A/N: Another chapter? I have literally run out of backlog! Welp, it goes how it goes. The 'Mentor to Weiss' omake is probably going to be either
A: A miniseries, with scenes of Six and Weiss interacting as we speed through various points in the show, especially the way I have to change up what information Six receives and with how I'm definitely going to be changing certain things that occur
B: a full-blown, basically semi-rewrite of this entire story(Oh God I feel like I'm going to regret this if I do it)
To be fair, it wouldn't be that hard to write, I have most of the major scenes thought out for it. I just need to figure out how to make them meet...
Yeah, that's gonna suck.
Remnant, Beacon Academy, Sanus
August 21, 2553
1320 Hours
Sierra Beta-312
Professor Port looked shocked, probably by the fact that a lone person could wreak so much havoc all on their own.
"And you did it all on your own?" He asked, almost incredulous.
"Of course; was in the job description after all."
"Well you certainly make for a good Huntsman. Ozpin assigned you to help me with military strategy, though. How good are you at that?"
"I'm an engineer. Making any place into a fortress is my job."
"So you shall assist with the defensive part of the curriculum. What about assaulting fortified positions and other types of maneuvers?"
"Professor, in order to defend, one must understand how his opponent will attack. I can assure you I know all sorts of military strategy. Especially considering that I am a military officer."
"You are? Are you sure you aren't one of Atlas' Specialists?"
"I'm considered one of them, but only to minimize the logistical nightmare that comes with my special case. I'm more of a private consultant for their military."
"Bart would find all these 'Grimm' of yours fascinating; considering he would love to know the history behind them."
"Well, I don't even know much about them. Just how to kill them best." Port laughed, pulling out his curriculum binder.
"Indeed. In the heat of battle, there is no time for pointless trivia."
I nodded at that. Ignore the fact that practically everyone had more duties than to just shoot at the enemy in combat. The sniper had to find the priority targets and take them out, the medic had to heal the wounded, and just about everyone had a duty to protect their fellow soldier; hauling them to safety when they were hit. Hell, I was always scanning the environment for potential ways to rig the area into a trap or chokepoint when I was assigned on those missions.
Guess Aura had made the populace here somewhat combat-stupid. In fact, most medical tech was reliant on Aura to do the heavy lifting for the patient.
Too bad most of my weapons could literally dissolve flesh.
"So, what's on the agenda? I can help teach anything you might have in mind. Except the history part; I didn't brush up on that much…" I said, watching as Port flipped through the curriculum binder.
"That's quite alright, I can do those myself." He waved it off, continuing to flip through the pages.
We discussed how we would split the subjects, and by the time I left the classroom, it was at least an hour or so later.
Time for me to head home. I summoned the armor and walked through the hallways, passing several students.
Walking out to the courtyard, I passed several more students.
Whispers and murmurs about who the armored man was and why he was on campus were all around.
I waved my hand while I summoned the Hornet in the same spot, just for theatrics.
The function only required me to select a vehicle, and I could do it entirely through my neural implant if need be.
Climbing into the Hornet's cockpit, I closed the hatch and ran the standard preflight checks.
The students who were exploring the campus and saw me stared, wondering what this armored man hoped to do with such a small airship.
Eggheads back at Atlas had all collectively slapped their foreheads when they realized the airships could be much, much smaller. After all, just use Dust to get the VTOL going and make their designs more aerodynamic.
Fucking amateurs; they figured out flight and decided to make their aircraft big, hulking, barely aerodynamic things. They belonged more in the water than the actual atmosphere.
I took off, leaving Beacon behind me as I headed back to Patch.
Once the coast came into view, it wasn't long before I was hovering above my cabin.
The Hornet landed, the grass cushioning the landing. The hatch popped open, and I climbed out.
The sun hung high up in the sky; far from setting. The cabin's door closed behind me and the Hornet disappeared in a flash of blue.
I could figure out how to deal with the Flood soon. Hopefully, Ozpin would list me as 'part-time' and I would be able to run at any moment to deal with any Flood outbreaks.
The whoosh of air behind me indicated I would not be able to rest today, unfortunately.
"Reclaimer."
"Ashen. What is it now?"
"Another Flood outbreak. However, I have recently discovered why I have been unable to detect as much as this Installation's specifications list. The Flood appears to be disabling the facilities and as such, my ability to monitor the subjects and this Installation as a whole is being limited. It would help greatly if you could deal with the infestation of the facilities, particularly the ones I have highlighted on your device. Those are the core installations, which are capable of many functions that could allow the Flood to escape this Installation."
