Reclamation: Genesis

by DragonsManticoresAndGiantsOhMy

Massively AU. Halo/Mass Effect merged continuity. The galaxy, like much of the universe, is in a constant cycle of birth, destruction and rebirth. No guarantee our civilization is any different. We know others have come before us and perished at their height. What destroyed them? Could it destroy us as well? One human might be our savior, but he needs to grow up a bit first.

14. And Some Of Those Mistakes Are Titanic

AN: The conclusion of his initial training. I appreciate those of you still hanging there while I've gone through this arduous process. More action and adventure are coming up.

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Saturn Orbit, Saturn, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cluster; December 3rd, 2572 [Standardized Terran Calendar] 0414 [Standardized Terran Time]

The blue glow of a deck of holo cards being used by a group of my fellow recruits held my stupefied and blurry vision. Breaking the hypnotic hold I looked away and yawned before groggily rubbing my tired eyes the best I could with my armored gauntlet covered hands. Unlike some of my fellow recruits I'd yet to get any sleep since we'd left Earth late last night to board a dropship bound for a frigate in orbit. We were about to undertake our final eval to graduate MVC and my stomach was a mess, tying itself in knots as I tried to block out the doubts and fears persistently sprouting in the dark corners of my mind.

It certainly didn't help that the cramped docking bay we were loaded upon wasn't exactly traveling in the lap of luxury. Hell, I'd take the tiny but comfortable sleeping compartments of a civilian transport to being stretched out across the cold and unyielding deck of this frigate in my A/X MCU and combat armor. But I suppose that was part of the training. Preparing us for the harsh reality of real world conditions. As light infantry in the UNSC, we'd be ferried around solar systems and beyond to perform our duty. And it's not like they didn't push us to exhaustion during that final two week field exercise in UCMT.

But this was different. Instead of the cold and miserable but still tolerable northern mountains of Reach we had taken the four and a half hour trip to be in orbit above the massive gas giant Saturn and headed towards it's moon, the methane wonderland of Titan.

For what seemed like the millionth time since a few hours before we left last night I brought up the public records on the planet. Observing the display on my omnitool I tried, in vain, to find something of value there. A detail I'd missed. We'd been briefed early during our trip aboard the frigate as to the overview of our mission. Lay siege to a facility on the surface of the planet. Eliminate hostile forces and gain control of the facility. Then move to the landing zone for an extraction.

Nothing in the public records gave me the slightest clue on how to achieve that. Titan was considered a forgotten world in our own backyard. During the colonization efforts before and after the Interplanetary War Titan had been considered as having potential but the revelations of Mars and Charon had nixed that.

"The Red Cliffs is now docked with Charles Upham orbital station." The ship's VI announcement roused the platoon. I shut off my omnitool and grabbed my weapons, sliding them into place along the magnetic strips on the back and thigh plates of my armor. Rising to my feet I stretched out all the kinks and knots in my body.

Galen strolled by and punched me in the the midsection, causing me to flinch away from the contact mid yawn. I glared at him and he chuckled and continued on his path to the elevator. "On your feet, Elvis."

Still glaring at his back I fired back "I'm going to find a way to kill you down there, Kemp."

He spun on his heel and walked backwards, carrying on our conversation "I'm terrified, Shepard. That mean you might have to actually do something resembling work during this eval."

So focused on getting in the last word he failed to recognize that he'd reached the rest of the platoon waiting for the elevator. I bit my tongue, tilted my head and folded my arms, watching him literally walk into his blunder.

He stumbled backwards into the crowd, grabbing on others to hold himself up. The disgruntled exclamations and shoving that welcomed him pushed him away from the crowd and he tried to regain his balance for naught.

Not even bothering to mask my laughter I walked forward and offered my hand "On your feet, Duct Rat."

Pushing himself up from the face down position he lay in, he eyed me warily before cracking a grin and reaching for my outstretched hand.

Shih glared at Galen and shook her head at his antics. "That's the second time you've grabbed my ass, Kemp."

He looked at her perplexed and then eyed the body part in question. Abashed he shrugged and explained "It's not like I'm doing it on purpose, Lifen. It's an accident, I swear."

She didn't look the slightest bit convinced, making a sound of disgust in her throat and looking away. Galen turned to me and tried to plead his case. "Seriously. I'm not doing this on purpose."

I stared back unmoved, mockingly nodding along. "Right. You do realize I've yet to forgive you for grabbing my ass during our first microgravity training?"

His jaw dropped and he looked at me in shock. Enjoying his humiliation I slapped him on the shoulder and followed the crowd into the elevator. "It's fine. We understand. You just can't help yourself."

Rushing to catch up he pushed his way into the elevator. He glared at Shih and myself, raising his hands to show they were nowhere near our posteriors.

Shih remained unconvinced and growled "Keep it that way."

We rode the elevator in cramped silence and exited on the third deck. Moving down the main corridor we reached the primary airlock for this deck. Waiting for us was Commander Thune and DI Ellison.

Coming to a halt in front of the pair we waited for the rest of our platoon, giving me the time to study the contrast in the women. Commander Thune was relatively short and stocky with a pale complexion and copper colored hair wrapped in a neat bun gathered at the back of her head. The blue, grey and gold pattern of her neatly pressed and immaculate officer's dress uniform set a stark contrast to the two rows of colorful ribbons across her left breast. She looked every bit the part of a UNSC officer commanding a warship.

But if Commander Thune had a polished and commanding presence that fit her title, DI Ellison's appearance was just as suited to her occupation. Tall, lean, tanned and scarred. Her golden colored hair was straight and cut short, falling just below her ears. Everything about her was a statement on her career as a soldier in service of the human race. Her armor was clean but well worn in with scratches in the faded paint. She held herself like a woman bored in her surroundings, but her lithe and muscular frame was coiled to pounce at a moment's notice. On her right hip was a standard issue UNSC M6 sidearm and on her back was a tandem pair of M5 assault rifle and M45 shotgun.

Commander Thune was taking the opportunity to observe us as well. Hands behind her back she was giving each and every one of us a critical once over. When it was my turn she examined me from head to toe. I forced myself not to shy away when our eyes met. She stared me down, looking for something, and then moved on to Galen.

I deflated and released a breath I had been holding. This lack of sleep and being nervous about the eval was making me tense. I needed to get my head in the game so I could finish this training and be done with MVC.

"Docking protocols finalized. Transfer of personnel can commence." The ship's VI announced to it's captain.

"Thank you, Grazyna." Commander Thune regarded us one final time before bidding us all farewell from her ship."You've conducted yourselves in a manner worthy of the uniforms you wear while aboard my ship. Normally there is at least one instance during these training exercises when the recruits do something stupid or dangerous but you've been a well behaved bunch. Speaks well about your leadership." She gave DI Ellison a respectful nod and parted with a final bit of advice. "I've been down there plenty of times for all sorts of evals and testing. Titan's not a fun place, but never forget this is your job now. Find a bit of pride in it. Have some fun with it."

Turning to DI Ellison she wistfully remarked "Oh what I wouldn't give to just stay in orbit above this planet and launch several MAC rounds onto targets instead of doing a patrol of the Oort Cloud." Sighing she seemed to brighten up "Well, I can always follow my own advice. There's plenty of objects out there we can tag with the GARDIANS."

Although her remarks seemed innocent enough, I was instantly reminded of my squadmate, Brad, in UCMT and his obsession with firing the weapons systems on UNSC warships. Were all the people in the Navy and Air Force lunatics in charge of weapons that could cause horrific damage?

"Always looking to the positives, ma'am." DI Ellison nodded at the Commander and then saluted "Much appreciated for the training these past few weeks and the ride, ma'am."

Commander Thune returned the salute and beamed "Pleasure was mine, sergeant." After dropping the salute she made to walk away but paused and looked over her shoulder at the platoon with a grin "Give 'em hell, Bravos. Shoot something for me, okay?"

The entire platoon, minus myself, roared in answer and followed DI Ellison through the airlock and into the umbilical connecting the frigate to the station. As we walked along it I began to really worry about the kind of people the UNSC put in charge of MACs. Maybe Anna had been right? We shouldn't even trust these people with a mop.

On the other side we were treated to a giant decontamination room large enough for the platoon to fit comfortably. The door to the umbilical sealed and the process began while the Red Cliffs went through undocking procedures.

"Decontamination process complete. Welcome to Fort Charles Upham Orbital Station. Home of the UNSC Titan Proving Grounds Command. Entrance to this facility is acknowledging compliance with all UNSC laws and regulations. Unauthorized use of weaponry, information and data systems is prohibited. Report to briefing room four on deck twelve."

The door leading to the facility unlocked and opened to reveal a personal drone floating at the far end. "Greetings, Gunnery Chief Sergeant Sienna Ellison and Omsk training company, platoon three. I will escort you to briefing room four dash twelve."

DI Ellison looked miffed at the VI controlled drone addressing her by her full name and rank, much less insinuating that we needed an escort. "I've been here before, drone. I know where deck twelve is."

"Understood, Gunnery Chief Sergeant Sienna Ellison. However, other briefings and exercises are taking place currently within the facility. You and your training platoon do not have clearance to be in those rooms." The drone hovered in place completely oblivious to how obnoxious it came across as despite it's pleasant and upbeat synthesized voice.

She folded her arms and stared down the drone. "Are you insinuating that..." She paused and shook her head, growling and waving away the previous thought. "You know what? Disregard that. All this loitering and dawdling is wasting time. Lead the way, drone."

"Of course, Gunnery Chief Sergeant Sienna Ellison. Follow me."

"Sergeant Ellison or Drill Instructor Ellison will be fine."

"Understood, Gunnery Chief Sergeant Sienna Ellison. Logging your preference now."

She glanced at the drone askance, "Are you deliberately fucking with me?"

The drone turned sideways but kept it's forward movement to address our DI while the platoon followed at just the right distance to hear the continued bickering. "Negative, Sergeant Ellison. This is a standard convenience drone outfitted with an administrative VI and UNSC specific programming. This is not a personal pleasure VI."

DI Ellison facepalmed and shook her head. "Just forget I said anything."

"Understood, Sergeant Ellison. We have taken the liberty of calling for the cargo elevator to accommodate the size of your platoon. It should be arriving shortly."

"You have my gratitude for doing your job, drone." DI Ellison deadpanned and continued walking down the hallway towards the elevator bank.

I chuckled at the antics alongside several other platoon members but stopped quickly when she looked at us over her shoulder with a gimlet eye.

True to it's word, the cargo elevator was waiting for us and we boarded it quickly. The rest of our travel to briefing room four was just as quick and quiet, with DI Ellison refusing to answer anything the drone said besides grunts to the affirmative or negative.

We parted ways with the drone and entered the briefing room which was dimly lit but had a magnificent view of Titan and Saturn. There was plenty of seating placed around a holotable centered in the middle of the room. Next to it was table with two terminal stations. DI Ellison, already in a great mood, barked her orders to the platoon. "Hurry and find a seat. Now."

Judging by her current state of mind brought on by the VI's lack of common sense it was a good idea to not piss her off anymore. We scurried to find a seat and sit quietly while she paced near the holotank and glared out the window.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence the door to the room opened and a group of three uniformed personnel entered. DI Ellison saw this and snapped to attention, yelling out a command to the room at large "On your feet."

The lead officer continued walking briskly towards the holotank and waved off the recognition for his rank "As you were. Take a seat, recruits."

He lifted a datapad in his hands and the holotank activated displaying a representation of the Titan. He fiddled with the datapad and the holographic Titan corresponded with his commands. The other officers took their seats at the two terminals and began synchronizing with the systems of our equipment and weapons.

Another few moments of silence and the lead officer was ready to conduct the briefing. "My apologies, Sergeant Ellison. We've been a bit shorthanded here due to a glut of exercises being conducted on Titan at the moment."

DI Ellison nodded tensely and inquired "Not a problem, sir. Any change to the schedule for my recruits to get down there?"

He nodded and rubbed his chin while reading his datapad "No, sergeant. We actually have a pair of Pelicans on standby to take your platoon to the surface." Finishing his reading he looked up and around the room. "Alright, we're on a bit of a time crunch here so we'll make this short and sweet. I am Group Captain Fofana. At the terminals are Ensign First Grade Bernat and Staff Petty Officer El Sayed. We will be the controllers for your exercise today. If we give you an order you are expected to follow it. Aside from that, you will be competing against a VI controlling the drones and mechs down on the surface."

The representation of Titan magnified to focus on a location in the northern hemisphere, giving a holographic view of the terrain for the location we would be conducting our final training evaluation. A grid overlaying the holographic terrain highlighted a section marked in red. "This area shaded red is the area of operations for you exercise." The Captain made sure to give us all a look that meant business. "I cannot stress this enough. You are to stay in this area. There are other units conducting training and exercises on the planet and I do not want to have to deal with the hearings and paperwork because you were turned into a greasy stain after you disobeyed orders. Stay within these boundaries. Do not think you can get cute with strategy."

My heart began beating a bit faster at this point. It's one thing to know this was going to be a live fire exercise, but something altogether more harrowing knowing that other units could mistake us for targets. I glanced to my left and Galen looked just as disturbed. He glanced in my direction and shrugged. Returning my attention to the Captain and his briefing, I couldn't help but nervously drum my fingers on the helmet in my lap.

"Your objective is this facility. Your two drop zones are here." The locations were highlighted on the map showing a less than five kilometer distance from either drop zone to the facility. The facility itself was situated on a ridge in a series of small hills. Given the terrain around it and our starting locations, it wouldn't be too hard to attack it from different angles and achieve our objective. A fourth location was highlighted, again approximately five kilometers away. "Once you have cleared the facility you will rendezvous here for extraction."

He punched up new commands and a holographic representation of turrets, drones, and mechs appeared. "There will be patrols and defense forces consisting of human, asari, salarian, turian, and batarian robotic platforms. Additionally there will be point defense guns and turrets of different makes at strategic locations. And just to make things fun," A final figure was added to the mix and my nerves from before ratcheted up to insanely high levels, "Four YMIR mechs on patrol."

Were they serious? I glanced at DI Ellison but she looked bored so that must mean this was standard fare for this training. Great. Wonderful.

