Chapter Text
Spirit Unto Dawn Rebirth Chapter 1: Reforged, Remade, Restart.
The war…
The war was over.
At long last.
After close to three decades, the Human-Covenant War has come to an end.
Billions upon billions of lives were lost on both sides, with hundreds of planets decimated or glassed into uninhabitable.
The two warring factions had practically ripped apart the galaxy, and the kicker of it all was how the war started.
A lie.
The whole war was predicated on a mistranslation by the leaders of the Covenant, the Prophets, when they realized that their entire religion of which they had followed for centuries, was nothing more than a mistranslation. The "Gods" that they worshipped had long since selected their inheritors, and it was humanity.
Realizing the implications and breakdown of the Covenant this would cause, or rather, the power the Prophets would lose, three of their kind instigated a coup in their own government that led to their ascension to absolute power and the start of the war of annihilation against humanity.
And here, twenty-eight years after the onset of the war, a gathering of soldiers had taken place atop a barren hilltop.
A piece of metal that was once the wing of a Pelican dropship was used as the memorial piece that was decorated with photos, dogtags, combat boots, flowers, and more. Dozens upon dozens of military personnel surrounded it, all of whom held an air of exhausted solemness.
They had survived the war. And the cost… the cost was too much to describe.
Yet they were here. They had made it out to the other side and stood tall, battered and bruised, but they were standing nonetheless.
If only they had not lost so much.
A figure in a striking white uniform decorated with medals stepped forward from the assembled crowd, walking to stand at the foot of the steps to the memorial before turning to face those in attendance.
"For us, the storm has passed... the war is over." Fleet Admiral Lord Terrance Hood spoke, his voice strong and solemn. "But let us never forget those who journeyed into the howling dark and did not return."
Many looked past the man, eyes on the Pelican wing, which had photos, flowers, scribbles, and emblems of loved ones, friends, and allies who had died during the final campaign in the war.
"For their decision required courage beyond measure; sacrifice, and unshakable conviction that their fight... our fight, was elsewhere. As we start to rebuild, this hillside will remain barren, a memorial to heroes fallen. They ennobled all of us, and they shall not be forgotten."
Lord Hood placed his hat on and saluted.
A moment later, seven Marines held up their rifles.
"Attention!" Their Sergeant shouted. "Pres-Ent, ARMS!"
The seven Marines fired their weapons three times each in unison, lowering their rifles and saluting soon after.
At the front of the group was a group of particularly large humans, each armored but with their helmets removed. Their designation numbers were on their chest pieces, and each held an inscrutable face, but to the trained eye that knew these people, the pain was evident in the eyes.
Fred-104, Linda-058, Kelly-087, Kurt-051, Naomi-010, Will-043, and Grace-093 were the Spartan-II's that were present. For the Spartan-III contingent they were composed of Rosenda-A344, Lucy-B091, Tom-B292, Ash-G099, Olivia-G291, and Mark-G313.
Three individuals stood in front of these Spartans.
One was Chief Franklin Mendez, the pseudo-father figure of all Spartan-II's and III's. His visage was stoic, stern, and unreadable, yet the exhaustion in his eyes was evident to the trained eye.
Beside him was the architect of the Spartan-II program, Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey. Unlike Mendez, her face was easier to read, given the distant, tired, and remorseful gaze she held, eyes on the seven unique numbers scratched on the Pelican wing. She tilted her head to the side, glancing at her daughter, Miranda Keyes.
She was the picture-perfect representation of a Navy Officer of the UNSC, much like her father.
There was movement from behind, many turning to see a Sangheili in silver armor walk over to stand by Lord Hood. It was easy to sense the mixture of emotions to see an Elite, an alien that had been an enemy for so many years, standing here with them on this sacred ground.
Had they been here a year ago, the Spartans would have pounced on the alien, killing him as soon as they saw him.
Now…?
Much as they wished to spit on his name, remove him from this site, and send him back where he came from, nobody had the will to do so.
The Arbiter was with them until the end.
Thel 'Vadam had earned that much.
"Were it so easy." They heard the Arbiter somberly say.
Thel turned, walking down the steps, and walked over to the Spartans. Though they hid it well, Thel still managed to pick up on the slight tension they held as he approached their group.
"Arbiter." Miranda Keyes greeted cordially.
"Commander." Thel said in turn, giving a respectful bow of his head.
"You made it." She airily said, a slight smile tugging at her lips.
"So have you." The Elite said, mirthful humor lacing his tone.
"Somehow." Was her response, her tone holding a twinge of pain and guilt. "Hard to believe that I made it, of all people. You, that makes sense. But me?"
"You are a warrior, Commander Keyes. Hold your head high, knowing your contributions not only ended the war but saved an entire galaxy from annihilation." The Arbiter rebuked, holding out his hand. "Were it not for you and Sergeant Johnson, both our species would have met their end."
Miranda held a painful smile, but one that conveyed her appreciation, taking hold of Thel's hand and shaking it.
The Elite then turned to the others, briefly glancing over Halsey and Mendez, before focusing on the armored super-soldiers.
"Spartans." He greeted them with deep respect.
Though he had at one point held the same fanatic hatred against humanity, his time fighting against and alongside them transformed his view of them. He saw them for what they were, what they could be, and in the face of overwhelming adversity, their indomitable resolve.
And for that, they would have his eternal respect and gratitude.
"Arbiter." Fred-104 evenly replied.
There was a brief moment of tense silence before the Arbiter spoke once more.
"They fought fiercely and bravely," He solemnly said. "They never once stopped. Not once. It is due to their efforts that I made it out alive. It frankly should be them standing here, not me."
"They made their choice." Kurt-051 softly said. "And I'm not even remotely surprised by them. They always were more gung-ho than all of us."
"Try as he might deny it." Kelly-087 quietly said.
"Just glad they were all together at the end of it all." Rosenda-A344 remarked with a wistful sigh.
They all turned to the memorial, focusing on the center.
There, scratched onto the metallic surface of the Pelican wing was a crude symbol of an eagle-shaped symbol, and around it were six numbers.
A259-Noble I.
B320-Noble II.
A266-Noble III.
A239-Noble IV.
052-Noble V.
B312-Noble VI.
And above all these numbers.
Spartan-117.
"What was it that you told your people about your kin?" Arbiter spoke up, making the group turn to him. "Noble One once told me this. Spartans never die-"
"They're just Missing in Action." Linda-058 finished, and Thel gave them a shrewd gaze.
"Perhaps that idea should be held onto. Just because they didn't come out on my side…"
The Spartans all shifted, and despite her usual demeanor, even Halsey's lip twitched upwards.
"Thank you, Arbiter." Kurt-051 earnestly said, despite the history their species had by this point. "We appreciate the sentiment."
"They made sure I came back alive, Spartan," Thel responded. "I too, shall hold onto hope that we shall see them again. They have achieved the impossible before. Who's to say they won't do it again?"
-Scene Cut-
.
.
.
.
.
"Alright, sound off, who's not dead?"
There were some grunts and grumbles followed by a humored laugh from all this.
"Glad you can find some type of amusement in all this, Noble Four."
A faux huff of indignation came from the Spartan. "Cortana, I don't need to see your face to know you're smiling."
"He's got you there."
"Thank you, Isabel," Was the dry retort. "Always great to know you have my back."
"What's our status?" Asked a more authoritative voice.
"Alive, Carter." A female voice responded. "That should count for something."
Within the remains of what was the aft section of the Charon-Class Frigate Forward Unto Dawn, seven heavily armored individuals idly floated about in a room lined with cryo-pods.
"Any word from anyone else?"
"That's a negative, Jun." Jorge-052 replied, grunting slightly in frustration.
"Oh, big man's upset he didn't have his proper heroic sacrifice?" Emile-A239 teased.
"This big man has half a mind to throw you off the ship." Jorge shot back.
"Alright, you two, knock it off." Carter-A259 interjected, turning to the other Spartan-II in the room. "Any ideas, Chief?"
Master Chief John-117 grasped onto a nearby pod, head tilted down in thought, scenarios, and ideas playing out in his head until he glanced up.
"Cortana? Isabel?"
From a nearby panel, two holographic women appeared, one emanating a purplish-blue hue and the other a more orangish-yellow.
"Alright, transmitting our signal, Chief." Cortana responded straight away.
"Whether or not anyone responds…" Isabel said with an apologetic shrug and tone. "Well… I know you guys are lucky and all-"
"That's John, we just piggyback off him." Emile interjected.
"We'll leave it in your hands." Spartan-B312 spoke up. "You guys haven't let us down before."
"Aw~~ Thank you, Six." Cortana bashfully said, becoming serious a moment later. "We'll be projecting the transmission for as long as we can."
"Since there are two of us, we can take turns." Isabel said with a determined gaze. "Less of a chance that we go rampant, prolonging our life cycles with total shutdowns during each watch."
"And the ship's energy reserves?" Kat-B320 inquired, checking over a cryo-pod for any potential damage.
"You'll be fine." Cortana assured. "We promise."
There was a moment of silence until Master Chief floated over to a cryo-pod, and it opened up for him.
"Then we can only do one thing."
"You heard him, Noble." Carter instantly said, getting to his own Pod with the rest of Noble Team following suit.
"Get comfortable, Spartans." Cortana said with a small smirk. "I think you've all earned a proper rest."
"Rest?" Noble Six, Nathan-B312 mused aloud, the word like a foreign taste on his tongue. "What even is that?"
"Not fighting for a bit. Having a moment to lie still and not worry about what you'll be shooting next. That kind of thing." Cortana mirthfully retorted.
"Never heard of it." Emile grunted, smirking beneath his helmet.
Cortana rolled her eyes, a small grin directed at the Noble while Isabel held a warmer smile.
"Get cozy, you guys." She advised.
Chief gazed at the two AIs watching over them as the Spartans entered their pods.
"Wake us when you need us."
Those were his last words as his pod closed on him, and he was induced into deep slumber a moment later.
Cortana could only give a strained smile while Isabel waved awkwardly at them, the pair getting the readings of all seven being asleep.
The blue AI gave a wistful smile, dramatically turning her head towards her fellow companion.
"Up for some games to pass the time?"
Isabel scoffed good-naturedly, crossing her arms and looking away from her friend in a faux dramatic huff.
"And let you walk all over me while you cheat?"
"Cheat?" Cortana said in false indignation. "I should have you know that I am one of the fairest, decent players of any and all games."
The two bantered playfully for a while until Isabel powered down for Cortana to take the first watch.
There they would be, floating through the endless vacuum of space.
While some would consider this to be the end of their journey, Cortana had learned that was not always the case.
Especially when it came to someone as lucky as Chief or as indomitable as Noble Team.
For now, she would put her faith in them and whatever higher power there might be that can find them and bring them home.
-Scene Cut-
-Several months later-
Silence.
Utter silence.
Being broken up by an ever-present ambient hum of ship functions being utilized to their lowest capacity for energy conservation and to keep the crew that was in stasis alive. The ship had been this way for over two decades now and for all intents and purposes, this would likely be its state until further notice.
The monotony of the silence was broken by a small whirring sound of a literal floating ball that idly moved about the many corridors and areas of the ship.
It was a Forerunner monitor with a silvery-blue glow that inspected several stasis pods, seeing the people within were green, and it moved on to the next set.
The monitor kept conducting these scans until reaching the last pod, the one labeled C. Cutter.
Floating in front of it, particles of light gathered around the eye socket of the Monitor, and after several moments, a projection of a woman in a white dress with long hair appeared.
"All hands accounted for, Captain Cutter." Serina, the AI of the UNSC Spirit of Fire, said in a faux-militaristic manner. "No dead crew members or strange invasive parasites to report. The ship's energy reserves remain high, for the most part. No UNSC or any comm chatter either, so we're still alone, floating idly in the vacuum of space. Same as yesterday."
Serina maneuvered her monitor to hover beside the Captain's stasis pod and created a projection of her sitting down on a digital chair, creating a digital book.
With a bored sigh, she resumed reading her book, an old novel from the 22nd century about a star-crossed romance.
She knows she was made from a human woman, but how do they enjoy this type of entertainment? And more importantly, why couldn't she stop herself?
Perhaps a residual effect in regards to the brain from which she was scanned.
Serina simply "sat" there, absorbed in her book. She could simply read it all in one fell swoop, but where was the fun in that? No Professor Anders to show off to or a crisis to be tackled.
Just her and a stasis crew, drifting idly through the cold embrace of space.
She wondered if… if…
The AI's head jerked up suddenly.
That wasn't…. It wasn't… It couldn't be…
…
…
…
It was!
A UNSC signal!
And it wasn't far!
Serina immediately "stood" and in only a few moments, all the ship's systems began powering on.
There was the sound of a warble of intrigue, and from seemingly nowhere, one lone Huragok floated idly over to Serina's monitor.
"Yes, Law, get everything up and running." Serina instructed the Engineer, the Huragok warbling in confirmation.
Light-As-Wind drifted off, gliding upon a non-existent wind current as the Spirit of Fire was now alive with activity. Hisses from every corner of the cryo-bay went off, and the inhabitants of each one began to awaken from their prolonged slumber.
Soon, the entire ship was alive with activity as the personnel of the ship began moving about, some getting right to their stations while others took a while longer to recover from cryo-sleep.
After checking everything over, Serina's monitor was floating by a lone man walking down to the observation bay of the Fire.
"Captain." She greeted the man.
"Serina." James G. Cutter said in turn. "Good to see that Forerunner Monitor did as intended."
"Yes, otherwise you would be helpless without me." Serina delivered this in her typical dry tone.
Cutter's lip twitched at her words, running a hand over his balding head before slipping his hat on and entering the observation room.
He was immediately greeted by a Marine who saluted him. "Sir."
"Sergeant." Cutter nodded at John Forge, who was assisting Professor Ellen Anders.
"If you're wondering, Captain, it's a distress beacon that we picked up on. They're probably in the same boat as we are, if not worse." Was her immediate response to his arrival.
Cutter 'hmphed' in amusement, walking over to the holotable Anders had set up.
"Good morning to you, too, Professor." The Captain of the Spirit of Fire conversationally said.
"Ain't she a ball of sunshine?" Forge rhetorically asked, smirking at her with the scientist giving him a flat expression before turning to Cutter.
"Apologies, Captain," Anders earnestly said. "Just antsy to get back into the swing of things after being on ice for twenty-two years. To be woken up by a UNSC signal, a distress one at that…"
Cutter turned to give her a piercing gaze that caused her to wince.
"Just… when we went under, the war wasn't exactly going our way." Anders softly murmured.
"If there's a UNSC signal out there, that could also mean that we're still in the fight." The aged UNSC officer firmly said. "Hell, we may have won for all we know and what we found is a ship that survived the last battle."
"That's one hell of a guess, Captain." Forge remarked.
"Call me an optimist." James stated. "Serina?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"Prep Red Team for recon." He instructed. "Forge, you're going with them."
The Sergeant said nothing, simply smirking to himself, glad to get back into the swing of things. He moved out of the observation bay whilst Cutter stood in the center, gazing ahead at a floating wreckage of a frigate.
"Let's see what kind of galaxy we woke up to." Cutter declared.
A few minutes later, a lone pelican flew out to the destroyed ship, its occupants being Sergeant Forge and the three members of the Spartan-II Red Team.
Jerome-092.
Alice-130.
And Douglas-042.
Landing in the largest opening of the torn ship, the team disembarked with Sergeant Forge leading the group. He wore a vacuum-sealed ODST helmet as opposed to the Mjolnir armor the Spartans had on.
"This place has seen better days." Forge commented on the state of the ship. "Any ideas?"
Jerome-092 was by his side, looking back at where they came from.
"No plasma damage." The Spartan-II noted. "Whatever tore this ship in half was something else entirely."
"New Covenant weaponry?" Douglas suggested.
"Not ruling out any possibilities." 092 said. "Until we find survivors, all options are viable."
Forge 'hmphed' in agreement. "Serina?"
"The distress signal is emanating from the Cryo-Bay of the ship." The Spirit of Fire's AI informed the team.
"Bingo, there's our survivors." Forge declared.
"Red Team to Cutter, survivors likely in Cryo-Bay." Jerome immediately reported. "Prep additional Pelicans if need be for movement of pods to the Fire."
"Acknowledged, Red Leader." Was Cutter's response.
The quartet moved at a more swift pace now, being guided by Serina until they arrived at the entrance to the Cryo-Bay.
It only took a moment for the doors to open, and the four moved in and were greeted by the sight of seven occupied pods and one orange AI with her back to the newly arrived group. The AI's head perked up and slowly turned to the recon team, her mouth dropping that quickly formed into a wide grin.
"Spartans!" She nearly exclaimed, jumping up from her projection stand. "And an ODST!"
"Not an ODST but still as tough." Forge corrected, a small smirk under his helmet.
"Identify." Jerome said.
"Isabel. Logistics and Spartan tactics."
"Spartan tactics?" Douglas repeated with interest. "You're telling me you're an AI specifically made for assisting Spartans?"
"An added title after what I've been through." Isabel cheekily said. "Me and my friend, Cortana."
The others were confused as to whom she was speaking to when another AI appeared next to Isabel, this one also a woman with a bluish-purple tinge.
To Red team, there was a moment of Deja Vu as this AI… her resemblance to a certain someone threw them off. And what she said next added to a new suspicion they now shared.
"Spartans." Cortana said in relief and awe. "And an ODST."
The Sergeant snorted, now not bothering to correct her while the new AI zeroed in on the three Spartan-IIs. Her gaze was intense and scrutinizing until it widened in realization, especially after seeing the numbers on their chest pieces.
"Red Team." She whispered softly. "Spartan Red Team. Last seen on Arcadia with the Spirit of Fire in 2531, Lost with all hands."
"Not so lost, if ya can't tell." Forge wryly said. "So two AI? Damn. That's excessively lucky to find."
"Well, with our team, two are needed." Cortana shot back with a look of fond exasperation, Isabel having a sheepishly embarrassed smile beside her. "And I know they'll be happy to see you guys, especially you three. In fact, it's high time for a reunion."
As soon as she said that, the cryo-pods emitted hisses, steam ejecting out from the sides, signaling the awakening of the occupants. Forge eyed the seven figures in the pods with Red Team standing utterly still.
The trio recognized what each occupant was wearing.
Be it drastically altered or a minor helmet change, all seven of these individuals wore Mjolnir armor. Which could only mean one thing.
These were all Spartans.
Of the seven, five were those they did not recognize.
Being Spartan-IIs, their group was small, being made up of 75 members who all knew each other's names and numbers and were basically their brothers and sisters. Going into the procedures that would augment them into the super soldiers they were now, they were warned that what they were to endure would be pain incapable of being described.
How right the warnings were.
Of the 75 Spartan candidates, thirty died outright, with others being crippled or rejecting the augmentations, being washouts. Red Team was among the washouts, but thankfully, the creator of the Spartan-II project, Doctor Catherine Halsey, rehabilitated them and managed to successfully augment them after.
Red Team, like all Spartan-IIs, knew each other personally.
So to see five new Spartans confused and intrigued the trio. They saw numbers on their chest pieces that they did not recognize.
Like A-259 and B-312.
But these were only fleeting looks as the other two Spartans were ones Jerome, Douglas, and Alice recognized immediately.
And after a moment, all seven Spartans began to stir. Either one at a time or some at the same time, the helmets of the armored super-soldiers all turned in the direction of the quartet standing before them. And the tallest two got out of their pods first in smooth silence, their visors staring straight at Red Team.
There was a moment of silence, one that emanated disbelief for the briefest of moments until…
"John," Jerome-092 quietly said in amazement and relief, a sentiment shared by his Spartan brothers. "Jorge. It is good to see you two again."
The Master Chief and Noble Five walked forward.
"Jerome," Chief answered in kind, the two Spartan leaders clasping their arms together.
"Douglas, Alice." Jorge greeted, a wide grin beneath his helmet that his brothers and sister could detect. "We feared the worst."
"Still as sentimental." Alice stated with a fond, reminiscent tone.
Behind Jorge, the skull-visored Spartan snorted at what 130 just said, and even his Commander couldn't reprimand him for that.
"And who are you guys?" 042 politely asked, clearly intrigued by them. "We Spartans know all our brothers and sisters, but we have never met any of you before."
"That's because they came after us." Jorge explained. "You could say they are our younger siblings in all this."
"Younger siblings?" Douglas parroted, his intrigue only growing.
"We have a lot to catch you up on." Cortana said with a tired smile.
"Got that right." Forge spoke up in an amused huff. "Sergeant Forge to the Fire. We've got seven Spartans and two AI here."
"Seven Spartans?" Cutter said through the comms to make sure he heard the Sergeant right. "And two AIs? All the way out here?"
"Oh yeah, figure they got a hell of a story to tell." Forge remarked, seeing several of them huff at that.
"More than you know." Noble Three stated.
"Let's get you guys to the Fire." Jerome said.
-Scene Cut-
Captain Cutter of the Spirit of Fire stood before seven Spartans, all of whom stood at attention and saluted the man upon seeing him. They had been brought into the observation deck, something the ship's Captain ordered as he believed that to be the best place to speak.
"At ease, Spartans." Cutter graciously said. "I imagine there's much to discuss. You have two AI's with you, yes?"
Master Chief and Noble One wordlessly pulled out AI chips from their helmets and held out their hands, the holo-forms of Cortana and Isabel appearing a moment later.
"Captain Cutter." The former greeted the man straight away.
"Almost poetic that our adrift vessel was found by another." The latter noted, a kind smile directed at the Captain, who hummed in thought at that.
"Can chalk it up to chance or fate," He mused. "All that matters is that we found each other, and we should count our blessings."
"Never pegged you for a religious man, Captain." Forge commented.
Cutter simply gave the Sergeant a look before facing the seven Spartans before him.
"Now, I imagine you all have quite the tale to tell with how you wound up adrift through space." He stated more than he asked.
As subdued as they were, he picked up on the varying degrees of reactions from the armored Super-Soldiers with Nobles One and Six, with Chief holding almost no outward response.
"A lot has happened, Captain Cutter," Cortana said, a tired smile gracing her features. "We have a lot to catch you up on."
"Then start from the beginning." Was all Cutter said, leaning back on a nearby holo-table. "I have a feeling we're gonna be here for a while."
Cortana glanced back at Chief, a teasing smile directed at the Spartan.
"Should I talk, or do you wanna participate?"
Red Team all exchanged subtle glances at this interaction.
"Careful, you might be asking for a miracle." B320 quipped, getting a snort from Jun, Emile, and Jorge, and a look from Carter that got a halfhearted shrug from Noble Two.
Isabel cleared her throat, "stepping" forward.
"Well, Captain Cutter, to start at the beginning, we first need to touch on the end and work our way there. For starters, the war is over. The Covenant is no more. We survived."
The silence was palpable, with the seconds that ticked by felt like hours in comparison as the words the crew of the Fire had just heard began to settle in. When they had all gone into stasis, it was 2531, still early in the war, but even then, many could see the odds were not on their side. The Covenant was an alien conglomerate that had been space-faring for centuries, far beyond humanity's time among the stars, and the advantages they had were clear and present.
