A/N: Apologies to all regarding my inability to appropriately respond to reviews and such, so I'll do them all right now.

TheArrowblackcabary: I'm glad that I'm half decent at something here. It is a struggle at the moment trying to balance it out. I admit that I set up the introduction of Taiga pretty poorly. Recognizing that, I've minimized her role in this chapter, and I'll give a lot of forewarning if I introduce more Nasuverse characters in the future (the ones I am considering are countable on one hand). I will say that I am tempted to do some interesting stuff before the Covenant arrive, but not after. As for magic, I realized early on that it wouldn't make sense for Shirou to be able to use UBW on things like Energy Swords, so we're probably going for the nerfing option. Halsey's mention of the Mage's Association was more to prevent her from naturally progressing down the path of experimenting on Magic Circuits and such (this would cause plot problems).

tl34lt12: Tbh, I loved that fanfic and hoping for more updates. As for your questions, I will say that the trio will come head to head with ONI if they realize that ONI was responsible for this program.

Beyond Infinity: I am not fantastic at dialogue and story-crafting, but I'm happy that people have enjoyed this. As for your question :shrug:

'Guest': That's fair; Zero is confusing compared to FSN.

yangn33: Glad you took the time and effort to write out all your critiques; it does help! I'll remember this when returning to the old chapters to revise.

Crimson Gamma: I am aware of the various issues, and I have brought minor revisions to previous chapters, removed the most egregious offenders, and will keep them in mind for the future.

hmataco: I will confess my familiarity with Halo lore is more detailed than I could ever get with Fate and the general Nasuverse.

dwdadw33: I will confirm that this is the necklace Rin gave Shirou in Fate/stay night. I can neither confirm nor deny any intentions to bring Rin into the story. But I will confirm if I am, it will not be coming anytime soon :shrug:

I Maserbate to Hentai: Glad you've enjoyed the story; I hope you'll stay along for the ride.

I do not own Fate or Halo; they belong to their respective owners.

Also, sleep isn't real.

Illya didn't know what Saber-san and Shirou onii-chan saw in that boy. When Saber-san told Illya of her intention to guide "John" along the right path, Illya had two thoughts: Why did they care? Why didn't they realize it was a distraction from their escape plan? Illya knew her dear brother and Sa-Artoria-san; they kept dragging themselves into trying to do what their heart called the right thing, even if they suffered.

Perhaps that was what she found so endearing to herself when she met Shirou, his selflessness and overall kindness. Her brother had every right to return the favor after she failed to kill him, but he didn't. She could have finished him off that night, it would have made the Holy Grail War much easier for her, but she hesitated. Berserker was capable of shrugging off all that damage from Saber-san, but something stopped her. Her mind drifted over to her former Servant.

No, he was her first true friend. Even though he could not be well understood by many, despite being a Berserker, she understood that he genuinely cared for her, that he held no ulterior desires for the Grail. This stood in stark contrast to Sella and Leysritt, who always addressed her as their master, even if they spent more time around her. The rest of the von Einzbern family was even worse, wanting to use her as a means to an end. To them, she was just a tool meant to be used and discarded.

Tool. Disposable. These were words that rang in her head as she surveyed the cafeteria. They were all tools for a purpose that she didn't quite know yet. It was infuriating for Illya; fate had screwed her over once again. Were the loss of her family and her original life expectancy not enough?

There was little point deliberating on the matter; it only further infuriated her. Shirou's question to Illya also returned her to the present moment, with his asking of her: "Illya, what do you think about helping us sneak in and get the food past the guards?"

Illya wanted to protest this, but she swallowed her pride. She saw the fire that burned within Shirou and Saber's eyes, eyes that wanted to help. After sighing, she answered the request, "Consider it done, onii-chan."

Shirou raised his eyebrow, observing that she hadn't been paying attention. Illya shrank under the look Saber-san gave her. Saber-san was passionate about this matter, and that onii-chan was willing to back her up. Illya gulped: "Could we go over that again?"

Saber-san took the initiative here, seeing that she was trying desperately not to snap at Illya, "We're lucky that they're not limiting our servings here but taking too much will attract too much attention."

Illya tentatively nodded at Saber-san's plan, with her mind buzzing away, trying to visualize how the procedure would go. Saber-san continued her plan: "You see that guard over there, Illya?"

