!WARNING!
This story contains content unsuited for younger readers, such as Violence, Blood and Gore, Language, and Explicit Sexual Content. This Chapter's Rating will be placed at T-Rated. Future Chapters may, and most likely, will switch back and forth between the T and M ratings.
Regardless, Reader Discretion for this Chapter is advised.
I don't own Halo or Naruto.
Bold-My Own Words
Bold & Italic-Locations, Time & Calendar
Normal-Narrative
"Normal"-Person Speaking
'Normal'-Thoughts
"Italic"-Foreign Language
'Italic'-Radio Chatter
/Italic\-AI/Computer typing
-There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth… not going all the way, and not starting.
Buddha
-There is a greater darkness than the one we fight. It is the darkness of the soul that has lost its way. The war we fight is not against powers and principalities, it is against chaos and despair. Greater than the death of flesh is the death of hope, the death of dreams. Against this peril we can never surrender.
J. Michael Straczynski
Prologue Arc-Episode 15
-Career Opportunities/Food Fight-
(Part 15)
December 11, 2543 (UNSC Military Calendar)
Kenhaba, Sky Country
Yatari Residential Area (District)
Yasuda Residence
Koyomi and Mio stood there, shaking and aghast at the Sukaikage Miura Kenji standing before them within their establishment and home. Tetsuo seemed shocked to see their kage, the lord of their entire nation, in their home. What was he doing here? In Yatari, of all districts? The great kage gave him one glance before turning his gaze back to his Uncle. Yasuda Kazuko, however, kept his expression neutral as the Sukaikage slowly made his way towards the bar, eying the inside of the store with mild curiosity. His guards, on alert and looking for any sign of danger towards their lord with how they gripped their swords' sheath, nevertheless stayed by the door in silence as the kage approached Tetsuo's uncle.
Miura Kenji slowly strolled to a stop before the elder Yasuda, the two men looking at one another without a word between them. If the situation had been any different, if it had been anyone else, Tetsuo would have likely laughed at how short Miura Kenji was in comparison to his uncle, who stood a good 5 inches taller than the Sukaikage and probably had at least a good 50 or 75 pounds on him. But having the Sukaikage of all people entering your home was no laughing matter, and Tetsuo couldn't possibly imagine why Miura was here-
'You're not related to Yasuda Ashira by any chance are you?' Then it suddenly hit him. The kage had served with his father Ashira when they had been genin. They had been friends growing up.
After what felt like an eternity of silence, the kage spoke first, "I see the udon business had been good to you. Perhaps a little too good, given that waistline." Tetsuo felt his stomach lurch at that comment. While the kage had said he'd been friends with his father, the same was never said about whether or not his uncle was. Were they rivals? Enemies?
His uncle, to his credit, didn't seem to rise to the bait but instead had his entire family mortified when he shot back, "I'd smack you on the top of your head, but I doubt I could bend that far down, short-round." The three other members of the Yasuda Family could gawk at their 'clan head' as he insulted the Sukaikage of all people. And to his face no less. The guards were dumbfounded at the blatant disrespect towards their Kage and moved to draw their swords, but a single hand gesture from Miura stopped them as the Kage stared down the retired shinobi.
The silence between them was excruciatingly long, but then the craziest thing happened in Tetsuo's eyes.
Both men stared down at the other, unblinking... and then started to cheekily smile as they both laughed and embraced, shouting and cursing at one another all the while. Tetsuo and his aunt and cousin were dumbfounded at the sudden change in the atmosphere but relieved nonetheless. (Though Koyomi looked as if she was ready to kill her husband for giving her a heart attack.) The two men continued laughing and catching up with one another for a couple of minutes before slowly making their way to the counter to sit down. "It's been far too long, Kazuko." Miura Kenji laughed, sitting next to the retired shinobi, "Far too long!"
Kazuko laughed alongside him, "That it has. Been what? 15 years since we last saw one another?"
"At least, or at least feels like it!" Kenji exclaimed, "Either way, it's been too long."
"Well, I can't imagine you get much free time." the ex-shinobi grinned cheekily, "What with you being a big shot Kage and everything." The kage gave a frustrated shutter, "If I had known how much paperwork and mundanity there would be beforehand, I'm certain I'd have thought twice before becoming the Sukaikage. Solve one set of problems just before another batch is placed right on my desk."
"Well, if you ever get tired of it, you could always join me in the food business."
