I don't own HALO or Attack On Titan.

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TITANOMACHY:

CHAPTER 3:

FORWARD:

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Following the Master Chief's declaration of expedition, he left for the Hangar. The earlier encounter with the monster showed that, despite appearances, they were fast. It would be a foolish action to not prepare a proper form of transportation before leaving the Dawn.

With that being said, there wasn't exactly much discussion as to what vehicle the Master Chief would use. All of the aircraft—with the exception of drones—were damaged and disabled, leaving only land vehicles. A Scorpion Tank may have had the firepower to fight the monsters, but it lacked the speed to outrun them. And a Mongoose didn't exactly pan out in either area.

The only option left was to use a Warthog.

Warthogs were fast, agile, and —depending on the configuration—powerful. Should the Master Chief run into any sort of trouble on his way to the city, the Warthog would more than likely be able to handle it. As to what configuration, Chief decided to use a Warthog with a Gauss cannon. He would have less space for supplies than a troop carrier, but the cannon would land more damage against the monsters than a chain-gun would.

After that, came the weaponry and gear. The Master Chief had two things to worry about: the monsters and any 'unfriendly' people in the city. That meant a balance between anti-personnel and explosives had to be maintained within the loadout. Not to mention something that provided a quick getaway should fighting no longer be an option.

For starters, Chief would carry his Magnum Pistol and knife along with a couple of frag and plasma grenades at all times. After careful consideration, Chief decided to bring along a pair of Sticky Detonators and a Rocket Launcher to use against the monsters. In terms of anti-personnel, a Shotgun and a Battle Rifle would be most suited. One for close-quarters and the other for long-range. Other pieces of equipment that Chief would bring along were a jetpack, a cloaking unit, a few kilograms of C-12, and shield grenades.

It took about an hour for Chief to fuel the Warthog, prep the Gauss Cannon, and to load all the weaponry and supplies. Once all the preparations were finished, Master Chief started to return to the Command Center.

On his way to the exit, the Spartan spotted a large, purple object. It was peeking out behind a pile of stacked crates. Chief recognized it to be a Covenant weapon crate. Curious as to what was inside, Chief walked over to the crate. Prying the lid off, Chief found dozens of familiar, barbell-shaped objects.

Energy Swords.

Chief recalled how he lacked a proper weapon back when the monster manhandled him. Not wishing to go through the same situation again, he reached into the crate and took out two of the energy swords. Clipping the swords to the waist of his armor, the Spartan turned and went out the Hangar exit.

[-]

Captain Levi walked along the assembled ranks of the Survey Corps. His eyes carefully scanned the 3DMGs of every soldier, searching for any discrepancies. As far as he had inspecting, there were none to be found. It didn't exactly come as a surprise. Out of all the branches of the Military, the Survey Corps were perhaps the only one to even use their 3DMGs on a regular basis. The Garrison mostly stayed on the Walls and manned the cannons. The Military Police on the other hand were more accustomed to using rifles and sabers. The other two branches used their 3DMGs sparingly, mostly to navigate towns better.

But the Survey Corps actually used their gear to fight Titans. The difference between a well-maintained, up to standard 3DMG and an unkempt one was what determined life and death. So naturally not only were gears in the Corps better taken care of, but were better understood by their users. Unfortunately, this information was overshadowed by the ghastly odds of survival in the Corps.

Sadly to say, many of the soldiers that Captain Levi was inspecting would not return from the expedition that awaited them. Even well-kept gear had its limits to what it could do for a soldier.

Death was to be expected.

The short captain eventually reached the end of his inspection and faced the present members of the Corps. Then in a loud and clear voice, he spoke.

"Everybody's gear looks good!" he complimented. "Keep it up! Now that inspection is complete, everyone is to go about their job and finish final preparations! Afterwards, get a good night's sleep! We're going to be needing it! Corps, dismissed!"

With the speech finished and dismissal granted, the Survey Corps soldier broke formation. Every soldier hurried off in a different direction, set to completing their assigned tasks.