"Got it. What kind of outbreak are we dealing with for today?"
"Minor, no environmental changes, no central intelligence established."
"So just go in, wipe out the Flood forms, and that's it?"
"Yes. No changes have been noted in their behavior nor have they managed to gain any biomass beyond the scattered fauna trapped within the containment zone."
"Easy, compared to the usual. Teleport me." I said, summoning the EOD Mjolnir. The yellow rings engulfed me, and the surroundings faded away.
The usual containment sphere was already up, with the decontamination room just ahead.
I felt like pins and needles all over my body like every other time I got teleported. "Are you sure this is safe for me?"
"Why would I risk harming a Reclaimer? You have done nothing but be compliant all this time and you have not attempted to damage any of this installation."
"Because this teleportation thing makes my nerves feel all weird."
"The monitor who attended to you previously had left a full profile on your biology, and I found that the teleportation method you are using is perfectly safe for you."
That was some good news, at least.
The decontamination room's door slid open. I stepped in, with the doors performing their usual airlock-esque procedure.
I stepped through the now open door to the inside. Place was scenic, that was for sure.
If only abominations of nature weren't roaming freely in here.
Should probably get the forge to make a prototype flamethrower. Might make my job easier.
My armor scraped against my knees again. Damn kneeguards, why were they so rigid?
The EOD armor was never a perfect fit; somehow. They always said it was built to adapt to our size, but mine was always just a bit too loose or tight to be comfortable. Never sure why.
At least the MK VI I was given for testing fit nicely.
The snowy forest I had emerged in was silent, with only the loud crunch of snow underfoot to accompany me.
Motion tracker was registering flickers, but I couldn't get a solid bead on any of them. It was the Flood, scouting me out for sure; but they were staying cautious.
The shotgun and the SMG accompanied me again, with the shotgun on my back and the SMG in my hands.
Felt safer knowing I could at least somewhat engage at farther ranges with it in my hands.
Howls, surrounding me.
Were they trying to ambush me? My shields would tank the first few hits, but the hardlight shield on the interior would keep me from serious harm.
Some big fuckin' bastard was pounding around. Considering I was probably somewhere in Solitas, it was going to be tough, fast, and strong.
I holstered the M7 on my thigh and summoned the M6 Spartan Laser. If I was hunting big Flood forms, I was bringing the big guns.
More pounding. Motion tracker's filling up with contacts.
Guessing 5 to 1 odds.
I've had worse.
Howls echoed through the forest.
I stopped in a clearing, wide open with the forest cover far off enough to give me room to fire.
Pounding getting closer; big ass blip on the motion tracker closing in fast.
I couldn't see it yet, but it was making the snow fall off the trees.
Damned snow. Was up to my knees even in the Mjolnir.
The cause of the pounding emerged. Some gorilla-grimm-Flood form emerged; roaring.
That appeared to signal the rest of the Flood to attack, as they all started charging across the snow.
Shit; M6 can only do one target at a time.
Engage jetpack, buy myself time to take out the big one.
The jets whined and roared their say; lifting me to the skies. All the while, the M6 softly whined, the red targeting laser slowly growing in intensity.
Gorilla boy slammed his fists against his chest before jumping up.
Fuck's sake; that was almost as high as me!
The whining grew louder as the red line grew brighter. Gorilla moved to jump again.
Almost…
Shit!
Gorilla boy had grabbed my leg while jumping, and was dragging me down to the ground.
A cleansing line of red cut through the Flood form, slicing it apart.
I flew back up into the air, before my jetpack started sputtering.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me." The jets cut out, and I was in free-fall.
Unsummoning the Spartan Laser, I drew the M45 shotgun as I braced for landing.
The gel locked up, and my body tensed.
Dirt flew from the force of the impact, and the snow came up in huge drifts, slowly floating back down.
Nothing but white when I looked around. Shit.
Engage Promethean Vision, VISR was good, but this was better.
The contacts were highlighted. Bunch of infected wolves and...sabertooth tigers?
Gorilla was confirmed dead. That was a relief.
One of the tiger Flood lunged, met with hardlight pellets to its face.
One down, 20 more to go.
This was bad. Surrounded with no good fallback options. Short ranged weapon.
At least I could put down any fucker that did come in range.
"Come and get it you fuckers!" Draw and ignite the energy sword.
The two blue prongs softly ignite from my left hand. Wished it still did that satisfying ignition noise when it used plasma; but this was fine.
M45 in my right hand, I charged through the snow as fast as I could.
