Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech - Mass Effect crossover. Thank you for the reviews that you posted on the latest chapter of my Halo - Terminator crossover. Now, I know not all of you liked the changes that I made, with one pointing out the transition from the T-800 series to the REV-9. I understand that, but I also want you to know why I made the change. I looked up the schematics for the REV-9 on the Terminator wiki, which said that the REV-9 is more advanced than the T-800 series due to the difference method of locomotion, the metamorphic exterior as well as the carbon nanocomposite chassis that it uses. Still, I understand why some of you don't like the changes, but I believe those changes are for the better. Either way, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you in future chapters. As always, leave a review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo, MechWarrior/BattleTech or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Electronic Arts, BioWare, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs and Piranha Games Inc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.


Requiem

En Route to FOB Alpha

June 15th, 2576

The jungle seemed to close in on them as the squad moved through, as though the rain forest detested their presence. Normally, any people of tribal inclination would feel as though they had insulted their deities by stepping into a place like this. Chief, however, didn't believe such superstitions and, as such, dismissed the seemingly claustrophobic nature of the jungle. What he did know, however, was that it was quiet… too quiet. Taking a moment to stop, he swept the area for hostile contacts, using his helmet's thermal imaging equipment in order to scan the immediate area ahead. When he spotted no enemy contacts, he continued forwards, with the rest of the team moving up with him.

It had been an hour since they had their very first contact with a living, breathing Forerunner, something that Cortana had been geeking out over for said hour. Once they had stepped through the portal, Chief had asked the IsoDidact if he could have his weapon back, sine he'd been disarmed during their earlier confrontation. The IsoDidact had nodded and had given Chief back his weapon, which he examined for damage or tampering. Fortunately, it only appeared to have been stored, as the weapon showed no signs of modification.

Once they had gotten off of the cliff side they had arrived at, they had moved down into the valley that held the jungle. Once they got into there, though, it was clear that it was going to be a very long and tiresome trek. The forest had been relatively undisturbed for over a hundred thousand years, with thick brambles and large bushes choking any clear areas. The area was also quite humid, as the squad had encountered quagmires, as well as small swamps and bogs that were scattered here and there. Moving through the brush was difficult, though the task was made easier by the Powered Armor and Battle Armor they were wearing. The IsoDidact was faring particularly well in this case, however, as his Combat Skin allowed him to clear out any brush with ease.

As for why they were heading to the base the old fashioned way, the IsoDidact had explained why. According to him, using the Slipstream Space Portal Generation Module built into his armor consumed large amounts of energy, and while his armor had a very high energy storage capacity, he could only use the system in short bursts, with the rest of the time devoted to recharging this storage system. According to him, when he transported them to the rain forest, he had nearly expended the energy in his suit, with the module responsible shutting down in order to conserve power. While the suit could absorb energy from it's environment, this took some time, but the process could be sped up if there was a nearby power source. On top of that, he'd explained that the UrDidact, once he'd broken free, could trace any Slipstream Space disturbance and send units there.

As a result, in order to protect the IsoDidact, Chief had decided to forego the Slipstream Space Transit System and instead head to the base on foot. It was a slow and tedious method of travel, but it would allow them, in theory, to travel to the Pillar of Autumn II without attracting the UrDidact's attention, theoretically speaking that is. So far, all was going well, but he knew that before long, the UrDidacts forces would find where they were and mount an immediate offensive. It was a fact that was about to come true quite soon.

As they moved forwards, he motioned for Alex to take the lead, as the Clan 'MechWarrior had modified his Battle Armor with better sensors, which allowed him to detect incoming enemy contacts sooner. The new sensors were also designed to detect Forerunner technologies, as well as any Forerunner machinery that was present in the area, making him the ideal point man for this operation. Sending an acknowledgment light in response, Alex moved up to the front of the squad, allowing his armor's powerful sensors to cut through the jungle and scan for any hostiles in the area. Looking at the IsoDidact, he asked, "Can you upload information into my Battle Armor? If you can, it would make identifying any hostile Combat Drones much easier."

