A single shaft of sunlight cut through the darkened room, casting a small patch of light on the floor. Various object, some in various broken states, lay scattered around the room. A single figure lay curled under the blankets on the bed. A head of white hair could be seen poking out of the blankets.

Alexis Tannar had woken up in the infirmary with her arm already most of the way healed thanks to the accelerated regeneration that her stigmata provided. She'd held her composure as best she could through the debriefing and the final checkup. She'd then made her way back to her room, passing her comrades but not stopping to answer their questions. She'd reached her room, smiled at the passing Pandoras, closed and locked the door, then gone insane.

For a good thirty minutes the Pandora let her emotions run wild. Anger, anguish, grief.. sorrow. James was dead, unconditionally dead. She would never see his smiling face again, never laugh again as he got frustrated with his own inability to cook the simplest dishes. She'd never hold him close again after a rough day, never feel his arms around her when she was down again. The world just seemed worthless without him.

After her tantrum, tossing nearly every belonging she possessed and screaming incoherently, Alexis had simply collapsed onto her bed and cried herself to sleep. For the next week she just laid there, crying herself hoarse in between short naps. What little sleep she got was torture: over and over again she heard James screaming; time and time again she watched the Nova cut her beloved in two. She spent her nights endlessly reliving the moment, feeling him leave her completely again every time.

And so today, while Gabe caught a short nap in his room, Alexis continued her trend of sleeping and crying. At the moment she was awake, staring at the wall and trying to think of something other than her dead Limiter.

A knock on the door sounded through the room but Alexis didn't stir. "Alexis, are you in there?" There was no answer from the girl within the room. "I guess you're still out of it... Well, I brought you the newspaper. It looks like we've finalized the treaty with those aliens, the UNSC. Rumor has it one of their soldiers is joining West Genetics. I also heard Cassie in Class 2 talking about it. Apparently Sam attacked one of those guys in the black armor... ODSTs, I think they're called. She would've killed him if Charlotte hadn't stepped in and vouched for him. She said he was a friend of hers then led him off to see Sister Margret."

Something about this statement stirred a memory inside the Pandora's head. A black-armored male falling from the sky in a metal egg and killing two Nova. She remembered the man's face, barely visible when his visor had unpolarized. He'd been young, perhaps close to her own age. Those eyes that had gazed at her from within his armored helm had seen a lot, that much was clear. He may have been close to her age but he was clearly part of a completely different world. She rolled over onto her back, staring at the ceiling and wondering what that world was like. Did the Nova exist there too? Or were there new dangers she couldn't even begin to imagine?

Outside the room, the other Pandora had leaned up against her door. "You know, I don't want to nag you or try to force you or anything, but you really should come out. At least come have lunch with us. Charlotte's dying to see you! You might even get a chance to meet the new guy!" At this statement Alexis just rolled her eyes. She didn't want to meet the new soldier no matter what world he was from. She just wanted to be left alone.

A few hours later, in the cafeteria of the West Genetics Academy...

Gabe stepped through the double doors of the cafeteria and took a good look around from behind his helmet. He was still clad in his jet-black armor, although he'd left his laser and his primary weapon behind in his room. For now he only carried his pistol and knife tucked away in their respective holders.

Students passed by him as he stood there, some giving him interested looks while continuing on their way towards the available food. The place looked more like a buffet than a mess hall.. no, a wedding feast or something of that sort. The food looked fancy and expensive, as did the dinnerware. It was as if all of these so-called warriors were pampered and spoiled in between battles.

'No wonder these guys are getting their asses kicked,' Gabe thought.

"Gabriel, over here!" A familiar voice caught his ear from across the room. Looking in that direction, Gabe could see Charlotte waving him over to her table. He pushed past a couple of younger students who watched him with interested then began chattering excitedly once he was out of earshot.

When Gabe arrived at the table he found it to be occupied by a number of people. Charlotte stood up and greeted him then began introductions. There was a long-haired guy named Ivan sitting next to Charlotte who turned out to be her Limiter. There were also a half-dozen others, four Pandoras and two Limiters. Gabe recognized one of the Pandoras as one of the girls that had carried Alexis off on the night that he'd fought against the Nova. This particular Pandora, an Asian girl named Lina, gave him a warm smile and shook his hand.

"So what do you think of our academy so far?" she asked as he sat down across from Charlotte, in between Lina and a Limiter named Devon.

