Chapter 18: Sydney

June 21, 2682; 2301 Hours

Ivan groaned as he tossed the controller onto the table. He just had his ass handed to him by Yang and Ruby for the third time in a row in a game he, at one point, thought he was relatively good at. He had narrowly beaten the two sisters in the first round, since they were getting used to actually controlling their tank avatar, but they quickly started overtaking him. The game was focused on armored, aerial, and naval warfare from the 20th and 21st centuries, with Ivan, Ruby, and Yang choosing to drive tanks, Blake choosing to captain a prototype H-44 Battleship, and Weiss choosing to fly the American F-100 Super Sabre.

Ivan was driving a King Tiger tank with the Henschel turret, while Ruby drove an M46 Patton and Yang drove an IS-2 mod. 1944. Ivan's rather weak turret cheek armor was easy pickings for Yang's 122mm HEAT shells, more often than not eliciting the occasional curse from the SPARTAN as his ammo rack cooked off. Ruby used the mobility of her medium tank to simply flank around the SPARTAN, putting a normal APCBC round through his tank's engine deck. Weiss seemed to be enjoying using her aircraft's supersonic capabilities to outrun the other aircraft, followed by the performing of an Immelmann maneuver to quickly change directions and start engaging the air targets. Ivan was rather surprised by how well Weiss picked up the mechanics of aerial dogfighting, but decided not to comment. Blake simply slugged 18-inch shells into the side of smaller ships, watching their citadels go up in flames in the process. "Get fucked, Ivan!" Yang said, happily as she sent an AP shell into the side armor of Ivan's Leopard I that he had switched into, hoping to level the playing field.

"Goddamnit!" Ivan said, sighing. "Are you sure your armor isn't made of Stalinium?"

"What?" Yang asked.

"Nothing…" Ivan said, chuckling. "I can't help but feel like you guys are ganging up on me for some strange reason."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Weiss asked, going into a steep dive and launching four dumbfire rockets into the roof of Ivan's freshly-spawned Panther II.

"Weiss… you're too good." Ivan said as her Super Sabre quickly pulled up, darting off towards the sky at supersonic speeds. "Are you sure you're not a closet nerd like I am?"

"I'd never have the time to waste on pointless games like this." Weiss defended. "It must just be beginner's luck."

"You sure about that one, Schnee?" Yang taunted. "I think we're turning you into a proper teenager. Whatever will you do, now that you're starting to act like a normal teenage girl?"

"I've always been perfectly capable of acting like a 'normal' person, thank you very much." Weiss retorted. Blake simply gave a laugh in response.

"At least I'm not the only one getting ganged up on now." Ivan joked, checking his datapad. "Holy shit, it's midnight?"

"What?!" Weiss asked, looking at her Scroll, which barely has the functionality of a clock this far away from Remnant.

"Well… that's all for me tonight." Ivan said, standing upright and cracking his back. "G'night, guys. Remember to be up bright and early tomorrow… or today, I guess."

"What for?" Yang asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"You all wanted to see the city, right?" Ivan asked. "I know where I'm taking you."

"And where would that be?" Weiss asked.

"The Museum of Humanity." Ivan answered with a smile. He allowed himself a yawn as he cracked his knuckles.

Yang let out a yawn as Ivan turned to climb the stairs up to the second floor. She gave Blake a look, which earned a nod from the Faunus as she stood up. "Don't stay up too late, Rubes." Yang said, following behind Blake as they made their way towards their room.

Weiss sighed as she placed her controller on the table. She stood upright, straightening out her dress as she did so. "Coming, Ruby?" Weiss asked.

Ruby nodded, standing up and following behind Weiss. They made their way back into their provided room, Weiss flopping down onto the bed with a sigh. After a few moments of rather uncharacteristic silence from her partner, Weiss looked up, finding Ruby to be standing there, a look on her face like she wanted to ask something of the Heiress. "Ruby?" Weiss asked, causing the younger girl to jump slightly. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah… I just…" Ruby tried, Weiss giving her a nod as she spoke, silently urging her to continue. "About what happened earlier… did you want to talk about it?" Weiss's expression immediately turned sour, causing Ruby to backpedal. "O-only if you want to, that is."