"Yes," the IsoDidact nodded. "When I used my telekinesis on you, I scanned your armor as well. Your systems are well defended, but I was able to gain access nonetheless. Transmitting information now."

Moments later, Alex watched as his suit systems received a data packet, which was compressed so that his suit could store it. Looking at the sensor readouts, he began to see a number of red dots appearing on the sensor suite display. "We have got contacts," he informed the team. "Scans indicate they are probably enemy Crawlers."

"Noted," Chief nodded, readying his AGR. Behind him, he could hear the others prepping their weapons as well, while Alex made sure his Plasma MachineGun was ready for use.

"Expect them to employ ambush tactics," the IsoDidact warned them. "The machines you call 'Crawlers' are particularly adept at surprising their foes. They can crawl on any surface and they usually travel in packs."

"Understood," Chief nodded. Weapons ready, the squad continued to move forwards, moving as quickly as possible towards the FOB. As they moved along, he spotted enemy contacts on his own sensors, and that meant that the Crawlers were close to their position. Spotting one up ahead, he took aim with his rifle and fired a single shot.

The enemy Crawler promptly exploded as a round tore through it's head, blowing apart the rest of the machine in the process. As soon as that one exploded however, the squad heard a loud, synthetic, screeching howl as another Crawler arched it's back and lifted it's head, which had split into multiple segments as it roared. As soon as the roaring stopped, dozens of Crawlers immediately came out of the jungle, with some even coming from underneath the ground, as they'd tunneled from other parts of the area. Chief was about to engage when suddenly, the IsoDidact moved. The Ecumene's armor and body was a silver and blue blur of motion as he seemed to phase forwards, moving in a zig-zag pattern before plunging a hard-light blade into one of the Crawlers. Whirling around, he took hold of the weapon inside of the dead Crawler and rapidly fired, destroying multiple Crawlers before they had a chance to fight.

More Crawlers came out of the woodwork, racing towards the IsoDidact. Seeing an opportunity, Alex surged forwards, using his Jump Jets to close the gap between himself and the enemy forces. There was a loud CLANG as he body slammed a Crawler, sending it flying through a tree and into the ground, with the tree crashing down onto the enemy robot, trapping it instantly. One Crawler leaped onto the Clan 'MechWarrior's back, only for the man to boost backwards, smashing the Crawler into a nearby rock that jutted out of the ground. Chief actually felt the ground shake slightly from the blow of the impact, which dazed the enemy Crawler, allowing Alex to turn around and blast it with his Plasma MachineGun.

As more Crawlers made themselves known, Chief and the others opened fire on them as well. HEAP shells, plasma bolts and pulse lasers tore through the air as the Spartans unleashed a fusillade of firepower onto the enemy combatants. Numerous Crawlers were promptly cut apart, with the Pulse Lasers and Plasma based weapons proving to be the most damaging, while Gauss weapons were not as effective when used anywhere but the head. Moving forwards, Chief ducked under a Crawler that attempted to tackle him, with the Spartan rewarding that one with a powerful blow to it's head, killing the Crawler immediately. Leaping into the fray, Will fired his SMG, blowing apart a few Crawlers before punching one in the face, causing it to leap back and shake it's head, as it was disoriented by the blow.

Since her long range capabilities were limited in this rainforest, Linda used her backup weapon instead: a BR85N that had been modified to fire three round bursts of plasma. Targeting what she assumed where the Alpha Crawlers, as they had spines on their armor, she fired at each one, blowing them apart in the process. Fred opened fire with his own AGR, while Grace fired off a 40mm grenade, blowing apart a group of Crawlers in the process.

After a minute and a half of fighting, all the Crawlers were down, their chassis' ripped apart by the powerful arsenal of the combined team. Looking at the destroyed Crawlers, the IsoDidact said, "It's as I feared. The UrDidact has taken control of the majority of the Crawlers and Promethean Knights. He must've determined our location using scouts and sent these after us." Looking at the other destroyed Crawlers, he said, "Still, I am impressed by the capabilities of your weapons. Primitive compared to my species' weaponry, but still effective all the same."

