A/N: Well, I've gone for a different merge between Mass Effect and Halo. Instead of having the Human Systems Alliance being the descendant of the UNSC. I'm going to have the UNSC still active.
Also I'm calling Shepard, Sam instead of John, for obvious reasons.
I also really haven't decided in which timeline I will set this story, mainly due to certain canon issues. Probably postME2 through to ME3.
Disclaimer: I do not own Halo or Mass Effect.
Rating: M (for impending violence and sexual references).
XXxxXX
Personal Journal of Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood, Chief of Naval Operations.
-March 7, 2553
The War is over; Humanity's existence is no longer threatened by fanatical aliens. However there are still remnants of Covenant out there, the Elites, (politically recognised as Sangehili) are now on the hunt for any remaining loyalists.
The Grunts (politically known as Unggoy) and Hunters (politically known as Mgalekgolo) are still fighting on both sides due to the Schism. However, more Grunts and Hunters are turning to the sides of the Elites and abandoning their Loyalist superiors.
On other notes, the economy lies in tatters; it is possible we may go through a depression. Stimulus packages are being issued. I am very concerned right now.
-September 18, 2553
I have received our military statistics. The Spartan-III ranks have increased exponentially. There are enough Spartan-IIIs to field a divisions worth of soldiers.
There are still a small number of Spartan-IIs; they have been put on standby in case of a rebel attack. They are also training the Spartan-IIIs.
Sadly, other military branches aren't doing so well, specifically the Navy. Our Navy is still in tatters, but it will recover.
-December 25, 2553
Merry Christmas, an economic depression has been averted; recovery and rebuilding programs have been enacted across Earth.
Insurrection activity has been quiet for the past few years now, but ONI is still out on the look for them. Right now we are not concerned with rooting out the Insurrectionists, we just lack the manpower to do so right now. I just hope they have given up and would leave us alone now.
There have also been great medical advancements; our scientists have found a way to stop ageing. This is great news for us, as now, our troops can be in active service indefinitely, and we will also be able to recolonise lost planets at a higher rate.
Also, scientists have now been able to produce a portable shield generator that is cheap to mass-produce. We will begin issuing them to the Spartan-IIIs and on vehicles. Cheaper models are being issued to our regular armed forces.
I have also returned power back to the UEG. That's less political issues for me to be worrying about.
-October 5,, 2555
I have received word from the Arbiter that the war against the Brutes is not going so well. They have taken heavy losses. I have told him that I will send aid as soon as possible. But the Arbiter has said not to rush, for three decades of warfare has driven Humanity to the brink of destruction.
I wish the Elites all of the best.
-August 22, 2559
The Arbiter has sent word that the Prophets have gone into hiding, and now the Brutes are fighting amongst themselves now. The Elites have won.
The Separatists have now renamed themselves as the Galactic Species Union; they have asked the UEG to join.
I have advised the UEG to accept the invitation. It is obvious the GSU wants to be friends. That's fine by me; we'll have someone to watch our backs now.
-January 22, 2560
We have uncovered numerous Forerunner Archives located deep within shield worlds and Micro Dyson Spheres, in them, we have discovered more efficient ways of slipspace travel, the science behind Beam Weapons, Forerunner Dreadnoughts, Forerunner power cells, Forerunner History and so much more. We have just made the greatest technological leap in all of mankind.
I have read through some of the Archives, I can't believe the history that is filled in these Archives. Apparently, prehistoric humanity was space faring, and equivalent in power to the Forerunners, unbelievable. It also saddens me to discover that humanity was devolved after "their" defeat in the Human-Forerunner War.
It is also revealed within the Archives that there are more alien species out there than expected. What came to my attention are unisex species like the Asari. Another species is the Prothean, it stated that they are extremely intelligent, it is quite possible that they are the ones who rose to power after the disappearance of the Forerunners.
According to the Archives, the Protheans are or were a noble, mantle like race, just like the Forerunners. However I couldn't speculate much since the Archives had ceased to update since reseeding the galaxy was completed. But now, since our "return" to the Archives, did it start to collect more information.
On another note, analysts have found disturbing logs on a synthetic-semi-organic species known as Reapers. However, Reaper attacks have been easily repelled by Forerunners. I have no doubt that they will pose a problem to us, but with our recently acquired Forerunner technology, they won't be as problematic and chaotic as the Covenant was.
I believe that the Protheans had also disappeared for some unknown reason otherwise; they would have come to aid us during the Human-Covenant War. I am also sure that the Protheans did not encounter the Covenant, for if they had, the Covenant would have probably been dismantled.
