Preface:
In 2552 the Human-Covenant war came to an end and the Covenant rapidly dissolved. In 2553, the Humans and the Sangheili have forged a shaky, fledgling alliance as they work together to root out the remaining Covenant forces and retake what was once theirs from the likes of the ever-aggressive Jiralhanae. Each step forward for these species is untested and, by nature, as volatile as it is vital.
One such step is the Olive Branch Initiative. The recruitment of a female Sangheili into one of the most elite groups in the UNSC armed forces; The ODSTs.
Private First Class Fumi 'Kurom will have a long road ahead of her as she integrates with her drop team and the crew as a whole, but she's determined to prove this partnership can work.
A/N:
Welcome to my first ever Halo fanfic! This is an original story with an all-original cast. You'll see the occasional canon character mentioned, but that is all. The story will be revolving around a group of ODSTs and their newest member as they learn to trust one another and grow closer as team mates and... perhaps more as well.
Anyway enjoy!
Ch 1: Crew Assembly
/DAILY STATUS UPDATE LOG:/
/:0800 hours, Friday, August 17th 2553:/
/:UNSC AI Designation RCL 9742-3 Reporting:/
UNSC Winter Solstice
Charon-Class Light Frigate
Commanding Officer: Captain Kelley, J
Executive Officer: Commander Montgomery, A
Standing Crew:
232 Vessel Personnel
44 Orbital Drop Shock Troopers
400 UNSC Marines
50 Class A Flight Personnel
30 Class B Flight Personnel
1 Foreign National Combat Personnel
Standing Military Payload:
12 M808B MBTs
24 M12 FAVs
36 M274 ULATVs
108 SOEIV Drop Pods
24 UH-144 Falcon Aircraft
12 D77H-TCI Pelican Aircraft
2 M313 HRVs
12 GA-TL1 Longsword Starfighters
Current Assignment: Assist Swords of Sanghelios' efforts to stabilize control of the Murand system in the Eridani cluster.
Mission Status: Enroute; ETA 3 Days, 12 Hours, 33 Minutes, 21 Seconds
AI Notation:
"Nothing out of the ordinary to report today. The fresh faces from Earth are settling in well from what I can tell, though they have certainly not all met yet. Final approval for the Olive Branch Initiative was transmitted last night at 2322 hours. Captain Kelley notified this morning at 0545 hours. He's called a crew assembly of all off-duty vessel personnel not already aware of our guest as well as all military personnel and officers."
Additional Notation:
"Humans have a long history of distrusting that which is unfamiliar to begin with. That combined with the lasting 'bad blood', to borrow a phrase from the captain, among the veteran fighters toward the Sangheili should make our guest's integration into the crew an interesting process to observe."
"Here's hoping they can learn to play nice."
/:END OF LOG:/
"Damn it, Cap… Always gotta make such a fuss over everything." Sergeant Julia Kensington muttered to herself as she marched down the hall, the rest of fireteam Juliette hot on her heels.
"You know the captain. Loves being dramatic." Her corporal chimed in with a chuckle, giving a half shrug as he adjusted the black field cap that served to hide his flaming red faux hawk. Cpl. Max Powell had graduated from the academy alongside Julia. Back when all both of them knew was that they were young, invincible, and that the two of them were going to somehow end the war with the Covenant within a year of deployment as Marines…
When Julia had been offered an opportunity to join the ODSTs, she eagerly accepted, hardly having to argue to get Max to join up with her. A few dozen drops and more than one op-gone-wrong-gone-right-again, and she found herself with a full squad of elite ODSTs under her command. Plus, her own fireteam; the Juliette Jackrabbits.
They'd earned the name for their unblinking speed in the field, taking down teams of enemies without missing a step and getting their objectives done in record time. All the while maintaining utmost vigilance, never letting their guard down for a second.
Max was the team heavy. You needed something blown up, melted down, or turned into swiss cheese, all you had to do was point him at it. It's a certain, special kind of man who looks at an M41 SPNKr the way most men look at a swimsuit catalogue...