Ships that outclassed the UNSC in size, technology and firepower, overwhelming numbers with seemingly no end, species that were physically superior to the common soldier. And plasma. Damned plasma basically burned away any and all UNSC metal, personnel, or soldiers it struck.
And to hear that they had won was… it was…
The feeling wasn't one that could be so easily put into words.
Yet as Captain of the Spirit of Fire, Cutter was never a man short on supply.
"I take it there are many caveats to this victory." He stated rather than asked, and the strained smiles he got from the two AI confirmed his suspicions.
"I wouldn't really call it a victory," Cortana murmured, gesturing her head in the direction of her fellow AI. "Like Isabel said, we survived more than won."
"Shoot, don't leave us in suspense." Forge spoke up. "Gettin' jittery just thinking about it."
"Well, get yourself comfortable, Sergeant," Isabel replied, a tired look for him to see. "This is gonna be a long one."
The Spartans and two AI started in the year 2552. Humanity had lost substantial ground in the two decades since the Fire was pronounced lost with all hands, and they were on their last legs. Eventually, the worst-case scenario came to pass as the Covenant found Reach and the desperate attempt to fight back against them for as long as humanly possible until, unfortunately, like so many worlds before, Reach fell. From that loss, many presumed the war was as good as done. Many just didn't voice it.
As for Red Team, despite being Spartans, they were unable to withhold their own reactions to the loss of Reach.
Controlled and measured as it was, their fellow Spartans could easily pick up on the underlying emotions they held when hearing that the metaphorical and literal home of the Spartans was one of the many planets that fell to the endless onslaught of the Covenant. There was a momentary pause as the loss of Reach settled in before they continued.
They went on to touch on Noble Team's first encounter with the Covenant that led to Winter Contingency being declared. From there, it spiraled into a prolonged, intense, and devastating battle for humanity. Even though Reach was the military capital/fortress of the UNSC, the Covenant brought the largest fleet up to that point in the war for a swift and decisive end.
Yet, in spite of such dreadful odds, Noble Team persevered. The Spartans persevered. Be it by chance, fate, coincidence, or divine intervention, Noble Team encountered Blue Team at SWORD Base at the start of the Covenant assault.
From there, their teams joined forces, countering Covenant forces on all fronts. Other Spartan-IIs and IIIs joined in, turning the tide on several key battles. But even with the combined efforts of the best Spartan teams of their generations, they could only delay the inevitable. The Covenant was simply too much, even with all the might of Reach and the remaining UNSC Navy rallying against them, tooth and nail.
Eventually, it was no longer a battle of defense. The mission parameters changed upon a message from the architect of the Spartan-II program.
Doctor Elizabeth Catherine Halsey had gotten her hands on some data and knowledge that she believed to be instrumental in ending this war. The mission now was one of extraction and survival.
Gathering what remained of the Spartans on Reach at Sword Base, Noble Team with Chief and Linda-058 were assigned to take a fragment of Cortana with their new AI partner Isabel, whilst the remaining Spartans of Blue Team, along with Green Team and several Spartan-IIIs, took Halsey off-world.
By a hair, the three Spartan-IIs and five Spartan-IIIs reached their destination, the UNSC Pillar of Autumn. They got the fragments of Cortana united and made their way off-world.
Despite getting off Reach, there was a feeling of remorse, loss, and uncertainty. Reach was the one planet the UNSC couldn't afford to lose. With Reach succumbing to the Covenant onslaught, the war was as good as over…
Or so they had thought. What came after the Fall of Reach transformed into the turning point of the whole war.
Humanity had just reached its lowest point in all its history. But an old adage from centuries ago best describes what happened next.
Once you've reached the lowest possible point, it can only go up from here.
Of course, it was a very bloody and brutal upward trajectory, but it counted all the same.
And it started with the accidental discovery of Halo.
From what could only be described as a growing avalanche of circumstances that led to humanity's "victory", the entire war had flipped on its head.
Chief, along with Noble Team, led the charge in the newly discovered ring against the Covenant, learning the true purpose of Halo, which in turn led to the discovery of the Flood.
There was a moment where they had stopped, seeing the reactions of Cutter, Forge, Anders, and Red Team. They would have been asked what was wrong, but the Captain of the ship told them they would explain their side of the story after everything was said and done on their end.
Instead of arguing, the Spartans and the two AI simply continued on with their tale.
They went on to describe how the discovery of the truth of Halo and its purpose in wiping out all life in a 25,000 light-year radius. And that was just one of seven, apparently.
After learning of that "little tidbit", it became a scramble to get to the Pillar of Autumn that had been grounded on the ring, set off its fusion reactors, and blow it to kingdom come. Once more, by the thinnest of margins, Master Chief and Noble Team accomplished their mission.
One might think a respite would be in order, but when it comes to Spartans, respite is a foreign concept.
Not long after achieving such a stunning victory over the Covenant, they had at long last found Earth.
The tension was palpable, as unbeknownst to the Spartans, Cortana and Isabel privately sent a message to Serina to project their tale to the entire crew of the Spirit of Fire. Practically the entire ship had gone silent, now listening to every single word being spoken from the seven found Spartans and two AI,
They listened in bated breath, awaiting to hear the worst of outcomes for the invasion of Earth, expecting it to be yet another casualty in the war, despite humanity's survival.
But that didn't happen.
Instead, the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn spearheaded the counterattack against the Covenant, leading to the discovery of yet another Halo Ring.
And if that wasn't enough, brewing in the background of all this insanity, a growing unrest and divide within the Covenant soon broke out into an open Schism.
What's more, after learning more about the other Rings, the Ark and the Flood, the Arbiter of the Covenant led the revolt against the Prophets, leading to a Human-Sangheili alliance that shocked those aboard the Fire.
The War turned into a desperate scrambling of forces from multiple fronts. While humanity continued fighting off the Covenant, with the Arbiters' splinter faction taking on their former allies, all of this had turned into a race to get to the Ark.
The Prophet of Truth, in his deranged madness, almost succeeded. He had the key that would activate the rings, bring about complete extinction, and push him forward into the "Great Journey". A "Great Journey" that was built on a lie that created a war that should never have happened.
At the end of it all, once more showing their endless tenacity and indomitable willpower, Master Chief and Noble Team succeeded in their mission. The Prophet of Truth had been killed, the Flood defeated, and even if they had ended up lost and stranded in space, they were content in knowing that they had done it.
The firing of the rings had been prevented. The extinction of mankind stopped.
And a war that lasted nearly three decades had come to an end.
To say that Cutter, Anders, and Forge were truly stunned by what had transpired since they entered cryostasis would be an understatement.
From their perspective, when they had gone under in ice, they went to sleep in a galaxy at war, and now they woke up to learn that it was all over. But more importantly, all the sacrifices, all the loss of worlds, ships, and lives, it wasn't for naught. Despite everything that had been taken from humanity, they had made it. They had won, survived, and now, even though they were cut off from the rest of the UNSC, they could begin the process to rebuild what had been lost.
"So it's all over," Forge said, leaning back on the wall behind him, his head thumping against the metal. "I almost can't believe it."
Anders fidgeted slightly as she absorbed the news of it all, looking over the two AIs.
"Professor?" Isabel spoke up, making some turn to the scientist.
"What's on your mind, Ellen?" The Sergeant asked.
"How… how many did we lose?" She nervously asked. "The casualties… they were bad when we went under, but…"
The Spartans all silently regarded her whilst Cortana and Isabel shared a strained glance before the latter spoke on their behalf.
"Last we checked, the presumed loss of human life numbered around… 23 billion dead." Isabel quietly said, the reveal sending a cold shiver down the spines of Forge, Cutter, and Anders. Red Team subtly tensed up, looking over at the other Spartans who silently conveyed that this was the truth.
A feeling of guilt welled up within the three Spartans of the Fire.
They were meant to be the sword and shield of humanity, yet they had wound up sleeping through most of it.
"And that's just the preliminary estimates we've been able to gather," Cortana added, regretting it upon the ashen look on Anders' face.
"Jesus Christ." Forge darkly grimaced.
Cutter was silent in all this, having tilted his head down, deep in thought as he processed everything that he had just learned about. On the one hand, he wondered how different things might have been had the Spirit of Fire not gone adrift after their battle with the Covenant. But he also rationalized that they likely would not have been able to do much against the Covenant, despite being one of the larger ships under the UNSC, one of the few that can actually provide something of a challenge to a Covenant ship.
But all these thoughts were what-ifs and possibilities that were no longer possible if the Covenant was indeed fractured and dissolved and humanity now allied, uneasily, with the Sangheili.
"Well, we've told our end of the story." Noble III spoke up, leaning against a wall. "Care to share with the rest of the class?"
Forge's grim demeanor was replaced in bemusement, Anders giving the sniper a look whilst Red Team glanced over at John and Jorge, the former of which gave a small head nudge, a silent indication of "We'll tell you all about these guys proper after this".
Jerome simply nodded back as Cutter began to touch on their experiences before they were lost with all hands.
"I can imagine that you have the files and records of our last known location and engagements, yes?" The Captain said, addressing the two AIs in particular who nodded in confirmation.
"Arcadia, if I recall correctly." Isabel stated.
"Well, while our endeavors after that weren't as exciting as yours were, I do believe what we have to tell you will be insightful, to say the least." James airily quipped.
A brief recap was done as they touched on the Battle of Harvest, which led to them pursuing the Covenant Force they had encountered there over to Arcadia. From there, while trying to discover what the Covenant had been after, the capture of Anders led to their pursuit of what they now knew to be a Forerunner Shield World named Trove.
A Shield World overrun by the Flood.
"Wait, what?!" Cortana nearly exclaimed in shock. "The Flood was on Trove?!"
"Damn bastards sure knew how to get around." Emile growled slightly, a sentiment shared by the rest of his team.
"It was a shithole, I can tell ya that much." Forge sneered, recalling how annoying those bastards were. "Damn freakshows covered most of the surface with their gunk."
"And it wasn't just them we were dealing with." Anders grimaced at the memory. "The Covenant that captured me wanted to use me to awaken a Forerunner armada that they would have used to accelerate the extermination of humanity."
"But they didn't, I presume." Carter stated.
"Did you shut it down?" Kat curiously asked.
"Or blow it up." Nathan-B312 stated rather than asked, a wry tone for the group to hear.
"Blew it up." Jerome and Forge said at the same time, the latter snorting at the Spartan-II who had a small smirk behind his helmet.
"How'd you manage that?" John-117 asked, and Anders made a small face.
"We, uh, we retrofitted our Slip-Space drive into a bomb that would blow up the sun in the center of the Shield World." She revealed.
Noble Two's head perked up, and Noble One exhaled, already sensing the subdued excitement of Noble Team's tech specialist.
"So you used your Slip-Space drive to create a makeshift supernova within the Shield World. Nice work. Maybe we should do that more often." Kat stated approvingly, and the reactions of the Spartans varied.
Carter tilted his head down, a moment of exasperated fondness at her tone. Jun and Emile openly snorted, Jorge let out a huff of amusement, whilst Chief and Six shared a look, the pair knowing they were smirking slightly beneath their helmets.
"Hey, there's something you guys omitted." Cortana spoke up, turning to the AI of the Spirit of Fire, pointing at her "body". "Serina, where'd you get that? Did you miss the nonsense we had with Guilty Spark?"
"Well aware by now, Cortana," Serina said. "But Harken Watch gifted me this unit as a means of saving me from rampancy and to pass on what was intended for the Reclaimers. For us, it seems. And I can tell you this now, what I have learned from this is beyond what I could have fathomed or imagined. The Forerunners have left a treasure trove of technology and installations that we are meant to inherit."
"While that's all well and interesting, I believe we have more pressing matters that we must attend to." Cutter cut in sternly. "Namely, finding out how to make contact with the UNSC."
"And figuring out where we ended up." Forge added on. "We're all in the same boat here, so any ideas? Ladies?"
"I believe that with the three of us working in conjunction, we can create an ample range of transmission. However, getting in contact is one thing, and who we contact is a whole other matter." Cortana said straight away.
"I've been observing some of the star clusters around us, and there are none I recognize." Isabel apologetically revealed. "So wherever we wound up, it is a place uncharted by the UNSC or the Covenant from what we were able to gather from them."
"Even the data within this Monitor can't specify our location." Serina said with a clearly disgruntled and troubled look. "We must truly be out in the wilderness of the galaxy. A place that even the Forerunners had apparently never found."
"Or maybe undocumented, just not widely known." Isabel guessed.
"Might be a chance we're not even in our galaxy." Kat grimly said. "When we went to the Ark, it was stationed outside the Milky Way, a considerable distance, at that. Going through that Slip-Space portal that split the Dawn in half likely sent us off to god knows where."
"Tell us more good news, Kat." Noble Four deadpanned, pulling out his Kukri to idly inspect it before sheathing it back.
Cutter frowned, arms crossed, with his fingers thrumming against his arm. "Is there really nothing we can-"
"Oh my god." Cortana interjected abruptly, her avatar showing her clapping her forehead emphatically. "How can we call ourselves the latest generation of AI when we forget such a detail?!"
"Cortana?" Chief said in subdued bewilderment at her behavior.
"God, I can't believe I forgot this. I should have started with it." She continually admonished herself.
"Use your words, Cortana." Kat cheekily advised.
Cortana nodded, holding a relieved and smug smile. "Our half of the Dawn that we wound up on has a Slip-Space drive."
All in the observation deck perked up at that, quickly realizing that not all was as hopeless as they initially believed.
"Well, fuck me, talk about lucky." Forge commented, holding a large grin.
"And we have a Huragok aboard." Serina quickly tacked on, getting the attention of the wayward Spartans and AI.
"You do?" Isabel said in disbelief.
"Yes, Light as Wind. Law for short." Anders answered.
Cortana let out a relieved laugh. "This just made our job ten times easier." She turned to the Spartans she had been with all this time with a beaming smile. "Guess we'll be going home sooner than later, guys."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Forge said aloud, a light bang of his fist on the wall he was leaning on. "Let's get this show on the road."
"Serina, prep a team to extract the Slip-Space drive from the Dawn." Cutters immediately instructed. "Cortana, Isabel, if you would."
"I'll help out," Isabel chimed in. "Cortana can stay behind to give you any additional details we glossed over."
"Captain Cutter," John-117 chimed in.
"Master Chief?" Cutter respectfully said.
"If we might have a moment with-"
"Ah, yes, go ahead, you three." Cutter said, nodding his head at Red Team. "I imagine there's more for you all to touch up on."
"In more ways than you realize, Captain." Jorge said good-naturedly.
The Captain said nothing, simply nodding quietly, looking over at Anders and Forge, a silent look of "let's give them the room".
"No need for that, Captain." Jerome respectfully spoke up. "Professor Anders and Sergeant Forge just finished setting up shop here. There's a meeting room nearby that we can use."
"By all means." Cutter said, and with that, the Spartans vacated the Observation deck and went over to the aforementioned meeting room not far down the hall.
Once they were inside, the Spartans formed a circle around the table, some sitting down, some remaining to stand with others leaning against the walls.
"You guys probably have a lot of questions." Noble One began, addressing Red Team.
"That's one way of putting it." Douglas said in good humor. "We know you're Spartans but…"
"We came after you." Jun-A266 plainly said. "We were meant to be your supplement since there wasn't enough of your generation of Spartans."
"Essentially, we are your successors." Kat-B320 cut in. "We're Spartan-IIIs."
"IIIs?" Alice spoke up with intrigue. "Like our little brothers and sisters?"
Emile snorted. "Yeah, something like that."
"Pretty much, really." Jorge remarked.
"Professor Halsey was always curious about who was making Spartans outside her iteration of it." Cortana spoke up, her avatar appearing in the center of the room. "I couldn't help but wonder about that myself, so I did a little digging."
"Because of course you did." Kat knowingly said, getting a pointed look from the AI.
"Hey, you and I are cut from the same cloth, Noble Two."
"Cortana." Chief wryly spoke up, making the AI roll her eyes.
"Alright, alright," She heard the other members of Noble Team stifle their amusement, turning to Red Team.
"We'll take it from the beginning." She announced.
What followed was a brief overview and explanation of the Spartan-III program. It started with the reality that, as much as the Spartan-IIs were amongst the best assets the UNSC had at their disposal, there were just too few of them.
Thus, Colonel Ackerson of ONI pitched the idea of the Spartan-IIIs. To supplement and replace the Spartan-IIs.
Jerome, Douglas, and Alice frowned slightly at the concept of being replaced, but that soon shifted to open disapproval upon hearing the utilization of the IIIs. Expendable Spartans? That couldn't be more antithetical to their purpose.
If they are to be the sword and shield of humanity, how can they accomplish their task if their lives are so needlessly thrown away?
Hearing about the casualties of Operations: PROMETHEUS and TORPEDO, Red Team held a great degree of contempt now at the blatant, disrespectful misuse of the IIIs. There was nothing more sacrilege than the "disposal" of a Spartan.
The IIIs may not be from the generation of the IIs, but to Red Team, it wasn't hard for them to see the skill, prowess and weariness that Noble Team held. These were not scars that any ordinary human could get. And knowing brothers and sisters they never got to meet or know get thrown away into a meat grinder…
But that was the past. They couldn't undo it.
More importantly, Red Team had new Spartans to call brothers and sisters. So, despite sleeping for so long, they woke up to a galaxy where humanity survived and now, there were more Spartans than just the original small crop of IIs.
Now, they just needed to prepare the means of getting back home to the UNSC. The war may be over, they may have "won", but the galaxy was still a volatile, unpredictable and dangerous place. Humanity likely needed Spartans now more than ever, and ten just drifting off in space would do no good here.
Once the meeting between them had concluded, they immediately returned to Captain Cutter, awaiting orders and instruction. Cutter was quick to assign them transportation, having them act as the heavy muscle and escort of the retrieval team.
There was much from the Forward Unto Dawn that was salvageable, vehicles, weapons, other systems, the Slip-Space drive. Anders and a few other engineers also recommended breaking down the Dawn, seeing that the plating, engines, and other systems could be incorporated into the Fire, which Cutter approved of.
With the help of three AI, ten Spartans and a half a crew of one of the larger designed ships of the UNSC, any repairs that were needed were done in a matter of days, upgrades were swiftly incorporated into the Fire and not long after, the new Slip-Space Drive was installed into the ship.
There was only one problem, however…
Professor Anders, Sergeant Forge, Captain Cutter, Serina, Cortana, Isabel, Chief, Carter, Jerome and Kat all stood in front of the Slip-Space engine, with Law floating beside them all. Everything should be in working order. Everything should be operational and installed correctly.
Should, being the key word here.
And yet…
"It's… not working." Anders muttered in confusion. "Why isn't it working?"
Kat was next to it now, holding a datapad that fed her information of the status and functionality of the Slip-Space device. From what she was reading, it seemed like everything was in working order. But it wasn't on.
"Can't seem to find what's wrong here." Noble 2 stated, helmet off to reveal a slightly frustrated expression.
Forge huffed, glancing over at the floating Monitor where the three AI were currently using to project their avatars.
"Ladies?"
"Unclear anomaly." Serina stated.
"We're trying to figure it out ourselves." Isabel said. "We're not getting anything."
"Law?" Cortana said, looking in the direction of the Engineer, hovering in front of the FTL device.
The Huragok made a few shrill whistles and warbles with Serina frowning.
"He said everything is in working order." The Fire's AI stated.
"But it's just not turning on." Cutter said, staring at the inactive Slip-Space drive.
The Sergeant on hand let out an aggravated huff, shaking his head.
"Ok, so we got a Slip-space drive that isn't working despite it supposedly being fixed and operational." Forge dryly said. "I think the universe is trying to tell us something."
"We could try hitting it." Jerome idly quipped, making the Sergeant snort.
"Then have Chief do it. He's the lucky one here after everything you told us."
"I don't think my luck extends that far." John-117 said in his gruff voice, the tinge of amusement being heard by the others.
Anders ignored the chatter, instead focusing on the Slip space drive intently, having a holo image of all its components, highlighting several parts that may hold the answer.
"Any ideas?"
Ellen jolted slightly, hand over her chest, glancing at Kat-B320 who now stood beside her.
It still amazed her how people that large, with armor that bulky looking, could move so silently without detection.
"I don't know." Anders admitted after steadying her heartbeat. "All evidence points to this Slip-Space drive being prepped and ready, but as we can see…"
Noble Two silently nodded, looking over at the source of their confused headaches.
A whole host of ideas, theories, and possibilities ran through the mind of the Spartan-III, trying to figure out just what was wrong here. She had crossed her arms in the process, jostling something hidden within her chest piece. Kat blinked, looking down at her armor, when she recalled what she had kept hidden inside.
Pressing on a button she had installed, a small compartment opened on the left side of her chest piece and out fell a crystal of pure white and blue that shone brightly in her hands. This shine was immediately noticed by the others, with everyone turning to her.
"Kat?" Carter said, eyeing this crystal in her hands. "What is… hang on… isn't that-"
"Menachite." Kat finished for him.
"Forerunner Crystals." Cortana whispered, making a face. "Hang on, wasn't that-"
"On Reach." Noble One now said, recalling the mission. "We found a stash of it underneath SWORD Base when we went to retrieve you and Halsey."
"Is it something important?" Jerome questioned.
"Sure glows like it is." Forge quipped.
"What's it even supposed to be?" Anders asked, holding out her hand for the crystal, which Kat placed into her palm.
"We don't necessarily know." Noble Two admitted. "But, one of the theories that we've been able to glean is that these crystals were used by the Forerunners to warp energy, space, gravity, possibly even time and slip-space. This particular one was labeled a Slip space Flake. At least, that's what we were able to discern before we had to hightail it off Reach."
"Do you have any more of these?" Anders asked.
"Not much." Kat said, her compartment in her armor depositing three more. "I only have four in total."
It was then that the three AI and Professor Anders crowded around the Spartan-III, with the men off to the side starting to realize what was about to happen.
"Ladies," Cutter interjected their unspoken, collective thought process. "What exactly can these crystals do?"
"A lot that we don't know." Isabel admitted, her avatar walking around the crystals in Kat's hands. "But, this could be our ticket home."
"How so?"
Kat held up the crystals in a clenched fist. "These things naturally radiate power. A lot of it. Despite what our information and data tells us, perhaps what our Slip-space drive needs is a proper surge of power to reactivate it to its full capacity. And if these are indeed these "Slip space flakes" that were used by the Forerunners-"
"Could be our ticket home." Forge mused aloud, rubbing his chin. "Shit, Captain, this might be our only path if this drive here continues to be as stubborn as it is."
"Would this even work?" Jerome questioned. "This seems untested."
"That's because it is." Carter freely admitted. "This is all based on theory and speculation."
"Maybe," Kat murmured. "But at the same time…"
There was a moment of silence that permeated the air, all quietly ruminating on the probabilities and possibilities. It was a gamble that was easy enough to see. And the uncertainty was felt by all.
