hi guys, sorry for the long delay, got caught up in school and had to prepare for my MYE. also this would be the last chapter that me and imaginationburstingout would be collaborating on due to his tight schedule. Anyway here it is so i hope you enjoy it

*we do not own halo or familiar of zero except for a few OC's. Halo belongs to 343 industries and Bungie while familiar of zero belongs to Noboru Yamaguchi

Unknown planet xxxx

Infinity's bridge

"That was smoother than expected." Lasky thought as he surveyed the bridge. Thanks to the expertise and skill of Lieutenant James, The Infinity was more and less in one piece. However, that was where the good news ended. The Natives of this planet would have no doubt witnessed the infinity making planetfall, and would most likely not react too kindly to the behemoth directly on their doorstep. Sooner or later they would have to meet with the current government of this nation and negotiate with them, something which Lasky was not too keen about. For god sake, he was a soldier, not a diplomat! Snapping back to reality, he pushed a button on the command console. Dozens of diagnostic reports on the various systems of the infinity sprang to life. Status on the infinity's Weaponry, shielding, power and Armour integrity sprang up to life, illuminating its surrounding. Scrolling through them, he proceeded to bring up a holographic map of the continent they were on. While the Infinity was in orbit, the onboard cameras had managed to capture various snapshots of the surface. The landscape started to form, Lasky was having a hard time believing what he was seeing.

Is an entire nation seemingly floating above the ocean without the use of thrusters or any advanced systems? That was not something ordinary. Another disturbing issue he had noticed was how eerily similar the continent was to Europe back on earth. Zooming in to where the Infinity was, He could see various Settlements and towns in the surrounding vicinity. Taking a closer look, the houses and buildings and roads all bore the hints of 16th-century architecture with the occasional windmill. It was as if they had travelled a thousand years back into the past. Shifting the map, at about 100 km away was a large medieval city, protected by high walls and guard towers. Around in were various buildings such as bars, shops and houses. In the centre of it lies a sturdy yet elegant castle with a moat. In between it and the infinity lies a Building similar to that of a castle. It was built like a pentagon, towers of stone and of different colours were located on each side of it, glistening in the sunlight. In the centre lies a rather tall ornate tower, underneath its lies it's base consisting of two cylindrical stone buildings stacked on each other. Aesthetically speaking, it was one of the most beautiful things Lasky had set his eyes on in quite a while. It has a certain aura to it, one of tranquillity but at the same time radiates of power. Looking over at the holographic panel, he could see Roland's avatar running over a few images taken with a mixed expression of wonder and strangely…..relief?

"Roland, what do you make of this?" Lasky asked the orange ww2 bomber pilot.

"I have mixed feeling on this Sir. This castle's architecture has got to be one of the best I have ever seen. Just look at those towers! On the other hand from the other not so glamorous photographs taken, these people are extremely primitive. Horse-drawn carts? Windmills? Stone roads? I have to run a diagnostic check on my systems to ensure that I'm not running rampant. It's like we have landed in the past." Roland said with disbelief as he continues to gawk at the holograms. " On the other hand, we won't have to worry much about them sir. You can infer a lot about one's culture from their art. Most likely at best their armies would be armed with early 16th century muskets and cannons. Which will be dealt with easily. Their weaponry would not be able to scratch our marine armour. The only thing we have to worry about is their flying boats…. And some of their wildlife….which include dragons…..."

That last sentence nearly made Lasky choke and caused him to freeze. Flying boats? Dragons? If he remembered correctly he was sure that they had landed on an uncharted planet, not some fairytale world. Recomposing himself, he turned to glare at that orange figure standing on the table.

" If this is a joke, Roland, I assure you that I am certainly not enjoying it."

"This is no joke sir, you have to see this yourself. When I first came across this picture I too had a hard time believing my eyes"

At that same moment, various images with reference to the various subject materialise in front of Lasky. The first picture showed a ship which bore a resemblance to British naval ships of the 15th century, massive wings were connected on both sides, each wing has a sort of cylindrical device connect in the centre of each wing. There was rudder like objects, two on each side of the cylindrical devices, and the ship utilises sails too. Multiples holes which were cannon emplacements were on both port and starboard of the ships, and right at the aft of the ship was a massive propeller. How the natives have managed to get this massive thing in the air was beyond Lasky. The next picture showed what looked like a group of four dragons flying in formation, but that was not what caught Lasky's attention. Riding the dragons was none-other than humans wearing bulky medieval armour carrying lances.

