AN: I don't own Halo or Infinite Stratos, the rights belong to their respective owners.
Chifuyu's office-
"Alright, start explaining. Tell us everything." Chifuyu said firmly.
All attention was on Athena, the five girls, Ichika, Chifuyu and Maya waiting for the explanation.
"My name is Athena. I am an advanced artificial intelligence. My big friend over there" she paused pointing at Jaeger "Is a SPARTAN-II commando, created for the specific purpose of protecting humanity and all of its colonies, from any threat. I'll give you the short version. In our timeline, humanity has spread beyond earth, into the further reaches of the galaxy to establish colonies. This was all possible thanks to the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight engine, capable of utilising faster-than-light travel, or 'slip-space'. In the year 2525, humanity was attacked by an alliance of aliens known as 'the covenant'. Humanity and the Covenant entered a bloody war of attrition for many years, the only reason why we lasted so long was because of the SPARTAN-II's. Like my friend here, they were the vanguard in the war, keeping humanity in the fight as colony after colony fell."
She paused, inspecting the expressions everyone held. Chifuyu remained stoic, while everyone else had fear and sympathy etched onto their faces.
"So you fought in the war?" Rin asked Jaeger sympathetically.
He looked over to Rin. "Yes." he replied neutrally.
Rin kept her sympathetic look, as did the other girls.
"So how did you get here?" Chifuyu asked.
"In 2531, my friend and I were stationed aboard the UNSC Spirit of Fire, under the command of Captain James Cutter. We served with Red Team, a group of SPARTANS, led by Jerome-092, along with Sergeant John Forge, a marine. We liberated a captured colony known as Harvest, evacuated another colony by the name of Arcadia and last but not least, prevented the covenant from turning the tide of the war. On the 17th of March that year, we tracked our enemy to an unknown hollow planet. In order to prevent the covenant from leaving the planet, a plan was set out to detonate the Spirit of Fire's nuclear reactor in the planets sun, causing a supernova, that as far as we know, would of destroyed the entire planet. Along with anyone still on it."
"So how are you still alive?" Maya asked curiously.
"The original plan was to send the Spirit of Fire into the sun, but my friend here had other ideas." Athena answered, making Jaeger shift uncomfortably under the new attention everyone was giving him.
"What happened?" Laura asked.
"He suggested that we load a pelican, the aircraft we arrived here with, with the reactor. The pilot would then fly into the sun and detonate the reactor manually, therefore allowing the rest of the crew to escape the planet before it was destroyed. He volunteered to be the pilot, knowing that it was a one-way-trip. The two of us reached the sun and activated the reactor. Next thing we know, we were in high orbit around this planet. The rest, you already know." Athena finished.
All eyes were now on Jaeger. He made a small glance at the girls, all with glassy eyes, except Laura. She had an expression of...pride? That last part struck the super soldier as strange. Why was she the only exception? One would have to have been in a similar situation to hold such pride. Jaeger, with his superior mind almost immediately understood. She was a soldier as well. Interesting... he mused.
"So you knew you were going to die? And you went ahead with it anyway? Don't you care whether you live or die?" Rin asked shakily.
Jaeger remained silent. But it was brief, he raised his head, holding it high proudly.
"It's my duty as a soldier, and a SPARTAN to protect humanity. No matter the cost. That planetoid had to be destroyed, the threat it posed to humanity was too high to ignore." he responded with pride.
He didn't notice Charlotte approach him, until her hand rested on top of his. He turned his head slowly, locking his steel blue eyes with her purple ones. Something shifted within his mind, a memory, like it had happened before.
"You say that like soldiers and humanity are two different things. Soldiers aren't machines, they're just people, like everyone else. Don't say it like your life doesn't matter." Charlotte said softly.
Jaeger kept his eyes locked with hers, feeling the same warm feeling he felt when he first met her.
"Finally! Someone who agrees with me! You see you big idiot, I'm not the only one that cares." Athena exclaimed.
"Alright enough of that." Chifuyu declared.
Jaeger and Charlotte broke their eye contact, she removed her hand, and stepped back to join the other girls, all of which looked at her with raised eyebrows. Charlotte blushed lightly, keeping her gaze fixated on the ground. Jaeger turned his attention back to Chifuyu.
"I find it hard to believe. I mean, aliens? I need evidence if you want me to believe you." she declared.
