Heyy all, apologies for the long update time. Assignments kept me busy, but with the two massive ones out of the way I've decided to give you all a lovely update :)

I have a quick question, which I'd really love for your opinions on. Y'know the Decepticon bodies from all the fights they all have? What do you think happens to them? I figured they might just throw them in the ocean with Megs, but would they really? I'm pretty stumped on it and I might just end up going with they throw some in the ocean and keep some for research, let me know :)

As always, thank you all for reading, reviewing, favoriteing and following :)

gwb99: Don't worry, i defiantly will I love writing those things, if i can get it right that is. There's a bit in this chapter too :) By the way, if the same kind of grammar mistakes keep popping up, could you throw me an example or something about it? Would be much appreciated. Thank you for the review.

Telron: Thank you, I hope it keeps you interested :)

BloodDragonKing: Humm, not sure about that, I think it has to be Emile cause he's such a badass :P What about you?

Jak Dragon: Thank you, I always thought my storytelling was a bit all over the place, but it's good to know it's not :) I'm glad you look forward to reading this, even if the updates are rather sporadic :P

aelfwyne: I hope it stay's that way and thank you :)

B312: - Thank you :) neither can I, you'll see some stuff about it this chapter.

- Wait no longer :)

- Ah, please don't be sad, I'm not stopping, here's a chapter :D damn you for making me feel guilty that day :L

.

"Speech"

Thoughts or words stressed upon

Decommission

Will Lennox

As Six left the mess hall a couple of curious glances followed the abnormally pale and tall Human, although she didn't seem to notice. Will sighed as he hunched over his plate that he was only halfway through. He stole a glance at Six's plate, which looked like it'd been licked clean. Although, it didn't surprise him given that she'd come from the middle of a war-zone. He doubted she had much time to eat a huge meal.

"Intense, isn't she?" Epps asked, a small ghost of a smile on his face.

Will nodded, "she's been through a lot."

The three at the table leaned forward in interest and Will knew right away what they wanted. He wasn't sure what to tell them; Hell, he barely believed any of it himself. A super soldier from another plane of existence? It was completely ridiculous! Yet, said super soldier had just clicked out the room on a pair of crutches.

Deciding to keep it simple, Will told them that Six's people were going through a large scale war. He told them that she had been born into it and that it was all she knew. His friends seemed to take the information as well as they could, only they wanted to know about where she was from. When Epps asked that, Will was at a complete loss at what to say. But, he decided to take a chance, after all they'd all been through a lot of strange events.

"Alright," Will said after a while of collecting his thoughts. "Try to believe what I'm about to say. Noble Six is from another world-"

"Thought she was from the future?" Graham asked, he and the others all sharing looks or confusion.

Will smiled, "I mean she's from the future in another plane of existence."

His words seemed to make them fall into silence immediately. Their faces were thoughtful, if not a bit confused, so Will decided to give them a moment before continuing.

"Come on, none of that X-files shit is real, Lennox," Epps laughed in disbelief.

"More like Stargate…" James murmured quietly.

They all stared at him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

Murmurs of "such a nerd" came from those around the table. James then half-heartedly defended himself, by muttering something about there being nothing wrong with watching sci-fi shows as they worked with aliens. His words elected a chuckle from those at the table, one which he joined in with before they all lapsed into silence.

"As I was saying," Will said after a few moments. "She's from another plane of existence, at least that's what she and the orb say."

"What about the other alien?" Graham asked the question Will had been expecting. He wasn't entirely sure how to completely answer the question without telling them everything. As much as he was conflicted to the alien when it came to his horrific past, Will couldn't alienate the Sangheili –was that it?- from everyone.

"He's from the same place," Will said finally. "They don't like each other because there's a…feud going on between their people."

He knew that the others wouldn't be satisfied with just that, but they knew Will. If he didn't tell them everything then there was a good reason. Even when nodding in acceptance they had unsatisfied looks on their faces; just as Will expected.