Humans

The mere contemplation on how a separate branch of Humanity evolving on a different planet entirely was enough to give him a really bad headache. How did these people get here? Are they the descendants of a lost Colony ship? Lasky quickly dismissed the Latter. It was not possible, If they were indeed a lost colony they would not have reverted back to the 17th century and lost all their technology. It was just no probable. But In his years of service, Lasky had learned to always expect the unexpected

"Roland open a communications channel to the Captains of the Endurance and Freedoms call. Also, get this data package to them as soon as you can."

"On it boss," Roland replied. As soon as he had spoken the bridge immediately darken. A second later two holographic screens materialised, one on each side of the holographic table.

"Captain Lasky, sir." the spoke in unison as they saluted. Despite the fact that both were of the same rank, they were two very different persons. Captain Williams Heffley was a veteran of the Human-Covenant war and had fought in 20 separate engagement Against the covenant. The years of service had taken a toll upon his health, evident by the various scars on his pale face. He was known to many in fleet command as a cold, cunning individual who would go through hell to complete his task. Captain Richards, On the other hand, was fresh out of the Naval academy. His first and only combat experience so far was against the Didact half a year ago. However, what he lacks in combat experience he makes up for it with his dedication and hard work. Clearing his throat, Lasky decided to get the ball rolling.

"Gentlemen, I assumed that you have all went over the data packet which was sent to you not long ago?"

"Yes, Captain. However, I am having a hard time believing my eyes. Orcs, an entire nation floating above the ocean, dragons and a continent similar if not the same as that of Europe. Not to mention the prospect of discovering another civilisation of humans? Forgive me for being sceptical, but it is as if we are in some sort of children's book." Williams replied in a disbelieving tone. As expected he was clearly beyond baffled as he started ruffling what little hair he had left.

"Indeed captains. Make no mistake, all of this are real. What's more, we are officially in uncharted space and have no means of communications with FLEETCOM or earth. Due to that our supply lines have been cut off, We are on our own."

Dead Silence reigned across the bridge as The gravity of the Situation started to sink in. The officers at their positions were silent as they continued with their work, however, some of them tensed up, knowing that they would most likely never see their loved ones again. The soul that was hit the hardest on the entire bridge was Captain Williams himself. Before they departed he had just received news that his daughter had just given birth to a pair of twins. The thought of never seeing his grandchildren was a grim prospect. Even though he was known for being a fierce commander in the Navy, he was also known to be a grandfather figure, helping out men under his command who were having problems and providing them with advice. He was also well known to love his family dearly and would do anything for them. Balling up his fist, he managed to control his emotions. Right now he has a job to do and he must be responsible for the men under his command.

"Sir with all due respect, is there no other way out?" Captain Richards replied in a calm manner. He too was still having problems coming to terms with their current predicament.

"Sadly there's nothing which we can do, right now we have no knowledge of where we are. The best we could do is set up a distress beacon and hope that the UNSC picks up. But that's not why we are holding this conference. Gentlemen, we have come into contact with civilisation and we are most likely going to have to meet them sooner or later. This is the first contact. From the Information we have gathered from our scanners and the image captured, The human civilisation that we are dealing with is similar to that of a mid 16th century European nation. As you can see the Infinity has landed about 50km away from this city, which is most likely their capital." The map was rotated to show the massive walled city.

"From The information we have on the continent now, we have landed on a small nation. Their economic status is unknown, but we have a fair gauge on their arm forces. Roland if you please."

A few images materialised. One of which was no doubt a Military camp of some sort. Soldiers were with brown Uniforms were practising with their muskets and some dragon riders were flying around the perimeter. Another image showed a fleet of ships with wings that were in a kind of dry dock.

"As you can see from the images. Their military has two types of Infantry, one of them are Musketeers, while the other is regular medieval soldiers. Utilising spears, swords and other primitive forms of weaponry, they also utilise dragons and flying ships for aerial warfare. Said flying ships are armed with what appears to be 17th-century cannons. While we have information on their weaponry, we do not have the numbers."

"Sir with as due respect sir, Our forces should be more of a match against them. We are most likely millennia ahead of them. Even if they outnumber us we would most likely be able to handle them, their strongest weapons can't even penetrate our infantry armour"

"I believe that it is best for us to quickly get into contact with the local government. The locals might view this as an invasion and might respond with force. Quickly negotiating with them would no doubt help to ease tensions. Problem is we do not currently know of the language spoken here. And may I remind you, Captain Richards, that our ammunition is not unlimited."

"And that's why captain William, I am proposing that we begin mining operations on the asteroid belt near the moon. Scans have shown that they are rich in minerals. This way we can get the materials we need. We should also establish a forward operating base planetside."

"Won't that lead to war? We are on their land after all." Roland questioned.

"Simple, We will discuss about the FOB with the natives at the negotiations." Captain Williams replied

"Captain Lasky, I suggest we deploy our ground contingent to secure a perimeter 2km away from the Infinity, This will not leave us completely defenceless and will let our marines respond to threats more effectively. The last thing we want is for the natives to launch a surprise attack. Scout teams would also be sent out to investigate and gain more information on the natives."