Jaeger glanced at Athena, she gave a nod, signalling her to take over.
"If you want evidence, we can show you. But, you might not like what you see."
Chifuyu didn't hesitate to answer.
"I'm sure."
Athena turned back to Jaeger, who gave a small nod of acknowledgement.
"Then I need some form of projector. Anything that can display images."
Chifuyu didn't hesitate to move to her desk. She pressed a small button underneath the desk top, a small section of the desk rising up as she did so. Jaeger proceeded to the newly opened desk, holding Athena's data chip near the protruding section of the desk. A small stream of blue light jumped from the chip to the desk. Given the fact that UNSC technology wasn't compatible with anything from this reality, the next best alternative was to have Athena 'jump' from the chip to the port. It was one of the many advantages of AI's, they were extremely versatile and could integrate with old technology with ease. Within moments, a blank square of light appeared on the wall.
"Show them Athena."
The blank square of light changed, now showing rushing images. Everyone in the room looked intently at the images, their expressions changing from curiosity to terror. The images displayed various battles between the covenant and the UNSC. The images stopped abruptly, a video started to play in their place. From a first person perspective, a tall green titan stood combat ready, with a group of young looking teenagers, no older than the IS pilots..
"Chief, take the cadets to the extraction point, I'll buy you time." a familiar voice ordered.
The green-armoured titan gave a small nod. "I'll see you back on the ship Sev. Don't take too long."
With that said, the large soldier left with the group with a brisk pace.
The view shifted, now showing a cluster of trees. It was quiet for a while, until a faint sound of footsteps could be heard.
"Get ready Athena, we have company."
As the voice spoke, numerous monsters emerged from the cluster of trees. Some were small and dwarf-like and others looked like bird hybrids with glowing shield on their arms. But what stood out the most was the two heavily armoured, 12 ft giants with spikes protruding from their backs and what looked like a cannon and a shield on their arms.
The scene spiralled into chaos. Glowing green projectiles sped toward the camera's view. The view shook violently as the projectiles flew out of sight. A futuristic assault rifle came into view near the bottom of the video screen, and it began pouring out bullets from its barrel. The horrifying creatures fell one after the other as the gunfire continued.
The gunfire ceased as the view shook violently once again as a large green projectile exploded in front of the camera. The view snapped to one of the giant monstrosities, and within seconds the scene began to change, the giant getting closer and closer. A fist came out, striking the behemoth, making it stumbled backwards. Now stunned, another punch struck the giant, this time penetrating the exposed worm-like skin . The fist pulled out and the camera rushed backwards. A few seconds pass, and the giant exploded, orange blood and body pieces splattering onto the ground. A bestial roar was heard as a large metal object struck the originator of the perspective, sending them flying backwards. A low grunt was heard as they collided with the grassy ground. The view snapped to the other beast, which was now charging toward the camera. The view rose, the worm-like monster now within reach with its shielded arm raised. Suddenly, the view shifted once more, the ground switching places with the sky. This ended quickly, and the vision snapped to the titan, the skin on its back exposed. A singular loud gunshot sounded, spraying orange blood over the camera lens. The monster fell with a loud thud. The video ended at that point, the blank white screen returning.
The room was quiet, no one could speak. They were frozen with shock by the spectacle they had just witnessed. Cecilia broke the silence.
"W-what was t-that?" she asked shakily.
"That was the battle of Circinius IV. The marine academy on the planet was attacked by the covenant, leaving only three cadets alive. The main objective was to evacuate the students off-planet before the covenant glassed the planet." Jaeger paused "I was one of the SPARTANS sent in." he finished.
"Glassed?" Laura asked.
"It's a phrase. The covenant fire plasma from orbit, melting anything and everything in its path, leaving nothing but ashes." Jaeger replied darkly.
"My god. They were the only survivors of the academy?" Chifuyu asked.
"No. The entire planet." Jaeger answered blankly.
The atmosphere became morbid upon Jaeger's words. Jaeger went ahead, and held the data chip near the port, allowing Athena to perform the jump, inserting her back into his interface. He turned to address Chifuyu.
"Do you believe me now?" he asked.
Chifuyu hesitated to answer, but gave it nonetheless.
"Yes, you've made you're point. But one thing still remains. What happens now?"
"That, I will leave to you ma'am." Jaeger replied.