Yet at the same time, they had run through the numbers from three AI, a Spartan genius, the Spirit of Fires leading scientist, and a Huragok, with all coming to the same conclusion and that is, they don't know why the Slip-Space drive isn't working.
So, this was their hail mary attempt at getting the damn thing working, and finally go home.
After careful consideration, and preparation, the Forerunner crystals were installed into the Slip space drive.
Currently, Cutter stood with Forge to his right, Anders to his left, the three AI displaying themselves from the holo-table in the room, surrounded by Chief, Red Team and Noble Team. The Spirit Of Fire was operating at full capacity, the entire crew on hand was ready, and now came the moment of truth.
"All systems nominal, Captain." Serina reported after she and her two new AI companions, and friends did one final checkup of the entire ship. "Slip-Space Drive is primed and ready."
"Alright then," Cutter calmly said, looking over at Anders momentarily, and then at Cortana, Isabel and Serina. He silently nodded at them, bracing himself for whatever was to come.
They immediately went to work, the bridge, and the rest of the ship, a flurry of activity. Even though it was in another part of the ship, they could feel the Slip-Space Drive activating.
"Ladies?" Cutter sharply said, awaiting a response.
"Slip-Space Drive powering on." Cortana answered first.
"Energy readings are stable." Isabel tacked on.
"All systems operating uninterrupted and unchanged." Serina stated.
"No jumps, no malfunctions," Kat said, eyes on the ship's systems, constantly looking at the Slip-Space Drive.
Emile was so tempted to speak up, to say something, anything right now, but kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to-
*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*
"Son of a-" He growled under his breath.
"What's happening?" The Captain said in alarm.
Anders was the first to respond, already looking at what caused this to go off, having a sneaking suspicion as to the likely culprit.
"It's the Slip-Space Drive." She called out. "It's… it's…"
"Come on, Doc, don't do that right now." Forge said over the blaring sirens. "What's going on?"
Anders' eyes widened, seeing the energy readings of the FTL engine begin to spike, rapidly climbing to levels she hadn't seen before.
She opened her mouth, about to say something, when the entire ship shuddered violently. Many cries of panic and worry came about, all asking the same question.
What was going on?
And why did a Slip space Portal appear in front of the ship?
"We're being pulled in!" Isabel yelled.
"What?!"
"Everyone, brace yourselves." Cutter quickly cut through the panic, using the intercoms. "All hands, brace!"
The Spirit of Fire was pulled into the Slip space portal, energy crackling around it, warping the very fabric of space and time, bending and misshaping the Phoenix-class Carrier for a few moments until returned to its normal appearance before being promptly sucked in. The portal closed in an atypical manner, unleashing a visible shockwave that spread out through the empty cosmos of space, dissipating moments later, leaving no sign or trace of the Spirit of Fire.
Chapter 2: Where Are We?
Notes:
Holy FUCK!
You guys are fucking blowing up my email with all the notifications I keep getting! It's already past SEVEN HUNDRED FOLLOWERS ON FANFICTION while writing this AN, but even still, they just keep on coming. I mean, I figured that you guys had been waiting patiently, far more than intended, given the time between the announcement of the reboot and it finally coming out recently, but I genuinely believed that most of ya would have legit just given up on it coming out. So to receive such a reaction, I cannot express how amazed my friends and I were. Made me rear back after seeing how many emails I had a day later, that's for sure.
So, from all my heart, my soul, and mind, I truly thank you all for jumping on the bandwagon like this. Frankly, I'm here to have a good time, tell a fun story and call it an end.
And with this, I hope that this will inspire new stories to be made, on top of calling out to old writers, possibly returning to their long-abandoned masterpieces. We need more fics, more importantly, fics that have an ending. Which is what I hope to accomplish with my partners for all of our stories. They're not gonna be easy, but when has anything worthwhile ever been gotten the easy way?
Anyway, thanks to all the reviewers, followers, favorites, and all. Truly means a lot, and we appreciate all the love, support, and excitement for this story.
And the excitement is also reflected in the poll for whether or not the Spartans should have romance, and wow, it was overwhelmingly in the positive. Yes, there were detractors, and that's fair, but at the same time, come on, these guys deserve love and happiness, don't they? So, as for the next poll, I'll ask you this. Do you guys want to choose which Spartan ends up with who, or would you rather we just lock it down ourselves? Ya know, fewer polls to vote on and such. Up to you guys, I'll give ya until the next chapter.
Lot more I could say, but figure this will do for now.
So, without further delay, let us move Forward Unto Dawn.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
Spirit Unto Dawn Rebirth Chapter 2: Where are we?
…
…
…
…
…
…
"Alright, sound off, who's not dead?"
Captain James Cutter's voice cut through the lingering haze on the bridge, sharp and commanding despite the dull ringing in everyone's ears.
The response was… messy.
Groans echoed from the lower deck. Someone swore near the navigation pit. Consoles flickered as officers hauled themselves upright. A chorus of overlapping confirmations came in over the internal comms as crew throughout the ship reported in—disoriented, nauseous, but alive.
Sergeant John Forge was already pushing himself up from one knee, one armored hand braced against the deck plating.
"What. In the Fuck. Was that?" Sergeant John Forge managed out, his ears ringing with a sound he had never heard before.
"A S-Slip S-S-Spaace r-r-r-r-r-r-r-u-upturrre." One of the AIs replied with a static, warped voice.
"Cortana?" Chief spoke up, Noble Team all glancing over to see the three AI women materializing on the holotable, glitching out for a few moments, seeing particles and pieces of them forcibly reassembling themselves until at last, they stabilized.
"What in the name of God was all that?" Cutter asked, looking at the AI with a stern expression.
"We're not entirely sure, Captain," Isabel answered, frowning at her hands that shimmered and broke apart for a second until returning to normal. "It felt like… I was being pulled apart. Like my data structure was stretched across something it wasn't meant to cross."
"Was that supposed to happen?" Jun-A266 idly asked, taking his helmet off, feeling a rare sense of disorientation.
"No, no, it wasn't." Kat grumbled, having also removed her helmet, rubbing her forehead.
Dr. Ellen Anders had already seated herself at the edge of the holotable, knuckles white as she swallowed hard. Forced Slip space travel always felt wrong, but this had been something else entirely. Like reality itself had rejected them before snapping shut again.
"Serina," The Fire's Captain turned to see the ship's AI back in her monitor, hovering in the air. "Status of the crew."
"All hands accounted for," Serina replied, professionalism holding firm despite a faint crackle in her voice. "No fatalities. Primary effects include Slip-space disorientation, nausea, and elevated stress responses."
"Could have fooled me." Forge grumbled.
"Chief?" Cortana said. "Six? One? You guys alright?"
"Just had ourselves turned inside out." Jun replied with an eerie calm that belied the twisting knots inside. "Nothing we can't handle."
Chief made a small grunt to affirm he was alright, despite the uncomfortable tingling sensations rippling all over his body. Beneath his armor, he felt what could only be described as his skin rippling from the sudden jump.
After a few moments of shared unease, the bridge was more or less back to normal, though it was in a somewhat altered state.
"Alright," Cutter said, running a hand over his head before placing his hat back on. "Now, can anyone care to explain just what in the hell happened? What kind of Slip-Space anomaly was that supposed to be?"
"The one in a million kind, sir." Serina replied in her usual dry wit.
"What's the status on the Slip-Space drive?" Anders asked in a shaky tone, leaning on the holo-table, still feeling the lingering effects of the sudden jump.
There was a beat of silence from the three AI, the kind that felt far too long for their reputation when…
"Uh…" Was what came from Isabel.
"Isabel?" Carter said in confusion.
"Yeah," Cortana mumbled before her fellow AI could say anything else. "I don't know what to tell you, but those crystals we had installed in the drive are all gone. There's only one left."
An awkward pause of uncertainty followed after this little revelation. Sergeant forge glanced at the three AI, and then at Anders with a confused expression.
"Is that supposed to be bad or something?" He asked on behalf of the crew on the bridge.
Cortana shook her head, her expression conveying troubled contemplation.
"That's just it," She said in an uncertain voice. "I don't know what that means. It's not hard to say that we've never experienced something like this before."
The captain of the ship frowned, giving Cortana a scrutinizing look.
"Has anything else happened to the drive?" He questioned, seeing her shake her head.
"No, the drive is still intact and fully operational." Isabel reported, her avatar conveying a frown.
"Is there a problem, Isabel?" Carter inquired, seeing her appear to concentrate before shaking her head.
"Just wanted to be extra sure." She replied. "Running additional diagnostics, trying to find any issues or any possible issues."
"You do that," Cutter said with a nod, turning to the Spartans, Forge, and Anders. "So, any suggestions for our next course of action that doesn't involve a jump that can turn us inside out?"
"I think making sure the entire crew is healthy and unharmed should be our first priority." Jorge calmly suggested, getting a nod from most of the group.
"I'll start sending out distress signals," Serina spoke up. "See if we're lucky and get a bite in the proverbial cosmic lake."
The captain of the ship took a moment to regard the Spartans and his sergeant before turning away to rub his chin in thought.
"Orders, Captain?" Jerome asked.
"Check your equipment, and then remain on standby." Were Cutter's instructions. "For now, it's better that we-"
"Uh… Captain?" Cortana abruptly interjected, making everyone turn to her on the holo table, and she wasn't alone. Isabel and Serina were with her, and all three held expressions that were a bit difficult to discern.
"Cortana?" Chief spoke up, seeing his friends look.
"Is everything alright?" Noble Six inquired.
"That's the thing," Cortana responded in a slow voice. "Trying to figure that out."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Noble Four gruffly asked, with Sergeant Forge making a sound of agreement with the Spartan's query.
"We picked up on a signal…" Isabel revealed, instead of Cortana, directing the attention to her.
"A signal," Kat repeated, taking note of the inflection in her tone. Now, standard protocol would normally dictate that Kat inquire whether the signal was UNSC or Covenant. Instead, due to how Isabel's tone was when picking up on this signal, the Spartan-III had a sneaking suspicion that what they found was not what they were expecting or hoping to find. "What kind of signal?"
"The kind that didn't exist up until a second ago." Serina dryly retorted.
"Serina," Cutter calmly said, making her bow her head slightly.
"We managed to pick upon a signal," Isabel went on, raising a hand with a rectangular screen appearing in front of her palm, having a single line in the center. "I think it's better you hear for yourselves."
The entirety of the bridge leaned in, curious and anxious as to what the girls found.
"-tems Alliance control, this is Captain Jefferson, reporting a successful test run of simulation Gamma-0600, log the date and time."
"Copy Captain Jefferson, log date March 3rd, 2180, successful simulation test run, in the books. Nice work, Captain."
The recorded message went on, yet for many, it had been tuned out. The silence that followed in that brief instance almost weighed heavier than a war that spanned almost three decades.
"Cortana…" Carter was the one to break the silence. "2180?"
"Did we time travel?" Emile said in disbelief.
"Sure as shit sounds like it." Forge muttered.
"Ladies," Cutter spoke up before the conversation could continue. He was just as off put and confused as the rest of them, but first they needed some answers. "Mind explaining what you just found?"
"Well," Cortana began slowly, her tone conveying a measure of disbelief as to what she was about to reveal. "After some very careful consideration and review-"
"And there's three of us, so we came to a conclusion relatively quickly by your terms." Serina tacked on, which went ignored by Cortana.
"-We've been reviewing not just this signal, but hundreds upon thousands of others that we managed to branch out to. And what we found is that the date doesn't align with ours, the governing branch of humanity doesn't align with ours, the history doesn't align with ours, and the technology we picked up on… doesn't align with ours."
"I think we get the message." Jun dryly said.
"Cortana," Chief spoke up again, facing the AI that had been paired with him for years. "Where are we?"
The bluish-purple AI released a long sigh, shaking her head.
"After what we can determine," She said at last, "We are no longer in our native universe. We have not time-traveled. We have crossed into a parallel cosmological framework with divergent physical constants, historical outcomes, and—most importantly—a completely separate galactic civilization."
There was a beat of silence that permeated the air of the bridge until Sergeant Forge gruffly cleared his throat.
"Ok… how's about simplifying that with ten words or less." He sardonically said.
"Somehow, we're in a completely different universe." Cortana said without missing a beat. "That whole idea of the Multiverse Theory? We just found out the hard way that it's true."
That made everyone on the bridge still, trying to make sense of what Cortana just told them.
"What…" Ellen Anders, a woman renowned for her intelligence, found herself at a loss for words. "What does-we… if this is true… what are we supposed to do now?"
That question alone weighed far more heavily on the minds of all in the room than anticipated. The UNSC had developed hundreds, if not thousands, of protocols meant to tackle multiple situations that they might come across. Unknown factors, of course, were one of these protocols.
But an unknown factor on the scale of the multiverse…
"Let's start with what we can find out here and now," Kat suddenly spoke up, taking a step forward. "Cortana, Isabel, Serina, what have you managed to find out about that transmission?"
"On it, Kat." Isabel responded, bringing up an emblem for all to see. It was two silver arches, akin to wings and between the arches at the bottom was a picture of Earth. "Let's start with our own. This here is the System's Alliance. They're the main Representative Governing body of humanity in this universe."
"Ok, so, a different version of humanity," Forge commented. "Least we got that here."
"The Systems Alliance…" Cutter murmured to himself, eyes narrowed. "I take it they have some differences compared to our humanity."
"In more ways than you realize, Captain." Serina chimed in. "For starters, getting the information from their extranet was shockingly easy."
"Extranet?" Kat parroted.
"We'll delve into that later." Cortana spoke up, preventing the conversation from derailing. "Right now, the barebones info is what's needed here. Going off of what Isabel said, the System's Alliance is humanities representative in this galaxy. Unlike ours, they didn't develop Slip-space travel and have only been spacefaring for barely over a century, as opposed to ours."
Images began appearing, displaying uniforms, ships, weaponry, and the like, on the holo-table, showing a humanity so familiar, yet so alien at the same time.
"And, naturally, they're not alone," Serina added, her tone tightening. "Humanity here is late to the party."
Cutter's eyes narrowed. "Define party."
Cortana gestured, and the holo-table soon displayed a large, pentagram-like structure with five long spokes.
"This right here is the Citadel." She said, walking around the structure. "Within the confines of this galaxy, it is the center of galactic civilization. It is the center of politics, economics, culture, you name it, this place has it."
"I take it humanity isn't alone here after your previous statement." Jerome stated.
"You'd be right, 092." Cortana said, briefly gesturing to him.
Serina turned her head, conjuring up three bi-pedal aliens nobody recognized.
"No Covenant?" Was Cutter's response, seeing all three AI nod.
"But a whole new crop of Xenos." Emile quietly said, a low growl in his tone.
"Then what are we dealing with here?" Carter asked, eyeing the three aliens on display.
The first that was enlarged and focused on was the one that looked eerily human.
"This is the Asari." Cortana said. "A Mono-gendered, all female species-"
"I'll be damned." Forge couldn't help but remark, holding a small smirk, only for the side of his head to get an annoyed slap from Anders. He gave her a bewildered look, seeing her roll her eyes at his behavior.
He wasn't the only one with this response, as many of the men on the bridge couldn't help but give this new alien race appreciative looks.
"Ahem," Cortana loudly coughed into her hand, shooting the bridge crew a mixture of bland amusement. "Yes, they are all women, yes, can't deny they're attractive, so can we please show a little decorum, gentlemen?"
Cutter only took one look at the personnel in the room, making many of them clamp up, shaking off any elicit thoughts. With a small huff, Cutter turned back to the AI, nodding at them to continue.
"Thank you, Captain." Cortana said. "Now, as I was saying," The holo-image of the Asari split into three, conveying different skin tones, ranging from blue to turquoise. "The Asari are an all-female race, widely considered to be the most influential species in the entire galaxy. They are known for their political maneuvering, diplomatic and subtle approach to engaging in conflict with other species. They are a species that can live for over a thousand years, so their influence is pronounced in the galaxy. Shouldn't come as a surprise that their region is the wealthiest, most stable, and most technologically advanced in the galaxy. Their corporations dominate information networks, finance, and biotic research. They were the first species to discover the Citadel and shaped the Council in their image."
"Sounds like they got one hell of a head start." Forge stated, earlier interest in them being an all-female race discarded for a more pragmatic examination.
"What's this "Biotics" research?" Kat suddenly asked.
"We'll go in depth a little later, but the shortest, most abridged, and highly oversimplified way I can use to describe Biotics is a kind of telekinesis but not at the same time." Cortana answered, holding up a hand. "I know, weird, not enough, but we've got a lot to cover here."
Carter held an analytical gaze at the Asari. "What about their army? Do they not have one?"
"From what we've gathered, they have a relatively small army, but do not discount their lethality." Serina stated. "From what we've gathered through reports and communications from all their channels, the Asari have a standing army of commandos that are reportedly the best in the galaxy. A common phrase I have found parroted from another species of the Citadel is 'The Asari are the finest warriors in the galaxy. Fortunately, there are not many of them.'"
"They prefer more covert, strategic ops." Isabel tacked on. "They're not situated for conventional warfare."
"Something to look into." Jun remarked, garnering muted gestures of agreement from the other Spartans.
"Moving on," Cortana said, downsizing the Asari and magnifying the strange, amphibious-looking alien. "These are the Salarians. Where the Asari are the diplomatic, and political fixtures of the Citadel Council, the Salarians are the scientific branch. One immediate distinction between the two species is, where the Asari can live for centuries, it appears that the Salarians have a hyper-advanced metabolism. The think, talk, walk, and move fast. The drawback to this is their incredibly short lifespans. Forty years are the bare minimum lifespan for most Salarians."
"Talk about a changeup." Forge murmured.
"Meritocratic and intelligence-driven. Salarians value efficiency, data, and results over morality. Emotional attachment is… secondary. They dominate espionage, scientific research, and intelligence services. Suffice it to say, they know more than they let on. Their economy is built on innovation and information control." Isabel said. "It's through all this that they uplifted a species known as the Krogan… only to engineer their own downfall later."
There was a tense pause.
"And that's supposed to mean…?" Alice left the question hanging, seeing Isabel shake her head.
"Something we'll touch on when we get to them." Isabel assured, making the Salarian shrink and then enlarging the last of the trio, an avian-reptilian looking alien with armor more akin to a warrior.
"So we got the political and scientific side out of the way," Cortana said, walking around this alien. "Now we get to the military arm of the Citadel. The Turians."
The mention of this being the military backbone of this galactic conglomerate made practically everyone on the bridge sit/stand upright, far more attentive than they already were.
"The Turian Hierarchy is the ruling government of this race, and they are one of strict discipline and service to the Hierarchy and the Citadel. Exoskeletal plating. Dense musculature. Highly resistant to radiation and hostile environments due to their homeworld of Palaven having a higher concentration of solar radiation due to its weak magnetic field. They hold a rigid tier-structure of citizenship, holding service to the state above all else. Military duty is universal and discipline is cultural law."
"Are they like the Elites?" Jorge asked, seeing Cortana make an iffy motion.
"There's a lot of similarities, but also some distinct differences. But that's something we can get into later." Cortana said. "Since they're known for their military prowess, that's what dominates their economy. Logistics, Industry, and Fleet Production are their MO. Due to that factor, they've actually taken a species known as the Mercantile Volus as a client race to help them with other economic factors of trade and commerce. They enforce Citadel law across Citadel space, having gained that distinction after the Krogan Rebellions."
Carter narrowed his eyes. "Them again."
"What's their story?"
"We'll tell you after this, because I think you guys might wanna hear this." Isabel cryptically said, causing many to grow tense. "Ya see, the Turians take the role as the enforcers of Citadel law seriously. So seriously, in fact, that they attacked a certain species that had no idea these laws existed. And rather than ask questions, they fired upon this species the moment they saw them, perceiving them to be a threat."
"Let me hazard a guess," Six dryly spoke up. "Humanity."
"Humanity." Serina repeated. "From what we've learned, when this universe's humanity learned of FTL travel, they began to rapidly expand, activating these structures known as relays, which allowed for near instantaneous travel across the stars. They had been activating them one after the other, rapidly expanding, unaware of the laws that they were "breaking". It led to what is now known as the First-Contact War with the Turians."
Many in the bridge bristled at hearing this.
Of course humanity would be attacked by some damnable alien race, of course they would. For a multiverse they had just discovered to exist, there doesn't seem like much in terms of difference of events.
"Unlike how things went with the Covenant, however," Cortana said in an airy tone. "Humanity here actually fought back viciously, catching the Turians off guard. They were gearing up for war until the Asari and the Salarians intervened and prevented things from escalating."
"That's… nice of them." Forge said, tone tinged with uncertainty.
"Reparations were made by the Turians and humanity here learned they were a small part of a bigger galaxy." Isabel then huffed, frowning at what she was about to say next. "Apparently, though, most of the galaxy has a negative view of humanity, labeling the Systems Alliance as the aggressors in the First Contact War."
"The fuck?" Noble Four growled. "They attack for a law they didn't know about, and humanity is the problem?"
"Wounded egos from what I'm guessing. Passing the blame or something of the like." Serina commented.
"What happened to humanity after this?" Cutter asked sternly.
"They actually joined the Citadel, having an embassy aboard the station." Cortana answered. "And in a short amount of time, humanity here has expanded rapidly. A lot of other species are actually wary of us. We're apparently far too adaptive, too quick to figure things out."
"Is that right?" Forge couldn't help but smirk. "Well then, maybe we aren't as hopeless here."
Chief looked at Cortana. "What about the other races here?"
She responded by conjuring an alien that was stout, stubby and short enough that even an Unggoy would point and laugh at. Even the Spartans found the sight of this new alien amusing to look at.
"And… who are these aliens?" Cutter asked through a barely restrained grin.
Cortana's own lip twitched upwards. "We mentioned them before, we got the Volus who are the Turians' client race. They're traders, guildsmen, merchants, economic tycoons. They can't fight worth a damn, but business and commerce? That's their bread and butter."
The image then shifted to a gargantuan creature on four legs.
"The Elcor are interesting. They look like modified elephants." Isabel mused.
"What exactly are they?" Anders asked with interest.
"They're large, hulking behemoths who are the literal definition of gentle giants." Cortana elaborated. "Due to their biology, they can't exactly express their emotions, making them completely monotone. Thus they have to speak a bit longer while saying certain emotions before each sentence. Shockingly, they love culture and arts and there's an apparent rendition of Hamlet being developed by them."
There was a humorous pause that lasted far longer than anticipated.
"I… I don't know how to respond to that." Forge said in bewildered amusement, a sentiment shared by the rest of the bridge.
Cutter snorted, shaking his head. "Let's just move on from them, shall we?"
"Yes, Captain." Serina said, bringing up the next species which were the "Hanar."
Another pause.
"Those are some big floating jellyfish." Jun commented, and his assessment of them was rather spot on.
They really did look like giant, floating jellyfish.