"And what if the Natives were to begin hostilities?"

"We crush them, simple as that. If we let them attack us without striking back we would be seen as weak. We need to send a clear message that the UNSC is not to be trifled with."

"What of the cruisers? Our escorts?"

"The Cruisers would be stationed high in orbit while the frigates would form a perimeter around the infinity and support the marines and spartans."

Lasky stood in silence thinking about their plan. Mining the asteroids would grant the UNSC access to alloys and materials needed to repair and produce munitions needed for their ships, vehicles and troops. Construction of a planetside FOB would also be useful, however, what he fears is that the Natives would see it as a declaration of war and might attack the Infinity. While he has no doubts that the UNSC would be able to handle the natives, he would rather not throw away lives so easily when there is a chance for peace. Having made his decision, he turned back to face the two captains.

"Very well, After spending some time thinking about your ideas. Mining operations can soon begin once we are ready, however plans for the FOB would be put on hold. The FOB can be discussed with the Natives during the upcoming negotiations, the last thing we need is to start a war. However, I agree that a perimeter must be set up. If these people can somehow get a ship that size without engines or thrusters in the air, They must be treated with great caution. Thank you, captains, your suggestion has been noted. Right now get your ships to their assigned coordinates. I will contact you when needed. Good day." Ending the Video conference, Lasky began to bark out orders to the crew.

"Lieutenant Austen. Get our PD systems, shielding, archer pods and mac guns back online. Deploy Marines to coordinates A0-23 and A0-78. I want checkpoints set up around the roads, Nothing that isn't UNSC gets in. Lieutenant Ryder, send a message to the captains of the frigates, I want them to hold position at 1.0km from the Infinity. Lieutenant jet, I want two squadrons of sabres on standby, have them ready to reinforce our troops. Lieutenant James, Get our engines back online. Now Let's get a move on people!"

A chorus of "yes sirs" rang out across the Bridge as the various crew member got to work. The once tense and thick atmosphere was replaced with one of enthusiasm and determination.

UNSC Infinity

Vehicle Bay 13

"Damn, looks like shit's about to hit the fan," Saito muttered to himself as they rushed into the bay. The vehicle bay was in a frenzy as crates of ammunition were being loaded into the scorpions, warthogs were being refuelled and the technicians were running diagnostic on the m650s. Barbwire and other defensive emplacements were being loaded onto a few pelicans which were needed for the checkpoints. Running right past the mammoths, the trio quickly fell in with the rest of the platoon. In front of them were two m650s and an m820 scorpion and to his surprise a fireteam of Spartan IVS! Saito could have sworn he saw Marcus' eyes glimmer. He turned towards the first-lieutenant just as he was about to begin his briefing.

The same officer which took command of his squad soon stepped on top of the scorpion and turned to face the mass of men. Decked out in marine BDU with a cap instead of a helmet on his head, his scars were visible to the many eyes in the hanger, one of them especially was running up his right eye. Taking a minute to survey his surroundings, he began to speak

"I believe introductions are in order. I am Lieutenant Colter and I would be your commanding officer for this platoon. I expect only one thing of all of you, that you carry out your assigned tasks without hesitation. As soldiers of the UNSC, it is our duty to protect humanity and safeguard the colonies of Earth, regardless of the cost. I do not tolerate any form of cowardice or treason, show any signs of these and I will shoot you myself. Is that clear?"

"Now Under orders by Captain Lasky, Our platoon has been assigned to scout out the forested area of this local planet." A holographic map was brought up as the lieutenant highlighted that particular area in red. "We are to perform reconnaissance of this area and report whatever we find back to the captain. Our scanners have detected a few settlements just north of the Infinity, which we will make contact with if necessary. As this is your platoon's first mission, I expect all of you to be on your best performance. Standard ROE still applies. Do not attack the locals unless they are hostile. Additionally, from what we have gathered so far, the natives of this planet are humans, Also on this…."

The lieutenant was cut off by a wave of chatter coming from the platoon. Confused and excited Whispers were soon heard throughout the platoon at the revelation of this piece of information. Saito was one of those stunned at this piece of intel. Is a separate branch of humanity evolving on another planet? That was impossible, it's was just unfathomable. He at first thought of it as a joke but after witnessing the serious look on the lieutenants face, he knew he wasn't lying. As he stood the in silent contemplation, he felt someone elbowing his side. Turning around, he saw that it was Cheng.

"Well Saito, at least it isn't some Xenos, don't understand why we even bothering making peace with those split-lips."

