Peacemaker – Written by deadblue on SpaceBattles Forum

It was supposed to be a simple raid.

That was Zem's sole thought as he hunched behind the wreckage of what he assumed was a human settlement, gripping his rifle tightly, his eyes frantically searching for any sign of their mysterious attacker. Instead, he found himself party to a group of Unggoy cowering in fear behind said cover. Breathing slowly, Zem attempted to calm his already frayed nerves. These Unggoy were his way out and away from that creature that assailed them. Far, far away. Preferably in orbit.

The initial raid had gone smoothly. The colonists had not suspected a thing when they had made their approach, with the only sign something was amiss was when their troop carriers opened fire upon the settlement. He had remembered as another Kig-Yar, Yoq, laughed as the carrier's plasma cannon melted flesh and metal alike, sowing chaos among the humans as they scrambled and ran for cover. Zem had remembered the scent of smoke and burnt flesh. He relished in it. With the humans in chaos and disarray, it was easy enough to begin dropping off their crew before wiping out the survivors of their initial passes. Humans were gunned down within their homes or dragged away screaming. Hasty perimeters were established along with several Type-42s, Unggoys were kicked and shouted into work groups to begin loading whatever materials and supplies they could carry back into their ships with several other groups beginning patrols, though with the lack of human resistance, it seemed it was merely an excuse to slack off. As the sun hung above the clouds with its burning heat, that was when the horror began.

The loud bang of a weapon going off immediately alerted the entire camp. It had seemed the local humans had finally mustered the courage to fight back. Zem remembered grinning with anticipation as he looked down the sight of his rifle, eager to disabuse said humans of any ideas of resistance. It had happened before. The longer they stayed, the more it seemed the humans would try to fight back, momentarily forgetting their fear. It had always ended the same. A few wasted charges on their beam rifles and the plasma turrets were more than enough to cow them into submission. Easier than stealing an Unggoy's rebreather tank. Then another shot echoed through the air. And another. The communicator blazed to life as the rest of the pirates tried to piece together what was happening, as one patrol group stopped responding to their hails altogether. The second patrol group was sent to investigate only for several more gunshots to echo through the air before the group went dark. Their camp became a hive of activity as the work crews were pressed into defending their encampment with added death threats for good measure. Another loud bang resounded through the air, closer this time. An Unggoy manning one of their turrets was sent tumbling backwards, it's body a horrific mess as its bright blue blood splattered all over the ground an idle. Part of Zem's mind supplied that human weapons did not inflict the level of brutality inflicted on the corpse on the ground below. One more shot rang out and a nearby Kig-Yar screamed as his shield gauntlet exploded, shredding his entire arm and riddling his corpse with shrapnel.

The air was tense as the pirates waited for who would die next when that damned weapon fired again. Their turrets had reduced the nearby forest to a burning waste as they attempted to flush out their mystery sniper only for one of the more senior Kig-Yar of their group, Zir, to be split in half as another bang resounded through the air. That had been the last straw for the various Unggoy in their crew as they broke ranks screaming and searching for cover or a hiding place, enraged squad leaders attempted to restore a semblance of order amongst the terrified Unggoy to minimal success. "Back to your post! Unggoy filth! There won't be any air for you to breathe for the next cycle!" Yog had bellowed as he attempted to get the nearby fleeing Unggoy back in line. That was when Zem finally had a chance to meet their assailant face to face. If the clean slice from the strange bladed weapon it carried did not ensure Yog's death, then the ensuing shockwave as the figure landed would as it knocked both halves of his corpse into the nearby Unggoy. Slowly, it rose to its feet as the tension in the air grew thicker, clad in white and black and trimmed in gold, though Zem was perplexed by what appeared to be a strange shape covering the humanoid creature's featureless head.

As it stood as it's full height, Zem expected it to explode into action, only instead to be confused as it stood utterly still. As the rest of the pirates began repositioning and aiming their weapons towards their attacker, it still refused to move. Not even the slight tilt of its head to acknowledge the presence of the rest of the pirates. Seconds past, then minutes, the wait was almost unbearable as Zem was almost paralyzed with fear and indecision. What did it want? What was it waiting for? Was it toying with us from the very beginning? His thoughts were in a whirl as he gripped his rifle tighter and tighter. Then a scream as an Unggoy fired his pistol at the creature, whether in fear or he had finally broken under the pressure of waiting, Zem would never know. All he could recall was the moment the green plasma bolt had missed the humanoid, already half of his crew were dead with the rest fleeing for their lives which led to where he was now. Those that weren't gunned down by the humanoid's weapons were sliced apart with that ridiculous blade it carried which also doubled as a firearm which it utilized to great effect when it couldn't swap to its rifle. It was akin to a dance as it spun, flipped and twirled, seemingly as if none could harm it at all.

