"That's not a very big gun, grandpa".

Chan smirked and offered the girl his explanation.

"I know", he spoke while gently patting her black hair, "but it was one of the most important tools for any squad to have in their possession. People took great risks just to get them, they were so valuable to us".

"What is it? Medicine?"

"Sort of, yes", he replied, staring at the vibrant cross, centered red on a block of white. It appeared to be in good condition, and Chan suspected the dented corner had not been added for show. This was probably the real thing.

"You were a medic, I'm guessing", came a voice from behind.

Chan turned to face a middle-aged woman swathed in blue painter's attire with dark smears running across it. Her skin was the color of cinnamon bark, but Chan didn't think she looked old enough to be a veteran of the war.

"I was, yes", came his reply at last. "What gave me away?"

"You did", she chuckled. "Most folks don't stare at the medical equipment for too long. All the kids care about are the guns and ships".

"I do not!" Corinne piped up, defensively. The woman grinned, and asked the girl her age. Having practiced this gesture extensively, Corinne instantly summoned the correct number of digits on her tiny hand to indicate the number of years in her lifespan. So proud of those years, Chan thought to himself.

"Nice to meet you, Corinne", the woman gently shook Corinne's hand, which was suddenly sluggish and shy. "You may call me Rehka".

"Are you working on anything new, Rehka?" Chan asked, tilting his head in the direction of her paint-stained chest and legs.

"I am, actually", came the warm response. Chan knew how much women delighted in talking about their personal affairs, given even a small chance. Women loved to talk to the former UNSC medic, especially in his youth.

"I'm working on a new mural for the museum. A space battle", she added, brightening her eyes for theatrical emphasis. Corinne glanced about the room.

"You did a painting? Where is it, can we see it?"

"Of course you can", she replied, pointing to the adjacent wall stretching past a vacant corridor. Corinne didn't need any further invitation. She darted off, while her elders grinned and followed.

"Whoa! Grandpa, look!"

The mural was even larger than Chan had anticipated. Two painters made fine brush strokes along the periphery, and one of them waved from the top of a ladder. Rehka waved back.

At least it was hand-painted.

"Do you like it?" she asked the child.

"It's the coolest painting ever!" the giddy girl exclaimed. "Can I have one of those for my room, Grandpa?"

"We'll see, Corinne", Chan said, suspecting that by the time such a project had been completed, her interest would have shifted to something entirely different.

"It's not often to see a child that appreciates the art so readily, Mister…"

"Chan", he replied, shaking her hand. "Sorry for the late introduction. My mind isn't all there. Not anymore, at least".

"Ah, that's alright. Neither is mine. I wouldn't be much of an artist if I kept my mind all in one place all the time, right?"

Chan nodded, studying the intricate details of the action-packed mural. It depicted a fleet of UNSC vessels, earth tones and bright silver as a backdrop to the smaller, purple spacecraft flitting about among the gargantuan monstrosities. Longsword fighters hammered the Covenant banshees with relentless firepower, while the flecks of blue plasma sprayed harmlessly out to the blackness of space. Not one UNSC vessel appeared to have sustained any damage. Chan hoped this was because his eyes did not grant him great clarity of vision, and not because the artist had dishonored the sacrifices of the courageous men and women he once served with.

"This isn't quite like the original design I had, you know" she whispered to him, as though sensing his dismay.

"What do you mean? They wanted more explosions?"

"Actually, I wanted to tell it like it was. Let the fleet stand stalwart against a massive Covenant invasion force, holding the line just long enough for the escape pods to launch. I even had a colony on a nearby planet, with shuttles making a panicked evacuation".

Rehka's eyes grew heavy.

"They didn't want me to tell it like it was".

"Forget about it", Chan reassured her. "They're probably trying to make the place more child-friendly. I'll bet they'll start selling 'Longsword Pepperoni Pizza' in the cafeteria within a year".

"Yeah", she scoffed, then added "I think they might already have those. It tastes terrible".

"As well it should", Chan noted.

He stood beside the artist, hands on the shoulders of his granddaughter. The three of them stared at the massive mural in complete silence.