UNSC Marines and armored vehicles moved to aid in the expansion of the BEACON FOB. A flight of heavy transports, carrying modular outposts from aboard the Spirit of Fire moved under escort to predetermined positions around Beacon itself, each a good few kilometers distance, near the outer defenses. The bases would be interlinked and working under SeaBee/Marine Management. The ship herself would remain manned by the Command Crew, as several smaller outposts, that would later be upgraded to Citadels, would surround and form a perimeter around her.
Within Beacon, the commotion was incredible. Marines and Army marched on patrol around the FOB as UNSC Pelicans swung in overhead, delivering supplies and ammunition. A small factory had been set up beneath the base itself and its walls were now permanently manned by UNSC Marines with the new magnetic weapons, provided by Doctor Halsey and Ruby Rose.
Hawks flew patrols in unison with Hornets and the Atlas Gunships and Air Battleships. The former were simply known as the Mako-Class transport and support airships. They struggled to keep pace with the UNSC's own arsenal of aircraft and vehicles, though and a FOB ATC 'Tower' had been set up. 'Tower' being a relative term for the room in which soldiers operated radars and radios.
A flight of Pelicans bringing in three Warthog reconnaissance vehicles with the standard AA Gatling Guns also brought in part of the Spirit of Fire's crew. Ozpin and team JPDE awaited for them in the midst of the UNSC Base. As the Pelicans dropped off the 'Hogs, Marines jumped into the driver seats and found neat parking spots within the base's own Motorpool. Much of the Beacon FOB had been fully expanded upon in but a few days since the Breach.
"It seems as though the UNSC's rearmament has gone accordingly." Ozpin observed, leaning on his cane.
"Quite so. And to add to that, the number of reinforcements received is... Staggering." Penny hummed, looking around as more veteran soldiers helped settle in the newbies from the Spirit. Penny sighed "I still cannot believe that they discovered one of their own ships stuck underneath Mountain Glenn... And nobody noticed it while digging." to which Jack and Evelyn chuckled.
"Hey, let's not look a gift horse in the mouth, Penny." Jack crossed her arms, watching as the Gunship carrying the important UNSC Personnel touched down on the landing pad ahead. The back hatch propped open and a man wearing a black and grey uniform and a woman wearing a red tank top and baggy pants appeared. The latter had a datapad in her hand...
Following them was Doctor Halsey, a calm smile on her face, and Cortana. The AI-turned-human stretched, yawning, then watched as little Opportunity rushed her. She smiled, then picked up the little girl and held her close, carrying her. The AI Girl moved toward where the Chief and BLUE Team were, waving to team JPDE's other fourths. They waved back...
As Captain Cutter approached Ozpin, he extended his hand "I presume you're Headmaster Ozpin. I'm Captain James Cutter, UNSC Spirit of Fire." And he sighed "Or what's left of her, anyways." before the man gripped and shook. "A pleasure, Captain. Welcome to Beacon... I understand from reports that you and your people have been asleep for quite some time underneath the Vale Mountains..."
"If my shipboard AI's calculations are correct... Which they rarely aren't, it'd be at least 10 millennia since we crashed on the planet." The Captain stated bluntly, making everyone's eyes outside those who knew go wide. Doctor Halsey hummed, noticing Ozpin's reaction, then added her own two cents "Add to that, in our world, only around 30 or so years passed since the Spirit was declared Lost With All Hands."
"Temporal discrepancies can be something that occurs from the artifact you and the Spartans found, Doctor." The Asian woman in the tank top said. "It is Slipstream-based after all."
"Fair way of ascertaining it, Doctor Anders." Halsey quipped back a bit snarkly "We'll have to look into it once we get over there."
"Shall we proceed to discuss further in my officer?" Ozpin offered. The responses were simple nods... And Jack regarded John as he left with Cortana toward a Pelican, followed by six other Spartans. And she wondered where the bird left off toward as it took off for the Emerald Forest. As the Pelican boosted, John arranged his weapon. Kelly, Linda, Fred, Sam and Red Alice followed suite...
As they approached the landing site, they saw burn marks on the trees. Cuts, deep and hot still. And Grimm corpses dissipating on the floor below... Everyone present recognized the marks and Sam and Alice seemed twitchy. They jumped into the Emerald Forest's shrubbery and started following the traces of blade and scorch marks on the trunks and dirt.
