Author's Note: This is just an interlude before Priority: Palaven and something I want to point out below.
Wade's MJOLNIR armor. It's basically a HELLJUMPER-class Mjolnir. Color is ODST black and the helmet is the ODST's from Halo 2:Anniversary but with a red tinted visor and a blast shield that fits the visor and slides up and down like the Marines from StarCraft 2.
Traianus' armor is a lot like Atriox's. A mix of armor parts taken from UNSC armors.
Lahr 'Mrok has the 343i Zealot armor but the Bungie Sangheili design. You know, the one that doesn't look weird. (in my opinion.)
Lipyap looks like Dimkee Hotay. He and Lahr act like Dimkee and the other Elite. Lipyap's talking while Lahr usually responds with an 'Uh huh' or a punt kick.
That's all and now back to the story!
~7777777~
"And that's it. Any more questions?"
Holly shook her head before being dismissed by William. She was going to be drafted to the Normandy crew for the time being. William decided that he would like to send some of Overwhelming's Personnel to the Normandy to act as a support. The personnel would vary from mission to mission and right now, Holly was the first.
The ODST walked to the armory and thought of her loadout. She looked up the weapons she wanted and decided to take MA5C along with the M6C/SOCOM as the sidearm. She spotted something on the far wall and walked over to it. Hanging on the wall was the M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle or 'Spartan Laser'. Not a lotta people get to wield these things. Mostly ODSTs and Spartans.
'Come to mama, sweet prince.'
With a smile on her face, she heaved the Spartan Laser and made her way to the Hangar. Most of the UNSC personnel paid her no mind or got out of her way as she headed for the Normandy.
~Line Break~
Jane was looking at some of the supplies the Captain was generous enough to give her. Mostly weapons and ammo, food, etc. What caught her attention however was the large crate labeled: HANDS OFF UNLESS YOU'RE A SPARTAN OR A HELLJUMPER! ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO THEM AND/OR SHEPARD!
She shook her head and decided to open one of the weapons crate. What she found inside looked like a double barrel rocket launcher. It had the word 'SPNKr' on the back while the side had 'Got more spunk than you' written on it. She moved to the next ones and saw these crated had the name of the weapon inside like: MA5D, BR85N, M6C, M6H, M7 Caseless SMG, M20 PDW, M395B DMR, M739 LMG, M90-CAWS, M45D Tactical Shotgun and many more. She realized a lot of these had AP rounds. If Traianus was anything to go by, the UNSC fought aliens as big as Krogan. Maybe even bigger.
When Holly entered Normandy's shuttle bay, Jane saw the large weapon in her hands. The Helljumper had a smile that could've split her face in two. Holly dropped the weapon by the large crate and rolled her shoulders. She turned to Shepard and motioned for the gun.
"See this? This is the M6 Grindell/ Galilean Nonlinear Rifle or Spartan Laser as we liked to call them. Lucky for you Sheppy, you get to see this baby in action. In the mission that is. If any of those aliens see you, they're gonna be like: Oh daaamn, what a badass!" She walked over to Shepard and handed her the MA5C.
"This is your standard issue MA5 ICWS, There are many like it but this one is yours. Well not really, this one is mine. You have to find your own on those weapons grate over there." After that, she snatched the gun from Shepard's hands and threw it by the crate that says: HANDS OFF, DIPSHITS! PROPERTY OF LT. HOLLY 'HOLLYWOOD' JONES. THIS MEANS FUCK OFF, LIMPDICKS!
"Was this really necessary?" Jane asked. She looked back to Holly only to see her legs sticking out of the large crate. She heard a few grunts before Holly submerged into the crate then emerging her head.
"Which one? The writing on my crate or the fact that the Captain sent a shit ton of weapons and ammo to the Normandy?"
"Both, actually."
"Well, the Captain isn't too comfortable of leaving any of his troops without the sweet, sweet comfort of UNSC guns. Sure, we may get used to Mass Effect weaponry but it's just not the same like the good 'ole MA5. Just like our cadence."
She hopped off the crate and started marching in place.
"Helljumper, Helljumper where have you been? Feet first into hell and back again. When I die, please bury me deep. With my MA5 buried by my feet."