"You will gain control of the facility and defeat the forces located there. Any patrols you had yet to deal with prior to that will begin an assault on that location to take it back from you." Captain Fofana stood tall and folded his arms. "There are one of two ways this exercises typically ends. The recruits defeat all automated units in the training scenario and then are given the order to head to the rally point for extraction. Or they put up a fight, we give them the okay to retreat, and they are forced to perform a tactical withdrawal while being pursued resulting in a hot extraction."

The room was deathly silent aside from the sounds coming from the two terminals they Ensign and Petty Officer were busy interfacing with. Seeing our shocked silence the Captain frowned and spun in place to look at everyone in the room before asking out loud "Any questions?"

DI Ellison snapped out of her boredom and echoed his question, urging us to speak up "Don't be shy, Bravos. I know you have some concerns and queries rattling around in those empty heads of yours."

One of the recruits from second squad, Lim, raised her hand to be recognized. When Captain Fofana acknowledged her she stood and asked "What is the total number for the defending force, sir?"

Fofana brought up his data pad and searched it quickly, but Ensign Bernat answered without looking away from her terminal "We have one hundred functioning assets for this exercise, sir."

The captain nodded at the ensign and turned to address Lim "As Ensign Bernat just stated we have a one hundred strong force. That's counting everything together equally. Turrets. Mechs. Drones."

Once again the room went silent as we processed that huge number. Granted, our platoon was forty strong and these were relatively simple minded VI's but their numbers might prove to be overwhelming.

When no one asked any further questions I began to nervously debate on asking for clarification on the rules for this exercise. It sounded dumb in my head, but a part of me wanted to be absolutely sure what we were allowed to do.

Fearful of the eye rolling I bravely raised my hand. When the Captain looked my way and nodded I stood at the recognition "What are the rules for this engagement, sir?"

He stared at me for a moment and I got the impression he was debating whether to call me an idiot or hard of hearing, but he opted to explain, to my relief "Do not leave the area of operations. Do not get yourself or your fellow recruits killed. Complete the objective. Everything else is fair game."

DI Ellison was staring at me now and chose to speak up and simplify it in a way only she could "This is evaluation is to determine your capacity in combat, and combat is rarely if ever clean. It never follows the best laid plans. That said, you're only recruits. We're not looking for you to revolutionize war fighting with strategies no one has ever seen before or take on those YMIRs by yourself like some Star of Terra wannabe. This is no different than the sims you've participated in. Remember that training and work as a team to complete this objective as quickly and efficiently as you can. We'll be grading you on that and only that."

The somber feeling in the room dissipated as we realized that the bar was being set low. We just needed to do what we'd been taught and practiced the entire time we'd been in MVC.

"If that's all then on your feet. Head down to hangar bay nine and report to the armory there. Best of luck to you, recruits." Captain Fofana dismissed us and walked towards his two crew members to discuss last minute preparations.

We shuffled out of the briefing room and back to the elevator where the drone was waiting for us yet again. "Greetings again, Sergeant Ellison and Omsk Training Company, Platoon Three. I have again taken the liberty of calling the cargo elevator. It will arrive shortly."

DI Ellison stared at the drone and deadpanned "You're a real gentleman, drone."

"This VI has standard etiquette programming required of a UNSC convenience drone."

"Lucky me."

"Indeed, Sergeant Ellison. Your elevator is here. You will exit directly into hangar bay nine. Have a pleasant experience training on Titan, Omsk training company, platoon three."

As we loaded into the elevator a second time I thought to myself how odd the phrasing was from the drone. 'Have a pleasant experience training on Titan'? What idiot programmed this VI?

When we exited the elevator the hangar bay was a flurry of activity as two pelicans and an accompanying group of small and sleek black fighter style vehicles were readied. A man nearby yelled to get our attention and waved us over. "Tango foxtrot three? Bravos? Line up here. Move it."

Quickly forming a line we started the process of armory issue. Glancing back at the odd drones I questioned my peers aloud. "What are those?"

Galen stared in the direction I was pointing and shrugged "Dunno. Never seen them before."

Shih was silent for a moment before she darkly replied. "Combat drones. Bombing, fighting, and surveillance. They call them Wombats."

I peered vessel and found that to be an odd name. Giving the another look Shih's way and I could see the dark brooding glare she had for these Wombat drones. Considering her heritage of being a Terra Novan, there was little doubt as to why. That planet was often maligned for being the primary hotbed of insurrection that earned it the moniker Terror Nova. Her experiences growing up there, despite being from a family of staunch Systems Alliance and UNSC supporters, must have given her a very dim view of these sort of vehicles. I can only imagine what it would have been like to have them patrolling over the skies of Mindoir as I grew up. Constantly searching for threats and watching your every move. Fearing they might open fire on you or someone you know.

"Next!"

Stepping up next in line I was greeted by the armorer who scanned me and my weapons. Without even speaking to me he tossed a large package and barked "Next!"

I shuffled away trying to hold the package and my helmet but that only resulted in me dropping both. Embarrassed at the spectacle I was making I quickly bent down and grabbed my belongings, heading towards the designated pelican. Members of my squad and Third were already there, opening their packages and removing the contents. Medigel, repair kits, ammo blocks, grenades, missiles, charges and omnigel solutions for our fabricators. Tearing open my own and I saw that I had six ammo blocks, five hand grenades, a dozen micro grenades for my launcher, two high explosive warheads for my Cain, a deployable charge, a vial of omnigel, and the standard kits for emergencies. Scrutinizing the ammo blocks I activated my omnitool and scanned them. Standard dense metal blocks. Good for penetration. Nothing fancy.

Shrugging to myself I loaded the items into the various slots and pouches in my armor just as I had been trained to do. Everything had it's place and I had it drilled into memory of what to reach for when needed on instinct. I was right handed so grenades were along my waist on the left side. Ammo blocks at the bandolier slots on my chest plate. The charge along the small of my back. The repair kits along my outer left thigh and the medigel dispensers along my outer right thigh.

Grasping the thin container of omnigel solution I slid it into the special slot built into my left wrist vambrace. I twisted it into place when it met resistance and heard the click and hiss confirmation that let me know it had been seated properly.

Taking my seat I began trying to clear my mind of the clutter and nervous thoughts flooding it. Would we fail this exercise? Would I fail? Would someone get hurt? Or die? A million different things that could go wrong and my mind was imagining each one.

Why had I even wanted to be a squad leader in the first place? Taking a look around at the rest of my squadmates loaded into the troop bay of the pelican I could see they were just as on edge as I was. Closed eyes. Tense faces. Nervous energy. All of them with the same worries, only I had the additional worry of not leading us all into failure.

I tried calming my breathing and picturing success. Remembering why I was doing this. Being a squad leader was more than the perks of being in charge. It meant being responsible for everyone under your command. We had done this before. Gone through numerous training exercises with little to no major problems. I knew the people in my squad were good. We knew how to work as a team despite personality conflicts. If they did their job and I did mine, we should be fine.

Unless of course something wacky happens and then all bets are off.

Slamming my head back into the headrest I chided myself for returning to negative thoughts again.

"In your seats and helmets on! Flight crews begin final checks and lets get this show on the road!"

The pilot's voice brought me back to reality and I slid my helmet off my lap and onto my head. The sucking sensation lasting a second before the vacuum seal finished and the internal pressure of the entire suit equalized. The flight crewman for this pelican scrambled around checking harnesses and sensors before yelling back to the pilot. "We're green and ready for orbital insertion, ma'am!"

Not waiting for a reply the crewman threw himself into his own seat and secured himself. He paused and then nodded to himself, no doubt receiving orders. Completing the securing of his harness he spoke out loud to the rest of the occupants in the troop bay. "Alright, kiddies. Hold on tight. We're going to be dropping you in at combat speed. I doubt you've ever done this. Don't worry, it'll be over real quick."

I frowned behind the faceplate of my helmet. You mean these things could get worse?

As the pelican fired up the sensations of the eezo core added something new to my list of things making me uncomfortable.

The Pelican shook and rocked as the overhead clamps released the drophsip and we spun in place, accelerating slightly to exit the barrier curtain. In what seemed like no time at all, we began a rapid descent at the breakneck speed of a combat drop.

"Express elevator to hell! Going down!" I glared as much as I could at the crewman, who was clearly enjoying this. Thankfully my face was hidden behind a helmet which obscured the combination of grimace, glare, horror and overwhelming desire to not puke.

"Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit."

One of the recruits from the other squad was doing a pretty bang up job of saying what every single one of us was thinking. That she could even speak and do so repeatedly was impressive. I was afraid that if I even breathed I'd have an accident.

Thankfully I managed to outlast the nearly twenty minutes of hell unscathed. As I felt the dropship slow it's descent and push more forward than downward I decided to check on the rest of my squad. "First, you guys still alive?"

All the status lights returned green accompanied by grumblings and grunts.

Taking my question as a sign, or maybe I just had great timing, the flight crewman released himself from his seat and began readying the troop bay for a combat drop. Activating his omnitool caused a turret to slide down from the roof of the compartment, aiming towards the still closed doorway. "Out of your seats and in a line on either side of the troop bay, kiddies. When we touch down you are going to file out and do your thing. Lets try to make this snappy, alright?"

Complying with the command we released the harnesses from our seats and prepared ourselves like we had been trained. We were stacked on either side, weapons at the ready and prepared to storm out of the troop bay and create a perimeter when Captain Fofana contacted us to begin the evaluation. "Tango Foxtrot Three Third Platoon, please lock and load weapons on your person and prepare for the examination to begin."

Reaching to their various storage location on my armor I slid out the requisite ammo for my weapons and began loading them with a practiced ease that bordered on rote numbness that belied my nerves. One by one, I finished and slid the weapons back into place, the magnetic strips holding them in place while they cycled through self diagnostics. I peered through the HUD display across my faceplate relaying the information to observe my fellow recruits. Some were rocking back and forth slightly, silently talking to themselves. Others fumbled with their weapons, their nerves ratcheted so tightly that their hands were clumsy. A few were done and holding the hand rail above, looking around in a daze. I began to wonder how I had looked to my peers.

A soft beep brought me back from my musings and I saw the visual confirmation on my HUD displaying an all clear on my weapons. I retrieved my M392 Saber and held the rail above.

"Weapons check. Weapons green. Environmental systems check. Environmental systems green. Comms check. Comms green. Sensors check. Sensors green. Evaluation is green. IFF tags labeled hostile to OpFor mechs. Third Platoon call sign Dhole 1 through 4 you are cleared to engage. Happy hunting."

The pelican landed with a heavy thud that rattled everything inside. The bay door slammed down providing a ramp and the overhead turret slid forward and began scanning it's line of fire for enemy targets. Armed with an assault rifle, the crewman crouched beneath the turret and behind an omnishield, yelling "Go, go, go, go!"

We surged out and created a small semi circular perimeter a good distance away from the pelican and it's thrusters. If we could avoid being melted by those then that was one thing off my list of things that could go wrong.

Laying on my belly and observing my surroundings I noticed two things immediately. One, it was raining. Two, and more importantly, it was freezing. Scratch that. It was fucking freezing. Like, I needed to get off the ground immediately because even in my temperature controlled suit it was fucking freezing.

As quickly as it had arrived, the pelican closed it's doors and lifted off, leaving us behind and lone on this cold and rainy planet.

"So, we can get off the ground now, right?"

I nodded at Shih's requesting and stood, still aiming my weapon off into the distance but seeing nothing. Not that I could see much. This rain was coupled with a sort of mist that was barely visible nearby but reduced visibility about three hundred meters or so. But what I could see what a dingy beige landscape of barren rock with protrusions and depressions scattered throughout.

Grinding my heel into the ground below me I corrected myself. Not rock. Ice.

Looking over at my counterpart in squad three, Linhares, I questioned her on what she wanted to do next. "So you want point or me?"

She glanced off in the direction of our waypoint marker, nearest her, and shrugged. "Looks like I'm closest. We'll take the lead. Team one, you're on point. Let's go."

Her squad formed up and moved out in two groups, scanning the horizon for threats but it was largely a moot point. The visibility might be bad, but most of our other sensors still functioned. What was troubling was the terrain. It was largely flat with little major variation. Large puddles here and there that created depressions and small divets or trenches. The occasional bump or distortion in the surface of the ice no taller than hip height. Which meant we could see the mechs coming. And they could see us.

Once it was our turn to move out I lead our first team with Barrera leading the second team as a rear security. Taking a moment I brought up the terrain for the objective area and was reminded that there was a sort of wadi or arroyo before it a series of small hills, with the facility situated right on top of an elevated cliff overlooking the riverbed below. Frowning I imagined the mechs would have no trouble seeing through this low visibility and would begin firing on us from their higher vantage point. Looking up I could only hope the visibility was just as thick if not more so at a higher elevation. It would make it difficult when we began our assault, but it might provide enough cover to negate the advantages of higher elevation they would have.

We kept a fast pace, not quite jogging but quick enough that we would reach the edge of the riverbed shortly. Infrequent comms checks with the other two squads let us know that both forces were moving at roughly the same speed. Periodically I would notice the remains of mechs or vehicles half buried in the ice and wondered if the majority of the landscape was natural or if centuries of training exercises had sculpted this area into it's present form.

After about twenty minutes of our fast paced movement the terrain began to slope slightly, down towards the arroyo. Checking the waypoint we were nearing a kilometer in distance from the objective, meaning we were nearly in the teeth of their defenses now.

Linhares called for a halt and scrambled forward towards a small ditch with two of her squadmates. Laying down in the puddle filled ditch, she activated her suits sensors array from passive to active while her two squadmates nervously watched either side. "Heads up. Active scan incoming."

I turned and gave a hand signal for my squad to spread out and prepare for an attack. Turning back around I aimed down my own firing sector and anxiously waited.

Slowly my HUD filled with a much more detailed view of the world around me as Linhares' sensors relayed information. I could see the hills now, which were really small and so close it was amazing we couldn't see them this close up. I could also see how the land sloped gently down from our direction but rose up sharply at the hills, creating a steep incline in some spots and outright cliffs in others.