As if wanting to move away from the subject Epps spoke up, "So what's he all about?"

It was a vague question, but an easy one to answer. With a light smile, Will proceeded to tell them what little he knew about the alien. They all listened while occasionally throwing in a comment or two. At the end of it everyone had a sobering look in their eyes. This was their second alien contact in two years and it made them look at everything around them in a whole new light. Things were no longer as simple as they'd originally believed and Will doubted they ever would be again. Will finished his explanation by mentioning that the meeting tomorrow would be bigger than usual. The purpose of the meeting would be to explain the situation to the rest of the base personnel.

After that Will would begin the long process of figuring out where to assign the Spartan and what he would do with Roh. He wasn't sure if they could trust the alien to fight with them given its past, but Will wouldn't know until they discussed it.

~/~

Roh 'Rithinee

Roh stared at the plateful of food before him; His eyes darting between it and the utensils that had been provided for his use. There was some form of meat –the likes of which he'd never seen before- accompanied by some greenery and small white fluffy grains. He remembered the large construct discussing with him what types of food he could and couldn't eat. Thankfully there was little difference in diet when it came to Sangheili and Humans, so getting food suitable for him had not been a problem. Although, that didn't mean he still wasn't cautious about it. These Humans knew what he'd done, the many he'd killed in the name of a religion based on lies, and so he wouldn't put it past them to gain revenge. After all, they were cunning creatures.

"I assure you it isn't poisoned," snapped the medical construct, as if he'd been reading Roh's mind. "They may be angry with what was revealed about your origins, but Lennox and his team would never stoop that low; they're soldiers, not murders."

"I meant no offence construct. It is an unusual situation to wrap my mind around," Roh said calmly. "Humans have always been the enemy, it was simple, but now," Roh glanced down at his clenched fist. "Everything is not as simple as it was. All my beliefs have proven false; my entire reason for fighting was built on a lie." Roh paused, gathering his scattered thoughts, "it will take me time to grow accustomed to it all."

"Ensure that you keep in mind that you have no enemies here," the construct said, an underlying warning was in his tone.

"Your warning is heeded construct."

There was a grunt of acceptance before the construct turned back around. Accepting that the conversation had drawn to a close, Roh tentatively picked up one of the utensils. The three pronged piece of metal fit awkwardly in his grip, but Roh still managed to scoop up some of the white grains. It was from there that he spent the next few minutes getting used to the strange human eating utensils as he consumed his meal.

Overall, the food was pain tasting, but he assumed that was for his own safety as they knew little of what he could consume. The textures of the food was familiar; the meat reminded him of Colo, which his race farmed back home. Although it lacked the salty taste of Colo the meat still induced memories of when he used lived at his keep. The strange white grains were probably the least tasteful item on the plate, but was again similar to Irukan –a crop from back home.

Once he finished his meal, Roh allowed himself a brief mental silence before he began to think about his fate. He was certain that these Humans and their giant allies wouldn't simply get him go. Besides, where would he go? He had no means of transport except for the ship they'd arrived in and he doubted the Oracle would let him use it. His thought then drifted to the constructs, surely they had a ship that brought them here? He pondered over it for a moment before dismissing the idea based upon what they had said earlier. They wouldn't leave and even if they could, he was apparently now on a separate plane of existence. His home didn't exist here.

What was he to do?

Would he be a prisoner forever? Trapped on this planet with the species he'd tried to wipe out. Was this some kind of retribution for his actions? Were there Gods trying to tell him something?

The hissing of the door opening snapped Roh out of his thoughts and drew his attention to the newcomer. It was the Human referred to as Major Lennox. Perhaps he came baring answers for Roh.

The Major nodded in Roh's direction before addressing the construct, "How's he doing Ratchet?"

"Physically, he's fine, considering his injuries. I'm unsure of his mental health as I don't know what normal behavior is for his kind, although he's been very subdued and quiet." The construct eyed him thoughtfully before continuing, "What of my other patient? She should be here!"