Weiss let her face soften, letting out a sigh. "I'm quite alright, Ruby."

"You didn't seem alright when we saw that Arbiter guy." Ruby said, taking a seat next to Weiss on the bed.

"I said I'm fine." Weiss snapped, causing Ruby to shrink back. Weiss immediately felt guilty when she saw the look on Ruby's face, making her appear almost like a kicked puppy. Weiss let out a shaky breath, her voice slightly softer than usual. "I'm sorry, Ruby…" Weiss began. "I… I was just afraid."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, giving the heiress a look of genuine concern.

"A-after what happened when Vale got attacked…" Weiss began, her voice shaking slightly. "Seeing another one of those things, even if it was just the Arbiter…"

As Ruby noticed Weiss' voice breaking, she pulled the heiress into an embrace, causing her to tense up momentarily before finally wrapping her own arms around Ruby. "It's okay, Weiss." Ruby said, squeezing the heiress.

Weiss was rather grateful that Ruby couldn't see her face, as a few tears had started to well up in her eyes. She wasn't used to this kind of physical contact, especially in this setting, but her partner's genuine caring nature made it comforting. For most of her life, Weiss was restricted to her home in Atlas, only having the hired help to talk to whenever her father wasn't home, which was quite often. The Schnee family employees weren't pleasant to talk to, since it was their job to care about Weiss, none of it was genuine.

Ruby was the exact opposite. Ever since Weiss had met Ruby, all she wanted to do was befriend the heiress, despite how much Weiss tried to push her away at first. Weiss had developed a keen sense of when people were simply being nice to her because of her name, hoping to win some favor with her or her family. Try as she might to find those telltale signs in Ruby's actions, there were none. Ruby genuinely, legitimately cared about the ivory-haired heiress whom, at first, had done everything in her power to push the bubbly girl away.

The realization that Weiss had made an actual, close friend during her time at Beacon, the fact that this same friend had been doing everything she could to make the heiress happy since the day they met, and the knowledge that this same friend cared enough about her to pull her into a hug and tell her that everything was okay, had finally allowed Weiss to open up and be… her. In a final culmination of the emotions that Weiss had been subjected to over the past few hours, she broke down into tears, openly sobbing into Ruby's shoulder.

Ruby was slightly surprised by the sudden shift in the heiress, but quickly recovered. She squeezed the heiress lightly, looking to soothe her. Weiss simply buried herself in Ruby's shoulder, her sobs barely audible. "Shh…" Ruby whispered, lightly rubbing Weiss's back. "You're okay…"

"I'm not okay…" Weiss said in-between sobs. "I'm scared to death of a stupid alien! I'm a Huntress! How can I be a Huntress if I can't even look at a stupid walking lizard without freezing up like a scared child?!"

"Weiss…" Ruby said, still tracing comforting patterns on the heiress' back. "You nearly died when that thing grabbed you." Ruby spoke, her voice beginning to break as well. "If anyone has an excuse to be afraid, it's you. I-I was afraid too."

"You were afraid?" Weiss asked, sitting up and looking at Ruby. Her eyes were noticeably reddened, and the trail lines of tears were visible on her cheeks. "You didn't get choked by a giant alien… you charged at it."

"I was afraid that you were going to die, Weiss." Ruby said, tears welling up in her eyes. "You're my best friend… I couldn't bear something like that happening to you."

Weiss simply stared at Ruby for a few moments, finally pulling her partner into a close embrace. "Thank you, Ruby." Weiss said, nearly whispering.

"Of course, Weiss…" Ruby said, returning the hug. "We're friends…I wouldn't' just let you deal with this alone. If you need anything, let me know." Ruby gave Weiss a genuine smile, which the heiress found very infectious.

Weiss sniffled slightly, wiping the tears from her eye with the tips of her fingers. "Thank you, Ruby… that means a lot to me." Weiss sat in comfortable silence with Ruby's hands still on her shoulders for a few moments. "I think I'm going to get changed." Weiss said, prompting Ruby to let go of the heiress.

"Me too." Ruby said, the familiar energy returning to her voice.

