Holy Shitake Mushrooms! I posted this story and fell asleep right away. I opened my phone the next day and I was surprised at the amount of notifications I got. Thank you for all the Fav and Follows!

"Alright, Lipyap was it?"

At the Unggoy's nod, William then turned at the Jiralhanae. Said Brute was awkwardly sitting at the tiny chair. Why a tiny chair you ask? Well, Lipyap called dibs on the big chair.

"I don't believe we've been introduced yet. Captain William Clarke of the UNSC 'Power Overwhelming'."

The Brute stood to his full height and stared down at the Human Captain. William was unfazed but it took all his will not to pull out his pistol and fire it at the Brute's head.

"I am Traianus. I have served under Atriox long before he formed the Banished. Though he is a great leader but after learning the truth of the Great Journey and the Forerunners, I decided to redeem myself fro the crimes of the past. When Lipyap and his Sangheili friend, Lahr 'Mrok, found the Banished controlled Ark. I decided to help them escape and warn the humans of the Ark's fate."

William interrupted him "Wait, if I may interrupt." He turned to Lipyap "How did you get in the Ark in the first place?"

Lipyap spun his chair around twice before coming to a stop to address the Captain "The Arbiter sent us to find out what happened to the Ark after all form contact was lost. They sent one carrier. They couldn't send more because of Arbiter said something about a crazy blue lady, who used to be a friend of his friend, coming back to life and using Forerunner technology to fight us. I was sleeping halfway across his speech so that's all I can say."

"What happened to the carrier?"

Traianus decided to answer "They expected at least a support from the humans but the Banished struck hard and fast. Lahr and Lipyap were lucky enough to encounter me. I saw it as a way of redemption so I helped them escape with the Phantom. We hoped to link up with the Humans that just entered the Ark but a Slipspace portal appeared in front of us and sucked us in. You know the rest."

William contemplated this. So the Ark was lost to the Banished but a UNSC ship came near it and started to battle their forces. He looks at Traianus and asked "Why? Why seek redemption? Life as a Banished seemed better than life as their enemy."

"I have seen the way you humans fight and I share the Arbiter's opinion of your kind. My brethren always thought me odd when I once let a human family go. I am old, Captain. I've seen enough of war to be sick of it. I know that three decades of genocidal war cannot be forgotten so easily but I will help those who need help. Whether they want it or not, I will help them. I have heard of the Mantle of Responsibility and I vowed to follow this ideal as a way to repent for my sins."

William hummed "You know, if the old Covenant heard you say that, they would've called you an infidel."

Traianus chuckled "Indeed."

"But seeing how passionate you are with this redemption of yours, I'm gonna give you a chance. Welcome to 'Power Overwhelming' Traianus."

He held out his hand and the Brute gently covered it with his own as the two shook hands.

"Thank you, Captain."

"You're welcome."

Lipyap stopped spinning his chair and called William "Uhm, Captain Human, sir. Do you guys have any methane to refill my tank? By the way, where's big demon and his red hair mate? I have new shipment of Covenant Grenades for them."

William's brows raised at this "Wait... Your smuggling Covenant Weaponry to one of MY ODSTs!?"

"Yup. Red hair lady said she trade me human movies for weapons. I say that's a great deal!"

William sighed and rubbed his forehead while Traianus gently patted his back.

~Line Break~

"Long time no see, Larry."

Lahr growled as he stared down at the demon. Wade just smiled before looking back at his cards. It was an odd sight to see a SPARTAN, an ODST, an Alliance Marine and an Elite playing a game of Uno.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that, Spartan!"

James Vega just looked at the two back and fort before placing down a card on the deck. Corporal Brenda 'Niko' Nikolayev didn't know how she got roped into this. All she remembered was the Director puller her and Vega by the arm before ordering them to plan a game of Uno. She shook her head before pulling a card from the deck and got a 4. She place it down and switched the color to blue.

"Dammit! I was so close to Uno, too."

Lahr laughed at the Spartan's displeasure before placing a 2 "UNO!" He exclaimed.

James calmly took two cards and Niko placed an 8. Wade smiled before placing his own 4. Lahr saw this and roared.

"You little human scumbag!" He flipped the crate they were playing on and charged at Wade. Wade smirked and met the charge head on. The two were on the ground punching but not really hurting each other.

James and Niko looked at the two before leaving. They did not want to get caught in that. They passed by Wes, who nodded at them before heading for their respective groups. Wes saw the two fighting and shook his head.

"Scheißkerle." He muttered before leaving.

Holly came next, she discarded her BDUs for an ODST PT gear. Sweat dripped from her hair and body as she drank from her canteen.

"You idiots done yet?"

Wade and Lahr stopped to look at her before rising from the ground. Wade eyed her up and down, his gaze lingering on the formfitting shirt as it clung to her chest. Seeing that his friend was currently occupied, Lahr asked "Is there something you need, Holly?"