The last part came out a growl and the Human winced. "She's eaten if that's any consolation, but there's defiantly something wrong up here," he indicated to his head.

The construct nodded in agreement as if he knew this already. "Yes, it's understandable. I'll make my way to her quarters before she turns in. I assume you're here about our other guest?" The construct motioned towards Roh.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Haven't had the chance to really talk and considering his the new residential alien, I should."

"Don't exhaust him," grumbled the construct before he turned back to his bench.

Despite the construct being unable to see, the Major nodded. He started walking towards the platform, which Roh currently resided on and sighed as he came to a stop.

"Ratchet..."

"What now?!"

"I need a lift up, I'm not yelling up at him," the Major explained.

"Naturally," the construct muttered before scooping up the human and depositing him in front of Roh. The Major landed on his feet and took a few steps towards Roh.

"Hi," he began. "I'm Major William Lennox, if you didn't already know."

Roh nodded, "I am aware of who you are Major, I am Roh 'Rithinee, Field Marshal of the Covenant and servant to the Proffets. At least, I was."

"This is to do with your war on us, I mean the..uh..other humans, isn't it?" The Major frowned. Roh wasn't completely sure why, but he had a feeling it was to do with referring to his race as if he were an outsider.

"Indeed. It is a war that I believe should never have begun."

"Why?" The Major's voice may have been curious, but his eyes were not. They were hard, steely even, and slightly narrowed.

"What you must understand Major, is that we merely follow what our leaders tell us, just as you humans do. I have been told that when we first encountered the humans they were defiling objects and sites that were sacred to us. I now know that to be the lies of the proffets as is likely most of what the proffets have told us. We've all been fooled."

"I see," the Major sighed, rubbing the side of his face.

Realising that the Major was feeling conflicted about the subject, Roh spoke up, "I do not expect you to believe me or sympathize with me. Just understand that at this precise moment in time I have no cause to be hostile. Although, I shall not be 'buddy, buddy' with you humans."

The Major nodded, understanding where Roh stood. His face relaxed a little as his frown disappeared and he asked another question. "What were these objects that you were fighting over?"

Roh had been expecting the question and had an inkling of what it was leading to. "The artifacts which we seek are of Forerunner origin. You have met one of their creations, the Oracle."

"Guardian?" Roh nodded, but sensed that the Major had more to say, so he waited. "Don't you think he's a bit strange? As if something's off...?"

The Major voiced his words carefully as he made a conscious effort to not insult Roh. Appreciating the effort, Roh mulled over the humans words for a moment. He agreed with the Major that there was something strange about the Oracle, but for all he knew this could be normal behaviour for an Oracle. Perhaps the centuries of loneliness had taken its toll on the Oracle?

"I see what you mean, but I do not know the normal behaviour of an Oracle," Roh responded.

The Major shrugged, though Roh was not sure why; Human gestures had always eluded him.

"At least I know I'm not going crazy," he chuckled before indicating for Roh to continue.

"There are many other artifacts that the Forerunners left behind and they all come in different forms. Some may be knowledge while others could be weapons or perhaps an Oracle. In my lifetime I have only had the pleasure of finding three, including the Oracle," Roh finished proudly. They were now one of the few things that he felt proud of doing during his time in the Covenant. They were also one of the few things that didn't do strange things to his stomach or incite his temper.

"I'm not going to like the part about where you found him, am I?" The Major winced as he prepared himself for Roh's answer.

"You have already seen the planet."

The Major's now hard brown eyes glared back at Roh, but he said nothing. For some reason the Major's stare brought shame to Roh. He wasn't completely sure why, only that he didn't enjoy the feeling.

"Is there anything else you wish to know about my past Major?" As soon as the words left Roh's mouth they felt like a jibe. He slammed his jaws shut and cursed himself. It was a habit Roh had grown accustomed to when dealing with humans and he was surprised he hadn't already slipped up.