Weiss stood up, grabbing a set of nightwear from her bag as Ruby grabbed her pajamas and tank top from her own suitcase. Weiss excused herself by ducking out of the room and into the hallway, heading for the restroom that Ivan had pointed out earlier in the day. Weiss stepped into the bathroom, unsurprised by the automatic lights. She quickly glanced at herself in the mirror. Her usual icy, calm exterior had been replaced by reddened, puffy eyes and the telltale signs of fallen tears.

Even after leaving the room and distancing herself from the feeling of being close to Ruby, she couldn't shake an unfamiliar feeling in her chest. Her heart was beating far faster than normal. Crying wasn't something that was new to the heiress. Sure it was rare, but it wasn't new. Usually, after this much time, her heartrate would have calmed down a bit. Right now, it felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest. She shook her head, forcing the feeling down as she removed her dress and replaced it with her familiar blue nightgown. She quickly gathered up her removed clothes and stepped back outside, making her way back into the room. She found Ruby to be just finishing pulling her shirt on over her head, and gave the girl a small smile. "So how are we going to handle the sleeping arrangements?" Ruby asked, seeing that there was only one bed and a pair of cushioned chairs. "I could put the two chairs together and sleep on-"

"Actually…" Weiss interrupted. "I wouldn't mind if we shared the bed, it's big enough anyways."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked. "It's no big deal."

"I'm sure, Ruby." Weiss said, smiling. The prospect of sleeping in the same bed as Ruby, even as friends, sent another quick heartbeat to the heiress' chest. She worked to suppress the blush that came about after she suggested that Ruby and her sleep together. They had done it on the ship, only because of the lack of space on the deck, why was it eliciting this feeling now?

Weiss pulled one corner of the covers back, sliding underneath. Ruby followed suit once she flicked the light switch into its 'off' position, albeit slightly more awkwardly. "Good night, Weiss." Ruby said once she finished getting situated.

"Good night, Ruby… " Weiss replied, laying down fully. She laid in comfortable silence for a few moments. "And thank you."

XXXXX

June 22, 97,445 B.C.E.

Mantle's Light, Bridge

"Admiral?" An ensign aboard the Dreadnought asked his commanding officer. "We'll be arriving at the Greater Ark in ten minutes."

Echo of Wandering Stars let out a sigh from his position at the helm of his flagship, Guardian Eternal. "Prepare all shield generators, prime all Hard Light Projectors and set the fleet to Combat Alert Status."

"Yes, Admiral!" The ensign replied, returning to his station.

"Soleia?" Echo asked, prompting his Ancillary friend to shimmer into existence next to his command terminal.

"Yes?" She asked. Echo felt a twinge of guilt as he looked upon her Hard-Light form. Had it not been for his idiocy, she could have lived the remainder of her life in the relative peace that Erde Tyrene offered… he just had to get involved and ruin any chance of her finding peace. Thanks to his idiocy, she was destined to live as an Ancilla for the remainder of her existence, likely going Rampant far before her core components are whittled away in the emptiness of the Void.

"Open a fleet-wide communication… I need to address my men." Echo said, sighing deeply.

"Of course, Echo." Soleia responded, doing her best to give a comforting smile at her Forerunner friend's dejected expression. "Channel open."

Echo took a deep breath, speaking almost directly to Soleia, as she was the communication conduit that connected his ship to the rest of the fleet. "Brothers and Sisters… We are eight minutes out from the defining point of Galactic history. Today, at the site of the Greater Ark, is the Forerunner's final chance for redemption from the crimes we have committed against the sacred tenants of the Mantle. It is here where we will send the Parasite back into the void from whence it came, as is our sacred duty as warriors."

"The Didact has ordered the deployment of the Rings… It is here, here in this small pocket of space around our great Galaxy where the Forerunners will stand their ground. It is our duty to defend the Greater Ark, buying our comrades enough time to fire the array. I could never have asked more of my men… you have all served the Mantle with undying pride and I am honored to say that I have served you, as your Fleetmaster. May the Mantle's light guide us through oblivion."

"Admiral, we're leaving the Slipstream now!" The helmsman shouted, drawing Echo's attention to the holographic viewport on the wall. Thousands of IFFs appeared on the screen, all of them Forerunner. Echo's face contorted into a look of pure rage as he watched ships infested with the vile Parasite firing upon the ships of the Ark's defense fleet. Echo spoke one final time to the four hundred ships under his command. "All ships, fire at will! Burn the Parasite from the face of our galaxy!"

