Several months later

Camp Currahee

September 10th, 1850 Local Time, 2552

Receiving the Augmentations did a number on Ben's body. On top of being excruciatingly painful, he had emerged from them more sickly than some of the other Spartans. However, he survived and all of the problems he was left with were fixable. Unlike the other Spartan III companies, Gamma Company received an extra year of training after their Augmentations. Ben didn't have any complaints, as while it would take him longer to see action, it also allowed him to get used to his newly upgraded body in a safer environment.

It was difficult to get used to just how different he was now, he was much taller, stronger, and faster than he was before. He ate and slept much less, and he could view things from a new, slower perspective in battle. It was a side-effect of his newly modified nervous system called "Spartan Time", and it allowed him to feel like everything around him had slowed to a crawl. It would only occur during moments of extreme adrenaline, like his training matches, but it offered a valuable advantage in those situations.

His neural interface had also been upgraded once again, this time to fit his newly grown body, and to incorporate some minor upgrades. Curie had remarked it was far "roomier", and Ben supposed that was all that really matter, as she got a lot more usage out of his neural lace and he did. She had also been a great help in helping him maintain his health while he had recovered, making sure he was eating and resting enough.

Only a few days after the procedure, while he was still stuck in bed, Lieutenant Commander Kurt visited him and told him that he would be issued a suit of Mjolnir Power Armor. It was apparently a consequence of his assignment, but Ben wasn't complaining, he was ecstatic to have the honor of using such a valuable piece of equipment. It was several steps up from the Semi-Powered Infiltration Armor he had previously been training with.

Ben had learned about Mjolnir in his classes, and he had been given a run-down on what to expect from the new Mark V variant that had entered service. He was allowed to personally pick every piece of armor, and it was delivered to him only a couple weeks later. Given his experience with the armor, Kurt had offered to assist with the process.

For the helmet he had elected to use the Mark VI helmet that was still in it's prototype phases. Kurt had initially recommended the Mark V/B helmet, which was purpose built for his role. But Ben explained that the prototype Mark VI helmet had a wider field of vision as well as a more resilient visor, two upgrades he could not ignore. Kurt agreed with him after he offered to submit field reports for it, to assist with the production of future variants.

For the chestpiece he selected the recon variant for the extra carrying pouches. Additional carrying capacity was a major concern of his, as Mjolnir's magnetic holsters and ammunition storage system couldn't carry certain pieces of equipment, and retrieving equipment out of a rucksack took valuable time. The extra weight to carry was practically a non-issue with his Augmentations and Armor, so he was more concerned with ease of use than weight efficiency. He also took a durable soft-case on the left hip for even more carrying capacity. He selected the FJ/Para knee-guards for their mix of protection and maneuverability, as well as covering the joints in his armor effectively.

His shoulder pieces offered a more challenging decision, Kurt convinced him to keep the Base Mark V plate for his left shoulder, as it was an exceptionally simple but reliable piece, not to mention Cheaper. For his right shoulder he picked the Security variant, complete with a self-sharpening kukri for close encounters. It offered a great deal more protection, as well as a backup weapon option in an emergency. Plus, the Kukri also served as a valuable tool in a multitude of situations.

The only part of his armor he struggled with selecting was the high-durability paint scheme. Ben personally had little concern for aesthetics, in his opinion, the armor was already beautiful in it's own way. Curie however, had insisted that they at least make an effort to keep it practical while also looking nice. In the end they agreed upon a design based on an urban camouflage pattern. The colors they picked were a dull silver primary and a steel grey secondary, with the visor being stylized in the traditional gold. All of the paint was designed to minimize reflection or glare from light, but there was only so much that could be done to conceal a large suit of power armor.

When the suit was delivered, Kurt personally helped Ben put it on the first time and ran him through one of the obstacle courses. The results were impressive, the armor made him stronger, faster, and better in every way, even more so than his Augmentations already had. While he now weighed in the region of half a tonne, he was still capable of using all manner of military vehicles. His added mass in the suit also meant he was much harder to push or knock over, not to mention the dramatically added protection and, equally impressive, shield generator.

It took some getting used to moving in the armor, as he was much faster than he normally was, but after some practice, he was able to precisely control his movements, even more so than before. One of the downsides of the suit was the significant amount of time it took to put on and take off, however with practice Ben was able to swap in and out of it within a reasonable timeframe. He would also carry a maintenance kit to keep it in working order, and even received some training in the mechanics, maintenance, and even modification of the armor.