"I think I've heard enough," the Major said stiffly as he walked to the edge of the platform and called to the Construct, who had no doubt been listening.

As the construct scooped up the Major, Roh felt the need to try and salvage the situation.

"My apologies, Major. It..." Roh shook his head. "I have no excuse to jibe at what you consider sacred."

Again the Major said nothing as he nodded and the construct left the room with him. Growling at himself, Roh tilted his head as he clenched he bottom jaws violently in frustration. Needing to do...something with his anger he kicked over the tray that had held his food. The tray went flying down the platform and landed with a loud clatter as the utensils on it flew everywhere.

It was at that moment that the construct returned, it's face severely unhappy as it glanced at the tray and then Roh. It appeared to vent hot air in an attempt to calm itself before it growled at Roh, "you're a real spawn of the pit, you know that?"

Without waiting for a reply the construct returned to its workbench and resumed its work.

"I am aware construct," Roh murmured more to himself than to the construct, despite not knowing what some of the constructs words were referring to. He backed up to the wall and slid down it into a sitting position. Hanging his head he cursed himself and the construct medic for saving him. Where was his honour now?!

~/~

Noble Six

"Perhaps you should take a break, Reclaimer?" Guardian suggested as he stopped what he was doing and faced Six.

Six shook her head, "not yet."

She wanted to get as much of her armour repaired as possible. She'd stay up all night if need be, after all she could function just fine with little sleep. Besides the sooner they finished her armour the sooner they could start on the long and tedious task of building a slip-space engine. She wouldn't have thought it possible without Guardian around. To be honest, she still didn't think it was possible because the technology simply didn't exist. Unless Guardian was planning on asking the aliens for aid.

Frowning, Six voiced her concerns, "you don't plan on asking them for help on the slip-space engine, do you?"

"Why of course," Guardian said as if it were obvious. "They must have some experience travelling the universe and I'm sure they'd be more than willing to aid us in the construction of a Slip-space engine. Why? Is there something wrong Reclaimer?"

Six was about to argue, but she stopped herself. What Guardian said made sense and she couldn't argue with it. Instead, Six merely assured the orb that there was nothing wrong. The pair were about to continue working when a familiar voice called out to her.

"Six!" It was Major Lennox.

Wondering what he wanted Six turned in his direction and asked, "yes, Sir?"

He seemed a little taken aback by the formality of her voice, but quickly schooled his features into that of disapproval.

"I thought we told you to get enough rest," he said before adding, "it's almost eleven and we've got an early start. Ratchet would kill me if he knew you weren't resting. Well he won't kill me, he'll probably throw a wrench at me or something."

Lennox smirked a little as he cast a glance at the red truck, which had been in the hanger the majority of the evening.

"I don't see why," Six sighed. The alien medic was causing a lot of problems for her. "I assure you Sir, I'll be done soon. I know my limits."

Lennox gave her a dubious look and look like he was about to say something when the truck spoke up.

"If you would like Lennox, I can keep an eye on Noble Six," the alien leader offered as he rolled forward.

"You sure?"

"Indeed."

"Well, better your aft than mine," Lennox chuckled, eliciting a small rumble from the alien.

Six ground her teeth, "with all due respect Sir, I don't need a babysitter."

"He's not here to babysit you Six, he's looking out for you," Lennox reasoned. "I know you don't like aliens, but give Optimus and his team a chance; they're good guys."

Six was slightly taken aback by Lennox's words. How could he have so much faith in them? They weren't human so how could he trust them?

"I-" Six stopped herself. "Understood, Sir."

Lennox smiled in satisfaction, "Good. Ratchet said he'd be up when it's time for lights out, so keep an eye out."

"Aye, Sir. Is there anything else?"

"Just...look after yourself," He reinforced softly. And with that he bid them all goodbye before leaving the hanger. It was also at that moment that Six could see why so many respected him; he was a good man. Whether or not he was proficient on the battlefield remained to be seen.

