Mariano felt fear.

For once in her time in Haven, she shook. Badly. Her confidence was shot to shit. But more importantly, she had to try to be strong, courageous for the final battle. The enemy was out there, right there! They threatened innocent lives and taunted them and more. But Mariano shrank from her duty. She heard what Adam said. She knew what Adam ordered them to do. And most of all, she was part of a team. 

But she couldn’t, she just could not move. Not a step, not a movement of her hand, not even a twitch. But she did shake in her place. Her knees were transforming into useless branches that kept her up. Her arms were sagging as they trembled along the sides of her body.

And within her, her heart just performed like a wild drummer. She thought she would feel her heart burst out between her ribs, breaking the cage that held it in, that prevented it from doing what she feared. But more importantly, hopefully, it would stop her heart from shattering within if it could not come out violently.

She tried to snap out of it. On her own. But that didn’t work.

Mariano was paralyzed. It lasted for a moment until the Irish sang his song. It reminded her, barely, of what she had to do. Of what cause she was fighting for.

The lyrics was one thing. But the music was another. Both worked together to somehow snap her out of the grip fear had on her almostly as quickly as an ice cold bucket of water would if it had been poured over her head.

When courage barely triumphed for her against that feeling, she lifted her right hand, trembling as it was, and turned it into a fist and proclaimed on top of her lungs, “¡Vamonos!”

Later, much, much later, she found herself piloting her machine of war. Together with her AI and the core of her own rumbling, big-as-life tank, she felt some confidence return and a bit of courage to keep her going forward. Her tank left slowly but gradually picked up some speed so it was decently travelling, simply going towards the coast. Once it stopped there, Mariano ordered as she aimed at one of the guns of the missile cruiser and requested permission to fire from Adam. She said, “This is Covenant, I have locked on a target on the missile cruiser. Permission to fire?”

The 95mm Coil Gun was already humming with life, the AI and the pilot eager, anxious enough to fire on the enemy’s weapons. She was dealing with an itchy trigger finger now that she was waiting for the word to be said. She just had to wait. She was going to support them first, to give covering fire. Then she’ll get on that cruiser too.