"Don't tempt me." The Kage warned, " I might take you up on that offer." This got a laugh out of the two old friends, who continued reminiscing for a couple of minutes before the Kage turned his attention to the rest of the family. Turning to the household matriarch, the Kage reached out and gingerly held Koyomi's hand in his own, earning a blush from the woman at the shock of being greeted by the most powerful man in the empire. "And this must be the lovely woman you somehow talked into marrying you." Kenji said with a grin to his old squadmate before looking back to Koyomi, "Miura Kenji, madam. A pleasure."
"O-o-oh, not at all! Th-the pleasure is all ours, Lord Kage." Koyomi stammered out. Kenji held a modest hand, "Please, you're family members of an old friend. Kenji is just fine." Mio, kami bless her heart, could barely get out a response when Miura Kenji repeated the greeting with her.
"Hey now," Kazuko warned, wagging a finger, "You may be the Sukaikage, but those two are off-limits." This earned a laugh from Kenji, who held his hands up defensively, "Of course. Of course. I wouldn't dare think of it." As Tetsuo watched in amazement, the two shinobi continued to reminisce for several minutes, often primarily about past exploits and their various adventures as younger men. (Some of which were met with questioning and suspicious looks by the Yasuda matriarch at her husband, who quickly tried to defuse the situation.) Until barely a few months ago, Tetsuo wouldn't have dreamed of ever meeting the Kage. He could only stand by in amazement and stunned silence as he watched the most powerful man in Sky Country speak and laugh with his uncle like an everyday human being.
But despite all of this, it still didn't answer the one nagging question in his mind. What was the Kage doing here?
Mio brought the bowls of food out for the Sukaikage and his two guards, who had both been 'politely' ordered by their lord to join him in breakfast. Bowls of Udon noodles, onigiri, and grilled fish permeated the room with their savory smells, with gentle towers of steam rising up from each plate. The scent was heavenly to Tetsuo, who was reminded of his own hunger following a rough morning of training. The Kage, looking down at his grill fish, arched an eyebrow in surprise, "Saba*? Here? Must be expensive to have transported this far inland."
"Not really. Just need to buy it in bulk and store it." Kazuko answered from the kitchen, walking back into the dining area, "You remember the fish monger on Tone Street?
"Old Hikoshige? Of the Tsugaru Family? Is he still running that Fish Market?" The Lord of Sky Country asked in disbelief, "Kami, he must be in his eighties by now."
"Nah, he passed a few years ago." Kazuko corrected, bringing out a couple of cups of sake for the guards, who both nodded in thanks, "His sons have run the market for the past decade, but they all married into families that live up on the northern coastline and specialize in fishing. So they can get lots of good quality seafood for a reasonable price. They can never seem to keep the chōzame* on the shelves whenever they get any in stock."
"I bet that makes them popular. I only remember them selling koi* and little else when I still lived here." Kenji stated in to reminisce. It was a wonder to him how so much had changed. Kazuko laughed, "Well, hell. The last time you lived here was, what? Almost thirty years ago? A lot's happened in that time." Kenji's mood soured slightly at the thought of why he'd move away. Of what he and the entirety of Kenhaba had lost when they came. "It wasn't as if much was left for me here." The mood across the room soured with those words. No words were needed to know exactly what the Kage was referring to. The Rape of Kenhaba. The day the old empire died. "We all lost something that day, Kenji," Kazuko said solemnly, remembering his loved ones that were lost the day Konoha destroyed their home, "It was a tragedy we all shared."
Several more moments of silence filled the room before the Kage inhaled a deep breath and finally spoke, "Indeed, which is exactly why I swore never to let it happen again." Light slapping the counter with both hands, he turned to Tetsuo, "But, that is neither here nor there. No sense in dwelling on such depressing thoughts or memories. Tetsuo, how have you been?"
Shocked slightly at being addressed by name so casually by the Sukaikage, Tetsuo managed to stammer out, "G-good, lord kage."
"Recovering well from your mission, I hope?"
"Y-yes, sir." This earned a nod of approval from the kage, "Good lad. Going on your first mission is never easy, especially one that goes badly."
"Lord Sukaikage." A soft voice faintly spoke out, catching the attention of both Kenji and Tetsuo as they both saw Koyomi standing before them, trembling slightly. Taking in a shaky breath, the Yasuda Matriarch looked directly into the Kage's eyes, "I know that I'm not a ninja, so I know I don't understand everything that goes on with the life of a ninja. But I do know that whatever happened nearly got my nephew killed. And on his first mission." The kage stared silently at the woman, who let out a shaky breath as she continued, "How could my nephew be sent on a mission like that for his first time?!"
