World of Warcraft X Halo

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Chapter 6

Diplomacy

( ): Thoughts

In a Pelican…

The Spartan was piloting the Pelican and at the moment he was accompanied with the three Night Elves and the lone Blood Elf, it was a rather tense trip but so far the four have not gone to blows at the matter but he could see that Kaelyn and Sandra were glaring at Erin. So far Jarrod had not given the Blood Elf the whole glare but he could tell that the Druid intended to keep a close eye on the woman.

As for Erin, she seemed to be actually quite eager to look at the Pelican's interior with her eyes, she had spent two days recovering in the Medical Bay and it seemed that she was fully recovered. Once that was done she was given her clothing and armor back which had been kept and repaired as best as possible, her weapons were there however at the moment they were stored in a crate that was in the Pelican and that crate was on lock down to keep them from being used in the wrong time.

Erin didn't complain as she was still trying to absorb the fact that she was inside a flying machine that was not made by any race of the Alliance or any race of the Horde. She would also routinely look at the Spartan give a smile at her savior and then give the two Night Elf females a smirk that further infuriated the two, though she cut that a bit since even though she enjoyed antagonizing the Night Elves she knew that overdoing it was inviting trouble for her. For now, this was going to be a very interesting day as this was the first time she was going to enter the home of the Night Elves.

She was born many years after the Exodus of those of her people from the lands and the founding of their home of Quel'Thalas and had only heard stories about their former kin, the Night Elves, however she had a dislike for them due to the stories that were told to her by others of her people. For now however she focused on more serious matters. When she was told by the Spartan that she was coming with him to the capital of the Night Elves, she was not quite happy but she was a girl who looked on the more positive sides of things, this would allow her to get an idea of the layout of the capital city and see who were the key players on the city, along with getting an idea of the various ambassadors of the Alliance who were no doubt there to speak about the presence of the Spartan.

It was not long before they finally arrived in the vicinity of the World Tree, home of the Night Elf capital, as soon as they were in range of the city, the Spartan was quick to guide the ship in for landing as he knew that landing in the city was not advisable. Once the Pelican landed, he moved out first and took stock of the area and was soon greeted by a number of the Night Elf guards. They greeted him and the others but they quickly glared at the Blood Elf and the leader, the same Night Elf captain who he knew was Freya, who he had met before spoke to the Spartan.

"Are you sure you want that woman here Spartan?"

"You know who she is?"

"Yes, Lady Tyrande mentioned that you would have a Blood Elf in your group who would be a guest. However I still do not trust her or any of her kind."

The Spartan could tell that Freya was dead serious about this and he decided to tell her what he had in mind concerning Erin.

"She will be under my watch for the time being, and I will make sure that she will not cause trouble here and she has no weapons and those are under lock and key."

Freya looked back and could see that the woman was indeed unarmed, but her spiritual senses were still warning her that this woman was going to be trouble for her and her people and as such deserved to be watched. Thankfully the Spartan was more than able to handle that part due to his abilities and skills so she would not need to watch the woman too closely. She then directed her attention back to the Spartan and the others as she spoke.

"All right, I won't post any guards with you to keep an eye on her; I only hope that there will not be any trouble here with her in our capital city. AT any rate, it would be wise that she keep herself at her best behavior, if she keeps that in mind, then she won't be harmed."

"Understood."

Freya and her companions moved aside for now and went back to their duties as well as informing the people in Rut'theran Village not to attack the Blood Elf on sight. The Spartan then turned to Erin while carrying his trademark MA5C ICWS Assault Rifle as well as a M7S SMG. He knew that going into the Temple armed like this was a bad idea and he was in a diplomatic situation but he was not going to just go into a place unarmed easily unless given the acceptable order to leave weapons alone.

"You stay close and try not to do anything here in the city that will get you in danger, do you understand me?"

Erin smiled at that and replied as she stood up and got out of the Pelican.

"I understand quite clearly Spartan."

"Good."

As the group moved out to enter the Portal to walk into the city, it became obvious that the arrival of Erin was not going to be unnoticed by anyone. Several Night Elf children pointed at the female Blood Elf and were then taken away by their parents, several shop owners looked sourly at the woman and the guards in the village tensed and readied themselves just in case she tried anything. That was enough to make Erin mentally laugh to herself as she decided to show that she was under the Spartan protection.

And she did so by moving closer to the Spartan, much to the chagrin of the two Night Elves behind her who were not happy with her actions in any possible way and she knew it as she gave both women a smile. Kaelyn and Sandra were not happy with this and it took a lot of their own self discipline not to attack the woman for her actions. They soon arrived at the portal where Freya and her guards were, the Captain decided that since the Spartan already had a very good idea on where the Temple of Elune was, he would have no need of an escort and told him so as well.

The Spartan nodded and soon they were in the city of Darnassus. The Spartan looked about briefly and activated the translation program that Cortana had now completed to translate the native language of the Night Elves to make sure that he was aware of anything that they might try to hide from him that would prove to be very useful in the later time frame.

As soon as the program was activated, he was quick to hear just what the night Elves were saying in their native tongue. And the words were naturally directed at the Blood Elf and none of them were not that flattering, the majority of them. He place that aside and moved towards the Temple and as soon as he got there, he was able to spot Tyrande and the rest of the ambassadors with the use of his MJOLNIR's built in binocular systems. He was quick to recognize the human ambassador due to his finery, and after seeing the Dwarf and Gnome, he could tell with their finery, they were no doubt ambassadors of their people. He had already seen a number of Dwarves and Gnomes in Theramore so he now knew just who they were and what race they were.

The one race he didn't recognize was the woman with the pale violet skin, the glowing eyes, the odd horn like growths on her head, dark blue hair, and from what he could see, four fleshy tendrils that seemed to be coming from the sides of her head, and to his surprise, the woman's feet were not human, but hooves. She wore a low top dress with deep blue fabric with purple sections along with silver clasps there as well. He had never met any being like this before and that naturally made him curious what sort of species this was.

Cortana was very much in the same frame of mind as her Spartan as John spoke.

"Now there's something you don't see every day."

"I agree, what sort of species is she? Maybe we should ask Kaelyn and the others, since they happen to live here, they would be able to know."