XXXXX

June 22, 2682; 0625 Hours

Earth, Sydney

Ivan jolted awake, drawing in a breath that his sleeping form had neglected to let him take in. He was almost completely drenched in sweat, causing his sheets to stick to his skin slightly. He looked down at himself, letting out a sigh of relief to find that his body was still a combination of Human and Machine. His organic arm was trembling heavily, his muscles feeling like they were made of cement. A dream like that was far too real… he was Echo of Wandering Stars. He didn't have any knowledge of the events, what his imprint looked like, what he did… this dream was simply showing him exactly what happened, like a video playing through his own mind.

Ivan haphazardly threw the covers off of himself, standing upright through the creaks in his bones. He ducked into the small bathroom that was connected to his room, throwing his clothes into a pile in the corner of the room after closing and locking the door. He pressed the little display on the inside of the shower, letting the disgustingly cold water wash over him. He stood under the freezing water for a few moments before it finally heated up. Ivan simply stood under the now-scalding water for a few minutes before finally shutting it off and stepping out.

The entire bathroom, unsurprisingly, was filled with steam. Ivan shuffled over towards the mirror, wiping the condensation away with his organic arm. He stared at the small, mirco-movements that his synthetic iris was making as it adjusted to the low light level in the room.

XXXXX

June 22, 97,445 B.C.E.

Mantle's Light, Bridge

"Admiral! We have Flood Infestation on Decks one through eighteen!" A bridge ensign shouted out. His fleet had fought valiantly, felling hundreds of the attacking Parasite's commandeered ships. The defending Forerunners eventually crumbled under the combined assault of the Flood's armada, forcing them to begin retreating. The Didact ordered the deployment of the Composer, converting the Human population of one of the fledgling Halo Rings into his sickening Prometheans. Soleia had voiced her concern during the height of the battle, with Echo nearly spitting at the mere thought of the Didact's disgustingly mutant face giving such a barbaric order. Once all of the Rings had entered through the massive Slipspace portals projected by the Greater Ark's inner ring, the fleet began evacuating the area. Echo offered to take any volunteering vessels to hold the line and cover the Librarian's retreat from the system.

"What are we doing?" Soleia asked, materializing next to Echo.

"You're going back into the Domain." Echo said, his voice calm and level. "You'll be safe from the Parasite's corruptive essence there."

"Echo… absolutely not!" Soleia near-shouted. "I'm not abandoning you here!"

Echo sighed, pulling up a small projected terminal from his command interface. He pressed a few keys on the holographic glyphs, twisting the intricate-looking ball of Forerunner glyphs as he worked with the machine. "I'm sorry, Soleia." He said, making the final keystroke.

"Echo! No-" Soleia was cut off as a small portion of the Bridge's main terminal ejected an AI core, wrapping it in a Slipspace portal, and sending it to the Forerunner Domain, deep within the Slipstream.

Echo let out a shaky breath. "Ensign… how many ships do we have?"

"Four Gargantua-Class Dreadnoughts are currently in critical condition and venting atmosphere… other than that, we're all that's left. Our mission is complete, Admiral." The Ensign responded, giving the Admiral a look that combined both respect and admiration.

"You have done well, soldier." Echo said, placing a hand on the ensign's shoulder. "I only wish your life did not have to meet its end like this."

"I've accepted it, Admiral… as has the rest of the crew." He responded. "We knew the risks when we left the Core Systems."

Echo sighed, hearing the secondary Ancilla aboard the ship speak up over the intercom. "Attention! Flood Spores detected on Decks One through Thirty Six! Ship corruption imminent!"

Echo steeled himself for the final order of his long career, standing upright and clasping his hands behind his back. "Secondary Ancilla… Initiate Singularity Core overload and self-destruct. Lower all containment fields to maximize the blast."

"Admiral Clearance is required for such an order." The rudimentary AI responded.

"Echo of Wandering Stars. Clearance is as follows: Through tides of light and the vastness of the Void, I give the order for this ship to return to where it began… Dust."