The two bodyguards, not liking the woman's tone towards their lord, stood up from their seats but quickly stopped when Miura raised a hand to them. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped looking at Tetsuo. The young boy looked up at him, probably about to say something in regards to giving away details of the mission and that he didn't do that. Still, Kazuko suddenly spoke up, "He didn't say anything that compromised any info about the mission he was on, Kenji. He knows better than to do that. I simply managed to puzzle together what happened from what little he said. From what I've gathered, this mission went outright horrible. Is that right?"
The Sukaikage's expression was neutral, unreadable for what felt like ages as he contemplated his response. Glancing slightly at the young genin, he then made a few handsigns to suppress their voices from anyone listening outside the building. Exhaling in frustration, Kenji leaned forward on the counter, his head resting on his hands as he looked sternly at his old teammate. "Not a word to anyone of what you're about to hear, Kazuko. I mean it. Right now, we don't know what we're dealing with, and I'll be damned before I cause a panic in the nation." Kazuko, retired from the ninja business for years but still remembers how shinobi matters were handled, simply nodded and told his wife to vacate the room while they spoke. Initially, Mio protested, but Kazuko ultimately convinced her that what they were about to talk about wasn't for civilian ears and that she'd probably be better off not knowing how grim and gruesome a shinobi's life could truly be. With much reluctance and a look to her husband that promised nothing but trouble, Mio left the room.
And with that, Miura Kenji began to speak about the events that transpired. How the empire had been setting up a base in the old Uzumaki lands to threaten Konoha, the prisoner exchange that would help give leverage over the Hidden Marsh Village. The encounter with the warriors in solid black armor and strange projectile weapons. And how they annihilated an entire shinobi force with relative ease, using unconventional weapons and machines never seen before. Sometimes he would have Tetsuo fill in some details as best he could, given that he had a first-hand account of most of the events. Still, being the kage, he had most of the information he needed thanks to the eyewitness accounts and reports the mission survivors gave.
Kazuko stayed silent but listened intently throughout the entire recounting of the mission. Like most in Sky Country, he'd heard from travelers and gossipers that a new nation or people had established themselves in the Elemental Nations. News like this wasn't anything new or usually genuine. (Some people still believed in nonsense like an underwater city off the coast of Water Country or the Uzumaki Clan building a secret redoubt in the frozen lands of Kōtta-Sekai.) But for once, such outlandish rumors were apparently true, and he didn't like anything about what he heard. It was bad enough that they were still stuck trying to reclaim territories of the old empire. Still, now they may have to contend with a new unknown faction with strange technologies and weaponry that might be a match for ninjutsu. And nobody knew anything about them as far as they were aware, except that they would attack without warning and used weapons and machines capable of leveling entire cities with ease. Miura Kenji had quickly contacted all of the ambassadors and envoys for the various nations Sky Country had a line of communication with and covertly asked them if they'd seen or heard of any strange newcomers around in the Elemental Nations or Esura. The answer had all been the same.
No... And then the Sea Confederacy was invaded. Then everyone had learned about the sudden newcomers, these 'star people.'
While neither Kenji nor Kazuko had any love for the Sea Confederacy or its myriad of pirate warlords masquerading as national leaders, such a large region being taken over and its armies destroyed in just under a month was unheard of. Even a shinobi army wouldn't have been able to move and secure a country that large so quickly. And these 'star people' had seemingly done it with only 40,000 soldiers (granted, with help from Moon Country's ninja), along with several massive flying ships and machines that made Sky Country's air vessels look pitiful by comparison. While removing a longtime piracy menace in the Elemental Nations would be welcomed by most, it would also be replaced by a growing dread and fear of these newcomers who had seemingly established a new colony, settlement, whatever one wished to call it right amid the Elemental Nations. And with these star people setting themselves up in the old homelands of the Uzumaki, they were in a prime position to attack several nations with ease should they choose to.
Unsurprisingly, this had many leaders on edge. Primarily when the motives and goals of these newcomers weren't known.