Hoy nodded "Have you been briefed on our situation?"

The Elite simply nodded before leaving, saying something about looking for his wayward Grunt and Brute ally.

Holly looked at Wade and saw he wasn't staring at her tits anymore. His eyes were focused on the pendant around her neck. Looped to the pendant was a gold ring and an AI chip.

"You still wear it?"

Holly didn't need to look down to know what he was talking about "Of course I do. I said yes, didn't I?"

Wade smiled "Yeah, you did."

The two walked away from the hangar and made their way to Wade's quarters. Unbeknownst to them, Shepard saw the whole exchange. Jane noted their similarities and differences. One difference was the fact that Holly looked a bit older but not by much. Her voice was different too. But that was it, everything else is the same or close to it. She wondered how long before they can leave this ship and head for the Citadel. Captain Clarke said he wanted the Normandy crew to get comfortable and get some rest before sending them to the Relay. 'Power Overwhelming' couldn't leave Earth just yet. Reapers were still running around in some parts of the world and the Captain was adamant on destroying the 'Squids' and wiping their presence off of Earth. She looked at her Omni Tool as she read a brief history of the UNSC. It was still odd to learn that there was another dimension out there. Fighting their own war. It was easy for her to accept their use of AI thanks to EDI. She watched as Pelicans left the hangar, carrying Firebases to near the places where the Reapers hit the most.

"Welcome back to Overwhelming Radio. DJ Mindy here, coming to you with this next song: Voodoo Child, Cover by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble."

'Not that I'm complaining but what's with the songs? I swear I heard music coming from those HEVs when they dropped.' She shook her thoughts away before finding her crew and friends to talk catch up with.

~Line Break~

"...Voodoo Child, Cover by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble."

A Pelican dropped a Firebase near Vancouver. When the base finished construction, two Warthogs rolled out it's entrance and made it's way in to the city. The Pelicans carrying Marines flew overhead while the Warthogs followed. Vancouver was still under attack by Husks and whatnot but the Squids were gone. Admiral Anderson was leading Alliance Marines around the city to clean up any remaining Reapers or rescuing civilians. Anderson saw the UNSC group enter the city. The Pelicans flew overhead and painted targets for the ground vehicles. The Hogs ran over any Husks on the road or filled 'em up with 12.7x99mm AP rounds.

Anderson's Omni Tool beeped and he answered "Anderson here."

"Admiral Anderson, this is Captain Cruz. Me and my Marines are sweeping up the city. Any additional orders, sir?"

"I got marines trapped in the Art Gallery with a lot of civilians. My boys can't get to them with all this debris blocking them. My dropships are too busy evacuating other civilian evac centers. Think you can give them a hand, Captain?"

"Will do, sir. Cruz, out."

Anderson turned around to address his troops "Alright, marines. The UNSC are helping us clean this city from those Reaper filth. I'm only gonna say this once. When the Reapers attacked Earth, we were unprepared. Undermanned. They got the jump on us and they hit us pretty hard. If it weren't for Captain Clarke and his ship, Vancouver would still be under siege. But that's the thing, they're only one ship. They can't fight the Reapers alone. We may have been unprepared unprepared but we learned our lesson. Look around you. All this death, destruction. Together with the UNSC we can rebuild. We can push these Reapers off Earth. And if Shepard can get the Council's support, we have a chance to beat these motherfuckers once and for all! Oorah!?"

"OORAH!"

Anderson hummed in satisfaction as the Alliance Marines had their morale grow higher than before. He left and spoke to some engineers about repairing Firebase Vancouver.

~Line Break~

"Cap, I got visual on the Art Gallery."

Captain Jeremy Cruz walked up to the Pelican's cockpit and saw the fortified Art Gallery. Two turrets were set up on the front and back of the building. He saw a sea of Husks storming their way to the Art Gallery. Their bodies piling up as the Alliance Marines killed them.

"Hover us near the roof. We'll give those boys support and round up the civilians. Once you get those civies to safety, come back for us. Alright, Reid?"

"Understood, sir."

Cruz went back to his Marines and walked up to the ramp. He turned to face them and cocked his MA5C "Alright, Chicks and Dicks of the Marine Corps. This ain't a drill and we ain't on Kansas anymore. Remember my rules. Rule number one: If it moves, kill it. If it's not moving, kill it again. Rule two: Each of you have more firepower than an army platoon. So use it, all of it. And finally: You don't die unless I give you a direct order. Oorah?"

"Oorah!"

Cruz nodded "Good. On me."

He jumped off the Pelican and landed on the roof of the building. He was followed by Corporal Christopher Winter, Private Peter O'Neal and Private Bella Clarison. An Alliance marine met them by the door.

"Thank God, you're here. We got at least seventy civies here. We need help evacuating them."

