UNSC Infinity, Earth's Orbit
Several pelicans made landed inside the Infinity's hangar, naval personnel and many marines hopped out of them. The Infinity was getting new arsenals, technicians and defense personnel after the Didact Event. Out of one pelican came out a squadron of new SPARTAN-IVs, it was the newly established Fireteam Majestic, and alongside them were Fireteams Lancer and Crimson.
"Look at this ship." Paul DeMarco said being amazed by the sheer size of the Infinity's hangar.
"Yeah, it's big." Tedra Grant replied.
"I've seen bigger." Carlo Hoya said laughing at his remark, Grant just sighed at Hoya's immatureness. Behind them were Spartans Gabriel Thorne and Anthony Madsen.
"Hey Throne, you heard about the reports that the Forerunner planet that the Infinity discovered a few months back has humans inhabiting it?" Madsen asked his teammate.
"Yeah, reports say that they most of them have powers and stuff." Thorne replied. While they walked towards the Spartan-IV armory, they were met with Commander Sarah Palmer, commanding Spartan of the Infinity, she was currently off and unarmored.
"Well well." DeMarco said checking her out; he obviously had no idea who she was.
"I bet you fifty credits that you can't hit that." Hoya dared his squad leader.
"Fifty credits it is." DeMarco responded, he walked towards Palmer who was speaking with some members of Fireteam Lancer.
"Hey babe, what's your name?" DeMarco asked the commander, Palmer just smirked at the poor excuse for a pick up line.
"My name is Commander Sarah Palmer, commanding officer of the Spartan contingent of the UNSC Infinity." Immediately DeMarco saluted and began to yell at himself inside his head, Palmer called on the others of Fireteam Majestic.
"Commander." They all saluted.
"At ease." Palmer ordered. "I expect that you all don't act so straightforward as your fearless leader here, here's your mission details."
Palmer handed DeMarco a datapad containing the team's mission briefing. "A mission already?" Madsen asked.
"Yeah, straight from the Captain, get used to it. Welcome to the Infinity." Palmer responded walking away.
"I think you owe me, my fearless leader." Hoya said to DeMarco.
"Yeah whatever."
SPARTAN IV Armory
"So what are the details of the next assignment, DeMarco?" Grant asked while the armory machine was assembling their MJOLNIR Gen-2 Armors on them.
"Apparently were a going back to the planet that the Infinity discovered a few months ago, our job is to escort a group of civilians as we establish a base on the planet." DeMarco told his teammates.
"A babysitting op?" Hoya remarked.
"You gotta love those." Madsen said.
Thorne was being outfitted a Recruit-variant MJOLNIR armor; he was the newest member of Fireteam Majestic, just having signed up after the Didact Event. He still had a lot to learn about being a Spartan but he had some experienced, the contingent demanded it.
They were fully armored now and were awaiting their turn. "Who are these VIPs anyway?" Grant asked again.
"Group of teenagers it seems and one of them is called the Avatar."
HALO: Elemental Storm
UNSC Infinity
Avatar Korra strolled by the halls of the UNSC Infinity, it had been months since she left her world and things were getting a little…heavy. After the whole battle against the Didact, she and the Master Chief were called for debriefing. The Chief was ordered to descent down to Earth and be debriefed personally by Lord Hood and HIGHCOM.
Korra wasn't so lucky; a group of ONI spooks boarded the Infinity and questioned Korra and her friends, separately of course. They were the scariest group of people that Korra had ever seen; the questioning room was dark with only a lamp giving light to the compact room. Korra could only see the interrogator's hands and chin. He asked a series of heavy questions, everything to where she was born, her world's cultures, secrets and many other things, especially her role in the supernatural and politics.
After that, the scientists came in. They began testing Korra and her friends' bodies, putting strange devices on their skins and scanning them. Bolin was probed…Korra didn't even want to imagine that.
It was night, well that's what the clock said, and Korra couldn't sleep. She strolled alone within the empty metal halls, she reflected on the past year. To only think that she had gone to Republic City to learn airbending and after some weeks of staying there…bam! An entire Covenant fleet crashes into the city and the Master Chief appears. Then the Didact, the Forerunners and the Flood…it was all too much to take in, Korra didn't understand how she had acted throughout it all.
"Can't sleep?" Korra saw that she had arrive to her designated quarters, there Mako had come out of the bathroom. She and her friends shared a whole hall with the restroom being in between Mako and Bolin's rooms.