Curie was an absolute lifesaver in regards to managing the suit. The whole suit was designed with holding an A.I in mind, and the advantages of that became obvious very quickly. She was able to help him with everything ranging all the way from power distribution to helping him perform rapid, precise movements by optimizing the connection between his armor and his nervous system. She could also tell if a system wasn't performing correctly, and in some cases, even fix them without Ben's help.

That had been months ago, today was his official graduation day. And while he wouldn't be taking part in the ceremony with the other Gamma Company Spartans, his training was now complete. Most of the other Spartan IIIs in his company had already been deployed, now it was his turn, as he had just received his very first set of deployment orders. As he waited by the landing pad for transport to arrive, he saw Kurt along with his old friend and mentor Richard approach him.

"Sir!" Ben said, snapping to salute. His voice was modulated by the helmet he was wearing, making it much deeper.

"At ease Sergeant." Kurt said before Ben relaxed. Kurt had a wide grin on his face, he was very clearly satisfied with how Gamma Company had turned out. "I came to say goodbye. As you're no doubt aware, you and Curie have your first assignment."

"We're aware, but I'm afraid that we weren't privy to the details." Ben replied. "Still, it's good to see you."

"Likewise Spartan. As for your orders, I have them here." Kurt said, holding out a file for Ben to take. "Unfortunately I can't stick around, and it's likely we'll never see each other again... or at least for a long time."

"It's been an honor knowing you Sir. Thank you, for everything." Ben said genuinely. Kurt had been a figure of his admiration for the longest time, and while it was saddening to say goodbye, his training was now complete, it was time for him to join the fight to defend Humanity.

"Thank you, Monsieur Kurt." Curie said, using his helmet's speakers to communicate, there was a hint of sadness in her voice. "Without you, I do not know where I would be."

"I'm glad to have met you both as well." Kurt said, a hint of emotion in his voice as well. "The Covenant aren't ready for what you all are about to do to them..."

"Sir, as much as I don't want to interrupt this heartfelt goodbye, you're five minutes late for your meeting with Mendez." Richard interjected, obviously trying to speak as politely as possible.

"Thank you Richard." Kurt said with a nod. "I better get going, goodbye Ben."

"Goodbye, Sir." Ben said. With that statement, Kurt left.

Ben turned his attention back to Richard, before making an uncomfortable realization. With his training complete, Richard would likely be staying behind to train the next Company of Spartans. "So, I suppose this is goodbye."

Richard gave an unexpected smile. "Thankfully not. I requested a transfer to the Navy some time ago, and they've placed me in Command of the UNSC Dominion."

That was certainly a pleasant surprise. From the cursory look Ben had been able to take at his deployment orders, it seemed that was the same ship he would be stationed aboard.

"That's good news." Ben said, unable to keep the smile off of his face, even if it was concealed by his helmet. "I had no idea you were planning on leaving ONI."

"Yeah well... it was long overdue. I think I'll be a bit more useful in the Navy." Richard said, a somewhat weary expression on his face. "I'm glad we'll be able to keep working together, I'd say we make a good team."

"I am also happy that we can stay together, Commander Richard. You have not only been a capable teacher, but a good friend." Curie said, and even though he couldn't see her, Ben could imagine that was smiling. The revelation of Richard's new rank was similarly surprising, although given his prior experience commanding Prowlers, it wasn't totally out of the blue.

"Likewise Curie, I think I've learned more from you than I did in Basic." Richard said with a hint of humor. "But I believe that for the time being, we should focus on where we're going."

"Where would that be?" Ben asked, taking another look at the file that was still in his hands.

"We're headed to the colony of Concord." Richard said. "My forces will be helping out on the ground, and I've been told that we will also be delivering an Elite prisoner to a Prowler in-system for interrogation."

Ben noted that there would be a Covenant soldier in the brig, but he was more focused on the missions he would be going on.

"How's the battle going?" Ben asked as he kept reading.

"Surprisingly well, given the state of the war. Admiral Remington is giving them hell in space, and General Lee Oliver is doing well enough on the ground." Richard said. "I don't know exactly what your assignment will be, but I know you and the rest of your new team have a busy campaign ahead of you."

"Looking forward to it." Ben said, before finishing the rest of the file, Richard had summarized it fairly well.

As Ben spoke, a Pelican came down to take them to The Dominion. The journey was relatively long so they made small talk to pass the time. When they finally did land in the Dominion's Starboard Hangar, they disembarked and immediately had the attention of all of the crew, as both a ranking officer and a Spartan coming out of the same Pelican was an oddity not many got to see.