I could also see that at about two hundred meters away to our left there was an automated turret and a small patrol force of about a dozen mechs. And they had seen Linhares.

"Contact left! Turret!" I swung my DMR and aimed down the first mech I saw before opening fire. Galen unleashed a full volley with his M37 Falcon, the six micro grenades shredding into the grouping that had already opened fire on Linhares' position.

The turret fired a volley of small rockets at Linhares's position, having locked onto her suit's sensors. The micro missiles slammed into the ice surrounding their position, blasting away the hard as rock ice and sending chips and slivers flying outwards at speeds that activated the kinetic shielding of some of the recruits. Seeing as pointless to try and be stealthy I gave the order for my squad to fully activate their senors in the hopes that it would give us an even better idea of what we were facing and maybe that would draw some of the fire off Linhares and her squadmates long enough to take down this threat.

Rounds from heavier autocannons and missile turrets began showering our positions from somewhere off in the distance. I glanced upwards through the mist and rain to see muzzle flashes coming from the hills. No doubt the positions there had locked onto us and would begin shredding us.

Yelling to Donat I ordered him to use his missile launcher to take out that turret. We needed to get out of this quickly.

Donat dropped his weapon and shouldered his M41, aiming at the turret. Our squad unleashed a storm of gunfire in order to give him time to sync and lock on with the turret without being harassed. The cobra in launched it's own volley of two missiles while the turrets defenses flared, creating a kinetic barrier. The missiles performed as designed, punching through the turret's kinetic barriers and reactive armor, leaving it a gutted and inoperative mess.

At the same time I dropped my Saber to pull out the Cain and waited for the next muzzle flash from the hills. When it came the Cain's targeting VI locked onto the location and I activated the power cell. "Cain out!"

The launcher kicked heavily, sending a bright blue bolt at the hills that exploded with a deafening boom that shook the ground and added thick chunks of ice to the methane rain pouring down.

"Contact right! Turret!" I panicked and looked to my right but saw nothing. Double checking and I saw the comms had come from the other force. Frowning I scanned deep in that direction and saw that off in the distance they too had encountered a similar setup to our own. Even worse, we seemed to be bottled into a narrow corridor leading to the objective, with the turrets and mech forces on either outer edge.

They had us in a crossfire and we had yet to encounter the bulk of the force. Or any of the YMIRs.

"Linhares! We're going to swing around to the left, cover us!" Between firing her assault rifle Linhares sent a confirmation to my HUD and ordered her squad to increase their rate of fire to cover our move.

I turned and looked towards my squadmates furthest to the right from the attack. "Move left! We get those mechs in a crossfire and tear them down!"

Galen was the first to move, standing up from his prone position and running hunched over behind an omnishield until he reached the far end of Barrera's team. He slide feet first into a new firing position and yelled "Next!"

We got about halfway through that move when the something whacky that I feared happening happened. One of Linhares' squad recoiled as their kinetic barriers were slammed into by the fierce fire of a heavy autocannon from the right flank. The recruit rolled to away from the fire and into one of the puddles dotting the landscape to provide some cover. Linhares peered over her right shoulder and screamed "Contact right! Two YMIRs! More mechs! In the riverbed! They're moving up on us!"

Growling at myself I wondered if it was my usual pessimistic self that predicted this or did bad things follow me? Not having time to debate the nuances between the two I egged my team on to aggressively make our move so that we could cover Linhares's squad since there was no way in hell we could take on a pair of YMIRs in open terrain like this.

By the time we had swung fully around, the first group of mechs had been whittled down. We quickly focused on shredding those down those final mechs in a hail of mass accelerated slugs that shattered their shielding in showers of purple and gold sparks.

"Linhares, fall back and swing around us!" She sent a confirmation status to my HUD and began withdrawing Third Squad, who had already started to see shields failing and weapons overheat from having to fight two fronts at once.

As they scrambled around I had Donat launch another volley, this time at the first YMIR, knowing it would be largely ineffective but it would get it's attention off Third. The missiles screamed from the launcher but this time they were met with defensive lasers that seared them before they could impact. The resulting explosion rocked the YMIR back but left it unharmed.

Yeah, I kinda figured that would happen. Frustrated I ran through our options. Missiles were out. Grenades might be shot down as well. And with the exception of the sniper rifles Shih and Kekoa carried, our standard firearms were not going to punch through the armor and kinetic barriers these things had. Maybe we should ignore them?

I snorted at the idea but then thought better of it. Perhaps distract them? Keep them occupied while we moved on? The Captain did say we didn't need to destroy all forces to achieve the objective.

I aimed down a six legged salarian mech that had decided to make a charge towards our lines and hit it four times in rapid succession, breaking the shielding. Before I could hit it again to put it down, it was ripped apart from assault rifle fire from someone else. Looking around I noticed Linhares's squad had almost fully executed their move around us and now had the far left flank. Leaving me and my squad to bear the brunt of the oncoming YMIRs and the gaggle of mechs accompanying them.

Realizing we'd be stuck going in circles trying to outflank this group with these YMIRs pounding us I contemplated calling for my squad to move out again when something caught my eye. Shih was laying prone and aiming her M99 Valiant, but the way she was laying exposed her back towards me slightly. And I saw the deployable charge placed on the small of her back, just like all the rest of us.

Looking at the path the lead YMIR would take if we flanked again I noticed the ruins of the turret not far from the next position. A plan forming in my head I made a quick decision.

Checking to my immediate left I saw Finch firing his M739 Typhoon in steady bursts, wearing down the mechs so everyone else could finish them off. I rolled over to get next to him and grabbed the M14 charge from his back. He jerked his head at me and yelled "What the fuck are you doing?"

I jerked my head towards the YMIR and yelled back "Putting these in the YMIR's path. Cover me."

He shook his head and focused his fire on the YMIR itself, drawing it's attention, Setting the charges to proximity detonation I sat up and chucked the pair in what I hoped would be the path of the lead YMIR. Their small stabilizing fins activated and helped them spin before sinking their jagged edges into hard ice.

Throwing myself back down to the ground I opened a comms to Linhares "Val! Take Third to the far side of the turret and leave your cobra gunner there. We're going to try and walk that thing into a trap."

Her reply didn't come immediately and I busied myself by helping to take down more mechs, my DMR doing it's best to take advantage of it's larger slug size to reduce shielding but fourteen shots before an overheat could only do so much. Thankfully the YMIR was being considerate and helping me find time to let my weapon cool off by firing it's own autocannon at me and giving me an excuse to scramble out of it's sights before something else pissed it off.

When Linhares' squad had taken place I couldn't contain my eagerness. Their placement was taking advantage of the sloping terrain to give them some measure of cover and creating a firing line that began tearing into the mechs nearly from behind. Realizing the threat, the majority turned their attention to return fire from this direction, giving me and my squad enough time to make a mad dash for the turret remains.

Halfway there and a loud kaboom and concussive wall of force from behind me that showered everything in a mist of ice particles let me know something had stepped on one of the mines. Sliding head first into position, I spun back around and was elated to see the YMIR had stepped on the first charge. The resulting explosion had severed a good portion of it's lower left leg, leaving it to stumble forward and hobble around helplessly. Seeing that the second mine would probably not be detonated but was still close enough that it could cause some issues I looked back at the destroyed turret. Linhares' heavy weapons squad member was there, hiding behind the pillar and firing away with her Harrier. Glancing at Donat, I saw him not far away from that location and urged him to get there. "Donat! Get to that turret and break out the cobra again!"

He smoothly rolled out of his firing position and scrambled for the turret, a few slugs pinging off his kinetic barriers. Once there he dropped his rifle to the ground and pulled out the cobra missile launcher. His companion behind the turret saw his actions and copied them. Opening the comms between our squads I gave the order carefully. "Dhole 1 heavy weapons will fire the first volley and make the lasers defenses activate. Dhole 3 you follow up on his firing and take advantage of the lasers needing to cool down before firing again." When I saw a ready status light for third squad I detonated the second mine remotely, sending another shower of ice into the air and weakening the YMIR's flagging kinetic shielding "Fire!"

Once more the pair of missiles launched and flew at their target and once more they ripped the kinetic shielding only to be incinerated by the defensive laser system. But when the second volley followed right behind it the lasers didn't have enough time to cool off and fire again. The pair hit the YMIR in the chest and blew apart the plating and laser defense turrets there and severed the left arm. With only one good leg to stand on, the sheer force of the missiles knocked the YMIR back hard enough that it stumbled and fell.

Now that the machine was decommissioned the two squads unleashed hell on the remaining YMIR and mechs. The falcon gunner from third squad distracted the YMIR while Vercesi fired a full volley from his Hydra at it's exposed back. After sustaining massive damage, the second YMIR executed it's self destruct mechanism and the resulting explosion scattered the cohesion of the remaining mechs.

Mopping up the final few mechs I glanced off towards the hills again and appraised the remaining turrets there still firing upon our platoon. The other squads were pinned down in the same manner as we had been but they were faring far less better. Their turret was destroyed but the bulk of the two forces of mechs still remained operational. The real problem was the single remaining YMIR, which was steadily whittling away at them.

Making the choice to aid them I opened a comms link to Linhares and appraised her on my idea "Val! Take your squad towards the facility and begin probing. Find out what sort of defenses they have. We're going to go and help Second and Fourth!"

Not bothering to respond she sent a green status light to my HUD confirming his agreement. Wasting no time I reloaded my Cain and aimed at another turret in the hills. Another satisfying thunderous explosion reduced the incoming indirect fire, giving everyone more breathing room. Placing the spent weapon on my back, I ordered my squad into a fast paced jog to get close enough that we could assist the rest of the platoon without accidentally shooting them.

Once in position I checked in with the squad leaders "Dhole 2 and Dhole 4, Dhole 1 coming in from the southwest. Check your fire." Yet again green status lights confirmed my message was received and I gave my squad the command to let it rip "Open fire! Vercesi! Hit that first YMIR from behind!"

My squad rushed forward to new firing positions while unleashing a wave of fire that tore into the right flank of the nearest cluster of mechs. We were rewarded with shielding flaring and popping in an indigo and gold display as the mechs were caught unaware and mowed down quickly. With the odds more firmly in our favor, Vercesi aimed and unleashed his volleys. The YMIR tried to turn and face the oncoming projectiles but was still blindsided. The missiles shredded the outer armor of it's back and severed the right arm of the large mech but unfortunately the mech was still operational. And gunning for us now.

Not a major problem. Second and Third had regrouped with our assistance and nearly massacred the remaining mechs. With the YMIR focused on us, one of their cobra or hydra gunners could tear it apart from behind with a well place volley.

Or so I thought. Linhares's voice over the comms dispelled that bit of wishful thinking. "All Dhole call signs, we've got a lot of turrets at the facility. I hope you guys still have cobra and hydra missiles left."

Well isn't that just fucking perfect.

Frowning I recounted the tally on our firings and began cursing under my breath. Hoping that the armorer had been kind and given him an additional cartridge I asked hopefully, "Please tell me you guys have a reload."

In unison, Donat and Vercesi glanced at me from their cover and shook their heads.

Cursing to myself again I opened comms to all squad leaders and asked for a missile count. The replies I got were less than pleasing. Seven total volleys is all we had left. Three Cobra. Four Hydra. The YMIR continued it's plodding pace forward towards us, pausing every so often to fire it's missile launcher in an attempt to destroy the terrain we hid behind. I grumbled as I now realized the true intention of having these massive mechs and turrets attack us early on. They were meant to make a platoon waste their precious missiles so that when they assaulted the facility itself they would be at a disadvantage dealing with the remaining turrets.

Sighing, I realized we had volunteered ourselves for YMIR duty by virtue of my stupid choices to waste our missiles. "Dhole 2 and Dhole 4, take your squads and assist Dhole 3 in assaulting and taking the facility. We'll draw the YMIR away and figure out a way to deal with it."

"We're gonna what?" Galen's bewildered voice followed my own almost immediately.

"Spread out more and make it confused about who to target. Maybe we can make it run out of missiles." I wasn't sure if that was actually a viable tactic but it was the best I could come up with on the spot.

After a few seconds of grumbling and complaining the squad began playing a game with the YMIR that oddly reminded me of an arcade game me and Ari would play as kids back on Mindoir. Whack An Unggoy, where you went around stomping on Unggoy heads that popped out of the ground. Only we were the Unggoys this time.

It's safe to say I'd never be looking at that game the same way ever again.

We were never going to punch through the shielding of that thing and even if we did our firearms would be lucky to puncture any of the heavy armor plating. The longer we played this game, the more likely the chances were that one of us would get unlucky.

And while I doubted the evaluation team back on the Charles Upham would let the VI actually kill us, they weren't exactly going to let it go easy on us either. Even if the rounds and explosives being used in this exercise were of reduced lethality, all it would take is one mistake and my worries about just passing this exam would pale in comparison to taking responsibility for the death or injury of a squad member.

It was my own fault we'd gotten into this predicament with my trigger happy usage of our missiles and it was up to me to get us out of this. I just didn't know how. Running away from the YMIR might be feasible, but it would eventually follow us to the facility. Or we could try to drag it further away first. Put a little distance between the mech and the facility so it had a longer trek.

My earlier trick of placing a deployable charge would only cripple it, but that might be enough to buy us enough time to rejoin the platoon, secure the facility and then leave for the rendezvous point for extraction.

Glancing at the exposed area of it's back I wondered if I could lob a grenade in there to tear away at the lighter internal shielding surrounding the most vital parts of the mech. I doubted it. If I could make a throw like that then I'd be playing grifball professionally instead of being here in the UNSC. Besides, a hand grenade probably wouldn't even have enough power to completely destroy or disable the mech. A charge, sure, but I wasn't going to be able to make a toss with that one either.

For as difficult as that would be I was better off just walking up to the damn thing and planting the charge directly on it's exposed back.

I really shouldn't have thought that because my mind immediately asked the obvious, and obviously insane, follow up.

Well, why don't you?

Staring at the exposed back of the mech that stray thought blossomed into full on crazy. Looking at Galen nearby I yelled out "Kemp! Toss me your M14!"