Turning back to her armour Six continued to take apart the only thing that had been constant in her life; not that it bothered her much. Since beginning her armour's reconstruction they had progressed very little and Guardian had mentioned that they would be unable to continue soon. When questioned the AI had explained that he needed to 'check the systems' before they could continue the merge. While Six wasn't completely sure what the AI meant, she had a feeling it was to do with whatever had happened when it had become as damaged as it was. In a way she was curious as to what had become of the body. She was about to ask when the sound of metallic footsteps reached her ears.

Turning Six looked up at the green robot, "Hey, Doc."

"Stay there," he grumbled without bothering to greet her. "I just need to run a few scans, then you need to get some rest."

"If it'll keep you off my back, go ahead," Six snarled before a green light washed over her. There was a slight tingle as it hit her, but it was hardly noteworthy.

"Hmm," his metal face pulled into a frown. "The cybermatter has taken to you well, better than I expected. Aside from your injuries the only problem is exhaustion. Excluding you unconsciousness today, when was the last time you slept?"

It took a moment for Six to think back before she answered, "two days ago."

"How many hours?"

"At least 6." It had probably been less considering she'd constantly been waking up. The other four had been like it too; the gravity of Reach's situation being the reason for their temporary insomnia.

"Then I believe your body is beyond overdue. Go now, there will be plenty of time to repair you armour. Your health is more important," Ratchet spoke in a tone that suggested she shouldn't argue.

Despite the desire to disagree with him, Six saw the logic in his suggestion. With her jaw tensing a little she ground out, "I see your point. Where are my quarters?"

Ratchet glanced at Optimus, who quickly transformed before explaining, "Major Lennox has given you permanent accommodation in one of the currently unused human dormitory rooms. He has also give me the location if you'd like me to show you?"

"Sure. What about him?" Six nodded towards Guardian who was occasionally firing a small blue beam at her armor.

"He is to remain on our side of the base for the time being. It would not do to disturb the other humans."

"Lead on then."

"One moment," Optimus said. Not a moment later did he transform and a human step out of his cab clad in simple civilian garb. It consisted of a pair of dark blue trousers and a white and red jacket over a white top. Hanging from the man's neck was a small dog tag, which -Six could just make out- had a strange face engraved on it. A mop of short dark hair sat upon the man's head, framing a sun kissed face and bright blue eyes. His head was fixed to a well-built frame with broad shoulders and long powerful legs to match.

As she finished her spilt second analysis the man began to walk towards her. She already knew who it was, even before he reintroduced himself.

"Greetings, Six. As you have no doubt guessed, I am Optimus Prime and this is my holoform."

"Why would you need something like this?" Six asked as she went through a few tactical reasons she could think of. Despite coming up with possibilities, she was curious what spiel Optimus would give her. It would no doubt be about gaining a greater understanding of her race; not that she'd believe it.

"We use them to better understand and communicate with the humans, when our normal forms are inconvenient." His explanation was almost exactly as she predicted.

Six said nothing, merely indicating for Optimus to lead on. Before they moved away from the table Six quickly grabbed her helmet and put it under her arm; she wasn't about to leave Dot unprotected. Optimus held out a hand while he offered to hold it for her, but she spat out a quick decline. The holoform gave her the briefest of glances before it started to lead her out the hanger. Their walk was silent for the most part, except for the occasional click of her crutches. Although, the silence allowed her to mull over the alien who was escorting her.

Optimus seemed to be hell bent on trying to understand her hate for anything alien, as well as trying to get see them in a different light. While she wouldn't ever admit it, she was impressed with his tact and lack of frustration. Even though she hadn't even been around a day, Six could tell that her view of aliens frustrated those she'd come into contact with. She couldn't expect them to understand. They hadn't watched worlds burn. They hadn't witnessed the slaughter of billions of innocent civilians. And, they hadn't felt the hopelessness it brought. She'd become so used to it all now that it only made her more angry. Even when Reach had been attacked, everyone had shown some sort of defeat; well almost everyone. Jorge had never had the chance. He died believing he'd just saved the planet.