Levi was about to head off himself when he was approached by a soldier. It was Mike, one of the Squad Leaders in the Survey Corps and a friend of Levi's.

"Smell something rotten, Mike?" Levi asked.

It was an inside joke in the Survey Corps. Mike had this strange quirk about him regarding his nose. He claimed that it was superior to any other human's. The man always played around with new recruits, sniffing them like a dog to find out whether he liked them or not. Despite this creepy behavior, Mike's heightened senses came in handy in the Corps' expeditions. It was common that Mike was the first to tell when a Titan was coming and from where.

Mike shook his head. "Just the usual—piss and shit from the scared newbies. But that's nothing new."

"Then what is it?"

"Just wondering how you're holding up. I know that it ain't easy, knowing that a lot of them aren't coming back."

Levi was quiet for a moment. "Like you said, 'nothing new'." he replied in a voice that was half tired and half experienced.

Mike appeared stunned for a second. Then he sighed. Levi was right. There really was nothing new.

Levi then turned and left the courtyard.

[-]

A fight was taking place in the Dining Hall. Again. Between Eren and Jean. Again.

Jean had been bragging to his fellow trainees that he would be joining the Military Police tomorrow. Eren, upon hearing Jean's braggadocio, spoke up on Jean's "cowardly behavior". At first it was a series of comebacks between the two, which then escalated into an all-out, fist-fight.

The two were facing one another, their fists clenched and arms up. As the two circled one another, the other trainees were watching and cheering the fight on. In the background, some were actually placing bets as to who would win this round.

"Come on, Eren!" Jean yelled, goading Eren on. "What's wrong?! If you're having trouble against me, a mere human, you're not fit to go up against the Titans!"

The remark enraged Eren and he sent a kick flying at Jean's ribs. Jean groaned as he reeled back and tried to punch Eren. But the latter ducked, sending a punch to Jean's gut as he did so. Jean scrunched up his face, silently cursing Eren.

Reiner, who was watching the fight, spoke up. "Hey, come on guys! That's enough! Jean, don't you remember what Eren's hand-to-hand combat score was?!" He shouted over the crowd's yelling.

But Jean wasn't listening. Instead, he angrily swiped at Eren, but the dark-haired boy was too quick for him.

"It was at the top of our class!" Reiner reminded his enraged friend.

As Reiner was speaking, Eren reared his arm along with his body back. He was just about to hit Jean when all of a sudden Mikasa stepped in between him and Jean. She grabbed Eren by his waist and with a surprising amount of strength, slung him on her shoulder.

"Or, wait…wasn't he second to Mikasa?" Reiner wondered aloud as he watched the entire encounter.

"Mikasa?!" Eren exclaimed. "P-put me down!" he yelled as he flailed like a fish. Despite his best efforts, the girl's strength freakishly outclassed his own. Then again, it always did. That was the reason why the bullies of their childhood always ran on the sight of Mikasa.

The girl then proceeded to carry her brother out of the Dining Hall.

Jean stood straight, a bruise evident on his cheek. He was still sore from the scuffle, and was about to follow after Eren. However, he found his path blocked by a fellow trainee, Franz.

"Jean, if you guys keep making a racket, the instructor will come by!" Franz told his friend, smiling a wide smile. Despite a fight between Eren and Jean being amusing, any fight would only spoil the evening.

"This is the highlight of the party!" Jean yelled angrily. "Don't stop me!"

Franz chuckled light-heartedly. "Um…no. I think everybody's had enough."

Jean stole a glance around Franz toward Eren and Mikasa. The girl just happened to be passing by a large group of trainees who were laughing and pointing at Eren as he desperately squirmed. Watching Eren being embarrassed was somewhat satisfying, but Jean would have the last word.

"You're lucky, Eren! Having Mikasa to carry you around like that!" He sneered. "I bet you're planning to drag her to the Survey Corps with you!"