Her eyes naturally wandered over to the person that Saber-san was pointing at; the man stood imposingly over the children, watching each person pass in and out of the installation. It seemed this would be a tough cookie to crack if one moved at an average speed. Her eyes widened with the realization of what Saber's plan entailed.

"You want me to speed past the guard?" Illya looked at Saber-san quizzically, it would be one of the most obvious uses of their magecraft, and she was concerned about being observed using the fullest extent of her magic crest.

Saber-san seemed to have read her mind regarding her concerns, "There are no cameras there, Illya. There is no need to worry about being observed using the true extent of your power."

The tension in Illya's body was noticeably decompressing as she realized she would do this, whether or not she liked it. But she at least tried to make her point known to Saber, "Saber-san, don't you think we should spend this precious time looking for an escape?" The words of protest came out as a squeak, with Illya trying to keep her agitated voice down to not attract any undo attention.

Shirou spoke up this time, "Well, I'll be doing that. Checking out possible routes of escape. Let's see if I can screw around with the HVAC system." It seemed that the acronym flew over both Saber-san and her heads. Illya's face contorted in confusion, begging Shirou to elaborate on what he was thinking.

After seeing the blank stares from Saber-san and Illya, Shirou relented: "This sounds corny, but the vents would be a good option for us to explore." He rubbed the back of his head, silently apologizing to Artoria and Illya. Illya forgave him; it was as good of a start as many.

With the slow nods from Saber and Illya, Shirou stood up, but not before he turned to his side and seemed focused on something. As if his hands were attempting to grip onto something. After a few seconds, Shirou materialized a food container; he handed the container to Illya. "It should last until tomorrow morning, probably for the best."

Illya nodded, gripping the food container close to her chest. Shirou then gave a peck on the cheek to Saber-san and ran off to investigate possible escape routes. Illya felt a tinge of jealousy whenever Saber-san and onii-chan had shown public signs of affection, it had been six years since their reincarnation, but it didn't make the feeling that Saber-san was going to take away her brother entirely disappear.

The blonde sitting in front of her stopped her from getting up, reminding her they needed one more thing to do: "Illya, mental link." Saber pointed to her own head, indicating that such a connection would be helpful for this and anything else they wanted to do in the future.

Illya gazed at the clock; time was running out, especially given Saber-san's planning to talk with John regarding leadership. Saber beckoned her to follow her to a private space where they could conduct the magical ritual without fear of being interrupted or spied on. After walking down one hallway, Saber twisted open a door that someone had forgotten to lock. The open door revealed a small closet they could fit into, at least for enough time to conduct the ritual.

This was going to be hard; she didn't mean the ritual. But the road ahead to salvation from whatever nefarious plans that crooked woman in the lab coat and CPO Mendez had for her and her family.

Getting the food inside the container was easy; holding it in her arms, she needed to get it past the guard for whatever stupid project Saber-san thought she was doing by trying to save that boy. Unfortunately, she didn't have nearly enough knowledge regarding Bounded Fields during her lifetime to reliably cast one on an object she needed to move. Now that she thought about it, perhaps it was for the best she was getting through. She was definitely going to have to take a break after this one.

Her distance began to close between herself and the guard. The guard had black beady eyes, scrutinizing those who passed through the gates like a hawk. Illya dived into a corner, in a blind spot in the viewpoint of the guard. She watched as children walked in and out of the doorway rather sporadically. She needed to get there in a blink of an eye, pushing her six-year-old body to strains she usually would have held off on. From the stories that Saber-san told her of her father's ability, it seemed that even he struggled with Time Alter.

That wasn't quite an option anymore. After waiting for a group of three to slowly approach the guard, she took a deep breath. She triggered the Emiya family crest's power with a few simple words that came out as a whisper, "Time Alter, Triple Accel." Everything around her underwent a redshift; it was always a strange feeling whenever she utilized it. She could feel the strain it put on her body when she used the full power of Innate Time Manipulation.

She waited for the guard's blindspot to create a path for her. Even if she was only going to use it for a few seconds, she knew the limits. She sprinted past the guard relatively easily and hid behind a doorway, quickly de-activating Innate Time Manipulation. Now that her body was moving at an average pace, she could feel the strain it was putting on her body. Her tendons and muscles felt like they were on fire; her veins and capillaries felt as if they were going to swell to burst.

