Even with her stony attitude, Valkyrie enjoyed the idle chatter. Unlike many of the S-2s, she was a social creature and enjoyed contact with people. At the query about the SOS signal, though concerned the spartan could only shake her head. "Not an exact. We'll still have to do a sweep."<br/><br/>She checked the zero on her rifle's sight and screwed on the suppressor. A neat pile of magazines was their only supply of ammo until they could scavenge more. Gladiator perhaps looked even more tired than when she had found him initially. "I know you're concerned about Patric," she started, the mention of the name catching the fatigued spartan's attention. "But we need to be as combat capable as we can, so we're not a liability when we find him. And I'm absolutely certain we will. Nothing that would kill a spartan would leave enough left for some SOS signal."<br/><br/>She wasn't one for bravado, but morale was perhaps their most crucial asset. That was something cemented into Valkyrie's mind, after witnessing the individual bravery of thousands of UNSC personnel. Even the Spartan-IIs, from the menacing appearance of their armor to the tradition of marking all casualties as "Missing in Action" were designed ultimately to give humanity the drive it needed to survive. An officer had once told her that the individual Spartan mattered much less than the fact that they were there in the first place - sometimes the towering armor and protocol was all that really defined them in a mission.<br/><br/>Of course, they were all human on the inside. Valkyrie handed the other spartan a canteen, then dug a bar of chocolate from her field pack. It was a cheap candy bar taken from one of the stores on the<em>Hercules.</em>Though it didn't last well in hot weather and could stick to fingers and the packaging, it was more importantly a reminder there was something besides wearing to the bone fighting Covenant or juggling the logistical challenges of ammunition and rations.<br/><br/>She had wanted to keep it for a metaphorical rainy day, but right now was good enough. "Sleep if you can. I'll stand watch."<br/>