An atrium was the next stop in the elevator ride for MAGES. and Cave. The area was being used as a sort of makeshift field hospital where wounded were being tended to. However, MAGES. could spot a corner in the room where bodies were completely draped by sheets. The constant groans of pain from the wounded and those asleep made for a very somber atmosphere. Any other civilians that were fine were all sitting and standing around anxiously. Only the dead knew true peace from this war, but it was the living that had carry on and endure the suffering. Cave seemed at a loss on what to say on the situation around them before noticing the open doorway on the other side of the hall.
"I see more soldiers out there that are wearing the same armor as Ethan and Marcus." Cave pointed out as she started jogging away. "I'll see if there is anything I can do over there."
"Shout if you need me." MAGES. called out to which Cave gave a thumbs up in response without looking back.
There was a stockpile of UNSC weapons and ammo on the ground being watched over by a soldier. MAGES. approached with the intent and hope of scavenging extra ammo for either Cave or herself. Upon closer inspection of the guard, MAGES. recognized the man as the one who saved Cave and MAGES. from the Brute wielding the hammer during their skirmish to get into the building. The trooper was eating a candy bar of sorts before noticing MAGES. and he nodded at her as a form of greeting.
"Oh, it's you." The trooper stated in a way that gave MAGES. the impression he was not going to stop her from resupplying. "If you need some ammo, go right ahead. You were with us and the ODSTs, so I know you're good with a weapon."
"Believe it or not, I am not used to a firearm." MAGES. said as she knelt down and reached for ammo to store into her pouches.
Going off what he just said, Marcus and Ethan are 'ODST' in their military group. That's what MAGES. managed to deduce from what the trooper said. She still had to gather information on their current allies to make more sense of the world they were in. That way, when Cave and MAGES. reunited with IF and Green Heart, they could share what they know so far. I imagine a higher rank or special group of elite soldiers separate from the regular ground forces.
"Well, you haven't killed any people with it by accident." The soldier crumbled the wrapper of the candy bar into a ball before tossing it behind him. "That's good enough for me. We'll take all the shooters we can get in this war."
MAGES. found a holster to go with a pistol and strapped the weapon to her thigh. Although not powerful on its own, a secondary weapon could mean the difference between life or death in battle. MAGES. stood back up and looked to the elevator doors as they opened up revealing the next batch of people from the previous floor. Ethan and Marcus were among the people, which meant they were the last group. Anyone else coming down the elevators can be assumed hostiles or very rare human stragglers that managed to make their way to Traxus Tower without getting killed.
I should check on Cave and see what is going on out there too.
Ethan and Marcus had the same line of thought too as they were already exiting the triage. MAGES. followed after the the pair and took in the new surroundings. The new area in front of MAGES. was the cargo port, but there was serious damage done to the structures and walkways. That meant crossing the cargo port on foot was basically impossible, but she soon saw the alternative method to traverse the gaps in the cargo port. Bullfrogs were amphibians that hopped on land as a common form of movement. To get across the damaged platforms, the ODSTs named the 'Bullfrogs' used a jetpack to hop from one platform to another. The sound of a sniper rifle going off caused MAGES. to look for the source and spotted Cave firing across the cargo port at the edge of their platform.
"That's another confirmed kill." One ODST standing beside Cave's left stated. "Actually, make that two kills."
"A collateral, eh?" Another ODST commented as he walked by carrying a huge weapon on their shoulder. If MAGES. had to guess, it had to be some sort of rocket launcher judging by its size alone and the two large barrels. "Clearly not a normal a civilian, but that was already a given just from the clothes."
"Brute on top of the red crate wielding a hammer." The ODST besides Cave spoke again and Cave's response to that was another shot. "That's a shot through the neck. Good hit."
"I see Cave is still putting in work." Marcus said to Ethan. "I'm really starting to believe she actually is former private military."
"I'm sure she was, but we don't have the luxury to sit around and ask." Ethan responded back before glancing behind him to see MAGES.. "You okay, MAGES.?"
"I am fine." MAGES. nodded her head. "A bit vulnerable without my hat."
"You really loved that hat, huh?" Marcus spoke before tapping his own helmet. "Well, it did save you from getting blown up. I'd be grateful to this too if I got stuck with a plasma grenade there. Even soldiers like us let panic be our own undoing when something like that happens. Glad you acted fast with your brain there."
"I am also lucky enough that it did not stick to any parts of my actual body." MAGES. turned to Ethan. "I'm sure that my death would have been guaranteed if that had been the case."
"Which is why I ordered you back." Ethan replied and pointed at MAGES.. "You're still a civilians in our eyes, regardless of whatever history you and Cave have with your combat capabilities."
"Not to mention we still have our duty as soldiers to protect you." Marcus said which earned a nod from Ethan.
"Hey, check it out! Falcons on approach!"