"We didn't have a choice, nor the manpower or equipment to wipe them off the face of the galaxy. But hey at least they aren't trying to kill us anymore...

"QUIET!" The voice of the Lieutenant echoed throughout the hanger, causing a few of the pilots and technicians to turn and look.

"Now as I was saying, we are to scout out the area and report any threats encountered. And also, right here today we have the honour of being accompanied by fireteam majestic themselves. With the blessing of captain Lasky, they would be assisting us in our mission. If there are no questions, We move out in 5 minutes. Squad 1 and 2 would take the mastodon 527, while the other half accompanied by the Spartans would take the 522, Now MOVE OUT!" The lieutenant bellowed at the greenies.

"SIR YES SIR!" the platoon chorused as they took their places in the m650s, footsteps echoing throughout the interior of the APC. As Saito took his seat right in between Cheng and Marcus he could not help but be amazed at the large troop compartments of the M650 mastodon. Most of the time during his training, they were carried around in the small m831 which was for intent and purposes a warthog with extra seats. Whenever he was in the m831 he could not help but feel very, very exposed. The fact that it had little to no armour plating and is open topped did little to ease his sense of discomfort. However, it is quite fast and manoeuvrable. But in Saito's own opinion, all that manoeuvrability would not save you if you are taken out already. However, the m650 was a whole different thing. The vehicle is not only heavily armoured but it also has a Vulcan turret as its main armament. It may not seem very impressive but it is certainly better than nothing. It was mostly dark in the M650 except for a few lights on the entrance. What was only 5 minutes felt like an eternity for the men and women of the 36th platoon. As the marines sat in silence awaiting orders to move out, the air was thick with tension. which was Not surprising as it was going to be one of their first deployments. As Saito looked around, he noticed Cheng was running last minute checks on his rifle, counting his magazines and Marcus was busy cleaning his bayonet. As Saito was busy thinking about how contact with the locals was going to play out, the M650 began to vibrate vigorously. A message was soon heard throughout the vehicle bay.

BAY DOORS ARE OPENING, ALL PERSONNEL PLEASE STAND CLEAR

It was the moment everyone had been waiting for, the day that the marines of the 36th platoon would prove themselves in a trial by fire. no sooner had the announcement been finished than the rear ramp of the M650 shut, leaving the interior in darkness before the lights flickered to life. As the bay doors opened, all personals in the Bay were engulfed by the warmth of the sun. it's rays spreading evenly throughout the deepest, darkest corners of the vehicular bay, temporarily blinding the occupants of vehicle bay 13, The occupants of M650 31 were no different

BAY DOORS OPENED. LOWERING RAMP

"Here we go, here we go, here we go," Cheng muttered to himself as he inserted a fresh clip into his BR55. The engines of scorpions, m650s and warthogs soon came to life, eager to spring into action.

RAMP LOWERED. BEGIN DEPLOYMENT

"ALL UNITS, MOVE OUT!" the voice of the Lieutenant bellowed throughout the Intercom. No less had he finished his sentence did the first M820S exited the bay, tracks clattering on the surface of the ramp, the once blinding light was replaced with the view of grassy and lush plains with a forest just ahead of them. Exhaust belched from the tanks as they moved down the ramp and across the surface of the plains, followed by warthogs and M650s. High above in the skies were the infinities strident class frigates maintaining Virgil over the grounded ship, their weapons ready to go hot in the event that the flagship is threatened .The convoy rolled across the dirt roads of the plains and were soon entering the forest dead ahead. by then many units have broken from the main group, heading to their various assigned destinations. For the men and women of the UNSC, the events that will transpire on this day would go down in the annals of human history.

Unknown planet: xxxx

Forested area, UNSC recon team 3

As the m650 Mastodon rolled across the plains and into the nearby forest, a rather large and imposing figure sat in silent contemplation as he observed a few of the greenies chatting with each other. That figure was none other than Fireteam Majestic leader, Paul Demarco.

Born and raised on the colony world of Algolis on August 18 2532. De Marco joined up with the UNSC marine corp when he was of acceptable age. Due to his outstanding performance in the marines, he was soon transferred to the ODSTs, In which he took part in numerous campaigns and skirmishes against the covenant on many worlds. At the end of the war like many other highly skilled ODSTs, he was given a choice to join the Spartan Corp. As expected, he accepted the offer with great enthusiasm. After all, it was not common for some ODST to be offered a chance to become one of the legendary Spartans. During his Training, he was known to have a brash and arrogant personality, usually charging in head first into the thick of the fighting. He also had the tendency to look down on fellow peers in his former unit in the marines. However, he was noted for being a quick thinking and a brilliant strategist, which was the main reason why he was inducted into the SPARTAN programme.