Private First Class Beth Evans was the team geek… though she preferred the term "Tech Specialist". She could hack her way through any system she encountered, Human or otherwise. Important safety tip: never leave your personal terminal unlocked around her. She'll get into it, change your font, background, password, and email all your teammates every last dirty secret she knew about you from your own email account… Something Julia had found out the hard way after calling her "team geek" one too many times.
Then there was Private First Class Diana McClintock. Team medic. She was an interesting case. Spent years as a paramedic civilian side on a small fringe colony until the Covenant came knocking. Joined up as soon as she was off-world. Now she was damn near the team mom… You didn't eat enough at chow time, you'd hear about it. Ate too much, and she'd challenge you to a push-up contest in the gym. Couldn't knock her skills on the field though. Or her skill as a medic.
And that only left Julia herself. Designated marksman. Granted they all had high scores in rifle training, but Julia was in a league of her own. Put an SRS99D Antimateriel Rifle in her hands and she could take out anything, anywhere. When that wasn't quite appropriate, she was among the select few who still favored the old M392 DMR. Sure, the standard had shifted to the BR55 Battle Rifle in recent times, but she still preferred her baby. That rifle had saved her life more times than she cared to admit… Which was why she'd been taking particularly good care of the same damn gun for years now.
"Yeah, but if he was just being dramatic, I doubt he'd have called for an all-hands assembly." Beth commented, her shoulder-length brown hair actually hanging down loose for once instead of being in her usual ponytail. "This has to be something big. Besides, have you seen how nervous the officers have been all morning?"
Diana laughed, her dreads bouncing with the action. "Yeah! I think I heard Richardson and Montgomery having a breakdown in the lounge when I walked past!" She smirked, elbowing Julia in the side. "So, Jules, whatcha think? I'm betting the Brutes finally gave up and went home, the Jackals and their Skirmisher buddies gave up piracy, the Grunts are retiring to open Moa burger joints, and the rest of the damn Elites have given up the sword in favor of a grav-ball league."
Julia snorted at that, shaking her head as she brushed a speck of dust off her black and grey shipside fatigues. "Ha, right and the Hunters all turned themselves in to the nearest bait shop in some kind of mass suicide pact." She sighed as they neared the door that would lead them to the mess hall, eyeing a group of all-too-eager young marines as they sprinted down the corridor. "Must me some of the replacements…"
"Well whatever it is, we'll deal with it. We made it through the New London incident, the Achilles fleet bombardment, and the fucking glassing of half a continent… We can handle a little bad news." She boasted with confidence, slowing her pace a bit as they neared the doorway. "Alright, Jackrabbits, shape up. Formation in the front until the Cap says otherwise. Get me?"
Her team all nodded, answering in unison and bringing a grin to her face.
"We get you, Ma'am."
"I'm telling you captain, this is gonna be a shitshow. They get one look at that thing and they're gonna lose it." Commander Avery Montgomery's droning voice continued on, just as it had ever since the morning briefing. The man was normally of a sound mind, but still… The captain grew weary of his excessing… counsel in this particular matter.
Captain James Kelley sighed, taking a sip of his coffee as his well-aged face struggled to avoid the scowl that had been threatening it ever since the commander's rant had begun nearly an hour earlier. "For the final time, Avery… It's out of our hands. You read the same order I did. The OBI's officially green-lit. The equipment has been taken out of storage, the bunk is prepared… There's nothing I could do to stop this even if I wanted to…"
He turned back to face the exasperated looking younger man, his greyed brows furrowed. "You have too little faith in the troops. Most of these marines worked alongside the Sangheili in some capacity in the battle for Earth or the Ark."
"Yes, in a time of desperation and confusion. And never, never while one of them was galavanting around in one of our uniforms." The commander retorted, his voice strained. "Most of these men and women have seen brothers and sisters in arms slaughtered by those things throughout the war. You can't expect them to just suddenly trust one." He sighed heavily, finally coming down off his soapbox for the first time in what felt like an eternity. "Forgive me, captain, but are we sure Command hasn't lost their minds?"
"No." James replied simply, smoothing out his moustache and goatee as he stepped past the commander and toward the exit from the officer's lounge. "No, we're not. But we are sure that the chain of command hasn't broken down and we are sure of our orders. So we are going to follow them and hope to hell we don't have a mutiny." He glanced back over his shoulder for the briefest moment, eyes narrowed. "Now report to the mess hall. I'm going to collect our new recruit."