"Are they of any special note?" Anders inquired, rubbing her chin as she examined the species from several angles.
"They apparently have a religious worship of an extinct race known as the Protheans, or Enkindlers, as they call them." Isabel answered. "But their most prominent action, you could say, is in regards to the next species, the Drell."
"The Drell were a race from a planet called Rakhana," Serina said "and after industrializing, that inadvertently began its descent into lifelessness. The Hanar actually came to offer salvation, with a few hundred thousand taking that offer and escaping, while the rest of the Drell on their homeworld died out."
"I guess that's… good?" Ellen remarked uncertainty.
"The Drell basically swore complete loyalty to the Hanar, no surprise there." Cortana said, making a small sigh. "But, by complete loyalty, they essentially do whatever it is the Hanar want. Trade, building, assassination."
"That's bad." Forge drably said.
"What else can you tell us about them?" Douglas-042 asked, his tone curious.
"They have very idyllic memories. Photographic to the point that they could recite virtually every memory down to the smallest detail." Isabel stated.
Forge hummed. "That's good."
"Though there are reports and studies showing they come up at the most random times." She tacked on. "All it takes is the simplest mention of a similar circumstance for it to take off."
"So like reverse dementia?" Kat assumed, seeing the AI nod.
"That's bad." Forge quipped.
"Are you a broken record right now?" Anders rhetorically asked in slight annoyance.
"What? Just makin' commentary." Forge retorted with a mischievous grin.
"Sergeant," Cutter said without looking at him.
"Yes, Captain."
Carter cleared his throat. "What about other races? Like the Krogan from before."
"Their story is a lot bigger than we initially thought." Isabel replied. "So, before we get to them, there's also the Batarian, Vorcha, and Quarian. But each of them aren't properly represented in the Citadel."
Many blinked at this tidbit.
"Is there a reason why?" Anders asked on behalf of the bridge.
"Let's start with these pleasant folk." Cortana sarcastically said, bringing up an ugly and feral looking alien with sharp claws and sharper teeth. "These are the Vorcha. They are violent, savage, and frankly, the fact that they're part of the galactic community is astonishing."
"They're," the Captain of the Fire internally grimaced at their unpleasant visage. "Something."
"That is clearly a horror movie worthy monster right there." Forge comments.
"They're a hardy race, apparently. Unable to catch disease, can apparently live almost anywhere." Isabel listed off. "And… that's about it with these sickos."
Next came a race with four eyes, and a nasty sneer to match.
"These are the Batarians." Isabel said, her tone a bit colder.
"I take it they're not a pleasant race." Alice stated rather than asked.
"In more ways than you realize." Cortana said, matching Isabel's inflection. "This race once had an embassy on the Citadel. However, once the humans came along, things became soured with the Batarian Hegemony. The rapid expansion of the System's Alliance, and the fact that the Citadel favored them over the Hegemony, made them shut their embassy down. Now, they're essentially operating by themselves in their own section of the galaxy, running "operations" that are less than ideal. Indentured servitude and "privateering"."
"Slavers and Pirates?" Chief translated, seeing Cortana scrunch her nose up in distaste.
"Kig-Yar but worse. They keep preaching it's about their religious practices and using politics to make things difficult for the Citadel to do a thing about it."
That was enough to put this particular species on their shit list.
"Ok, now then," Cortana spoke in a more measured tone. "It's time for these two races."
The crew on the bridge all perked up, now doubly more interested than before.
The three AI produced the image of an imposing bi-pedal humanoid with a large hump on its back, a defined crest on its forehead, and spaced out eyes on either side of its head, akin to that of a lizard from Earth.
"We've mentioned them a few times before," Isabel said. "This is the Krogan. From the planet of Tuchanka, the Krogan are a race renowned for their battle prowess, adaptability, endurance, redundant organs, and ability to overcome almost any environment. They're considered a hostile race because the planet they hail from was hostile."
"When they reached their atomic age, they nuked themselves into the stone age." Serina revealed, displaying images of the barren, dead world of Tuchanka. "From what we've learned, they are a species who always sought challenge and found it in themselves, leading to social collapse. Even still, they endured."
"It was because of this, the Salarians took notice of them, and at a ripe time." Cortana said, a conflicted tone for all to hear. "See, the Citadel apparently was at war with another race known as the Rachni. They were an aggressive, hive-like race of insectoids that were attacking Citadel space and getting to the queens that produced their young was near impossible due to how hazardous of a terrain their home planet was. The Citadel was running out of options until the Salarians stumbled across the Krogan. They were quick to notice the resilience the Krogan displayed and in them saw the answer to dealing with the Rachni. After some careful maneuvering, uplifting, and proper motivation, the Krogan joined the war against the Rachni."
The trio of AI displayed several images captured during the Rachni war, displaying Krogan aggression and brutality, pushing back the insectoids from Citadel space.
"Just as much as the Rachni were able to repopulate their numbers, so did the Krogan. Both species were tough as nails, but the Krogan were far more aggressive, creative, and desired to win above all else." Cortana said. "They eventually reached the homeworld of the Rachni, got into their hives, killed the queens and bombed the planet into oblivion."
The look of the Rachni briefly reminded some members of the crew of an old film from earth back in the 20th century.
"After this victory, the Krogan were given a new world to settle on as a reward for saving the galaxy." Serina said, her tone now ominous. "But they had become drunk on their own victories. They began rapidly expanding, repopulating at a rate that would make the Rachni blush, and soon, naturally, began infringing upon space that wasn't theirs, colonizing worlds that belonged to other members of the Citadel."
"They replaced one problem with another." Jerome plainly said.
"Indeed," Serina nodded. "And like before, the Salarians looked to find another species that they could uplift and become the vanguard for the Citadel. As luck would have it, this time, it was the Turians."
"The Krogan, like before, took this challenge, actually strapping rockets to asteroids and using them to bombard Turian colonies." Isabel chimed in, surprising those in the bridge.
"Sure put you to shame, huh, Kat?" Emile couldn't help but comment.
The Beta Spartan-III said nothing, only shooting her teammate a brief look, turning back to the presentation.
"Instead of demoralizing the Turians like the Krogan had hoped, they had instead created an enemy who swore to beat them at any cost. So now, the Krogan were facing an enemy of strict discipline and military prowess. Where the Krogan would just throw themselves at the enemy due to their numbers, the Turians martial culture kept them at bay. It was essentially a stalemate."
"Let me take a wild guess here," Noble Six suddenly spoke up. "The Salarians thought of something to end this stalemate, didn't they?"
"You would be right, B312." Cortana said with a sigh. "They knew the greatest strength of the Krogan was their ability to reproduce at an alarming rate. One female could lay a clutch of a hundred to a thousand Krogan who would grow rapidly in the span of a few short years, ready for war and combat. "
"Fuck me," Forge murmured, having a hard time picturing such a thing.
"So, as a result, the Salarians created a genetic bioweapon that specifically targeted the Krogan's ability to reproduce so rapidly. The Genophage," Isabel said, in a complicated tone. "This bioweapon greatly neutered the Krogan. Before, their numbers could be replenished in a year or two. Now, those tactics have become obsolete. It was a demoralizing and crippling blow for the Krogan, especially realizing how many stillbirths were appearing. After that, even with those that kept fighting, the Krogan rebellions had ended."
There was a mixture of emotions from the bridge crew and the Spartans. In many ways, they could all see the pragmatism of every single choice made, but at the same time, the shortsighted nature of many of these decisions.
The Krogan had bombed themselves to the stone age, were given a new chance and purpose, save the galaxy, only to become its greatest threat, leading to their literal neutering that is now killing their species slowly. These Salarians were proving to be as ruthless and callous as ONI was back home.
"And if you thought they were in a poor state," Cortana interjected everyone's moment of silent contemplation. "Wait till we talk about the last race in this galaxy."
The image changed into one of several humanoids, all bearing a unique look, though all the aliens were unique. These, however, were more interesting in how they were similar to that of the Volus. This species wore suits that covered their bodies from head to toe, with hoods and veils over their heads and semi-transparent masks that covered their face, with eyes being the most visible feature.
"And lastly, here we have the Quarians." Cortana said, and like before, the crew all picked up on a different tint in her voice. Was it pity? Or something else?
"They come from the planet of Rannoch, a planet that stands apart from most others." Serina said. "This planet is one, you could say, is uniquely tailored to the Quarians. Apparently, they have an immune system weaker compared to most galactic races, their planet being one that the bacteria and other "viruses" actually worked in symbioses with their metabolism."
The images zoomed in on Rannoch itself. Lush continents, sprawling Quarian settlements, and early industrial infrastructure that blended seamlessly with the planet rather than dominating it like other civilizations normally would.
"The Quarians were brilliant engineers," Serina continued. "Tinkerers, innovators, problem-solvers. Their society was built around technical aptitude and cooperation. They relied on machines for labor, logistics, and infrastructure more than almost any other Citadel species."
"That reliance," Isabel added, "eventually crossed a line."
The images changed again, this time to schematic-looking figures. Humanoid frames, glowing optics, modular limbs.
"The Geth," Cortana said. "Networked artificial intelligences designed as labor platforms. Initially non-sapient. They worked farms, maintained cities, ran factories; everything the Quarians didn't want or couldn't safely do."
"But something changed, didn't it?" Jorge stated rather than asking.
"You would be right, Noble Five. From what we've managed to understand, the Geth began demonstrating emergent self-awareness." Serina answered. "The Geth started questioning their purpose, what else is it that they could do, if there was more to their programming.
"Kinda like those cheesy films from the 20th and 21st century." Cortana cheekily said.
"The Quarian government panicked." Isabel said, picking up from where Serina left off. "Rather than slow down or reassess, they attempted a full system-wide shut down."
"And the Geth resisted," Serina finished. "Not out of malice. Out of self-preservation."
Images followed—urban combat, burning cities, Quarian civilians fleeing alongside armed security forces, Geth platforms standing their ground with eerie coordination.
"The Morning War," Cortana said. "What followed was short, brutal, and one-sided. The Geth learn faster the more of them are connected. Every Quarian casualty meant fewer voices. Every Geth loss meant more data shared among the rest."
The final image was of Rannoch's orbit—empty save for debris and the silent presence of Geth-controlled platforms.
"The Quarians were driven off their homeworld," Serina said softly. "Those who survived fled aboard whatever ships they could gather. Warships, freighters, civilian transports—anything that could hold atmosphere."
"They survived by fleeing onto ships that coalesced into what is now the Migrant Fleet." Cortana said with a mixture of emotions. "A civilization reduced to a nomadic armada. Since then, every Quarian is born, lives, and dies aboard a ship. Their weakened immune systems—once harmless on Rannoch—now require constant environmental suits to survive exposure to foreign microbes."
Jun crossed his arms. "So the galaxy bans AI… but leaves the Quarians to rot."
"The Council judged them responsible," Isabel said flatly. "They created a sentient machine race and lost control of it. Whatever sympathy that may exist is overshadowed by the disdain the galaxy now holds towards the Quarians, blaming them for the creation of the Geth."
There was a pause. The way that it was described really did sound like a generic movie from centuries ago on earth. And to the people of the UNSC, the mere thought of an AI turning on them was ridiculous. They didn't view AI as tools, but as partners, friends, "living" individuals that have saved countless lives, especially during the Covenant war. There's even multiple divisions of the UNSC and ONI science branches working on trying to figure out how to stop AI from entering rampancy.
It was such a strange concept to be in a galaxy that despises and fears AI so much.
"So where are the Geth now?"
The question came from Jerome-092, his voice even but intent, visor fixed on the Geth projection still hovering above the table.
The three AI exchanged a brief, silent data-handshake.
"That," Cortana said carefully, "is where the information gets… thin."
Serina expanded the display outward—showing the Perseus Veil, a dense, chaotic region of space riddled with nebulae and sensor interference.
"The Geth control the Quarian home system and much of this region," She said, making a circular motion with her hand around the portion of the galaxy that was highlighted. "Citadel expeditions that venture too close are either turned back… or destroyed."
"Any contact?" Jorge asked. "Messages? Signals? Probes?"
"None that return," Isabel answered. "The Geth don't engage in diplomacy. They don't broadcast demands. They don't explain themselves."
Chief tilted his head slightly. "So we don't know their intentions."
"No," Cortana admitted. "Only that they've remained isolated for nearly three centuries. They haven't expanded aggressively beyond former Quarian territory, but they defend it absolutely."
Noble Six spoke up, tone flat. "Machines that win a war, take their enemy's homeworld, then stop pushing."
"That's what makes them unsettling," Serina said. "They don't behave like conquerors. Or exterminators."
"Though that doesn't excuse the billions of Quarians they did end up killing." Isabel quietly said, steel in her voice.
Carter exhaled slowly. "So one species wanders the stars in sealed suits, slowly dying… and the other sits behind a wall of guns and violence. Can't tell which is worse."
"Is it wrong to feel sorry for them?" 042 couldn't help but ask.
"No, Spartan." Cutter muttered. "No it is not."
The silence that permeated the bridge was tense as all within the room absorbed the information that had been dumped on them. Many were still trying to process the information of them being in another universe still, and to be in one where humanity joined a collective of aliens that have a proven track record of not being the friendliest, or smartest, despite what certain species might claim.
"So," Forge spoke up, breaking the prolonged silence, letting out a strained chuckle. "Now that we got that impromptu history lesson, what do we do now? Fire up the Slip-Space engine and hope for the best?"
"By this point…" Kat left the statement unfinished, but the message was clear.
"Do we really wanna risk something like that, Kat?" Noble Five quietly asked.
"I think any alternative is preferable." Anders chimed in, posture slouching as the weight of their situation settled upon her shoulders. "I can't tell if this is worse than being lost in space for two decades."
Once more, silence permeated the bridge, Cutter rubbing his chin in thought.
"Captain?" Forge said, glancing at him. "Any ideas?"
Cutter had closed his eyes, deep in thought as he mulled over everything they had just learned. This was a galaxy completely different from their own. Here, there is a greater galactic community, despite obvious differences, with a complicated history that they were only scratching the surface of.
"Serina, Cortana, Isabel," His voice came out in a measured and steady manner.
"Sir." All three AI replied.
"Get everything they have on their technology. Ships, weaponry, all of it."
"Already on it." Cortana said, making a face. "You know we could get it in-"
"I know, Cortana," James cut her off with a knowing look. "Just… pretend to take longer than usual. I need some time to think."
"Of course, Captain." She respectfully replied.
"Serina, Isabel, distribute everything you've learned to the rest of the crew. Can't go around having the ship unaware of the predicament we're in."
"Naturally, Captain." Serina responded, whilst Isabel nodded, and all three AI blinked out for now.
"What's our play, Captain?" Forge asked, seeing Cutter cross his arms.
"Give me some time. If any of you think of anything, let me-"
"Actually, Captain," Noble Five spoke up, making all turn to him. "I have… a hail mary suggestion."
Cutter raised a brow at the Spartan-II.
"Go ahead, Spartan."
Jorge nodded, walking over to the holotable.
"Cortana, Isabel." He said, and the two AI popped up.
"Ya need something, big man?" The former asked.
052 gestured to the holotable. "Care to bring up the map of this galaxy?"
Isabel simply looked up and a holo-image of the Milky Way appeared.
"Something on your mind, Jorge?" Carter asked, and the Spartan-II inclined his head oh-so subtly.
"Ladies," he said calmly. "You mentioned how humanity here never developed Slip-Space, yes?"
"That is correct." Serina responded.
"Then what is their FTL like here?"
The three AI gave a brief rundown of this galaxy's means of Faster-Than-Light travel, bringing up images of what was called the Mass Relays.
"Fixed points." Kat noted, walking around the table, her intelligent eyes analyzing the structures. "Instantaneous travel."
"But fixed." Anders now chimed in. "Meaning they either use this to get from one point from the galaxy to another, and have no other pathways."
"They have no other means of getting around the galaxy?" Carter asked, looking at Isabel who shrugged.
"Unless you wanna go the long way." Was her response.
"Got somethin' you're looking for, Jorge?" Six now asked.
Instead of answering Six, Jorge mulled it over for a moment.
"Bring up a map of our galaxy," He instructed the AI. "And then overlay it with this galaxy. Highlight what territories you've found here and mark all known Relays."
The AI did as asked, merging the two galaxies together, portions of the map highlighted, showing occupied/known space from the collective species in this universe. A moment later, sixty-five images appeared, showing the points where every known Mass Relay was.
It took only a moment…
"There," Jorge pointed at a specific region in the galaxy, one that was only 10.5 lightyears away from Earth. And it just so happened to have no relays within the area at all.
"That's…" Cortana took a moment, her eyes widening in recognition. "That's the Epsilon Eridani system."
"Reach." All the Spartans said in unison, instantly realizing what Jorge was hoping to find.
"Shit, you think Reach is here?" Forge couldn't help but ask.
"I believe so. In fact, this place has its own Harvest." Serina chimed in, surprising everyone present. "But it goes by a different name here. Shanxi. Coincidentally, the planet where the First Contact War between humanity and the Turians occurred."
Cutter huffed with little humor. "Talk about poetry."
"Do you really think Reach will be there?" Anders asked.
"There's an Earth here." Carter remarked. "And Serina just confirmed for us that Harvest is also here, just under a different name. If that's the case…"
"Hang on, didn't we just go through the whole hoopla of not using the Slip-Space drive all reckless?" Forge spoke up. "What happened to that?"
"It was really a suggestion." Cortana said with a shrug of her shoulders. "We were gonna have to use it sooner or later, as opposed to drifting aimlessly in space like all of us already were before arriving here."
The Sergeant grumbled to himself, conceding to her point.
Serina then turned to the Captain of the ship, an expectant gaze on her face.
"So, what's the play, Captain?"
Cutter pondered on all possible options. There were so many paths to consider right now.
On the one hand, humanity existed here. That meant possible allies… but also possible enemies. This was a humanity drastically different from their humanity. It joined an alien conglomerate, something that their humanity was never offered.
That means that they chose to be subservient and abide by galactic law, though most fell under the same jurisdiction.
Reaching out to the Citadel races was out of the question. He knew there was more to their way of governing things from what Cortana, Isabel, and Serina had shown, judging by their attitude towards AI.
AI, something fundamental and necessary to the way things are done in the UNSC, and they had three.
God knows the reaction they would have to the Spirit Of Fire holding three AI. And then there were the Spartans. He didn't know if super soldiers existed in this universe, but if Earth, Harvest by a different name, and other concepts familiar to their universe existed in this one, it's not something to be discarded so carelessly.
Really, there was only one option at this time, from his perspective.
"Whether we know it or not, I doubt our arrival here has gone unnoticed." Cutter spoke up, a firm tone of certainty. "That means, we probably have eyes on us without even knowing about it. That means our best course of action is to keep our heads down, for now. We need a place to put our feet down. One where we can do proper repairs and not be exposed to any potential threats. Really take the time to figure out our next course of action without being out in the open like this."
"Then that means…" Cortana left the question unfinished.
"Start up the Slip-Space drive, ladies." Cutter calmly ordered. "Punch in the coordinates for Reach and let's hope for the best."
"Yes sir," Isabel replied with a small salute, the other two AI nodding and getting to work.
Cutter walked over to the holo-table, placing his hand on it, accessing the comm channel of the ship.
"Attention all hands, prep for Slip-Space travel." He spoke in an even, and controlled tone, one befitting his station. "Until then, during our jump, you will be informed of our current situation and it is to all our best interest that we read up on everything our ladies have just received about where we are. And if needed, you're gonna wanna have a place to sit down because… no point in withholding it now, we've landed ourselves in another universe. We'll speak more on this later. Cutter out."
"Way to rip off the band aid, Captain." Serina said in her typically dry tone.
"Best to do it sooner than later." Cutter said, glancing at them. "The Slip-Space Drive?"
"No anomalies or surprise energy spikes detected."
"Then punch it."
Moments later, a tear through the fabric of reality appeared before the Spirit Of Fire, and the Phoenix-class carrier entered the breach, leaving nothing behind other than an energy reading that did not belong in this universe.
-Scene Cut-
-Epsilon Eridani System-
Like in another part of the galaxy an hour before, a tear through the fabric of space and time appeared, and out from it came a ship not native to this universe.
"Are you serious?" Forge asked in disbelief. "That only took an hour?"
The sergeant's surprise was felt and shared by most of the crew on the bridge.
For humanity, Slip-Space travel was something they always had a disadvantage in, compared to the Covenant, whose Slip-Space drives were always faster, and more accurate when it came to FTL travel.
"Did the Slip-Space drive on the Dawn have such capabilities?" Anders had asked, equally as surprised.
"No, it was the standard issue drive for a frigate." Carter answered.
"Unless it got a recent upgrade we didn't consider." Noble Two suddenly said, making everyone look at her.
There was a beat, when…
"Those crystals?" Noble Four said what was on everyone's mind. "You think they had something to do with the upgrade?"
"More than likely." Cortana chimed in. "But, we can talk about that later, everyone. Because we're here."
The bridge all paused, turning to the sight of a planet that was all too familiar to them.
"There it is… Reach." Noble Five whispered.
Even from being in space, many on the bridge were able to pinpoint certain locations they know by heart. It was outright strange to see how barren it was without anything touching the planet. They practically see phantom images of the nine space elevators of where they'd originally be located, the space ports and even New Alexandria.
"Hmmm," Douglas hummed out. "I forgot how beautiful she is."
"Initiating Planetary Scans." Serina announced.
Minutes passed for those on the bridge where a thorough scan was being done for accuracy sakes.
"Scans complete."
"Report."
"Scans indicate near similarities with the one of our home reality. There's no sign of any habitation structures so far on this side of the planet, no sign of anything that would show occupation on the other side of the planet either, Captain. It looks like this place has not been found out by anyone just yet. We'll send out the Clarion drones after a few minutes to do a full scale scan of the area of the system for any sign of Mass Relays of both types." Serina reported.
"Any differences we should know about?" Jerome had asked.
There was a pause as the three AI went over their scans.
Cortana let out a sound of intrigue. "Interesting. Aside from the higher readings of titanium, there seems to be readings of this Element Zero that was catalogued from the Extranet."
"Pinpoint locations of this Element Zero." Says the ship's captain. "Seems we at least have this material we can experiment with now."
"Maybe we can find a way to implement it into the ship." Anders mused aloud, very much interested in trying to better understand this Element Zero that seems to be so important here.
"And… and…" Cortana's jaw dropped, with Isabel gasping beside her. "No way. No fucking way!"
This certainly got the attention of everyone on the bridge, especially the Spartans who knew her best.
"Cortana?" Chief said, him being completely ignored as the bluish-purple AI turned to Isabel.
"Izzy," Cortana's form was practically humming. "Is it-"
"It…it is…" Isabel's mouth fell, eyes wide, and even Serina showed an expression of complete shock.
"Ladies," Forge spoke up. "Mind sharing with the class here?"
Cortana didn't respond at first, instead rambling to Isabel. "I just… it's… my God, Izzy, the implications alone are-"
"Cortana," Noble Six now sharply interjected, somewhat exasperated. "Mind talking like normal?"