Sitting right next to him was Gabriel Thorne, the rookie who was newly transferred to fireteam majestic before this whole mess started. Seeing that they still have some time before they made contact with the native village, he decided to go over Gabriel's file.

Pulling out his datapad, he soon learnt that Gabriel was raised by two Officers in the UNSC army on New Phoenix. Sadly, both parents were killed on Alluvion when the Covenant attacked. It was Something that DeMarco could sympathise with. During the war, it was not uncommon for whole families to be torn apart, especially those who have relatives serving in the armed forces. He still remembers the chaos that would always happen without fail during an evacuation of a planet. Civilians trampling over each other just to get to safety to the few transport ships that haven't been blown up by the covenant, Marines, ODSTs desperately holding the covenant back for just a few seconds just for another transport to escape. Shaking his head, he soon returned to reviewing Gabriels files.

Gabriel was then raised by his grandmother, the last member of his family and spent the remainder of his childhood on earth. He soon Enlisted in the UNSC army at a young age. gabriel thorne path to becoming a spartan started when he single-handedly saved his platoon during the battle of criterion when the covenant attacked in 2552. Thorne would then go on to fight during the battle of Reach, followed by the battle of tribute until both worlds were glassed. His unit like most was transferred to the Sol system to defend the human homeworld against the inevitable covenant invasion. he was stationed at mars and fought under the command of Colonel Ackerson until the war ended. After the War, he like many other skilled individuals were given the opportunity to join up with the new spartan corp. When things were just starting to look up for Gabriel Thorne, Life decided to throw him a curve ball. His grandmother living in New Phoenix, the last family member that he had left, was composed alongside the millions of others when the Didact attacked earth. During the Time when Infinity was in docks for repairs, the quarantine around new phoenix was lifted. A ceremony was held to honour the millions who lost their lives in the unprovoked attack. After listening to the speech by the UEG president, He along with a fellow Team member by the Name of Grant went to visit his old apartment, where Gabriel finally accepted his predicament and learned to move on.

Closing the data-pad, Demarco leans his head back, Contemplating how Thorne was going to fit in with the team. From what he had read, Gabriel has shown remarkable prowess in combat, which would no doubt be useful. However, he also had to ascertain if he could get along with the current team members. All the training and firepower isn't going to save you if you can't work well with the others. As the old saying goes, all for one one for all. Before he could think further, he was cut off by an unmistakable voice in the intercom.

"Sir, Is everything alright? You are awfully silent during this trip." Gabriel spoke through his helmet as he counted the ammunition in his clip.

"It's fine, but I still Do not understand why do we require this much firepower, not to mention a whole platoon of rookies fresh out of boot camp," Demarco replied half-lying. It was partially true that he was irked by the fact that they had the "honour" of babysitting a bunch of newbies. They are Fireteam Majestic, one of the best spartan 4 teams on the Infinity, having participated in uncountable campaigns and skirmishes ever since they joined the UNSC. They could easily handle any opposition thrown at them by the Natives. And if the reports they received were accurate, they need not fret that much as it would be a cake-walk. With their superior training and weaponry, the natives would stand no chance. That was not the only reason why he didn't like the new recruits on his team. During his time as an ODST and a marine, he had seen dozens, if not hundreds of New recruits zealously charged into the thick of the fighting despite orders from their commanders not to, only to end up in a body bag once the battle was over. He recalled in one battle a greenie pushing forward too quickly without support from the rest of the squad, only to be smashed to tiny bits by a chieftain hiding behind a wall. Their inexperience is going to be a liability and might jeopardize the mission and others. However, every cloud has a silver lining, and that was the fact that at least they could easily be reinforced in the event that they were outnumbered.

"I know what you are thinking, and It has its flaws." The voice of Carlo Hoya decided to make its appearance. Hoya might look fierce and intimidating on the outside, however, he's quite laid back on the inside, Willing to help a fellow soldier in need. "Sure, they might have no experience at all, but so did we when we first Enlisted. And besides, we could use the extra firepower they have. That 150mm is going to give anyone who is dumb enough to stand in our way a bad day."

As Saito was resting his eyes, he Noticed a barely audible buzzing coming from the Helmets of the Spartans, Indicating that they were engaged in some sort of discussion between themselves on a private communication channel. As he gazed out into the lush greenery of the forest, he recalled the many nature reserves that his father would take him to visit back on Reach. Reach from orbit shared many similarities with the Homeworld of humanity, great wide oceans teeming with aquatic wildlife, lush forests and grassy plains. All of those had been Ripped from Humanity when the damned covenant arrived. He painfully remembered that moment as the transport soared into the heavens away from the burning husk of a once thriving planet. It's seas, evaporated. It's lush forest and plains, incinerated into ash and turned to glass. He remembered seeing the scarred and damaged hulls of UNSC ships as they fought with every ounce of strength left in them, firing everything including their Point defence turrets at the encroaching covenant, with the knowledge that the only thing that would achieve is pissing them off. A Heavily damaged marathon cruiser even fired all engines and thrusters and rammed a covenant cruiser, taking it down in the process. At that point, the battle was a free for all. The Trafalgar was destroyed and Any UNSC ship still in one piece were doing everything in their power to hold the covenant for a few minutes so that another transport could get to safety. That was how grim the situation was for them back then.

