Monika Sówka

Monika Sówka was a medical researcher employed by the and sister to notable ORION operators Bartosz and Noah Sówka. Academically gifted at a young age, Monika grauduated sceondary school as salutatorian and persued a career in health technology by moving to and attending Vencel University in . After graduating from Vencel University in 2502, Monika settled down in New Alexandria and worked for the local hospital as a research assistant. Over the course of a decade she rose through the ranks of her fellow researcher and became the head researcher in 2511. She would remain at the position for the next twenty years before quietly retiring from her position in 2531.
Though her public life has earned her prestige and a place among the top researchers of her time, her personal life was wracked with tragedy. As a research assistant, Monika had entered into a long-term relationship with a co-worker. Four years into the relationship, they attempted to conceive a child but suffered through a number of complications. Their luck seemed to turn around in 2508 when Monika discovered she was pregnant. But as if it were some kind of cruel joke, Monika miscarried three months into the pregnancy, leaving both her and her partner emotionally devastated. To add insult to injury, doctors later discovered that Monika was effectively infertile and that the manner of how she became pregnant eluded them. Monika's situation would never improve and even after a number of fertility treatments they could never successfully conceive. Monika and her partner's relationship would deteriorate over the next two years until they broke off the relationship in 2510.
Monika's dreams of a family of her own had come to a tragic end and for nearly thirty years she remained on her own, even cutting off her own family and focusing solely on her work. Despite her best attempts to cut off all contact with her family, her brother Bartosz would make infrequent visits from Minister, comforting her and relaying news of their other brother's whereabouts as best as he could. The visits became less and less during the 2530s, as civilian traffic was restricted as the situation of the worsened. Monika was alone again, until one night in 2537 when she was visited by a red-haired woman. Claiming to be a close friend of Noah, the woman reassured her of her brother's situation and that he was okay. But when Monika claimed to know who she was and why she was here, the woman looked reluctant and defeated about the burden that she was about to lay upon her. The woman would open a small metallic litter containing an infant baby girl. Stunned by the sight of the baby, Monika asked if it was her's and Noah's, to which the woman only reluctantly appealed to her to look after the baby, if only for a short time. She further justified her request by disclosing the realities of the war, much to the shock and horror of Monika. The way the war had been going required her to be at her post, and thus could not look after the baby. After expressing that she had nowhere else to go and that she could not trust handling her baby over to her superiors, she pleaded to Monika to help, if not for her but for Noah's sake. Frightened of what the future held, she accepted to look after the child and promised to keep her safe until the woman could return. Overjoyed and full of tears, the woman hugged Monika and gave a final kiss on the forehead to the baby before leaving. Not even a few seconds had passed before Monika realized she did not know the baby's name, but the woman had already disappeared into the streets of New Alexandria. Unable to contact the woman, Monika thought for hours on what to name the infant, until finally settling on the name of her grandmother, Emma.
Both terrified and nervous about raising someone else's child, Monika pressed on to the best of her ability. Over time, Monika had come to love the girl as if she was her own and always made sure to remind her niece of her father, Noah, and made promise after promise that he would soon visit even though it would never come. As Emma got older, she reminded Monika almost too strong of her brother, inheriting much of Noah's selflessness and stubbornness. For a while life was peaceful, but knowing the truth of the war made Monika anxious for when the Covenant would inevitably find Reach. And to her horror, it finally came and she would keep her promise even if it meant sacrificing her own life.
By August 23, 2552, the full-scale invasion of Reach was well underway with the Covenant attacking their home of New Alexandria in force. With the evacuation of New Alexandria ordered, Monika and Emma fled their apartment complex and made their way for the city's . Dodging plasma and ballistics fire alike, they did their best to avoid direct conflict and snaked their way through the alleyways and courtyards of Alexandria on their way to the Starport. Luck seemed to be on their side until they tried to pass through a blood-soaked and burnt out alleyway littered with civilian bodies. They had almost escaped until Monika took a sniper bolt to her tibia. Immobile and bleeding profusely, Monika was helped by Emma until they were discovered by a pack of Brutes. Seeing their imposing figures, and knowing they were too slow to escape them, Monika quickly and suddenly pushed Emma down a waste shaft to the lower streets next to the Starport. Alone and surrounded by aliens, Monika used what little strength she had left and picked up a piece of broken rebar. The elderly Monika charged at the Brutes, sacrificing herself to distract the aliens and allow her niece to escape to safety.
==See Also==
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===Related Pages===
*Emma Sówka
*Noah Sówka
*Ashley Coeman
*Bartosz Sówka	
===Appearances===
*Halo: Safewind (2538, mentioned)
Category:Commonwealth Human Characters
Category:Civilians