"That is Star League engineering for you," Alex replied. "Where we come from, weapons technology did not stagnate; rather it advanced, mostly because there were a lot of factions that wanted to gain the upper hand while clashing with their neighbors. On top of that, we have been studying Forerunner technology in order to advance our own, without integrating it into our own tech."

"I see," the IsoDidact observed. "While I haven't had the time to study your Humanity's history, I imagine it will be most riveting. Your Combat Skins, while primitive, are still quite effective. I would rate them at a Class Three thus far, though there are innovations that my species didn't take the time to create."

"Such as?"

"Your armor plating. It is designed to be torn off or vaporize when damaged. We never took the time to create such armor plating."

"I know. It was created during the 2400's, as a response to advancing weapons technologies. Still, we can talk shop once we get back to the FOB and stop any impending attacks. I am certain that the technicians in the Technician Caste would be very delighted to learn more about your technology."

"Before we go," the IsoDidact asked, "I would like to know why you do not use contractions in your wording. It is… interesting."

"Clan society finds the use of contractions not only impolite, but unclanlike as well," Alex explained. "While Clan Wolverine has relaxed the standards on that part of our society, I still like talking using the older method. It gives me time to think about what I am saying."

"I see," the IsoDidact remarked. "Very well. We must keep moving." Nodding in agreement, Alex pressed on ahead, acting as the scout of the group while they moved forwards.

They eventually came to a large clearing up ahead, though there was enough ground level fog and moisture that Chief had to use his thermal imaging equipment to determine what he was looking at. Spotting a Promethean Knight, he was about to fire when the IsoDidact said, "Wait, Reclaimer! That one is not an enemy. Notice the color coming from the internal hard-light chassis." Holding fire, Chief activated his armor's image enhancement module to see what the IsoDidact was talking about. He immediately noticed that this Promethean Knight's chassis had blue glowing segments, not the orange that he associated with the UrDidact's forces. Lowering his weapon, he watched as the IsoDidact descended to the ground in the clearing, with the Promethean Knight approaching him. Instead of attacking, it nodded at him, as though acknowledging the IsoDidact's authority. Turning to Chief, he said, "It's alright, Reclaimers. There are friendly Prometheans ahead of us. They are heading for the same destination as we are."

"Understood," Chief nodded. Climbing down the overgrown cliff side, he caught up with the IsoDidact, while Alex boosted ahead to see what was going on. Looking at the IsoDidact, he said, "We engaged some Prometheans while we were exploring the innermost layer of Requiem. They attacked us, so we had to terminate them."

"That's alright," the IsoDidact remarked. "They were merely performing their duty of ensuring the UrDidact couldn't escape, even though it was now a futile effort." A moment later, he said, "Your acilla has been quiet for some time now."

"Cortana," Chief asked.

"Sorry," Cortana replied. "I've just been busy cataloging all of this information. This is the first time that we've encountered a Forerunner, and a friendly one at that. Hanse Steiner-Davion and President Claret would be having a field day if they learned of this."

"Hanse Steiner-Davion," the IsoDidact remarked. "I take it that is the leader of the Star League, yes?"

"Correct," Cortana replied. "He's a brilliant tactical mastermind and a very intelligent leader. He's also a father and he's a good man too. Not perfect, mind you, but a good man nonetheless."

"I see," the IsoDidact remarked. "Perhaps when we have the time, I will have a conversation with him. He sounds like someone who might be interesting."

"Indeed," Cortana remarked.

Chief was about to speak when Alex said, "Hey, I spotted a Forerunner structure at the top of this area! We can use it to get to another part of the valley!"

"I know that location," the IsoDidact told Chief. "It's a passageway to another part of the jungle. If we use it, we can get to a cave that your vehicles can use to transport you to your ship."