The call out from another soldier disrupted the conversation. Ethan, Marcus, and MAGES. turned to see two aircraft 'Falcons' heading towards their location. Cave seemed finished with shooting as she lowered her sniper rifle and spoke to the ODST that had been standing beside her. Their conversation was short as Cave noticed MAGES. and jogged her way over to the trio.
"The rest of the Bullfrogs are advancing with the Spartan to the executive wing landing pad." Cave reported to Ethan, motioning to the ODST she had been talking to with one thumb. "That one over there is talking to the pilots right now. He seems to be in charge of the rest of the ODSTs here."
"Thanks, Cave. We'll go talk to him." Ethan said before motioning Marcus to follow him.
Once Ethan and Marcus were properly distracted with their conversation with the other ODST, Cave and MAGES. retreated over by the door entrance into the atrium. This time, Cave was the one to sit down and rest her sniper rifle beside her as she rotated her shoulders. The weapon certainly had a lot of recoil to it whenever Cave fired the weapon and MAGES. knew the Leanbox soldier to fire it rapidly at times. That had to have some strain on her shoulder, regardless of whether she was trained to handle the kickback or not.
"So you found out what Ethan and Marcus are classified as too." MAGES. stated as the sounds of rotors started becoming louder as the Falcons got closer to their area.
"Learned it as soon as I stepped out of the triage." Cave replied as she got back up, done with her momentary respite. "I was questioned on why I was out there with a sniper rifle. Soldier guarding the weapon stockpile vouched for me when he was out here."
"Any idea what it stands for?" MAGES. asked, trying to think of possible words for the acronyms.
"Nothing at the moment so far. We will have to save the talking for another time." Cave pointed in the direction of Ethan and Marcus. "I saw Marcus glance at us."
"An offer into more danger, I imagine." MAGES. checked the ammo counter on her assault rifle. "One we will most likely take."
As much as MAGES. feared for her life, she had to come to terms with this feeling of vulnerability that she could die in an instant like any of these men and women. The UNSC soldiers know their risks and as an adventurer herself, MAGES. knew that as well. The Falcons were hovering close enough that a few soldiers were hopping on to man the weapons on the sides of the aircrafts. MAGES. and Cave approached the ODSTs and Ethan was the first to speak.
"An air convoy heading to the starport wants to divert spare Pelicans to help us evacuate the people here and at the executive wing, but they're under attack." Ethan explained before pointing to the Falcons. "Those Falcons are heading to assist them, but they need volunteers. The rest have to stay here to defend against any Covenant attack."
"I hated to suggest it, but you two don't seem like you would want to sit around doing nothing." Marcus continued, rubbing the side of his helmet. "So...you guys feel like flying?"
Vert and IF were on the same Pelican transport ships as the teen Neptune and little Compa. When IF revealed to Vert her suspicions on their identities, Vert managed to keep her surprise under control as they were in a hurry to make it to the aircraft carriers at the time. Now that Vert had a proper look at Neptune and Compa, she could see the similarities very clearly. Vert and IF sat on the row of seats across from them as they wanted to give the pair space and allow herself a private conversation with IF. This Neptune and Compa may be alternate versions of the ones they knew, but they were just normal human kids here caught up in a war zone. The last thing Vert wanted to do was drop unnecessary information to the pair on who they really are in a world they may never see or visit. Vert also didn't want them to think she was crazy either.
"The portal separated us, but the distance wasn't extreme." IF said as she tried attempting to use the phones on her coat to dial anyone from their world. Vert would have been happy for a miracle there to contact Leanbox or anyone from Gamindustri, but IF's frustrated look shot down Vert's own hopes. "Of course I wouldn't get any sort of signal this far away from home. Why did I even try..."
"It is better to know with absolute certainty that it would not work." Vert placed a comforting hand on IF's shoulder.
"I really hope MAGES. and Cave found each other like we did." IF sighed as she placed her hand on top of Vert's hand that was on IF's shoulder. "And that they're making their way to where we're going too."
"Those two are capable fighters and resourceful individuals. I am sure they will be fine. We just have to trust they found allies like we did to help them along their way."
Speaking of allies, Victor and Lang were aboard one of the Falcons that was protecting the air convoy they were a part of. A battle in the skies was raging outside, but the Pelican's ramp was closed and preventing Vert from seeing what was happening in the air. Vert was not ignorant to the sounds of battle, but there was nothing Vert could do to assist. Transforming into her hard drive divinity form would have made destroying the Covenant forces easier, but it seems this world did not agree with the true scale of her power. The same could be said for IF as well since Vert knew IF was capable of her own magical skills too. Cave and MAGES. were also likely restricted too in terms of power.
To put it in gaming terms; we were all nerfed. Vert concluded her inner thoughts. At least I have some survivability with my shielding and I still retain my strength and speed. I must put in more effort to protect you, Iffy. Also our 'friends' too...even if they do not know us.