Avery sighed, shaking his head. "Aye, sir."
Julia took in a breath, snapping to attention with all thirteen troopers from her squad following suit as the captain entered the mess hall and stepped up onto the small platform beside the other officers. Julia couldn't help but note how tired the man looked. Like he'd just weathered a great storm and this was the only port… or like he'd just had another argument with the commander. Could go either way.
"Captain on deck!" She announced, her right hand coming up to her temple with a soft, hydraulic whirr. In short order the rest of the over five-hundred gathered personnel dropped their conversations and snapped to attention, arms mimicking Julia's own as they all faced the platform.
The captain's lip twitched up in the slightest hint of a smirk as he returned the salute. "At ease. I know a lot of rumors are already flying around this morning, so I thought a little face-to-face was the best way to get this all out in the open at once." His attention turned from the gathered troops before him and to the only officer on the podium not wearing the typical uniform; Lt. Commander Scott O'Leary, the ship's chief engineer. "O'Leary. You and Rachel have the shipwide broadcast set up? Everything recording?" The captain asked, raising one bushy eyebrow.
O'Leary opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the sudden, shimmering green holographic form of Rachel, the shipboard AI, as she broadcast herself onto the platform from a projection plate built into the floor. "Yes sir. All channels recording audio and video with immediate transmission to the working areas of all decks. And I've set aside a special place up here just for this moment as well." She grinned, tapping her holographic finger to the side of her head.
Rachel was the Winter Solstice's second shipboard AI. Her predecessor, Allan, had suffered… an accident when met with hacking attempts from a Covenant artificial intelligence a couple years ago. He repelled the attack, but split himself into ever-dividing pieces in the process resulting in early rampancy and self-termination. Julia shuddered at the memory… Allan had died screaming from every speaker aboard the ship.
Once they'd linked up with a resupply ship, Rachel had been brought on-board and activated, assuming the late Allan's duties efficiently. She'd been with them for the last two years of the war and was, ideally, going to be with them for at least another five. Julia hoped so anyway, if only for the captain's sake… The old man had taken a real shine to the glowing green AI. He always seemed happier when she was around.
Julia refocused, casting her gaze back to the captain as he turned back to face the gathered crew. "Alright… As you are all aware, we are currently enroute to assist the new Sangheili government, the Swords of Sanghelios, with securing the Murand system and, with it, a stable foothold for the push back against the Brutes. I mention this, not because I think you may have forgotten our mission, but because I want you all to remember something very important and very new…"
He scanned his eyes over the hushed crowd, his hands folded behind his back. "We are no longer at war with the Sangheili. Nor the Covenant. The organized Sangheili government and the United Earth Government have worked out a stable truce and a fledgling allyship. Together we are rooting out the remainders of the Covenant dissident forces. Together we are pushing back the Brutes. Together we are building a new, secure future for both of our species."
Julia narrowed her eyes a bit, watching the captain closely. He'd started pacing… Never a good sign. Beyond that, he was sweating. That meant he expected trouble… "Something must have happened to shake things up with the split-lips…" Her eyes widened as a new possibility entered her mind. "Or he thinks something is about to."
"In the spirit of cooperation, the UNSC and SoS have come together on a joint project that will hopefully spearhead a future of both military and civilian partnership between our species… The Olive Branch Initiative." He continued, taking a deep breath as he came to a halt once again, just beside the door he'd walked in through. "And the Winter Solstice has been chosen as the proving ground for the OBI." He hit the button to open the door, stepping back toward the center of the platform. "Allow me to introduce you to the newest member of the crew as well as the newest member of the 325th ODST's third squad, fireteam Juliette."
If Julia's eyes were wide before, they were veritable saucers as the door cycled open and revealed who was, apparently, her newest fireteam member. Shock rapidly turned to anger. Anger and betrayal as her eyes darted back and forth between the captain and the Sangheili. She couldn't keep the words from slipping out of her mouth.
"Oh hell no."