"Clearance accepted, Admiral." The Ancilla responded. "Thank you for your loyal service, Echo of Wandering Stars. May the Mantle's light guide you in this life and the next."

Echo felt the entire ship shudder beneath his feet as he turned to look at the holographic viewport for one final moment. The last thing his eyes would ever see, one single blinding flash, silenced by a wave of darkness and silence.

XXXXX

June 22, 2682; 0638 Hours

Earth, Sydney

Ivan let out a gasp as he staggered back from the mirror, almost slipping on the dampened floor. He was unsure of how long he was subject to that vision, but the condensation had almost completely cleared from the mirror's surface of its own volition. He quickly gathered his change of clothes and threw them on, haphazardly. He stepped back into his room, mentally steeling himself for a moment.

Ivan called upon his Semblance, causing tendrils of black Slipstream energy to dance across his hands. He called his helmet into Real Space, but chose to have it assemble itself on the end of his room's small nightstand. Once the helmet was completely constructed, he silenced the hungry energy of the Slipstream, turning to the helmet, staring at it for a moment. "Soleia!" He called, unsure if he was speaking in his own voice.

In an instant, his helmet's Hard Light Projector flickered to life, projecting the image of Soleia in her flowing white dress outwards. "Yes, SPARTAN?" Soleia asked. "Is something wrong?"

"What the hell was that?!" Ivan asked, gesturing towards the bathroom, then to his head. "What did I see?"

"What did you see, SPARTAN?" Soleia asked, truly ignorant of what the SPARTAN was making reference to.

"I saw… I saw Echo of Wandering Stars." Ivan said. "It's like… I was living the last few minutes of his life through his eyes."

Ivan's words brought something out of Soleia. Her expression went from completely neutral to one of concern. "How… how much did you see?"

"I saw… I saw him prepare his men for a battle around something called 'The Greater Ark'." Ivan responded, his words coming out slightly faster than normal. "Then… I saw him give the order to overload his ship's drive core when the Flood breached the hull."

"So that's how you went…" Soleia quietly mused to herself, her expression becoming somber.

"You didn't know?" Ivan asked, sitting on the edge of his bed, trying to control his breathing.

"I knew he was gone… I felt it rippling through the Domain when the Greater Ark was destroyed." Soleia responded. "I never knew how it happened… his memories that were stored in the Domain were kept under a tight lock by the Librarian."

"It's weird…" Ivan mused, pinching the bridge of his nose. "After going through that… It's like I understand everything that he knew."

"That is your Geas… you carry the collective memories of Echo." Soleia explained. "For all intents and purposes, you are Echo."

"Am I still me?" Ivan asked, only realizing how ridiculous that question was after he asked it.

"Of course you are." Soleia responded. "The Geas does not override one's own created memories, it simply allows for the long-term storage of another being's memories and traits across several generations. Your memories and personality are your own, you simply happen to carry Echo's with you as well."

"How much will that happen to me?" Ivan asked, gesturing to the bathroom again.

"As many times as your Geas may find it necessary." Soleia responded, cryptically. "There is never a definite answer."

Ivan sighed, flopping back onto his bed. "Christ…"

"I'm sorry that you had to experience that now." Soleia responded. "But… the Librarian implanted your genetic line with that Geas for a reason. Likewise, there is a reason that it chose to manifest with you."

"Thanks, Soleia." Ivan said, sitting upright again. Just as quick as it came, the headaches and light-headedness were gone.

"Of course, SPARTAN." Soleia responded, smiling. "I wouldn't let this damage the time you could be spending with your friends." She said, gesturing to the clock on the nightstand.

Ivan grinned. "I don't plan on it."

XXXXX

June 22, 2682; 0900 Hours

Earth, Sydney

Ivan made his way downstairs, unsurprised to find everyone up and about. Ruby and Weiss were sitting on the couch in the living room, Weiss happily playing with Ivan's German Shepherd. Blake and Yang were sitting at the end of a table with Sasha, holding a seemingly interesting conversation. As it was the middle of summer, most of them were dressed as such. It was mostly shorts, and t-shirts, with a sleeveless dress for the heiress. Ivan had exchanged his rather haphazard change of clothes for a pair of shorts and a black UNSC t-shirt.