Jane shook her head before taking the Elevator to the CIC. She looked at the Shuttle Bay one last time before leaving Holly to debate with James and Steve about the UNSC's weapons. Looks like Holly's making friends already.
Reaching the CIC, Samantha reminded her of a message from Captain Clarke. She read the message for all the crew to hear.
"Good news, Commander. The situation on Earth is stable. Rio was nearly decimated but nothing our Restoration Drones can handle. London from heavy Reaper assaults but she got through. Earth is back in Humanity's hands."
The bridge crew cheered as Earth successfully repelled the Reapers. Their Home was finally safe. Jane smiled at seeing the crew celebrate this victory but her smile faded when she remembered that the Reapers still threaten the galaxy. She walked over to check up on how Joker and Edi were doing.
"Hey you two."
"Commander."
"Hey, Shepard. How's our guest down there?"
Jane leaned on the pilot's chair and taking his cap, placing it on her head "She's getting along with James and Steve. Heard them talking about the guns Captain William sent onboard." She removed herself from the chair and struck a pose "Well? What do you think? Do I look good with a cap?"
Joker didn't respond and nodded to EDI. The AI walked over to Shepard and held out her hand "Commander Shepard. Will you kindly hand me Joker's cap, please?"
Jane let out an amused snort before giving EDI the cap "Can't say no to a pretty lady. Pretty, robotic, lady that is."
Joker took the cap from the Al and decided to change the subject "You ever wondered how the UNSC managed to make that big of a ship without the help of Eezo?"
"The first time I heard it, I thought it was impossible. Imagine my surprise when they told me about Infinity. That behemoth was at least 5.6 klicks!"
Joker's eyes widened while EDI closed her eyes as something entered the ship unannounced "That big!? How the hell does that work?"
Jane shrugged "Don't know. But we sure as hell could've used one. They told me it was the first of it's kind, an Infinity-class Supercarrier."
"Wait, what class was the Overwhelming and how big is she?"
"Orion-class Assault Carrier. The Captain said it was 2.2 klicks."
Joker thought of something "What would they class the Normandy as?"
Jane looked away and rubbed the back of her neck. He's not gonna like what they had to say to the Normandy "Uh... They classified the Normandy as a... Corvette."
Joker kept his expression neutral "What?"
"They said the old Normandy was the size of a Corvette and the SR-2 was double the size of the SR-1 but still lack the size to be called a Frigate." She bit her lip and looked away, waiting for Joker's outburst.
"... A Corvette!?"
"Oh Jesus, here we go."
"They think my baby is a friggin' Corvette! This ship is a thousand times better than any Frigate they have! I mean loom at their ship. It's too bulky and no finesse whatsoever. I bet their Frigates are not as durable as the Normandy. They probably so soft that they could easily get cut in half!"
"Commander." EDI interrupted "There's somethi-"
"And don't forget the fact that the Normandy has a highly advanced AI that the best money can buy and the best damn pilot in the galaxy!"
"While I'll admit you're one of the best pilots in the galaxy, Joker." A voice interrupted them. Shepard knew that voice and sighed. How the hell did she get in here? Mindy's avatar appeared to where EDI's used to appear before she got a physical body.
"But can your Frigates fire three nuclear missiles? THREE!"
"It's a Stealth Frigate, what do we need nukes for?"
Mindy turned around and slapped her butt while looking at Joker and sticking out her tongue "Blegh, you don't have nukes. You don't have nukes."
'This is a 'Smart' AI? This was the one that controlled those MACs and destroyed those Reapers? I'm not really seeing it.' Jane thought as she shook her head at Mindy's antics.
"Commander." Edi began "MND 0189-8 is requesting permission to integrate with the Normandy."
"Granted." She loeoked at Mindy "William trusts you with the lives of his men. I hope that trust isn't misplaced."
Mindy's expression turned serious "I won't let you down."
Jane smiled "Good to hear."
Mindy's avatar blinked out. EDI felt the AI enter the Normandy's system and watched her settle in. She turned to Shepard "Mindy is currently integrating with the ship."
"Giggidy."
EDI tilted her head and asked Mindy "I fail to see what is so amusing with the word Integrating."
"Oh, I'll tell you why it's so amusing~"
Joker shook his head "Oh no. I am NOT listening to that."
"Oh come on, Chris Griffin. Don't tell me you don't wanna smack that ass?"