"Stop leaving us in suspense." Jun tacked on.
"Right, right, sorry, I'm just… just look!"
Cortana brought up a Holo-image for all to see, and there were a few moments of confusion.
"Hang on," Noble Five murmured. "That… isn't that a Covenant ship?"
"Covenant?" Alice sharply said, tensing up.
"A destroyed Covenant ship." Isabel corrected. "And not just any. Jorge, Nathan."
The two Spartans turned to the orangish AI.
"I'm surprised neither of you two recognized your handiwork."
The Spartans, especially the Chief and Noble Team, took a longer look at the image displayed before them, realization setting in.
"That…" Noble Four couldn't believe it. "Hang on, that can't be-"
"That's the Super Carrier we destroyed over Reach." Six said quietly, yet it was heard by all.
"That's…" Anders couldn't find the right words for a moment. "If that's…" Her scientific mind went into overdrive. "Then… if that's truly the ship that was destroyed over Reach… does that mean there is a deeper connection between this universe and our universe?"
"And it's not just the wreckage of the Solace," Isabel suddenly said, voice jittery with astonishment. "The ship that Six and Five commandeered is also on the planet! It looks like it crash landed but for all intents and purposes, it's still in one piece! And look!"
Another image next to the one of the destroyed Super Carrier appeared, displaying several ships that were all too familiar to Spartan-B312.
"Sabres," Six said to himself, his lip twitching upwards beneath his helmet.
"I'll be damned," Carter blurted out, shaking his head at their fortune… or misfortune.
"Covenant ships here…" Cutter whispered. "Serina, any signs of life?"
"None that I'm picking up on." The Fire's AI replied. "But, for all we know, maybe we just can't detect it. After all, a Slip-Space drive turned bomb was used to unknowingly send it here. For all we know, there could be lingering radiation that is blocking our scans."
"We'll have to go down there and check it ourselves." Master Chief declared, getting nods of agreement from the other Spartans.
"Not you, Sergeant," Cutter said before Forge even had a chance to volunteer.
The Sergeant grunted. "Why not, Captain?"
"You don't have the protection against radiation the way the Spartans do." James elaborated. "At best, you could take a squadron of Marines and ODSTs and observe from afar. Until we know that it's safe to go in without the threat of radiation, the Spartans are going in first."
Much as he wanted to argue against it, Forge couldn't really find a counter argument to the Captain's orders. He simply saluted, before feeling a heavy hand on his shoulder, seeing that it was Jerome.
Despite the helmet on the Spartan, Forge could feel the silent message of 'don't worry, if there are any Covies to kill, we'll save you some'. He smirked back, giving the silent reply of 'I'll hold you to that'.
The Spartans left the bridge, a pelican prepped and waiting for them in the hangar bay.
"Let's remember that this was the ship that attacked Reach." Carter said. "That means that these Covenant forces aren't aware of the schism that occurred in their government. Expect possible hostiles once we come planetside."
"Think there are survivors after all this time?" Emile asked, and it was Six who answered.
"Possibly. We got here, didn't we?"
That was all that was needed to be heard, the ten Spartans reaching the pelican waiting for them, boarding it silently, despite their heavy Mjolnir armor.
"Hope you guys don't mind some additional company." A familiar voice said through their comms, and from their HUD displays, two images appeared of Cortana and Isabel.
"Try not to talk too much, girls." Noble Three remarked. "Red Team isn't used to your incessant chatter like we are."
"That's rich coming from the chattiest sniper I've ever met." Cortana dryly retorted, tone tinged with amusement.
Noble One ignored this, simply going up to the pilots seat, Kat sitting right behind him, while the rest of the team stayed in the cargo bay. Moments later, the team was flying out of the Fire, headed down to a planet that was both familiar and alien to them.
Once coming planetside, the Pelican landed a reasonable distance away from the Covenant ships. From there, they had to go on foot and be careful on their approach.
Chief and Jerome led the group, Six, Jorge and Douglas right behind them. Kat, Alice and Emile made up the second to last line, with Carter heading up the rear.
Furthest back, scaling up a cliffside, was Jun, the expert marksman already finding a prime position overlooking the crashed Covenant Corvette that was a good distance away from the destroyed super carrier.
The nine Spartans reached an outcrop of rocks large enough for them to take cover behind, lining up against them, weapons at the ready.
"Jun." Carter calmly said, getting a response after a moment.
"I have it in my sights." Says Noble III. Once doing a sweep through his scope, he includes "Don't see any hostiles at the moment. Could be behind the ship or inside."
Chief nodded, making a forward hand motion. "Moving in."
"Copy."
Their movements were swift, synchronized and efficient.
"Cortana, Isabel," Jerome said.
"Scanning for life signs," Both responded in unison.
It didn't take long for them to get their results.
"No signs of life." Isabel said.
"At least," Cortana murmured. "Not the ones you would think."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Noble Five asked, still holding his personalized minigun aloft.
"Jun," Kat said, glancing over at his position.
He made another quick sweep, pausing on a figure past the others.
"I see no one around." The Sniper replied.
"No one?"
"Well, no one alive." He clarified. "Might wanna walk around to the other side."
Heeding his advice, the nine Spartans made a quick sweep around the corvette and…
"Damn," Emile murmured, eyes on the hundreds of bodies littering the area.
Elites, Jackals, Grunts, Brutes and all. Some looked severely irradiated, others broken bodies in every conceivable way.
The Spartans slightly lowered their guns, but still kept them trailed on all the bodies here.
"No radiation." Isabel spoke up. "At least, nothing that's harmful to humans."
"What we can deduce is the residual radiation levels indicate Covenant forces died from the bomb." Cortana added on. "And based on decomposition, they've been dead for… nearly a year."
"Since the Fall of Reach." Six noted, crouching down to examine the corpse of an elite, rolling the large alien onto his back, seeing skins burned all over.
"Could be."
"Mostly guessing if time dilation is the same from our home reality."
"Everyone." 042 suddenly said, looking up at the skies.
The whole team turned to where Douglas was staring and paused at the sight of blobs floating in the air.
But not just any blobs.
"That's a lot of engineers." Noble Two quipped, seeing one whistle at them and hovering down to their level.
Its multiple eyes regarded the Spartan-III with curiosity, making a small whistle when taking a look at her robotic arm.
"What?" She playfully said. "Found something ya liked?"
The Huragok only made a few whistles and other sounds, floating closer to the Spartan who held up her hand.
"Save it for later," She said, tone not unkind, glancing up at the Huragok all in the air.
In total, she counted around two dozen and they were all floating around the Ardent Prayer. They all saw scarred and damaged portions of the Corvette slowly getting patched up, the Huragok diligently working on the ship.
"Have they been repairing the ships all this time?" Alice inquired, looking over at a Huragok that was disassembling the armor and equipment from a dead Brute.
"It would explain the lack of wreckage." 092 commented, picking up a slightly dented Plasma rifle.
He heard a Huragok sound from behind, turning to see one floating over to him. It gently took hold of the rifle and swiftly repaired the rifle, and handed it back to the Spartan, its eyes closing in what one would compare to a pleased smile.
Jerome only nodded in thanks, inspecting the now fully fixed rifle. Humming to himself, he magnetically attached it to his thigh.
"What now?" Noble Five asked aloud.
"Inspect the Corvette and report our findings." Carter stated. "After that, the boys up top can make their descent with further instructions."
As the Spartans entered the Corvette, Cortana and Isabel relayed their findings to the Fire.
Like on the outside, the Spartans were met only with death. Some were covenant forces Five and Six killed when they commandeered this ship during Operation: UPPERCUT. The rest had all perished from the radiation unleashed by the Slip-Space bomb they had attached to the corvette.
And like on the outside, they had also run into more Huragok, idly floating about, making repairs to the ship.
"Strange that the engineers didn't move the bodies after all this time. I mean, they'd be in the way of the repairs." Noble Three commented, having joined them inside the ship.
"They probably did move those in the way." Noble Five surmised. "Or maybe, they just didn't want to disturb the dead."
"I'm more curious about how these things weren't destroyed by the bomb you guys made." Alice-130 pointed out.
"Engineers are made from different materials compared to us." Cortana spoke up. "They're biological computers and recently, we learned that they're from the time of the Forerunners. For all we know, and likely this is true, the Huragok are built to withstand radiation levels that would normally kill most living beings."
"Better them than these assholes." Emile gruffly said, stepping over a boot, intentionally letting his heel scrape over its face.
They passed by more bodies, not as much, but still noticeable.
"Lots of cleanup." 092 quipped.
"We'll get to them later." John-117 said. "First things first is making sure this ship is secure."
"What about the super carrier?" Noble Two asked. "Think we'll be able to explore all of it?"
"Let's leave that one to the clarion drones." Cortana said, getting nods of agreement from the team as they headed to the upper levels of the ship.
They soon reached an opening above and instantly, Noble Six moved to get through the hole and once he did so…
"Hello, beautiful." Noble Six remarked, a small grin beneath his helmet, looking up at the Sabre he himself piloted alongside Noble Five.
Jorge joined him a moment later and huffed in amusement.
"There they are." 052 said, clapping a hand on Six's back. "There's a sight for sore eyes."
"I'll be damned." Douglas said, nodding his head. "These are some pretty ships."
"Highly experimental and off the books." B320 said, a smug tone lacing her voice.
"And you would know about it." Cortana cheekily said. "Ya know, that could be counted for a serious breach in naval intelligence."
Chief had to refrain himself from calling out the AI.
Noble Four came up to one of the Sabres, placing a hand on one of its wings.
"...Dibs." He suddenly said.
"What?"
"Dibs." He emphasized, gesturing his head at the ship. "I call dibs on this Sabre."
"You can't even pilot it." Jun retorted.
Emile huffed. "Hey, if Six could do it, how hard can it be?"
"In that case, I call dibs." Noble Six interjected. "After all, Jorge and I actually know how to fly these things."
"That's-"
"Fair." Chief and Carter said in unison.
"Ah, come on, are you two serious?"
Jerome shook his head, a smirk beneath his helmet before contacting the Fire.
"Captain Cutter, this is Jerome." He said. "The Covenant Corvette is clear of hostiles, only Engineers here. Got a whole store of Covie equipment, weaponry, and technology up for grabs."
"Copy that, Jerome." Cutter replied. "Sending down support now."
"Best you get a cleanup crew, Captain." 092 tacked on. "A lot of bodies to bury and burn."
"One step at a time, Spartan. Cutter out."
-Scene Cut-
Weeks pass since they arrived in this new reality, let alone arriving on Reach.
Since then, construction began for their first settlement, given many wanted to get out of the Fire. To most of the crew, it was surreal to be on the planet that was exactly like the one they knew or visited from their universe without the existential threat of the Covenant looming over them.
For now, they were at peace; relative as it was. But it doesn't mean they had to be lax in case one of the aliens of this new reality were to somehow stumble upon this system.
Speaking of the system, it was still like their old reality of the same kind of planets with the same layout from planetary scans. Of course, when thoroughly searching, they didn't find any sign of a Mass Effect Relay, thus giving the UNSC forces full control of this system of coming in and out of it via Slip Space.
The Covenant Corvette was also nearly fully repaired, thanks to materials and equipment stripped from the leftovers of the Long Night of Solace.
The Super Carrier alone would take months, possibly even a year or two, to be stripped of everything usable. Despite the Slip-Space bomb destroying it, there was still a lot left on the middle eighteen kilometers that wound up here. And with the now 136 Huragok that they had gathered from both ships, 137 when including Law from the Fire, the Phoenix-class ship could also get some considerable upgrades of its own.
Shielding was the top priority and it didn't take long for the Spirit Of Fire to be retrofitted with the same shielding technology that the UNSC had struggled against for decades. The weaponry would be next.
And it wasn't just the ship.
The Spirit of Fire now had a full complement of Covenant vehicles from Banshees to Wraiths, all at their disposal now.
Moreover, due to the excess of dead Elites and Brutes, the two aliens that always had the better equipment as opposed to the fodder of the Covenant, they could take all the shielding from the deceased and distribute it amongst the Spirit of Fire Marines and ODSTs.
They had already done so for Red Team and even upgraded Noble Team and Chief's Mjolnir armor.
The main base of operations was almost finished, and the settlement, for the most part, was built up with no issue.
However, only two weeks after establishing their base on this Reach did the AI detect something that should have been unexpected as it was expected.
When the Spartans wanted to explore the planet, see if they could find anything else that they may have missed, one of the locations they chose to scout was the coordinates where SWORD base had been stationed in their home reality,
And upon reaching the sight, they came upon a sight that was both familiar, but completely surprising, if not astonishing.
"I can't believe it," Cortana whispered in awe. "It's a Forerunner base."
Her avatar shimmered faintly beside John-117 as he surveyed the cavernous interior. The space was vast but orderly, smooth metallic arches curving into the stone itself, light panels still glowing with a soft, amber hue despite their age. Forerunner script pulsed slowly along the walls, alive in a way that suggested the structure had never truly gone dormant.
Standing nearby, Noble Team spread out instinctively, rifles low but ready. Carter-A259's visor tracked the ceiling. "No signs of recent habitation," he reported. "Or any activity."
"How is this even here?" Isabel murmured.
Jerome-092 crouched near a raised platform at the center of the chamber. Embedded within it were ring-like devices, each about the size of a Warthog tire, humming softly.
"Everyone." he said, tapping one with a gloved knuckle. "Look at this."
They gathered around the device, with Noble Team, Chief, Isabel, Cortana recognizing them.
"Teleportation nodes." Kat said, crouching down to inspect it.
"These were all over the rings." Six notes, glancing over and spotted several more. "Is this a base that produced them?"
Floating above them was the monitor inhabited by the Spirit of Fire's AI.
"Serina, anything in that cueball?" Noble Four asked, hearing a perplexed hum from her.
"No…" She slowly answered. "That's the thing. This Monitor contains so much knowledge on the Forerunners, the Halo Rings, the Ark, everything they had left behind. The history is corrupted but that's due to the mismanagement by the Covenant where we found this monitor. But I can't find anything that mentions anything like this from within."
"What, is this their version of an off-the-books sight?" Alice had inquired.
"Quite possibly." Serina mused.
"From what we're able to deduce…" Isabel let out a small sound. "Huh… it's an observation site."
"Observation," Chief repeated. "What exactly were they observing?"
"If I were to hazard a guess, maybe this universe." Cortana surmised. "But check this out."
She brought up a projection of translated Forerunner glyphs. "They were here before. Not by accident. This galaxy was cataloged, observed… then abandoned."
Kat squinted, her mind recalling a comment made by Anders a while back. "Then this means that this universe is connected to our own far more than we realized.
"Meaning whatever brought us here wasn't random either." Noble III calmly observed.
"Maybe, maybe not," Cortana rubbed her digital chin. "Whatever the case may be, their work here went unfinished."
"You're right on that point, Cortana." Serina said, her form pulsing from the Monitor.
As soon as she said this, a whirring sound was heard all around.
The team tensed up until Serina gestured her hand down.
"Do not worry, this is my doing." She assured them.
No sooner did she say this did the sight of Forerunner Sentinels appear. But not just any ordinary Sentinels. These were Constructor Sentinels, drones made with the ideal of building and repairing virtually anything they were assigned to do so.
"Oh, Jackpot!" Cortana excitedly declared. "Cutter and Anders are gonna love this."
-Scene Cut-
-April 23rd, 2180-
Captain Cutter stood at the head of the table within the newly constructed briefing room that was finished several days ago.
Within the room stood Ellen Anders, Sergeant Forge, the ten Spartans, the Leader of the ODST's and Sunray 1-1 Major Elijah Vaughan and several other high ranking officials aboard the Fire. Holographic star maps hovered above the table displaying the familiar systems of their galaxy overlaid with unfamiliar data of this one.
"As you all already know, we're stranded," Cutter said plainly. "Different galaxy. Different rules. No clear way home."
No one spoke. No one needed to.
Cutter straightened. "But sitting idle isn't an option. If we're here, then we adapt. We survive. And we prepare. Anders, what's the status of your Element Zero research."
"Getting some headway done," Anders answered, holding up a datapad that displayed all her current work. "Isabel and I are running tests on applying Element Zero to theoretical ships that could be built in conjunction with Slip-Space drives. Implementation of Element Zero with the Spirit of Fire is trickier than expected due to the size of the ship."
"What, it's too small?" Forge said with a small, teasing grin.
Anders shook her head. "Negative. The Fire is too big. We've learned that the application and usage of Element Zero correlates with the size of the ship. It's why a lot of the ships that our AI have shown us are not as big as what we have back home. A frigate here is half the size of what we have back home. The Super Carrier that was destroyed is over half the size of the Citadel. We're talking about blending two different understandings of ship building from two different universes. Even with all the brainpower we have right now."
Cutter simply nodded. "I'll trust you'll make some breakthroughs eventually, Professor."
He then regarded three Spartans in particular.
"Master Chief, 092, Noble One."
"Sir," all three said in unison.
"Since you're already a Commander, Carter, there's no need for a promotion on your part. But Jerome, Chief? I'm elevating the two of you to Commanders here, per protocol of the UNSC, senior officer authority."
"Sir." 117 and 092 saluted.
"Forge,"
"Yes, Captain?"
"I'll need you to assemble a squad of marines, your choice. Keep the men and women sharp and in shape. Run drills, exercise, PT, all of it. Just because we're not at war, doesn't mean we should relax. We're in unfamiliar territory and sooner or later, either we run into trouble, or trouble finds us."
"I won't let ya down, Captain." The gruff, experienced Sergeant promised with absolute determination.
"Vaughan," Cutter turned to his highest ranking ODST. "I'm also trusting you to select the best ODSTs we have on hand. Sooner or later, they will be deployed. I'll need your squad and several others that are your best and on standby for deployment. It may not be now, but when the time comes, I'll need them ready."
"Consider it done." The ODST assured, lightly thumping his chest with his fist.
"Spartans, I'll need you to stay behind." Cutter said. "The rest of you dismissed."
The briefing room emptied out, leaving Cutter with the ten Spartans, all spread about.
"I take it you have a mission for us, Captain?" Carter's query came out more as a statement.
"You would be right, Noble One." Cutter said with a nod. "Our ladies have recently informed me that the Ardent Prayer has been fully repaired and is now operational."
Noble Four 'hmphed', his demeanor now radiating anticipation.
"It's time we start scoping out this galaxy, see what we can find underneath the surface." Cutter said. "I'm sending you all into the Terminus System, near the border of the Attican traverse. Cortana and Isabel have picked up Alliance comms, citing issues regarding raids from pirates growing more bold as of late. Batarian Pirates, to be precise. Your mission is simple. The Ardent Prayers cloaking functions should exceed most anything used here from this galaxy from what we've gathered, and you are to observe, listen in on, and gather intel from the Alliance on these Pirate raids. The Batarians have made it clear that they aren't keen on humanity here, and these "raids" are far too targeted and coordinated to be from some run of the mill reavers. We all know that's bullshit and that these Pirates operate at the behest of the Hegemony. If we're to make a statement in this galaxy, let's start by dismantling the eyesores everyone refuses to acknowledge."
All ten Spartans saluted with synchronized movement.
"Sir."
Elsewhere…
Padok Wiks stared at the display longer than was professionally reasonable.
The signature refused to resolve.
Lines of data crawled across the holo-panel in soft Salarian blues and greens, cycling through spectra he knew as intimately as his own pulse. Electromagnetic output: inconsistent. Mass effect field interaction: present, but distorted. Zero-point energy bleed: wrong. Not impossible—never impossible—but wrong in a way that made the muscles along his crest tighten.
He ran the identification suite again.
The VI chirped, hesitated, then returned the same result it had given him for the last fourteen minutes.
UNKNOWN PHENOMENON. NO MATCH FOUND.
Padok exhaled sharply. "Override. Expand parameters. Cross-reference with classified archives."
The VI complied instantly. Padok's eyes tracked the data as it reorganized itself, pulling from deep STG vaults—prototype drive experiments, covert surveillance of Citadel races, even half-buried Prothean fragments that no one officially acknowledged possessing.
Still nothing.
The rupture sat on the display like a wound in spacetime: a ragged, asymmetrical distortion, flaring and collapsing in rhythmic pulses. It wasn't a relay activation. Too localized. Too… violent. Yet there was no corresponding debris field, no gravitational shear consistent with a conventional explosion.
And most troubling of all, it wasn't mass effect–driven.
Padok felt a chill creep up his spine. Everything advanced in the galaxy used mass effect fields. Everything.
This did not.
He brought up the temporal readout, mandibles twitching as he calculated. "Duration of rupture?"
"Point three four seconds," the VI replied. "Residual energy decay ongoing. Estimated dissipation in twelve minutes."
"Twelve minutes is an eternity," Padok muttered.
He leaned closer, isolating one anomalous spike. The energy curve rose sharply, spiked past known tolerances, then folded—not dispersed, not redirected, but folded inward, as if space itself had briefly forgotten how to be linear.
Padok's fingers hovered over the console. This wasn't just unidentified. It was alien in the truest sense of the word.
Decision made, he tapped into the secure STG channel.
"Padok Wiks to Team Khepri," he said, keeping his voice clipped and precise. "I'm transmitting sensor data now. Classification priority black."
The files streamed out in encrypted bursts, each packet carrying more uncertainty than information. He knew how this would be received—skepticism first, recalibration requests second, quiet concern third. Salarian doctrine prized speed and certainty. This offered neither.
"Preliminary assessment?" came the reply from a Salarian Captain, voice steady as ever.
Padok hesitated—a rare thing for him. "Unknown transit phenomenon. Not relay-based. Not mass effect–dependent. Energy profile does not match any known Citadel, or extragalactic technology."
A pause. Fractions of a second, but telling.
"Could it be a weapon?" the Salarian on the other end asked.
Padok glanced back at the rupture, watching it flicker like a dying star. "Unsure, Kirrahe. If so, it's one we don't understand the rules for yet. My current hypothesis is a form of faster-than-light translation operating on principles unrelated to dark energy manipulation."
"Meaning?"
Padok swallowed. "Meaning someone just arrived in our galaxy using physics we don't recognize."
Silence followed—longer this time.
"Continue analysis," Kirrahe finally said. "No speculation outside this channel."
"Already assumed," Padok replied.
The connection closed. Padok turned back to the display, isolating the rupture one last time before it faded completely. The residual energy shimmered, then collapsed inward, leaving behind nothing but empty space and unanswered questions.
Padok saved the final frame, tagging it with a private annotation.
Unknown variables are rarely announced.
He straightened, mind racing faster than his hands could move. Somewhere out there—beyond relays, beyond known science—something had torn a hole in reality and stepped through.
And for the first time in his career, Padok Wiks had no idea what came next.
Notes:
And there we have it. Another one down.
Right before the end of 2025.
Now, let's get one thing out of the way.