The worst thing Miura Kenji hated most was not being informed about events or people, especially concerning his country or himself. And these newcomers, now that they've attacked Sky Country twice unprovoked, these newcomers had shown to Kenji that the empire might very well be at war. It wasn't near ready for a conflict with such an entity. He didn't dare tell Kazuko or anyone in the room about the raid on the Yuga Ravine Research Post. The fewer people who knew about that, the better. Yuga Ravine didn't exist officially, and now literally after the attack by the star people. (He still had trouble believing just three warriors with no chakra had managed to decimate a base that large.) Any knowledge gleaned on how these firearms worked died with the scientists. Though there hadn't been any more incursions by the star people in the four months following the Yuga Ravine Raid, Miura Kenji wasn't taking any chances and ordered the entire military to raise alert status throughout the homeland. If they were about to be attacked, he wanted the nation to be as ready as it could be. Thankfully, Min Jong-Su and Shogun Kuribayashi Nakazo returned with several thousand examples of 'rifles,' something called a 'CDR3,' from their little expedition to Sea Confederacy and ironically, just before the star people had invaded said nation. And with hundreds of thousands of rounds available for them, they could hopefully soon learn how to use and replicate the weapons and ammo for their own use. Kami forbid, they may need these new weapons along with every other weapon in their arsenal if these star people are about to invade.
Especially if the information the agents and informants inside Marsh Country were reporting back to Kenhaba was accurate.
The Marsh region was critical to the revival of the empire's power. Old records from the days of the old empire had shown several areas marked for mining, showing much promise in possible mineral deposits vital to the empire's industry, while several more areas had been as locations that could be quickly drained of their marshes and swamp for conversion into farmland. These plans were unrealized due to the sudden and violent collapse of the empire during the Second Shinobi World War. For Kenji, it was now a goal to reabsorb the Marsh Region and then transform it into a center of agricultural and mineral wealth to fuel the economy and industries of a reborn Sky Empire. But if Marsh Country had contacted and allied with these newcomers? (Which was likely given the confirmed reports by informants that Takashima Satomi was back in Marsh Village.) In that case, this goal could be dead in its tracks before it even started. They needed to step up their game and their plans, and fast. Otherwise, the empire would be surrounded by hostile and powerful neighbors.
Perhaps it was time to deal with Koetsu and his abomination of a regime in Wolf Country. That old degenerate had been tolerated for too long as far as the Kage was concerned.
Kazuko finished listening to the Sukaikage and his nephew recount everything they knew about this so-called 'UNSC,' if this Mr. Jones was to be believed. It unnerved him even though he was a seasoned shinobi veteran who had seen some of the worst war had to offer. This UNSC sounded less like a nation and more like an unstoppable juggernaut. Sure, they could be hurt. Everyone had heard of the titanic battle of Qushan by now, but even if you could, it seemed like this UNSC would quickly adapt and come back at you with a vengeance. If there was one thing these newcomers didn't seem to like, it was getting their noses bloodied without some retaliation. From what little had come out of the Sea Confederacy following its invasion, the UNSC hunted down and eliminated every mercenary shinobi they encountered after Qushan, (However, rumors persist that some had been taken prisoner.) which told Kazuko that they clearly took the threat of shinobi very seriously and took no chances with them.
And if that kind of wrath was unleashed upon Sky Country...
Kazuko shuddered involuntarily, the memories of Kenhaba's destruction resurfacing in his mind. The day the capital burned to the ground, tens of thousands joined it in death. The day the entire royal family was murdered by Konoha shinobi, along with most of the senior leadership for the nation and the ninja village, leaving it leaderless.
The day the empire died.
No one in the nation wanted a repeat of that dark day. And right now, they were tempting fate by whatever offense had been performed on this UNSC, whether intentional or by accident. If it were up to Kazuko, then the empire would tread very carefully for the foreseeable future and not risk antagonizing a war with these newcomers, less they invite death and destruction across the country again. But he wasn't in charge. His old teammate sitting across the other side of the counter was. Though he still had dozens of questions, the one most important to him was the simplest.
What would Miura Kenji do in light of this new development, and what would it mean for Kazuko's nephew?
"What do you plan to do about this? And what'll happen to my nephew?"
The kage was silent for several moments, contemplating how to best answer the first question without revealing too much information. Obviously, he would plan to prep his country for war, should it come. The military quietly put on alert status, and all of the port cities facing the Kaizuko Sea were given curfews under the claim that a pirate fleet was in the area threatening to raid the ports. Drives to encourage recruitment into the armed forces had been ordered out. (He didn't want to order conscription just yet, for fear of causing a panic.) Weapons and armor production increased to help add further stockpiles, kami forbid should they be needed. Make preparations to seize control of Wolf Country and Marsh, if feasible. Kenji had done every viable thing he could think of, save for telling the public it was about to be invaded. (And until he was certain that was going to happen, he had no intention to.) After careful consideration, Kenji decided to give Kazuko a 'half' true answer, clasping his hands together as he leaned forward on the counter, "Naturally, put the military be vigilant for any signs of invasion, though by this point I'm doubtful an attack will happen. If they were planning to invade us, they would have done so by now." scowling, he added, "Though I loathe saying this, I'm starting to get the impression that this 'first contact' that occurred may not have been intentional. Perhaps someone disobeyed orders or there was some kind of misunderstanding. Either way, it's irrelevant now. Better to prepare for an invasion that doesn't happen than be unprepared for one that does."