"Everyone dead! What should we do?" The Unggoy's voice broke Zem's recollection of events that led up to his current predicament. "We run away stupid!" Another one chimed in. "Quiet! You want to draw attention to us?" Zem interjected before their little group could devolve into an all-out argument amongst themselves. One that would invariably draw that monster's attention. Gesturing for the Unggoy to follow him, Zem poked his head out one more time, checking his surroundings to ensure the monster wasn't anywhere nearby. There it was again! It stood down the smoking street seemingly without a care, as if it were waiting for him. As if it knew he was always there, yet it didn't fire its weapons or make a single move at all. The thought of that alone sent shivers down Zem's spine. "What do you want from us?!" He demanded, though his voice sounded more terrified than he cared to admit. Beside him, the Unggoy shifted uneasily as they hesitantly drew their own weapons. In an eyeblink, the monster had pulled a weapon from its hip and already the rest of the Unggoys beside him had collapsed, dead and his rifle flying from his grasp as if struck by some unknown force.

Howling in shock, Zem fell, grasping his arm. He could see his rifle just nearby after the monster had somehow shot the rifle right out of his hand after so casually putting down the rest of his crew. If Zem wasn't terrified before, he certainly felt so now. His heart pounding in his chest as the monster strolled towards him, almost lazily as it casually fired another round from its sidearm, the round sending a puff of dust floating away. What was it waiting for? It could've killed him anytime but why did it waste that bullet? Then against all logic, it tossed its weapon aside along with its rifle. And then it gestured to him to pick his rifle back up! Daring him to try and take the shot. Rage, fear and desperation running through his mind, Zem tried to find any way he could get out of this situation. Spotting the nearby Unggoy corpses, a desperate plan formed in Zem's mind. It was expecting him to jump for his rifle and cut him down before he could even pull the trigger but what if he grabbed the pistol instead? If he could catch it off guard, one shot surely was enough since it seemed to prefer avoiding getting hit altogether!

Crawling further and further away from the monster, Zem focused solely on the Unggoy's pistol while trying to pretend that he was crawling towards his rifle instead. Closer and closer, Zem could already smell his salvation. Muttering half remembered prayers, Zem felt his fingers grasp the handle of a pistol. With a cry of triumph, he yanked the pistol out of the dead Unggoy's grasp while rolling over for a better shot. As his fingers squeezed the trigger of the pistol, it hummed in his grip before it discharged a scintillating bolt of green, flying true towards the monster.

Only to see it splash uselessly across a shimmering barrier around the monster. The last thing he would hear was that cursed 'Bang!'.

It was supposed to be a simple raid, was the last thought that passed through Zem's mind before everything vanished.

xOx

The Angel of Harvest – Written by Sir_Something on SpaceBattles Forum

Daisy knew she was going to die. She hoped she'd saved at least one of her squad, but their refusal to leave without her was making it look more and more hopeless. The Pelican that was meant to extract them was bombarded from all sides. Even if it took off, it would not get far and they'd all be gunned down.

Still she tried, taking her pistol and shooting down a few Sangheili. Daisy only got 3 shots and three kills before the magnum clicked empty. She didn't notice because an alien still died on the fourth pull of the trigger, but when the delay between shots was more distinct between the fourth and fifth kill, she realized something.

Someone was trying to save them. A sniper, the shots that misted heads and turned torsos to salsa were too powerful to be anything else. When the Covenant forces wised up and took cover, everyone with a fuel rod cannon was already dead.

Then she finally appeared.

A figure in skintight armor, not a sign of what was under, and sculpted to perfection. Less a human and more an impression of humanity, bearing the shape of a woman. Colored black and grey, highlighted with streaks of red and accented with gold. Her head sported a cord in a mockery of pig tails, and her waist sported a skirt with a tail like she'd seen in a picture of a lobster, bulky and segmented.

With one hand she slammed the ground, and everything stopped hurting.

Daisy felt alive. Aches and pains she'd forgotten she had were simply gone. Even her armor had new life, nicks and dents vanishing, and shields rebooting. In the second it took her to notice, process, and compartmentalize this, her new ally was already moving.

The lobster woman leaped at the defenses, an axe half as big as her cleaving through armor and flesh. They did not feel her healer's touch, but tasted the warrior's steel. Daisy watched, barely keeping track of her moving at speeds that she could only dream of matching. But even that could not save her from all the fire they were unloading into her.