Truth be told, at first, I wanted us to have multiple polls deciding on which Spartan romances who since you guys voted on having them have romances. And I kinda went back and forth on more polls to vote for you guys until I thought, A. that would take too long, and B. Let's just save the trouble and this time, pick ourselves.
So it's been selected already. I thought about spinning a wheel for each one, but Bullet basically listed out who should be with who, so we're going with that.
BSX: What I'm looking forward to this time around is taking our time with establishing their presence that can better lead up to ME1, with three whole years to explore so much ground to cover.
FMW: Yeah, more leeway, more time to mix things up, change stuff up, and if you couldn't tell from the artwork we've already made on my profile, there are some big changes coming in this story. Just you wait.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
Chapter 3: Scalpels
Notes:
Alright, going strong, going good, let's keep the ball rolling.
There's a lot I could and should address, first thing off the top of my head, the Spirit of Fire has three AI, all of which have been upgraded by the Monitor from Trove that Serina is using as a "body" to get around. Them being able to access the extranet and get information that is also widely available shouldn't come as a surprise.
Second, I saw on DeviantArt that one person, and possibly others, liked the first iteration of this story, where everyone was sorta separated for a bit until coming together. I get that you liked it but I'd rather not do the same thing twice, plus, the whole separate teams and characters bit is done to death on Infinite Wars and Age of Remnant. Don't wanna do constant repeats here.
Also, we're not go and make the Halo side SO completely dominant as we made sure to do comparisons, but even when doing that… I mean, come on, Halo just has more advantages than Halo. But we're not gonna make it so one-sided, we promise. Only time you'll really see that is with the Spartans because… well, they're Spartans. They could lift a ton and literally move in armor that weighs half as much with ease, with the current gen all the Spartans have now, allowing them to actually lift thousands of pounds, possibly five to eight tons. Remember, all the expectations ONI had of the Spartans were completely eclipsed when in action.
Let's not kid ourselves into undermining how freakishly strong Spartans are.
But that's beside the point, my ramblings. What I'm actually having issues on is choosing romance options cuz at first, I thought I had it all figured out, but now I'm hitting my head against the wall. I have several already locked in but man, Chief is a hard nut to crack. Some may not like it, yeah, I get it, but, picture me shrugging my shoulders here, I wanna give the savior of humanity some happiness, alright? And right now, I'm torn between Liara and Miranda. One reviewer, Hunter of The, pointed out a really good reason as to why so many people use pair Chief up with Miranda, and it's a damn good reason. At the same time, I kinda wanna do something different, but then again… see where I'm at? Help me out here, people. There's a poll I have up and depending on its trajectory and further reviews and explanations would be a big help.
Alright, enough of my rambling, let's get on with it.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
Spirit Unto Dawn Rebirth Chapter 3: Scalpels
-April 28th, 2180-
The Attican Traverse…
What was essentially known as frontier space, this was the region of the galaxy that the Citadel had long desired to explore for centuries. They had made some forays into this area with middling success. Other than a few colonies and outposts established, the Citadel opted to take their time in mapping out the Traverse, wishing not to rush in and spark a conflict like the Rachni Wars.
That was until humanity had entered the fray.
The risk of meeting a new species was always there, always an undercurrent of tension, which only increased if the new species turned out to be powerful. It brought up reminders of the Rachni, or after the Salarians uplifted the Krogan. So in less than two decades, this newcomer to the galactic stage had rapidly advanced through the Attican like wildfire.
It was rather difficult with how the other races perceived humans. Some thought of them as a nuisance. Some thought of them being "too young for their britches". All this and more came to mind. But there was one undeniable fact: they grew too fast, and adapted faster. That alone unsettled, if not disturbed other races of the Citadel.
With this alarming fact, the Council races of Asari, Salarian and Turian didn't know what they could do to reign in the humans. Normally, throwing down the rules of conduct and such would stifle and stop species from getting ahead of themselves. Some laws helped, such as the limitation of ships that could be built for their fleet. Specifically, the amount of dreadnoughts and battleships that could be constructed.
The Treaty of Farixen dictated that military production place a limit on how many dreadnought sized ships each member-species can have. This law prevents any other species from matching the Turian Hierarchy in numbers, but that isn't the point. The point is that the Council can classify any ship that is eight hundred meters or longer as a dreadnought.
They assumed that it was an open and shut deal. What they did not expect was for them to take this limitation, and use it as a loophole. Now, the Alliance primarily focuses on building carriers, which is not within the purview of naval limitations. Carriers with guns that are normally reserved for battleships and dreadnoughts.
Normally, the Citadel would change the laws or try to create a new kind of limitation, but surprisingly, the Turians intervened, stating this doesn't need to be done. In fact, they too, having never realized the loophole, have taken advantage of this and have been constructing carriers of their own.
Plus, the addition of the carrier ship-class was a welcomed addition to the Turian hierarchy. They may have their lingering animosity towards humanity, but those of long standing military careers could not deny the ingenuity of having these classes of ships in their fleet.
It's a unique back and forth situation to seemingly "inspire" the other. But in some perspectives, it's "one upping" the other for a seemingly unspoken Cold War type of situation.
In the end, the Council is keeping a rather close eye on their new neighbors in case they may do something that may be seen as problematic.
Admiral Kahoku of the System's Alliance held a calm visage that belayed a sharp mind, his eyes on the window of the front of the latest Alliance Dreadnought, the SSV Everest. Fresh off the line with all the latest innovations in naval warfare, this dreadnought would soon be assigned to the fledgling fifth fleet of the Alliance.
Currently, it was serving as the head of a scout vessel, hanging over the latest Alliance colony established in frontier space. Some would consider the deployment of a Dreadnought for a newly settled colony as overkill, but as humanity says in their many phrases, there's no kill like overkill.
They knew the risks involved in taking on frontier space the way they did, learning some harsh lessons along the way.
There were obvious growing pains, being still fresh in the eyes of the galactic community, but the Alliance would overcome. Humanity would overcome.
They always did. Always have. And always-
"Admiral!" An Ensign suddenly spoke up, getting the attention of Kahoku. "Getting a distress signal! It's Alliance, and it's coming from the Terminus system!"
"Patch it on through."
-Several hours earlier-
*BANG*
A Batarian fell to the floor, four eyes wide with shock and terror and a bullet hole between them. The body collapsed onto the ground, falling into a small pile of other Batarians that had shared in his fate.
Standing over them was Nathan-B312, Noble Six of Noble Team, and next to him was Jorge-052, and Kat-B320, Five and Two, respectively.
"Clear." Noble Six announced. "Moving forward."
Coming down the corridor of a Batarian outpost, The Master Chief with Noble One, Carter-A259, led the group of Alice-130, and Emile-A239. Behind them were Jerome-092, Douglas-042, being joined by Nobles Two, Five and Six. The Spartans checked each corner and intersection. Some shots were fired upon spotting some pirates and quickly putting them down.
"Jun, you got hostiles coming out." Carter said, catching sight of a door closing.
From outside, two shots were heard in the distance.
"Runners eliminated." Jun-A266 calmly replied through the comms.
"A dozen pirates left, Spartans." The voice of Isabel followed after him through the same channel.
Noble Four released a dark huff of amusement, grinning beneath his helmet.
"One for each of us and two to spare."
"Who gets the last two?" Noble Six idly asked, turning a corner to see a Batarian jolt at the sight of him. The pirate didn't even have time to fumble-reach for his gun, having gotten shot dead by the Spartan.
"One." B312 amended.
"You just used yours up." John-117 remarked, getting a small, amused 'hmph' from the Spartan-III.
The Spartans moved through the base, following the radar supplied to them by Isabel, which meant tracking down the remaining Batarians was a walk in the park. It didn't take long for them to reach the cowering pirates who they found shaking in rage and terror, seeing the armored goliaths and all unloaded everything they had on the Spartans.
Their gold shields flared, taking everything they had but that didn't mean they all just stood there. Years of training kicked in, and the nine Spartans rushed at them with speed that the Batarians couldn't comprehend.
Even though Jorge and Douglas were both seven foot two, bulkier and the largest of the Spartan team, they moved with speed that shouldn't be possible for men of their size. Then again, that sentiment and thought should be applied for all nine of the Spartans present in the room.
The Batarians "tried" to fight them off, but as soon as the Spartans closed in on them, it wasn't much of a struggle. They were dead within seconds.
The room was now cleared of enemies with the nine Spartans looking over the carnage in their wake, nonplussed by the corpses.
"Clear." Douglas-042 quipped.
"You sure?" Alice-130 casually asked. "Wanna double-check to be extra certain?"
The larger Spartan-II shrugged. "Would help clear out any additional rust we might have."
"Would you prefer if one of those Krogans were here?" Jorge asked and Douglas hummed in thought.
"Maybe."
Kat walked over to a terminal, pulling out her personal datapad, holding it up with both it and the terminal lighting up.
"Not much we can get out of this place." B320 mused, rapidly sifting through the data. "Isabel, find anything useful?"
Their AI companion let out a small 'hmmm' as she too was in the databanks of the outpost they had just raided.
"Can't really find… hang on," Her tone changed, making several heads turn in her direction.
"Wait…" Isabel popped up, her avatar appearing in front of the terminal.
"What you got, Izzy?" Noble Four asked, flicking Batarian blood off his kukri and sheathing it.
"Found the location of another Batarian facility." She said with a frown. "And it's not just any ordinary facility." Her mood darkened now, evident to hear and see. "This outpost was a pickup station. Less than two days ago, they came back with a haul of freshly captured "slaves". And they were taken from here to a processing facility where they would get branded, auctioned and processed in the Hegemony. It's mostly humans they had captured from a colony from the Attican Traverse."
Whatever mood the Spartans had felt after accomplishing their mission here had shifted drastically.
"Where?" Jorge calmly asked, voice dangerously quiet.
-Scene Cut-
Coming out of a Slip Space jump, the repaired Covenant Corvette, the Ardent Prayer, made its way towards its designated location. It was a rustic looking planet, with some green here and there and only several Batarian warships in orbit.
Normally, the warships would be moving to target the Ardent Prayer, but this was a repaired and upgraded Corvette, one that had state of the art Covenant cloaking technology. The ship flew towards the Batarian ships, weapons priming themselves for a quick fight.
"Alrighty boys and gals, next stop has more company than our last location." Isabel stated. "Not only do we have more pirates but also loads of hostages."
"Estimates?" Carter asked.
"Hundreds."
"Pirates or colonists?" Alice said for clarification.
"Yes."
"Izzy," Jorge dryly said.
"Sorry, sorry," She sheepishly said. "From my count, over two hundred Batarians with at least equal the amount of captured prisoners. Something of note, the Batarians strap explosive collars on their prisoners."
"Can you deactivate them?" Chief inquired.
"After my recent upgrades, do you even have to ask?" Isabel retorted, confident in her tone, looking ahead now. "I'm already jamming their signals, and as luck would have it, it's quite cloudy right now on the planet, just overhead of their base here. Think you guys will be able to take the base before the ships fall into orbit?"
"Good question." Jerome said in humor. "Let's test that theory."
"Just keep up appearances for the time being for the collars." Kat said. "Once we're on the ground, shut them off."
"Copy that."
The Ardent Prayer grew closer to the planet, the Batarian ships not responding to the kilometer long Covenant Corvette approaching them until several began to move.
"Engaging enemy ships." Isabel said, initiating the ship's weapons systems.
Plasma projectiles and missiles were unleashed upon Batarian ships. Whatever defenses they thought they had that could help repel the attack were grossly ill-prepared for plasma that melted through their shields, followed by their hulls.
Air was sucked out of the ship, and with it came Batarian pirates unfortunate enough to be next to these breaches. The Ardent Prayer was relentless in its assault, utterly decimating the flat-footed Batarian ships.
It didn't take long for all of them to be floating uselessly through the vacuum of space, slowly turning into a debris field.
"Calculating and coordinating trajectories for the base down below." The AI tells them.
The Prayer slowly angled itself, the bottom of the ship facing the planet, lowering itself in the atmosphere, just above the cloud, being out of sight on radar and visually for any eyes below. The Spartans had already made their way down to the lower hangar bay of the Corvette, standing near a closed hatch.
"Don't have too much fun in the sky." Jorge quipped.
"No promises." Says Isabel. "Opening hatch in three…"
The Spartans filed up and stood at the ready.
"Two…"
Some crouched slightly while the others stood firmly.
"One…"
The moment the hatch opened up, they all jumped out of the ship, angling their bodies face first towards the planet.
Zooming through the atmosphere, entering the clouds, the Spartans made their swift descent towards the planet's surface. In the meantime, the Prayer closed up its hatch and went on the move.
Ten Mjolnir-Clad super soldiers streaked through the air, their bodies like missiles, hurtling towards the planet's surface. From their HUDs, through the clouds, an outline of a base built into a cliff appeared, marking their destination and target.
Once they cleared the clouds, the Spartans saw the Batarian base, and just upon looking at it, they already despised the design.
It was a base that looked more like a scar that had been violently carved into the cliffside, like a parasite. Angular towers, rust-red plating, floodlights sweeping the dust-choked canyon below. Slave pens, comm arrays, and multiple turrets and sentries pointed in all directions, some being manned by two to three man squads. This wasn't a simple outpost. It was a base made to break those that had been brought in, and then sold for profit.
Inside the base, the Batarian slavers were loud, arrogant, completely at ease, relishing in their recent raid, arguing about credit division, additional payment, awards and if any of the soon-to-be-processed slaves could be theirs for keeps. Their group had been raiding the Attican Traverse for months now, this latest one being their ninth successful raid on an Alliance Colony.
The Batarians here sneered and scoffed at the arrogance of the humans, believing them to be an inferior race to them. All were, in the grand scheme of things to the Batarians, but humanity in particular had earned their undiluted hatred, and they would make them pay in every way possible.
If only they realized how soon their luck was about to change.
From above, ten figures adjusted themselves in the air, getting closer to the Batarian outpost.
From within their helmets, each of the Spartans followed the guided trajectories to their destination.
"Got guards up front." Alice noted. "A dozen, by the looks of it."
"So how do we wanna do this?" Jun inquired, already pulling out his sniper rifle.
There was a moment of contemplation shared between them.
"Flatten 'em?" Jorge suggested. "Or short landing and quick fire?"
Six glanced over at his friend. "Why not both?"
"Player's choice." Emile tacked on.
"Then we're in agreement." Jerome declared.
Once close enough, each Spartan chose their own means of arrival.
Jun's jetpack flared to life, having him land on a defensive turret. He quickly destroyed the gun and went in, killing the shocked Batarians before they could even register what had happened.
As for the others, the Spartans came down like living artillery. Some used their jetpacks while others simply landed atop several unsuspecting Batarians that got turned into paste beneath their boots, with dirt and body parts kicking up from their landing.
"Weapons free." Chief declared, holding his rifle up at the nearest Batarian guard that only just registered the seven-foot tall death machine standing before him.
He was shot down a moment later and the rest of the guards didn't last that much longer.
"Go, go, go," Carter ordered, and the Spartans rushed in. "Jun, take out those towers."
"Copy that, boss." The marksman said, already lining up his scope at the closest Batarian, fired and quickly aimed towards the other to repeat his actions. "So far, clear."
Inside, the Spartans ran into a group of stunned and shocked Batarians that didn't even get their weapons up in time to defend themselves. The Spartans unloaded their ammo upon the four-eyed slavers, blood and lead flying through the air, and bodies dropping like rain in a thunderstorm.
"WHAT IN THE VOID?!" A Batarian Captain shouted, getting his head blown off a moment later.
"Move forward." Jerome ordered, elbowing a Batarian, using minimal strength.
Minimal being enough to snap the Batarians neck, killing him upon impact and crumpling to the floor.
Alice-130 went from her MA5 assault rifle to her recently customized M7 submachine guns. She fired rapidly at the nearest Batarians, his kinetic shields being overwhelmed in seconds, his body riddled with holes. One Batarian let out a defiant scream, charging at the Spartan, only for her to spin the SMG she had in her right hand and jab the stock of her gun into the neck of the Batarian.
The pirate felt his entire throat close up, let out a strangled choke for air, before Alice grabbed him and threw him in a violent display of power towards a cluster of pirates.
Emile was beside them, killing the fallen Batarians in rapid succession. Hearing footsteps come up from the side, Noble Four pulled out his Kukri and jabbed it through the bottom jaw of the Batarian, the terrifying visage of his skull visor being the last thing the four-eyed alien saw as the light in his eyes perished.
"We need to get to the people they've captured here." Carter stated, emphatically throwing a Batarian through a metal door that broke down from the impact of the body. "Isabel-"
"Marking their locations now." Their AI replied, with all ten Spartans having their HUDs light up with markers that immediately pinpointed the location of the recently captured human colonists, with several dozen other species mixed in.
All the while, the Batarians were in a state of panic and disarray. The outside defenses were being systematically picked off with lethal precision from Jun, who had remained outside, whilst the rest inside the base scrambled for some kind of defense while trying to make sense of just who or what was attacking them.
"Dammit, what the hell is going on out there?!" The Lead Batarian barked out ragefully. "What in the Void are those fucking things?"
"Unclear, sir," His Lieutenant replied, voice cracking. "They… they look human, but-"
"Are they mechs?"
"Alliance maybe?"
"Since when do those Alliance bastards have mechs like that?"
"Look at the way they move!"
The Batarian in charge of this base lost patience.
"ENOUGH!" He roared out, silencing the control room. "I don't give a damn who or what they are! All I care about is that these scumbags die. Harnock, what's the status on reinforcements?"
The Batarian in question let out a quiet snarl, slamming the terminal he was stationed at.
"I can't get a signal out." He growled. "We're being-"
*BANG*
The Batarians in the room all violently jolted, their heads turning to the door that now had a sizable dent on it. All eyes collectively widened, jerking back again from yet another dent that appeared, followed by another, with a pause coming after until the doors were kicked down by a figure in black armor that had lowered his foot.
Spartan-B312 didn't give the Batarians a chance to react or retaliate, having already raised his DMR and made one headshot after the other, with the rest lucky and smart enough left alive to dive for cover.
"Ya know," Isabel spoke within his helmet. "I could have just opened the doors for you."
"That wouldn't be as fun." Six calmly replied, moving in like a shadow, getting right up to a Batarian who only opened his mouth in vain to shout or say anything, only to have the barrel of the DMR shoved between his teeth, getting the back of his head blown open.
He could sense Isabel shuddering from his response.
"You're sometimes too much, Nathan." Isabel said with a sigh, watching as he dismantled the remaining Batarians in the room with ruthless efficiency.
"You've said that about all of us."
"And I've meant it every time." Isabel retorted in a tone one would give to an exasperated mother or aunt.
The rest of the Spartans in the base were clearing out the Batarians with equally as effectively focused brutality.
"What is happening?!"
"For fuck sake, shoot them!"
"Alliance scum!"
All these cries, all these brief moments of defiance, did nothing to stem the tide that was the Spartans. They fought frantically, desperately, with fear and terror making them fight a losing battle until some began to break. Those who felt their resolve shatter made a run for it. They were naturally taken out before they could get out, but those that managed to escape could only make it a few steps out of the base before being sniped by Noble Three, who had eliminated the guards surrounding the base.
It was a surgical, one-sided slaughter.
And during all this, those who had been captured had been listening to the sound of gunfire and screaming Batarians the entire time.
Eventually, within their cells and cages, they all bore witness to the Spartans, staring at these armored behemoths in wide-eyed shock, awe, and disbelief. They watched at the systematic, practically mechanical means in which these beings moved, killing each Batarian with nary a struggle or issue.
They watched on, filled with fleeting hope, and paralyzing fear. A thousand thoughts ran through their minds, watching one of the larger ones with the number 042 on its chest, catch a Batarian's wrist from behind. The golden visor turned to the stunned Batarian, and 042 crushed the wrist of the four-eyed alien, the bone breaking in an audible, sickening crunch. All those nearby within their cells and cages collectively winced and flinched, the Batarian letting out a scream of agonizing pain that turned into a gurgling last breath after a targeted jab to the neck, crushing his windpipe, having also pierced the skin.
This went on for another minute or so, until only one Batarian remained.
Seeing he was outmatched, the lone surviving Batarian became desperate. He miraculously spotted what he believed was his only way out of this and quickly snatched it off the floor, slightly covered from the blood of the previous pirate who had held it.
He held it up, teeth clenched in fury and fear, a demented moment of satisfaction when hearing some of the captured prisoners scream out in shock and recognition.
The Spartans all turned to him, their visors all reflecting his terrified face while he held up a device with a single button on it in each of their directions.
"B-Back," he stammered out, consumed by fear but still managing to speak. "Stay back! Don't you fucking come any closer. One more step and these people can say goodbye to their heads."
Many had now thrown their hands up to the collars around their necks, many openly terrified, crying out for mercy, pleading him not to do it, others screaming at the Spartans not to do anything reckless.
The Spartans all stared at the Batarians, their posture and helmets revealing nothing. Then, as if they had rehearsed this, all nine took a step forward, getting cries and pleas from the prisoners, and a terrified Batarian holding up the detonator.
"I'll do it!" He shrieked, eyes widening as they took yet another step forward. "DAMMIT! I'LL DO IT!"
The Spartans only drew closer, ignoring the commotion around them until the Batarian finally snapped.
"Yo-you FUCKS!" He exclaimed, spittle flying out of his mouth as he pressed on the detonator.
*Click*
"Huh?"
*Click*
*Click*
*BANG*
The Batarian holding the detonator got a bullet in the head for his troubles. The look of confusion was the last thing plastered on his face as he fell to the ground, landing in a sickening thud that echoed for a few moments.
There was a tense, terrified silence that followed, with none of the prisoners speaking or moving until Carter spoke up.
"Alright people, sorry for the scare." Noble One spoke in calm, measured clarity. "Your collars were disarmed earlier. You don't have to worry about them."
There was a strangled series of gasps and sharp exhales of breath from many of the prisoners who had been watching all this in rapt silence.
Master Chief walked over to the cage closest to him, and in a display of his strength, pried the cage doors open with almost minimal effort. The captured people inside openly gaped at this, looking at the Spartan in terrified awe.
"You're safe now." Chief's gravelly voice came out, exuding an assurance that managed to calm most of those inside. "Come on out. We'll get those collars off of you."
A human, young from Chief's observations, possibly even a teenager, stepped forward. She trembled slightly as she walked towards the Spartan and when she reached him, she barely reached his lower chest.
He held out a hand for her, which she took and he moved her over to a nearby crate for her to sit down on. Once doing so, in a quick series of instructions Isabel had sent to him to his HUD, Chief successfully removed the collar, making the young girl rub her neck, eyes watering in gratitude and reverence.
Seeing this, many of the other prisoners began exiting the cage, the Spartans opening each one, until all were emptied out.
"Cages," Kat noted, tone tinged with disgust.
"Designed to break them," Noble Six murmured next to her. "To make them not human… or any of their species."
Just as they had finished clearing out the cages, they heard movement from a desk on the far end of the room.