"I'm still not too sure," he replied honestly. He took his helmet off and set it on the table in front of him as he hadn't gotten himself a plate yet. "It's nowhere near what I'd expect from a military facility. Everything is so relaxed here. You'd think this was all a game or something.."

Several of the others around the table exchanged glances, some of them even looking mildly offended. Charlotte just laughed a little before speaking up. "Well, that's because we're not like you. Most Pandoras and Limiters come from well-known and often wealthy families. On top of that, our training is a lot harder than you realize. Combat ability is everything here so everything we do is to strengthen ourselves both as human beings and as fighters. You'll understand that a bit better once this year's Carnival starts up."

Gabe raised an eyebrow. "Carnival?"

Lina was the one to answer this question. "It's a battle between Pandoras. We enter into battle and fight each other in order to determine who the strongest Pandora is. Our rankings in the Carnival are absolute and it establishes chain of command among our year. That way the strongest Pandora always lead the weakest."

Gabe shook his head, hardly believing what he had just heard. "So what happens if you get a Pandora who's stronger than everyone else but dumber than a box of rocks?"

"Well, that Pandora wouldn't get very far then," Charlotte said around her glass of water. "It takes more than just brute strength to fight a Pandora. You have to learn to outthink your enemy as well as outmatch their strength. If you want to be number one you have to be the strongest physically and mentally."

Gabe fell silent while the others started up a new conversation. A battle against a Pandora... He'd been easily outclassed by that girl from this morning. Would he stand even the ghost of a chance against one in a real fight? He began trying to think of ways to counter that speed. So engrossed in his thoughts was he that he didn't catch on to the conversation around him at first.

".. Did you take the newspaper up to her again Lina?" Charlotte asked of the girl next to Gabe.

"I did," Lina said. "Same as usual though, she didn't come out or say anything. I read off some of the headlines to her like always. Maybe she'll get curious about Mister Kinkaid and come out?"

"Poor Alexis..." Devon shook his head sadly. "I can't imagine what she's going through. I panicked enough when Sophia got hurt just a little. Losing James entirely..." The entire table went quiet.

"Wait, Alexis?" Gabe snapped back to reality, turning towards Devon. "What about her?"

"Haven't you been listening? She's shut up in her room still. Won't see anyone."

Gabe nodded. "Yeah, Charlotte mentioned that. I know she said it's a bad idea, but I want to meet Alexis. She saved my life, y'know. Besides, maybe I can help her. Maybe your efforts to get her motivated again are just missing the old Helljumper touch." He gave a cocky little grin and looked around at the others. Somehow he was expecting to catch someone's fist with his face.

Charlotte looked as if she might make that expectation come to life. "Yes, because your 'Helljumper touch' is just oh-so-helpful. And what will happen if she takes offense to something you say and decides to take out some of her emotions on you? You got clobbered by the last Pandora that took offense to your presence, remember?"

Gabe laughed, although he was watching Charlotte closely now in case she decided to strike. "Believe it or not, we Marines can be quite charming when we want to be. Besides, I wasn't ready for that chick. I'll be ready for this one, don't worry."

A voice sounded from behind him and a cold edge pressed against his neck. "Shall we test that readiness?" Gabe glanced back over his shoulder to see... Charlotte? His eyes darted back to the seat she'd been sitting in just an instant before and found it empty. She'd managed to cross the table and get a weapon to him before he even knew she was going to move.

"... You've got to teach me how to do that someday," he said lightly.

"Listen Gabriel," Charlotte said in a cold, serious voice. "This will be your only warning. Stay away from Alexis. If you try to bother her, I'll cut you open myself. Are we clear?" Gabe nodded, surprised by her sudden change of attitude. "Good." And like that she was back to her normal cheerful self. Her weapon vanished as she sat back down next to Ivan and returned to her glass of water. "So anyway, we have classes this afternoon. You don't have to attend until tomorrow, but if you'd like you can join us today and see what it's like."

Gabe nodded again, still a bit surprised by the sudden changes in attitude. It took him a moment to snap out of it, but when he did he nodded towards Charlotte's hand. "How'd you do that, anyway? I saw that other girl make a weapon disappear into thin air as well. Is it some sort of invisibility trick or something?"

Charlotte laughed lightly and raised her hand. At once her weapon appeared, materializing in a burst of multicolored light. "It's called a Volt Weapon," she explained. "It's something we Pandora can do. Basically we recombine matter around us into weapons that can harm the Nova. Every Pandora's weapon is unique to that person. For example, mine is called Heart of Glory, and it's entirely my own. Interestingly enough, we also have Volt Textures that provide armor and some limited enhancements. We can even make our clothes out of them! It's super useful!"