"Understood," Chief nodded. With that decided, the squad began moving to where Alex was located at. What made things difficult, however, was that the entrance to the structure was located past the top of an overgrown rock wall, forcing the squad to have to climb. Fortunately, the allied Prometheans were more than willing to help, with one wrapping an arm around Linda before leaping into the air, easily clearing the tangled mess of plant life. Chief began climbing up, while the IsoDidact used his armor's anti-gravity unit to levitate into the air and through the tangled mess. Once at the top, Chief found that Alex was roughly 400 meters away, through dense jungle growth and a number of fallen tree logs. Moving through the difficult terrain, they found the Clan 'MechWarrior standing at the entrance to a large, Forerunner door, waiting for them to arrive.

"Here we are," he remarked. "One Forerunner door waiting to be opened. Go ahead and pick the lock, sir." While Alex wasn't sure if the IsoDidact understood what he meant by the last sentence, he had reason to believe that he had. Walking up to the door, the IsoDidact placed a hand on part of the door itself, with the hard-light device shifting before fully opening. Moving inside, they traversed what appeared to be the Forerunner equivalent of a pedestrian tunnel, before emerging on the other side into another forest. As they moved along, Alex began to feel a gnawing sensation in his gut. Something's wrong, he thought. We haven't encountered any hostiles yet and that's worrying. Why are they not attacking? He began to scan the area with his sensor suite to determine where the enemy was at.

What he didn't know was that the IsoDidact was also bothered by this lack of activity. A frown was on his face, though it was hidden by his helmet's face plate, as he looked around the area. "Something isn't right," he murmured to himself, his voice quiet enough that no one heard him. "The UrDidact is planning something here, and it isn't anything good." Looking at his own Combat Skin's sensors, which were far more advanced than what the Star League had, he didn't see anything, which only added to his worry. Looking ahead, he said, "The door up ahead is the entrance to the cave that we can use. Once we're there, your ships can come to retrieve us and take us to the FOB."

"Understood," Chief nodded. Looking at the IsoDidact, he could tell that something had the Forerunner worried, and he knew why. The UrDidact hasn't attacked yet, and that is worrying, he thought to himself. We could be walking right into an ambush. Weapon at the ready, he advanced forwards with the others, who also kept an eye on their surroundings.

Chief, Alex and the IsoDidact's worries proved to be prophetic, as the moment they entered the clearing, all hell broke loose. Suddenly, orange glowing Promethean Knights and Crawlers came out of nowhere, teleporting into the area or jumping out from behind trees and rocks in the area, all of them firing their weapons as soon as they came out of cover. Ducking into cover, Chief and the others opened fire, hammering the enemy offensive with as much firepower as possible. Firing his captured weapon, the IsoDidact spotted a Promethean Knight readying a shoulder mounted weapon. Eyes widening, he was about to open fire when suddenly, a pair of missiles flew right by him, before flying directly into the group of Promethean Knights that were about to attack. There were large puffs of smoke and shrapnel as the missiles impacted and detonated, scattering the components of each of the Knights before they had a chance to attack. Looking behind him, he watched as Alex jumped into the air, firing his Plasma MachineGun all the while. Impressive, he thought before he got up and moved forwards as well. It seems as though I have much to learn about when this is all over.

While the squad was making excellent progress, it was clear that the enemy Prometheans were not going to let them pass without a fight. Moving up slowly, Chief fired on any Prometheans that were immediately attacking his team, blowing a couple apart with his Gauss rifle. Suddenly, he was tackled to the ground by a Promethean Knight, which raised it's sword arm in order to spear him through the chest. Before it could act, however, Will came over and kicked it in the chest, knocking it off of him before peppering the Knight with plasma rounds. It promptly teleported away, allowing him to pick Chief up off the ground. "You OK," he asked Chief.

"Yes," Chief nodded. "Thanks for the save."

"Least I could do," Will replied as he and Chief resumed firing at the enemy.

A loud CRACK resounded in the air, followed by a Knight being knocked backwards, it's chassis disintegrating as it fell over. "Target down," Linda remarked as she moved forwards, M75 Incisor in hand. Switching to her BR85P, she began firing at any Prometheans that were too close to her position, while providing fire support wherever she could. Fred also entered the fight as well, firing his weapon at any targets he could find.