Ichika and the girls, along with Maya, turned their gaze to Chifuyu, waiting for her response. Moments pass by, and she spoke up.
"Don't you want to go back?" she asked.
"I do. But I have no means of doing so, not without the right technology." Jaeger clarified.
"Then it's decided. You will remain here, under strict supervision, until we can find a way of getting you back home. In exchange however, you will repair the areas of the academy that you damaged." Chifuyu declared.
His militaristic habit kicked in, as he gave he a quick salute. "Understood. Thank you Ma'am."
"Just don't make me regret it. While I sort out your residence, you can get started on repairs. Maya, please escort him to the training grounds to begin the repairs." Chifuyu added.
"Of course Miss Orimura." Maya replied.
Maya walked to the door, gesturing for Jaeger to follow, which he did so, placing his helmet back on. As the two of them were about to leave, Chifuyu interrupted them with one last inquiry.
"One more thing before you go, what is your name?"
Jaeger turned his head, glancing over his shoulder.
"Sev. My name is Sev."
And with that done, he left the office with Maya.
"Hey guys, looks over here!" a girl exclaimed.
A group of girls congregated to see what the fuss was about.
"What, what is it?" another girl asked.
But the girl only pointed down the corridor, the other girl's gaze followed. They gasped as they saw what she was pointing at. The 6t tall black-armoured giant.
Jaeger followed Maya down the corridor, noticing the drawing crowd of students all gawking at noticed that they had fear written all over their faces. Hmm... if I'm going to stay here, I better make a good impression, my first one wasn't exactly exemplary he thought. One girl stood out from the others, she was wearing a strange fox-like costume. He didn't know why, but she reminded him of someone he met, the memory of which he couldn't remember. It was at that moment where he realised that he stopped, staring at the girl. He approached her carefully, as not to incite more fear into the already scared girl. Jaeger was standing in front of the girl, dwarfing her by a good 1ft and a half. The strangely dressed girl looked up fearfully into Jaeger's visor, trembling slightly at the intimidating sight. The behemoth knelt down, now face to face with the girl. She was frozen, finding herself unable to move. Just as she was fearing the worst, she saw the armour-clad giant reach up to his helmet and remove it. What she was faced with was something she wasn't expecting.
A man. Jaeger gave her a rare comforting smile.
"Don't be afraid ma'am. I won't hurt you." he said deeply.
The girl's eyes widened slightly at the man's surprisingly comforting words, as did the girls around her.
Maya turned around to see if 'Sev' was following her. He wasn't. She was surprised to see him kneeling in front of a student with his helmet placed under his arms. But what really caught her eye, was his smile. She never would of expected to see him smiling, since all he ever did was remain stoic, at least she assumed so anyway. He reminded her of Chifuyu in a way.. She backtracked to where he was, clearing her throat lightly as she reached him.
Jaeger glanced to see his escort standing a few feet away, he was confused at first but realised that she was waiting for him to follow her. Getting the hint, he stood up and replaced his helmet back onto his head, returning to her side and continuing to the training grounds. He looked back at the strangely dressed girl,now surrounded by a horde of squabbling girls, smiling once more under his visor.
How interesting Jaeger.
Athena?
You're smiling.
Is that a problem?
No. In fact I'm surprised more than anything.
…
Jaeger?
…
I'm confused. It's that girl. It feels like I've met someone like her before, but I can't remember.
…
It's nothing you need to worry about Jaeger. You're just acting on your emotions.
But a soldier isn't supposed to act on their emotions. They have to act based on tactics and logic.
Don't you remember what that girl said to you, about soldiers not being machines, but people?
…
Yes, I do.
Then take it to heart.
…
...
Fine.
"We're here!" Maya exclaimed cheerfully.
Jaeger snapped out of his inner thoughts, noticing that while he was talking with Athena, they had reached the training grounds. He looked around, seeing the cracked concrete wall he launched the silver haired girl into, the large craters in the ground from the missiles impact. He groaned inwardly at the sight, knowing that he had to repair all of this carnage. I'm a SPARTAN, not a construction worker. I kill, I don't build he thought.
"Okay, you can start on the wall over there today and you can fill in the craters tomorrow. An instructor will be along shortly to bring you the necessary tools and materials, they'll also be keeping an eye on you as well, so don't try anything funny mister." Maya explained.