"Yeah." Korra replied. "We're going back home."
"Yeah." Mako responded. They looked at each other for some time; Korra still had no idea how to handle a relationship so she did the first thing in her mind.
"I really have to sleep, good night." She quickly said entering her room and closing the door. Mako smirked and went back to his room.
It was morning and someone was knocking on Korra's door, she yawned and looked at the clock on the wall. It was 6:00 AM…"Ugh…" Korra still hated mornings. She came out of bed and went for the door.
"Uh…" An armored giant stood in front of her. It was Spartan Thorne of Majestic Squad.
"I've been ordered to be your personal escort for the next mission and was told that since I'm being your bodyguard I would come down to say hello." Thorne said, he was quite surprised to see who the Avatar was. He expected some kind of bald kid that knew spiritual or political stuff, what he got was a…well, in Thorne's mind was a quite well toned young woman.
"Then you could've done it later, it's too early." Korra responded still grumpy of being woken up too early.
"Sorry, we Spartans rise up at four in the morning and practice War Games until six and then we do our regular duties." Thorne explained. "We are going to exit slipspace in a couple of hours…I'll be waiting in the mess hall."
"Okay…see you then." Korra responded in between yawns, she closed the door again and went back to sleep.
Thorne walked back to the mess hall when he was met with his friend Spartan Madsen.
"Got a good look on her, not too shabby eh Thorne?" Madsen asked while elbowing Throne a little.
"Is sex everything you guys think all day?"
"Of course not, there are guns, bullets, my beautiful armor and the Covies we're going to squash." Madsen responded with enthusiasm. Thorne just shook his head at his teammate's silliness.
The mess hall was packed with the new Marines and ODSTs that the Infinity had been re-supplied with. They were getting their morning meal; some Spartans were already munching and called Thorne and Madsen to seat with them.
"Sup guys?" DeMarco welcomed them.
"Nothing much, except that Thorne is hitting the big leagues." Madsen responded.
"Leave him alone, he has enough dealing with Hoya here messing with his ordnance during the last War Game." Grant said, remembering the red vs. blue War Game they played earlier in the morning.
While practicing with Fireteam Crimson, Hoya had messed with the systems of the operation and had made that all of Thorne's ordnance went to him. "Hey at least we tied, I carried this team." Hoya defended his actions.
"Ah don't listen to these Neanderthals, if you ever want to know anything on the ladies just talk with me, as a friend and as squad leader." DeMarco said while putting a hand on Thorne's shoulder.
"Like you know anything about us." Grant stated. "Just ask the Commander."
"Hey that didn't count."
"The fifty credits you still owe me count." Hoya said laughing. Thorne sighed, and he thought that Spartans were at least more different than the Army troopers he had been with before.
Korra and the others woke up and readied themselves, the Infinity personnel had given them UNSC standard clothes, not too different from the stuff that the Marines had to wear but Korra decided to keep her armband and wristbands and ponytails while Mako kept his scarf.
Reasons were that they stood out too much from the rest of the people inside the ship and that would attract…too much attention. Naval intelligence thought so.
They entered the mess hall, it wasn't as packed as before, but there was at least some ODSTs chatting in the corner table and some Spartans looking at their War Games records in another. "So…those are our escorts?" Asami asked.
"I want the big guy!" Bolin said pointing at Hoya was sleeping on the table.
"Well let's go get introduced." Mako said, Thorne turned noticing footsteps coming towards them. It was one of the gifts of becoming a Spartan, enhanced hearing.
"Attention Fireteam Majestic." DeMarco said, waking Hoya up and getting the other's attention. "These are the VIPs."
The Infinity exited slipspace and immediately rammed a unsuspecting Storm Covenant CCS-battlecruiser, shattering it to pieces.
"We got several cruisers orbiting the planet." One of the naval bridge operators said. Captain Lasky could've sworn that these guys had been obliterated by the Arbiter's fleet long ago.
"What's the situation?" He asked.
"They're retreating but they already have troops planetside, near the base site."
"Roland." Lasky said, an AI dressed as a World War I plane pilot appeared on the holo map in the center of the bridge.
"Yessir?"
"Get me on word with Commander Palmer."
"On it." Then Commander Palmer came on screen.
"Orders sir?" She asked.
"Get your troops ready Sarah, there are Covie ground units near the base site."
"Finally, we are on it. Fireteams Crimson, Lancer, Castle and Majestic will be on route."