Galen turned his head and despite having his faceplate polarized I just knew he was giving me a look that questioned my sanity. "Why? Blowing off part of it's leg isn't going to stop it."

Holding out my hand in an expectant manner, he sighed and threw his charge in my direction. The throw was a bit off but I managed to scramble out of my cover to grab it and sync it why my omnitool, setting the explosive device to detonate with maximum power. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves I spoke to my squad with more composure than I actually felt. "Here's what we're going to do. Keep that thing facing away from me while I try to plant this charge on it. Watch your fire."

"Uh, did you just say what I think you said?"

"Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"You're absolutely fucking crazy."

"If I shoot you it's an accident. No hard feelings."

I frowned and glared in Finch's direction at the last comment. Peering out from behind the chunk of ice I was hiding behind, I saw that the YMIR was at least thirty meters away and with it's back towards me. Seeing as how the squad had managed to spread out enough that the YMIR was hardly moving, only turning to engage new threats, I had maybe a few seconds before it picked up on my movements to sneak up behind it. Not nearly enough time for me to clear that distance. I knew I was fast but I wasn't that damn fast.

Steeling myself one last time, I placed the deployable charge on the magnetic strip of my left hip, returned my DMR to the magnetic holsters strips along my back and grabbed my M7 Hurricane submachine gun. Reminding myself that if anything goes wrong I could still use my biotics to buy a second or two, I leaped over my ice cover and began sprinting faster than I had ever done before in my life.

Time slowed with each breath and step taking forever. Memories flooded my mind of the YMIR stomping down the streets of Nouveau Basel during the raid. I forced those thoughts from my head as dread and focus increased in equal amounts as I neared the halfway mark and the YMIR sensed my presence. It turned across it's body to the left, bringing it's missile launcher into aim quickly and targeting me. Remembering everything I had ever learned about using my biotics I stared at the barrel of the launcher and drew upon my eezo nodules to will a warp effect of dark shredding energy around the offending weapon. The summoned energy surged through my spine and left my head spinning as each step sent a massive tingling shock up my legs. I thrust my left arm in the mnemonic training that had been drilled into my head by Matriarch Malegos and refined by First Sergeant Yilmaz.

A ball of blue energy surged around the YMIR's left arm, meshing with and shredding it's own mass effect powered kinetic barriers. The warp lost most of it's power fighting against the barrier but succeeded in throwing the aim of the launcher off course. It fired a missile that rocketed past my head to the right before it could lock on, flying away harmlessly into the misty distance of Titan.

Gasping for breath from my exertions, I ignored the yelling of obscenities and reprimands over the comms in my ear and barreled my way past the mech on the right, circling around behind it and staying close to avoid it's only weapon. It immediately spun to target me but I found the will to push myself further or become a red stain across Titan. Reaching down I snatched the M14 charge off my hip leaping mid stride and slapped it against the exposed inner armor plating. Coming down from such an overreaching and powerful jump I stumbled and nearly lost my footing, falling forward onto my hands and knees but I quickly scrambled to my feet and began trying to put as much distance between myself and the YMIR as I could.

"Open fire! Open fire! Get that thing's attention!" Barrera's orders to the rest of the squad were followed by an unleashing of fire from all directions.

Seeing as how I hadn't been splattered from behind by missile targeting me right up my ass I lifted my left arm and activated my omnitool. While working to arm and detonate the charge I lost track of where to place my feet and stumbled, crashing sideways onto my right shoulder and skidding across the icy floor while the M7 slipped from my grasp and went in another direction.

Grunting at the harsh impact, I glanced over my shoulder and figured I had cleared enough distance and scrambled into a small depression to finish arming the charge. Obtaining the synched confirmation, I warned the squad and once again drew upon my biotics to will a mass effect. This time I was going to try something a bit more difficult that I had only practiced a few times but never mastered. A field of increased mass surrounded me creating a crude barrier. It wasn't as refined as the personalized physical barriers that hugged the contours of the body like a skilled and experienced biotic could create but it would do. "Headache!"

As one the squad ducked behind their cover and shielded themselves. I triggered the charge and the was rewarded with seeing the YMIR sheared in half as the explosive force ripped it's torso in two and triggered the internal self destruct device of the mech. A split second later a wave of concussive force, chunks of icy slush and shredded fragments of the mech slammed into my barrier. I held firm for as long as I could, straining against the bulk of the blast with my biotics before I released it with a huge gasp of breath. The remaining bits hit the kinetic barriers, with little of it getting through and impacting against the plates of my armor.

And just like that it was over. The sound of fighting could be heard in the distance as the other squads forced their way towards the facility but all around us a calm had descended. Squad members stood from cover and ambled over towards the wreckage of the mech. I was still laying in the final position I had come to rest in, shocked, exhausted, dizzy, and out of breath.

Finch was the first to reach me, calming walking up to my side and kneeling down with an M739 cradled in his arms. Keeping eyes on the YMIR's remains he spoke calmly and clearly through his voice module. "That was the dumbest fucking thing I've ever seen someone do. Impressive as hell, but just fucking stupid."

Kekoa walked up next, kicking my M7 back in my direction and echoed Finch's sentiments by adding on his own insults at my expense "Really fucking stupid. You do realize they can't give you the Star of Terra for fighting mechs in a training exercise, right?"

My shock finally wore off and I sat up, feeling quite proud of my fucking stupid and suicidal stunt. I looked back over shoulder at Kekoa and sarcastically replied "Really? What do they give for that then?"

"I'm pretty sure DI Ellison is going to choke you to death, so there's that." Barrera had joined us and looked down at me through her unpolarized visor with a hint of annoyance. "You're not hurt so get your ass up. We have an eval to finish."

I mock saluted her and stood, placing the Hurricane back on my hip and pulling the DMR from my back. Checking it's function I smiled and looked at the rest of the squad, egging them on, "Alright, YMIR killers, who wants to go show the rest of the platoon how to really fuck shit up?"

Shih ran triumphantly towards the remains of the YMIR and stood atop it, holding her sniper rifle to the sky and letting out a primal roar through her voice module. The rest of the squad felt her infectious cheer and thrust their weapons into the air and let loose their own roars of approval.

After a quick check of our weapons and gear we jogged down the incline towards the other side of the riverbed, and towards the explosions and gunfire coming from that direction. Half way across and we encountered a sticky and muddy stream of liquid hydrocarbons that slowed our crossing. Finally reaching the far shore and we could see how the facility had been defended. The terrain from the briefing room showed the facility had been on an elevated spur jutting out into the riverbed behind us. To assault it meant going up a steep incline on either side of the spur. Glancing at the shattered remains of mechs that had rolled to the bottom of the hill and into the riverbed told me that maybe the other squads had one hell of a fight.

Opening up comms with the other squad leaders I notified them of our presence and requested to know what would be the preferred route to take. "All Dhole call signs, Dhole 1 at the bottom of the facility and ready to proceed upwards. Suggest route, over?"

The explosions had died down but the gunfire still raged as we waited for the reply. Then Duong of Fourth Squad answered, "Dhole 1 we're mopping up here. Got some hold outs. Dhole 3 has already breached the facility and notified the examiners above. We're on the clock and awaiting orders to head to the LZ. Come up the East slope about 60 meters away from the facility and halt before reaching the summit. Mechs still farther to the East hiding behind turret tower taking pot shots and we have no angle. Take care of them please."

"Dhole 4 it would be our pleasure. Will inform when in position." I glanced back at the squad and shrugged, "Looks like we got more work to do. Barrera take your team first."

Azevedo grumbled, "Why do we get point?"

Grinning at her I snarkily replied "Well, when someone on your team runs down a YMIR then you guys can take the easy jobs. Deal?"

Barrera snorted through her voice module and instructed her team to move out. "It's fine, team. Unlike Shepard I won't tell you to engage in hand to hand combat with the mechs. Let's go."

As they began tracing along the bottom of the slope eastwards, Shih looked at me shook her head, drawling "She's right, you know. That was bonkers. What the hell do they teach people on Bekenstein?"

I frowned at the insinuation that I was from Bekenstein, which had been started after Galen thought it would be hilarious to call me Becky. It was a bit too much like the kids back at Sargasso and La Garza calling me Mindy. "I'm not from Bekenstein."

She nodded and shrugged, needling me some more. "Right. Mindoir. My bad. So what the hell are they teaching people on those outer colonies?"

Galen laughed and elbowed me playfully "How to be one hell of a UNSC Marine, right?"

Rolling my eyes I stood and prepared to follow Barrera's team "Right. They squeezed that in between lessons on human history and how not to be bored out of your mind on a farming colony. Grab your gear and let's move."

Trudging again for the short distance, we linked back up with Barrera's team and then proceeded to move up the side of the hill slowly. Nearly reaching the summit I gave the signal to halt and radioed in "All Dhole call signs. Dhole 1 in place. Ready to proceed on your word."

"Dhole 1 I'm sick and tired of being shot at. Clear to engage."

I gave the order to spread out and crawl the rest of the way forward. As we crested the summit, I could clearly see a team of five battered mechs with assault rifles stacked up behind the remains of a turret about 20 meters away. "Light 'em up, First!"

There's overkill, and then there's what we did. We could have shredded them with standard fire but we felt ornery and added in a few grenade for extra emphasis. Pretty sure we'd get an earful for that once we were back topside, but this looked to be the last of the mechs.

One of the upper torsos of a mech was tossed so violently that it launched my direction and skidded to a halt right in front of my. Yet again I cursed my luck as the half mech lunged itself at me awkwardly, latching onto my DMR and helmet. A surge of electrical shock went through my body and I tensed, biting down on my tongue as I stifled a scream. We fell backwards in a tumble of limbs down the side of the hill and into the hydrocarbon stream.

My head was spinning and my immediate fear was that my suit had been compromised somehow, but when that fear was unfounded a new one cropped up in it's place. Namely the half mech grabbing at me and pushing me into the stream. I tried to pry it's hands off me and disentangle myself but these damn mechs were strong. Considering it a lost cause I summoned my biotics once more, this time using a method I had perfected ages ago and encased my fist in an increased mass field. The usual tingles and feeling of slight vertigo accompanied the activation of my biotics as my body encased it's self in a corona of dark energy. My right fist smashed into the head of the mech, not really loosening it's grip but definitely shattering whatever sensors were housed there.

The impact provided me with enough momentum to flip us over and pin the mech beneath me. Wrenching my left arm free I cocked it back and triggered the quick action function of my omnitool. The automated response was to activate the fabrication unit to flash forge an omni blade in just about a second. Once the searing orange silicon carbide blade was in place I punched downwards, cleaving right into the shoulder and upper torso of the mech. It spasmed and sparks flew from the injury site as I drew back and punch again, this time slicing through the neck and upper left shoulder.

The mech sputtered lifelessly and released me. I sat up on my knees and glared at the mech, dismissing my omniblade and snatching my DMR. I pushed my self to my feet and out of the stream only to feel the weariness in my body. Between charging down a YMIR, using my biotics multiples times, and tumbling downhill in a wrestling match with a mech, I was ready to take a big nap. After a meal. Some food and then sleep the whole way back to Earth.

"Are you alright?" I looked upwards at Barrera's concern voice over the comms and nodded. Seeing that I was fine she mocked me "Jesus, Shepard. I was joking about hand to hand combat with mechs."

"Ha ha, Griz." I didn't even have the energy to make my sarcasm sound like anything more than an effort just to speak.

Shih piled on with the mocking "That's gotta suck having to climb your way back up the hill again."

Feeling the tiredness creeping in and making me cranky I began my ascent and snapped back "You want to tell me something I don't know?"

"You have this thing called a weapon that lets you shoot things at a distance so you don't have to wrestle them. You should use it next time." I paused in my ascent to glare at her smart assed remark and the accompanying howls of laughter from the squad.

Seeing no reason to rush I slowly made my way to the top and was greeted by the rest of the platoon. Linhares looked at me askance and frowned "What the hell happened to you?"

Before I could reply Vercesi glibly supplied his fictional reasoning "Special biotic test. Shep has to wrestle mechs during this exercise."

The rest of the platoon stared at me as one in shock. I shook my head and glared at the rest of my squad which was doing their collective best to swallow back their giggles. "That's not what happened."

"Okaaaaay?" Linhares looked like she was confused as to what the joke was but shook it off and pointed off in the direction of the extraction point. "We got the order to head out. All mechs defeated and the eval is done."

I perked up slightly at that news, curious about what else might have been said "Did we pass? What did they say?"

Duong shrugged "Standard stuff. Job well done." He frowned behind his non-polarized faceplate and stared at me curiously "They did mention that DI Ellison wants to talk with you as soon as we get back topside."

At that remark my squad lost their battle with laughter and fell into another series of howls and jeers like a group of rabid hyenas. All I could do was stew in silence. I was pretty sure she was going to rip me a new asshole for what I'd done on this eval.

"So since you guys didn't help take the facility we figured you get to have point." I goggled at Serrano's logic. It's not like we weren't busy or anything. My exhaustion and fraying temper were warring with the last vestiges of my self control.

Before I say something I would regret Barrera chimed in "That's fine. YMIR killers lead the way. Right, Shep?" I snorted and threw my hands up in the air, just wanting to get everything over with so I could get that meal and some sleep. Griz chuckled at my antics and patted my shoulder "It's fine. Team two will take the lead again. You've earned it."

I nodded my appreciation and she slapped me playfully upside my helmet before leading team two out. Watching her and the team walk away I was filled with dread as my mind began conjuring up all the ways I was going to be reprimanded by DI Ellison when she saw me.

"You sure you're alright, Luis?" Galen's worried question brought me out of my pessimistic thoughts.

I nodded and allayed his concern "Yeah. Just tired and annoyed. The biotics really take it out of you."

He nodded and chuckled, punching me lightly in the shoulder "No kidding. That was brutal how you punched that mech before you sliced it up with your omniblade." He mimicked the motions of my biotic strike and stabbing with overblown dramatics.

Seeing his exaggerated interpretation of the events clued me in on how ridiculous it must have looked to everyone else. I could almost began to see the humor in the situation. That is until Duong asked "Wait. You seriously had to wrestle with a mech for your biotic test?"