Moments later, a few Knights came out of transport, powering up their weapons in the process. "Look out," the IsoDidact shouted. "They're using Binary Rifles and Incinerator Cannons! Those will kill you with a single shot!"

"Grace," Chief thundered.

"On it," Grace replied. Taking cover, she pulled out what looked like a modified version of the UNSC's M319 Grenade Launcher. This one was the M330A2 Multiple Grenade Launcher System, which used a detachable, horizontal mag that held roughly four grenades at a time. Popping out of cover, she fired all four grenades in the mag at the Knights, with each grenade flying through the air faster than the human eye could track. Moments later, explosions rang out as the grenades detonated on impact, blasting apart three of the four Knights. The last one, however, managed to get a shot out, firing a ball of energy that held four bolus' that swirled around it. While Chief and the others dodged it, Alex wasn't as fortunate, as it hit him directly in the chest.

There was a loud explosion as the shot from the Incinerator Cannon impacted Alex, throwing the Clan 'MechWarrior backwards and sending him tumbling down the incline that led to the door. Coming to a rest at the bottom, the man's body was still, and it was clear that the armor on his Battle Armor was severely damaged. Killing the last Knight, Chief raced down the incline and towards Alex, coming to a stop a moment later. "Alex, are you OK," he shouted. "Alex!"

There was a moment of silence, as well as a brief moment where Chief thought the unthinkable had happened. Thankfully, that dread turned into relief, when Alex began coughing and gagging loudly inside of his armor. Sitting him up, Chief noticed that his armor was almost completely ablated, as parts of his Battle Armor's chassis were showing in places. "Ugh," the Clan 'MechWarrior groaned. "Fuck me running! What hit me in the chest, a CommercialShip?! That is what it felt like to me!" He coughed some more, though it was clear that the armor had saved his life. Aside from what Chief knew would be a massive bruise, Alex's vital signs were still in the green, though it was clear that he had some minor cracking in his ribs.

"You should be dead," the IsoDidact breathed, amazed and relieved that Alex was alive. "That blast would've disintegrated a vehicle. You are incredibly fortunate to have survived." Walking over, he scanned the 'MechWarrior a moment later. "You'll be fine," he reported. "You have some ribs that have cracked, as well as some bruising on your organs, but you'll live. I thoroughly recommend that you refrain from anymore fighting until you've recovered."

"You do not have to tell me twice," Alex groaned as he was helped up. "I think I am going to tap out now." He nearly bowled over as a long and loud gagging sound came from him, before he said, "Well, shit. I just puked all over the interior of my armor. I must be worse off than I thought."

Motioning to one of the friendly Prometheans that had just arrived, The IsoDidact had them come over, with two helping Alex walk, as the 'MechWarrior was still disoriented from the blow he survived. "We have to go now," he informed Chief. "The UrDidact is attacking your ship. Follow me."

As they left, Chief heard UNSC COM chatter spiking almost immediately. Apparently, the UrDidact's Cryptum had arrived in the area, and was attempting to hack into the systems onboard the Pillar of Autumn II. So far, they had kept him at bay, but Chief knew it wouldn't be long until the UrDidact had what he wanted. Without further ado, he moved ahead with the others, while the allied Prometheans helped the wounded 'MechWarrior keep up. Reaching the door, the IsoDidact opened it up, with the others quickly following through and into a narrow cave. Moving into the cave, Linda said, "Chief, COM chatter indicates that the Storm Covenant are working with the UrDidact. He's coordinating the attack on the FOB and the Autumn II."

"That's not good," Chief remarked.

"It isn't," the IsoDidact agreed. "The UrDidact is most likely attempting to break into the computer systems onboard your ship. If he succeeds, and he will given enough time, he will find out where your species homeworld is at. I have no doubt that he will intend to use the Composer on your homeworld."

"What's the Composer," Cortana asked.