Eren said nothing. Mikasa carried her brother out the exit. Once they were outside, she threw Eren to the ground. Unfortunately Eren landed on his behind.

Eren looked up at Mikasa. "That hurt, dammit!" he scolded her angrily.

But Mikasa didn't seem to care. "You're always impulsive when you're angry." She told him, adjusting her scarf.

Eren was about to say something back, but stopped. He turned away from Mikasa and sat up on the ground, massaging his sore spot as he did so. "About what Jean said… are you really going to go into the Survey Corps with me?"

Mikasa sat down next to her brother. She crossed her arms. "Yeah. I am." She uttered silently, giving her answer.

All Eren could do was look at Mikasa with disbelief. "You were ranked the number one trainee! Join the MPs! You're sure to get special treatment…"

As much as Eren hated it, Mikasa was a superior soldier than him. In the three years that they spent in the Training Corps, Mikasa had ranked at the top of every drill, exercise, and exam. All of their instructors claimed that she was the best soldier to come out since Captain Levi himself! Because of her ranking, it would make sense that she would go to the MPs given the chance. Eren wanted her to go to the MPs as well, as her brother wishing her to be well off.

No… Then again that was a lie. That wasn't his true intention…

His true intention was to get her away from him as far as possible. Ever since Mikasa came to live with Eren, she had been doting over him as though he were some helpless baby. Whenever he got in trouble, she was always there to help him out. It infuriated him to no end, how she was stronger and better than him in practically everything. And now he would have to endure it in the Survey Corps as well.

To prove his point, Mikasa began to speak again. "If you join the MPs, I'll join them too. If you go into the Garrison, so will I. If I'm not around, you'll probably not survive."

This peeved Eren. "I'm not asking you to follow me. Just how long are you going to keep this up?"

"As long as we live." She replied. "I died once and was brought back to life. I'll never forget my debt. But more than anything, I don't want to lose more family…"

Eren looked away. He said nothing. She was probably right, but his pride stopped him from admitting it. Nothing he'd say at that moment would change her mind.

It didn't matter anyway. Eren knew that he wasn't number one like Mikasa but that wouldn't stop him in the Survey Corps. He was certain that he would overshadow his sister. Completely certain.

At that moment, Armin walked outside. He saw his friends sitting on the porch of the building and went up to them. "Hey, the party's breaking up. Let's go back to the dorm."

"Hey, Armin… did you decide which branch you'll go into?" Eren asked his friend.

Armin appeared taken off-guard. He didn't say anything at all. Instead he walked over and sat next to Eren on the porch. Armin stared at his lap for a few seconds. Then he answered in a quiet voice. "I'm going to join the Survey Corps."

Eren's eyes almost popped out of his head. "What?!" he exclaimed. "But Armin, you're…" Eren didn't know what to say. Armin was his friend and all, but he just wasn't suited for battle.

"I know." Armin said, continuing to stare at his lap. He had already known what Eren was going to say before he said it. "I'm weaker than the average person and I barely passed the single combat exam…"

"But you're so smart!" Eren protested. Out of all the trainees in the 104th Training Corps, there was no one smarter than Armin. Armin would've probably been in the top ten of the graduates, but the Military's standards preferred physical ability over intelligence. "You could become a top engineer in the Garrison. Why would you choose the exact opposite of what you're capable of?"

"I asked myself that same question. In truth, I was just about ready to go in to the Garrison."

"So why didn't you?"

"It was because of two reasons. Your speech just now, and the comet from last night."

"The comet?"

Armin nodded. "Yesterday, as I was watching the comet fly above us, it reminded me of that book that I showed you a long time ago." Armin closed his eyes as he recalled the things that his book spoke of. Large bodies of water called "oceans". Pools of liquid fire. And vast expanses of land filled with nothing but sand.

"That comet was something that not even I could've imagined seeing last night. But now I want to see it up close. Not only that, but everything that's beyond that as well. My life would be a small price to pay to see it." Armin looked at Eren and smiled. "It would all be worth it just to see the ocean once."

