high would the cost of waiting be? She had to try, because if she didn’t then the cost would be them all.
“Doc can’t save everyone,” Teresa said to herself, “but I can try to save as many as I can from committing to something that will mean being able to save none.”
Parvisal sat by herself, watching as the soldiers from Fireteam Glory argued amongst themselves and debated plans she couldn’t quite hear. She wasn’t surprised to see that her commanding officer, Sergeant Jon Donovan, was nowhere to be seen. He was a coward at heart, a bully that relished in the position of power he found himself in. Parvisal wasn’t even sure why or how he was their commander, she had only been assigned to the unit three months before the Covenant had attacked Earth. A Marine with three years of service, she had seen many commanders and officers. None had held a candle to the incompetence and crude nature of Donovan. She remembered all the times the man had targeted her specifically, making her run extra laps the track for minor mistakes and berating her while she did. She wasn’t unfamiliar with the standard drill sergeant attitude of harshness towards soldiers, having been on the receiving end of many such soldiers’ tirades, but Donovan couldn’t even back up his attitude with serious strength. For that, Donovan had relied on his muscle: a tall, heavy marine named Hector who followed Donovan’s every order. It had even been Hector who was the only one of the squad to come to Donovan’s aid, despite Parvisal asking him not to, when he had ended up in a fight with Booth. She smiled as she thought about how they had all laughed a little at Donovan getting beaten up by the sniper, but had also felt bad for watching Hector get hurt too. Going after Booth for hurting Hector had crossed her mind, but she had decided against it with how she had put both Donovan and Hector down at the same time.
Anyone who stood up to him was put down by Hector, with the incidents covered up by Donovan through what she assumed to be bribery. He always did seem to attract certain higher-ups when a problem occurred. Hector was now dead, of course. Gunned down by a Covenant patrol as Donovan had ordered him to cover the remaining survivors of November Squad as they fell back into a sewer after a Covenant assault carrier had initiated a Slipspace jump over the city of New Mombasa. She had turned back for a second to see that he had taken a plasma round to his chest and was laying on the ground reaching to them for help. Parvisal had tried to go back for the injured Hector, but Donovan had stopped her and pulled her into the sewer. The look she had seen on Hector’s face as she fell into the sewer was burned into her mind. His face of realization that, even after however long he had followed him loyally, Donovan simply didn’t care enough to bother trying to save him.
Parvisal, along with three other marines, had run with Donovan through those sewers, until he was satisfied that they had lost the Covenant. She had thought about how Donovan left Fireteam Glory to die earlier that day, trapped by Covenant forces within a building that they were rescuing trapped civilians from. Donovan had stated that they wouldn’t make it out alive and that November Squad could be doing something more useful in the fight for the city. She knew that it had all been hot air, given that Donovan avoided fighting as much as he could; unless the fight was small enough for him to not be in any danger, then he would act like a selfless leader who led the charge. Of course, he hid somewhat behind Hector during such occasions and Parvisal questioned why Hector hadn’t caught on to Donovan’s view of him far sooner. She had even seen Hector show a softer side, hesitating to carry out Donovan’s order to abandon Glory when he gave it. Donovan was cruel, she had figured that out long ago, but she truly hated him now. Deep down, she hoped she would find him one day and make him pay for the men and women he had abandoned on that night. She had watched him run as far as he could away from the ambush they had found themselves in, slipping away in the chaos of the battle. They had pulled back to the base, eventually being captured after two of the surviving members of November were taken down by fatal Mauler shots.
The rest was a blur of pain and rage, as the Brutes had tortured her and the other marine for their own amusement. The marine with her, a man she only knew as Killian, has been taken away and likely had suffered a fate far worse than death given the bone-chilling screams she had heard coming from the vehicle bay. She had been lucky. The ODST named Cass and a marine from Fireteam Glory had stumbled into the Brutes, ruining their plan to ambush the rest of Fireteam Glory within the base. After what felt like eons of listening to the noises of battle outside, someone finally came to her rescue. The leader of Fireteam Glory, a gunnery sergeant the rest of Glory called Ivanoff, had found her and taken her to be examined by their medic. The woman who had treated her wounds was gentle, caring, and one of the best medics Parvisal had ever been treated by. Her name was Teresa, she had told Parvisal. The medic sat not too far away, having been mostly silent save for a couple of outbursts towards the others. The look in Teresa’s eyes while she had tended to Parvisal’s injuries had hinted at some underlying sadness or guilt, something that Parvisal could now see was eating away at her from the inside. Mustering enough will and strength, Parvisal pulled herself to her feet and sat down next to Teresa.