Jaeger acknowledged the command with a nod. With his confirmation that he understood, Maya left to bring back the instructor, leaving Jaeger all by his lonesome.
Wonderful, look at this mess.
Well that's what you get for totalling the place.
Me? What about you? If I recall you were the one who made most of these craters.
And where would you be if I hadn't shown up?
…
That's what I thought.
Jaeger was about to retort, but the instructor arrived. She had a cautious look on her face, but she handed Jaeger the tools and materials for the repairs. Jaeger took them, wasting no time in getting started.
Ugh, I don't understand any of this, Yamada-sensei sure wasn't lying when she said this semester was going to be harder Ichika thought.
Ichika sighed, with his head propped up with one of his arms on his desk, with a bored expression. A sudden whack on the head broke his boredom.
"Ichika! Pay attention!"
Ichika looked up, rubbing his sore spot. His sister was standing before him, a threatening aura emanating off her. He quickly replied as to not incite her wrath.
"Sorry Orimura-sensei!"
Chifuyu crossed her arms over her chest, satisfied with Ichika's response, returning to her teaching.
"Alright class, I want each of your assignments in by next week!"
The class all groaned, but replied anyway. "Yes Miss Orimura."
"Good. Class dismissed." Chifuyu finished.
The students didn't hesitate to heave themselves from their desks and out of the classroom. Ichika was especially glad that the lesson was over. He went over to Houki.
"Hey Houki, lets go get something to eat, I'm starved!" he exclaimed.
Houki frowned a little "Is that all you think about Ichika?" she replied.
Ichika was about to retort, a strange grumbling sound interrupted him. It was then he realised that Houki was clutching her stomach, with a crimson face. He smiled slightly.
"Well someone's hungry." Ichika said slyly.
This made Houki blush even more at his words, furrowing her brows to show her irritation.
"Let's just go!" she said with a flustered voice.
Ichika laughed lightly at her response, another voice breaking his laughter.
"Hey! Don't forget about us!"
Ichika and Houki glanced to see Cecilia, Laura and Charlotte standing together with slightly irritated expressions. Ichika raised his hands, trying to defuse a possible cat-fight.
"Hey, hey don't worry, we just about to get you guys." he said nervously.
Cecilia crossed her arms "Well good. Let's get going then." she responded.
With that said, Ichika and the girls left the classroom, heading to the cafeteria. A few minutes into their journey, they met Rin along the way, who happily joined them in their quest for nourishment.
At the training grounds-
Took you long enough. Aren't SPARTANS supposed to be efficient?
…
Hey! Are you listening to me Jaeger?
I am. I'm just choosing to ignore you.
Why you b-
Jaeger tuned out Athena as he inspected his handiwork. The previously shattered wall now stood fully repaired, with any sign of previous damage gone. Being a SPARTAN, he was meticulous in the repair. He was taught to perform to the best of his ability, in combat anyway; but Jaeger didn't see much of a difference. It would of gone against everything he trained for to give anything less than the best. That was why he had Athena give him a crash course in DIY, which he admittedly disliked. But he bore through it, it was necessary if he wanted the best results. His job now done, he turned to address his supposed 'guard', who happened to be snoozing.
"The wall has been repaired as ordered ma'am." he said blankly.
The instructor snapped awake, her eyes darting around. She looked to see Jaeger towering over her, the wall behind fully repaired. She quickly responded to avoid any further embarrassment.
"R-right. Then... er..."
"What now?" he asked plainly.
"Well...um.."
As she was fumbling over her words, Jaeger voiced his mind.
"Should I report to Orimura ma'am?" he suggested.
The woman ceased her fumbling, attempting to recollect herself. She gave a quick nod to Jaeger.
"Y-yes, that sounds like a good idea. Let's go." she replied.
Chifuyu's office-
"SPARTAN-777 reporting ma'am." Jaeger declared stiffly.
"Is it done?" Chifuyu asked.
"Yes. Repairs to the wall have been completed." Jaeger replied swiftly.
"Good." she acknowledged.
The two stood facing each other, an awkward silence arising between the two. Jaeger decided to break the silence.
"Now what?" he asked.
Before Chifuyu could give an answer, Jaeger's stomach growled. He suddenly felt uncomfortable as Chifuyu looked at him. To his surprise, she gave a small smile.