Eren stared at his friend with his mouth agape. Then he looked back at Mikasa. He looked back and forth the two of them a couple of times, before letting out a long, exasperated breath.

"What am I going to do with the two of you?" he asked no one in particular.

[-]

Once again, the sun rose above the horizon, beginning a new day. As it rose, the Master Chief watched from the Command Center. He had only awoken moments earlier, just as the sun came up. He stood at the front of the Command Center, just looking at it.

Back at the main controls, Cortana appeared above the controls. She looked down at her companion and was about to call out to him. But she stopped herself. Most of the time they had spent together was in the thick of combat, so it was rare to see the Chief look so calm and peaceful.

Cortana smiled behind her friend's back. But it was a sad smile. She didn't have much time left. So she had to make the most of what she had. And as long as she knew he was alright, it was enough for her.

Eventually, Cortana found the strength to speak. "Staring at the sunrise? Isn't that a bit cliché?" she called out in her usual playful manner.

Chief turned around and looked up at her. "Maybe it is. But a friend of mine once said that 'clichés exist for a reason'."

Cortana raised an eyebrow at this. "Are you sure that you're not suffering from some after-effects of cryo-sleep?" she asked. Cortana knew that Chief wasn't sick as she was sure to check his vitals periodically after he awoke. But that Chief would quote him of all people…

"I'm fine." Chief replied, slightly annoyed. Now he was starting to sound like his regular, old self. "So…are you ready?" he asked.

"Ready when you are."

With that being said, Chief walked up to the main controls. Cortana disappeared from the controls as Chief approached. He pulled her chip out of the controls and plugged it back into his helmet. Then he turned and walked out of the Command center.

The Spartan and the A.I. made their way through the corridors of the Dawn. After a few minutes they arrived at the Hangar, where their Warthog awaited them.

Chief approached the Warthog and hopped into the driver's seat. He ensured that all the mirrors were positioned to his specifications, the brakes were good, and turned the ignition on.

Vrooooooooommmm!

The Warthog's engine roared to life. Its idle echoing in the Hangar. The Warthog's instruments lit up.

"Alright, now that our rides ready, I'll just open the doors." Cortana said.

As Chief was waiting for the doors to open, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. The Spartan recalled the last time he had actually driven a Warthog. It was over four years ago, back on the Ark. Cortana, Arbiter, and himself were driving to get off the HALO ring before it detonated.

Arbiter…

Chief wondered whether or not his unlikely friend and comrade managed to survive. Chief shook his head. No distractions. Too much is at stake right now. Chief thought to himself.

There was a loud boom once the doors fully opened. Chief and Cortana were then greeted by the familiar sight of the plains. Sunlight came in, brightening up the dark hangar.

"Ready, Cortana?" Chief asked, revving the Warthog.

Cortana appeared on his HUD and nodded. "Ready."

Chief switched to Drive and stepped on the pedal. The Warthog's tires screeched as it sped along the metal floor. It raced to the open doors and flew out of the Forward Unto Dawn. It was airborne for a few seconds before it slammed into the ground.

The rough landing didn't slow Chief down and he kept going. He turned the Warthog to the north and took off, going as fast as the Warthog could go.

Seconds later, the hangar doors began to close loudly. Once the doors clunked shut and the Dawn rested lazily on the fields as though nothing happened.

[-]

Soldiers ran back and forth in the courtyard. Last minute preparations had to be completed and there was little time to do it. The wagons had to be loaded. Gas canisters had to be fully charged and secured. Blades had to be stocked. It was hectic.

While everyone was getting ready, Erwin stood off to the side of the courtyard, observing the work. The Commander normally performed a visual inspection before every expedition. But Erwin was not inspecting the supplies. Instead, he was inspecting his soldiers.

Many of the soldiers were busy with the work, but Erwin saw telltale signs of their nerves. Some had dark circles under their eyes. A few soldiers fumbled with the supplies. He noticed one soldier had gone to hide before throwing up.