She took a deep breath, sweat perfectly visible on her face. Being a six-year-old and using Time Manipulation was a mistake on her part. She could also feel her mana being drained. She wiped her sweat with her arm, trying to find out where Saber-san was.

After calmly walking down the hallway of her luck, she managed to locate Saber-san, who was waiting outside one of the barrack rooms. Saber-san courtesied, taking the food container out of her hands and giving an apologetic look to her. Illya figured that her frown must have been showing. She decided to groan, primarily due to her mana exhaustion, "Saber-san, I'm gonna go back to the food court. Need a break."

Saber-san nodded, and Illya promptly turned around, intent on returning to the hallway and eventually to the guard by passing through the doorway. She wondered if the guard was the exact type and if he would notice that he never inspected her for her to enter. Well, it wasn't like she could use Time Alter for at least the rest of tonight. Her muscles ached, so she decided to take her luck with the gambit.

She began to pace down the hallway, assuming the calm and collected persona she had shown to Shirou when Berserker stared down Saber-san all those years ago. She held her bated breath as she passed the guard, almost as if she was waiting for something to happen.

It didn't.

Apparently, the guard didn't notice her slipping by, which was just fine for Illya. She wouldn't complain that Lady Luck had smiled upon her today. She was happy that things worked out in the end. She began calmly walking down toward the cafeteria, scrutinizing each sign and vent she came across. Hoping that there was an oversight that the UNSC had made in its production of the facility. Absolutely nothing is what she found.

Once she neared the hallway entrance, Illya stopped for a brief moment. She was left with a conundrum now, trying to look for alternative means of escape or take a break. Naturally, the exhausted side of her won that battle, with Illya opting to find a relatively uncrowded table and hoping to take a well-deserved break there. Illya headed over to the empty table and decided to sit. She became lethargic, her eyes struggling against the overwhelming tide of her fatigue manifesting. She ended up capitulating to tiredness.

Illya dreamt; it was something that was almost a universal constant in all humans. She dreamt about the Holy Grail War, a world where father and mother still lived. All of it seemed so far out of reach now. When she initially entered the Grail War, she was consigned to her fate that she would perish at the very end of the war. When one realizes that Thanatos isn't far from their appointment, it brings a new perspective on how they want to live.

It made her initially want to tie up loose ends as optimally as possible, which meant summoning her dear friend Berserker and wanting to hurt her onii-chan in the worst possible ways imaginable…

After Saber-san vanished, Illya saw the heartbroken and longing feeling on Shirou's face. She remembered how much anger she held toward the Grail for creating this mess, Saber-san for breaking his heart by disappearing, and the world for cursing her family and their loved ones for tragedy.

It felt cruel to reveal to onii-chan that his sister, whom he had just met, had perhaps only a year to live. Illya believed that another part of onii-chan's heart would break with such a revelation that he wouldn't know how to process it. She remembered the conflict on his face, the choice to pursue Saber-san until the ends of the world or to make life the greatest for his one and only sister.

Illya chose for him, stating that she would follow Shirou-san on his path to Avalon, despite all the obstacles between him and the destination. Her sole desire to live at that point was to make her onii-chan truly smile once more. Perhaps the added determination extended her life, for she ended up living for three years long instead of one. She watched in wonder as the brother she knew, previously only an ordinary schoolboy from Japan, became a modern legend, taking down the enemies of humanity across the globe. She observed Shirou bringing justice to victims and their families.

She was there on that accursed day in the Sahara when Shirou was hanged. No more fear was evident in his face; it was one of contentment. Illya saw Shirou smile in the face of his captors. It was when she knew that Shirou had finished her journey, that he had no regrets, and that he would not become Counter Guardian EMIYA. Illya died only days after, with her primary motivation to continue to live gone.

Illya believed that two things would happen. Either she would reunite with her father and mother in the afterlife, or perhaps she would join her brother in Avalon. Though she had bet that the former was more likely than the latter, she was no hero. She was merely the sister to a person who persevered and became a hero in the modern day.

To her surprise, the light at the end of the tunnel was her rebirth. She had been born in a standard human body, to her luck. Reborn as a twin to her onii-chan, no less. It was one of the wildest dreams she had, incarnate. She had a new chance at life, a new chance at a family, a unique opportunity for friendship…

She felt as if she was steadily dragged out of her sleep by someone's prodding of her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing a kind face looking at her, a fellow child stuck in the same situation. After apologies were delivered by the poor girl, the two began a conversation that would change both of their lives. Illya didn't even remember the conversation, but her focus remained square on the girl sitting in front of her.