"Nothing you could have done about it," Cheng voiced dragged Saito from his thoughts.

"What?" Saito questioned Cheng in an almost threatening manner, causing cheng to let out an audible sigh.

"Stop living in the past and try to live in the present, I know it's hard for you but you will get used to it. You're not the only one whose home was glassed. "Cheng muttered as he went back to cleaning his weapon, knowing full well that his advice has fallen on deaf ears.

"Well excuse me your highness, but at least you managed to escape with your whole family intact, mine didn't"

Whatever counter arguments that Cheng once had were silenced. He knew that Saito in a way was correct. While he and Marcus lost their homes, at least they had their family. Saito, on the other hand, lost almost everything.

"yeah,...you're probably right. no point crying over spilt milk now." Saito mulled to himself before leaning his head against the viewport. "Sorry if i sounded too hostile just now."

"Nah, its cool man." cheng replied with a smile on his face

Meanwhile, in the cockpit of the mastodon, lieutenant coulter was going through the reports and images the drones have brought back. Normally mastodons would not be outfitted with reconnaissance drones, however considering the fact that this is a recon mission it would seem most appropriate. As he scrolled through the datapad he soon came across something which caught his eyes. Turning it off, he hastily went over to the driver of the vehicle.

"Get me captain Lasky, priority channel" Lieutenant Coulter mentioned to the pilot of the mastodon. As the pilot punched in a few buttons, they were soon greeted by the holographic figure of admiral Lasky

"Lieutenant Coulter, status report."

"Admiral." Coulter replied with a salute. " the drones have returned with what appears to be images of the inhabitants of this world taken 0.8km away, one is a middle age man with glasses and another is a girl. Judging by the apparel of the man, I would say that he is most likely a noble, he could help us get into contact with the local government. There is no way a lowly peasant could have this type of fabric for the clothes."

"Lieutenant we can't just assume that man has links to the government of this world. For all, we know these clothes could be commonplace for the common citizens." Lasky replied with his arms folded.

"Sir I think it is best if you see this, video footage captured by the drones have shown that the way he moves, the way he speaks, I am confident that he should be able to assist us in contacting the local government."

Silence reign across the intercom as coulter awaited further instructions. Lasky pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a resigned sigh. "Very well, you are to make contact with the natives and attempt to open dialogue between the UNSC and the inhabitants. Lasky out." and with that, the line was cut. reaching down to the console, coulter opens a channel to the rest of the platoon

"Attention, as of this moment we are about to initiate contact with the locals. Convoy is to hold position just outside the forest, we don't want to scare the natives. Fireteam majestic, on me. The marines would hold position and get ready to disembark at the first sign of trouble." Lieutenant coulter mentioned over the intercom. The side doors of the mastodon were soon lowered, disgorging the first contact squad. As they slowly made their way through the thick foliage, they were soon greeted with the sight of a green haired man with glasses holding a wooden rod at them and a pink haired teen behind him.

Unknown planet:xxxx

[Redacted] forest

To say that Louise was happy was an understatement. No, the better word to describe what she's feeling is downright euphoric. For you see about an hour ago she had just finished packing her things and was about to call for a maid to help her carry all the baggage when all of a sudden, the earth began to tremble. The next thing she thought was the following earthquake that made her thought that the world was ending. Despite all of that though she managed to peek through the window, she was fortunate enough to see something large and metallic over the horizon. If she was anyone else she would have dismissed what she saw. Louise felt her whole world stop upon having a closer look at what crashed and finally put two and two together. Elation dawned on her features and she immediately stumbled towards her door and made a break for it outside and towards the stables. Once she picked her stallion she kicked both of her legs at both sides of the horse, said animal gave an indignant whinny before galloping towards the place it didn't want to go in the first place.

"Miss Valliere!"

Louise perked up at the sound and turned around to look for the source of the noise. Her eyes widened at who the voice belonged to Mr Jean Colbert. Looking forward again she kicked both sides of the horse prompting it to speed up. The horse followed her orders and began to gallop even faster. She looked back and to her dismay, the distance between her and her teacher didn't change, from the looks of it, Mr Colbert was even gaining some distance. Louise spotted something that his teacher was holding."He's using wind stones! she thought. "No this can't be happening! I'm so close, just a little longer!

