//------------------------------// // Chapter 81: Rites // Story: XCOM: Ranger // by Wanderer D //------------------------------// Ranger Chapter 81: Rites By Wanderer D It had taken a few minutes for the emotions to calm down, and now they were faced with the next steps in their mission. "Should we report to the Avenger?" It sounded more like a statement than a question when Elena said it. But it was a question that needed to be asked, even if Sunset had a feeling that both the Reaper and Angel were on the same page as herself when it came to what the answer would be. "No," Sunset said. She stood up, wiping her eyes. She folded the note carefully, and slid it into a  breast pocket, then picked up Mox's helmet, strapping it to her hip as Skirmishers would do when leaving behind fallen comrades. "This mission has already cost us too much to leave it unfinished." "We might not make it in time," Elena said. "Even if we did find you relatively quickly, we have lost several hours already, and you still need some more time for your arm to heal." Sunset grimaced. "Well, it's not broken anymore… as long as it's still in the splint, it should be fine. I'll probably be able to use it fully by tomorrow." Elena simply nodded, but Sunset could feel the approval. Even though the Reaper hadn't said much about Mox, Sunset knew that she was also suffering the loss of her friend. Mox and Elena had become close friends despite their initial distrust, after all. Now that Mox was gone, they both shared the desire to make sure his death wasn't the end of their mission. The best way to honor him would be to complete it. "How far are we from the objective?" Sunset asked Angel. The Viper turned her head towards the entrance, tongue darting in and out as she thought, before turning back to look at Sunset. Sunset nodded. "The plan was to arrive there the day before the next delivery and set a perimeter… it won't be ideal, but as long as we get there just before they move things, we'll be green." Elena nodded, pulling out the map from one of her many pockets and spreading it on the floor, where they all could see. "Vipe—Angel," she said, drawing a startled look from the alien, who regardless slithered closer. "Where are we currently located?" Angel studied the map before touching it with a sharp claw, slowly tracing down to a point lower in the map, and hissed. "We really went far, but our location is not terribly out of the way…" Sunset muttered. "This distance is definitely doable within a day, even if we don't know the terrain that well." Angel raised and touched her chest, hissing confidently. Sunset smiled. "Even better… you really know this jungle well." Angel took a slightly pained look, but quickly recovered, nodding firmly. "For those of us that don't speak Parseltongue?" Immediately after saying that, she cast a quick, regretful glance at Mox. Sunset reached out, taking her hand and squeezing. With a nod, she glanced at Outrider. "Angel says that even before they explored the area, she lived in the jungle for some time. She knows her way to our destination, and there's even a cache nearby for us to resupply." "Understood," Elena replied, squeezing Sunset's hand for a second before letting go. Angel studied the map and gave Sunset a stern look, hissing. "I agree," Elena said, raising her eyebrow at Sunset. "You need to rest." "How—" "Don't overthink it, Sunset," Elena said, raising a hand. "T-Angel pointed down and hissed at you. It was a no-brainer." "But… we have things to do…" Sunset looked at Mox. Elena sighed. "We do, but you are in no condition to do heavy lifting. Can you give us instruction? You lived with his people… the Skirmishers…" Sunset took a deep breath. "Y-yeah... " It took them some doing, and even though her arm was mostly healed, Sunset knew she was still too weak to lift the heavy rocks they piled around and over Mox's body. Slowly they had set down the warrior straight on the floor, before burying him and building the mound around him. Skirmishers had a few different rites—depending on the manner of death—to deal with their fallen, from leaving them behind as they had died free, to full honorifics and burning the body... and this would not be enough in their eyes… but with some assurance from her that it was acceptable for a Skirmisher of note such as Mox to be buried like this (temporarily), Angel and Elena had taken to the hard labor with all the somber respect needed. After a few hours of rest, the group set out, following Angel. Sunset had recovered enough that she could feel her magic reserves slowly refilling. In a way she hated herself for it. She knew she had no control of her magic's instinctual healing—especially here on Earth where channeling Blood Magic was so different than in Equestria. She knew it would be like mentally ordering her heart to stop, but she still couldn't fight off the sense of guilt within her. If she had had more control… she gritted her teeth. She would return to her studies as soon as she was back in the Avenger, dangers be damned. This was not happening again during her watch. She should have learned her lesson with Jane's close call… now she had lost her very first friend, and someone who she never considered living without as part of her life. She felt a failure and worse, a leech. She had all the benefits of Mox saving her, and she had returned nothing to him… certainly not enough to equal his sacrifice. "Sunset." Elena's voice snapped Sunset out of her reverie, drawing her attention to the Reaper. "Yeah?" "Why do you carry Mox's helmet?" Earlier, Angel and Elena had expected Sunset to place the helmet on top of the mound, and had been obviously surprised when she hadn't choosing to keep it attached to her hip, rather than buried or left as a marker. "When Skirmishers-to-be are brought in to the camp, after their chip has been deactivated, they wake up still with their helmets on. It's not until they remove them themselves, symbolizing their freedom from the control of the elders, that they begin the path of becoming a Skirmisher." Sunset sighed. "When a Skirmisher falls… they are never left behind, interred or sent away into the fire with their helmets on." She gave Elena a straight look. "Never. It's their ultimate expression of being free… if I left this on Mox, or put it at the top of his burial mound… it would be the worst insult I could offer to his memory." Elena nodded. "Usually, it is left at the base of the mound, or at their feet when they're being burnt, symbolizing their overcoming of the control of the Elders." Angel looked over her shoulder and hissed a question. "Because there's one instance when the helmet is taken along," Sunset replied to the viper's question. "When a Skirmisher falls, their companions will carry on, and if the one that fell died honorably, they will take the helmet with them… that way, the warrior that died also will face their final enemy and complete their mission." Elena nodded, giving Sunset a respectful, if slightly pitying look. "You know the rites well." Sunset didn't stop walking, focusing on Angel ahead. "I had to leave behind, bury or burn a lot of people." They slid down a small ravine, Sunset keeping her balance and the helmet in perfect position to not get it dirty at all. "I only carried a helmet once before… for one of our teammates we left behind. I didn't know him that well, so it was a sign of respect only." Her hand rested on Mox's helmet. "But this… this is an honor that I am unworthy to carry, but I must, to have him see things through." Sunset cracked her neck. "But we shouldn't slow down… we have to move." Elena seemed about to say something, but chose to stay quiet, giving Sunset a considering look before slowly nodding. "As you say." A few hours later, Angel had guided them to a collapsed, giant tree. Hissing, she had moved several large rocks out of the way, revealing several wrapped ammo boxes, grenades and dry, sealed food. After restocking, they set out again, going North from the cache and deeper into the jungle. They encountered no opposition, but after some time, Angel hissed a warning, raising her fist. The group slowed to a stop, taking cover. It Sunset a moment to see past the thick vegetation, but after a few seconds and a slight shifting of her position, she was able to look at their objective. The slick, shiny black metal walls of a mid-sized ADVENT base. It had a large landing pad, close to their location, and across from it, she could see a parked train wagon. The train tracks only went in one direction: Their true objective. o.0.o End Chapter 81 o.0.o