Looking over to Tetsuo, who'd been mostly silent this whole time save for whenever the kage asked him for input from the first contact, Kenji followed up his last statement with, "As for your nephew, I understand that he was planning to become a medic-nin trained by his sensei, Mino Kadiri, once they returned from this mission. Is that correct?"
The genin nodded solemnly, "Y-yes, Lord Kage."
"But, obviously, with both your sensei and team dead, that will be rather difficult to do until you get a new team, let alone a mentor. And right now, I have no genin teams available to place you on as a replacement."
"Yes, sir," Tetsuo answered dejectedly.
"Then would you like to learn at the Kenhaba Medical Center, until a new team can be found?"
The young man's eyes shot open, surprised at this sudden offer and how casually it was given. The Kenhaba Medical Center was where some of the most prominent and talented medical professionals in the entire country were trained and worked. They didn't allow just anyone to work there. To be so casually offered a chance to work there was unheard of. (Then again, this was the Sukaikage they were talking about.) He'd have to be insane to turn this down... and yet...
Was he even worthy of being sent to such a prestigious clinic? How could he, a mere genin fresh out of the academy with little medical experience, have the right to work with such masters and experts of the medical world? Should he turn it down, or would the kage see this as an insult? He didn't feel like he was worthy of such an honor, but if the Sukaikage of all people offered him this chance, could he really turn this down?
The kage, perhaps sensing the boy's hesitance, started to speak, "It's a prestigious facility to wor-"
"I'LL DO IT!" Tetsuo suddenly stood up, shouting, causing all four adults to jump slightly at the sudden outburst. Tetsuo, realizing what he just did, blushed slightly as he sheepishly sat back down. "S-Sorry, my lord. I-I want to, but I also don't feel like I'm worthy to. This isn't just any medical center we're talking about. A-am I really worthy enough to work at-"
"It has nothing to do with worthiness, Tetsuo." Kenji interrupted sternly, "Every person that works at Kenhaba Medical Center, or in any profession, was just like you at one point. A young, inexperienced youth had to learn before becoming an expert. What matters is that you're willing to apply yourself and try to learn. Then, and only then, will you learn if you're worthy or not. You'll either excel and prosper or fail and simply go back to being a regular shinobi. There's no shame in it. Not everyone can specialize in one particular field. But the only way you'll know for certain is if you try."
Tetsuo looked up at the Kage, who rose from his seat and walked to stand before the genin. The piercing gaze the warlord of Sky Country gave him seemed almost like it would pierce his soul. He felt his breath catch in his throat.
"So, let me ask again, Yasuda Tetsuo. Do you want to learn how to be medic-nin and learn from the best?"
January 7, 2544
Visok Evacuation Fleet in Slipspace Transit
Destination: Alpha Imura System, Approximately 7 Light Years from Visok
Expected Arrival Time: 5 weeks +/- 3 days
URF Thunder Child
Barnes slammed the whiskey bottle over the top of the Innie's head, shattering the bottle and causing the woman to crumple like a sack of bricks. "Fucking waste." He lamented as he blocked a strike from another Innie crewmember, then grabbed the man's collar. He followed this with a solid headbutt that crunched the man's nose and sent him sprawling backward. He turned and ducked just in time to avoid a fellow Helljumper being tossed at him, sailing over him and crashing into the table the Colonel had been sitting at. (Before everything went to hell.) Turning to where the man was thrown from, Leon was confronted with three of the biggest, burly-looking men he'd ever seen that seemed just itching for a fight. Why they were all shirtless, he had no idea. They stood before him giving him what were probably supposed to be intimidating stances, but frankly, Leon thought it made them look like they were posing for some sort of fashion show. (And it may be the mess hall's lighting, but he could have sworn their bodies were oiled up.)
Behind the trio, the scene was pure pandemonium.