My shoulders sagged and I glared at Vercesi. At least this time he had the decency to try to cover up his laughter.

---

Charles Upham Orbital Station, Titan, Saturn, Sol System, Local Interstellar Cluster; December 3rd, 2572 [Standardized Terran Calendar] 1309 [Standardized Terran Time]

I lowered my head and arched my back, trying to take the strain of my body weight off my overtaxed upper body. The sweat pouring down my face kept getting into my eyes and stinging, causing me to blink rapidly and shake my head from side to side.

A pair of black standard issue UNSC combat boots with a high shine paced back in forth across the cold gray metal plate floor in front of me. Each step reverberating through the floor and into my arms as the wearer of the boots seemed to want to stomp hard enough to dent the titanium. To say DI Ellison was pissed off at me would be an understatement. She knelt down next to me and stared, the barely contained fury in her expression making me look away. "You look like you're having difficulty there, recruit. Flip over. Supine bicycle."

Grunting at the strain of following her command I let myself drop to the floor and slowly rolled over, assuming the on my back where I would piston my knees into my chest and try to touch them with the opposite elbow. This was the tenth different exercise she'd had me perform so far under her scrutiny. Aside from the commands she had yet to say a word, just the silent seething glare and pacing back and forth. At times I could swear her eyes flashed and her stance and legs would twitch for a split second. Like she wanted to kick me in the midsection or stomp on my head.

This time she didn't hold herself back, growling at me over the pace of my movements, "This exercise it to be done at a slow cadence for maximum effect, recruit. Can you do that? Show me you are not some inbred block head outer colony bastard that can't follow orders."

I bit back on my own anger, frustrated with my conflicted feelings. Fine, I knew I had screwed up on Titan. What I did was over the top and unnecessary, but it had worked. Why couldn't I get any credit for that? They did say that the rules of engagement were open. My lower abs and upper thighs began protesting in exhaustion, having already been obliterated by previous exercises. DI Ellison stood with folded arms and this time her look was bordering incredulous anger. I quickly realized she expected me to answer her rhetorical question, "Yes, Drill Instructor"

Her gaze hardened and she leaned forward so that I had to look directly up at her sneering face "You realize why you're here, correct?"

My abs were now on fire and all I wanted to do was let my legs drop to the ground, but I knew the moment I did that she'd just double whatever other punishments I had coming. The only thing I could salvage from any of this was to at least not let her win the battle of wills. "My actions on Titan were unsatisfactory, Drill Instructor."

DI Ellison's faced took on a bit of stunned amusement as she chuckled in a deranged way. Lifting her right arm she activated her omnitool and a vid displaying what happened on Titan played. It was surreal to see myself from another perspective charging down that YMIR. I knew it was crazy, but from this angle it looked like I was suicidal. My heart skipped a beat as I saw just how close that missile had come to hitting me.

When it was finished she deactivated her omnitool and began ranting in an almost manic way, "Your actions today were an order of magnitude more than unsatisfactory, recruit. You were told to stick to the basics." As she leaned down to get in my face and snarl her right hand came up to snatch my by the collar of my armor. Pulling me in closer, her voice was soft and mocking. Like she was begging me to do or say something to give her an excuse to pummel me. "My memory is fuzzy, recruit. At what point did I teach you that the basics include charging a down a YMIR with an SMG and deployable charge?"

Nervously I shook my head and stammered "You didn't, Drill Instructor."

She erupted in rage and slammed me back into the cold metal floor of the frigate, pinning me with her arm and leaning her weight into it. "That sort of shit does not happen under my command, recruit. You're lucky no one died with a stunt like that. This is not some fucking game you play where if you die you can respawn. Do you understand me, recruit?"

The anger and frustration coursing through my veins were spiking from the yelling and physical abuse, and it took everything I had not to let my inner rage monster take a swing with one big biotic fueled punch. I knew I screwed up but I was not going to let her break me. My reply was curt, dripping with loathing and disrespect "Yes, Drill Instructor."

Releasing her hold on me, DI Ellison stood and gave back just as good as she got from me, "Oh I don't think you do! Tell me recruit, what the fuck was rattling around in that empty cavity of yours you call a head to even contemplate doing something that stupid?"

I sat up and put my arms around my knees, no longer able to feel how exhausted, sore or hungry I was. All I could feel was blinding rage that wanted to lash out. Without looking up to address her I answered "We had exhausted missiles, Drill Instructor."

Ellison continued with her pacing from earlier, back to examining me and shaking her head in disgust, "So because of your trigger happy fuck up, squad leader, you decided the best course of action was do something even vorcha are not crazy enough to attempt? Absolutely brilliant. Tell me again why I shouldn't fail your ass and have you repeat MVC?"

The spike of rage cooled at her words. The way she laid out so perfectly how my earlier decisions had led to the event in question stopped me cold. I could feel shame rushing in to replace the anger, renewing all the aches and pains in my body. I couldn't lift my head from staring at the metal plate floor beneath my feet, partly because I was too exhausted and partly because I was afraid I might begin crying.

The silence in the room stretched on as I failed to answer her question, too lost in my own mind. I kept remembering all the stupid choices I made, how I thought I was being clever or creative. Maybe this wasn't for me. Maybe I wasn't cut out to be in the UNSC.

DI Ellison decided she had let me stew in my own morbid thoughts long enough. Her tone was softer now, but no less commanding. "Good. You've at least learned to not lie to me. That's a start. I'm not going to fail you. You've got plenty of talent, but you had better get your shit in order real fast. You're headed to the big leagues after this. UNSC Marine Corps. You pull something like that out in the real world and they'll be sending condolences to more than just your family members. Do I make myself clear, recruit?"

I nodded, relieved that I wasn't going to be failed, but still wracked with guilt and remorse over my actions. Swallowing around the lump in my throat I nodded and did my best to sound thankful, "Yes, Drill Instructor."

Sighing and shaking her head at me, DI Ellison continued. "On your feet, recruit." Gingerly raising myself from the floor, I did my best to have an erect posture but the day's exertion left me weak in the knees and a bit light headed. Giving me a once over, she said "I read your file, recruit. Including the stuff Master Sergeant Yilmaz added. I agree with his assessment. You're not ready. Not by a longshot."

Caring about what was in that file was the least of my worries at the moment. I simply nodded and tried to keep myself from fainting.

Stepping closer she dropped her voice into something more informal than I had ever heard from her before. "I don't know what your malfunction is recruit. I don't know if you've got some death wish because of Mindoir or what. But this ends now. We never leave someone behind on the field of battle and we never put them in harms way unless necessary. Just because this job involves combat does not mean the lives of those in uniform are expendable. You want to end your own life? Fine. Do it on your own time once you've left the service. Until then the UNSC is going to get eight solid years of service out of you. You owe that much to the brothers and sisters beside you, in front of you, behind you. You do not ever let them down like that again. "

I frowned at her mention of Mindoir, remembering how the YMIR invoked the memories of that day. I'd never have thought of myself as suicidal, but then again I'd never have thought of myself charging down a YMIR either. Maybe there was some truth to what she was saying about me.

"Dismissed, recruit." I blinked at her command, clearing my thoughts. Not wanting to piss her off again I nodded and moved as quickly as my weakened body would let me towards the door. My mind began yearning for the sleep and food I would find once I reached the cargo bay. The door detected my presence and opened automatically but before I could step through DI Ellison called me back. "Recruit Shepard."

Damn it. I had almost made it to the hallway and freedom. My shoulders sagging, I looked back over my shoulder and made eye contact with her. She stood with her arms folded but seemed to be curious about something. "What would you have done if that didn't work?"

Seriously? Bewildered at her question and too exhausted to even try to come up with an excuse I answered honestly. "I don't know, Drill Instructor. I hadn't planned it out."

She stared at me expressionlessly for a moment before looking to the ceiling and shaking her head in exasperation, "I figured as much. Guess I should be thankful you weren't a coward on top of it all and sent someone else to do the hard part." She nodded towards the hallway as a gesture of dismissal, "I'm not sure if you're secretly brilliant or impressively stupid, recruit. Probably a mix of both."

I nodded and stepped out into the hallway. Turning to walk down the hallway I saw a naval crewman walking my way. She took one look at my battered appearance and gave me a tight sympathetic smile. I tried to smile back but it came out as more like a grimace which I'm sure made her think I was deranged.

We passed each other and I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to ease the soreness of having worn my helmet for so long. A few steps more and I could have sworn the crewman spoke, only it was in my mother's voice.

"Don't you want to be something more than just a farmer on Mindoir?"

"What?" I turned to look at the crewman, perplexed that she sounded like my mother or knew anything about me.

The crewman looked over her shoulder and frowned at me, her voice completely different this time "I didn't say anything."

We held eye contact for a moment longer, the crewman giving me the impression she thought I was out of my mind. She shook her head and continued on, occasionally looking back over her shoulder as I stood there in a daze, watching her.

Finally snapping out of it, I realized I must be more stressed and exhausted that I had originally thought. Now I was hearing my mother's voice. I rubbed the back of my neck again and fingered the bioamp port only to coming to a chilling halt. My mind for some reason recalled the fact that the L2 amps were known to cause all sorts of problems, including hallucinations. The L3's were supposed to be free of those side effects, but... they had originally said the L2's were safe for use, too.

Feeling even more depressed and weary, I trudged my way back towards the cargo bay, unsure if I could get any sleep now that I was worried about losing my mind.

---

Rakesh Sharma Geosynchronous Orbital Station, Earth, Sol System, Orior Cluster; December 7th, 2572 [Standardized Terran Calendar], 1033 [Local Time, Terran Standard]

"Spaceways Flight 2263 to Illium in the Crescent Nebula is now boarding at gates 44 through 46, decks 2 and 3. Will an Ellen Ripley please report to customer service kiosk 12 on deck 5 and claim her orange tabby cat Jonesy? This has been a public service announcement from the Rakesh Sharma Orbital Station coordination VI. We ask that you refrain from smoking, running hacking software or operating personal drones while aboard this station. If you require assistance please find one of our conveniently located kiosks and ask our friendly and helpful VI, Saraswati. Thank you for your cooperation and we hope you enjoy, or have enjoyed, your stay on Earth."

"Who do I complain to if I didn't enjoy my stay on Earth?"

Our table erupted into chuckles at Kekoa's remark. The time we spent in MVC was definitely memorable for the wrong reasons.

We were occupying a large corner booth in a diner aboard the station, enjoying a real meal while we waited for our flights to be called. It feels like it had been ages since I'd eaten something that didn't come in a wrapper or carton. After graduating from MVC the day before we spent the night partying it up in Omsk. Well, we had tried our best to party it up. I'd barely drank as I just couldn't bring myself to voluntarily get drunk. Not after what I'd seen it do to my father.

"So what ever happened with that girl you were talking to, Luis?" Shih's innocent question caused me to pause, the forkful of Polow halfway to my mouth. I vividly recalled how I my awkward attempt to chat up one of the local ladies, a cute blonde, had turned into a disaster.

Galen smirked and answered before I could, "She threw a drink in his face."

"Please tell me you got that on vid." Kuang eagerly pleaded with Galen.

I scowled at Galen, really hoping he'd shut his mouth but he began dissolving into chuckles at my discomfort that soon spread to the rest of the table. My pride stung as I also recalled how I'd been set up. "Anna sent me some bogus pick up lines in Russian."

Nearly sliding out of his seat from the side splitting laughing fit, Galen managed to choke out his incredulity "And you believed her? What a fucking moron."

Okay. Maybe he had a point there. I sighed and appreciated the self deprecating nature of the situation. "I know. Something told me she wasn't being honest but..." I had to pause and catch myself. I was about to delve too deep into that conversation, which was already pretty weird. Playing it off I smiled and shrugged, "I should have known better. She was always finding ways to tease me back on Reach."

The squad's laughter subsided into deep breaths and sighs. A calm of quiet eating resumed around the table until Finch finished chewing and decided to pick away that the topic of my spectacular failure last night. "Is that the same one that sent you the bikini holo?"

Galen stopping chewing and quickly stared at me, his eyes wide and amused at this new bit of information. Before he, or anyone else, could comment I quickly explained why that happened. Or at least what I hoped had been the reason she'd sent it. "She's was teasing me about being stationed on Proteus for training while we're stuck in one of the coldest parts of Earth."

Donat shook his head and went back to his meal, talking around a mouthful of gazpacho "I wish people would tease me like that."

I frowned into my plate, feeling oddly protective of Anna. I didn't like the fact something so private had been disclosed and I raised my eyes to glare at Finch. He might have made huge strides to be less of an asshole, but that still left him being enough of one to talk about someone's private matters.

"No kidding? That's cool." Galen seemed to be genuinely impressed about Anna being stationed on Proteus. Or so I thought. He nonchalantly resumed eating his meal and slyly asked the question I dreaded. "She never sent me any pics of her in a bikini. Is there something going on there?"

Grunting in annoyance I dropped my fork forcefully onto my plate and glared at him, "Fuck off."

Not missing a beat, Shih cocked her head to the side and mocked me. "Well after you struck out last night looks like you're going to have to fuck yourself instead." She grinned wide and continued, "Or maybe get your girlfriend to send you vid or do simulstim with you this time."

"She's not my girlfriend." I was really starting to get annoyed with the current topic. I knew everyone was just having a little fun at my expense but I simply did not like the fact they were dragging Anna into this too. It was one thing to give me a hard time, but completely different to talk about someone that wasn't here, or that any of them except for Galen even knew.

"Will all of you shut the fuck up?" Barrera grumbled from the edge of the booth, her head laid back and eyes closed. She'd been the one to get the most hammered last night but we'd all taken detox medication this morning before we collected our bags. The last thing we wanted was to be drunk or hungover when we boarded the space tether elevator. We'd seen enough vomiting entering and exiting orbit to last a lifetime, thank you kindly.

Azevedo, seated beside Barrera, frowned and leaned over to check our squadmate out. "You don't look so good. Didn't you take your detox?"

Giving Griz a glance I had to agree. She looked liked death warmed over. Which was about what you could expect from someone who downed as much alcohol as she did last night. I doubt just one dose was going to completely detox her system.