We have also recovered Dr Catherine Halsey, SCPO Mendez, three Spartan-IIs and five Spartan-IIIs in a Forerunner made, Micro Dyson Sphere. They are still alive and in good health. It should be interesting to note that they haven't aged a day since they entered the Micro Dyson Sphere.
This rescue was achievable through our understanding of the Forerunner Empire and Micro Dyson Spheres.
-May 12, 2589
Reach has been terraformed and restored back into a habitable planet again. Human colonists are re-settling the planet.
We are recovering.
On another note, more information have been decoded, we have developed more efficient means of travelling through slipspace. It has allowed our jumps to be faster, more efficient and predictable. Instead of tearing and punching a hole into slipspace, we can now access it with surgical precision. Obviously this is included into our naval tactics.
Light Capital Warships will perform effective hit-and-run tactics while our Capital Warships will fire and manoeuvre. This will give us an edge over the enemy.
-June 7, 2595
More planets have been restored. Our economy is now at 75% compared to our pre-War economy. This is enough for us to start upgrading our armed forces.
Expeditionary Forces are now armed with energy weapons (beam), and our supercruisers have been replaced by the Forerunner Dreadnought, we have five in commission and three more under construction. We have also launched new ship classes to replace our ageing Fleet. If any Aliens dare take us on now, we'll be ready.
Our Scientists have perfected the enhancement drugs used for the previous Spartan-Is and now have started to issue them to our Special Forces. Once more funding has been allocated; the drugs will be issued to our regular soldiers.
I have also received word from recon elements that the Ark (Installation 00) is fully operational again.
-May 8, 2620
Strange occurrences have been happening all over Earth, ion storms and earthquakes have started to crop up all over the world, Australian outback is experiencing heavy rainfall and snow, England is in its worst drought for a month, then a month later it would be blanketed in an ion storm.
UEG has deemed that it is time to move to Reach, and make the planet our new homeworld.
Now, the Ark has become the UNSC's capital during the rapid expanse of our armed forces, while Reach will serve as the economic and political capital of humanity.
The Colonists in Sol are also being relocated.
-July 18, 2621
Earth is now devoid of human life, the planet has become too geologically unstable. Much of our history has been lost to these natural disasters. I wonder if it is possible that the Portal on Earth still exists. Maybe, maybe not, but ion storms, firestorms and earthquakes have increased in numbers and intensity.
Our scientists still cannot explain these phenomenons; Earth is still under close watch. UEG is still keeping its name though.
The same thing goes for Sol.
-October 25, 2623
It is interesting to note that humanity is now a superpower in this Galaxy, and insurrectionist activities have ceased.
On another note, the Top Brass and UEG have also come to a decision that performance enhancing drugs will only be issued to Special Forces and Spartans. A shame really, that our regulars will not have the same physical and mental capacities as our Special Forces, but I was told the reason why, was due to funding and that to use these drugs, the subject must have extreme discipline.
The scientists didn't really go through the specifics of these drugs with me. But I'm not going to bother.
I have also been notified that Earth is now being bombarded by meteors and matter from solar flares. It will be sometime until the planet can be considered safe to return to.
UEG has decided to call off any drones and satellites that are observing Earth. Apparently, these meteor showers are destroying the lot of them. All Earth observing programs have been called off. Earth and its surrounding areas are too dangerous now.
Also, trade and talks between the GSU have increased. The Grunts' reproduction rates have decreased exponentially; they are starting to become more independent. The Elites' martial culture has also changed, apparently, doctors were the most revered profession in their society, but now it is a much more respectable job, because the loss of blood is no longer dishonourable.
-March 10, 2777
GSU has expanded, and so have we. We have expanded to the limits of Orion's arm. From current population projections, we will not need to expand to other planets for the next few hundred years.
It should also be noted that we have not yet encountered any other life forms, the Forerunner Archives shows that we have only encountered a small fraction of alien species.
-January 1, 3000
A turn of the millennium, a number of Elite, Grunts and Hunter delegates have come to Reach and other Capital Colonies to celebrate. It is obvious that this day was very important to them but well, our species are living peacefully together, and the Grunts do love a party.
It is also surprising to note that the Arbiter Thel Vadam is still alive, and it appears he hasn't aged a day since the Memorial service in March 2553.
I wonder how Earth is right now. It is possible that our homeworld has become stable once more, but what of its value? From what I remembered, we've mined every available resource; then again the buildings that remain still have material value, but are they worth salvaging?
It still has a great emotional value since it is humanity's homeworld. All in all, I think Earth is not worth returning too, not yet anyway.