When Teresa didn’t react to her arrival, Parvisal tried to get her attention. “Hey,” she said, “you’re the medic that took care of those gashes on my arms, right?”
Teresa didn’t answer.
“I don’t mean to be a bother,” Parvisal apologized, “I just wanted to compliment you on how well you did with it. Never met a doctor with quite that level of skill and bedside manner.”
Teresa shuffled a little and revealed one side of her face, showing an eye and part of her mouth. “Glad I could be of use to someone, even if it was a moot point given the situation we’re in now.”
Parvisal thought for a minute, trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to say. “I… I also wanted to tell you how sorry I am for the losses you guys have suffered. I lost my entire squad last night, but I can’t even begin to understand what you’re going through.”
Teresa brought her head fully up into view, resting it on top of her knees. “Yeah? I’m glad someone understands that.”
Parvisal looked at the other soldiers, watching as they discussed strategies and ideas. “They haven’t given up trying to fight, why have you?” Parvisal turned back to Teresa, looking at her with genuine curiosity.
“I haven’t given up.” Teresa responded defensively. “A lot has happened recently and it’s just hard to… to… process it all. Some of the people I was charged to care for and keep alive have been killed, along with thousands of others that I’ve seen taken by this war.” she wiped away a tear that had formed in her right eye. “It’s all catching up to me, and now we’re stuck in this hopeless situation where we are used as toys by these aliens. What reason is there to fight? The best we can hope for is some remaining UNSC force to find us before it’s too late.”
Parvisal looked away for a moment, contemplating Teresa’s words. “What about your friend, Ivanoff? He found me and brought me to you, had nothing but praise for your attitude and spirit. I know it might be hard to think about him, but do you think he’d want you to give up?”
Teresa’s expression went from sadness to a mixture of anger and pain. “Don’t even try to use that against me.” Teresa hissed. “I already said I haven’t given up, and I don’t need someone I barely know trying to guilt me with my dead friend’s name.”
Parvisal quickly tried to apologize. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
“Go away.” Teresa cut her off with a hostile tone. “Just go away.”
Parvisal decided to not try her luck anymore and simply stood up and joined the rest of the soldiers in the pen in their discussion.
Teresa tucked her head back into her legs. Her mind was full of conflicting thoughts. “She’s right, maybe you have given up.” her mind whispered. “Are you going to let Ivanoff’s sacrifice go to waste like this? Resign yourself to die or hope someone decides to rescue you?” Teresa experienced a sudden pang of guilt. Her attitude towards everyone, the way she had just treated Parvisal, it wasn’t right. “It wasn’t what Ivanoff would have wanted…” she said to herself softly. “But what can I do? There truly is no way out of here without many of us dying.”
Deep in her own thoughts, Teresa went back and forth at herself and fell further into despair. After endless doubting and questioning herself, something she remembered being said to her by a medic she had met early in her training came to her mind.
“Doc can’t save everyone. Sometimes you’ll blame yourself and want to quit, But Doc can’t quit, because no matter what there will always be someone that can be saved.”
Teresa realized that as the war had moved from world to world, she had let that advice slip away from herself. She was quitting, guilty that she couldn’t save everyone who she cared for. That was her greatest fear, the inability to save everyone. The feeling of being useless. That somehow it was her fault when a soldier was maimed beyond repair by alien weaponry. That it was her own failure when aliens crushed cities and slaughtered refugees. That all she could do was watch helplessly as the light of the human race slowly dwindled in the galaxy, like the life leaving the eyes of a dying soldier under her care. She had put herself down, deemed herself as insufficient within her own mind in spite of those who were under her care knowing she tried her hardest.
A flame began to grow in her soul, and soon she made her decision. She wouldn’t sit on the side and let those she still had to care for throw away their lives. To do that would truly betray the duty she had taken upon herself when she had become a medic. She would not let that happen. She would not fail Ivanoff, Lawrence, and all the other soldiers she had cared for in their final moments now by letting it all slip away from her in a cloud of self-doubt and pity. As she stood up to join the conversation, a small amount of doubt remained within her. The plan she had created in her mind involved waiting a few days for any sign of help coming to them soon. How would she convince them to follow that idea with lives on the line; how high would the cost of waiting be? She had to try, because if she didn’t then the cost would be them all.
“Doc can’t save everyone,” Teresa said to herself, “but I can try to save as many as I can from committing to something that will mean being able to save none.”