"As you were." Richard said, prompting them to return to what they were doing. "Hopefully they can get used to having a Spartan aboard."

"I'm sure they will." Ben replied, with a degree of confidence.

"Remember Ben, elements of the Spartan 2 program were made public in 2547, it's likely they believe you are one." Curie said, speaking inside of his helmet so that the crew couldn't hear. Speaking privately with Curie was something that he quickly grew to appreciate, as her input was very commonly valuable.

"They probably don't even know that there's difference, or even different generations of Spartans." Ben replied, keeping his voice in his helmet so only Curie could hear him.

As they walked through the hangar they spotted a multitude of air and space vehicles. Ben spotted a Vulture, some Hornets, some Pelicans, a Wombat drone, and one of the new Sabre interceptors. He also overheard some of the crew members talking about a lack of Pelicans.

"Is the ship's Pelican compliment not filled?" Ben asked, looking to Richard as they walked.

"We're currently at six out of the normal twelve." Richard said. "Apparently some of them got transferred back to Reach for the defense aboard another ship. Given the recent news... I don't think we're getting those back."

"I see." Ben said. "And what about the crew?"

"Full complement, with you included that's a bit over a thousand souls on board." Richard said, without even a moment of thought.

"You've memorized all this." Ben observed.

"I had some good notes to work with that I was sent, I haven't met the Executive Officer yet, but they're certainly talented." Richard commented. "He made sure we're well stocked too, apparently Concord's been under Siege for some time, so they'll probably be grateful for the help."

"Good to hear." Ben said genuinely, good officers were in short supply, along with every other major resource. "Have you met anyone else aboard yet?"

"I've met one formally, Lieutenant Thomas. He's an ONI liaison responsible for the Elite." Richard said. "Very dedicated man, but I've heard he can be a bit... overbearing. Hopefully we can still work together well enough."

Ben nodded, that had likely been the most important lesson that Richard had taught him, how to work with difficult people.

As they walked through the hallways they passed by several marines and crew members, who all saluted to Richard as he passed. The ship seemed to be in good shape, despite its apparent age. Many of the halls and compartments had little decorations, all seemingly given a nautical theme. Of particular note was a water-based life preserver mounted above the entryway to the bridge, the kind commonly used on ships prior to the invention of more practical means of staying afloat, and it was even customly marked with the Dominion's name and service number.

The bridge of a Charon class was rather exposed, a common trait shared amongst most UNSC warships. However, it was much smaller than other bridges, with a smaller number of stations for the officers, compared to more modern designs. There were stations for a helmsman, a weapons officer, an astro-navigation officer, a communications officer, an operations officer, and an apparently unused space for the chief engineer. There was also plenty of room to walk around, which was a relief to Ben, as his large frame made walking around difficult in some instances.

He and Richard made their way to the front of the bridge, where they found the command chair as well as a middle aged man with short brown hair and hazel eyes standing next to it. His uniform and insignia designated him the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

"Commander on deck!" The man announced as soon as he spotted the two. The entire bridge crew snapped to attention.

"At ease." Richard said, after he gave the room a wide examination. "I take it you're Lieutenant Commander John Bradford?"

"Yes Commander, it's good to have you aboard." Bradford said, offering a handshake, which Richard accepted.

There's some experience behind that man. Ben thought, noting a large amount of scars dotting his face and hands. I wonder what kind of stories he has to tell.

Richard sat down in the Commander's chair. "It's good to be aboard. What's our status?"

"The Dominion is currently at ninety-six percent operational capacity, we're only missing a few Pelicans and a handful of personnel." Bradford said. "The new Sabres had a few issues, but that's been sorted out."

"What about Weapons, and Navigation?" Richard asked.

"Navigation is online, we're rekeying the Weapons systems now. The only thing that's down for maintenance is the gravity generator in the gym." Bradford said.

"And the slipspace drive?" Richard asked, checking something on his datapad.

"Fully charged and ready to jump to Concord on your mark." Bradford said. "We should have the calculations done by now."

Richard gave a firm nod of approval. "Good, get us underway as soon as possible. Let's not keep Fleetcom waiting."

"Yes sir. You heard the man Ensign, get us moving!" Bradford ordered. "Lieutenant, double check our drive, make sure we're good to go!"

Two of the bridge crew gave a brief "Aye Sir." in response, before they carried out his orders.

"Is there anything else I should know about, Lieutenant?" Richard asked.

"Not for you Sir, but I believe that I may have an update for the Spartan." Bradford said before turning to Ben. "The rest of Fireteam Onyx is currently in the barracks on deck five. We'll get a briefing sorted out for you at some point."