After minutes of conversation, the girl in front suddenly halted her speaking, as if she had come to a great epiphany. The girl visibly blushed in embarrassment before explaining her actions, "My bad, let me properly introduce myself. My name is Daisy." The girl extended out her arm, offering a handshake to Illya.

Illya took the handshake and gave her "name" to Daisy, "Mine is Asami." Perhaps, despite all the hills and challenges, she managed to find a second friend.

The next day was much like the previous morning calisthenics combined with an afternoon lesson. Illya wasn't particularly someone as interested in history as Saber-san, but she paid attention to the lecture going on. If she remembered correctly, it meant that they were finishing up the Battle of Thermopylae and moving on to talking about wolves for some reason.

Wolves, Illya shuttered when she thought about them. They reminded her of the wolves that inhabited the outskirts of the Einzbern Castle. Wolves that would have killed her had it not been for her own Berserker saving her life from them.

She turned to her right to see that Shirou was paying rapt attention to the lesson. Further down, she noticed that Saber-san seemed to be giving away her crackers to the boy next to her. Was she even surprised anymore? Despite all outward appearances, it appeared that Saber-san had a heart that she rarely showed around others. Illya found it quite hilarious when she thought about it.

Illya forced herself to return back to paying attention to the lesson; she honestly felt that the class about wolves was more impactful than the lesson about the ancient warriors from Greece.

The simulation unfolded in front of Illya as Déjà laid out the scene for the children: "Wolves, children, are fierce hunters." She paused, letting the children examine the holographic simulation of the wolf. Illya saw the murderous look that the wolf wore on its face; it was a look that was all too familiar to her.

After allowing enough time for the children to examine the wolf and see it up close, Déjà snapped her fingers, seemingly resuming time and summoning a rabbit that was corned by the wolf. "But while any wolf can hunt and kill a rabbit." To accentuate her point, the children watched as the wolf lunged at the rabbit, tearing out its neck.

"One wolf against larger prey…." Déjà created a new scene of an elk and a wolf. Unlike the cornered rabbit, the elk seemed determined to fight back, with conviction present in its eyes. Déjà once again snapped her fingers, breathing life back into the simulation. The elk charged at the wolf, with the wolf attempting to leap out of the way. However, it was too little, too late in that regard. The wolf was skewered by the pointed antlers of the elk, with Déjà continuing her monologue, "...will face a grizzly end." Illya was surprised that they were showing this to six-year-olds, but she reminded herself that they were trying to make them into soldiers. It was natural, but Illya wasn't particularly bothered by the carnage unfolding in the simulation, unlike some of her peers.

After the lesson had concluded, the children returned to the "Playground" and found the set-up had changed. There were fewer places for the children to accidentally catapult themselves into the water and more team-oriented exercises. Onii-chan pointed out that one of the activities was replaced by an activity where a team had to scale a wall together. Apparently, they would not be able to advance without their team.

Illya saw that Saber-san had her attention elsewhere, though she was still listening to Onii-chan and his observations. Illya's eyes gazed over to where Saber-san's were looking at. The same boy has left behind the rest of his group, except this time. The boy seemed to be coordinating with his team, with his teammates nodding their heads in understanding regarding the plan. Illya looked over to Saber-san, where she saw that the girl wore an expression conveying pride.

Location Unknown, Eridanus Sector

Arden Hubert was a proud man; he had led the Freedom and Liberation Party for only fourteen years. Under his leadership, he had forced the United Earth Government and their tyrants to show their genuine hand when they were forced to put numerous systems in the Eridanus sector under military occupation. They were tyrants, no matter how much they tried to spin themselves as a free and legitimate government. The freedom fighters of the Outer Colonies, or the "insurrectionists" as UEG propaganda outlets claimed, were the only things standing in the way between their own lives and totalitarianism.

It didn't matter how much blood needed to be shed, all in the name of freeing the Outer Colonies from the tyrannical grasp of Terra. That was the goal Arden had put his mind to all those years ago. Why would a government that claimed to be free and fair not respect the wishes of the population living in an area? If they claimed to love democracy so much, why weren't they allowing the simple process of self-determination?