Vert looked at Neptune and Compa who were doing their best to stay calm. The teen Neptune had firm arms wrapped around Compa to give the child a sense of safety. Vert smiled at the act and partly wishing to do such an intimate action herself with IF in the future. This was a strange experience for Vert seeing this Neptune. This version was not a fellow goddess, but it made Vert wonder if there was another version of herself out there along with Noire and Blanc. Vert was curious, though not enough to want to stay in this world for long. All that mattered was returning to Gamindustri with IF, MAGES., and Cave. The best Vert could do for this Neptune and Compa was see them safely off this world.
"So back to what I asked you before, Vert." IF looked at her. "How did you find me? Are you unaffected?"
"Not entirely." Vert answered, glancing above IF's head where there was still a floating arrow indicator pointing at IF along with the adventurer's name. "Best way to put it is that I see things...differently than you."
"Something like a trade?" IF deduced to which Vert nodded. "Is that why you can't?..."
"Yes, I am unable to."
IF was obviously referencing Vert's transformation into her CPU form. Vert wanted to elaborate further, but felt uneasy talking about her disabled abilities in front of people that were not from her world. IF heard the discomfort from Vert's voice and decided to leave the subject for another time. The relative peace of the ride was interrupted when the whole ship rocked suddenly, causing the other civilians to start panicking. The door to the cockpit opened up and a UNSC pilot poked his head into the room. He was likely the co-pilot while the main operator was still flying the ship.
"Everyone stay strapped into your seats! Ride's going to get rough!" The man shouted as an explosion blew the ramp door open and rocked the ship.
"Is there anything we can do to defend ourselves? I see those Banshees out there tailing us!" Vert exclaimed as she released her safety straps and stood up. "We will all die if they get one single explosive round in here!"
"Sounds like you're volunteering to be our gunner then, lady!" The pilot responded. "Just hang on!"
The man closed the door as a large compartment from above opened up. A turret lowered itself in front of them facing the outside. Vert manned the turret, inspecting it quickly to figure out how to fire the weapon. As she looked over the stationary weapon, two new readouts appeared next to IF's name. The names of MAGES. and Cave appeared and they were coming from the east and heading towards them. They had all been separated at the start, but now they were regrouping which was enough to make Vert smile despite the chaotic air battle that was happening around them.
Nice to finally reunite with you two.
Vert cocked the machine gun's bolt back and immediately opened fire on the closest Banshee. All Vert had to focus on now was destroying the enemies in front of her. Seeing the names of her fellow Gamindustri residents made her realize they were a group of four. In military terms, they were enough to be a fireteam and with Vert being the goddess, she was unanimously the leader. Every fireteam had a designated callsign, so Vert already knew what the title of her squad would be since they all had origins to her nation.
From this moment on, we shall be Fireteam Leanbox!
Cave and MAGES. were separated from Marcus and Ethan to operate in their own Falcon ship. However, their transport had its own handicap in that there was only one side with an operating turret. The Falcon had been in a heavy engagement and took a hit, losing their original gunner along with the mounted gun. Knowing of this news made Cave uneasy, but it did not deter her from taking up the position of the only gunner aboard the aircraft. Another ODST and MAGES. could only sit in the seats of the Falcon's interior.
"The air convoy should be within sight in less than ten minutes." The ODST said as Cave glanced back at him. "Remember what I told you about that weapon you're using, Cave. Make sure you don't fire too wildly!"
That was another feature that separated this Falcon from the others. The mounted gun fired single explosive shells instead of rapid projectiles. This automatic grenade launcher turret had another quirk in that if one held the trigger down, it can activate its secondary function. The grenades could cause an 'electromagnetic pulse' that can temporarily disable certain vehicles and aircrafts for a short time once the trigger was released. Leanbox's ammunition was nowhere near that level of capabilities with their armaments. The ammo for those type of weapons had to be separate and not a mixture of the two in one.
"I understand." Cave answered. "One stray shot can damage the Pelicans we're protecting."
"Good. I know you guys are not regular civilians, but I need to make things clear." The soldier said. "Okay, we're on the scene! Multiple Banshees supported by Phantoms!"
Cave was witnessing a mobile battlefield on the constant move. Pelicans were taking fire from the pursuer Banshees which Cave assumed to be the smaller Covenant aircrafts. Other Falcons were engaging the Banshees, but the Covenant had a numerical advantage which was overwhelming the Convoy's protectors. Not to mention the Banshees were supported by the larger Covenant ships that Cave would identify as Phantoms. Cave's nearest target was a Phantom with a gunner on one of its side shooting at Cave's Falcon, but their pilot evaded the incoming fire. Despite the turbulence, Cave fired an accurate enough shell that splashed the side of the ship next to the enemy gunner for the kill.
