In many ways, the Spartan-II augmentations had brutalized them and that was part of the reason for such a high failure rate. Out of the seventy-five original candidates in his program, thirty had died and twelve others had either washed out or been crippled for life. And it wasn't surprising when you saw the permanent scars the II's bore such as this man.

Kurt had his back to York and it turned out to be for the best because that date hit him like a gut punch. So close, so very close. Maybe Gamma wouldn't have to be fully deployed on some suicide mission. Tom and Lucy might one day see a life where Spartans weren't required. He closed his eyes and allowed himself the luxury of picturing just that kind of world for about two seconds before reality reasserted itself.

"All the more reason to find a way home then, York." He finished stepping out of his clothes and moved to step under the spray. Of course, the shower head only reached him about shoulder level but honestly, by now he'd come to expect that. He'd gone through the same problems whenever stationed on a UNSC ship.