"I believe your stomach knows the answer to that. I'll have Miss Yamada take you to the cafeteria." she answered while raising her hand to her earpiece. "Maya, could you please report to my office?".
After waiting for a few minutes, Miss Yamada arrived at Chifuyu's office. She quickly addressed Chifuyu as she entered.
"Is there something you need Miss Orimura?" she inquired.
"Yes. Could you escort our friend here to the cafeteria?" Chifuyu asked.
Maya nodded as a response. She returned to the door, gesturing for Jaeger to follow. He acknowledged the gesture. He stopped in the doorway, glancing back at Chifuyu. He still had one more thing to say.
"Where will I be staying ma'am?"
"I've already made arrangements. You will be staying in room 1026."
"Thank you ma'am." he relied gratefully.
With that resolved, Jaeger took his leave with Maya.
As the door closed behind them, Chifuyu pulled out her cellphone and dialled in a number, instantly regretting doing so as the recipient answered.
"CHIIIIIIIIII-CHAAAAAAN!" the voice screamed.
Chifuyu held the phone away from her ear. "Control yourself Tabane, are you ready to come to the academy yet?"
"Of course! I've just about finished up here, I'll be there by tomorrow!" Tabane relied happily.
"Do try to control yourself when you meet him Tabane, the last thing I need is for him to freak out over your antics." Chifuyu said wearily.
"Awww... Chi-chan, you're so mean!" she responded childishly.
"Goodbye Tabane" Chifuyu said blankly.
Without waiting for a reply, Chifuyu hung up, letting out a long sigh.
Sometimes I really worry about that woman she thought to herself.
"Okay! Here we are! Now all you have to do is walk right over there and ask for what you want!" Maya exclaimed as she pointed to the counter.
"Thank you Miss Yamada." Jaeger replied.
Maya went slightly red at Jaeger's grateful reply "Y-your w-welcome. Now run along before all the food's gone." she said bashfully.
Jaeger heeded her advice, heading toward the counter. As he was doing so, he noticed everyone he passed stare at him. This didn't bother him though, he was used to garnering stares from people, he was a SPARTAN after all.
Within no time at all, he reached the counter, towering over the woman on the opposite side. She looked up at him in surprise.
"W-what can I-I get you s-sir?" she asked shakily.
"Whatever you recommend ma'am. I'm not accustomed to this kind of food." Jaeger replied, unfazed by the woman's shaky query.
"I-in t-that case, h-how about s-some o-onigiri and m-miso soup?" she suggested
Jaeger gave a small nod as a form of acceptance. The cook collected the onigiri and poured the miso soup into a small bowl. Before she gave them to Jaeger, he interjected.
"Excuse me ma'am, but could you give more than that. I have a large appetite."
The cook nodded fearfully, piling more onigiri onto the tray and pouring another bowl of miso soup. She handed the tray to Jaeger as she finished.
"Thank you ma'am." Jaeger said.
"N-no p-problem." she replied.
Jaeger took his meal to an empty booth, sitting down roughly and placing the tray down. He removed his helmet and placed it aside. He picked up one of the onigiri, inspecting it for a short while. It has an odd shape he thought to himself. He shrugged off the thought and was about to take a bite, but stopped when he felt a presence watching him.
He looked up to see the strangely dressed girl he met earlier standing in front of him, her legs trembling slightly. He also noticed two other girls with her, both of which also seemed to be trembling.
"M-m-may w-w-we s-sit d-down with y-you?" the strangely dressed girl asked.
Jaeger gave a nod, and the three girls sat opposite him. He took the first bite out of the oddly-shaped rice ball. Well the taste is...interesting he thought internally. He glanced to see the girls looking at him quizzically.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
The strangely dressed girl jumped slightly at Jaeger's question.
"N-no." she replied quietly.
Jaeger was getting slightly irritated at this point.
"Please ma'am, I'm trained to notice the smallest details. I can tell something is bothering you. So, I'll ask again. Is something wrong."
The strangely dressed girl hesitated "W-well, I w-wanted to t-talk. If t-that's a-alright w-with you."
Jaeger contemplated to himself.
What do you suggest Athena?
I think it would be a good idea to leave a lasting impression Jaeger. Maybe you can make some new friends as well!
…
Very well.
"What's on your mind ma'am?" Jaeger inquired politely.
"I-I was wondering if you c-could tell us y-your name." she asked curiously.