"One of the few technologies that we should never have explored," the IsoDidact replied, a grimace on his hidden face. "It is the reason why the Prometheans exist in the first place, and it is why we must stop the UrDidact before he finds it in the first place." A moment later, they entered the cave. It was a massive place to be in, large enough to house a Leopard-V DropShip with room to spare. Most of the light came in from gaps that were present in the opposite all, giving the place a tan tint due to the rock. The floor wasn't smooth, as there were rocky ramps that led into a small depression inside of the cave.

Once they were inside, Chief keyed his COM and said, "Sierra-117 to Captain Keyes, we need immediate transport. We have a wounded man and a VIP to relocate."

"Good to hear you again, Chief," Keyes replied. "The Didact is attempting to break into our computer systems. We've managed to isolate our star maps and navigational data and moved them to a Compact Memory Core we removed from the network. He won't find Earth's location, but I have a feeling that he'll try to snag it anyways. I stationed any Elementals we had around the CMC. I've also got a Pelican-III heading to your location immediately. ETA: thirty seconds."

"Understood," Chief nodded. Turning to the others, he said, "We have medivac inbound on our location. ETA: 30 seconds. We'll be dropped off near the front lines while Alex is taken to the infirmary." A few seconds later, the Pelican-III in question arrived in the area. Once the ramp lowered, Chief and the others got inside, while Alex hobbled into the Troop Bay before lying down a moment later. Once everyone was inside, the Pelican-III took off, speeding towards the FOB as quickly as possible.

Looking around, Chief looked around and spotted the FOB a moment later, recognizing the area due to a landmark he'd spotted earlier that day: a rock spire that the base was located next to. The immediate area in front and above the FOB was a literal warzone, with energy bolts being exchanged with plasma bolts, laser beams and HEAP shells as the defenders fought back with everything in their arsenal. A pair of Wraiths were instantly destroyed by an Advanced Autocannon/20 that fired a 20 round burst, annihilating both tanks immediately. A squad of UNSC Marines were concentrating fire on Crawlers and Jackals that were moving up, successfully neutralizing most of the enemy before they got too close. In the air, he could see Banshees, Seraphs and what he realized were unmanned Forerunner vehicles that were engaged with Broadsword-III's, Firebird-V's, Morgenstern-II's as well as any Longsword-III's that were in the air. The Autumn II itself was firing it's point defense systems at any fighters that got too close, though none of the larger weapons were firing, presumably because Keyes had deactivated them to prevent the UrDidact from using them.

As they flew overhead, Chief spotted a Mad Cat-Va that was not manned, with a UNSC Marine near the vehicle flagging him over. "Chief," the Marine shouted as the Pelican-III landed in the clearing where the 'Mech was at, "we've got enemy BattleMechs moving on our position. We managed to get this 'Mech out before the attack began. Keyes needs you to flank the enemy position while we buy time for Lee to reactivate the weapons. The Didact deactivated them when he attacked the ship."

"I see," Chief observed, revising his earlier presumption immediately. "We have a wounded man onboard the VTOL. He's taken minor injuries, but he needs a medical checkup before he can fight again. Can you take care of him?"

"Yes, sir," the Marine nodded. "We'll get him back into fighting shape before you can say 'Bob's your uncle.'" A moment later, a corpsman, along with a few others got into the ship, with the Marines helping Alex out of his damaged Battle Armor.

As the Pelican-III took off, Chief said, "Kinda, Fred, Will, Grace, you man any Combat Vehicles we have that aren't being used. IsoDidact, you're with me in the Mad Cat." The IsoDidact merely nodded before following Chief, who clambered up the chain ladder before getting into the cockpit, with the IsoDidact getting into the nearby rumble seat moments later. Powering up the 'Mech, Chief took control of the system as he buckled in, before accelerating the 'Mech.

The IsoDidact had to admit, out of all the vehicles he had ridden in his time as a military leader, the Mad Cat-Va was probably one of the more interesting ones he'd used in his life. The vehicle felt as though it was on the verge of falling over, though that was most likely due to it's unique method of locomotion. Linking his Combat Skin with the 'Mech's internal systems, he watched as his HUD wavered, before changing into one that Chief was seeing. Radio chatter on the COM indicated that the UNSC was still holding their own, though it was clear they needed BattleMech fire support. As they proceeded forwards, he watched Chief highlight an enemy Wraith, with the computer onboard saying, "Target Acquired."