Unfortunately, luck wasn't on Louise's side today, this was shown when her horse began to pant heavily. What started off as a speedy gallop slowly turned into a cumbersome trot before finally the horse completely stopped. No matter what Louise tried the horse wouldn't budge. This was further cemented when the horse lowered its head and began to eat the greens that it was stepping on during the entire chase. Finally, Louise gave a loud cry of frustration that even Colbert heard despite being quite distant.

Eventually, he caught up with the runaway student. "Miss Valliere this entire chase has been pointless, to begin with, what in Brimir's name possessed you to commit such an act!" it wasn't a question but a statement. Yet despite this Louise tried to answer it

"I-I was…" She stuttered.

"I don't have time to listen to your reasons, come we have to go back to the academy,"

She didn't move

"Miss Valliere, we are going back to the academy this instant!" he said sternly.

She didn't utter a word

"Young lady, we are going back to the academy whether you like it or not!" he said slowly showing some if his military persona.

"No….no..no NO NO! We all know what fate awaits me once I get back to the academy, what's the whole point anyway? I can't even summon a familiar. Heck, No matter what spells I try the outcome is always the same! Explosions ,explosions ex-fucking-plosions! I can't perform spells, I can't summon a familiar and to top it off I'm getting expelled?!" Louise shouted at the top of her lungs, before punching the nearest tree. The sound of the impact was coupled with the cracking of bones, blood slowly began to trickle down her fist

"All those nights burning the midnight oil, all those hours of practising? What good did it even Everyone in my family is able to practice magic flawlessly, meanwhile I can't even master the simplest of spells? I'm a founder-damned disgrace to the family. You know what, to hell with magic, to hell with being a noble, to hell with it all!" falling down on to her knees, Louise began to sob. All the anger and frustration that had built up in her after all the years at the academy is finally being let loose.

The cold, stern expression on Colbert's face soon changed into that of sympathy. He had heard from the other teachers at the academy about the apparent problems that Louise was facing. No matter how many times she was taught, the only thing that her spells seem to produce is explosions after explosions, hence her nickname "zero". He also knew that peer pressure was slowly taking its toll on the poor girl, slowly but surely. Contrary to popular opinion, being a noble was no easy task. There were strict rules that dictate how one of noble blood should uphold themselves in public, from how they speak, how they eat and even to how they walk. However, all of these pale in comparison to the nobles ability to harness magic. Magic was essentially the lifeblood of all nobles. One's status as a noble depends on how well he or she could successfully manipulate magic. Almost every noble in halkegenia are mages in one way or another, which was another factor which separated themselves from the common citizenry . for a noble to repeatedly fail the simplest of spells, it brought great shame upon their family and said noble would most likely be stripped of his/her title and would live the rest of their lives as a mere peasant, scorned and ostracised from their former friends. It was no surprise that Louise was having a mental breakdown right now.

"You know, back when I was in the army, there was this fine officer named Oswald," Colbert said as he took a sit right beside Louise, grabbing her attention.

"He was once a noble, just like you. However during the summoning ritual…."

"He failed, didn't he?" Louise replied in a monotone voice. While most nobles were able to summon their familiars, there was a small minority which had failed to do so.

"So it would seem. He was stripped of his nobility, alienated by his family, and his closest friends all turned their backs on him."

"However, despite all the hardships he faced, He refused to give up. casting his lot with the army, he worked his way up through the ranks. despite the shame of his inability to perform magic. After 7 long years of blood, sweat and tears, he was finally rewarded with the rank of colonel. You see Louise, Magic doesn't determine if you are to succeed in life, it is your own determination and will power. you can be the strongest mage in the whole of halkegenia, but if you do not have the determination to succeed, if you do not have the courage to move on and learn from your mistakes, then it's all useless." Colbert continued

Louise sat there motionless for a few seconds as if to think about what Colbert had just said. Wiping her tears from her eyes, she stood up, hope and determination burning bright in her eyes.

"You're...you're right, I'm not giving up this easily. So what if I'm no mage? I will find another path. I am Louise Francoise oh house La Vallière. I'm not giving up this easily!"

"That's the spirit, do not think too much about it. I am sure we can work something out once we get back to the….." Colbert came to an abrupt stop as he instinctively grabbed his wand and took a fighting stance. After all those years in the army and from his combat experience, Colbert had learned how to discern if one was being sneaked upon. He could hear the unknowns slowly making their way towards them, their heavy iron boots trampling the patches of grass.