"Look who's finally awake, Mister 'Bright and Early'!" Yang joked as Ivan descended the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah, keep talkin' blondie." Ivan responded with a grin. "Y'all ready?"

"Where are we going?" Ruby asked, excitement quickly becoming apparent in her voice.

"I figured, since Weiss wanted to see some historical sites and the rest of you wanted to explore the city, we could do both." Ivan said, grabbing his car's keys from the counter. "Downtown Sydney's like a twenty five minute drive from here, and it's got all of that: city and history."

"Isn't Downtown like forty minutes away?" Sasha asked, giving Ivan a quizzical expression.

"If you drive like a bitch." Ivan responded with a laugh. "Let's go!"

Everyone stood up and followed behind Ivan. Amusingly enough, Blake stuck as close to Yang as possible, as the dog had started following them towards the door. Ivan walked outside, pressing the keyless entry's unlock button twice to unlock all four doors on his car. "Now… it can fit all five of us if Blake or Yang sit in shotgun."

"Why's that?" Blake asked, eyeing the four-door car.

"Because the backseat is pretty tiny…" Ivan confessed. "Personal modification. I needed to reduce the weight."

"Why?" Blake asked.

"I needed to go fast." Ivan said with a wide grin, sitting down in the driver's seat.

"How fast can the car go?" Weiss asked, taking the right-most seat in the passenger area, with Ruby taking the middle and Yang taking the left. "1400 horsepower, right?"

"Well, the car comes stock at 900 Horsepower." Ivan explained. "It's a BMW M6, but I threw a Porsche-Maybach engine into it, jumping it up to 1300 horsepower. Tossed in a few aftermarket parts, and now the thing can do zero to three hundred to zero again in under eighteen seconds."

Weiss went wide-eyed at the concept of a car simply being that disgustingly fast. Ivan let out a small smile at Weiss' response, and responded by pressing the ignition, causing the hilariously overpowered engine to rev to life. Ivan backed out carefully, and got on the road headed towards the city. He remained well within the speed limit for most of the early ride, much to Ruby's dejection. Unsurprisingly, the young huntress liked the idea of going really fast without her Semblance. Blake seemed far more at ease, seeing that Ivan was deciding to follow the speed limit. That changed the instant that Ivan pulled onto the highway.

Once Ivan pulled onto the Earth equivalent to Vale's highway system, He slammed down on the accelerator. The car went from around 50 kilometers per hour, to just under three hundred in the span of about six seconds. Ivan laughed as he saw the expression on the Faunus' face, along with the happy expression on Ruby's face. Weiss looked more impressed than anything, and Yang seemed to be enjoying the look of pure terror on Blake's face. While most of the eight-lane highway had an "advisory" speed limit, with some areas having an enforced speed limit, Ivan knew these areas well.

After a mere four minutes of Ivan's own personal brand of "controlled reckless driving", the rather large city of Sydney came into view. Ever since the reformation of the UEG, the city had become the permanent location of the civilian government of humanity. Sydney's city limits technically stretched down to Canberra. Ivan pulled to a stop in the first available parking spot he could find, which happened to be a few hundred feet from the Museum of Humanity.

"Well then…" Blake said, almost pulling herself up from the fabric of the car's seat. "Now that that's over…"

As everyone stepped out of the vehicle, they were greeted by a truly breathtaking view. The Museum of Humanity stood tall in the large plaza dedicated to it. The symbol of ancient architecture stood in stark contrast to the sleek, metallic buildings of 27th century Sydney. "Whoa…" Weiss said, amazed. "How old is that?"

"It's only about a hundred and thirty years old." Ivan responded. "It's built in the same style as the Romans used." Ivan looked to his team. "Alright… you guys wanna meet up back here around say… five? Museum's a big place."

"Sounds good." Yang said, nodding along with the rest of Team RWBY. "What're you gonna do?"

"I've got a bit of a… personal thing to attend to." Ivan said, shrugging. "You guys go on and explore the city."

"Okay…" Weiss said, giving Ivan a smile. "Any suggestions?"