That course of action was what the Spartan did as he spoke to Kaelyn.

"There's a woman there that I don't recognize. She has horns near her head, tendrils, as well as hooves on her feet, do you know who she is and what race she is."

Kaelyn quickly recognized the description and replied.

"That would be Emissary Valustraa, she is the ambassador of the newly arrived Draenei race, they have a capital city of their own located in Azuremyst Isle, we know that they worship the Holy Light of creation and Opponents of anything and anyone that is tied to evil and are very capable in using magic, even arcane magic as well as divine magic. They do not use any form of magic that is based on Fel Magic though that is still going to be put to the test. We know little about them so far as we have only started making diplomatic ties with them. We do know that they are led by the one they call Prophet Velen and a number of other leaders that form their commanding council, along with several others as well."

"What else can you tell me about the Draenei?"

Kaelyn thought it over and tried to recall any bit of information that she had on the newly aligned Alliance race, but shook her head and spoke.

"I'm afraid that is all I know for the time being, though I have heard some rumors every now and then but I can't be sure if it's hearsay or not for the time being, anyway, we should get going, I have no doubt that with the ambassadors of the Alliance here already, things are going to get very hectic."

The Spartan nodded and the group headed towards the Temple, he had expected the guards there to halt him, have him remove his weapons, and also question him about the presence of the Blood Elf in their ranks. To his surprise and even Cortana's the guards allowed him to enter and then nodded for him to take the Blood Elf with him into the Temple of all places. He naturally asked why they were letting him do such things and the lead guard replied.

"High Priestess Tyrande stated that she trusts you enough to let you carry your weapons into the Temple as long as you do not use them on our people. As for the Blood Elf who is with you, she is under your watch so Tyrande trusts you that you will be able to keep her from doing things that would cause trouble for us."

Cortana whistled at that and spoke to John while keeping their conversation hidden away by shutting down the outer speaker systems.

"It seems that Tyrande's really showing a good deal of trust in you John, I guess doing that is a good thing, even more so since she's even allowing us to take Erin into their place of worship of all things."

"I know, I wonder if there is a hidden motive there somewhere with what she is allowing?"

"Maybe, but I doubt that for the time being, Tyrande is dedicated in protecting her people, there is no denying that fact, and since we have helped her people and not harmed them I guess she is more trusting of us. So let's try to be at our best behavior and make sure that we keep Erin from doing something rash."

"Right, but I get the feeling that Fandral Staghelm, when he finds out about this is going to really lose his temper."

"On that I agree, come on big guy, time to face the music."

With that ended, the Spartan thanked the guards and soon walked in with Kaelyn, Sandra, Jarrod, and Erin. As soon as he did so, the Ambassadors from the other members of the Alliance were quick to look at his direction and that was something that quickly annoyed the Spartan as he was not in the mood to be the center of attention. However he kept himself focused on the task at hand and walked over to Tyrande and bowed down to greet her.

"It is good to see you again High Priestess Tyrande."

Tyrande nodded at that and smiled as the Spartan moved away, the High Priestess then directed her attention to the female Blood Elf who was there with the group and she spoke to her sternly to Erin.

"It's been some time since I have met a Blood Elf apart from your Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider."

That surprised Erin as she had not heard that her people's leader and the leader of the Night Elves had met before as this was never mentioned by anyone back in Silvermoon City.

"You met our Prince?"

"Yes, it was during our pursuit of Illidan when he escaped from us that I and Maiev Shadowsong came to Lordaeron, it was there that we met your Prince as he was escorting vital supplies for the Alliance forces when you're people, the Blood Elves were still part of the Alliance. He was a good person who did what he felt was needed to protect his people and he was quite respectful even if it was the first time he met Night Elves. And it was he who helped stop Illidan's attempt to use the Eye of Sargeras to break the world to kill the Lich King long ago. And he also gave information to Malfurion that aided in my rescue when I was separated from the others."

"That is why I allowed you to set foot here in Darnassus as a token of respect for what your leader did for me, but that token of respect will only go so far. You are under the watchful eye of the Spartan himself and that is yet another reason why you are allowed to walk here in my people's capital. Do not do anything to harm my people and you will not be harmed by my people and by the Spartan as well, do we understand each other?"

Erin could tell that the High Priestess was serious about that statement and nodded as she replied to the question give to her by the Night Elf leader.

"I understand what you are saying."

Tyrande looked at Erin seriously to see if she was serious about her words and when she was assured that she did agree with the terms, she nodded.

"Good, now then, Chief, I am sorry to have called you from what plans you may have been hoping to accomplish but as Jarrod has no doubt told you, the ambassadors of the Alliance have found out about your existence and have been asking to meet you. I admit that I had hoped to have more time in order to make this less of a mess to deal with, are you sure that you are all right with this unexpected meeting?"

The Spartan nodded at Tyrande's question and gave his answer to her question.

"I am willing to deal with this meeting but I am going to make my stance clear, I will NOT side with either the Alliance or the Horde. I will not be bought, or intimidated by anyone nor will I agree to trading any technology I posses. I will listen to what the ambassadors have to say and I will answer questions, but there are some answers that I will not answer for any reason. Now then, who is going first?"

Naturally it was the ambassador of the Human Kingdom of Stormwind that spoke first. And his question was but the first in a LONG list of questions that was soon to follow the Spartan as the other ambassadors were soon taking their own turn in asking him questions that were no doubt going to really test him and Cortana's patience

Hours later…

"Finally that's over and done with…"

John stepped out of the Temple and groaned a bit as he looked at the city of Darnassus, he was soon joined by the three Night Elves and the Blood Elf who themselves showed signs that they also were tired of the long discussions that had happened in the Temple of Elune. The Spartan was slightly tired mentally as asking questions like those asked of him by the ambassadors of the Alliance. The Dwarves and the Gnomes were the most interested in his technology as they asked a huge load of questions on how the MJOLNIR worked, how his guns worked, everything, they even tried to ask him about how he had been enhanced.