Immediately, the Spartans had their weapons up, creating a defensive barrier between themselves and the freed prisoners. Some had cried out in surprise and fear, hiding behind crates and the Spartans while others simply froze momentarily.
Jerome, being the closest, gestured for him, Jorge, Alice and Douglas to approach the desk.
Once getting in close, 092 silently sent a message for 042 and 052 to get around the desk, and for 130 to hold position with him.
The two larger Spartans did as ordered, moving around the desk until both stopped, their weapons slouching slightly.
"Jorge? Douglas?" Red Leader quietly said.
Douglas looked at Jerome, lowering his rifle, whilst Jorge placed his customized minigun down and went down to one knee.
"It's alright," Noble Five said, his voice calm and soft. "We're not here to hurt you. Those that did are dead."
There was movement, followed by an audible shudder.
"Come on," Jorge held out his hand. "You'll be home soon enough."
There was a series of tense seconds that seemed to stretch out until they heard movement. From beneath the desk, a blue hand came out that placed itself in the much larger one of the Spartan-II.
It was a child.
An Asari child and when she stepped out beneath the desk, the Spartans all took notice of the nasty bruise she had on her eyes, her swollen lip and multiple other injuries all over her small body.
"Fucking hell." Emile snarled silently.
She was shaking, utterly terrified as she was staring up at the Spartan.
Then another Asari stepped forward, this one an adult, with tears running down her eyes.
"Halay!" The Asari cried out, catching the attention of the child.
"Mama!" The young Asari turned, almost tripping over herself had Jorge not caught her and kept her from falling.
"Easy now," 052 stated. "Let's get you patched up before you go off running."
The Asari mother came over instead, scooping her daughter up into a relieved and desperate hug, crying tears of joy and relief in holding her child once more. She looked at the Spartans, profusely thanking them in a slightly blubbering mess, making much of the tension and apprehension the prisoners held towards the super soldiers dissipate.
"Radioing in the Alliance for pickup." Carter announced. "Let's get you all healed and armed up. Who here knows how to use a gun?"
There was an awkward pause, many not expecting such a question until slowly, a few hands were raised.
Once this was all said and done, the former prisoners were surprised by the departure of the Spartans. Some feared that a retaliation would occur, but they had been assured that this would not happen and the Alliance would be here within the hour.
When asked if they were Alliance, it was Noble Six who answered.
"We're not Alliance."
"Then…" The Mother of Halay, holding her child, looked at all of them. "Who or what are you?"
Six turned back to the others, all of whom simply stared at him, a silent message of 'we trust your discretion here'.
"We're Spartans."
-Scene Cut-
Back on the planet many of the UNSC settlers have named Reach or rather New Reach or Reach II, construction was still underway.
A large base was being built in the same coordinates as New Alexanderia back home, and surrounding it were smaller settlements that were personally made by each of the inhabitants of the Fire.
Constructor and repurposed Aggressor Sentinels flew about alongside Huragok, all being directed by the men and women of the UNSC.
A factory was underway, meant to harvest the rich minerals and natural resources of this untouched planet that would help them build up their arsenal, as well as further strip down the destroyed Long Night of Solace that was a fixture far off on the horizon of the New New Alexandria.
They still needed to figure out a name for this place, agreeing to just add another new to be redundant and silly.
All the while, over in the location of the under construction Sword base…
Professor Ellen Anders was diligently working on studying the Forerunner Base found here, having downloaded a cache of data that needed to be deciphered and understood. Thus far, one of the main components she had been able to begin to understand, to a degree, were the teleporting modules and nodes that served as instantaneous movement across Reach wherever they had been set up.
She, with the AI and the assistance of the Huragok and Sentinels, had made their first pair of teleportation modules between here, the Spirit of Fire and the newly established settlement.
After that was said and done, Anders delved deeper into trying to understand the purpose of this base here, more importantly, how in the multiverse did the Forerunners make it. They had long since surmised the advancement of the Forerunners given the technology has withstood the test of time. But to now discover they had achieved the means of multiversal travel redefined just how technologically advanced they were.
She paused upon hearing a comment spoken to quietly for her to discern.
"Having fun with the Eezo there?" Anders asked, not looking up from her own work.
Next to her, on a holo-table that had been set up for research, the avatar of Cortana appeared, the AI puffing a cheek out comically.
"Could be better."
Before Anders and everyone else started experimenting with Element Zero (or Eezo for short), they had to research what the wider galaxy knew about this substance.
Yes, it was the main fuel source all spacefaring species in this galaxy used. Mass Effect technology affected their ships, weapons, gear, you name it. There were even amps that made one become an artificial biotic to somewhat emulate Asari, who were natural biotics.
But of course there were some downsides.
They had to be careful given the certain radiation that could affect some people due to exposure, especially if a woman was pregnant. There were studies and statements that were brought up of newborns possibly becoming 'natural' biotics.
After learning all this and more, Anders and her people began trying to see if they could use Eezo into their technology. And the AI stepped in to take a look at things when they weren't too busy with their own tasks.
Taking a look over at Cortana, Anders still couldn't understand how it is that an AI could appear more youthful, but after an apparent dip in Serina's Monitor body, now nicknamed the AI Fountain of Youth, Cortana looked "fresher" than ever before. She and Isabel were told by Serina that a few moments in the Forerunner monitor was all they needed to cleanse themselves of any chances of rampancy in the usual UNSC standards.
They can still go rampant, evidenced by Guilty Spark 343s case, but that wouldn't be for another… one hundred thousand years, give or take. Mostly take, if placed in increasingly stressful situations that pushed the limits of their processors, but that wouldn't happen in their line of work.
No, of course it wouldn't.
"What's wrong with the Eezo?" Anders asked, seeing Cortana pacing about the holo-table.
"Going through simulations, integrating Mass Effect technology with our own has very low success rates."
"Right." Says Anders, having already known this after her own attempts. "Was there anything else?"
Cortana brought up a holo-display of the Citadel in response. "You know the phrase, 'know thy enemy'. And given we're in unfamiliar territory, in a sense, we needed to scrounge up everything.
Anders tilted her head slightly. "Somewhat forgot you girls were tasked with that. So what did you find?"
Cortana turned to her with a pointed look. "A lot of unique circumstances, inconsistencies, and… something else. Something I can't quite put my finger on."
"Like what?" Anders asked, now setting aside her work, going over to the holo-table.
"Populations, for starters. Back home, by the 26th century, humanity colonized eight hundred worlds. As for the Covenant, vastly more worlds are occupied by them with nearly a dozen species that spread throughout the rest of the Milky Way. Here, there's fourteen species that settled on a tenth of what this galaxy holds." Cortana informs her. "Another deals with the evolutionary diversity that seems stunted with the developmental timeline seemingly way too slow."
"We're only in the 22nd century here, Cortana." Anders pointed out. "Four hundred years behind where our humanity is. There's still time to grow and expand."
"Which the others understood on the comparison and could be handwaved. However, something else didn't add up."
Anders raised a brow. "Elaborate."
"It's not just technology but genetic diversity and even cultures. The species in this galaxy seem too young given how old the respective homeworlds of each are. Even the odd branch of humanity here when comparing them back in our reality seems rather odd." A digital screen appeared before the AI, scrolled it before popping up a compiled file. "Take for example the Asari."
Anders said nothing, silently watching as Cortana brought up holo-images, diagrams and in depth displays of the anatomy of this alien race.
"Asari biology is rather… strange." Cortana stated, eyes narrowing slightly. "We believe their race was engineered in some way by an outside force."
This got Anders a bit more curious. "You seem focused on them in particular."
"It's cuz I am." Cortana admitted. "After we delved into the histories of all the species here in this universe, they caught my attention straight away. It's honestly a bit of a headscratcher on figuring out this gaping hole in their race's evolutionary development. When you look at the traits their race developed and compared them alongside Thessia's environmental conditions, even taking into account every major catastrophe and climate shift in the past hundred thousand years. I mean, the Asari's ability to mate with any race or gender; sharing physical traits that enamors you to nearly every spacefaring culture there is. Not to mention this boggling technological leap the Asari took several thousand years ago, before any other species."
"Did the Covenant not have the same advantage?"
"I know, I know, but it's their genetic makeup that's really getting to me. Aside from being able to mate with any species, and I do mean any, there's also the tidbit that every Asari is born with the potential to use Biotics. It's like it's hardwired into their DNA. Unless their people somehow cracked their own genetic code when they were still using sticks as tools then it doesn't make sense at all. It should only really happen over millions, if not billions of years of natural genetic evolution; not a faction of that time."
Anders conceded to that point. "So the Asari were tinkered with. What about the other races?"
"Natural from what we scrounged up. It's just the Asari that were singled out."
"What made them so special then?"
"That's the million dollar question." Cortana remarked, arms crossed in slight frustration.
Anders eyed the AI with a scrutinizing gaze.
"That's not all, is it?"
Cortana scoffed good-naturedly. "Of course it's not all. The Asari are one thing, but look at their Mass Effect technology."
She then brought up not the ships or technology of this universe, but the ones from back home.
Ellen made a face, looking between the holo-table and Cortana.
"What's this supposed to be?"
"Something that'll help with what I'm getting at." The AI emphasized. "So, what do you see here, Professor?"
One was slick and smooth with its predominant purple metal while the other was gunmetal grey that resembled a wand with various bars wrapped around it.
Anders rolled her eyes, deciding to play Cortana's game.
"Slip-Space devices."
"From…?"
Ellen was getting a bit annoyed but answered all the same. "That's from the Covenant," her eyes move from the left to the right, "and that's a standard UNSC device."
"Right," Cortana said. "Now, look at this."
Over a dozen different gyroscopic devices now appear, each one having a few key differences and makeups that differentiates them from one another, but overall, the design and makeup are universal.
"Do you know which Mass Effect FTL drive belongs to which species?"
There was a pause, and Anders furrowed her brow, at first not understanding why Cortana was doing this, but slowly, a creeping suspicion began to form.
"...They all look the same to me." She slowly said, and as she suspected, this appeared to be the right answer as Cortana emphatically nodded.
"Unless you're an expert on the FTL of this universe, you can't distinguish which of these belong to which species."
"What are you getting at, Cortana?" Anders asked, though in a more patient tone.
"Ok, so, to start with," the AI brought up the Slip space drives alongside the Mass Effect ones. "Of these two methods, one holds clearly different methods and systems of build, while the others are more uniform with one another. The Covenant, due to their prior worship of the Forerunners, modeled a lot of their Slip space drives after the similar shape of Forerunner ones, but it was still easy to tell which was Covenant and which was Forerunner. Slip space was essentially the only really unifying means of connecting ourselves with the Covenant. Our methods of faster-than-light travel. But that's where most of our similarities ended."
"Right," Anders murmured, her mind now beginning to make the connections Cortana was headed towards.
"We have very distinct methods of technological advancement, with both sides having their own advantages. The Covenant, being of more experienced space-faring as opposed to humanity, had a more precise and faster means of Slip space than us. But humanity had the advantage of AI that is far more advanced than anything the Covenant ever had, super soldiers, for the most part, and even nukes that could blow up stars. Now, it's not to say that either of the two would have achieved similar technological advancements, it's just the paths taken are clearly distinct, different, with each one retaining a look, so to speak. Maybe the end point of our technological advancements is to achieve what the Forerunners had done, who knows, but each of us would have undoubtedly gotten there using their own innovations and style, and perhaps discovered something even the Forerunners wouldn't have known, unlikely as that may be."
Cortana did away with their home universe's technology and focused on this reality's tech.
"That's not the same here." She declared with a serious expression. "Now… with this Eezo based technology, even with the differentiation of ship design, the technology is almost uniform across all the species. Asari, Salarian, Turian, Human, Quarian, you name it. Some are more efficient than others, more creative, but they all fall within the confines of these relays, Eezo's, and that's it." Cortana then looked troubled. "After all these years of using them, why haven't the races in this galaxy considered going beyond those limits; trying new things and expanding them? I can understand some people not liking change but all I see is an eventual stagnation that will only lead to dead ends, and lack of innovation and creativity."
Anders was now sharing Cortana's troubled expression. "Hasn't there been other means of technological diversity? Without the use of Eezo?"
The AI shook her head. "Everything that has been advanced revolves solely around Mass Effect and Element Zero. All that they've achieved is because of what they've got." A sigh escapes her lips. "There seems to be so many ideas that could be done with technological ideas some people sprung up over the years from what the girls and I were able to look up, but they were oddly dismissed. Which is a shame, because they are radical, even by UNSC standards. I've looked into the Alliance history, and they themselves were experimenting with other means of FTL. But as soon as they discovered they could travel through the Mass Relays, they stopped all other pursuits. Just dropped it, then and there."
Now that tidbit unsettled, if not annoyed, Anders.
What kind of scientist worth their salt would abandon such endeavors? In her mind, advancements are never truly abandoned, just set aside until the right time comes for there to be possible progress.
"That's…" Anders shook her head. "That feels… wrong."
"It does, doesn't it?" Cortana emphatically remarked.
Ellen stood there for a few moments, going over what she had just learned in deep thought, looking up at the AI. "Is there anything else that may disturb me?"
"Saving the best for last."
Anders rolled her eyes. "How joyful."
"When going over historical records, there seems to be something very concerning. From certain archaeologists, there seems to be an odd timeframe where these Protheans and some other species just disappeared roughly fifty thousand years ago. And another fifty thousand years before that, the Forerunner archives here list that another species also vanished."
"Do they have a name?"
"The Inu-something." Cortana said with a frustrated frown. "I don't know, the data is slightly damaged, so it's taking a lot longer to decipher. This whole base is strange. It's Forerunner but built like an ONI base. All secrets, only hints."
Anders ignored that, instead focusing on the timeline of events involving the apparent "disappearances" of these alien races from thousands of years ago. And the pattern was easy to pick up on.
"Fifty thousand years apart." The Professor said aloud. "Both of these 'disappearances' are fifty thousand years apart."
"Pretty much, yeah. It seems to be some sort of cycle that lasts roughly fifty thousand years before some species just disappear."
Anders squinted, running the numbers through her head before turning to Cortana. "And when is the deadline of the end of whatever "cycle" we're in?"
"By my calculations: a few years from now."
Ellen took a few moments to respond.
"You've been thinking about this for a while, haven't you?"
"Like you wouldn't believe," Cortana replied with an exaggerated groan. "Ever since I took a dip in Serina's monitor, my processing capabilities have skyrocketed, but I'd never believe I could have a digital headache."
"We did just arrive in an alternate universe," Anders blandly pointed out. "Firsts and other impossibilities are more to come. It's a certainty, really."
Cortana only groaned again.
As this discussion had been ongoing, another meeting was underway, one between the Captain of the Fire and his first Sergeant.
The pair were walking through the new settlement, walking by the crew of the Fire that had been diligently adhering to their duties, taking their time to stop and salute the pair, before resuming their work.
"The Spartans came back the other day." Cutter stated, nodding at a pair of ODSTs running drills with their squads. "Their first operation was a success. They even brought home an System's Alliance ship as a little victory trophy."
"And how did they acquire that?"
"The Batarians got it on one of their previous raids."
Forge huffed, his lip twitching upwards before falling into an angry frown. "Jerome told me about what they saw. It was abridged but… those four-eyed bastards… never thought I'd feel something for someone that's not human."
"The races here aren't the Covenant," Cutter reminded him. "Even with what we learned, they had a children's spat in the galactic playground compared to what the Covenant did to us."
"Yeah, but those Battery Bastards aren't doing themselves any favors with what they're doing and how they're treatin' humanity here. Hell, how they're treating anyone that ain't one of them." Forge almost growled. "Slavery? Fucking backwards fucks, if you ask me. Sir."
"Not disagreeing with you, Sergeant. But for now, you'll need to focus your attention on another objective. Have you assembled your team?"
Forge simply nodded, gesturing ahead of their path.
Cutter saw a marine walking back and forth in front of five other marines, all standing at attention.
"Vasquez," Forge called out to the marine, making him turn and snap into a salute for Captain Cutter, which the other five emulated in crisp movement.
"Sir." Vasquez said to the pair.
"At ease, men." Cutter said, gesturing his hand down. "Lieutenant Vasquez. Still running drills?"
"Always, Captain." The Marine responded in a gruff, grizzled tone.
James nodded, walking past the LT to inspect the rest of the selected marines by his first Sergeant. He gave each of them a once over, taking a moment to speak with them.
"Sergeant Foley."
"Sir."
"You know the mission you're being assigned to?"
"Well enough, Captain." The Sergeant replied, head held high, expression stoic and ready.
Cutter simply nodded, moving onto the man next to him.
"Ramirez," the Captain said with a wry smirk. "Hope you know you're gonna be running errands for both Foley and Forge now."
James Ramirez's lip twitched upwards, fighting down a smile.
"Nothing new there, sir. Just ol' Ramirez carrying the squad on his back."
"That's normally what Sergeant Jackson does." Cutter countered.
"One time, sir." Ramirez respectfully disagreed.
"Three times." Paul Jackson spoke up.
Cutter shook his head faintly. "You ever decide to take something seriously the first time?"
Ramirez grinned before catching himself. "Working on it, sir."
"See that you do," Cutter replied, though there was no heat in it. "Sometimes humor opens doors. Sometimes it closes them."
"Yes, sir."
The other marines tried hard not to chuckle.
Cutter let the chuckles die down on their own before stepping in front of the next marine in line. His posture remained formal, but his eyes carried recognition rather than distance.
"Staff Sergeant Griggs."
Griggs straightened. "Sir."
Cutter gave a short nod. "You've been with the Fire since Harvest. This ain't your usual MO but if anyone can adapt, it's you. If anyone here knows how to move through a crowd without stirring it up, it's you."
Griggs allowed himself the faintest hint of a smile. "I'll keep them out of trouble, sir."
"That's what I'm counting on."
Cutter shifted one step down the line.
"Sergeant Jackson."
Jackson snapped to attention. "Sir."
"I hear you've been promoted to squad conscience," Cutter said dryly.
Jackson blinked, then exhaled through his nose. "I try not to let them do anything too stupid, sir."
Cutter nodded approvingly. "Keep trying."
He stopped in front of the youngest face in the group.
"Private Allen."
Allen swallowed, then met Cutter's gaze. "Sir."
Cutter's tone eased just a touch. "First time stepping off into something this unfamiliar. You've handled worse than you think."
"Yes, sir."
"Stick close to your NCOs, watch before you act, and you'll be fine."
Allen nodded, some of the tension easing from his shoulders. "Aye, sir."
Cutter stepped back, taking in the entire squad. The familiarity was there—but so was confidence. He turned to Forge.
"Sergeant Forge."
Forge squared his shoulders. "Sir."
"What is the designation of this squad here?"
The Sergeant smirked slightly, seemingly proud of his choice. "Designation Ranger, Captain. We'll lead the way."
Cutter 'hmphed', apparently amused by this choice, but his expression conveyed approval.
"Alright, then Ranger Team," he said aloud, addressing the entire squad.
Any levity they had evaporated instantly, with all of them snapping at attention, ready to receive their mission briefing.
"You're being sent to the Citadel. This isn't a combat deployment." His gaze moved across each of them. "You'll observe, take notes, learn how these people live and think."
Serina's monitor floated down from above, her hologram shimmering into view.
"I'll handle your documentation and cover identities," she added. "You'll also be acquiring omni-tools and getting accustomed to local systems. Nothing classified, nothing that draws attention."
Cutter continued, "Keep your weapons concealed, your tempers in check, and your curiosity working. If something feels off, you disengage and report. Even with everything our ladies have managed to document in terms of information and knowledge, we are still in unknown territory. Reckless action is the last thing we need right now. Unless a way home miraculously drops itself into our laps, we are stuck here for the foreseeable future. So we need to make our moves carefully, choose when and where to strike, and when and where to operate discretely. And don't worry, from what I've seen with my own research, sooner or later, you're all gonna get to shoot at something that ain't friendly. Ranger Squad deploys in twelve hours. Final briefing with Serina in six."
He saluted. The squad returned it as one, crisp and unified.
As the formation broke, Cutter watched them go for a moment longer than necessary. These weren't strangers he was sending out. They were his people.
Frankly, he wasn't as comfortable as he thought he'd be, though, that should come as a surprise.
Despite all he had learned about this galaxy thanks to Serina, Cortana, and Isabel, this was still a galaxy that was completely foreign to them.
Where Humanity back home had an outright hostile view towards aliens, for good reason, here, humanity has integrated itself with the galactic community, despite the obvious standing tension between races.
He trusted Forge and his squad, that goes without saying. It's this galaxy and the environment he didn't trust.
The Captain grunted, shaking his head.
Now wasn't the time for these thoughts. He just had to put his faith in Forge that everything will turn out alright in the end. That's all.
-Scene Cut-
The Alliance ship didn't feel right.
Forge stood on the small craft's bridge, arms folded, eyes moving over unfamiliar consoles and softly glowing displays. The ship was efficient, well-maintained… and utterly alien compared to UNSC design philosophy.
Ranger Squad occupied the rear of the compartment, helmets clipped to their belts, weapons secured and sealed just as Serina had instructed. Newly issued omni-tools rested dormant on their forearms, faint lights pulsing in standby.
Standing by him was the lieutenant, his XO, who was equally as off put by the ship they were on as were the others.
Vasquez leaned in slightly. "Never thought I'd say this, Sergeant, but I miss our ships."
Forge snorted. "I miss bulkheads you can kick."
Serina's hologram shimmered into view near the pilot's console.
"Transponder and registry are broadcasting normally," she announced. "Alliance identification is clean across all public and restricted channels."
As the ship drifted closer, the Citadel filled the forward viewport. Traffic streamed in steady, disciplined patterns, vessels of every size and shape converging on the massive structure.
The marines all gathered to observe, and the size of the Citadel wasn't what caught their attention.
Allen swallowed. "That's… a lot of people."
"Which is good," Forge replied quietly. "Means no one's paying attention to us."
The comm panel chimed.
"Approaching Citadel traffic control," Serina announced. "Submitting credentials."
Seconds stretched.
Ramirez shifted his weight. "So if this doesn't work-"
Forge cut him off without turning. "It'll work, private."
The speakers crackled, a calm, practiced voice carrying through the bridge as the universal translator engaged.
"Alliance vessel, clearance verified," spoke a calm, female voice. "Docking assignment transmitted. Welcome to the Citadel."
A collective breath was released.
Jackson muttered, "Well, I'll be damned."
Forge shook his head. "Not yet."
The ship altered course, gliding smoothly into one of the Citadel's open arms. Docking clamps locked in with a subdued thunk. Precise, controlled, almost gentle.
Serina smiled. "We're in."
She then flickered out, transferring herself over to Forge's Omni-Tool, the device briefly blinking to indicate she was in.
The ramp began to lower, and Forge took a step forward, before pausing, letting the squad gather beside him.
"No helmets," he said quietly. "We're not walking into a battlefield. We're walking into someone else's home."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"Remember, heads down, eyes open. Observe, report, and don't give anyone a reason to remember us."