"Thank you." Ben said, before turning to Richard. "If I may ask Sir, I'd like to stay for a moment, and watch the slipspace transition."

Ben had never seen a live slipspace transition, he'd seen simulations, but never anything in person. Even though he'd gone on slipspace journeys before, he'd always been in cryosleep during the transition. For this trip however, they would not need to enter cryosleep.

"Granted." Richard said with a nod.

"Sir, slipspace drive is green and good to go!" The helmsmen reported.

"It's giving off some weird readings." The navigator added, as she looked over to another screen, a slightly worried expression on her face. "It looks like some form of background radiation, it's doing hell on our calculations."

"Can we jump?" Richard asked, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Absolutely, but we should probably report this once we arrive at Concord, these readings are crazy..." She replied, almost in awe of what she was looking at.

"Understood, standby." Richard said before reaching for the intercom. "All hands, this is the Commander. Brace for slipspace Transition."

After waiting for around thirty seconds Richard spoke again. "Ensign, commence slipspace Jump."

"Aye sir." The helmsman and navigation officer said, before typing away at their computers.

Moments later, Ben watched as a large green portal opened in front of the ship, but there was one problem, slipspace portals were normally blue. What looked like multicolored lightning began to snake out of the portal, before dissipating. Bolts of what almost looked like lightning danced throughout the portal, but never actually crossed through the middle. Richard's face seemed incredibly worried as the ship flew towards the portal.

"Helmsman?" Richard asked nervously. "Take evasive action!"

"I'm working on it!" The helmsmen said as he furiously typed at his keyboard. "I can't stop the ship, our momentum is too strong!"

"Wave us off course!" Richard ordered.

"It's too late, we're going to hit it!" The helmsman called out in a slight panic.

Recognizing they were going to enter the portal no matter what, Richard frantically grabbed the intercom as he pushed a button on his chair, sounding the collision alarm.

"All hands, brace!" Richard yelled into the intercom before the Dominion began to enter the portal.

Ben felt the ship lurch as the front half of the ship disappeared into the portal. Ben locked his magnetic boots down to the floor as the bridge entered the portal, the bridge lurched violently at first, but stayed steady as the rest of the ship fully entered the portal. Bradford was thrown to the floor as he was the only one not in a chair, and didn't have anything holding him down.

The ship transitioned through the portal quickly, almost as soon as they had passed through it. When the ship emerged out of the portal, it looked as if nothing had changed and they were still in normal space. Which Ben knew wasn't normal, because they should have been in slipspace, which looked very different.

"Sir, the drive's shutting down!" The helmsman shouted.

"Let it, and cut the power!" Richard said. "XO, get me a damage report!"

"Yes Sir!" Bradford shouted as he got up off the floor, seemingly unfazed.

"What do I do, Sir?" Ben asked, frantically wondering how to help.

"Ben, this situation is out of your hands, just let them work." Curie said reassuringly.

"Curie's right." Richard quickly said, before turning to Bradford. "Where's that damage report!?"

While frustrating, Ben stood in place and did his best to stay out of everyone's way. His mind was ablaze with thought and adrenaline, whatever had just happened, it was very sudden.

"I have it sir!" Bradford said, handing a datapad to Richard, who gave it a brief read and turning to the helmsman.

"Get us away from that portal!" Richard ordered. "Flank speed!"

"On it!" The helmsmen said as he put the ships engines at a hard burn and accelerated away from the portal at high speed. Ben felt the weight of the starship shift beneath him as the massive engines fired.

One of the monitors on the bridge was showing a live camera feed of the portal, which was now behind the Dominion. Ben saw the portal begin to dissipate before it vanished completely.

"Lieutenant, please tell me that the drive is shut down!" Richard shouted at the navigation officer.

"It's offline!" She confirmed. "It's taken damage, but I can't say how much."

Richard sighed with frustration. "Bradford, is this damage report updated?"

"Yes." Bradford said. "We only suffered some minor armor damage, but I can't tell what state the slipspace drive is in."

Richard sighed with relief. "Casualties?"

"I'll have that report in a couple of seconds, I'll need that." Bradford said pointing at his datapad before Richard handed it back.

"Helmsman, do you have any idea what just happened?" Richard asked, his expression and voice full of concern

"None sir, but we aren't in slipspace, that's for sure." The helmsmen said, worry evident in his voice as well.

"Alright... now where the hell are we?" Richard wondered, his gaze settling on the blackness of space out of the front viewport.