He naturally refused to reveal the Augmentation Procedures that were done to him as a young child at fourteen by the scientists in the Spartan II Program. The Program and his brothers and sisters might have been revealed to boost morale in the UNSC when things got really bad, but that certainly didn't mean that information was to be turned into common knowledge. Not only that, he was not in the mood to have the information be littered in this world, he had no idea just how far their medical technology had gone, but with that he's seen so far, he was not going to take any chances on the whole thing. They had access to some very interesting materials and had created a number of inventions that he and Cortana needed to keep an eye on, and that was enough to make him be a bit more cautions in his actions when it concerned technology.

The reactions of the Ambassadors at the fact that he came from another branch of humanity that had no use of magic and favored technology, and had been able to go beyond their home world and colonize over eight hundred worlds was more than enough to make a number of jaws drop. Even Erin Firestar was completely stunned at the revelation that the technology wielded by her savior was but a fraction of what his people had achieved in their existence.

After he had explained the history of the UNSC without revealing any vital information that was too sensitive to reveal, he was soon besieged by questions from the Dwarf, Gnome, Draenei and Human Ambassadors, though he and Cortana noted that the Draenei Ambassador seemed to be more gentle and less intrusive in her questions towards him. He wondered why that was the case and decided to save that for a better time.

The other three Ambassadors were more than willing to ask whatever they could and the most prominent was if he would ever consider coming to their lands in order to see the rest of the world. It was natural that the Human Ambassador would try to convince the Spartan to come to Stormwind City and help his fellow humans, however, John was not going to just do that, the people of Stormwind were human like him, but he was not going to just join them right out of the blue.

For one thing, he kept in mind that he still needed to run a DNA scan on the human race here in this world to see if they were indeed human beings. There was no telling just how different they were to the humans in the UNSC. Added to that was the fact that he was neutral on matters concerning this world and all of the beings in it, and he was not in the mood to be shanghaied into any possible plot or another. He was certainly not going to be a catalyst for war though he kept his options open on any matters that would prove to be critical in the days to come.

He made that abundantly clear to the human ambassador and it had been a rather interesting time as the two traded words with one another. It had been a source of annoyance for him but he was able to weather to storm and make it out of that mess. He also decided to run some DNA tests on the other races of the Alliance as well as that of his Night Elf companions. This way he would have a much clearer picture of what he was dealing with.

Kaelyn nodded as she herself never had much patience for politics and she could tell that the Spartan was not happy with the way things turned out as he had spent many hours talking with the Ambassadors though the Draenei Ambassador seemed to be at least very much respectful in asking her questions. The Dwarf and Gnome ambassadors had expressed exceptionally high interest in accessing any information about his people's technology and even asked about his Armor. Naturally the Spartan gave only the description and some brief details, and spoke nothing else, that didn't sit well with the Dwarf and Gnome ambassadors as they were eager to get their hands on such technology.

After all that happened, Tyrande had requested that the Ambassadors ceased their questions and allow her to speak. She then announced that the Spartan was not to be bothered at all by the other members of the Alliance and as such his neutrality was to be respected and upheld. She also mentioned that he was a guest of the Night Elves in their lands and was allowed to remain there as such, she naturally didn't mention the exact location of the Dawn as she now knew that it was near Horde held borderlands and any attempt by the Alliance races from beyond Kalimdor to come there would no doubt be seen by the Horde's intelligence networks and could be misinterpreted as a hostile action, even more so considering the fact that a number of beings in the Horde held on to be belief that they should wage war with the Alliance, one particular Orc who was high in rank among the Horde had such beliefs and all he needed was something to capitalize on even if he was stopped by the Horde Warchief. All she said was that his location was only known to the Night Elves and as such would only be revealed if the Spartan willingly allowed that secret to be revealed. Naturally the Spartan kept that location to himself and that didn't suit well with the others.

They voiced their complaints though Emissary Valustraa didn't speak out at all, something that was a bit odd in the mind of the Spartan and his A.I companion and they kept that in record for now. This new race known as the Draenei very much unknown to the Spartan and if there was one thing he didn't feel at ease with, was an unknown potential ally or foe. Even so, he had to remember that neutrality was by far his best option as he was still alone on this world with no backup and support, relying only on what he had in the Dawn for the time being. As soon as the shouting and debate was over, the Ambassadors left the Temple and that allowed the Spartan to relax a bit.

Which was why he and the others were outside right now, Kaelyn then decided that it would be best that they got to the Inn and got something to eat for themselves as it was already past the time for a lunch by her people's standards and she could bet that the other patrols of her fellow Sentinels would be coming home soon after all they had been doing.

"We should get some food to eat for now, it's been a long day after all."

John nodded at that and replied.

"That's a good idea, we'd better hurry up before more trouble comes our way."

Cortana however quickly spoke out to him and the others.

"Trouble's already found us; guess who's coming our way like a berserk Brute?"

The Spartan turned and sure enough he spotted none other than Fandral Staghelm who was livid at the sight of the Spartan , or more specifically the one Blood Elf in his company. The Arch Druid was furious at the thought of one of the cursed Sin'dorei being here in Darnassus of all places and made his sentiment clear the very second he was close enough to the Spartan.

"YOU DARE TO BRING A BLOOD ELF TO DARNASSUS?"

The Arch Druid was very angry, that much was obvious to everyone in earshot of the encounter and it was a tense situation for everyone. The Spartan then spoke seriously to the Arch Druid, not in the mood for a shouting match with anyone, let alone Fandral.

"She happens to be under my watch and she had been allowed to walk here in Darnassus by High Priestess Tyrande herself."

Fandral growled at that and replied.

"A likely story Spartan, you are making a serious mistake allowing this demon worshipping wretch here in Darnassus! She deserves to be sent back to wherever she came from, and why would you even allowed her to come with you anyhow?"

Erin then replied to that standing defiant before the Arch Druid.

"Stow it off you old windbag, he saved my life in Dustwallow Marsh even when he was told by his companions who I was and what my race were, even gave me a new arm to boot! You have no right to insult him or me as well!"

Fandral turned and glared at Erin and replied.

"Silence! You have no right to speak here or to me in that manner!"

That was when a voice joined the conversation.

"She has been given my personal approval to walk in Darnassus Fandral, if you have an issue about that, take it up with me."

