Sent To Protect and Serve Humanity

Chapter 19: Halberds' Delight

3rd POV

"Ugh."

A young boy with kangaroo ears protruding out from curly dirty blonde hair groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Immediately, he felt a weight on his stomach, though not very heavy, and could hear gentle snoring from two separate people. He slowly raised his head to view the weight to find a head full of silver hair and arctic fox ears drooling away with a smile etched onto his face. Onwards, with a noticeable difference due to the gray collar around his neck, wore his usual outfit as his tail gently hung from his sleeping body.

"Aw, he missed me." Perth quietly whispered before looking to his left. "She did, too..."

Hastings, sharing the exact same collar around her neck with some sort of visible word on the front, was sleeping in a chair that was leaning on a medical cabinet, wearing her usual outfit and snoozing away, without a worry in the world.

Looking around the room, he would find it to be the standard medical infirmary, definitely on board an UNSC installation. The sanitized smell and look of the room attacked his senses as he scrunched his nose momentarily. The room was long as he looked up and down the row of beds from his own in the center and then toward the door directly across from his bed. The curtains surrounding his cubicle were pulled back, signaling whatever procedure that had happened was finished.

Perth sat up to find himself in a medical gown and felt his chest. Miraculously, his entire torso had been reconstructed as he felt around his body before looking to a mirror on the nightstand. The only noticeable marking left was a pair of circular scars on his throat and chin, the exact points a blade of plasma entered his skull.

By God, did he look like shit though. His hair was unkempt with a greasy look to it, his ears appeared to be ruffled everywhere, and his skin looked rough.

"Damn..." Perth looked at his face in the mirror. "I look like hammered shit."

This complaint was loud enough for Onwards's ears to twitch, picking up the sound before his head shot up. He rubbed his tired eyes and immediately tackled his brother into a tight hug, his tail wagging rapidly.

"Hey, Onnie!" Perth exclaimed as he hugged his brother back, his bushy unbrushed tail wagging too. "Long time no see!"

Onwards offered no response other than a light sob as he felt the warmth of his brother. He loved his siblings more than anything and was beyond happy to finally see his big brother again.

"We did stay with you since we finished patrol..."

Perth looked to his left to catch a view of a tearing up Hastings as she stood up and walked toward them. Once she stood next to his bed, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.

"I-I missed you, Aussie." Hastings said as fresh tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Missed you too, big sis." Perth replied with a warm smile before he had two crying destroyers on him.

Hastings wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled her head into the crevice of his neck and wept. She had failed to keep him safe before, and she won't let it happen again.

The trio of destroyers were reunited once more, and for the better.

______________________________________

Timeskip

In a state of wartime, one would be expected to be anxious, perhaps even depressed, but definitely not beaming with excitement. The hanger was abuzz with the usual aerial groups darting in and out in a never-ending cycle, hoping to provide a stable defense of Remnant. This room was also filled with a large swath of supply crates and other such cargo as a squad of Marines patrolled the area, offering a brief wave to their destroyers.