As the Spartans advanced, following the trail of plasma-based wounds, they soon found themselves near by a clearing where Grimm were streaming in. Something in the middle gathered them up, but said something seemed to be doing well. John heard the telltale hiss of an Energy Sword striking bone and black fur and skin and saw Grimm being cut in half, corpses flying overhead as they disappeared. A short burst of Plasma Rifle fire struck a Nevermore overhead.
"Chief... Tagging two friendly IFFs..." Cortana noted, grinning.
"Confirmed... Spartans, Ready Up." John said.
"Friendlies? Those sound like Energy Swords, Chief..." Alice muttered. And as the Spartans stood up with John, they saw them... Atop a tall hill, two alien-looking, hunchback creatures with triple-jointed legs swung their Energy Weapons around with disregard. Anywhere they hit would mean a kill. They had 4 mandibles and snake-like eyes hidden underneath helmets. One's armor looked ornate, golden and resembling old Earth designs... The other's was a pure, bone-white with emerald lights. The latter's left mandibles were either shortened or missing, halved...
"The Shipmaster and the Arbiter..." Cortana's jaw dropped...
"Shit! Elites!" Alice raised her rifle to greet the new foe... And saw her hand pushed down by Chief, who shook his head and said "Did you not read the briefings about what happened during the final years of the war, Alice?" to which the girl shook her head. John sighed, then waved the Spartans forward... And Cortana happily joined, twin Magnums drawn.
The Chief nodded to everyone, then jumped, firing his Rail Gun at the targets below. Multiple rounds barked out of the other Spartans' weapons and Cortana's own guns as they moved into the position of the two Sangheilli ahead of them... And the one in gold raised his gaze to meet the Chief as he landed. With a calm voice, he spoke "Spartan... I see you are well..."
"As good as can be..." John nodded, straightening up and switching his weapon to Bludgeon form. "Good to see you, Arbiter."
"The pleasure is all mine, Spartan." The Sangheilli nodded, his jaws morphing into a mock human smile. "I take it you know how to combat these... Things?" He motioned toward the Grimm. John nodded simply, allowing Thel 'Vadam to turn to the Shipmaster and say "Shipmaster, what is your status?" to which Rtas 'Vadum cocked his head back and said "I am ready, Arbiter."
"Very well. Let us cut down these monstrosities..." The Arbiter said, bringing his Energy Sword, which now shined Scarlet, up. He surged forward, followed by the Chief and BLUE TEAM, while Alice and Sam reluctantly helped the Shipmaster in his fight. Thel kicked a Grimm with his hoofed foot, sending the Ursa staggering, before he brought his Energy Sword down, splitting the monstrosity in half with one fell swipe.
John joined in, his Bludgeon striking through the Grimm and breaking jaws and bones and backs. The two fought in a cohesive, joint dance of death. One with a blade sharpened to the micron and the other, with a blunt weapon powerful enough to break his own spine. The BLUE Team members assisted with precise rifle fire. John moved around the Arbiter with a grace that the Elite had not seen in the man when they first fought alongside one-another. His bludgeon thundered as he struck down a Grimm that was about to attack from behind the Sword-Wielding Sangheilli.
Said Sangheilli returned the favor by moving behind the Chief and slashing downward, vivisecting a Beowolf Alpha. The Elite drew his Plasma Rifle with his Left hand and let out a a burst as he wielded the scarlet blade with his right. Chief spun about and fired a round over Thel's head that gutted a Nevermore about to strike at the Elite. Its corpse, split in half by the powerful Magnetized round, tumbled to the floor, its corpse vanishing in a trail of smoke.
Rtas's blade cut through the air, bisecting three Creeps. The Elite raised his gauntlet-covered hand to stop a strike from a Beowolf, his armor's shields flaring blue, before he grabbed the creature by the arm, twisted said arm, bringing the creature to its knees, then... He swung. Its head was flung clean off, corpse disappearing in the Shipmaster's hand.