Tyrande appeared and seemed to be calm and serene for the moment, which only served to anger Fandral even more as he spoke seriously to Tyrande.

"You allowed this Blood Elf to walk here willingly Tyrande? That is madness, her kind cannot be trusted at all and should never be allowed to set foot in Kalimdor! They are not welcome anywhere and considering how they had willingly betrayed the Alliance, Traitors have no place anywhere, especially here in Darnassus!"

Erin had enough and shouted back.

"You ignorant fool! What do you know about my people? Have you even gotten out of that hut you call your home and met others of my kind? You Druids were supposed to be moderates and respect life yet you call me and my kind as traitors?"

Fandral was angered once more and was about to attack Erin when the Spartan quickly moved and took out the M7S SMG from his thigh armor and that stopped Fandral cold and the Spartan spoke once more.

"She is under my watch and if she does anything that is a threat to your people, then I will deal with her, High Priestess Tyrande said the same thing to her as well, this was a form of respect from her to their leader."

Fandral looked questioningly at Tyrande and she replied.

"That is true, it was through the aid of Prince Kael'thas that we were able to stop Illidan's actions with the Eye of Sargeras and it was through him that I was rescued after the battle of Pyrewood Village in the lands of Lordaeron and swept deep in the lands of the Scourge. For that reason and the fact that I owed Kael'thas for his help however brief I allowed her to walk here in this city."

Fandral was silent at this for a moment and was about to speak out until Tyrande replied.

"My decision is final Fandral, I will deal with the consequences of my decision by myself, for now know that she is allowed to walk in Darnassus under the watchful eye of the Spartan and those who are with him as his guides in our lands, is that understood?"

The Arch Druid could see that any further argument from him was going to avail him nothing so it was better that he remained silent for now. But this development only served to fuel his desire to take control of the situation concerning his people's future and guide it to the path he desired for them. For now he would be silent.

"Very well…"

Fandral turned but not before giving a sour look at the Spartan and Erin as well as Tyrande, he will deal with them all soon enough, however….he had an idea that might help a good deal, but that would take time to plan and prepare.

As he left the Spartan was getting very wary of the Arch Druid, his gut told him that the Arch Druid was up to something that was soon going to be a major problem for not just him but his own people as well. John had read the books in the Temple's library and knew that the Night Elves were still recovering from the horrendous losses they had suffered in the Third War. Anything that would bring more suffering was not needed in the times ahead, that much the Spartan knew for certain.

Cortana showed the very same sentiment as her protector and friend as she spoke.

"That Fandral is up to something, I can feel it down the very core of my program."

"That makes two of us, we might want to check any information on what the heck is he up to, I don't like what he might be planning."

This conversation was between the two and it was when it was over that John turned when Tyrande spoke to him.

"Spartan, I have a request to make, I need to speak to you in private at the Temple, I have managed to provide food as well as drink along with a chair strong enough for you sit on, this is a private conversation so I request that it will be between you and me alone. I will send word to the Inn that your companions be allowed to eat there as well as rest for now."

John thought it over and nodded as Cortana gave her approval of the talk, he turned to his companions and spoke to them.

"I'll be talking with High Priestess Tyrande for a while, once it is over, I'll pick you all up at the Inn then we can go."

Erin didn't like that but decided not to argue with her savior as her stomach growled a bit, much to her embarrassment. As they left the area and head off to the Inn to eat, she gave a glance to the Spartan as he went back into the Temple with Tyrande. That action of hers was not lost to the others as Sandra spoke seriously to the Blood Elf.

"What are looking back there for anyway Blood Elf?"

Erin turned and gave the Hunter a sour look and replied.

"I happen to have a name so use it Night Elf."

Sandra glared and replied.

"I happen to have a name as well, so use it."

"You first, besides, you asked the question."

"Fine, what are you looking back at the Temple for Erin?"

"I was just curious as to why your race's leader would want a private audience with the Spartan of all people. I can understand that your leader is in good terms with him, but still, to ask for a private conversation complete with food and drink….do you think that your leader has an attraction for the Spartan?"

That was more than enough to make the two Night Elf women look at Erin as if she had lost her mind, it was a good thing that they were able to maintain their calm and focus on the matter, however they were quick to speak with Kaelyn naturally being the very first to speak.

"How can you suggest something like that? High Priestess Tyrande and the Spartan have no such attraction to one another!"

"Really now? What makes you so sure that she does not have an interest in the Spartan anyway?"

Sandra then spoke.

"There is one being that Tyrande Whisperwind loves apart from Elune and our people and that is Arch Druid Shan'do Malfurion Stormrage."

Erin heard stories and rumors about this Malfurion and while most of her kin scoffed at the Druidic powers of the Night Elves, she preferred to see things for herself before she could judge if this Malfurion was as powerful as they said him to be.

"If that's true, then where is he anyway? If he's the Arch Druid then why are we dealing with that arrogant ass? And why is he not ruling alongside your High Priestess for that matter?"

Sandra and Kaelyn looked at one another and the silence that followed made her all the more curious as to what was going on here, she then looked at Jarrod to get some answers. But unsurprisingly, the Druid was tight lipped about the whole thing. This made her all the more curious at to what was going on here. She decided to place aside her questions and determined that now was not the right time for her to be asking questions that were no doubt sensitive as this would bring her close to danger with any of the Night Elves here in Darnassus. Besides that, she would have a chance to find out later and the information could be valuable indeed.

"All right then, if there is nothing going on between your leader and the Spartan and she does have her…heart set towards Malfurion, then why is it that the two of them are in a private discussion and why can't any of us be part of it?"

Kaelyn was not liking the direction of the question Erin asked was going and she made that very clear as she spoke to her.

"It is between them so there is really no reason as to why we have to be involved, besides that, since there is nothing between High Priestess Tyrande there is no reason for us to wonder what it is about, for all we know, they could be discussing his current status here in the lands of our people."

Erin thought about that and had to admit that the Night Elf did make sense, still she was not very much convinced that those were the only reasons that the two were talking in private, but she decided to leave it alone for the time being and find out in a better time.