"I see..." Gabe studied the weapon before him. "Is that something you can learn?"

"If you're asking for yourself, then no. Only Pandoras can do it. Guys can't control stigmata to the point where something like that is possible." At this point Heart of Glory vanished and Charlotte began clearing up her area. "It's almost time for class, guys."

Lina leaned forward to get Gabe's attention. "Will you be joining us, Mister Kinkaid?"

Gabe shook his head. "Nah... I think I'm going to explore the school a bit. I'd like to get to the point where I don't need my helmet to find my way around." This caused the others to glance at eachother again. They were probably wondering just what kind of aid his helmet provided, but he wasn't about to tell them. After all, a man had to have his secrets, right?

Over the next few hours, Gabe explored the school on his own. He was even starting to get fairly good at navigating the facility. This exploration was monitored by two different parties, each with a different goal in mind.

One of the parties was Admiral Lucia Hartman, high above on the bridge of the UNSC Ace of Spades. Repair work was continuing around her, but the admiral was more interested in the lone ODST down there on the ground.

The ship's AI holotank activated next to her. A glowing, transparent man appeared on the pedestal. "Ma'am," he said in a synthesized voice. "I have finished the BIOS update you requested. However, I must once again remind you of my concerns regarding this project. If the Chavalier organization discovers that we're developing countermeasures against their Pandora-class warriors..."

"I understand the risks, Lodestone. But I need to protect my men in battle. And if we can't see what our allies are doing, how can we coordinate with them?" The Admiral's eyes left the viewscreen. "I need to give my soldiers every tool they need for the road ahead."

"Very well. Although I do recommend saving this update until we absolutely need it." The AI vanished once more, leaving the Admiral to watch the video feed from Gabriel's helmet.

At the same time, another party was watching the ODST from a window.

Minutes before the conversation between Lodestone and Admiral Hartman, a figure had strolled easily down the halls of the fourth-year girl's dorm. Sister Margret stopped in front of room 343. There was a stack of newspapers on the floor in front of the room that clearly hadn't been touched in a week.

Using her staff key to unlock the room, Sister Margret stepped over the stack of papers and into the room of Alexis Tannar. Her eyes took in the mess the distraught Pandora had made as she walked towards the window. Alexis didn't move, awake but pretending to be asleep in order to avoid conversation.

"I understand your pain," Margret said. The older woman stood by the window, watching the goings-on outside. A pair of Pandora were sparring in the evening light. "However, there are things more important than us in this world. We still have a duty to do. Our job is not finished until the world is safe from the Nova."

Alexis didn't move. She knew what her headmistress was saying was true, but she couldn't face it. Not without her James. There was no way Margret could understand just what losing James had done to her.

"You might be interested to know that your new friend has joined us at this academy," Margret said. "Corporal Gabriel Kinkaid. He was the warrior that saved your life, twice if I recall. I'm told he's asked about you several times, Miss Tannar. Perhaps you'd like to thank him?"

"For what?" Alexis muttered, glaring at the wall next to her bed.

"For saving you. For putting his life on the line so that others may live." Sister Margrets eyes locked on a familiar black shape rounding a corner. The sparring Pandoras stopped their training and turned towards the newcomer.

"He should've stayed out of it," the Pandora grumbled.

"Maybe he saved you because it's his duty?" Margret suggested. "Or maybe it was so you can return the favor someday." Down on the open field she could see the other Pandoras surrounding Gabe. One of them was standing a bit in front of the others. As Margret watched the lead one produced a Volt Weapon. "Maybe you've got a chance to repay him right now."

"What do you mean?" Alexis asked. She didn't want to care, but there was something about the way her headmistress had spoken that didn't seem right.

"Come see for yourself." Margret stood to the side so Alexis, still wearing her uniform from the fight, could join her at the window.

Down on one of the fields, things were looking bad for Gabriel Kinkaid.

He'd come around a corner looking for the restroom that was supposed to be in this area. Instead he'd found a group of girls training, including Samantha from before and her Limiter. Apparently this Samantha chick had a chip on her shoulder, because she and her friends had spread out and boxed him in. Now the ODST was face-to-face with his previous assailant.

"You know," Samantha said with a wicked smile. "I don't see Charlotte here to save you this time. I think this is a perfect opportunity to teach you your place, alien." The other Pandoras laughed at her comments. They reminded Gabe of a pack of Grunts watching an Elite bear down on a lone human. It made his blood boil.