"My name is Sev." he answered. "And you?"
"H-Honne Nohotoke."
"Hmm... that's an interesting name." Jaeger said nonchalantly.
Honne blushed lightly. "T-thank you."
An awkward silence arose between the group, neither knowing what else to say. The four of them ate in silence as the time passed by. Jaeger eventually broke the awkward atmosphere.
"Is that all you're having?" he asked.
"W-well, we eat enough snacks. Y-you seem to eat quiet a bit though." she said bravely.
"As a SPARTAN, I need to eat as much as I can. Our bodies require more sustenance than normal humans." he replied informatively.
"SPARTAN? Normal humans?" Honne asked confusedly.
Jaeger knew where this was going. He couldn't reveal too much, but he could tell them the absolute minimum. There was no point in holding back anyway. "I'm a super soldier ma'am. I've been...modified to have superior bodily functions. Hence the reason why I need more food than ordinary people."
The girls expression quickly changed, they were now all in awe. "Wow! Does that mean you're super strong? Can you run really fast? Do you have night vision?" she rambled excitedly.
Caught off guard by Honne's shift in personality, all Jaeger could do was nod.
"That's is so coooooool!" she exclaimed.
"It is, isn't it?" a voice spoke rhetorically.
The girls looked around for the source of the voice. Jaeger sighed inwardly, knowing who the owner of the voice was. He would of preferred to keep his annoying AI out of the equation, but like always she found a way to interject. He briefly recalled all the times she had appeared unannounced. Needless to say the intimidating image he usually held diminished after each encounter. So with great reluctance, he removed Athena from his neural interface, placing the chip down onto the table. The girls looked curiously at the device, flinching slightly as Athena's avatar materialized.
"Hey there!" Athena said cheerfully.
The girls were in wonderment at the new arrival.
"Wow! A mini person!" Honne said excitedly.
Athena smiled at the girl's exuberance. "Hello, my name is Athena." she said happily.
"What are you Miss Athena?" Honne asked curiously.
"I'm an Artificial Intelligence construct!" she responded joyfully.
"Sometimes I wonder if you really do have intelligence Athena." Jaeger interjected.
Athena put her hands on her hips and pouted at Jaeger.
"And what's that supposed to mean? Your not exactly the brightest of individuals! Need I remind you of Arcadia?" she replied hotly.
"Well how was I supposed to know that that teleporter led to the capital ship?" he responded with just as much hostility.
Before Athena could rebuke, a small giggle stopped her. Athena and Jaeger glanced to see Honne and the other girls laughing. The two of them were confused at first, but Honne quickly explained.
"I'm sorry, it's just the two of you argue like an old married couple."
"Trust me, working with Athena for as long as I have will drive you up the wall." Jaeger said stressfully.
"Hey!" Athena said irritatedly.
The girls only laughed more at their antics. Even Jaeger was finding it very difficult to stop himself from chuckling lightly with the girls. The laughter ceased when a new voice interrupted.
"What's so funny Honne?" it asked.
The girls and Jaeger turned to see Ichika and his friends standing before them.
"It's nothing Ichika, we're just having a little talk with Sev here."
"Do you mind if we join you?" Ichika asked.
"Of course! The more the merrier right?"
Ichika, Houki, Cecilia, Rin, Charlotte and Laura sat down with the the others, placing their trays down. Just as they sat down, Jaeger glanced to the clock on the wall, picking up Athena's data chip and putting it back into his interface. He stood up, collecting his now empty tray.
"Hey, where are you going?" Honne asked, a little disappointed.
"I'd rather not interfere with your catching up. And I need to find my room." he replied.
"You wouldn't be interfering!" Honne said, almost desperately.
"It's alright Honne. Let him go." Ichika interjected, somewhat seriously.
Jaeger gave a nod to Ichika as thanks, walking away to put his tray back, and leaving the cafeteria.
As Jaeger left, Honne spoke up.
"Why'd you let him go Ichika?" she asked.
Ichika was hesitant to reply, but did so reluctantly. "He's not a very sociable person Honne. He's a soldier, one who lost a lot of friends fighting in a war."
"He fought in a war?" Honne asked quietly.