"What's going on?" Louise asked, fear evident in her voice

"We're not alone. Louise, get behind me." Colbert readied his wand, prepared to strike down their soon to be attackers. What he saw next would shock him to the core

Three, no four heavily armoured knights emerged from the castle of wood. Clad in dark blue heavy armour from the head to toe, armour that was beyond the capabilities of the greatest artisans in the whole continent. they wore helmets with wide and threatening orange visors. In their hand, they brandished large, heavy grey muskets with a strange box-like contraption at the back of the stock. These muskets seemed to be made of….. A type of metal? Justs thinking about the cost of making iron muskets started to make Colbert's head spin. At the current time, it was seemingly impossible to craft a musket made from iron. And even if they did manage to accomplish this impossible task, it would bankrupt the whole state just to supply the common musketeer with such weapons. Perhaps these were experimental weapons made just for these knights? All four knights surrounded them, weapons at the ready to be used at the first sign of trouble. Behind them emerged an unarmed middle age man, dressed in a uniform with different splotches of green on it. He too was wearing a set of armour which was alien to Colbert, from appearance it looked lighter and less bulky than that of the four knights. 'From the way he carried himself, he must be these knights commanding officer' Colbert thought to himself. The officer approached them, before coming to a stop a few feet from them.

"Greetings, can you understand me?" the officer questioned in Albion with a germanian accent.

"Yes, you are speaking Albion aren't you?" Colbert cautiously responded.

"Albion, Is that what your people call English? Nevertheless. I am lieutenant Colter of the UNSC marine corp, with me is spartan fireteam majestic. Judging by the way you carry yourself, You are a noble aren't you?"

"Indeed, I am Colbert, a professor at the tristain Academy of magic. Behind me is Louise, one of my students."

"A pleasure to meet you, sir Colbert. Now I know you have questions, And I will do my best to answer them. We came from that massive ship that has crashed landed not far from here. We are here to open diplomatic relations with the ruling monarchy of this country."

Before Colbert could formulate a response, loud explosions and impacts could be heard from across the forest. The spartans immediately assumed a combat posture and weapons were raised. Colbert easily recognises the spells and impacts to belong to a particular ice and fire mage, Tabitha and Kirche. His blood suddenly ran cold for a second time that day as realization dawned upon him.

"Is everything alright sir? You seemed to be a little pale."

"Mr Coulter, we are in ork territory. When your ship crashed, it must have sent the orks into a frenzy and caused them to flee, but now they have returned in force to take back what is theirs. And it seems that two of my students have made contact with them."Upon hearing this dreadful piece of information. The expression on the face of the UNSC officer turned from friendly to grim.

"I'm terribly sorry my good sir, but I must leave to help my students. They are under attack by a large group of orcs. I advise that you leave this place immediately, the orcs would overwhelm you." Colbert said as he helped Louise onto her horse before heading to his. Turning about, he could see the officer of this 'UNSC' pressing one side of his helmet and speaking into it. It took a few seconds before the officer turned around to face him.

"They might have the numbers, but we have the big guns on our side, admiral Lasky has given us permission to assist you," Coulter replied

Colbert could not help but be a little sceptical at the proposition placed before him. This lieutenant coulter and his 4 'spartans' are going to help him hold off at least 100 orcs? Orcs were well known for their violent nature and their ability to withstand and tank huge amounts of damage. It would take a dozen musketeers to usually down an orc, and that was if they aimed for the head. The mere thought of 5 of them facing off a numerically superior orc hoard was just ludicrous "You are going to need more than 4 men to hold of few hundred orks, my good sir." Colbert stated

At that moment, the ground around him began to shake, small saplings began to collapse and birds started to fly away from their nests. Giant, metal beast emerged from the green abyss, their wheels and tracks crushing plants and any unfortunate creature standing in their way. Two of them were large, brown, twice the height of an average man and had wheels the size of boulders. Their shape was similar to that of a beetle and mounted at the top of the beast was a rod of some sort. The next was green was a huge beast which moves with the help of tracks, it had a low silhouette and the front part of it was sloped upwards, the back half mounted what Colbert recognise to be that of a cannon. If he was viewing it from a distance he could have sworn that it was a scorpion.

Large doors on the two brown beasts opened with a hiss, and with that, about 18 soldiers from each of the mechanical constructs rushed out from their bellies. All 36 of them were clad in the same armour as coulter and wielded the same weapons as the four "spartans". Forming up in three roles behind coulter, rifles at the ready. Colbert could see the tension and excitement emitting from the group assembled before him. While a few of the soldiers before him were veterans evident from the various scars, a large majority of them were fresh meat. turning to face coulter, He soon noticed the smirk on his face.

"Who said it was only four men anyway?"

Authors note:

And thats a wrap. if you guys are wondering about the marines, their armour is similar to those in halo war 2, except green of course.(never really liked the halo 4 designs)

Zelta out