All around the mess hall, chaos reigned as some of his fellow ODST were brawling with several crew members of the Thunder Child. Shouts and swears rang out across the hall, along with the sounds of flesh being pounded. A metal trash can was thrown overhead, crashing into something or someone as a panicked shout responded to the crash. And what had started all of this insanity? Well, aside from two groups of people who hated each others' guts being forced to live together for several weeks, it had been a-
"Well, well, well. Looks like we've got ourselves a lone little Helljumper. Alone and separated from his friends." The ringleader of the musclemen said, with a chiseled jawline and occasionally licking his lips in looking over the Colonel with amusement, "Looks like we weren't too late to the party."
The muscleman to the right of the ringleader, his skin a couple shades darker than the other two to not look like an outright tan and whose bulging abs were glistening with what Barnes was hoping was body oil, chuckled snarkily, "It's been a while since we've had a little action. My abs are quivering with excitement."
The one on the left, with a ravishing and fantastic mustache but a rather plain facial complexion compared to the other two, said, "meheheheh, do us a favor, chap, and try to last a bit. It's been a while since we've gotten to have some fun, what with us always protecting our sweet little Captain and everything. Especially a chance to toy with a helljumper of all people."
Leon simply arched an eyebrow at their statements, "You really don't wanna do this."
The ringleader laughed darkly and then shouted, "Maybe you can show me why, Helldog!" followed closely by his two henchmen as they all charged at Leon, clearly looking for a fight. With a surprising burst of speed, the ringleader launched a triple barrage of fists at the Helljumper. Blocking or dodging every hit, Leon retaliated by crouching low and slamming his prosthetic fist into the man's groin, earning an 'Ooof!' from the Insurrectionist, then brought an uppercut connecting with the man's chin and sent him stumbling back. However, he could not capitalize on it, as the other two members of the little Muscle Men Triad entered into the fight and forced Barnes back onto the defensive. Leon was forced to block and dodge a barrage of fists and kicks, catching a few hands (Dear god, they are oiled up. He wasn't sure he wanted to know why.) and landing a hit every now and again. But mostly, he was doing his best to ensure they didn't grab ahold of him; otherwise, this fight would be much more difficult. (and awkward.)
Finally, one of them made a mistake. 'Absman' overstepped and extended his punch a little too far, and Leon was all too eager to capitalize on it. He grabbed the man's wrist, only to immediately lose his grip on it due to the oil. He barely had time to shout "Motherfucker!" before being forced to duck under another strike from 'Mustachio.' This time, Leon found success in grabbing his wrist, putting the Innie off balance, and then throwing him back with a headbutt square in his nose. Blood sputtered from Mustachio's nose as it crumpled from the impact, but the man recovered surprisingly quick and retaliated with a headbutt of his own. The blow caught Leon square on his forehead, blurring his vision, but instinctively the ODST lashed out with a right hook and was satisfied with the cracking sound of a metal prosthetic breaking jawbone, finally dropping Mustachio to the ground. Absman, outraged by his companion's wounding, surged forward with a kick that the ODST Colonel easily ducked under but was unprepared for the sudden roundhouse kick the towering insurrectionist followed up with, sending him crashing into a table behind him. Shaking the stars out of his vision, he rolled out of the way just in time to avoid a dropkick being slammed onto his head. The force of the hit dented the bench, to his surprise. These guys were bulging with muscles and obviously strong, but those benches are made out of solid stainless steel. To be able to do that...
"ATLAS!" He suddenly said to no one in particular, confusing Absman for a moment before he resumed his assault.
'Having fun with your dinner dates, Leon?' came a nonchalant reply of his AI companion, which irked him more than it should have. Dodging another strike and lashing out with a trio of quick jabs in response, Barnes quickly snapped, "Not now! I need you to search the ship's medical records for these three clowns and see if there's anything unusual!"
'Searching...' Atlas said, immediately following up with, 'Oh, crap.'
"What?" Barnes hissed as he used his prosthetic arm to absorb a thunderous strike from the massive insurrectionist, the blow rattling his entire body as he took the punch. He already knew by her tone that he isn't going to like the answer.
'Karson Adhelm. Desiderio Bello. Wambua Njeri.*' Atlas said, 'Ringleader, mustache, and abs-enthusiast, as I'm sure you've probably already labeled them in your head.'
Barnes didn't really have time to retort as he caught one punch, flinching at the strain of the hit, before slamming a couple blows onto Wambua's face in retaliation. He was barely able to avoid the counterstrikes launched by the massive man. Despite being covered in bruises and cuts from the number of hits Barnes had landed on him, Wambua seemed to have barely slowed down in the fight.
"AND?!"
'Bacchus-Class Augmentor. Rumbledrug. Diluted but taken over many years, along with a concoction of tier-III testosterone growth hormones to help with muscle development. Mixed with other medications and beta-blockers to help with heart conditioning and mental focus.'