The sprint turned into a roll, assisted by the boosters in my armor. The Evade armor ability was really helpful.
They were grouping up to try and overwhelm me. That was their mistake.
Lunging at the Sabretooth Flood forms, I let hardlight pellets fly, slashing the sword fly back and forth.
Several went down, and a few were injured. The Beowolves were dashing across the snow, trying to get me from behind.
Toss a plasma grenade into the remainder of the Sabertooth horde; run at them.
One snaps forward to try and attack.
Jump up, and kick off its head; changing directions all the while.
I turned to face the Beowolf horde, and I let loose with the shotgun.
Orange pellets seared and sliced through flesh, and then I landed.
A wave of heat and blue gases washed over my back.
I holstered the shotgun, and slashed my way through the rest of the horde.
Looking around, there were no more.
Time to clear the rest of the place. How big was the sphere anyways? I needed to get this done soon.
The TacPad beeped. This better not be some bullshit from Ozpin, I was dealing with enough as it was.
025 Ashen Quarter:
Only remaining Flood signatures are within the facility.
Sentinels deployed to clear the area, head into the facility and continue recontainment.
Well, that made my job easier and quicker.
I trudged into the facility, the snow severely bogging me down.
The entrance was clogged with snow, the door having been forced open.
Piles of snow were all over the hallway, mixed in with panels that had been torn off the doors.
Inside was eerily quiet. The lights were still on, but where the usual blares of the sirens and the soft hum of mechanisms used to be; there was now nothing.
No noises, not a single sign of life from any of the usually operating machines in even the most Flood infested facilities.
Heading farther into the facility, there was no sign of anything but the Flood's mad dash for escape.
No biomass; just burn marks and debris from doors and Sentinels alike.
The sudden noise of skittering set me on guard.
Fuck. Infection forms, most likely.
Swap to the M7 SMG, the volume of fire is better suited for this.
The lights decided to cut out at that exact moment.
"Oh you've gotta be kidding me…"
More skittering. Some were jumping and killing themselves on my shields.
My shields flared up, covering me in a yellow shroud.
Motion tracker was showing them, but they were just a little too fast to catch.
Dammnit, was hoping I wouldn't have to use a frag this time.
Toss one to the largest mass that was skittering about, as they circled me.
The hallway lit up with the flame of the exploding device. Infection forms mostly wiped out, leaving a large green cloud to dissipate.
I sprayed with the M7 in a circle around me, killing the rest.
If only killing the Gravemind would mean the Flood was definitively dealt with. Instead, just more wrap-ups as the Flood threat shifted slightly downwards on the 'threats to Humanity I have to stop' list.
Fucking hell, if only I had more than one nuke.
The facility was quiet, with no signs of any Flood.
Not even damage, which was strange.
I entered some sort of control room, which had some sort of emergency lighting, the blue lights glowing softly.
The consoles scattered around the room were flickering, the hardlight interfaces glitching out.
Engaging active camo, I crept over to a console. It was flickering the most, and the projector was sparking.
Upon closer inspection; the projector had sustained severe physical damage. Dents and claw marks were clearly visible, and the faint splatter of Flood fluid coated the projector.
Sentinels don't leave marks like that. If they were here, there should be burn marks all over the area.
Someone had come through here.
That was bad. I'm the only person that should know about these facilities.
Which meant some curious Huntsman managed to get in;
Or whoever came here didn't come alone.
Coldhearted as it was, I hoped it was the latter. Flood that were on par with a Huntsman would be bad, while a group of human combat forms could be handled.
I typed a quick message to Ashen.
Found a control room.
Damage indicates third party.
Requesting Sentinel assistance.
Ashen responded with the appearance of several Sentinels that appeared from some sort of storage unit or other.
I directed the Sentinels to spread out and search for any Flood. The large pit the control room hung above called to me for some reason.
If the people who came through here had left through one of the hallways, there'd be some sign of damage or battle of some sort.
But the hallways were immaculately clean. Instead, only this room was damaged.
Flood forms had most likely driven them to jump into the chasm, but what was down there?
Peering over the edge, there was nothing but darkness and the soft glow of the somewhat functioning emergency lights lining the pit. I grabbed a signal flare from my survival kit, lighting it and tossing it in.
See how far down it goes…
Shit. Flare disappeared into the darkness.
Means I probably won't survive the fall. Aura might help, but they would have to have a large amount of it to even barely survive.
I didn't have a rope or any way down. I sent another message to Ashen.
Signs indicate third party went down the chasm control room is overlooking.