Barrera grunted and replied "Yeah, but I think I ate too fast. My stomach is feeling nauseous."

Azevedo recoiled in horror, bumping into Donat beside her. She pointed a finger accusingly at Barrera and warned her "Do not puke on me. I made it this far without any of you doing it and you're not going to get me now."

Barrera cracked a wan grin, slowly sliding herself to slump against Azevedo, who shrieked and shoved Barrera with enough force to knock her out of the booth and onto the floor. The entire squad laughed heartily again as Barrera stood, rubbing her tailbone and smiling at Azevedo "So I guess you're not the cuddling type?"

Once the laughter died down there was yet again another moment of silence, this time more solemn as the idea of us all heading our separate ways sunk in. Donat voiced the mood at the table, "So are any of you excited to be headed to your duty station?"

Galen voiced his displeasure with a snarl, "No. I got Fortieth Colonial on Terror Nova."

Our resident native Terra Novian, Shih, glared at Galen and gently reprimanded him, "It's not that bad, Kemp."

"Sure. Because it's not like I'm going to be on permanent Innie hunting patrol there." Galen sardonically dismissed her comments, going back to eating his gyoza. I noted Galen's sullen change in mood and remembered his largest desire in joining the UNSC Army. Getting off the Citadel and onto a real human world. Guess he never figured he'd wind up on the colony most associated with insurrections.

"I got Fifty Fifth Frontier in Argos." Azevedo grinned my way. Not understanding what she meant by that I frowned and she clarified, "Already found out I'm going to the detachment on Mindoir."

Well. That certainly explained her grin. Who would have figured?

Yeah? Who would have figured that the Systems Alliance still hadn't coughed up the credits to allow the UNSC to expand and defend Mindoir with more than detachments? Guess a few thousand colonists being dead or enslaved was bad enough to call press conferences and have politically convenient moments of silence, but when it came to actually doing something about it the politicians back on Arcturus were still the same old craven and self serving lot they always have been.

Clearing my head of dark thoughts I smiled back at Azevedo, "You're gonna love it there. Temperature's a little on the warm side but it's tolerable. But the food..." Even having gorged myself this morning and last night on real food I still could feel my mouth beginning to salivate thinking about home. My real home. "Fresh food all year long. Nothing frozen, dehydrated or processed."

Her eyes glazed over and her grin widened thinking about the smorgasbord awaiting her on Mindoir. Clearing her head with a shake she refocused and chuckled, slapping her stomach "I'm already betting I'm gonna have trouble meeting my weight limit."

"It's gonna be nothing but processed stuff for me. I got Fifty Third Frontier out of Anath in Beidha." We all winced at Kekoa's luck. He nodded grimly and shook his head, "Yep, fucking Petra Nebula. Hegemony watchmen." There was only Elysium in the Vetus system in that cluster. Primarily because humanity had never found anything else worthwhile, but after the Contact War we realized that the cluster was dangerously close to Hegemony space. Only a thousand or two light years, and after the Skyllian Onslaught everyone considered it a waste of credits and time to explore and invest there. Now that the Hegemony and their Terminus proxies were probing the edges of Systems Alliance space again it was only a matter of time before another major outbreak of fighting occurred. As if Mindoir wasn't enough.

"Oh yeah? I got you beat." A collective of groans and mumbling accompanied Finch's usual need to have it tougher. He'd done a remarkably good job this last week of not antagonizing everyone, even going as far as to be friendly and helpful. But you didn't change your ways overnight.

I could see everyone already ignoring whatever he would have to say, and worse I could see Finch knew it, the hesitance and embarrassment evident on his face. Never one to back down from a confrontation, Galen gave Finch a cold stare and drawled "Here we go."

Even if MVC was over and there was no official squad for me to lead I knew it was my responsibility to reign this situation in. Finch needed to hold on to this progress so he'd be able to fit in with his new unit and the rest of us didn't need our last memory of MVC being a fight inside a diner aboard an orbital station. Giving Galen a stern glance and swift kick under the table I set the tone for everyone "Let the man speak."

Galen looked back at me, astonished that I not only defended Finch but that I had kicked him in doing so. The rest of the table was equally stunned, wondering what had happened to have me backing Finch but I held my ground, slowly staring back at everyone present. When no one dared to speak out or make a comment I nodded to Finch to continue. Finch looked a little uneasy, and completely out of character, "I, uh, got Seventy Fourth Frontier. Out on Franklin."

Everyone winced and sucked in a breath at his announcement. Well, it was bound to happen eventually. Finch clearly had the worst claim out of us all. Man, what an unlucky guy. Terminus duty? He'd be lucky if he got any downtime.

"Fuck, man. Terminus? Talk about a shit assignment." Vercesi was the first to voice what we were all thinking.

Finch looked oddly flustered at the sympathy he was getting, but shrugged and pushed ziti around his plate. His attempt to act nonchalant fooled no one but I had to admit it was kind of neat to see him actually relating to the squad, even if it was only a few hours before we separated for good.

Barrera grinned from her laid back position, mocking the rest of us. "I can honestly say I don't feel the least bit bad about the rest of you suffering while I head to OCS on Luna. Better get used to the idea of saluting me, punks."

"Yeah I'm never doing that." Shih frowned petulantly at Barrera, who waggled her eyebrows back at her.

"I got to stay in cluster, too. Thirty Fourth Frontier out of Shamash." Donat chimed in with his own good luck. Shamash might not have anything in system beside a naval depot but it was within forty eight hours away from Earth or Reach. Plus there was nothing really to do patrolling the Orior. No one besides the Covenant was crazy enough to try and attack.

Kuang raised his glass in a salute to Kekoa and commiserated "I got stuck with Fifty Seventh Frontier out of Shango in Oyo."

Kekoa raised his glass to return the salute, "Looks like you get Hegemony watch duty, too."

"Forty Second Colonial here. Shanxi. Joy." Shih's petulance continued. "I'll get to help round up drunken Terra Firma convention attendees once they've finished rioting every year."

Vercesi, still the ardent Terra Firma supporter and Shanxi native, sent a withering glare her direction. Losing the scowl he addressed the table at large, "I wish I got that assignment. Instead I got Sixty First Colonial out on Bekenstein." Sighing at his lot in life he lamented, "I'm not getting laid unless I blow my monthly pay."

More, actually. The times I'd gone shopping in Milgrom with my grandparents had left me traumatized. There wasn't a single thing on that entire planet that wasn't overpriced.

Elbowing him and smiling, Kuang mocked his teammate "Well look at it this way. You weren't getting laid anyways. Have you seen your face?"

Vercesi calmly reached out and slapped Kuang upside with enough force to create a loud smack that drew the attention of other patrons. We began laughing at Kuang's nonplussed expression until the manager of the diner passed by and glared at us. Behaving like like children we snickered and made faces at the manager's back the second she walked away.

Once she was out of earshot Finch returned to the topic at hand, giving Kekoa a look of jealous loathing, "I still can't believe that out of all of us you're the only one that scored last night."

Kekoa puffed his chest out, giving us all a cheesy smile "Well I am the best looking one in the squad."

I snatched an ice cube out of my drink and threw it at his head, and soon the others followed suit. Kekoa covered his head and chuckled, still mocking us "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful."

"The only way you're the best looking person in the squad is you get assigned to a Turian unit. And even then it's not guaranteed." Galen's remark and Kekoa's insulted frown set off another round of raucous laughter. Enough that the manager returned, this time stopping to glare with her hand on her hips.

We tried to hide our mirth but after facing down DI Ellison for months this poor woman wasn't intimidating anyone at the table. Realizing she wasn't having the effect she desired made her sigh and walk away again, to more childish jeers behind her back.

Carrying on where he left off, Kekoa continued to boast over his success last night, "You're all just jealous. Everyone loves a man like me in uniform." He grinned lasciviously and added "And that guy last night was really gifted. Talented. He had the bi-"

"I'm really happy for you but I'm trying to eat here." Azevedo broke into his bragging session with a disgusted glare.

"Who said you were the only one that got laid last night?" Barrera added, lifting her head to grin.

Donat frowned at her, trying to remember events last night and coming up with nothing. "Wait, Shih had to take you back to the barracks because you were so wasted. You didn't leave with anyone."

Barrera's grin grew wider at his remark and I frowned alongside everyone else. Slowly it dawned on me what she was hinting at and I wasn't the only one. We all looked back at Shih who was glaring daggers at Barrera and then became engrossed in her meal, unwilling to raise her eyes to meet anyone.

Huh. Well, uh, good for them. Although Galen looked a bit conflicted. I silently looked between him and Shih, realizing his joking flirtations with her where not as harmless as I had originally thought. Unfortunately it looks like he never stood a chance.

"What about you, lady killer?" I frowned at Kuang's comment, not sure what he meant by it but sure it was directed at me.

"What about me?" My answer was tinged with a hint of steel, not wanting to restart the topic of Anna's now infamous bikini holo

"Uh, where are you headed?" He was a bit put off by the way I had answered, giving me a wary look.

"Oh. Thirty Fifth Frontier. Arcturus patrol out of Czarnobog." I sheepishly replied, a bit ashamed with the way I had spoken to him.

"Spaceways Flight 5002 to Arcturus Station and Amaterasu in the Arcturus Stream is now boarding at gates 19 through 21, decks 2 and 3."

And there was my ride. I'd be traveling to the Izanagi system and then taking a military transport to Czarnobog.

Sliding out of the booth I grabbed my small carry on bag, having already checked in my duffel and bag from Bekenstein. I stood and awkwardly looked back at the rest, who all had crestfallen faces. "Well, I guess this is it."

Barrera stood and wrapped me in a hug, which surprised me, before backing off and giving me a huge smile, "Try not to get into fist fights with anymore mechs out there, okay?"

The squad chuckled at her remark and I rolled my eyes. I'm never going to live that down.

One by one the squad came up and gave me handshakes and another hug in Shih's case. We had already exchanged omnitool addresses last night so the only thing left to do was leave.

Galen stood off to the side and tilted his head towards the loading zone "I'll walk you to the gate."

"Uh oh. They need some privacy for their goodbye." Vercesi mocked. I flipped him off with both hands and he blew me a kiss in return.

Waving to the rest I turned to walk away but Finch reached out and grabbed my arm. I looked at him over my shoulder and he leaned in, nervous and earnest in his whispering, "Hey, I just want to say thanks. You know. For everything."

I nodded slowly, glad that Finch was making the effort. He released my arm, acting more macho to make up for his moment of weakness and said loudly, "We're going to have to get back together again somewhere. Really party and run wild for the night."

Grinning back I enthusiastically nodded, looking back at the whole squad. "No doubt. All of us. We'll do it one day."

The squad cheered, fists in the air and roaring loudly, causing a scene in the diner. The manager glared at me specifically this time from behind the counter, and I ducked my head, quickly walking out of the restaurant before she decided to call security.

Once out side Galen and I bobbed and weaved through the crowds aboard the station, headed towards gates for my flight in silence. Reaching the first gate, we stopped and looked at each other. This had been a long and strange trip with the most unlikeliest person ever. Who would have thought that the same guy that I kicked out of my room on the Citadel would wind up being one of my best friends?

Galen looked at the lines, a melancholy air to him. His hands shoved into the pockets of his MCU's, he glanced back at me and seemed to be thinking the same thing I had been, "I thought you were an asshole that night."

I chuckled and nodded, remembering MEPS, Auggie, Ilyse, and everything else from that day clearly, "Well I knew you were an asshole."

He laughed, shaking his head, before ending in a sigh and more silence. After a moment he quipped back, "Still not as big an asshole as your roommate."

I grunted and rolled my eyes at that one. The silence was back again and this time I decided to confront it with some humor. "If you want me to kiss you then you're going to have to make the first move."

Not missing a beat he replied, "Nope. Your streak of not getting any action is staying intact."

Glaring back at him I reflexively defended my honor, "Just for clarification that streak was broken a while back."

He stared at me in shock, his eyes slowly narrowing. "I was only joking before, but did something actually happen between you and Anna?"

My eyes widened, annoyed and flustered. "No. Back at MEPS."

"Anna wasn't at MEPS." His reply was confused.

"No shit. Ilyse was."

Galen's eyes crossed as he tried to recall the name, "Ilyse. Ilyse. Nope. Don't know who that is."

"The redhead?" I tried jogging his memory.

His eyes widened in recognition and astonishment. "Really? You and her?"

I shrugged, not keen on explaining the details, "She kinda found out I was a biotic half way through. Didn't turn out well after that."

Galen winced in sympathy, giving my a mockingly consoling pat on the back. "Well she just didn't realize you'd turn out to be some YMIR killing machine."

I shook my head, lamenting everything about this conversation but still finding humor in it. "Maybe I should have used that as a pick up line last night."

"Couldn't have been worse than the lines Anna gave you. Speaking of which, what are you going to do about that?"

I frowned, not sure what he meant. There were several options floating around in my mind since this morning. The most appealing, and childish, was digitizing her face onto a krogan body and then posting that on the extranet. "What do you mean?"

Galen looked at me oddly, like I was a bit slow. "About her sending you bikini holos and making sure you don't get lucky with women that are not her. She likes you man."

Snorting at his assumption I laid out the counter argument, "Or she's flirtatious and likes playing pranks. Maybe she thinks of me as a friend or a cousin."

He shook his head and sighed "I don't have any family, but if one of them was sending me holos of her in a bikini and sabotaging my chances with women I'd think something was wrong."

Staring at him I contemplated how my own sisters would do just that. Fiendish little imps. "Clearly you've never met my sisters."

Galen tilted his head and quirked his lips, agreeing with my comment, which should have been a warning. "No, I haven't. But let me tell you. Your older sister? Smoking hot. Do you have any other bikini holos of her?"

"Don't make me kill you, Kemp."

He put some distance between us and faux pleaded his case. "What? I'm just saying. Maybe we hit it off and you and I become brothers. One big happy family."

I stared at Galen in sympathy, knowing he didn't realize what he was asking for. "No one ever deserves that punishment. Not even you."

He frowned, somewhat curious, "That bad, huh?"