It turned out that Kaelyn and Sandra were right for at that very moment in the Temple's second floor…

Tyrande sat down at the chair in the room and looked at the Spartan who was allowed to sit on a large block of stone that was now serving as his chair, there before them was some food and drink and as soon as they were seated, the Spartan took of his helmet and when Tyrande nodded to him that they could now eat. It was a good sign of courtesy and John was not one to refuse as he ate his food along with Tyrande.

It took a while as the two ate their food and when it was nearly over, the High Priestess spoke once more to the Spartan.

"I have to apologize once more about the meeting that you had with the Ambassadors, I should have given you more time to prepare for such a situation that was not expected for you to attend to an deal with, considering that you have far more important things that needed your full attention."

The Spartan shook his head and replied to that.

"You have no need to apologize High Priestess Tyrande, I made the decision to come here myself, besides, if I had not appeared to settle this, you would have been bogged down with them and not be able to help your people due to the need to settle things for the ambassadors. As I have my priorities so do you also."

Tyrande smiled gently at that and nodded.

"You are correct, it's been many years since the many battles I have endured so long ago, and I need to dedicate my time to helping my people weather the storms that come. I only wish that I am doing that is best for my people, I will admit that my passion…and rash nature can become dangerous at times, but I do what I feel is right for my people's survival and if my life is the price I must pay, then I will do so willingly."

John nodded as he recalled an old passage he read in his studies.

"There is a saying from a famous person in the UNSC's past who can surmise what you have done in your years High Priestess Tyrande. He said 'The General who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, who's only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign is the Jewel of the Kingdom.' That will apply to you as well, considering what I have read about your actions in the past."

Tyrande thought about that and spoke.

"Who said that and what does that passage he spoke of mean?"

"The one who spoke it was a man who was named Sun Tzu, a famous military commander and tactician who won many successful battles for his kingdom. He was said to have once in legend was tasked to train the king's harem of 180 concubines as soldiers as a test of his skills and expertise in the art of war. He chose the king's favorites to lead the two companies and gave them orders. The first time the women didn't respond and giggled instead, he pointed out as general, it was duty to make sure that the orders were given clearly and followed. He gave the command from before again and yet the woman giggled at him. He then ordered the two officers to be killed. The king naturally protested and he spoke to everyone there."

"He said that if the general's soldiers heard the order but did not follow the orders, then it is the fault of the officers. He then stated that once a general is appointed, it was the general's duty to carry out the mission even if the king protested, after the two women were killed, new officers were placed in and the two companies did their orders flawlessly."

"As for the passage I said and how it is related to you, it is simple. You do what you have to defend your people, not to be recognized and not do gain fame, but to do what is right and is important to ensure the survival of your people. There is no desire for glory or power in your actions, only purpose and with a clear mission in mind. That is why I do not see anything wrong with your actions as they have been done with only one goal, and that is to defend your land and your people. If you have to retreat, you do it to ensure that your people will have a better chance to survive and fight another day. That in itself is also good as you do not throw away the lives of your soldiers without care. That is why you in my personal point of view are a worthy leader of your people, and I can bet that Sun Tzu might agree on that if he was still alive today."

The Night Elf smiled at that and spoke.

"This Sun Tzu you speak of sounds like a good man in his own right."

John nodded at that.

"He is, when I was still a Spartan in training, I and my fellow Spartans studied him as well. His works survive all the way to now and is still used by not just military leaders but businessmen and politicians. His works known as the Art of War is useful beyond the battle-field. If you wish, I can have a copy of his work made for you."

Tyrande smiled and replied.

"I suppose I am interested in that, I only hope that asking for a copy does not take away any of your precious time."

"It won't once it is done and written in your language, I can have Jarrod send you over a copy as well as an explanation of the passages there. There are other books I can give you once translated into your language, but I believe that it should be done at a more proper time, I must head back to the Dawn and begin work on setting up it's defenses."

Tyrande nodded at that and spoke.

"Before you go Spartan, I have to speak about another important matter. I have been told by Jarrod about your story and I must say I am surprised by it, as well as respectful of it as well. I have to admit that I had some doubts in allowing you to remain in my people's lands, I was even willing to fight you myself if you became a danger to my people. But after knowing your story, I stayed my hand and thought it over carefully and decided that it would be better than I treat you will more respect and less hostility. You are indeed a worthy person to have done much for your people."

The Spartan nodded at that as he placed down his helmet, after it was locked into place, he spoke to Tyrande with respect to her.

"I thank you for your concern and understanding High Priestess, and I have no anger towards what you have said, you are doing what you feel is right for your people and I can respect that easily."

"Thank you for your understanding, and I think it will be best that I allow you to return to your ship, no doubt you and your companions have much to do in the time to come. However, I suggest that you be on your guard, though it is over, there is no doubt in my mind that the leaders of the Alliance will want to try and seek you out. I only hope that their actions to enlist your aid for their people's needs don't become overzealous, and hopefully the Horde would not mistake Alliance activity as an action that could lead to war."

The Spartan nodded at that and replied.

"I understand, I will do what I can to avoid that situation though I have no doubt it will not be that easy."

Tyrande nodded at that and bid the Spartan farewell. Soon the Spartan was able to meet up with the others and soon make his way back to the Dawn. With that meeting done, he needed to get back to the Dawn and begin fortifying the location just in case things got very difficult. He noted that a number of the Night Elves as well as the other residents from the other races who were part of the Alliance were more than happy to see Erin leave.

He placed that aside for now and when the time was available, he would start asking questions to Erin to find out more of the Blood Elves though in this case, it was on their side of the fence and not that of the Alliance. This way he would be more aware of what was happening behind the scenes in this world that would concern the major factions as well as others in this world as well.

A month later…

The efforts in increasing the defenses of the Dawn had taken nearly a month of hard work and sweat but it was certainly worth the effort as the Dawn now had a defensive ability that would have really been a hard nut to crack by any standard, even by that of the Covenant. There was a network of defenses that were going to be MORE than enough to convince any attacker that being here was a bad idea.