Unable to pursue.
Ashen responded almost immediately, as he had before. The yellow rings surrounded me and I prepared for the small bout of nausea that would come with it.
When the teleportation finished, it was pitch black and only a slight light was coming from above.
I enabled the VISR and looked around.
Bodies. Quite a few.
All infected and turned into combat forms; but they seemed to be dormant for now.
At least it wasn't a Huntsman. But how would they have managed to make it this far without help?
The VISR highlighted something on the ground by one of the combat forms.
Zoom in with the helmet.
Looks like a rifle of some sort.
Shit, if they all had Aura this was going to be hard to deal with.
Several were wearing some armor. Atlas design.
Atlas soldiers, escorting refugees of some sort before something happened to drive them here.
They had to have a transponder on them.
So; disable the transponder, ensure asset denial, and search for any possible survivors.
I both love and hate this job sometimes. On the one hand, demolition is always fun. On the other; I have to hunt down any possible surviving people in a literal maze of a facility.
Goddamnit.
Remnant, Beacon Academy, Sanus
August 23, 2553
0720 Hours
Sierra Beta-312
So goddamn tired.
I had spent most of the night searching the facility for any other Flood or people, with the Sentinels taking some of the workload off.
Needed to pay Kat's statue a visit tomorrow; too.
I had wake-up stims on me; but it would look bad if I started injecting shit into myself on school grounds.
If only I could find some corner where nobody would bother me while I stimmed up…
"Markus. Are you capable of performing all the demonstrations for the students?" Glynda asked.
"Yeah, sure. Go easy on me; I'm tired and I'm not going to be using the armor."
Still had half an hour to wake myself up. The students were eating their breakfast and preparing for classes.
I leaned against the wall. So, so, so tired.
That was strange. I usually was able to stay up for at least three days in a row before a noticeable drop in performance.
Maybe I could power through it. Just need to get some adrenaline going through my system.
Or maybe just needed to knock around the ol' brain case a little.
I grabbed the wake-up stim. Fuck it, I needed the boost-
The TacPad beeped.
Abnormal Brain Activity Detected.
Diagnosing...
Administering Beta Blockers.
I felt much more energized, and I felt my worries fade away.
The wake-up stim was put back in my pocket. I headed out of the classroom.
"I'm headed to the restroom." The door slammed shut behind me as I walked down the hallway.
The restroom door crept closer as I continued walking.
The Flood, Salem, her Lieutenants, the Grimm, the Covenant-All problems I have to deal with; and mostly on my own.
Always got to be the Spartan that deals with the problems, never can be dealt with by other people.
Against the Covenant, where we were always outnumbered, outgunned, and fucked over in all terms of tactical superiority, that was understandable.
After all, it's hard to hold the line on the ground when the Covvie ship in the sky can just glass the area.
Even harder when they already own the planet…
That mission was FUBAR from the start.
Our drop pods had been detected, and Covvies had swarmed over our landing sites shortly after we left.
From there, we were hunted. Managed to preserve our ammo somewhat, by some miracle.
Securing the asset was easier once they mobilized in force to find the 'Demons' that were crawling about on the planet.
Too bad we were detected almost immediately upon securing it. The whole force had descended on us, and Daniel had taken the brunt of it. His leg was shot to hell, and we didn't have enough Biofoam to stop the bleeding.
Limped half a klick before the Covvies started following our trail.
Evac was even more fucked.
At least there weren't any stealth elites around to ambush us then.
Covvies on our tail, two klicks from the nearest rendezvous for exfil, and carrying an injured comrade.
Almost made it too, if the Covvies hadn't managed to EMP us. Pelican went down, killed everyone else, and left me stranded in enemy territory with low ammo and no evac.
Daniel. He needed a statue, too. For all the ones who died before and after Reach.
Hell, the whole damn UNSC needed to be honored. We may have fallen, but we sure as hell went down fighting.
Even if we lost, we fought enough to burn the memory of ourselves into any damn Covvie that was out there.
A/N: Now this whole chapter did feel a bit lackluster, especially with the 'not quite right' feeling here. Probably shouldn't write and edit while sleep-deprived.
Comments:
Halofan2117- I can relate, so many dogs in the family, I remember at least two that passed away; one of cancer, the other of old age-absolute trooper was still lively after getting arthritis, lived for a few more years before passing away. And the songs are all found on YouTube, i don't use Spotify or any other music platform, really. So, either the song itself is there or a version of it is there. I did look to make sure almost all the songs can be found.