Nodding I confirmed his suspicions, "That bad."

He looked conflicted, thinking to himself before smiling, "Yeah but that smile is totally worth it. And those eyes. And those legs. And that rack." My snarl increased with each word he said until he got the hint and stepped out of my range. "You're right. Not worth it."

Knowing he'd only been saying those things to wind me up I sighed and shook my head. As annoying as he could be at times I was really going to miss Galen. And who knows? Maybe one day I'll introduce him to Lizzy just so I can watch her tear him apart verbally.

Sensing it was time for me to go, Galen stuck out his right hand and smiled, "I'm still not kissing you. You'll have settle for a handshake and hug."

Making a puppy dog face I pleaded, "Not even a little one?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Just a peck?"

"You can kiss my ass."

I chuckled and grabbed his hand, pulling him in for an embrace. "Going to miss you, C-Urchin."

He nodded and replied, "You too, Elvis. Remember we're still going to hit up the Citadel one day. Just me and you. We'll end the night wasted in Chora's Den. The Wards will never be the same again."

We separated and I raised an eyebrow skeptically, "Do I even want to know what Chora's Den is?"

Galen nodded enthusiastically, a wide grin on his face. "Your life will never be the same after you visit."

My other eyebrow joined the first as my skeptical frown became more terrified than doubtful. "That still doesn't answer my question."

"Trust me."

I shook my head, not willing to go that far. "Now I'm definitely not going there with you."

He laughed and raised his fist which I bumped one last time. Giving him a wave, I grabbed my bags and headed towards the line for Gate 19.

Getting in line I stood behind an Asari couple who stuck out like a pair of blue thumbs. One of them noticed me in my uniform and smiled, "UNSC? It's always so good to know we have more than the Turians protecting Citadel space now."

Her friend nodded and condescendingly added, "Yes. We've just finished visiting your planet. Those giant sand blocks you stacked out in that desert are.. cute."

Giving her a cold stare I contemplated if I should mention that I had nothing to do with stacking sand blocks in the desert, but thought better of it. This asari obviously had a low opinion of humans and there was nothing I could do or say to change or her mind, let alone even make her feel ashamed.

The more courteous asari looked mortified and apologized for her friend's rudeness, "Oh you'll have to forgive Kelra. She's never been one for ancient history and learning about the way others live. I, on the other hand, had a wonderful time here. There's culture and history everywhere you see here. We even saw that giant wall your kind built ages ago. Amazing that it's held up so well over the ages."

"Oh I wouldn't say I completely disregard ancient history. I did enjoy the trip to the landmarks for the war your kind had." The snarkier of the pair tapped her finger to her lips as she tried to recall some bit of information, "Interplanetary War I think it was? Is that what the mass grave sites are for?"

My good mood from having said my farewells to Galen and the squad long gone, I glared at the asari and grunted. I didn't care if she took that to mean yes, no or go fuck yourself.

Thankfully they were the next in line to board, and turned to have their tags and omnitools scanned for boarding passes. The Air Force Security Team at the gate acknowledged them and they moved beyond the gate and into the umbilical that connected to the transport ship.

Stepping up to the scanning and decontamination chamber next, I was met by a small group of Air Force guards who gestured for me to put my bags down. As the doors closed the supervisor gave me a once over through the clear walls of the chamber and then glanced at at datapad in his hands. Looking back up he addressed me, "Private Second Grade Luis Shepard? UNSC Marines? Biotic?"

I nodded and quickly glanced at the rank along the left breast of his armor chestplate, "Yes, Chief Petty Officer."

He nodded and rechecked my itinerary, "Headed to Amaterasu and then Czarnobog?"

Again I nodded and gave the standard military reply, "Yes, Chief Petty Officer."

The guard at the terminal finished his scan and looked over his shoulder at his superior, "He's clean."

The CPO nodded and gave me a grin, "Anything else, Private?"

Feeling a bit annoyed still with that asari I grabbed my bags and asked, "Do I have to sit or sleep anywhere near either of the two just before me?"

The security team laughed and waved me through. I passed through the scanning and decontamination gate into the umbilical, the temperature dropping significantly. After a brisk, and chilly, walk I reached the transport. A flight attendant greeted me, datapad in hand and a large smile on his face. "Humanity's finest, eh? Welcome aboard Spaceways, Private Shepard. You've been assigned to cabin one one seven planetside on deck two. Sleeping bays are to the rear of your assigned deck and yours personal bay is one one seven dash four. Complimentary meals will be served in four hours but the cafeteria is open at all times for a la carte service for a small fee. If you have any questions or complaints, please consult our hospitality VI or message the staff at this address."

My omnitool pinged as the staff address for the transport was added. Adjusting the bag over my shoulder, I nodded and moved along, passing through a lounge area for passengers and then into the cabins. Since I was down another deck, I found the elevator bank and stood by with several other passengers for the next car.

Once through that hassle I exited on my deck and began looking around. One one seven planetside. One one one seven planetside. Not seeing a cabin even remotely in range of my number I got the idea I was supposed to move further back.

Finally reaching my cabin I could see from the outside that I was going to be sharing the trip with a young family complete with two small children. Two small children who were yelling and screaming and jumping around the cabin while their parents looked like they had given up trying to reign them in. The mother glanced at me through the glass of the doorway and gave me a look that clearly said to save myself.

I opted to follow her advice and headed towards the sleeping bays. I'm pretty sure there might be some level of cowardice in my self preservation, but I wasn't about to give myself a hard time over it.

When I finally arrived my body was starting to feel the effects of exhaustion and stuffing my face. I just wanted to crawl into my little vacuum sealed cubbyhole and knock out for the entire trip.

Finding my bay, I climbed up to the appropriate level and slid into the small sleeping quarters with my bags. Pulling the lid closed, it sealed with a hiss, protecting me should the pilots decide to do something stupid and suffer a hull breach.

A small light activated inside the bay once the door closed, illuminating everything in pale blue. "VI lights off. VI inform me when we enter the Arcturus system."

"Request acknowledged. Shepard, Luis Vincent. Sleep bay two dash one one seven dash four. Wake up conditions set for arrival in Arcturus system. Confirm?"

"Confirmed"

"Request confirmed. Thank you for choosing Spaceways."

As the lights in my sleep bay dimmed I settled in and closed my eyes with a big yawn.

Of course after being so tired, in perfect darkness, and the bay comfortable the last thing my body seemed to want to do was sleep. I tried rolling over to get into a better position but nothing helped.

Sighing to myself in frustration I reached into my left pocket and withdrew my wireless ear buds. Popping them in, I activated my omnitool and selected some classical music to put me to sleep.

Of course once I finally began dozing off, the flight crew's announcement overrode even my omnitool's privacy settings. Stupid safety protocols.

"This is your captain speaking. Spaceways Flight 5002 is now undocking from the Rakesh Sharma GSO Station. Please return to your assigned cabin or sleeping bay until we have cleared orbit. We're expecting about just under a six hour trip to the Charon Relay. Currently we are fortieth in line to use the Relay and shouldn't have to wait very long once we reach Pluto's orbit. Interstellar prices for extranet connections will be in place once we enter the relay. The entertainment lounge will begin a complimentary simulstim screening of Blasto: The Vol Supremacy in just over one hour. Feel free to access our complimentary media library for your private entertainment and educational needs. And as with all Spaceways flights, we ask that you refrain from explicit or erotic simulstims unless you are in the privacy of your own sleeping bay. If you have any further questions, please direct them towards our hospitality VI or send a message to the crew."

The classical music faded back in while I growled at the annoying interruption to my attempt to sleep.

And of course just as I was dozing off again my omnitool pinged to notify me of an incoming message.

[\ Anna S Vasilyeva [A] Yeka RF Earth [to] Luis V Shepard [A] Sarg Bekenstein \]

[\ You told everyone about that holo!? \]

I frowned, not at all expecting this message, but I should have. I have little doubt the moment I boarded this transport Galen sent Anna some manner of smart ass message requesting his own bikini holo.

Thanks a lot, asshole.

[\ Luis V Shepard [A] Sarg Bekenstein [to] Anna S Vasilyeva [A] Yeka RF Earth \]

[\ No. Someone else saw it that day you sent it. I said nothing and showed nothing. \]

Too annoyed to go back to sleep I began searching through my address book to find Galen so I could thank him when I ran across Wajiha's name. Wow. That seemed so long ago. Still pretty pathetic that I had yet to delete her address after everything that had happened. Then again she was the first girl to ever show interest in me so maybe I was subconsciously unwilling to let go of that? No matter how bad it had turned out to be?

Well, that wasn't really true either, was it? I think Klara Palinkas was into me, but I was just too shy and scared to talk to her. I wonder whatever happened to her? In the depressing whirlwind of events after the raid I never really found out who had survived. Was she dead? Or enslaved?

The thought enraged me, gnawing at my consciousness to find out. I quickly access the extranet and did a search for Klara Palinkas, and half a minute later I got a hit for someone living on Benning. That couldn't be her, could it? She was from Mindoir, not Benning.

I mentally chastised myself. I'm from Mindoir too but wound up on Bekenstein. Everyone on Mindoir were colonists or the children of colonists. Maybe she returned to live with relatives like I had?

Bringing up the profile I was stunned to see her again. Same black hair. Same blue eyes. Same beautiful smile.

I quickly typed out a message before I could second guess myself.

[\ Luis V Shepard [A] Sarg Bekenstein [to] Klara T Palinkas [A] Joug Benning \]

[\ You probably don't remember who I am but we used to live on Mindoir in Nouveau Basel. I just looked you up and am relieved to know you survived the raid. \]

I stared at my message for close to a minute, fearful it sounded creepy or desperate. Throwing caution to the wind I hit the send function and sighed. Reviewing the message over and over in my head, I kept wondering if she would answer.

Maybe by reminding her about Mindoir you're going to make her depressed?

Ugh. I probably should have just said something like 'Hi. Remember me?'

Yeah. Because that didn't sound creepy when someone just messages at random.

Anna had yet to reply and I doubted Klara would anytime soon so I deactivated my omnitool and closed my eyes. Finally, my body felt ready to sleep.

But it was not meant to be. My omnitool pinged yet again, and this time I sighed, partly in frustration and partly in anticipation.

Opening the message, I was elated to see who it was.

[\ Klara T Palinkas [A] Joug Benning [A] Luis V Shepard [A] Sarg Bekenstein \]

[\ You're alive! Oh wow. This is amazing! Can you vid chat? Right now? \]

Bathed in the pale orange glow of my omnitool, I grinned. My body was invigorated and sleep was suddenly the last thing on my mind.

Could I? You bet I could, Klara.

---

Codex Entry: M37 Falcon Multi Purpose Grenade Launcher

The UNSC M37 Multi Purpose Grenade Launcher [MPGL] is a semiautomatic tactical support weapon used for firing an assortment of micro grenades. It has the distinction of being one of a handful of primary weapon systems issued to troops that is not produced by Misriah Armory. Weapon Systems Technologies [WST], the oft maligned manufacturer of controversial weapons, is the architect behind the Falcon. The M37, introduced in [Terran Translation: 2515 CE, Terran Calendar], is an updated model of successful mass accelerator munitions launchers first introduced in [Terran Translation: 2397 CE, Terran Calendar].

The Falcon is heavy and streamlined, with a low profile body coated in black polymer and dark gray ceramic accents for insulation, ruggedness and grip. The upper portion houses both the unique UNSC VI integration electronics suite and an internal tubular [6] capacity magazine fed through a dorsal opening. The lower portion features a thick grip with thumbhole and wide flat trigger guard. The ventral surface of the barrel has a short modular rail for limited attachments. Weapon, warhead, and target status can be linked and displayed via the HUD in armor and headgear suites. Additionally the weapon can produce an unobtrusive tactical holographic display to either side of the electronics suite showing simple readouts as well as pop up sights along the dorsal surface for manual aiming.

The M37 fires [Terran Translation: 25mm] micro grenades at a much slower velocity and reduced range than other conventional micro scale mass accelerators. This is due to balancing the requirements for the mass of the projectiles against the heat and recoil generated in firing. As a consequence the M37 is meant to be a squad or fire team support weapon for use against heavily armored enemies or those in defilade. Rate of fire is quite quick for a semiautomatic munitions launcher and the heat management allows for all [6] rounds to be launched before overheat. The rounds are electronically synced with the VI integration electronics suite which optimizes detonation as an airburst, impact, or user controlled delay depending upon the type of micro grenades used and current battlefield. These rounds also have limited target tracking ability and movement capability by releasing of chemical propellant to correct course or bounce into place. As the Falcon uses a standard size widely accepted for micro grenades, a diverse and even illegal variety of options exist, including: Standard fragmentation; Anti armor high explosive; Plasma based incendiary; Lowered mass effect field; Non lethal electrical arc; Super cooled cryo; Flechette canister; Species specific riot control gas; Offensive nanites; And confined quarters thermobaric.

The simplicity and reliability of the weapon leaves little room for criticisms beyond the obvious that it is not a primary assault weapon. Aside from the tremendous recoil and low ammo count, a major drawback is the usefulness of the weapon is entirely dependent upon if the choice in micro grenade warheads are appropriate for the situation. The small nature of these individual warheads allows designated heavy weapons specialists in the UNSC to carry several dozen but even this amount can be exhausted quite quickly. To remedy this WST has teamed up with Hahne Kedar Defense and Kassa Fabrication to create a specialized field fabrication unit to create micro grenades. Each unit comes with a small supply of explosive composition which can used to create a total of [24] fragmentation or high explosive warheads in [Terran Translation: 10 Terran minutes] at the cost of [1] standard unit of omnigel per warhead. While this does allow troops to continually create basic warheads in the field, it is still reliant upon power cells to run the fabricator, a large cache of omnigel, resupply of the explosive composition, and free time, none of which are guaranteed to be plentiful on a battlefield.