"Step off, Pandora." As he spoke he unfastened his holster, his fingers wrapping around the grip of his pistol. "I'd hate to have to embarrass you in front of your flunkies."

At this the other Pandoras went quiet, watching their leader and her prey with interest. "Pretty big words for someone who can't even use a Volt Weapon," Samantha shot back. "I hope you've got more than just that little peashooter to hit me with." As she spoke her own weapon, a sword, appeared in her hands.

Gabe drew his weapon with practiced ease, a lightning flash of motion. In less than a second his weapon was up and firing. The 12.7mm SAP/HE rounds tore through the airspace between the weapon and the Pandora almost instantly... but that Pandora was already gone. The others scattered when the ODST started shooting, but Samantha had flat disappeared.

A flicker of motion caught Gabes eye and he turned but didn't find anything. A second flicker, then a third... it was as if she was everywhere around him at once.

Without warning her blade connected with his chestplate, biting into the titanium-A plating but not penetrating. Gabe found himself tossed back by the force of her attack. "You're weak, Helljumper!" The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. "I'm not even fighting seriously yet!"

A barrage of impacts battered the ODST, leaving large gashes in his armor. He couldn't even see her coming. He could only feel her weapon hitting him over and over again, battering him without hesitation or mercy.

Just when things didn't seem like they could get worse, his VISR display blacked out...

Meanwhile, onboard the UNSC Ace of Spades...

"Dammit Lodestone, upload the update! Give the kid a chance!" Admiral Hartman punched the arm of her command chair. She was still watching Gabes video feed when the Pandoras had surrounded him. "He's going to die down there!"

"If I attempt to update his BIOS remotely, he may be even more vulnerable than before until the update completes. Also, his helmet will require major repairs if he loses power during..."

"I dont care!" The AI stopped talking when Hartman cut him off. "Just do it! I'm not just going to watch him die like that!"

"Very well. Uploading BIOS update. His VISR will go dark for six seconds while the new system installs." On cue the video feed vanished, replaced with a screen that said "No Signal."

"Hang in there kid," Hartman whispered. "Help's coming."

Down on the ground...

Gabe couldn't see anything around him for a few seconds. He was just about to start running in some random direction and hope he could escape when he noticed the power indication inside his helmet flashing. A moment later his VISR display returned. A banner obscured his vision for a moment with a message saying "BIOS update complete."

When the banner vanished Gabe knew something had changed. He still couldn't see Samantha, but there were now dotted lines drawn around him. It took him a moment to realize that the red-highlighted blue that was his attacker was following those paths. So, the update included a protocol that predicted a Pandoras attack path...

Gabe waited for an instant then lashed out, grabbing at the air. At once his fingers closed around the blade of Samantha's weapon. He felt the weapon cutting through his fingerless gloves and into his skin but he didn't care. His other hand came up rapidly, finger tightening on the trigger of his sidearm. The weapon barked three times in quick succession.

Gabe knew he'd hit his target. Not only did he hear her scream and feel her retreat, but he could see blood splattering across his armor. Those bullets carried high-explosive charge with them that detonated inside the target's body, causing serious collateral damage.

Samantha reappeared several feet away, clutching her bloody shoulder. He'd gotten one into her weapon arm, one into her shoulder, and one into her side. The Pandora glared at him, breathing hard.

"I was going to let you off with just a beating but now you're gonna to die!" The girl stood a little straighter and brought her weapon up. Gabe didn't have time to prepare himself. Almost instantly after speaking Samantha charged, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake. Gabe didn't even have time to brace himself...

.. nor would he need to.

There came the sharp sound of two weapons colliding. Gabes eyes widened a new figure just seemed to materialize in front of him. A figure with a whole lot of white hair...

"Alexis!" Samantha darted back, her weapon held to the side. "This isn't your fight. Step aside!"

Alexis glanced back at the ODST behind her then took a step towards Samantha. She held her own weapon, a long staff with a scythe-like blade at each end, one-handed and behind her back. "I don't know why you've decided to attack him, but if you proceed I will not hesitate to kill you where you stand. Go see the nurse, get patched up." Her voice lowered at this point into a cool, deadly flow of words. "And don't ever let me catch you bothering him again, Samantha van Houten."

The other Pandora looked like she wanted to argue at first. Gabe watched Alexis tighten her grip on her weapon. Then, thankfully, Samantha backed down. Alexis watched her leave then turned her gaze to Gabe, who tensed a bit but made sure to holster his weapon.