"Definitely check out the exhibit on the Human-Covenant War." Ivan said. "If you want to get real old, there's some stuff from the Interplanetary War or even before that in there, too. Now go, have fun. Oh, before I forget…." Ivan began, rummaging around in his pockets. He produced four sleek, black chips and handed them to each member of Team RWBY. "Those are UEG Credit Chits. Each one's got around six hundred creds on it, more than enough for any touristy thing you guys might want to go see." Ivan said, ushering them away. "I'll find you guys around five and we'll get something to eat."

As the rest of Team RWBY went on their own way, looking to explore the sprawling plaza that the museum occupied, Ivan set off to fulfill a promise he made. This promise he needed to fulfill every time he was back home…

XXXXX

June 22, 2682; 1040 Hours

Sydney, Earth (Museum of Humanity)

"It's so beautiful…" Weiss said, walking along the path surrounding the Museum of Humanity. Ruby followed just behind the marveling heiress, a smile perpetually locked on her face. Ever since the previous night, Weiss had been in a much better mood, something that Ruby was quite grateful for. She was rather surprised by just how friendly the heiress was being over these past few hours. Heck, even Ivan seemed surprised to see the Heiress in a truly cheery attitude. Weiss had made Ruby promise to keep what happened a secret, and Ruby always kept secrets… Well… that might be stretching the truth a bit. She was never very good at keeping secrets, but she would do her best for Weiss. "What do you think, Ruby?" Weiss asked, pulling Ruby out of her thoughts and back to reality.

"What?" Ruby asked, looking over to the heiress. She had grabbed a small touristy pamphlet from a small stand on the side of the pathway and was reading through it.

"Where should we go next, you dolt?" Weiss asked, her jab actually having a sense of warmth behind it as she playfully nudged Ruby.

Ruby smiled as she glanced down at the small map of the local area that Weiss was holding out in front of her, deciding to pick something at random. "Human-Covenant War?"

"That seems interesting." Weiss agreed, folding the paper up and sticking it in her pocket.

After a few minutes of walking around, and occasionally checking the map after Weiss admitted that she had no idea where she was going, they finally arrived at the proper building, which was rather populated, being a Monday morning. The building itself was less of a single building and more of a large plaza of buildings, each connected by a concrete path. Weiss and Ruby made their way towards the largest of the buildings, unsurprised to find that they needed to pay five credits for admission. Weiss paid for the both of them and led the way into the first building, which was apparently dedicated to UNSC technology used during the War, if the script above the entryway was any indication.

Apparently, Weiss was absolutely correct. As she and Ruby stepped into the main hall of the larger building, they were met by a wide array of displays, each one showcasing modern or relatively modern UNSC military technology in some way or another. Ruby's attention was immediately, and unsurprisingly, grabbed by the massive SRS-99 Sniper Rifle on display near the entrance. Weiss let out an amused sigh at her partner's seemingly endless supply of energy as she followed after the excitable redhead. "Weiss!" Ruby said, pointing at the large 14.5x114mm round that the rifle fired. "Look at that! It's the same one Ivan used!"

Weiss was no expert on firearms, but she could quite clearly tell that the rather nasty looking fin-stabilized penetrator on the tip of the massive round would be more than enough to put anything down. She could swear she saw Ruby's mind working to draw up schematics to reproduce it back on Remnant for Crescent Rose, earning a small smile from the heiress.

In another unsurprising bout of excitement mixed with the attention span of a squirrel with ADD, Ruby darted off towards another display that caught her eye. This one was for the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mk. I Power Armor, explaining the various functions of the armor and the more intricate internal infrastructure that allowed it to mesh together so perfectly.

For nearly an hour, Weiss continued to follow behind her excitable partner, finding more than a few interesting things along the way. Weiss was especially interested in the UEG's starships, so she made a special point to stop at any displays she found for them.

Ruby continued to dart around, looking at and making mental notes of anything she found especially interesting. As she looked over the on-display SOEIV pod that ODSTs used to enter atmospheres, she caught sight of a sign that immediately grabbed her attention unlike anything else. The sign read, simply: "SPARTAN Program." Ruby quickly turned, finding Weiss to be inspecting a small model of the first UNSC Infinity, and grabbed her by the wrist, gently pulling her towards the SPARTAN Program's dedicated hallway.

"Hey!" Weiss said, surprised to find Ruby yanking her towards a seemingly random hallway.