It was all the same every time he looked. Fear in the hearts of the men and women before him. And then…Death. Some were eaten and others bore witness to it.

"You're creepy when you do that, you know…" a familiar voice told him.

Erwin didn't turn his head. He closed his eyes and sighed. "And I suppose it's worse than Hanji?" he asked his second in command.

Levi let a small smirk slip. "Touché." Then he looked over to where the squad leader in question was.

Squad Leader Hanji Zoe, leader of the research squadron in the Survey Corps, was not crazy. She was the most insane woman to exist inside the three Walls. The Squad Leader had miniscule boundaries, a deranged personality, and a twisted sense of humor. Anyone who knew the woman claimed that dealing with her was a test of every amount of patience.

However, this very same woman was as equally valued in the Survey Corps as Erwin and Levi. Despite her negative attributes, Hanji had a brilliant mind with a skill in combat to match. She was also one of Erwin's closest advisors as well as the Corps' top expert on Titans.

When the Squad Leader had heard that the Corps would be heading towards the crash site of the fireball, she was ecstatic.

"Oh my goodness! We are going to have so much fun!" she yelled, leaping into the air. A huge childish, grin was plastered across her face as she goofed off.

"I warned you that she would be unbearable." Levi chastised Erwin.

But Erwin didn't seem to register Levi's words. His attention had returned to the Survey Corps.

Levi leaned against a nearby column. "Why do you torment yourself with their fear?" he asked abruptly.

Upon hearing the question, Erwin closed his eyes. "I honestly don't know." His answer confused Levi. "Sometimes I think that it's my punishment for their deaths. Other times, I think it's because I need to be reminded of who I will be sacrificing." Erwin elaborated. "But…I have this foolish notion that one day, I'll look at those under my command and…I will see courage. I'll see that they aren't afraid anymore and that their confidence in victory will overshadow their fear." Then Erwin shook his head. "But like I said, it's a foolish notion."

Levi was quiet for a moment. "You're right, it is stupid." he said. "But it's stupid enough to actually happen someday."

Erwin chuckled. "Maybe…"

Levi then stood up and dusted himself off. "Come on. It'll soon be time to leave. Who knows, maybe you'll actually inspire someone." He stated in monotonous sarcasm.

But Erwin seemed to take the idea seriously. "Perhaps I will."

[-]

Less than an hour later, the Survey Corps was assembled before the Trost Gate. All the soldiers sat on their horses and wagons with stoic faces. In a matter of minutes they would be leaving the guaranteed safety of Wall Rose and entering the treacherous, Titan-infested Maria Territory.

As the soldiers prepared themselves for what lied ahead, a large crowd had formed. The citizens of Trost had come out to see the soldiers set off on their expedition. However, the muttering populace only served to stoke the stress within the soldiers.

Erwin, who was at the front of the formation, looked over his shoulder at his soldiers. The Commander noticed the uneasiness among his ranks. He looked forward, searching for the signal that the gate would open. When he didn't find any, Erwin turned his horse around to face the Survey Corps.

"Survey Corps!" the Commander shouted.

The soldiers seemed to be snapped out of a trance and looked at their Commander. Just what was going on?

"My fellow soldiers, I can see the fear that grips your hearts! You all sit on your saddles as scared as children!" Erwin yelled. "Many of you are so scared, that you're frozen!"

The soldiers looked down in shame. Their Commander had seen through them.

"But I have a question for you: You all know that you're scared… so why are you in your saddles, ready to ride out to imminent death?!"

The soldiers looked up. Some surprised. Others confused.

Erwin knew that he had their attention now. "You all sit on your saddles today because, in your hearts, your courage and wonder of the world outweighs your fear! You want to see what is beyond these Walls, even if it means giving away your life to do so! It is with such an attitude that Humanity has a chance of prevailing!"

"They call us fools! Dreamers! Idealists! Unreasonable! But I've seen the truth, time and time again! You are not fools! You are brave! And we are the ones who will take back Wall Maria! We are the ones who will win! Not the Titans!"