The Dawn had a huge supply cache after all and this was quick to be used by John and Cortana as they had worked through most of the month to set up the base's defenses and when it was over, there was little doubt in the Spartan's mind that anyone trying to attack this place was going to go through hell

In the bunkers that were at the bottom of the walls and in the corners was a group of heavy weapon systems which were the a pair of mounted AIE-486H Heavy Machine Guns that were on the sides, allowing them to unleash a hail of bullets in an overlapping 180 degree window in the bunker. This was sure to make any attacking force think twice in attacking the Dawn en masse. Next was a mounted Weapon/Anti-Vehicle Model 6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle or a Spartan Laser that was connected to the Dawn's active Deuterium Fusion Reactors as well as the new active Hydrogen reactor that was built to serve as a supplement power source to be used. This would make attacking the walls of the Dawn with large groups of infantry and heavy cavalry a seriously bad idea as well as engaging any heavy vehicles that might be around. And next was a mounted M68 Gauss Cannon which was more than powerful enough to kill most if not all organic and inorganic targets that were spotted

All of these were wired to Cortana through the use of reinforced and hidden sensors as well as camera links that would allow Cortana to easily spot and unleash a barrage of fire power on the enemy once they were well within the kill-zone of the A.I. The same setup was also present in the walls though in this case, the Spartan and the A.I would also use a number of stored M41 Vulcan Light Anti-Aircraft Guns to support the slower turning AIE-486H Heavy Machine Guns, This was to make sure that any enemy that was in the area was going to be in for an exciting and short life. John could also use any of the weapons manually in order to target specific areas and opponents that should be given a lot more attention than most.

The Dawn itself was far from defenseless as the had been able to mount the same weapons on the Frigate and connect them to the reactors as well as to Cortana herself. The A.I was also able to create two copies of herself that could be able handle the defenses in the bunkers and the walls as well as the Dawn itself. The cut section of the Dawn now had several M41 LAAG turrets there as well as M68 Gauss Cannons to even it up. Cortana however had managed to have four of the M99 Special Application Scoped Rifles in the front and sides of the Dawn as well as another one on the top of the Dawn to give it a full 360 degree area of effect. These were designed to eliminate key targets at extreme range as well as inflict severe psychological terror in the foes that might decide to attack the Dawn. John himself could also use these manually if needed to handle other targets that were vital. There were also a number of LAU-65D/SGM-151 mounted turrets to make attacking the Dawn a seriously risky move.

This deadly defensive network was also supported with a number of PG000E Portable Electricity Generators that were hidden in reinforced areas in the compound which could be used to support the weapons if it was needed to disconnect the weapons from the Dawn's reactors and the Hydrogen Reactor.

Of course the defenses were not limited to just that as there were a number of other traps that the Spartan had on hand, these included a number of Lotus Anti-Tank Mines that were armed to work with Proximity systems and also those with altered sensitivity to counter infantry, these types of the Lotus was scattered around the area of the dawn as well as in key points that would be used as routes to the Dawn through the area that it was in. Next were a network of Ant lion Anti-Personnel Mines. All of them were activated by Cortana when they were not in the base and were then deactivated when they got into the base.

These were also supplemented with a large number of dug pits filled with a large amount of the famous Fougasse. This improvised weapon was nasty and was simple, and elegant at the very same time. It was a tube that was filled with grenades or some form of explosive propellant and came in two types.

Fire Fougasse was filled with containers of Napalm, while Shrapnel Fougasse was filled with spent shell casings or various bits of metal. Whatever variant was used, one thing was certain, anything caught in a Fougasse detonation was going to really go out with a bang as the results would shred anything several meters straight up. They were normally used against infantry and ground threats, but the Chief and his fellow Spartans had once used ten of these improvised weapons to wipe out ten Covenant Banshees that were on a strafing run on him and his brothers and sisters in Jericho VII.

That was a testament to how deadly these weapons were if they were used in a tactically sound ambush. They were set in a three layer defense all around the area near the base of the walls with a mix of the two types, and these were all rigged to go off with proximity sensors that were controlled by Cortana as well as the other mines. All of these weapons and defenses coupled with the vehicles and weapons the Chief had at his disposal made attacking the Dawn and it's valley area tantamount to suicide. The Spartan made sure to deactivate the traps when friendly forces were about and as such the Night Elf patrol that were under the command of Kaelyn, besides that, Cortana and her copies can deactivate the mines remotely if they were able to locate non hostile forces nearby to minimize the danger posed to those travelling in the area.

Of course this was not the only thing that John and Cortana had been working on…

Cortana looked at the item with a good deal of approval as the Spartan looked at the weapon carefully.

"Not bad John, these weapons should prove helpful in the soon to come battles."

The Spartan however wasn't entirely convinced as he spoke to the A.I.

"I don't exactly see why I have to use these Cortana, I'll admit in the right situation, these are deadly but still, I don't really see why we need to have these."

The A.I grinned and replied.

"Well for one thing John, we do need to adapt to this world and carrying guns all the time might attract attention, besides that we can't rely all the time on the Covenant Energy Swords, we have a good stock of them but we should keep them as reserve weapons as we still have no other way to recharge them. So we have to find an alternative, besides that, these things happen to be right up with the world we happen to be in. Besides that, these weapons will be more than adequate in close combat along with the Knives we have."

The Spartan sighed though he had to admit that there was a certain power and elegance as he lifted the weapons for him to look at in a more careful; fashion. The weapons were a pair of swords, or more specifically a pair of Japanese Katanas. Cortana's knowledge of human history on Earth had uncovered just how katana swords of ancient Japan were made in a more traditional fashion.

Though those weapons were only given as antiques and as prize decorations along with being a collector's item, they were quite deadly and it took years of training and years of dedication to the crafting of such weapons in the traditional style and even though swords were no longer in use for nearly two millennia on Earth or anywhere else for that matter, the knowledge had been retained.

It appeared to be just good luck that the information on how to make such swords were somehow stored in Cortana's memory core. The Spartan was not sure about this but agreed to do it and he had been aided by Kaelyn, Sandra, Jarrod, and even Erin who was curious about what the Spartan was making. The information on how to make the katana was dead on accurate and that was why the Spartan and the A.I went to work to locate the right materials for it and finding the right amount of pure iron with no impurities. As the group continued with the work it was not long before the others asked the Spartan what was it he and Cortana were making with such resources and the constructed furnace. John then explained that they were forging swords from a nation of the UNSC Home-world, these weapons were never seen in battle for many millennia but would be helpful to him.