XXXXX

June 22, 2682; 1100 Hours

Earth, Sydney (Museum of Humanity Plaza)

Blake and Yang casually made their way through the streets of Sydney, deciding that holding hands in the midst of a massive urban sprawl that was completely disconnected from Remnant wouldn't exactly paint a big target on their backs. Nobody seemed to pay the couple any mind, heck, Yang even saw a few other same-sex couples walking around the city. Blake on the other hand spent less time people-watching and more time looking around the city for anything that would catch her eye.

They simply walked around the city for just under an hour, Yang and Blake's hands never releasing one another. Somewhere along the line, Blake's internal compass must've made a proper guess, since she saw something that caught her eye: a bookstore. "Yang…" Blake began, gesturing towards the bookstore, which held the rather generic name: "New South Wales Booksellers".

Yang turned her head away from the cityscape to look at the small, one-story business that Blake was gesturing to, a small smile setting across her face. "Of all the places in this alien city that you could've asked to stop at… you choose a bookstore?"

"How long have you known me?" Blake asked, lightly tugging Yang towards the small establishment.

Yang simply grinned as she followed behind her raven-haired partner. She released her hold on Blake's hand just long enough to hold the door open for her. "Madame." Yang joked in a very forced accent, earning a smile from the Faunus.

"Why, thank you Madame." Blake replied in an equally bad accent, planting a light kiss on the blonde's cheek. Yang followed the Faunus into the bookstore, a stupid grin on her face the whole time.

XXXXX

June 22, 2682; 1107 Hours

Earth, Sydney (Living Monument)

Ivan sighed as he walked through the aisles of the Museum of Humanity, making his way towards his destination. As he walked, he saw more than a few mourners standing over the long-stretching path. The pathway itself was carved out of pure granite, its glossy black surface twisting and turning through the fields of grass, flowers, and mourning bodies. Ivan was shaken out of his almost programmed stride as he felt a small plastic tablet vibrate in his pocket. He produced his Scroll quickly, scanning over the message that he received.

-I managed to get leave for the rest of the trip.- Ivan read over the message from Winter, a small smile creeping onto his face.

=Good to hear.= Ivan responded, his fingers quickly tapping out the response. =Is there anywhere you wanted to meet?=

-I'm not too familiar with the city.- Came Winter's quick response. –Where are you? I'll just meet up with you.-

=The Living Monument.= Ivan responded. =You don't have to come here, I can come find you.=

-Nonsense, I'm already in walking distance apparently. I'll be there in a few minutes-

Ivan let out an amused chuckle at Winter's similarity to Weiss, in terms of insistence at least. He simply closed his Scroll and continued walking.

Ivan continued walking, eventually coming to a stop at a large slab of pure, refined, and forged iron. On a small golden plaque rested an inscription, its simple words carrying a mountain's worth of weight. "May this simple plate of metal serve to forever memorialize Humanity's staunch protectors, those who stood valiantly in the face of annihilation. Let us never forget those who journeyed into the hallowing dark, and did not return. For their decision required courage beyond measure, Sacrifice, and the unshakable conviction that their fight… our fight, was elsewhere. The sacrifices of these brave soldiers, from sacrificing their humanity to sacrificing their lives, has ennobled all of us… and you shall not be forgotten. –Lord of Admirals Terrence Hood, October 2561." Ivan had visited this simple slab of iron on every single return trip home. It stood as a memorial to the SPARTANs, completely independent of the electronic screen that served as the actual Living Monument.

The massive plate of metal stood at well over twelve feet in height and 100 in length, with hundreds of names etched onto its surface. The slab of iron was nowhere near full of names, and the list is constantly updated every time a SPARTAN fails to return home. For every name on this list, MIA was engraved next to them, a tradition of hope that has held strong ever since the SPARTAN-II Project: SPARTANs never die; they're just missing in action.

Ivan strode towards the line of newer entries on the ever-expanding list of names, coming to a halt just before a name that was added to the list seven years ago. He reached out with his cybernetic hand, letting the nanoreceptors in the hand feel the cool surface of the metal as he ran his finger along one name in particular: SPARTAN A-441, Lieutenant Annalise R. Chesnokov – MIA – May 4, 2675.