"Acknowledged." Cruz replied before calling the rest of his Marines "Rhino 2-1, Rhino 2-3, this Rhino Actual. We got seventy civies in need of evac. Get your boots on the ground and help us covering these civilians. Move your ass, Keyes."

"Solid copy, Rhino Actual. Rhino 2-1, out. How the hell do I get out of this chicken shit outfit?"

"I heard that Marine."

Cruz turned to the his Marines "Winter, round up the civilians." Winter nodded and followed the Alliance marine inside "O'Neal and Bella, I want suppressive fire on those Husks." He called Reid "Reid, lower yourself to the roof. Civilians will be here soon."

"Copy that. Descending now."

Cruz looked up as the Pelican slowly descended on the roof. He looked to the side to see Rhino 2-1 and 2-3's Pelican closing in. Cruz waved them over and the Pelicans descended, deploying Keyes and Hicks. The two saluted the Captain before joining the Alliance in firing at the swarm of Husks.

"Captain, this is Winter! The Husks got in! I repeat. The Husks got in! Civilians are heading topside now. Me and the Alliance boys will hold 'em off."

"Affirmative. But you better get your ass up here, Corporal. We don't leave Marines behind. Oorah to Ashes."

"...Oorah to Ashes."

"Reid."

"I know, sir." The pilot replied.

"Good. I need my best pilot thinking straight. One mishap and we're all dead."

"Yes sir."

Cruz opened the door as the civilians flooded out "Alright, alright! Single file! To the Pelicans! Children and Elderly first then the rest, move!" His comm buzzed to life "This is Rhino Actual, what's your status Winter?"

His response was the Corporal's panting "This is Winter... We're... Hightailing it... We were losing men down there... Heading topside now."

Cruz's eyes widened and he turned to the Marines "Marines, weapons hot! Winter's coming through the door with a shit ton of Husks behind him. Give him cover Marines."

"Oorah!"

Winter burst through the door and dove behind an empty weapons crate. He turned to O'Neal and said "O'Neal! I need a weapon!"

O'Neal looked around him before grabbing an M90 and throwing it at Winter "Heads up!"

Winter caught the shotgun and examined it before aiming at the door. The Marines waited in baited breath for the Husks. The Pelicans secured the civilians and left the building. A moment of silence passed before they heard the roars echo through the door. No sooner than that, the Husks came pouring out. The bodies were slowly piling up but the Husks were relentless. They kept charging and charging, not a care as bullets riddled their bodies.

"Captain, this is Reid. Almost their. ETA 30 seconds!"

"You heard the lady, extraction is in 30 seconds! Hold them off!" Cruz yelled before emptying his clip on five Husks. He radioed in Overwhelming "Captain Clarke, requesting MAC Blast on the Gallery once we're clear."

"Negative, Cruz. MACs are under maintenance. We could send Archer missiles instead."

"Solid copy, sir. Cruz, out."

Soon enough, the Pelicans returned. The Marines, Alliance and UNSC, entered the transports and fired at the Husks. Keyes tried to jump but was tackled by a Husk. He was soon swarmed but he cooked a grenade in his hand. Winter didn't see the grenade and tried to rescue Keyes. Before he could reach him, the grenade exploded and blasted Winter to the edge of the roof.

"Winter!" Reid cried through the comms. She turned to her copilot and said "Spunkmeyer, take it from here."

She stood up and grabbed a M7 Caseless and squeezed through the civilians through the ramp. She saw Winter get up and looked up at her.

"Come on! Jump for it!" She yelled while firing at the Husks.

Winter looked back and made a running start before jumping for the ramp. He managed to barely grab on the edge and was pulled up by O'Neal and Cruz. Dusting himself off, he was suddenly tackled by Reid. He kept them steady as she buried her face on his shoulder.

"Don't ever do something like that again, you hear me!?"

A moment later, the Art Gallery was bombarded by a wave of Archer missiles. Turning the building into a flame wreck.

Winter smirked at the sight before returning the hug "Don't worry. I had enough of zombies chasing my ass for the day."

Cruz nodded at that and radioed in Anderson "Admiral, this is Cruz. Mission complete. What's the status on the rest of the city?"

"All clear. The Art Gallery was the last of the Husk swarm in the city. Vancouver is ours again."

Cruz sighed in relief "That's good."

~Line Break~

"Mindy, has Shepard left for the relay?" William asked as he nursed a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Yes sir. She just left."

"Alright. What other parts of Earth did the Squids hit?"

Mindy looked at her datapad and listed out the places "Rio de Janeiro and London, sir."

"Have Firebases built there and send in Hawks and Longsword to make bombing runs and harass those Squids. Send in Hornets to do Hit-and-Run on them. See if a Vulture or two can take down those Reapers. Keep the Archer missiles ready just in case. I want Wolverines down their too."

"Acknowledged, sir."

Mindy's avatar blinked out, leaving William to stare at the hologram of Earth. The planet will be back on Humanity's hands soon enough.