Alexis approached Gabe wordlessly, her eyes tracing over his form. She stopped only a foot or so from him and examined the damage done to his armor. For a moment neither spoke. Gabe wasn't sure if she was going to attack him or not so he didn't relax.

Finally the Pandora turned and walked past him, stopping a few feet away. "Follow," she said quietly before walking off once more.

Meanwhile, on the bridge of the UNSC Ace of Spades...

Sergeant Davis breathed a sigh of relief. He'd gotten the BIOS update as well, all ODSTs on the Ace of Spades had. At the event he'd made his way up to the bridge to investigate, only to find his rookie under attack. Now he stood with his hands on the back of Hartman's command chair, watching the feed.

"Whoever that chick is, she just saved his ass again." The sergeant rubbed his head wearily. "I wanna shake her hand... right after I gut that little piece of shit that keeps attacking him!"

"Stand down, soldier." Admiral Hartman killed the video feed as Gabe began following Alexis at her request. "Those idiots are treating war like it's just a game for children. Unfortunately, Corporal Kinkaid will have to survive in those conditions. Therefore he will have to handle this as if it were a squabble between two schoolchildren. And what would've happened if you kept running to your father for help when people were a dick to you in highschool?"

"Good point.."

"Besides, his shame would look bad on all of us. All we can do is hope that he can keep it together through his enrollment with the Genetics facility." Hartman stood up and left at that, leaving Davis to contemplate his subordinates' chances down there.

Minutes later...

Gabe had followed Alexis wordlessly into one of the taller class buildings. They made their way up the seemingly endless flights of stairs until they reached the rooftop. There Alexis climbed onto the roof of the access shed and sat down with her legs hanging over the side. Gabe followed and sat down beside her, watching a storm build up on the horizon.

"So.." he finally said.

Alexis was quiet for a while, just staring out at the stormclouds. Gabe fell silent beside her and just watched the sky. Eventually he took off his helmet and set it next to him. The cool evening air felt good on his skin.

After a few more minutes Alexis finally spoke up. "Let me ask you something. That night... why did you save me?"

Gabe thought about it for a moment. "Well, I guess it's because that's my job. I'm a soldier of the United Nations Space Command Marine Corps. My existence revolves around protecting people." His voice grew quiet. "There's been a lot of times where I couldn't save people. I've seen entire planets destroyed and couldn't do a damn thing for the people on them. So any chance I get to save a life, I'll take it."

Alexis didn't speak for a bit after that, so Gabe spoke again. "How about this... why did you save my life? Why did you save the SPARTANs and the rest of my squad?"

Her blue eyes didn't leave the clouds but Gabe could see a change in them. "I.. I don't know. I guess.." There was a pause, then the girl gave her answer. "I guess I just didn't want to see anyone else die."

Gabe smiled at her answer. "Then that makes you and me the exact same thing. We've both seen way too much death we both have a duty to try and prevent it."

Alexis thought about it for a moment then nodded. James had once said something similar to her.. although that thought made her want to start crying again.

"S-so..." She cast around for a subject to distract herself from her fallen friend. "You're a warrior... and it doesn't sound like you'd seen the Nova before that night. So what exactly do you fight? What caused that death you try to prevent?" Gabe's face went dark in a look halfway between pain and hatred. "I'm sorry," Alexis said quickly. "I shouldn't have asked.."

"No, it's alright." Gabe took a breath and laid back on the roof, staring straight up. "Back home, humans have settled hundreds of planets. But among the stars we found something terrible. There's this collection of alien races called the Covenant. They're powerful, they're determined, and their numbers are nearly limitless. For whatever reason, they absolutely hate humans. They show up, smash our fleets, attack the planet to take anything useful, then they retreat and bomb the planet from orbit. Their weapons boil away the oceans and the atmosphere and melt the land until it's all just glassy rock. I've seen countless planets glassed, including my homeworld. And we've been at this for thirty years now."

Alexis finally broke her gaze from the storm and looked back at Gabe, eyes wide. Now she understood what she'd seen in his eyes that night they'd met. To him, the Nova were the Covenant, and she had been every life lost on those glassed planets.

Before either of them could say anything the school began to ring with alarms. Both the Pandora and the ODST stood, Gabe grabbing his helmet as he went. A voice could be heard over the school-wide PA system, saying words that made both of their blood run cold.

"All students prepare for combat! Multiple S-type Novas detected! Repeat, Multiple S-type Novas are attacking the Ace of Spades!"