Ichika and the other girls glanced to each other. Deciding that it would be best for her to know, he retold what Jaeger had told him and the girls in Chifuyu's office. As he described Jaeger's past, Honne and her friends began to feel sympathy for the SPARTAN. He finished explaining, and Honne spoke once more.
"That's so sad. But... wouldn't he feel better making new friends?" she asked softly.
"I don't know if you know this already, but he's not staying long." Ichika replied.
"What? Why?" she inquired sadly.
"He wants to go back home Honne." he responded.
"Home? But wouldn't that mean going back to war? To all that terrible fighting? Why would he want that?"
Ichika furrowed his brow slightly, glancing to the entrance of the cafeteria. "Because...fighting is all he knows how to do."
Jaeger wondered aimlessly in the dormitory, trying to locate his room. He was finding it difficult to find room 1026, as Athena was bugging him over the events that transpired in the cafeteria.
Why would you leave like that Jaeger?! You were actually getting somewhere!
…
You realise that we're not staying forever Athena. You know as well as I that I wasn't myself during that conversation, it was completely unprofessional. Besides, if I made friends here it would just be more...difficult... to say goodbye.
Oh Jaeger...
It's alright Athena, maybe this is for the best.
If you say so Jaeger.
…
Athena could you help me find room 1026, I'm getting nowhere here.
Fu-fu, is little Jaeger lost?
…
Athena.
Alright fine! Lighten up will ya?
With Athena's words said, a small waypoint appeared on Jaeger's HUD. He wasted no time in following the directions, he didn't want to have to spend the rest of the day searching the entire dormitory just to find one room. It took him a while, but he eventually reached room 1026. Finally he thought impatiently.
He opened the door and swiftly entered the room, closing the door behind him hastily. He took a good look around the room. It wasn't what he was used to, he noticed two comfortable looking single beds, two oak wardrobes and a small desk. He also noticed another door to his left, intrigued, he opened the door, finding an en suite bathroom. In all, the room was more than he expected. As a SPARTAN, he was trained to make do with whatever he could get. Most of the time he slept on the floor, he couldn't remember the last time he slept on a real bed. Perhaps he never had in the first place.
He walked to the closest bed, lightly pressing down on it. There's no way this will be able to support my weight he thought. Knowing that without an AAU he couldn't remove his armour, he improvised. He lifted the seemingly weightless mattress off the bed and placed it on the floor. Now satisfied, he dropped himself onto the mattress, turning himself onto his back. He thoughtlessly reached for his dogtags, holding them enclosed in his hand.
What's the matter Jaeger?
Nothing it's just...
Just what?
...
I just miss Reach. My brothers and sisters, hell, I even miss 1337. I hope John's alright.
Knowing him, he's probably off somewhere giving the covenant hell.
Yeah...
…
Athena?
Yeah?
Do you think we'll really make it back?
I'm not sure Jaeger. But I like to think that we will.
…
Yeah, me too.
And with that, Jaeger fell into a deep slumber.
A young boy sat in the crop fields, playing with a toy pelican. He made whooshing sounds as he motioned the pelican in his hand through the air. He laughed lightly as he spun around, outstretching his arms. A warm voice interrupted his spinning.
"Come on Jaeger! Dinner's ready!" it said.
The boy smiled widely as he heard the voice, running through the crops as he made his way to a small house in the distance. He reached the house, leaning on his knees to catch his breath. He heard laughter as he looked up to see a young woman with long, black wavy hair and blue eyes, dressed in a simple dress covered with a beige apron.
"Were you playing army again dear?" she asked kindly.
The boy grinned. "Yeah! I really wanna be like dad!"
"Well you certainly have the heart Jaeger." she replied cheerfully.
He was about to respond, but the sound of heavy footsteps interrupted him. The boys grin only widened as he saw the owner of the footsteps.
"And how is our little rascal? Is he playing army again dear?"
The woman turned to the new arrival. "That's right dear, he says he wants to be like you when he's older."
"Yeah dad, I wanna protect people like you do!" the boy exclaimed joyfully.
"I'm sure you do son. The people of the galaxy need someone to protect them. In time, I know you'll make one hell of a soldier." the man replied warmly.
"Thanks dad!" the said as he hugged his father's legs.
"Come on now, let's go have dinner. I can't wait to try your mother's apple pie!" the man said heartedly.
The woman slapped his arm playfully. "Oh dear, you are such a tease!".