"We're here," Optimus' deep voice brought her out of her musings. His eyes were filled with concern, his hand frozen in mid-air as he reached for the door.

"Is something bothering you, Noble Six?" He asked softly.

Six blinked, gaining control of a sneer that threatened to rise and answered him in a neutral tone. "I'm fine."

He eyes told her that he didn't agree with her answer, but he decided not to push the subject. Instead, he pushed open the metal door and they both entered the room.

The room was as she expected it to be; small and bare. Despite it's size, it could still manage to house two people as there were two beds, two wardrobes and two desks complete with two chairs. Although it seemed that at the moment it would only have to contend with one very tall Human. Two lights were stuck to the ceiling as they illuminated the room and at the back of the room -between the two beds- was a large blind covered window. On the left-hand side of the plain room was an open doorway to what she guessed was the bathroom.

"Am I correct in assuming that you no longer require my aid?" Optimus asked as she finished observing the room.

"No," Six's lip twitched as she finished her sentence, "thank you."

Optimus nodded and gave her a warm smile before he quietly left the room. When the door clicked shut behind him Six turned to one of the beds. Upon it was a set of navy clothes along with a navy towel. Sighing, Six carefully placed herself on the edge of the bed as she was unsure if it would hold her weight. The bed creaked quite a bit as she settled onto it, but it soon returned to being silent as she set her crutches to the side and put her helmet on the bed.

This feels so strange, she thought as she rubbed the side of her head. She could feel a mild headache coming on now that she wasn't distracting herself. Seeing as it did her no use to just sit there, Six scooped up the towel and clothes and made her way to what she'd assumed was the bathroom, dragging a crutch with her as she did.

~/~

It was awkward trying to shower with one of her legs in a cast and it infuriated her. Her leg was barely damaged, but if it meant getting that damned alien off her back then she'd wear the cast. It wasn't as if she'd be wearing it for long.

With the shower on hot, the warm water that cascaded down her body soothed and loosened her muscles. It made her relax as much as she could, given where she was. She watched as red water washed off of her and onto the floor, cocking her head in mild interest as she did. The copious amount of the red told her that she'd lost a lot of blood today, which wasn't a surprise. She'd spent the better part of a day fighting Covenant forces with the last two members of her team. Although, there was an equal amount -if not more- of purple blood and that was something that made her very happy. There was only one hinge-head that she needed to kill and perhaps she would get the opportunity.

A smile made its way onto her face as she ruffled through her short hair with one hand; the other being used to lean against the wall. A few specks of dirt appeared in the water with the motion. They too were soon washed away, just like any remnants of her last battle on Reach.

Thoughts of the glassed planet made her turn and thump the wall; imagining it was a hinge-head. Withdrawing her hand before she felt tempted to strike again, Six leant her forehead against the cool metal. She couldn't believe they'd failed.

She'd failed to protect humanity.

She'd failed to be the soldier they needed her to be.

She knew that planets fell as soon as the Covenant found them and it had only ever angered her. But, for some reason the fall of Reach really affected her. Perhaps it was because there had been such faith that it would never fall, such hope. And now, all that was left was Earth. Would she return too late?

A growl escaped her lips; disagreeing with her thoughts.

She wouldn't return too late. She would get there before the end; perhaps even end the war. She wasn't out for the glory, she'd be satisfied with protecting humanity. In the end, it was what she was made for. It was her duty to protect Humanity, no matter the cost. She may be stuck on this strange version of Earth that played host to aliens, but she'd do her damn best to make sure they didn't get in the way.

She wouldn't even let the human part of 'NEST' get in her way either. She was may be temporarily working for them, but her loyalties would always be to the UNSC. If they ever asked for her tech, she'd have to say no. What would happen if the UNSC ever encountered them if she gave them information? It was a difficult subject as she had seen what threat these aliens posed. She didn't want to leave humanity undefended, no matter where they were.