XXxxXX
June 9, 3005. Planet G617f, Harbour…
John's fingers twitched, he opened his eyes and surveyed the room, creamy walls, orange teal curtains and windows revealing a cityscape unlike anything he had seen before. His brain kicked back into gear, in an instant he realized he was no longer in a cryotube; the cityscape looked oddly like Forerunner and he no longer had his armour. He was lying in a bed, wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
A dual door opened, and in hovered a Forerunner monitor. "Ah Reclaimer, you are awake. I am 322 Overseer."
He seems friendly, thought John.
"Where am I?" the Spartan asked as he sat up.
"You are at the Fort Peak Medical Facility on the planet G617f, Harbour. Harbour was one of the third planet to be overrun by the Flood after the fall of G617e, Riverside. First contact was made with the Flood on planet G617g, Seaward."
"How did I get here?"
"I detected your heavily damaged ship, protocol dictates that I was to initiate a search and rescue mission if there were any survivors or a search and destroy if there were any traces of the Flood. The sentinels I sent, found you in cryostasis. I ordered them to retrieve you, and any constructs that were on board."
Cortana! How could I have forgotten her?
"Did you find an AI aboard?" asked John, sounding a little panicky.
"Yes, however the AI was at the end of its operational lifespan. Protocol dictates that I was to repair the AI and move it to a Positronic Brain. Your construct is in my care, it will be fully operational in a few days."
John sighed in relief, Cortana was going to be all right.
"As for you Reclaimer, protocol dictates that I am to outfit you with the latest military hardware and medical services." The Monitor then floated to a screen, which showed all of the Master Chief's bios, "now if you look here, you will notice that I have injected self-repairing, self-replicating bionanites into your system. They will boost your immune system, accelerate you healing rate, prevent telomere deterioration and halt ageing. Injection of bionanites became mandatory during the Forerunner-Flood war as the Forerunners were assimilated at an alarming rate."
Protocol seems to run this guy, thought John.
Overseer then glided over to the doors he had entered earlier. "Now Reclaimer, if you can follow me to the armoury."
John swung his legs out of the bed and walked behind the monitor. Overseer led the Spartan through mazes of corridors and over bridges which allowed John to see much of the cityscape and Fort Peak. The Skyline was dominated by towering crystal blue buildings, while the lower altitudes of the city were filled with rooftop gardens. The Spartan's gaze then shifted to the confines of the Fort. Rows of Forerunner Dreadnoughts were docked in the vast plains, the ground littered with tiny dots, which were Sentinels and Engineers.
"Overseer, you said this planet was overwhelmed by the Flood, what happened?" asked John.
"Since Harbour was claimed earlier in the war, it was spared from destruction by the hands of the Forerunners. Some planets were glassed; others were destroyed by stellar collapses. When the war had ended, I was part of the task force that was to restore and maintain any remaining planets."
"I see,"
The Spartan rounded another corridor and passed a few more Engineers, when Overseer stopped.
"Ah, here we are the armoury."
John saw a fearsome looking exoskeleton being tended to by some Engineers. There was panel next to it, summarising its tech specs.
The armour had a combined look of the MJOLNIR Mark VI Commando Variant and a Forerunner Combat Skin. The helmet was UA/FC-I[2], and the Reactive Metal Liquid Crystal Layer was replaced by Reactive Metal Liquid Positronic Brain layer, this was due to Cortana's need for more leg room.
Hydrostatic gel had been greatly improved using Forerunner formula to increase its ability to absorb shock and cool the armour.
The plates were "interconnected" at the joints now, instead of being separated like the previous MJOLNIR versions. The plates were connected at the joints by hard point plates which slide over each other whenever the occupant moved. This was to reduce the number of chinks and grab on points on the armour. It also increased the durability of the armour at the joints and prevented the user from dislocating a limb during combat.
The power cells had been replaced by the more superior and advanced Forerunner version, a Next-Gen Fusion-Plasma Hybrid Power System. The reason for this being was that the armour now utilised two layers of energy shields and possessed active camouflage.
Double layer of energy shielding -of equal strength- meant that if one layer was completely drained, the second layer would kick in, become the primary shields and protect the user while the shield generators for the first layer replenished itself and become the secondary layer. In addition, the shields were now able to be manipulated to a very limited extent.
The active camouflage system is a phased array optic system, which projects a three-dimensional background around the wearer, effectively bending light. A good thing to note would be that the system would not be fully compromised if the user fired their weapons or hit by enemy fire, only a small section in the immediate effected area would fail, but recover quickly.
Both systems required a great deal of power, and only the Forerunner power cells could cut it.
Next feature was that the armour possessed atmospheric insertion capabilities, effectively removing the need for the Spartan to use a drop pod for high altitude insertions; this also means that the armour possesses Oxygen rebreathers, effectively removing the need for cumbersome oxygen tanks.