The answer was simple, the UEG wasn't as democratic as it claimed to be. The CMA was quintessentially a stratocracy. Arden shook his head; it had been a conflict brewing for decades. In the beginning, it had been simply farmers and students protesting the policies of the Colonial Administration Authority's rather bureaucratic nature and that they wanted more autonomy from Earth. These complaints fell on deaf ears. It soon morphed into the stage of civil disobedience. Arden fondly remembers when his father and uncles would participate in boycotts and attempt to organize a secessionist referendum.

When people say this War was preventable, it only shows that they simply do not understand. They had exhausted every other option; was it not just to take up arms against the tyrants? It is a question he asked himself more often than he liked to, but he always arrived back at the same answer: Yes.

Every movement eventually comes face to face with reality. Regardless, it continued to trouble Arden that the radicalization of the cause continued to grow each day. He had started the FLP as a group of idealistic freedom fighters, people who stylized themselves as heroes. Arden's heart grew heavier for each attack, and his officers more emboldened and radicalized. He had always resolved this issue in his mind by telling himself the ends justified the means. Deep down, he knew it was only a coping mechanism; he was no machine.

What had happened to the young college students who wanted to throw off the chains of tyranny?

Arden glanced at his computer. Apparently, he had a meeting due now with a weapons manufacturer. The man could have fled after the incident on Mamore, but Arden chose to stay in his home, despite the threat that Terran forces posed to his own safety. Unlike a certain Watts and the United Rebel Alliance, he was no coward. But it forced the FLP to improvise. In this case, it forced Arden to stop all real-world appearances because of fears regarding his safety.

He openly despised the arrangement. It took away the very soul of what the movement was about, to begin with. Being increasingly divorced from the actions of his own organization, he began to wonder if he had become the same as the cold bureaucrat fighting for the UEG. At least Arden had a good cause in mind, while the UEG relied on blind loyalty to keep control of the situation.

Finally, the man he was supposed to meet with arrived. The mysterious agent was dressed in an ashen black suit and a turquoise tie; this man seemed to have quite a bit of a fashion sense. The dossier he had received on the man was spotty, full of holes. But he had to admit that the man got his job done. The only name that he had been sent was "Foxtail." A word that was famous within insurrectionist circles for running past a UEG blockade and managing to hijack a total of three UNSC cruisers on his lonesome.

This was an opportunity with such a powerful man on their side. Perhaps they would be able to finally run the UEG and the CMA out of the Eridanus sector, ultimately bringing about full self-determination to the colonies. This man was their ticket to victory; he would be a fool not to take it.

The man simply seated himself in front of Arden; the room was poorly lit, given the difficulties of creating this bunker in the first place, away from prying eyes. But under the low amount of lumination presence, Arden could make out a few facial features of the man.

Scars, it was as if he had been stabbed, shot, and slashed in every possible area of the body. Cascading dark brown hair and beard indicated that he had not shaven in years. The man did not even do any basic courtesy, simply demanding in a calm but coarse voice: "Rosé Champagne."

Arden was slightly annoyed that the man didn't even have the politeness to introduce himself, but he swallowed his pride and snapped. Soon a robotic assistant came with the bottle of alcohol and a wine glass. Since the man wasn't going to introduce himself or start the conversation, Arden decided to start it himself. "I take it you're Foxtail, then?"

"The one and only," the man responded curtly. "No need to introduce yourself, Captain Hubert. I've heard all about you and your exploits." The man took a sip of his rosé, clearly trying to taste the flavor. Arden supposed that he was dealing with a wine connoisseur here. The man continued, "That stunt you pulled on Mamore, quite impressive if I had to say myself," The mysterious man lauded. He took another gulp of his rosé.

Arden cringed for a moment, thinking about how much willpower he used to come to terms with what he had done with the atomic weapon in Mamore. He had placed it in an area with a heavy concentration of CMA forces, but civilian casualties were undoubtedly high. Foxtail seemed to shrug off all the death and the destruction inflicted on Mamore by strictly getting to the point, "To be frank, Captain Hubert. I see the energy and promise that your officers show. Getting a nuclear device? Not easy. It shows what can be done if they had fewer moral restrictions."

Arden's eyes widen in response. What was this man getting at? Seeing his loss for words, Foxtail continued his monologue, "This was simply a courtesy I have extended to you. From now on, I shall assume control of the Party." Arden attempted to push the panic button under his desk but soon found himself face to face with an M4D pistol staring at him.

"After all, the revolution has no time for old reactionary dogs like you."