No, she realized in the next moment, noticing the way the stranger leaned into the weapon fire. It seemed every hit pained the Covenant more than it did her, each of the aliens flinching as their shots landed, a pulse firing up a golden energy tether linking them all to her. Some dropped dead.

Her marines picked themselves from the wreckage of the warthogs. She was sure only her and Sergeant Hauser had survived, but there they were, some staring into the distance, or poking at their bodies, like they were surprised it was still there. And a few were watching the carnage, watching their savior with the kind of awe and wonder that Humanity had forgotten was possible since the war began.

When the last of the covenant fell, she made one more leap, clearing half the battlefield and landing on top of the Pelican. She took a moment, power gathering in her hands before she slammed them to the roof of the vehicle, and it repaired itself before their eyes. Smaller components audibly shifted and clicked into place, scorch marks from plasma rods fading, metal outright growing to fill in holes.

"Alright people," called Hauser, knocking them out of their reverie. "I'm as grateful as the rest of you, but I still want to get out of this hell hole, so double time it." Discipline reasserted itself, and Daisy got the marines moving, herding them into the Pelican. She took one last look at the battlefield, their savior watching the other side of the bridge, and holding something.

"You're not coming?" she asked. The other turned and shook her head, before throwing the thing at her. Her helmet, she realized, as good as new, the visor without a crack. And her little teddy bear charm sitting inside.

Daisy got one last look at the stranger before the Pelican took off. Then she took her seat, holding her charm in one hand and listening to the others with half an ear. When they returned, they gave a report to their superiors, then got to gossip and stories with their equals.

Theirs was the first, but far from the last story about the Angel of Harvest.

~O~

Heyo folks.

Now, I know that this story has been silent for a long while, and while it pains me to say it, it WILL stay silent for quite a while more.

Before I get into that, however, I'd like to explain what these two shorts/omakes are.

Way back in July, I posited a challenge-slash-game to the readers of Discarded Blade there: I'd give a list of Warframes, and the readers would be invited to write omakes for the story that would be considered canon for the verse of Discarded Blade. As you can see, two people picked up the offer, and hence we have these omakes.

Now, these two were sent short prompts to write the omakes, but considering how long it's been, some of them I've forgotten what the prompt was supposed to be, while others I still remember… And I'll now extend the invitation to all you folks on FFnet and AO3 to join in.

So, without preamble, here's the list of frames!

1- Banshee Prime

2- Gauss

3- Hydroid Prime

4- Ivara

5- Mirage Prime

6- Rhino Prime

7- Saryn Prime

8- Sevagoth (Specifically the one from Tempestarii)

9- Titania Prime

10- Yareli

11- Zephyr Prime

12- Valkyr Prime

13- Hildryn

14- Atlas Prime

Obviously, the goal isn't to get ALL of them done, though I would be super happy if it did happen. Nevertheless, here we are, the list of Frames. If you'd like to know if there's a prompt for the story, hit me up on SB, FFNet or AO3 and I'll reply to the best of my ability!

And yes, as I promised, ALL of them will be in-canon c:

Now… For news about the future of this fic.

Rest assured, I ain't cancelling it. I've seen how much positive feedback this story got, and I intend to see it through. And as I've stated before, it will follow the Halo and Warframe canon up to Infinite and Duviri Paradox, respectively.

…

THAT BEING SAID.

I recently played Infinite. I enjoyed it a lot, the story was good, and without going into spoilers, the big reveal of the last story cutscene before the final boss (you know the one, the one which explains the beginning cutscene) had me howling in laughter at the comeuppance that was inflicted. That karma hit like a fucking Gravity Hammer.

Unfortunately, I've ALSO heard rumors that Halo Infinite might be a live-service game, like Destiny 2. And while this DOES feel like a good way to keep the game going for a long while and take advantage of the big setting of the Zeta Halo… It also means the story will come in parts. Which could put a big hamper in adapting the Infinite plotline in a measured way, but we'll see how that goes.

As for Warframe…

Well, let me tell ya, I did not expect New War to kick me this hard in the nuts.

Again, no spoilers, but with how BRUTALLY it shifts the status quo of the canon, I realized that SO MANY of my planned plot points were OBLITERATED by the events of the quest, while also adding so much shit I now wanna use… Yeah, suffice to say we've gotten ourselves one hell of an upheaval, and I'll have to plan around it a lot. And I have a feeling Duviri Paradox will turn things even further on their heads…

Well, I've rambled enough. Bottomline of this whole thing is: omake opportunities are open, and no this story will not be abandoned.

Stay frosty, stay safe folks.