Alice raised her Rifle and let out a burst of fire that swept the area ahead clean. Sam, meanwhile, used his Knife and Shotgun with about as much calm as he could muster. This was still former foes of theirs. Ones to whom he had died. Ones that Alice had long fought. Rtas looked over to Sam, then said "Spartan, down!" Before Sam's eyes went wide. He crouched as Plasma fire flew over his head and looked back to see a dead Ursa that was about to attack him, killing it. The Shipmaster nodded to him and Sam nodded back, a hint surprised, as the Elite lopped another Grimm's head clean off.
"Elites helping humans... What sort of loopy land is this?" Alice muttered as she raised her rifle again.
"Welcome to the post-war Era, Spartan." Rtas answered, firing his own Plasma Weapon. "It is thanks to your Master Chief and the Arbiter that we have not fired upon you... And why you haven't fired upon us either. For a long eight years."
"Yeah, figured..." Alice muttered. "How's the healing process, by the way?"
"Our people hate each-other less than last year, if that is what you were asking." Rtas quipped, making Alice chuckle...
"An elite with a sense of humor and no homicidal tendencies... Well, I guess we did really draw good this time around." The Spartan noted, kicking down another pair of Grimm and gutting them open with her Rifle's heavy bullets. She looked to Cortana, to see her using an almost unmatched mobility to fire her twin pistols and dance around the Grimm. She jumped into the circle, then looked to Thel and said "Hey, Arbiter! Long time no see!"
"... Is that your Construct, Spartan?" Thel asked, brow raised in confusion.
"Yep..." John kicked another Grimm down, before executing it with a Magnum.
"..." The Elite turned his gaze to the Spartan. "... Interesting." Before slashing another Grimm down with his Energy Sword. "I believe pleasantries are in order, but may we proceed with those once we've finished our fight here?" before grabbing a Beowolf by the throat and squeezing hard enough to snap its neck. He grabbed a Creep by the tail and swung it around like a mace, before throwing it toward more of its brothers.
"Agreed." Chief stated...
The fight ended as quickly as any would expect, once the Spartans and Elites managed to finish off the last monstrosity present. Now, they stood in a field of dissolving Grimm bodies... The Arbiter clipped his Energy Sword to its mount, as did the Shipmaster, before the former extended his alien hand to the Chief. The Spartan gripped it and shook it firmly.
"Many thought you had died, Spartan." The Arbiter noted.
"Many thought he was also the last Spartan, Arbiter." Cortana returned, smiling. She tilted her head to the others "As can be seen, it isn't the case."
"Good." The Arbiter nodded to her and the Chief. "We need to leave, lest more of those creatures come our way."
"Copy..." He tapped his com "Foe Hammer, this is Spartan 117. Requesting Evac. Be advised, we've got a plus two... Tell the people back at base to be calm." And he waited for an answer. The Arbiter hummed... There must've been more humans sent here. If BLUE Team were anything to go by, at least. And the fact that this pilot, Foe Hammer, was alive, was proof enough.
"Chief, I gotta be honest, I don't like the way you said that..." Foe Hammer stated "But okay... Copy that." The woman spoke. Soon, the thundering engines came overhead and the UNSC Aircraft swung in. Chief had calmed down Foe Hammer before she raised her pistol. As the vehicle flew in toward Beacon, the Arbiter settled himself into a seat and looked to the Spartans.
"It has been long since we've last seen the Spartan." Rtas stated.
"Indeed." The Arbiter stated, looking at the Chief.
"Being gone for 5 years is a long while, Arbiter." Cortana noted. "How's Sangheillios?"
"It is fine... Free at last, thankfully." The Elite sighed. "It was a long Civil War." before Chief looked over to him and spoke calmly "At least you won. Your people can live without having to worry about the Covenant coming back for a very long time." and received a nod from his Xeno friend... Oh, Gods, how would team RWBY, or anyone in Beacon react to the Elite... Nevermind the UNSC, things were about to get really heated back at home...
AN:Buuuut, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to leave y'all hangin with a Cliffhanger for this one! Until the next Volume of RWBY:Spartan Assault Starts, See y'all and have fun! Also, I'm so very sorry this chapter's so short, but I am kind of getting burned out and I figured I needed to get one last chapter out before I take a break. Anyways, the next Volume of RWBY:SA should start somewhere around summer or so, hopefully... If I don't remember by the middle of June, PM me to remind me, 'kay?
Okay. See y'all later!