"Yes! I-I mean... No... Agh! Whatever!"
"Death by jokes from an AI. Ironic for you, isn't it Joker?"
Joker sighed, resigned to his fate of eternal teasing from Mindy and Shepard.
~Line Break~
Traianus was sitting on the chair on a chair in the Mess Hall, nodding his head along the music blasting from the old music player that he found. It also came with a pair of earphones.
This was the sight that met Jane when she entered the Crew Deck. She watched as the Brute unconsciously tap his fingers along with the beat. She greeted the crewmen she passed by before entering the Main Battery room. She walked up to the console but stopped before she pressed anything. She shook her, not knowing what the right calibrations were.
'I wish Garrus was here. He knows this shit like the back of his hand.' She sighed before leaving. She wondered if she could find her old crew again. Ashley being here is good and all but she was still wary of her. Speaking of which, said woman was currently observing the Brute.
Ashley kept an observing gaze at Traianus. The Brute was an unknown to her. It's still hard for her to believe that there was another dimension out there. From what she heard from the Marines of the UNSC, the Jiralhanae were very aggressive, carnivorous beings that could crush a soldier's head with their bare hands. If they didn't kill you, they will either eat you or let the other Covenant species eat you. That was enough for Ashley to always carry a pistol with her.
"Hey." Jane greeted "You're gonna give him the stink-eye for the whole trip?"
"I don't trust him. Liara, Tali, Garrus, hell, even Wrex. I trust them to cover my six. Him." She looked at Traianus, who at this point, slamming his fists on the table in rapid succession. He just found out what a Drum Solo is. "No chance in Hell."
"Just give him a chance. You gave everybody else one. Why not him?"
Ashley sighed "Alright, you win. But if he grabs one of the crew and eats them, don't come crying to me, Shepard."
Traianus roared "Ahaha! This music is amazing! I must hear more."
The Brute stood up and went to find someone who can help him gain more music for his player. Jane saw Traianus leave and spotted the Gravity Hammer on the table. Going against her better judgement, she tried to lift the weapon and to no avail.
'How heavy are you?' She thought before finally giving up on it. She'll remind Traianus later if she sees him.
~Line Break~
Jane entered her Cabin and saw the fish were still alive. A note was taped by the tank. It said: I'll only do this once Commander. XOXO SPC. Traynor.
She chuckled before taking off her clothes and headed for the shower. Before she entered however, she heard a high-pitched voice coming from inside. She grabbed the M-3 Predator and barged inside. What faced her was something she sure as hell wasn't expecting
Lipyap, wearing a hairnet, was in the middle of scrubbing his armpit when Shepard came in. She didn't really care for the reason why he was wearing a hairnet. She was more concerned on how he got in here without her or EDI knowing.
The Unggoy stared at her before grabbing a soap and handing it out to her "Wanna join, Commander Human? I got shampoo, conditioner, more soap and an extra sponge, too."
She blinked twice before sighing. What the hell was going on in her ship? She shook her head and left the shower "You go on ahead. Just use the Crew's shower next time, alright?"
"Sure thing, Commander Human."
The shower door closed and Jane heard Lipyap started singing again. This was gonna take long. She made a beeline for her bed, intent on taking a nap. She didn't even notice the other person next to her. It was only when she felt something brushing her thigh did she notice the other occupant on the bed.
Lying on her side, while wiggling her eyebrows, suggestively was a very naked Holly. The Helljumper leaned closer 'til they were face-to-face "You look like you need to relax." She whispered as her hand trailed to a very dangerous spot "I have ways to make you loose your mind."
And now we see Holly getting kicked out of Shepard's Cabin. She tried to get back in only to realize she was locked out. She banged on the door "Come on, Sheppy. It was just a joke. I wouldn't sleep with you unless Wade was with us and I have a strap-on!"
No answer.
"Can you at least give me my clothes?"
Still no answer.
"Damn it."
She sighed before making her way to the Elevator. When she reached the Shuttle Bay, she passed by James, who was doing pushups, and said "Not one word."
James got up as Steve walked over to him "Uh, what was that about?"
"No idea. But I'm not complaining." He eyed her as she walked over to a crate and began rummaging inside.
A water bottle hit his head and Holly yelled out "This ass ain't yours, muscle boy!"