Moments later, Chief began unleashing the firepower that the Mad Cat-Va was armed with. The 'Mech shuddered as one of the twin Advanced Gauss Rifles fired, sending a 120mm ferrous slug at hypersonic velocities. The enemy Wraith was promptly turned inside out, with the slug tearing through it's armor and into the crew compartment, instantly killing the Elites piloting the tank. Turning slightly, he fired the VS-LPL's at a pair of Revenants, cutting them apart with a single salvo. A slight CLUNK sound alerted him to an enemy Banshee that was firing at the 'Mech, only to be destroyed when he fired a salvo of ATM/15's at the fighter, destroying it in mid-air. That was when the enemy 'Mechs came into view. Looking at his sensor readouts, Chief spotted some Storm Covenant Locust's as well as a Scarab coming into view. He was about to request assistance when another voice said, "Don't worry, Chief. We've got your back." Moments later, one of the enemy Locust's was blasted apart, with three more 'Mechs coming into view.

Spotting the lead 'Mech, an Atlas-V, he said, "Identify yourself."

"Star Commander Franklin, sir," came the reply.

Remembering him as one of Alex's better 'MechWarriors, he said, "We need to eliminate the enemy BattleMechs. Can you assist me in terminating the Scarab?"

"Roger, lead," Franklin nodded. "I think the Storm Covenant didn't learn their lessons when it came to the Inner Sphere's BattleMech superiority. I think a little 'fresher course will suffice." Nodding in agreement, Chief advanced to the front of the Lance, before firing his Advanced Gauss Rifles at the enemy Scarab.

All the while, the IsoDidact remained silent, as he was busy examining the tactics and strategies that the 'MechWarriors were employing. Watching silently, he watched as Chief and the others moved to disable the enemy 'Mech's legs, forcing it to crouch down. A smart move, he observed. By destroying the motors in the legs, they're forcing the vehicle to repair them, allowing them to move behind the vehicle and destroy it. Perhaps that's the goal. His presumption was proven correct moments later, as he watched Franklin spear the enemy vehicle's power plant with a single shot. Just like that, they quickly exited the blast radius, with the enemy Scarab blowing itself to pieces moments later.

It went on like this for a few minutes, with Chief and the others helping the ground personnel clear out the Storm Covenant, while providing assistance to the AeroSpace Fighters in the sky. Whenever they ran out of munitions, took severe armor damage, or both, Chief would order the 'MechWarrior in question to rearm and repair at one of the FOB's five 'Mech Bays before returning to the fray. A moment later, Chief heard Cortana say, "Lee's taken back control of the system. He won't have long, but Keyes is about to fire the MAC on the Autumn II!"

A moment later, he heard Keyes shout, "All weapons fire! Blast that fucking ship to hell! All weapons, FIRE!" Moments later, the Autumn II fired all of the weapons that were able to aim directly at the UrDidact's ship, smashing the energy shields on the UrDidact's Cryptum before beginning to tear holes and gashes into the armor.

"It's working," Cortana shouted as the damaged Cryptum ascended before taking off into the distance. "The UrDidact and the Storm Covenant are retreating!" As she said this, the Storm Covenant forces in the area began retreating, moving away as quickly as possible.

"Alright," a Marine on the COM shouted. "Take that, you ugly ass motherfuckers! Never mess with the UNSC!"

"All hands," Keyes called over the COM. "We're at Condition Yellow, stand down. Damage control, get to work repairing any armor and superstructure that we have. Master Chief, if you can hear me, get to the Autumn II immediately. We've managed to contact the Infinity and they're sending in reinforcements, but we need you to get the VIP aboard and to debrief you."

"Understood," Chief nodded. As he turned the 'Mech around, he felt some relief. Not only had they driven off the UrDidact, they had shown that the UNSC was no longer completely helpless in the face of Promethean and Storm Covenant opposition. The fight was won, but the war had just begun.