It took a lot of time and a great deal of calculations, monitoring and manual labor from John and the machines controlled to a dancer's grace by the A.I but the end results were there, a pair of beautiful and yet deadly katanas that were made with the best alloys and the best methods available to them. The end result were a pair of deadly katanas that were made in the traditional way with 26th Century advances. The two then made a pair of specially crafted sheaths that were very unique as these were designed to keep the sword in the best state possible using UNSC technology with the ancient methods of preserving katana swords. They were also equipped with special metal bands that would easily allow the sheathed swords to be magnetically locked onto his armor.

John took the swords from their sheaths and admired them with a warrior's eye. These weapons were considered in both literature and history as the greatest swords in Earth and were remarkable achievements in the art of sword making, metallurgy, and chemistry. These had created a warrior culture known as the Samurai in Japan, elite warriors who were similar to the Spartans in some ways due to being considered the best of the best in their world. He read the history of the Samurai as well in the classes with the A.I Déjà and was able to understand to power and mystery behind these weapons.

He looked at them slowly and then placed them back in their sheaths as he spoke to Cortana.

"I get where you're driving at, but keep in mind that using swords was never in my training."

"True, but we have time to learn, besides that, even without your MJOLNIR Mark VI on, you already have strength, speed, reaction time and more to make you a very deadly warrior, and you become just like the Covenant call you when you wear the MJOLNIR and got into battle. When you combine that with these swords, you can bet that the image is rather terrifying, even if you only use one sword."

The Spartan nodded at that and then decided to show the results to his companions as he got Cortana out of the holo-tank and moved to where the others were. He walked in and saw that the three Night Elves were on one side of the room while Erin was on the other side of the room. He then called their attention and the three walked over to the Spartan with Erin quickly joining up as Sandra looked at the pair of the swords that were in the hands of the Spartan.

"What are those?"

The Spartan replied.

"The result of the work that we did here in the Dawn in making a pair of swords."

The group gathered and when he revealed the first sword, they Night Elves were surprised at the appearance of the sword before them, even Erin gave a whistle of surprise at the weapon, while it was not magical, it was an undeniably beautiful weapon that seemed to make even her swords look plain and uninteresting. Kaelyn and her fellow Night Elves looked at the weapons carefully and when the Spartan showed the second sword, they were impressed by the weapon as well.

Kaelyn could see that the sword was indeed very elegant and seemed to have a beauty to it as she looked at the Spartan curiously.

"Why did you make this?"

John replied to that.

"I might need to use a regular sword since the Energy Swords I have can't be recharged, even with the best scientists and engineers in the UNSC we never got around to figuring out how to recharge a majority of the Covenant's weapons for their ground forces in combat, even the basic Covenant Plasma Pistol. We only have an understanding of the Needler and the Carbine and how to load them, but everything else still eluded the best of our scientists. Though I can bet that with the alliance between the UNSC and the Covenant Separatists, we might get there, though I still have some doubts on that matter. That is why I need to conserve the Covenant Arsenals for now so they can be used at a much later date."

Kaelyn nodded as she looked at the sword once more and Erin then spoke with a smile on her face.

"These weapons are impressive even if they are not magical, but do you have enough experience with swords Spartan?"

The Master Chief shrugged at that and spoke.

"I know enough in close combat and melee fighting, though I am no master swordsman."

That made Erin grin even more as she moved over to hold the sword by the handle, testing the sword's weight, she then also took a strip of leather and ran it over the edge, nodding approval in the sharpness of the weapon, finding it to be more than effective in a fight. She then placed the sword aside for now and spoke with a gleam in her eyes.

"Perhaps I can teach you some moves then, I happen to have a good number of skills with swords and daggers, think of it as a partial payment for saving my life."

The smile in the face of the female Blood Elf was not lost to the two Night Elf women. Both Kaelyn and Sandra were not happy with the way the Blood Elf was acting towards the Spartan and it was not long before Sandra spoke to the Spartan.

"I also happen to have a number of skills and techniques in fighting with close combat weapons, I can also help there if you want."

Kaelyn was not to be outdone as she also spoke out.

"I might not have much training with swords, but I do have skills in close combat as well."

The three women were quick to glare at one another and the Spartan quickly felt a level of discomfort and confusion, both of which were due to the fact that he was now caught in a three way cat fight with the Elf females who were with him. Cortana was enjoying this a great deal as she could sense the discomfort and confusion in her Spartan, these were not things she often found in her protector, but that certainly didn't mean she didn't find it the least bit amusing.

Jarrod then decided to try and placate the three, as he was trained as Druid and preferred that line of work more than most, he was to try and find a solution that didn't result in the group fighting one another once more. He then came up with a solution that would benefit all of the people involved as he spoke.

"Wouldn't it be better that the training be done in turns?"

The three women looked at one another and at Jarrod as his argument had some level of sense and decided to take that approach as Cortana finally made her appearance as she had requested John to put her in one of the nearby holo-tanks. As soon as that was done, the A.I spoke to the three women.

"One more thing before we do this training session ladies, try to focus on training the Chief, not each other."

Erin was surprised by this when she saw Cortana. This being before her seemed to be like a spirit or creature that was in human form but was not flesh and blood, and small as well. She gingerly tried to reach out and use the technique known as Mana Tap gently but to her surprise, the being didn't have any form of magic in her. That stopped her cold as she spoke to the A.I

"What are you?"

Cortana turned and replied.

'I am Cortana, a UNSC A.I, you never saw me but I happen to be residing in the Master Chief's Armor at the moment. Don't worry I don't bite."

Erin looked at the A.I and seeing the symbols moving over the A.I's form and wondered just what this being was, there was no magic of any kind sustaining it at all, and there was no….soul so to speak that she was aware of, yet it was moving sensing, talking and no doubt thinking like a living being. Is this another part of the UNSC's technology?

She smiled mentally as she looked at the Spartan.

(My….you never cease to amaze me Spartan, I am going to enjoy training you.)