Six grit her teeth in frustration as she slammed the shower off. The water stopped just as quick and she shuffled through the steam towards her towel. While precariously balancing on one foot Six quickly dried the other before moving to the rest of her body. When she'd finished, Six got changed, hung up her towel and left the steamy bathroom. The cooler and dryer air of her room hit her as she hopped back to her bed. Despite being cooler than the bathroom Six was tempted to see if the window would open, even if it was only a little.

Reaching out with one hand Six pulled up the blind to reveal the night sky. Distant suns flickered every so often and she felt a strange sense of longing to be out there again. She wasn't exactly sure what suns were linked to which systems as she'd never seen the stars from the surface of Earth. However, she had a small inkling as to which sun was for Reach. Sighing, Six found that the window could open a little, which she did.

Leaving the blind up the Spartan turned back to her bed and slowly lowered herself onto it. She set her crutch to the side, along with her other one, and scooped up her helmet.

"Dot?" She whispered to the AI.

"Yes, Noble Six?" The toneless reply was the same as ever.

"You okay?"

"All systems are functional despite foreign hacking attempts."

Six didn't like the sound of that. She had a feeling the AI was referring to what Optimus had mentioned a couple of hours ago.

"We took this question to the intelligence in your armour, but it refused to give anyone an answer. Perhaps you could shed some light on the situation?"

"What did they want?"

"There were numerous search parameters, most included connections to you, the Covenant and 'Forerunners'." Dot paused, "I am unfamiliar with this term."

"Apparently it's a long dead race, they created Guardian's Approach," Six explained as she stared into the cracked visor of her helmet.

"Shall I log this information?"

"Sure."

"Is there anything more you wish to add?"

Six thought for a moment as she unconsciously rubbed at some of the dirt on her helmet. "They built something called the Halo Array, which was used to combat an alien parasite -The Food. The Array killed every living being in the universe, or further from what Guardian said."

Dot said nothing and Six felt like she should continue, feeling more at ease talking to the AI than anyone else she'd been in contact with recently.

"Everything was reseeded afterwards, but it seems Humanity was important to the Forerunners. That's why Guardian calls me 'Reclaimer'."

"Is that all, Noble Six?"

"It's all I know about them so far, I'll add more when I can. The UNSC will want to know this when we get back."

"What is the current situation?"

"We're on Earth -a different Earth- and we're at a base, which belongs to a group called 'NEST'. They fight mechanical aliens, these 'Decepticons', with another group call the 'Autobots'. For now we're going to work with them while we build a slip-space engine so we can return."

"You are aware that we are UNSC property." The AI almost sounded like it was berating her; calling her a traitor.

"I know Dot," Six agreed. "I don't like it either."

"Protocol dictates that I should not fall into enemy hands. I must be decommissioned."

Six stopped rubbing at the dirt on her helmet. Her body frozen in place.

"Noble Six," Dot sounded harsher, a 'no nonsense' type of harsher. "Decommission me. It is your duty as a member of the UNSC. These beings have already tried to access me once, they will attempt it again."

"I can't do that Dot. You need to record all the information we gather while here, don't you think the UNSC will want to see something from my absence?" Six rebutted her voice growing darker as she added, "I'll make sure they don't get their hands on you again, I swear."

"It is likely that you will receive punishment when we return to UNSC space," Dot said, reminding Six of the implications of her decision to not terminate the AI.

Six swung her legs onto the bed and lent over to the bedside table. Propping the helmet in front of the alarm clock that read 'twenty-three-dot-thirty'.

"I know," Six agreed. "Wake me if anyone enters."

"Affirmative."

Shuffling under the sheet, it was only when her head hit the pillow that she realised how tired she really was. Her eyes snapped shut after she took one last look at the night sky and her helmet. Darkness soon encompassed her mind and she fell into a sleep that was long overdue.

Thank you all for reading, see you next time :)