Private Quarters of ODST Pvt. Fumi 'Kurom
Ten minutes prior to the crew assembly…
Fumi 'Kurom couldn't help the smile that crossed her mandibles as she looked at herself in the… viewing portal? No, that wasn't the word… It wasn't a reflection screen either… Mirror . It was called a mirror. Learning the Human language was a joy at times, though it could easily become confusing. Not to mention difficult to speak… "Curse their lips…" She muttered to herself, hearing her voice be automatically masked and translated in an instant by the small, metal implant midway up her long, leathery neck.
She smirked, both of her right mandibles twitching outward together with the action. The implant was certainly not designed for her, but she was thankful nonetheless. It was the result of a joint effort by both her government and that of the Humans. It automatically cancelled out any recognized spoken words in her native tongue and translated them instantaneously in a perfect replication of her voice by utilizing her own vocal chords for the process. Truth be told, though, it was a little beyond her scope of knowledge. She'd always been far better with a blade and rifle than a terminal and interface.
Still, though. The implant, much like her mere presence aboard, was a testament to the future cooperation of both of their species. She remained proud of having been the inspiration for what eventually had become the Olive Branch Initiative. Who knew one Sangheili woman could cause this much change by asking the right person at the right time… Then again, when speaking with the mighty Arbiter himself, one could hardly expect the ordinary.
She straightened up a bit, reaching her full, 7'3" height and brushing her tetradactyl hands through her short-cut dreadlocks. While the males of her species had leathery, hairless heads, the females had naturally growing dreads. They also tended to be slimmer and a good bit shorter than their male counterparts, though their stature made the difference less noticeable. Males were all permanently hunched unless they strained to straighten their necks and backs while females carried a more upright stance by default.
Fumi adjusted the custom tailored uniform she'd only received a mere hour ago. It was sleek; Largely black with grey pads over the shoulders. Hers was a custom fit, given that the uniform had never been designed for a Sangheili, and had a fold-over chest closure with an angled variant of something the Humans called a 'zipper'.
Proudly emblazoned on the left chest of the top was the emblem of the 325th ODST fireteam Juliette, consisting of the silhouette of one of the Human drop pods with a small, furry creature of some kind wearing a standard ODST trooper helmet and holding a silenced Human SMG standing in front of it. She made a mental note to ask her commander about the meaning behind the creature when given the opportunity. From what she'd heard, her team was nicknamed the "Juliette Jackrabbits", so likely this was one such jackrabbit. Despite the fuzzy appearance on the emblem, she was certain it must be some vicious creature, perhaps from the Human homeworld.
She continued her inspection of herself, eyes trailing downward on the mirror from her flat chest to her wide hips and strong, powerful digitigrade legs covered by her loose-fit fatigue trousers and ending in the custom boots made in Sangheili form with Human aesthetics. She would be alarmed by the lack of armor on this uniform, had she not been assured that this was what all humans tended to wear when not physically deployed in the field or in a hostile situation.
She glanced at the hardcase sitting on her bed, still open and displaying a few more of these uniforms as well as some even more casual clothing and a couple undersuits for her to wear with her actual armor. She grinned, mandibles tucking tightly together to hide her teeth as she gave a nod. She was as ready as she'd ever be to be introduced to her new team mates. She only hoped they'd be receptive to her joining their ranks.
She stepped out into the corridor to walk to the mess hall with the captain, giving a nod to her superior. The man looked her up and down and flashed his teeth, catching Fumi off guard. She then remembered that by some lapse of evolutionary logic, that flashing of teeth was what counted as a smile for the Humans, rather than a threat. She returned the gesture, her mandibles tightly knit together as they curved upward.
"Ready to meet your team, private 'Kurom?" He asked as they walked down the hall, flanked by two security officers who kept giving her nervous looks.
"Yes, sir." She answered dutifully, her smile only widening. "I've been looking forward to this moment for months."
The captain chuckled. "I imagine so. Welcome to the UNSC, private."
"Thank you, sir."
A/N:
Aaa! I really hope you liked the first chapter! I'm really excited to get this story out into the world and see where it goes.
Please do drop a comment telling me what you thought and any suggestions or ideas you have, I read them all!
Aaaand if you're interested in keeping up with my antics, you can check me out on twitter: MalcorScribe
Anyway, see ya next time!