That was probably the worse news she could have given him, aside from telling him something like they were Spartan defectors. Rumbledrug is the informal name used to describe a drug or cocktail of drugs that vastly increase a subject's physical strength and resistance to injury. During the height of the Insurrection, insurgents would take one in desperate attempts to counter Spartans or ODSTs. Unencumbered by the body's normal safety limits, individuals who take a rumbledrug are capable of feats of enormous strength, but the subsequent lack of control and mental instability, together with the immediate physiological damage, meant that users often die long before they ever manage to lay hands on an actual Spartan. It was the primary reason the UNSC forbade Rumbedrug usage except in dire emergencies or as a last resort. The users tended to do more damage to themselves and anything that got in their way before succumbing to the severe effects of the concoction of drugs flooding their system.
That was usually the case, anyway.
Every now and then, a small group of innies would figure out a magical balance of both the super lethal drug and a concoction of other drugs that would counter most of the effects of a Rumbledrug, especially the lethal ones. Bacchus-Class Augmentors were on the lower end of severity amongst Rumbledrug types in terms of how lethal the side effects were on the human body but could and usually would still kill after extensive use if not treated.
But suppose these individuals were diluting the dosage, using a set of beta-blockers and other medications to help keep their minds sharp and... well, sane? Then theoretically, an individual could continue to live and survive while constantly using rumbledrug to vastly increase physical performance. But the downside would be severe, particularly to their mental stability. These individuals were dangerous, and that's all Barnes needed to know from this point on.
"If you're done chit-chatting with your little sentient calculator-"
'WHAT did that lube-obsessed reprobate just call me?!'
"-I'd like to get back to our little spout. You've lasted longer than any little boy-toy soldier I've fought so far. And it's been far too long since I've gotten to give some little UNSC troopers a good ravishing." Wambua stated, passionately rolling out the r in ravishing, as he stepped forward, flexing his bulging muscles as a signal to resume the fight. Taking a couple steps back but never taking his eyes off the massive combatant, Barnes was slightly disturbed by that last comment, "I... am not sure I like what ravishing implies."
With what could only be described as aroused snickering, Wambua charged forward again, raising his fists over his head to try and slam the ODST into the floor. However, Barnes was prepared for this attack and countered accordingly. As the massive insurrectionists slammed his fist down, Barnes bounced back a step then stepped on top of the man's fist to slam a knee straight into his exposed face. The result was a satisfying crack as the man's head snapped back, though his knee was screaming in protest after hitting what felt like a brick wall. But Barnes quickly climbed onto the man, grabbing his hair with his left hand and slamming a barrage of prosthetic-enhanced right hooks straight into the man's face. A retaliatory fist managed to strike into his ribs, painfully knocking the wind from his lungs, but the ODST refused to give the man a chance to recover as he continued his relentless barrage onto the man's face. After what must have been the fifteenth hit, Barnes released Wambua's hair and delivered a powerful right uppercut straight into the man's jaw that finally had him toppling backward as the Colonel rolled off him. Wambua crashed to the floor like a sack of bricks, causing a temporary lull in the fighting as everyone finally seemed to notice that the Colonel was taking on the largest crewmembers of Rebecca's crew. The participants all stared in stunned silence for a moment, shocked that Barnes had managed to take down such a massive being. Barnes, for his part, was sucking in breaths of air after the marathon of a fight he had just endured, his hands firmly on his knees as he stared down the limp figure of the innie behemoth. It's been several months since he was pushed that hard in a fight, especially against someone that big and quick. That was not something he wanted to do again anytime soon. But with Wambua's face now resembling a lump of grapes and not showing any signs of getting up, it looks like Absman was down for the count.
A pair of slow claps grimly reminded him that Absman hadn't been alone as Barnes turned around to see the other two behemoths slowly clapping at the scene. "Smashing display, chap. Hm-yes.' Desiderio applauded nonchalantly, seemingly unconcerned with blood leaking out of his broken nose, "I think that's the first time I've seen Wambi taking a beating like that in ages. And from such a spry little helljumper, too. Heh heh, well. Maybe a beating that didn't come from one of us, though usually those are a different kind of 'beating' if you know what I mean. Mheh-heh-heh-heh."
'Please stop radiating uncomfortableness, you eldritch abominations.' Barnes mentally pleaded, not liking the images being put in his head in the slightest.
"Ohh, yes~. He'll be quite salty about this for a while." Karson added with a snarky laugh.