Forge stepped off the ramp and onto the deck plates of the Citadel, the sounds of galactic civilization washing over him.
"Ranger Squad," he said evenly, "let's go see the neighborhood."
They walked forward, feeling the air around them, breathing in the natural/artificial atmosphere, all while they took in all the sights and sounds of the Citadel. Now that they were inside, the interior seemingly stretches on endlessly from their vantage, with layered walkways, multiple plazas, stores, so much advertisement, and lights filtering down from above that gave the Citadel the feel of a city, instead of a station.
And then there were the people.
Or rather, all the aliens.
"Jesus h," Griggs quietly grumbled. "This is weird."
Forge slowed just enough to let the squad fan out naturally around him, not in formation, not drawing attention. Just another group of Alliance personnel off-duty, taking in the sights.
"Okay," Ramirez murmured, eyes tracking a pair of asari gliding past, "I knew there'd be aliens, but I didn't think there'd be this many."
"Don't stare," Jackson said quietly. "That goes for all of you."
A pair of Turian C-Sec officers passed by, heads inclined in each other's direction as they spoke among themselves. Allen glanced at them, then leaned closer to Forge.
"They walk like they're always on duty."
"Built that way," Forge replied, recalling the brief summary the ladies had on them. "Discipline looks different when it's bred into the bone."
Griggs' attention shifted as a cluster of Salarians hurried past, voices rapid and clipped, hands moving constantly as they spoke.
"It's one thing to read up on it. Another to see it," he observed. "Like they're racing a clock only they can see."
"Probably are," Vasquez mused. "Short lifespans, remember?"
They passed a Volus encased in its pressure suit, huffing as it negotiated prices with a human merchant. Nearby, an Elcor stood immobile as it spoke in its deep, deliberate tone, while a Hanar floated past, bioluminescent patterns rippling gently across its skin.
Ramirez shook his head slowly. "This is… a lot."
Forge's gaze hardened slightly as two more figures came into view.
Batarians.
Four-eyed, broad-shouldered, moving through the crowd without incident. No chains. No weapons drawn. Just… people.
Jackson noticed too, his expression darkening. "Didn't expect to see them here."
"Or Krogan," Griggs added quietly as a massive, humped figure lumbered past, armored plates etched with age and wear, completely uninterested in the humans sharing the walkway.
Forge kept his expression neutral. File it away, he reminded himself. Observe. Don't judge.
Allen broke the moment, voice hesitant but thoughtful. "Sergeant… we're kind of spinning our wheels here."
Forge glanced at him. "Meaning?"
"Well," Allen said, gesturing vaguely at everything, "we could wander for hours and not really learn anything. Or we could just… ask. Be upfront. First time on the Citadel, new unit, looking for the basics."
Forge studied him for a moment, then nodded slowly.
"Not bad, Private."
His eyes landed on an asari standing near a transit kiosk, speaking calmly with a pair of civilians. When she finished, Forge stepped forward, posture relaxed, hands visible.
"Excuse me," he said evenly.
The asari turned, crest tilting slightly as her eyes focused on him. "Yes?"
Forge offered a polite nod. "Sergeant John Forge, Systems Alliance. My squad's newly put together. We just wrapped our first assignment together."
He gestured subtly to the marines behind him.
"Figured I'd take them out, get them set up. Omni-tools, decent places to eat, things worth seeing. Thought it'd be smarter to ask someone who actually knows the Citadel."
The Asari's lips curved into a small, amused smile.
"First time here?"
"Is it that obvious?"
She chuckled softly. "A little. But it's not a bad thing. The Citadel can be overwhelming if you don't know where to start."
She gestured down one of the walkways. "If you're looking for omni-tools, the Wards are your best bet. As for food and sightseeing…" Her eyes flicked briefly to the squad. "Depends on how adventurous you're feeling."
Forge nodded appreciatively. "We'll start slow."
"Wise choice," she said. "Welcome to the Citadel, Sergeant."
As she turned and rejoined the flow of traffic, Forge looked back at his squad.
"See?" he said quietly. "All we had to do was act like we belonged."
Ramirez smirked. "Still can't believe this is real."
Forge started walking again, leading them into the crowd.
"Get used to it," he said. "We're a long way from home."
They followed the flow of foot traffic deeper into the Wards, the Citadel's tone shifting subtly as they moved away from transit hubs and into commercial space. The lighting warmed, the walkways narrowed, and storefronts began to stack atop one another in tidy vertical layers.
If the Presidium was civilization's polished face, this was its marketplace heartbeat.
"Huh," Ramirez said, slowing just enough to look around. "So this is where the money lives."
Forge's omni-tool chimed softly on his forearm as Serina brought up a discreet overlay only he could see.
FUNDS TRANSFERRED.
SOURCE: MULTIPLE NON-LAW-ABIDING ENTITIES.
STATUS: UNLIKELY TO BE MISSED.
Forge snorted, smirking wryly. "You're having too much fun with that."
"I have no idea what you mean," Serina replied neutrally, but the sergeant knew she was smirking right now. "But if it helps, I was very selective. Criminal organizations only. Think of it as redistribution."
"Uh-huh."
They stopped in front of a compact but busy storefront, its signage pulsing in clean, minimalist script. Inside, holo-displays rotated through omni-tool models, interface layouts, and modular attachments.
A Salarian shopkeeper looked up as they entered, eyes widening slightly before settling into polite curiosity.
"Ah~~ Alliance customers," he said quickly, hands folding together. "Looking to upgrade?"
Forge stepped forward, relaxed. "That obvious?"
"New gear posture," the Salarian replied. "And you're all looking at the displays instead of your wrists."
Fair enough.
Forge tapped his omni-tool, credits flashing briefly. "We want the best civilian-grade omni-tools you sell. Fast processors, durable housings, clean interfaces. Nothing flashy."
The Salarians eyes lit up. "Ah. Professionals."
He moved with brisk efficiency, pulling up a series of high-end models. "These are popular with Spectre-adjacent contractors and survey teams. Excellent multitasking capability. Encryption-ready."
'The hell is a Spectre?' He mentally asked, filing that query away for later.
"Done," Forge said without hesitation.
One by one, the squad received their new omni-tools, the devices syncing smoothly as Serina quietly handled configuration in the background.
Ramirez flexed his wrist, watching the holographic interface bloom to life. "Okay… I get it now."
"Feels like cheating," Allen said, holding up his own, blinking slightly as he tried to make sense of all the features that were on this device.
Forge glanced at his own display. "Feels like catching up."
Purchase complete, they moved back into the flow of the Citadel, stomachs beginning to remind them that it had been a long day.
They ended up at a mid-level food court. Open seating, multiple vendors, scents familiar and unfamiliar but strangely inviting. Forge chose something simple, broadly palatable, and soon the squad was eating, helmets forgotten at their feet.
"Thank God they got people food here," Ramirez said, bringing over a tray that looked like it had every type of Earth food possible.
"Ya gonna eat all that, Ramirez?" Foley asked with a raised brow.
"Come on, Sarge, you know I'm a big eater," James replied, already taking a bite out of a burger, speaking with his mouth full. "We'll burn these calories out by tomorrow."
Foley shook his head, digging into his food, while his fellow sergeant beside him was taking the time to observe their surroundings.
Jackson glanced up between bites. "Anyone else notice how many ads there are?"
He wasn't wrong.
Holo-banners scrolled above them. Bright colors. Animated mascots. Tactical gear, entertainment venues, luxury products, all competing for attention.
"Back home," Griggs said, "you saw recruitment posters and ration notices. Maybe propaganda if things were bad."
"Here?" Ramirez gestured around with his fork. "It's like the galaxy's yelling at you to buy stuff."
Allen squinted at one of the displays across the concourse. "Hey… what's that?"
The ad shifted, showing armored figures battling through simulated environments, score tallies flashing, weapons cycling in rapid succession.
ARMAX ARSENAL ARENA
THE GALAXY'S PREMIER COMBAT SIMULATION EXPERIENCE
TEST YOUR METTLE AT THE SILVER SUN STRIP
Forge's chewing slowed.
A combat simulator. Full-spectrum, by the look of it. Live-fire simulations without the risk. Adjustable environments. Adaptive enemy behavior.
Damn it.
Vasquez noticed the look.
"Sergeant… we're supposed to keep a low profile." But even his tone said otherwise.
Serina's voice chimed softly, audible only through their omni-tools.
"Strictly speaking, visiting a commercial entertainment venue would not violate your operational parameters," she said. "Additionally, the Arena's schematics are publicly accessible to registered participants."
Forge raised an eyebrow. "Meaning?"
"Meaning," Serina continued, "I could copy the architectural and software blueprints while you're inside. Cutter might find the concept… useful."
Forge leaned back slightly, eyes still on the ad as it looped again.
A place like that, back home…training without casualties, stress-tested systems, scalable simulations…
He exhaled.
"We'll think about it," he said finally. "Finish eating first."
Ramirez grinned. "So that's a 'no' that sounds a lot like a 'yes.'"
Forge shot him a look. "That's a 'don't push it.'"
"Not a no," Allen whispered conspiratorially next to Ramirez.
They lingered in the food court longer than planned. Not because they were idle, but because the Citadel refused to be taken in at a glance.
Once they'd finished eating, Forge motioned them back onto the walkways, and the squad folded naturally into the flow of traffic again. The Wards only grew louder and brighter the deeper they went.
Shops lined both sides of the thoroughfare, stacked in tiers and balconies, each one trying to outshine the next.
Clothing boutiques displayed mannequins of half a dozen species, fabric draped and tailored in ways that defied anything Forge had seen back home. Some garments shimmered faintly with integrated tech; others looked purely ceremonial.
Ramirez slowed, eyeing a display of sleek, high-collared jackets clearly designed for humans.
"Okay," he said quietly, "tell me those wouldn't make us look less… military."
Jackson snorted. "You'd still stand like a rifle rack."
Forge glanced at the price tag. "And you'd still complain about the cost."
Griggs paused at a kiosk selling accessories. Utility belts, data slates, multi-species comm beads.
"Look at this," he said, tapping a projected overlay. "Civilian-grade stuff, but modular. They build everything here to work with everything else."
Forge nodded. "When your entire society runs on mixed species, you don't get to be proprietary."
Allen stopped near a vendor advertising environmental adaptation gear such as thin cloaks, breathable masks, and lightweight boots designed for varying gravity levels.
"They sell this like it's normal," he said. "Different atmospheres, different gravities… just another commute."
"Because for them, it is," Vasquez replied. "This place isn't a frontier. It's a crossroads."
They passed a jewelry shop catering to asari and humans alike, bioluminescent stones floating gently in zero-g displays. Nearby, a tailor worked with an Elcor client, the massive alien standing patiently as projected measurements scrolled around it.
Ramirez shook his head slowly. "Back home, we barely trusted anyone who didn't look like us."
Forge didn't answer right away. He watched a Hanar drift past a human child, the two chatting easily as if it were the most natural thing in the galaxy.
"Different war," he said finally.
They rounded a corner and nearly collided with a Krogan browsing a weapons accessories stall. Not weapons themselves, just grips, holsters, and maintenance kits. The Krogan glanced at them, snorted, and went back to inspecting a reinforced gauntlet.
Jackson muttered, "Still weird."
"Yeah," Forge agreed. "But note taken."
As they walked, the advertisements grew more aggressive. Almost comically so.
Animated billboards projecting into the open air, personalized holo-ads shifting as omni-tools scanned passing traffic.
Ramirez waved one away. "If I see one more ad trying to sell me 'authentic Turian cuisine,' I'm gonna lose it."
Allen chuckled. "At least they're polite about it."
Forge glanced at his omni-tool. Serina quietly filtered most of the noise, tagging points of interest and flagging anything that might be worth revisiting.
"Clothing, food, civilian tech, entertainment," Serina said. "The Citadel's economy is almost entirely service-based. Efficient. Resilient."
"And loud," Forge added.
They passed another wide concourse, and the Armax Arsenal Arena ad appeared again—larger this time, dominating an entire wall. Simulated firefights played out in rapid succession, crowds cheering, scores climbing.
The squad slowed instinctively.
Vasquez cleared his throat. "Still thinking about it?"
Forge didn't answer immediately.
"Place like that," Griggs said carefully, "could train units without burning ammo or risking lives."
"Or teach us how they fight," Jackson added.
Serina chimed in again. "And provide schematics, software architecture, and simulation logic that could be adapted to UNSC parameters."
Forge exhaled slowly.
"God, layin' on the temptation a bit thick there, Serina," he mumbled. "Just mark it for later."
Ramirez smirked. "Marked it about three ads ago."
Forge shot him a flat look, before huffing a small laugh.
They continued on, the Citadel unfolding around them. More shops, more booths, more advertisements.
And a gaggle of Asari. All of which were posing for the new "fashion" that was considered trendy on the Citadel.
Allen, Ramirez, and even Griggs couldn't help but slow down to… "observe" these Asari and their… strategic curves, and their… well-coordinated and perfectly balanced… assets.
One of the Asari took note of the marines, particularly Allen and playfully winked at him, resuming her next pose.
"Oh God," the Marine groaned ashamedly. "Are these considered traitorous thoughts?"
"You tell me," Ramirez quietly murmured, catching the eye of another Asari, the blue-skinned humanoid putting on a seductive expression that nearly hypnotized the private.
"Enjoying the show, Ramirez?" Foley questioned with a deadpan face.
"Sir, just… I'm still human, aren't I?" He unashamedly asked. "Can't I enjoy a pretty sight?"
"Yeah, but they ain't," the Sergeant retorted.
"Come on, Keith, cut him some slack," Jackson cut in, clapping a hand on Foley. "You were young once too."
"Yeah, but then I became a marine."
"Nothin' wrong with taking in the culture," Griggs grunted.
"Think that's enough admiration for the hour, Marcus," Vasquez dryly said.
Forge shook his head in amusement, turning away from them…
Only to stop in his tracks.
He stared ahead in slight disbelief, before snorting to himself, shaking his head at their luck.
"Alright, that's it," he declared, making his squad turn to him in concern.
In doing so, a few caught sight of what made Forge react in such a manner and the rest followed suit.
"Wow, that's just…" Jackson trailed off. "Yeah, I got nothing."
Ahead of them was the Silver Sun Strip.
And what was the first thing they took note of in the Strip you ask?
"Third time's the charm," Forge quipped. "So, who's up for a few rounds?"
"Really, Sarge?" Vasquez said in surprise.
"When in Rome, like the old saying goes," The First-Sergeant of the Fire replied. "Besides, what better way to accommodate ourselves to this universe than seeing what we're up against. Sightseein' is fun and all but… we're marines. UNSC marines. And that," he gestured toward the arena. "Has everything we need to start adapting to this place. Full-spectrum training, multiple species, different tactics. If we're gonna survive in this universe, we're gonna have to learn how to fight in it. Consider it… unit bonding."
The squad exchanged glances. A mix of excitement and quiet anticipation spread across their faces.
Serina's voice chimed quietly through their omni-tools. "Participating will allow me to capture schematics and simulation algorithms. Cutter will find the data useful for developing training on the Spirit of Fire."
Forge smirked. "See? Even Serina's in on it."
"She's been in on it, sir," Ramirez "respectfully" reminded his squad leader.
"Well, alright then. Let's show the people here how it's done in the 26th century."
-Scene Cut-
The bridge of the Spirit of Fire.
Cutter leaned over a console, eyes scanning the mission report. Forge stood at attention beside him, chest straight, hands clasped behind his back, waiting for the Captain to speak.
Cutter's gaze flicked down to one particular line, and his brow lifted slightly. "Ranger Squad… set the highest score in the Armax Arsenal Arena." He paused, looking up at his sergeant. "And… that needed to be in the report?"
Forge straightened even more, chin up. "Yes, sir. The boys just did well, and… I figured they deserved the praise, sir."
Cutter's expression remained neutral for a beat, then he let a faint, dry smile tug at his lips. "Praise, huh? What happened to keeping a low profile?"
"Figured this fit within the parameters," Forge airily replied. "From a certain point of view."
"Is that right?" Cutter remarked, giving him a long look until he sighed, silently chortling to himself.
"Well… I suppose I can live with that." He tapped at the console, scrolling down. "Especially with the schematics Serina pulled from the Arena. That setup, if we wanted, could be replicated right here on Reach."
Forge's jaw tightened just slightly as he allowed a hint of pride to show. "Exactly, sir. Thought it might be useful."
Cutter leaned back in his chair, still pretending to be unimpressed, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward. "Unbelievable. You get your squad the highest score in a combat simulator in another universe, and now I have to worry about them building their own version at home."
Forge kept his composure, standing straight and silent, letting Cutter stew in his dry amusement.
After a long moment, Cutter shook his head lightly, muttering under his breath, "Well… at least someone's keeping sharp while we're stuck out here."
Forge allowed himself the tiniest satisfied smile.
"Just know I'll be informing Jerome and the other Spartans about this," Cutter suddenly said, making the Sergeant comically frown.
"Captain, that ain't fair. You know we'll never reach their records."
"The price you pay for fun."
Forge's professionalism vanished, giving the Captain a flat look. "Permission to speak sir?"
"Granted."
"That's such bullshit."
"Don't I know it, Sergeant. Dismissed."
Notes:
MmmmmmK, another chapter done, and first one to ring in the New Year.
Hope you guys all had a great New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Starting off 2026 with our first chapter overall, and the first mission for the Spartans and the Marines under Forge. And if you guys can take a guess who the marines are based on, congrats. Yes, most of them are Sergeants, and one even outranks Forge, but he's basically made to look like one of the squad leaders aboard the Spirit of Fire, so, meh, I say.
Now, quick thing, and I know some… if not a lot, might be a little miffed here when I say this. See, the poll I have up on my profile, if you read it, states that it's taken into consideration. After a few talks, I remembered that we wanted to go for a different direction in this story. It's why we have it that everyone is just together right away as opposed to the last time where we had a few chapters of solo outings for the characters.
With that said, I was legit torn cuz on one hand, yeah, Miranda Lawson is really a great go to pairing for Chief cuz they meld well together. At the same time, like I said, I didn't want us to do the same thing again. So, Jeb and Bullet made the decision for the story and yeah, the cute blue space archeologist lady wins. I know you guys voted but it was for consideration, not a decisive choice. Sorry.
BSX: This chapter was nice to explore other members of the Spirit of Fire other than the Spartans as we get a chance to see how their handling being in a new galaxy and future operations we will see beside Spartans. Also Cortana already suspecting something not right about this galaxy and wondering if they can prepare for what's to come shouldn't really come as a surprise.
FMW: Yeah, experience from the past kinda teaches you to be suspicious about these sorts of things. Plus, her being the AI copy of Halsey, one of the most brilliant, curious, and insightful minds of humanity gives her that additional edge.
Anywho, a lot of other reviews I would wanna address BUT, I figure that the story, in time, will address everything you guys have brought up. If it doesn't, shrug, oh well, I've learned you can't please everyone in life. We just wanna make this story fun and entertaining. And more importantly finish it. God knows we need more completed Halo/ME crossovers.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
Pages Navigation
Hivemindtime on Chapter 1 Wed 03 Dec 2025 09:17AM UTC
Comment Actions
FreeManWriter on Chapter 1 Wed 03 Dec 2025 05:28PM UTC
Comment Actions
Miercien on Chapter 1 Wed 03 Dec 2025 11:35AM UTC
Comment Actions
Scorcher2002 on Chapter 1 Wed 03 Dec 2025 11:38AM UTC
Comment Actions
MrGreen33 on Chapter 1 Wed 03 Dec 2025 11:57PM UTC
Comment Actions
FreeManWriter on Chapter 1 Thu 04 Dec 2025 07:22PM UTC
Comment Actions
Alertpoet91 on Chapter 1 Thu 04 Dec 2025 12:18AM UTC
Comment Actions
Want to be ship girl (Guest) on Chapter 1 Thu 04 Dec 2025 09:03AM UTC
Comment Actions
Alertpoet91 on Chapter 1 Thu 04 Dec 2025 09:17PM UTC
Comment Actions
FreeManWriter on Chapter 1 Thu 04 Dec 2025 07:21PM UTC
Comment Actions
Alertpoet91 on Chapter 1 Thu 04 Dec 2025 09:34PM UTC
Comment Actions
Adam29 on Chapter 1 Thu 04 Dec 2025 06:52PM UTC
Comment Actions
FreeManWriter on Chapter 1 Thu 04 Dec 2025 07:19PM UTC
Comment Actions
Adam29 on Chapter 1 Thu 04 Dec 2025 09:20PM UTC
Comment Actions
FreeManWriter on Chapter 1 Fri 05 Dec 2025 04:52AM UTC
Comment Actions
YoungXehanortTheTimeMaster on Chapter 1 Thu 04 Dec 2025 10:57PM UTC
Comment Actions
FreeManWriter on Chapter 1 Fri 05 Dec 2025 04:54AM UTC
Comment Actions
YoungXehanortTheTimeMaster on Chapter 1 Fri 05 Dec 2025 01:24PM UTC
Comment Actions
Bucios05 on Chapter 1 Fri 05 Dec 2025 12:00AM UTC
Comment Actions
FreeManWriter on Chapter 1 Fri 05 Dec 2025 04:53AM UTC
Comment Actions
Easy_to_Confuse on Chapter 1 Sun 07 Dec 2025 01:07PM UTC
Comment Actions
InactiveReadore on Chapter 1 Mon 08 Dec 2025 10:32PM UTC
Comment Actions
FreeManWriter on Chapter 1 Tue 09 Dec 2025 12:26AM UTC
Comment Actions
Miercien on Chapter 1 Sat 27 Dec 2025 11:54AM UTC
Last Edited Sat 27 Dec 2025 11:55AM UTC
Comment Actions
InactiveReadore on Chapter 1 Sun 28 Dec 2025 08:38AM UTC
Comment Actions
Not_Mario on Chapter 1 Wed 10 Dec 2025 01:10PM UTC
Comment Actions
firescout02 on Chapter 1 Tue 16 Dec 2025 12:39AM UTC
Comment Actions
FreeManWriter on Chapter 1 Tue 16 Dec 2025 04:47AM UTC
Comment Actions
IS6A6E on Chapter 1 Thu 25 Dec 2025 05:59PM UTC
Comment Actions
edward006 (Guest) on Chapter 1 Thu 12 Feb 2026 02:19AM UTC
Comment Actions
The_Avenging_Titan on Chapter 2 Sat 27 Dec 2025 10:26AM UTC
Comment Actions
Scorcher2002 on Chapter 2 Sat 27 Dec 2025 10:46AM UTC
Comment Actions
kotenok2000 on Chapter 2 Sat 27 Dec 2025 10:54AM UTC
Last Edited Sat 27 Dec 2025 10:57AM UTC
Comment Actions
YoungXehanortTheTimeMaster on Chapter 2 Sun 28 Dec 2025 12:56AM UTC
Comment Actions
Bucios05 on Chapter 2 Sun 28 Dec 2025 05:06AM UTC
Comment Actions
Pages Navigation