The final addition to the combat skin is self-repairing Nanites, which effectively reduces the need for armour repairs, allowing the suit to be used for longer periods of time.
"As I was examining your armour, I notice that it paled in comparison to the standard Combat Skin that is issued to civilians. How you survived in your old armour is nothing short of remarkable. So as protocol dictates, I am to outfit you with this armour, of course it is a hybrid between yours and Combat Skin 20. I of course, used information found in your construct in order to add a more human look to it."
John gave a low whistle.
A few sentinels then entered the armour to help the Spartan don the armour on.
XXxxXX
Five days later…
It was a sunny day, and sky shone a turquoise blue. John sat in a chair overlooking the docked Forerunner Dreadnoughts. Among the sea of ships, one would be his. In that said ship, it contained modified UNSC Vehicles that were at the highest of Forerunner standards, a sleeker, meaner, tougher, and more advanced version of the ONI Prowler, a few hundred sentinels and engineers. Overseer said it was time for the Chief to be sent on his way, so the kind Forerunner AI gave John one of the deadliest ships in the history of the galaxy.
"Chief," said Cortana as she appeared on a nearby holotank, "it's time to go home, I'll meet you in the ship."
Cortana was back, and John smiled and genuine smile.
"Okay, but one question, how long has it been since…"
"…since you entered the cryotube on Forward Unto Dawn?" finished Cortana.
The Spartan nodded.
"My clock says, nearly five hundred years,"
John's gaze fell to the floor.
"Cheer up Chief; they'll still remember you,"
"I know,"
XXxxXX
Normandy SR-2…
Shepard was sitting in the Captain's chair on the control bridge of Normandy SR-2, Systems Alliance has just recalled him back to Earth, finally, some rest of sorts, he had to face the music for certain events that occurred recently, which ended badly for a system of Bartarians and a Mass Relay node (A/N: Reference to the DLC Arricval), of course Hackett assured Shepard that the evidence against him was shoddy at best.
"Are you alright Shepard?" asked Miranda as she entered.
"I'm fine, how's the Illusive man holding up?" asked Shepard.
"He can rot for all I car, I've resigned from Cerberus. I can't work in work environment like his. Granted, I want what is best for humanity, and so does the Illusive Man, but he's doing it at the cost of our humanity, the human soul."
"I couldn't agree more Miranda."
The conversation was about to continue when the alarms began to blare.
"EDI, Status report," Shepard barked.
"I count twenty pirate ships on an intercept course," EDI said, "recommend a fighting retreat,"
Shepard swore, the only time when pirates would attack a state-of-the-art warship was when they are superbly trained, outfitted with the latest gear and paid a lot of money.
"Alert, all combat personnel are to be on standby," Shepard said into the ship's com channels, "this is not a drill, we are about to be engaged. I repeat, this is not a drill."
The crew then burst into a flurry of motions, combat personnel were arming themselves up and moving to bulkheads and defensive positions.
"Dammit, not again," muttered some of the crew.
Shepard unslung his M-8 Avenger and kept his M-76 Revenant at the ready, just in case he would run into a Krogan.
The Commander's gaze then fell onto the Nav screen, which showed the Normandy about to be swarmed by angry red triangles.
"EDI, plot a flanking course on our port and target the closest ship," ordered Shepard, "Joker, keep this ship in one piece,"
"Copy Commander."
XXxxXX
John boarded a gondola, which was to take him directly to his ship. Next to him, was Overseer.
"Tell me," began John, "what is the name of this ship,"
"Serial number is FHS-999-888 Unyielding; this ship has been outfitted to for your requirements."
The gondola docked next to Unyielding's hangar bay; there John stepped off the craft and onto the warship.
"Thank you, for everything,"
"It was an honour Reclaimer; I hope we do meet again."
Cortana was already on the Dreadnought and was waiting for the Chief. John entered an elevator which climbed to the command bridge. There John sat down in a chair that could support his weight. He noted that the bridge was much different to the last time he had been on a Forerunner Dreadnought. The last one looked skeletal and metallic grey. This one looked more… homey and luxurious. It had different grey to white toned walls, low lights, sleek work stations and a lot of holoprojectors.
"Take us home Cortana,"
The Dreadnought took off, once it reached Space and the blue skies turned to night, a slipspace portal opened.
"Initiating randomised jump,"
XXxxXX
A/N: Well whaddya think so far? This would have to be the first Crossover in which I meshed the two universes together by mixing their histories. I know there is still a lot left to explain and a lot more to write about.
Until next time, kudos to you all and please review.