The man only laughed, scooping up his son in his arms, wrapping his arm affectionately around his wife's waist. "I try dear."
The three of them burst out laughing as they entered the house, closing the door behind them.
Jaeger burst awake, sitting up sharply. He was breathing heavily, as if he had run a 24 mile marathon. What the hell was that? he asked himself. The two people in his dream called the boy by his name. Must be a side effect from the augmentations. Halsey did mention something about some of the side effects. But why are they appearing so late? It's been years he thought. Pushing the memory of the dream from his mind, he lifted himself off the mattress, glancing to the clock on the wall. It read 08:00. Jaeger walked over to the bathroom, opening the door. He quickly turned on one of the taps over the sink, allowing it to fill up. Once the sink was full, he turned off the tap and removed his helmet, placing it down. He splashed his face with the cool water, washing away the slight drowsiness he was feeling. He picked up a small towel beside the sink and dried himself off.
He threw the towel aside and picked up his helmet, placing it back on. He left the bathroom and opened the door, only to see a sight he wasn't expecting.
"Ichika?" he asked, slightly surprised.
"Hey there, seems like you're my neighbour!" he replied.
"What do you want Ichika?" Jaeger asked.
"My sister wants to see you, says she's got someone you need to meet. She sent me to take you to her office."
"I see. Lead the way then." Jaeger responded blankly.
Jaeger closed the door behind him as he left with Ichika. The two walked in moderate silence as they wondered through the maze of corridors.
"What did you mean by neighbour earlier?" Jaeger asked nonchalantly.
Ichika smiled slightly. "I'm in the room next to yours, room 1025. I share a room with Charlotte."
Jaeger felt a strange sudden feeling arise from the pit of his stomach. He didn't like it. He didn't know why, but the thought of Ichika sharing a room with Charlotte made him feel...irritated? Jaeger nodded at Ichika's explanation. The silence between them returned, with Ichika breaking it this time.
"You don't talk much, do you?" he asked.
"No. I don't. SPARTANS aren't known for their socialisation skills." Jaeger answered.
"But you have friends right?" Ichika inquired boldly.
"I do." he replied shortly.
"Like who?"
"Other SPARTANS. The one in the video you saw yesterday was one of them. John-117."
"Anyone else?"
"Fred-104, Kelly-087 and..."
"And?"
"I'm sorry, but-"
"It's okay, I understand."
"Thank you."
Ichika just smiled at the SPARTAN'S gratitude.
"Ah! We're here!" Ichika exclaimed.
The two of them came to a halt outside Chifuyu's office, Jaeger was too immersed in the conversation to realise that they had reached their destination. Ichika knocked on the door, a familiar voice coming from the other side.
"Come in."
Ichika opened the door entering the room, with Jaeger following. After one step, Jaeger came face to face with a strange looking pink haired woman, adorned with a light blue dress and...bunny ears?
"Why hello there!" she said exuberantly.
Before he could reply, a clipboard struck the pink-haired woman on the head. She rubbed her head gingerly, turning to address her attacker.
"Owie! That hurt Chi-chan!" she said childishly.
"What did I say Tabane? I don't you to make him feel uncomfortable." Chifuyu replied firmly.
"Jeez...you're such a killjoy Chi-chan." the woman said with a small pout.
To say Jaeger was confused was an understatement. What the hell is wrong with this woman? She acts so childishly he thought.
"Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr SPARTAN! My name is Tabane Shinonono! And I'm here to get you home!" the bunny-eared woman said cheerfully.
Something within Jaeger's memory shifted, the same small blur from before. He shook the haze from his mind, but Tabane noticed that something was up.
"Is something wrong?" she asked curiously.
"No. It's nothing. You said something about getting me back home?" Jaeger inquired.
"That's right! But I'm just waiting for my assistant to arrive." Tabane replied.
"Assistant?"
"I would prefer it if you didn't refer to me by that title Doctor." a new voice interjected.
Jaeger froze as he heard the new voice speak. It was familiar, painfully so. For what seemed like an eternity, Jaeger turned to look behind him, being met with a sight that he believed impossible. He stared at the new arrival, who had the same look of shock as Jaeger. Silence loomed in the room, until the new arrival managed to find their own voice.
"Jaeger?"
…
…
"Jorge?"
And that's a wrap! Thought I might end on a cliffhanger. More will be explained in the next chapter, so stick around!