"I ask you, by everything you hold dear, to give everything you have in our crusade. Offer up your courage! Offer up your bravery! Offer up your loyalty!"—Erwin then drew one of his blades out of his holster and held it above his head—"Offer up your hearts for Humanity!"

The soldiers sat there, staring at their Commander with awe. Then one of the soldiers drew his blade and raised it up. "For Humanity!" he shouted.

Soon the other soldiers followed suit, drawing their blades and chanting as they stabbed the air.

"For Hu-ma-ni-ty! For Hu-ma-ni-ty! For Hu-ma-ni-ty! For Hu-ma-ni-ty! For Hu-ma-ni-ty! For Hu-ma-ni-ty!"

Levi, who was watching the entire thing happen, sighed. That thick, eye-browed idiot actually went and did a speech…

As the Survey Corps chanted their battle cry, the crowd began to clap and cheer for the soldiers. The inspiration in Commander Erwin's speech was contagious, to say the least.

In the crowd were a couple of familiar Training Corps cadets. Eren, Mikasa and Armin had decided to see off the Survey Corps before heading out to do their assigned duties. Once they were done, the cadets would report back to Headquarters and finally choose their preferred military branch.

Eren, after hearing the Commander's speech, was only more motivated than before to join the Corps. "You hear that?!" he asked rather loudly. "As long as we dedicate ourselves to the cause, we're sure to win!"

Armin and Mikasa didn't say anything. Truth be told, Commander Erwin's speech had had an inspiring effect on the two. Both were actually feeling pretty good about their decisions. Only they didn't show it openly as Eren did.

But seeing as how Armin was Eren's friend and Mikasa was Eren's sister, the two felt obligated to show at least some enthusiasm. So the two cheered along with Eren and clapped for the Survey Corps.

In the meantime, the Survey Corps' cheers were still going strong. It was incredible that Erwin actually heard his name over his soldier's cheers.

"Commander Erwin!" one of the Garrison soldiers at the top of the gate called down. When Erwin looked up, the soldier continued. "Commander! The gate will be opening in sixty seconds! Get ready!"

Erwin nodded at the soldier and turned his attention back to the Survey Corps.

"Survey Corps! This is it! Get ready!" he bellowed over the cheers.

The soldiers settled down slightly, with some of them still letting out a few cheers here and there.

Then a loud creaking noise began to come from the gate. The ground reverberated slightly as the noise rose in volume. Then the gate began to rise, opening Trost to the Wall Maria Territory once again.

Erwin turned his horse around and faced the rising gate. After a few seconds, the gate was fully open.

Erwin pointed his blade ahead. "Forward!" And the entire Survey Corps charged, riding through the gate. The horses' hooves clopped against the stone road and the hum that was the large mass of riders sounded. "We now begin the Fifty-Sixth Expedition beyond the Walls!"

In a few minutes, the entire Survey Corps had ridden out of Trost and into the Wall Maria Territory. With the Corps out of Trost, the gate began to slowly close.

The Corps, in the meantime, began to get into formation. AS the Survey Corps rode, Erwin continued to speak to his soldiers.

"Forward! Forward, Survey Corps! Forward unto the dawn of Humanity's freedom!"

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AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Whew! Finally updated! Sorry that it took so long! I've been really busy in school lately with finals, graduation practice and some private matters, so it took me awhile.

Tonight is actually my graduation ceremony, and tomorrow we go to pick up our report cards and wham! High school's over.

I will be releasing chapters frequently over the summer (Battle Of Trost comin' soon!), so that'll be fun. However, I don't know how my college schedule is like yet. So I don't know how frequent my updates will be for the rest of the year.

BTW: I finally made my DeviantArt page. It's RomanitcWarrior1999, and so far I only have a drawing of my Master Chief in One Piece Universe on there. But there should be more soon!

Anyway! Take care and see you all soon!