"Impressive shot, Cave!" MAGES. complimented as she did her best to hold onto her seat. "Your aim found its mark even with all that erratic movement!"
"Doubt I could have done that during all that dodging." The ODST agreed with a nod. "Now start pouring on the fire on the round plate near the front of the ship. That's where one of the engines are!"
"I'm going to need a better angle." Cave responded.
"Pilot! Get us closer to the front side of the Phantom!" The soldier shouted, no doubt using their radio to get in contact with the flyer.
The Falcon moved to provide a better view of the engine plate on the Phantom. Cave unleashed a rain of grenade shells on the spot until its engine exploded, causing it to lose control and crash through the nearest building. Two Banshees moved to engage Cave and she saw this opportunity to make use of the grenade launcher's special ability. She fired a single grenade at the Banshees, holding the trigger down. One performed an aerial roll to evade, but Cave released the trigger as a flash of blue and green exploded from the grenade. The Banshee that did not get away was surrounded by a weird glow as it lost its ability to fly straight and stop, temporarily falling. That was enough of an opportunity for Cave to hit it with regular grenades and blow it up before it could regain control of its system.
"The other one is behind us!" MAGES. shouted, looking out the Falcon momentarily before firmly planting herself in her seat. "Brace yourself!"
Cave could see the other Banshee behind them, but the mounted launcher couldn't turn far enough for her to retaliate. The Banshee fire its rapid blue bolts at their back frame, rocking everyone inside. Their Falcon tried to dodge and turn around to give Cave a window to retaliate, but this enemy pilot was making sure it stayed behind them no matter what.
"Damn it! He really wants to stay on our ass, that's for sure!" The soldier shook his head. "We keep taking fire like this, we're going down!"
As if answering Cave's prayer for a savior, another Falcon assisted them in taking down the persistent Banshee. Cave breathed a sigh of relief, but the smoke coming from the top of their Falcon still left her unsettled at the prospect of dying from an explosion. Their Falcon moved to help a Pelican that was being pursued by more Banshees. However, there was gunfire coming from the back of the Pelican and they were making short work of their pursuers. Cave repeated what she had done before, disabling a Banshee, but the gunner in the back took care of enemy ship before Cave could finish it off. Their aircraft was low and close enough for Cave to get somewhat of a view of the back.
Wait...Is that-?
The mysterious gunner of the Pelican they were supporting was none other than Green Heart herself. Cave's heart soared with joy and relief that they reunited and judging from Green Heart waving at Cave, the feeling must have been mutual. She could only hope that IF was somewhere in the Pelican as well because she couldn't see far enough into the Pelican to know for sure.
"Let's play it safe and stay close to this Pelican and protect it until we get to the starport." The ODST spoke. "Any of those Covenant fighters get close, you light them up."
"I will."
None will harm Green Heart's transport. Not while Cave still drew breath and this Falcon could still fly.
My nation's goddess will not die here on this hellish world. I swear it on my life as a soldier of Leanbox.
More enemy air targets were approaching, but Cave would take them all down.
With extreme prejudice.
Hey there, Nep and Halo fans. I didn't think I could do it, but we have another chapter here for you all before the end of 2021. It's still shameful that this story has been around for as long as it has and we still have yet to get through the 'Reach' section of the games.
I'm hoping to fix that next year, but I don't make promises I can't keep. Can't be like Chief when he makes a promises and keeps it.
Onto the reviews from Chapter four! Where there are two, surprisingly. Would have figured most readers had assumed this story dead.
Peroroncino: I'd hate to disappoint you as a reader, but I'm sorry to say that you'll be waiting a very long time for the possibility of Vert regaining her ability to transform in the world of Halo. You see, if she transformed, it would trivialize the battles that take place, not to mention it would already plant an even bigger bullseye on the back of Vert as it is from both the UNSC and Covenant.
For the sake of balance in power struggles against the Covenant enemies, Vert and company had to be nerfed. A journey with no obstacles would be an uninteresting one, wouldn't you agree? For Vert to just smash through all Covenant opposition and save Reach would be overpowered and defeat the purpose of Reach's setting.
At any rate, I hope that you will continue reading and possibly reviewing this chapter as well.
Mash-Potatoes1: I'm happy that you find it such a good read. It is indeed a weird crossover and for it to be worked right is a lot of effort considering the themes of the series are very jarring. Neptunia may have its dark moments, but they aren't as heavy or grim as the world of the Halo series.
That's all the reviews for Chapter four at the time of submitting this chapter. Another chapter to come out this month is highly unlikely to impossible. But next year, you may see a few more. We might even see chapters that deviate even further from Reach's straight plot and change a few things.
Vert and company may not save the planet, but through their presence and effort, they might just change some things for the better.
I wish you all a happy holiday and I look forward to hearing from you all in 2022!
4K0T4K signing off. I'll see you guys next year!