---

Codex Entry: M41 Cobra Multi Environment Portable Anti Vehicle Missile System

The M41 Cobra Multi-Environment Portable Anit-Vehicle Missile System [MPAMS] is a missile launcher system used by UNSC forces to engage enemy terrestrial or aerial vehicles. In the aftermath of the liberation of Shanxi, Office of Naval Intelligence [ONI] analysts and engineers reviewed equipment taken from killed or captured Turian soldiers. Of prime interest were the light missile launchers carried by Turian forces responsible for reducing UNSC vehicles to scrap heaps by using a combination of mass effect fields and shaped explosive warheads. By the time of the ceasefire for [Terran Translation: First Contact War] in [Terran Translation: 2485 CE, Terran Calendar] ONI had a working prototype under the name Cobra. The project was then handed over to Misriah Armory for further refinement and finalization before mass production.

The Cobra is made of two components. The first is a reusable launch and targeting unit considered the M41 proper consisting of: Dual rotating gray ceramic barrels housing separate rail launch systems, element zero cores, and heat management systems; Central housing for munitions cartridges and a sensory array; Lower receiver coated in black polymer with an internal electronics suite, optional low profile holographic side display, trigger grips and firing mechanism; And a folding stock assembly with recoil dampening that allows for standard or over the shoulder firing. The second component is an expendable munitions cartridge containing two M19 Triple Warhead Anti Vehicle [TWAV] missiles and a power cell that is loaded into the central housing of the launcher assembly.

Small and light enough to be carried by an individual human soldier with no problem, the launcher is a dual barrel micro scale mass accelerator munitions launcher that uses the disposable power cell to power a cold firing of the missiles one at a time. When one missile is fired the barrels cycle places to allow for another firing. The cold firing gives more flexibility in firing locations without worry over backblast and dual barrels optimize the rapid firing of both missiles in a cartridge. An electronics suite is housed in the lower receiver and the sensory array made by Hahne Kedar Defense [HKD] resides atop the dorsal surface of the central housing. The internal VI is capable of tracking separate targets for each individual missile. The missile ignition activates [Terran Translation: 3 Terran Seconds] after launch and until that time functions more like a standard heavy mass projectile fired from a mass accelerator. The warheads are active the moment of launch and can detonate before the missile ignition begins, allowing troops to use the weapon at the closer ranges found in urban, arcology, and space station combat settings.

Each M19 TWAV missile is a triple warhead system that syncs and primes detonations at approximately [Terran Translation: 2 meters] from the target. The missiles have a high acceleration once missile ignition engages and a short operational range of [Terran Translation: 500 km]. A heat ablative ceramic coating acts as a limited countermeasure against laser defense systems. An electronic sync with the launcher system, operator HUD, or battle network telemetry provides confirmation and updated information for target lock, identification, and detonation. A redundant internal system within each missile is capable of a simpler targeting lock and proximity detonation calculation. The first warhead is an electromagnetic pulse warhead which is meant to disable countermeasure, communication, and propulsion systems in the target vehicle. The second warhead is a weak element zero warhead primed to create a rapid cycling mass effect field to defeat kinetic barriers by causing an unstable dark energy interaction detonation, or warp field if no barriers are present. Either instance would result in any outer reactive armor plating being defeated. The third and final warhead is a tandem high explosive shaped warhead which creates a pair of explosions that eject a stream of metal in a state of superplasticity. These attacks puncture the exposed layers of armor and cause internal destruction via spalling effect.

Since it's inception the M41 Cobra has seen extensive use on the battlefield, but despite this success and the best precautions the weapon is fallible with several notable weaknesses. The high explosive nature and close range firing capability creates a potential hazard in the hands of untrained or panicked soldiers. There are several documented incidents where a UNSC soldier miscalculated safe distance resulting in friendly casualties. Also, despite it's multi environment design, the missiles see limited effectiveness under harsh conditions and vacuum, and are still highly susceptible to laser based defenses. The weapon is also regarded as one dimensional in it's use as an anti vehicle platform. This is by design as the UNSC is of the opinion that the expensive and unrecoverable element zero warheads are unnecessary for engaging anti materiel and anti personnel objectives. As a result the Cobra's targeting VI and internal missile targeting systems will not recognize non vehicles or turrets as viable targets and thus fail to track or detonate properly. Finally, while the amount of element zero in each warhead is decidedly miniscule it is still considered a potential element zero hazard and is to be treated as such.

---

Codex Entry: RP34 YMIR Heavy/Biped Mech

The Jotun Heavy Industries [JHI] RP34 YMIR is a flexible and variable series of heavy robotic platforms meant for security and combat duties. Created in [Terran Translation: 2532 CE, Terran Calendar] the YMIR quickly saw widespread use across Systems Alliance space augmenting colonial police forces under a program run by the Systems Alliance Colonial Administration Authority [CAA] for better security options to reassure investment groups. After great success in implementing the mechs by law enforcement agencies the Systems Alliance expanded the program via subsidies and tax credits to corporations and collectives with strategic value to the defense and economy of Systems Alliance space. The UNSC was then prompted to open a research project to create a heavier armed and armored model for augmenting security and infantry units.

The unit is built around an internal frame that provides excellent mobility and power while still being capable of folding into a compact form for easy storage. Armor plating options vary, with light ceramics capable of withstanding small arms fire being the norm, but the UNSC RP34M Heavy Combat model features reinforced joints and thin Titanium A plating. JHI also produces the majority of the YMIR's VI programming and sensory systems in conjunction with Ariake Technologies [ATS], Hahne Kedar Defense [HKD], and Jormangund Technology [JGT]. The 'head' is an armored sensory array that provides the majority of environmental information as well as a communications suite to relay telemetry and remote operations. Coming in a variety of color schemes the body vaguely resembles a large upright bidpedal sapient with two legs and two stunted arms that end at the elbow joint for attaching modular weapon systems. Model variants include: The original RP34A optimized for police use in SWAT and riot control roles; The more customizable RP34C available for purchase by private security forces and corporations; The hazardous duty RP34D meant for more punishing conditions on inhospitable environments; and the aforementioned RP34M created for military use. The YMIR series also shares a similar internal frame and structure with the Jotun RP178 ETTIN, a non combat heavy industrial mech used for automated cargo and mining operations.

Because of the diversity in models and applications the YMIR is capable of fielding a variety of offensive and defensive systems, including: Class I Kinetic Barrier Generation System; [2] Class I GARDIAN laser turrets; M72 Non Lethal Sonic Cannon; M242 Non Lethal Electrical Arc Projector; M149 Heavy Mass Accelerator Cannon; M261 Twin Mass Accelerator Autocannons; M181 Multi Threat Precision Kill Missile Launcher; and M490 Automatic Grenade Launcher. All models feature a HKD made targeting and threat analysis VI that can be customized per customer requests to access local secure networks to verify civilian identitags, government security clearances, and private security settings. The VI coding is touted by JHI and HKD to be error free and highly resistant to hacking or tampering. Military variants of the YMIR are also capable of being armed with a self destruct mechanism which detonates upon the unit sustaining heavy damage that would reduce operational capability below a set threshold. An optional electronic warfare suite is available for crowd control and limited military application.

Criticisms for the mech stem from various sources. Civil rights and government oversight groups are critical of the use of YMIR mechs by human law enforcement and the UNSC. They claim the VI programming errs on the side of overpowering force when dealing with crowds and is responsible for making riots worse with disproportionate responses. They also point to the supposed non lethal capacity of some weapon systems and several instances during the Second Insurrection War when YMIRs were used to storm into high population areas where the post mortem explosion was used to deal horrific casualties. Other complaints come from the UNSC and law enforcement, who feel the YMIR is ineffective in open terrain or against heavy assault in comparison to manned exoskeletons. Hacking is a concern as well, as the nature of electronic security is a never ending battle. Several high profile instances of a VI or robotic platform being subverted by insurrectionist forces during the Second Insurrection War highlight the fragility of dependence upon such systems.

One final area of worry is the emergence of YMIR models in service of the Eclipse Security Team based out of Illium. While technically authorized to operate within Citadel Space and therefore capable of applying for the expanded program open to private security forces, Eclipse is widely regarded as a mercenary organization with ties to questionable operations in the Terminus. Security experts question the move to allow Eclipse to purchase YMIR models despite their record of service as a private security force in the Asari Republics. As there is no assurance of proper handling by Eclipse teams in the Terminus in regards to protecting the technology or using it ethically many regard this as a public relations disaster for JHI and the Systems Alliance waiting to happen.

---

Codex Entry: Saturn

The stunning and ringed gas giant Saturn is the sixth planet orbiting the star Sol. Named for an archaic human god of agriculture and time, the planet became a preferred destination early on in human space exploration for it's plethora of orbiting celestial bodies, strong magnetic field, and gentler gravitational pull than it's fellow giant Jupiter. The advent of slipstream and mass effect physics have turned this once primary deep space waypoint in the Sol system into a forgotten location and footnote in human history.

Composed primarily of hydrogen, the gas giant has a circumference of [Terran Translation: 378,675 km], gravitational pull of [Terran Translation: 1.065 g], and orbital period of [Terran Translation: 24.46 Terran years; 24,491 Local days]. The most prominent and impressive feature of the planet are a systems of rings made of ice and dust particles orbiting above the planet at ranges of [Terran Translation: 7,000 km] to [Terran Translation: 80,000 km]. Saturn has well over one hundred orbiting natural satellites, of which the two largest, Titan and Rhea, have seen significant development.

When humanity entered the first stages of space exploration, Saturn provided an ideal location for basing exploration into the outer edges of the Sol system. By the start of the Interplanetary War in [Terran Translation: 2160 CE, Terran Standard] there was an extensive array of orbiting scientific research stations as well as the surface settlements of Huygens Dome and Cassiniville on the moons Titan and Rhea, respectively. The outbreak of the war isolated the internationally run communities around Saturn as resupply missions halted, but thankfully the war itself never visited the planet. Following the war Saturn would see a dramatic boom in commercial expansion as scientists and engineers working for Ashland Energy Corporation successfully extracted and refined He3 from the planet's atmosphere. With nascent fusion technology already developed but primary fuels at a premium, this paved the way for a merger between the Ashland Energy Corporation and Eldfell Construction to provide the knowledge and infrastructure of building a host of automated extraction facilities around Saturn. This economic growth provided the groundwork for other corporations to open operations around Saturn, particularly extraction of hydrocarbons from Titan and water ice from moons like Dione, Enceladus, Iapetus, Rhea, and Tethys.

Unfortunately this period would aid in it's own decline by being the starting point for expansion to Uranus and construction of the massive and ambitious deep space research facility Gagarin station at the Sun-Neptune L5 point. Over the next century helium extraction and refinement industry would shift to Uranus which possessed more plentiful helium and weaker gravity than Saturn. The opening of Gagarin station would shift the focus of deep space scientific study away from Saturn as well. The discovery of the Prothean Archives on Mars and subsequent discoveries of Charon Relay proved to be the determinate factor in the end of already flagging interest in Saturn.

Today Saturn and it's moons have long since been abandoned by humanity as a possibility for colonization and resource extraction for more productive and remunerative interstellar locations. Instead it sees a minor renaissance as a classified strategic military outpost in the Sol system under the Saturn Military Reorganization Authorization Act, where the UNSC maintains military training, refueling, discharging, system observation, and defense facilities including several Air Force wings.

---

Codex Entry: Titan

Titan, or Saturn VI, is the sixth major celestial body orbiting the gas giant Saturn in the Sol system of the Orior star cluster. Once home to a thriving colonization effort by humans, it has since been abandoned and repurposed by the UNSC as the Titan Training Center and Proving Grounds.

The moon, named after a race of deities from an ancient human mythology, is tidally locked to it's parent Saturn as it completes a single orbit in [Terran Translation: 15.9 Terran days]. It's composition consists primarily of water in liquid and ice states formed in layers around a still warm rocky core. Terrestrial properties include an equatorial circumference of [Terran Translation: 16,177.5 km], a gravitational pull of [Terran Translation: 0.14g], and a rough surface temperature of [Terran Translation: -179.5 Celsius].

A rarity in moons, Titan possesses a thick atmosphere made of nitrogen with methane and trace amounts of hydrocarbons that drives a native climate. The interactions between the layers of Titan gives rise to tectonics and cryovolcano activity which play a role in Titan's atmosphere and methane cycle. Methane and other hydrocarbons create conflicting greenhouse and solar absorption layers for a net warming effect. A methane cycle produces rainfall, clouds, storm systems, subsurface aquifers, lakes, rivers, and small seas. These processes have influenced Titan's topography in ways similar to conventional garden worlds, creating volcanic plains, mountains chains, valleys, bodies of water, windswept plains, and dune seas.

Humans would establish their first presence on Titan in [Terran Translation: 2149 CE, Terran Standard] with the Huygens International Research Cooperative. Built as a joint scientific research and colonization effort, the facility and it's occupants would see dark days during the duration of the Interplanetary War with supplies running dangerously low and critical failures in vital life support systems. It would rebound in the aftermath of the war, revitalized by the surge in interest around Saturn following the He3 boom. The facility would go through several expansion phases, adding living and work quarters until an arcology dome encompassing the facility was put in place by [Terran Translation: 2196 CE, Terran Standard]. Other facilities would join the renamed Huygens Dome on the surface of Titan , but none would reach the same stature or size. Titan continued to experience population growth for several decades as it supported the various deep space research and He3 extraction operations orbiting Saturn, reaching a high of [11,328] in [Terran Translation: 2240 CE, Terran Standard]. The opening of He3 extraction on Uranus and planned creation of the Gagarin deep space operations station would start a slow death for interest in Titan which would be finalized with interstellar travel.

The Systems Alliance would pass the controversial Saturn Military Reorganization Authorization Act in [Terran Translation: 2378 CE, Terran Standard], which handed control of the planet, moons, and all associated orbital stations over to the UNSC. Private enterprise and citizens still present were not allowed to appeal but were compensated for the loss of assets and cost of relocation. By [Terran Translation: 2382 CE, Terran Standard] the UNSC had classified the planet and placed a no orbit zone for unauthorized vessels. Titan would be repurposed as the Titan Training Center and Proving Grounds, a surface and atmospheric warfare training center controlled by the orbiting Fort Charles Upham station. The existing facilities and orbital stations from Titan's heyday now serve as set pieces for live action war games and testing environments for technologies the UNSC is researching.