"If this is such a big deal, why didn't you help him when it was obvious he was losing?" Barnes asked, sucking in air as he rubbed his knee, now slightly bruised. "Because he prefers to fight his opponents one-on-one, of course." Desiderio answered, "He'd throw a fit if we interfered. Honorable duels and all that jazz, myes. Though, to be fair, chap, we did all come at you simultaneous beforehand."
"But now," Karson said, flexing his muscles in anticipation as he started to step forward, "There's no need to stand back. And I do need to avenge my brother's defeat, after all." Unfortunately for the rumbledrug-using machoman, he wouldn't get the chance.
A gunshot rang out from the room, causing most combatants to stop and duck for cover. A few eerie seconds of silence filled the room as everyone anticipated gunfire that ultimately never erupted. "NOBODY IS DOING ANYTHING," A voice thundered out, everyone turning to see Rebecca Cole, a sidekick pistol in hand and furious at the mass of brawling people in the mess hall, "EXCEPT TELLING ME WHAT THE HELL YOU'RE ALL DOING?!"
"Uh oh~." Desiderio muttered, leaning over to his 'brother,' "Little Rebbie found out." Karson merely sighed, "Of course, that would be our luck... On the other hand, this may work to our favor if she decides to kick them out the airlock-"
"KARSON!"
"Yes, Rebbie~?! What's wrong, my glorious and ado~rable little captain-"
"Stop trying to butter me up! What! Happened?!"
"Well, you see, Rebbie-" Karson started but was cut off by Barnes, who angrily snapped, "You have a bunch of luchador strippers coked up on rumbledrugs running loose on your ship?! What the actual fuck are you thinking?!"
"How rude. We're not 'coked up' on anything." Desiderio said, his voice hinting actual offense at the accusation of being a drug addict, "We just found a loophole that lets us use rumbledrugs safely-"
"Enough!" Rebbecca thundered, silencing everyone as she glared at Barnes and the two conscious supermen, "My quarters, now! The rest of you disperse, and if I so much as hear of another fight happening, I don't care who starts it I putting rounds in asses!" Slowly, everyone dispersed into their respective groups and factions, checking on their injured or their own injuries while occasionally casting glares at their enemy-turned-unwanted-allies. Barnes, not exactly thrilled at the idea of being ordered around by an Innie or stuck in a small room with two 'Rumblers*,' nevertheless complied and slowly started following after the captain, wearily staying behind the two supermen as they casually strolled behind their captain. Looking back at Parker and Peltier, who were tending to an unconscious Armstrong while Rhineford stood guard to make sure no Innies got any funny ideas, Barnes heard Rebecca casually call out, "And someone wake up Wambua. Last thing we need is slick floors."
None of them had noticed Satomi silently observing the whole incident from one of the entrances of the mess hall.
*Saba= Japanese word for mackerel.
*Chōzame= Japanese word for sturgeon.
*Koi= Japanese word for carp.
*Karson Adhelm; Desiderio Bello; Wambua Njeri= Probably obvious for those of you familiar with the series, but these three are a shoutout to the Fabulous Custodes from 'If the Emperor had a Text-to-Speech Device' by Alfabusa, who themselves are a parody of the Pillar Men from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. I tried to make their first names as similar to their parodies as possible. (ie Karson = Karstodes, Desiderio = Custodisi, and Wambua = Wamuudes) Don't worry, these guys aren't some one-off gag, I actually plan on doing something with them.
*Rumbler= Slang term used by UNSC troops to denote somebody who's on Rumbledrugs.
Welp, this took way longer than it should have to release and I don't really have an excuse aside from A) work and life getting in the way and B) struggling to find motivation to write. For those who've been patiently waiting, I apologize for how long this took to get done.
Nevertheless, the chapter is here for you to read and hopefully enjoy. There's a whole third of this chapter that's been taken out, which would have set up the opening of the Ludogorie Arc, due to it not being ready, and I'm about to go on orders to help with Hurricane Relief in Florida in anticipation for Hurricane Ian so I went ahead and decided to release what I had finished so you could have some reading material to enjoy.
I'm planning on the next chapter to begin the Ludogorie Arc, so the next few chapters will focus heavily on that and sort of steer away from Shinsei and the rest of the Aquarii Star Cluster for a bit. (Though I will have a chapter or two dedicated to showing what's going on during this time, and I'll probably have a few chapters done in Tales from Slipspace to further help flesh out the region and events going on.) Until then, thanks again for all your support and be sure to leave a review telling me your thoughts.
See you next time!
-Azores