Cortana then turned to the Chief and speak to him seriously.

"By the way Chief, I suggest we get down to repairing the MJOLNIR first thing tomorrow morning, there are some damages to the armor that need to be fixed and while the BIOS might be telling you that it works fine, there's no sense that we leave some of the systems repaired. Not to mention we need to replace some of the damaged sections of the Armor plating as soon as possible. That means that you're going to have to take it off for the repairs to start off."

John didn't like that, if there was one thing that was universal for all Spartans except the Grey Team, they disliked removing their MJOLNIR no matter what model it was. They had worn their Powered Assault Armor for so many years that it was like clothing to them and the idea of being out of them was something they had some level of dislike for. However John knew that the MJOLNIR did need some repairs as Cortana did have a point, plus sections of the Armor did need to be replaced due to the damage and while it was not major to say the least, it was better to be ready for anything than regret it later on. He however did voice his sentiment on the matter.

"You sure about that?"

Cortana was quick to pick up on that.

"I know you Spartans don't like getting out of the Armor Chief, but we do need to get some repairs done it to make sure that it's in perfect condition, remember, never take chances with anything when it concerns your equipment. Besides you need to do a visual inspection of the Armor to do that, plus if you start sparring with the three ladies over there it would be better that you do it outside of the Armor, you can of course tone down on the strength, speed and reflexes so that shouldn't be a problem."

John knew that Cortana was right and nodded.

"All right, as soon as I wake up tomorrow, I'll be taking it off."

That announcement was not lost to the three women as they began to think of waking up early as well, and the reason was not just to train with the Spartan in the use of the sword. That was not lost to Cortana and John, though the two of them had different reactions.

Cortana was smirking and John was merely rolling his eyes.

To be continued…

Author's Notes:

That wraps up this chapter and I know that the diplomatic battle might not be as action packed as some would hope but I was a bit pressed for time and energy. Things had been hectic here in my home town with the soon to come opening for all the schools here. I have a chance to start working on some lecture assignments for the next few months to earn myself some cash to help out with the family expenses and bills.

Anyhow, back on topic, the diplomats are not going to be taking this lying down for long, you can bet that as soon as they report to their race's respective leaders that those leaders in question will be wanting more information about the Spartan and you can bet that they will do what they can in order to learn more.

Also the women are about to finally see the Spartan out of the Armor, and don't think that Kaelyn, Sandra, and Erin are going to be the only females John has met so far that will get a chance to take a good look at the Spartan without the MJOLNIR on. And no, the Chief won't be naked so don't ask if he will be. That's kind of jumping the gun early if I did that.

And I have managed to enter the Katana from the Halo Armor Permutations once again and these will be John's second melee weapons of Choice apart from the Covenant Energy Swords. Since there are plenty of metals in the World of Warcraft, you can bet that John will soon have a variety of katanas made from different metals, I am rather curious if I should have him use only one or carry two at the same time, imagine the sight of the Master Chief cutting down soft targets with two katanas in either hand?

I know that there ARE katanas in the World of Warcraft, but they are only used by few players and characters from what I've seen in both games and comics as well as official and fan art, but this is my story I can have a bit of leeway on the whole matter.

Plus I can always go for the Katana and Energy Sword dual wield combination after all. That should really set the bar right in there with 'What the hell am I doing'. I know that dual wielding Energy Swords is not possible in the game but it accepted in the Halo Canon so why not?

Besides, the energy Swords will also undergo some upgrades in terms of magic. How that will turn out is my little secret.

On the topic of the next chapter, it is going to be a three or four part series which highlights the arrival of the Master Chief into the continent of Azeroth on a more serious mission of mapping the next continent and gathering intel on the species there as well as locating more resources that can be of good use to him. Also I plan for the Spartan to give the group with him some extra protection if they ever need it, keep in mind that apart from weapons, the Dawn has a good number of Armor used by UNSC Marines and ODSTs onboard that were left behind so you can bet things will be interesting when the time comes for them to wear what the Master Chief will give them.

Also on the next chapter, Chief is soon going to run afoul with a certain organization of red mask wearing bandits with an axe to grind with Stormwind and its people, and along the way strike a friendship with a certain young prince who goes out on a personal trip to survey the land but gets waylaid by the members of said group. This will also highlight his meeting with a number of the already recognized members of the Warcraft world though he will not be joining sides with any of the factions for a while yet.

If you know who the person is, then I shouldn't bother saying who it is as well. And also the Chief will soon start building he resource base at the same time as gathering resources and materials will help him start netting a profit that will build his economic base as well. Not to mention he will be bringing along a good stock of supplies for the Dawn's food stores as well as get the lay of the land beyond Kalimdor.

Once he gets back from that trip, he will also check out the rest of Northern Kalimdor and spend some time in getting to know the lands of the Night Elves in more serious, plus help out here and there when the time comes. There will be a number of quests that should be familiar to any WOW players here so you can bet that the Chief will be rather busy on the next few chapters until we get to the 10th Chapter which will begin the Burning Crusade arc of the story. Not to mention he will be helping out a bit in Theramore Isle as well on any matters that will help improve his relationship with the land and it's people, most notably the leader of Theramore itself.

Anyway, I'll be putting out a poll to see who you think John can be paired with at a later date. This will include some new characters as well as their classes so to make the situation more interesting for John. The characters will be female to say the least and while John will have some males from the other races who join his group eventually, some of them will have partners of their own so that's not going to be an issue so don't expect anything that will imply…well, you get the picture. Along with the new to soon be developed characters will be the ones I already have made and naturally that will include some lore female characters.

When it is now working please make sure to check honestly your answers since I prefer it to be more accurate and precise than just all random stuff that will only serve to clog me up with unusable ideas all right?

See you there!

P.S

On a side note, Tyrande is NOT going to be attracted to John in any way, she does respect him and develops a friendship with the Spartan, but there is nothing romantic there or otherwise. I happen to like the pairing of Malfurion and Tyrande and I have no intention of changing that. However John will become a trusted ally in the later part of the story and will actually help in reuniting the two lovers in question.

That will naturally help increase his reputation with the Night Elves and with both Tyrande and Malfurion, who knows what will happen after that.