Volume 1: Chapter 3: The Guest
Originally Drafted: April 13th, 2022
Originally Published: April 15th, 2022
Updated On: July 16th, 2022
Reviews: Didn't think I'd actually get these lol. I expected to get buried as soon as I uploaded.
Luke (Guest): Hey there, Mr. Guest. I share your sentiments. I actually felt like I was left hanging with how the original ended so I promise you, I'll get to that as soon as all the pieces fall into place.
PittBullBytes: Nice name, lol. I'll try to make it as good as I could to meet your expectations. (If you have any for this story.)
DarkVargas: That would be much appreciated if you can help me out in that regard. I've only been through the Bungie games and that was years ago. I barely know anything about the Reclaimer Saga, 343 is doing since I haven't played their games or read their books (yet) I'm writing this as I go reading through Halopedia and threads on other sites.
Granet: Kudos, mate. Length is something I struggle with rn, but I'll work on it. I promise.
SixSpartan: o7
snipervtk4: I'm not so sure about how many the Eternity should have. Didn't want them to seem too overpowered. Wouldn't be that fair… then again this is a medieval planet. I basically am taking bits and pieces from the Halopedia pages of the Infinity and some of the Spirit of Fire from Halo Wars 2's campaign for the ground and air forces the Eternity carries.
evevee: Hello there! Didn't expect to see someone I followed to add a review to this. I was actually sort of inspired by you too as I went through several other Halo fanfics on this site for inspiration. Shame about the previous story tho. It seemed like it was actually going somewhere. Kudos, mate.
TheCasualReader: Thanks for pointing out the translation thing. I meant to include it but i forgot to.
Jctherebel: You and me both. I've got a rough outline for where to go next but this is mostly done as I go and write this throughout the day.
Thank you all for your reviews and the follows/favorites. I appreciate it. I really do.
With that said, on to the story!
First Impressions? Terrible.
/ UNSC Eternity, Medical Facility, Surface of Unknown Planet, October 29th, 2558. /
Louise awoke to the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling as she came to. It was an unusual style for a room. With gray and drab colors reflecting the atmosphere of sterility in its appearance. The nature of the room reminded her of the infirmary wards at the academy.
Was she in some sort of medical facility? That was the first thought that came to mind. She wondered where she was now, as this certainly didn't look like the forest.
The last thing she remembered before waking up here was a searing pain throughout her body and the sight of the night sky with the twin moons shining over her.
She moved her head to gaze upon the rest of the room. It was sparsely decorated aside from her bed and some other unusual objects. Over by the walls were glowing spectral frames, reminiscent of glass. For what purpose they served, she didn't know.
The ceiling above her bathed the room in a harsh white illumination. A brightness that could dwarf even the most powerful of magelight spells. It only added to the feeling of artificial cleanliness about the room. Despite its harsh glow, it made the room feel colder.
The bed she was on, while not comparable to the luxury and comfort afforded by her own at home or at the dormitory, was strangely inviting on her back. She couldn't summon the strength to get up out of the bed even if she wanted to.
As she swept her gaze across the room, she had hoped to see if there was anyone else with her. Though, this effort proved fruitless as the room was devoid of life aside from its lone occupant. Feeling downtrodden, her gaze fell. Resting upon something beside her.
On her right bedside was a tiny pedestal. A glowing circle on its mount. She eyed the strange object with curiosity and moved to touch it. Her hand hovered over it for a moment before going through with the motion. With the gentlest of a touch, the pedestal glowed with a warm orange light.
The young mage yelped in surprise. For a moment she worried over whether or not she had broken it. She hoped that wasn't the case. With the craftsmanship shown from this room she had seen so far. She couldn't expect her meager, by a noble's standards, allowance to be able to cover the cost of repairs.
The pedestal gave out a gentle tune before something materialized on it. From atop the circle stood a human, or what looked like a human. The creature was see-through, something that could only be associated with creatures of supernatural origin like a spirit.
Were these spirits trapped inside of them? Was the ship haunted? The idea of a haunted ship made her shudder at the implications.
"Hello." The spectral entity warmly greeted her with a smile before she spoke. "I am Hana. UNSC Designation HNA-0934-03, Medical Assistance AI. How may I be of service?"
Louise didn't know what to think about the tiny person before her. All the tales of spirits or ghosts she'd ever heard throughout her life had been ones of horror. How they'd often torment innocent home owners who'd earned their ire, or led wary travelers off the safe path of a well traveled road and into the dangers of a dark forest inhabited by Beasts and Elves.
What surprised her even more than the fact that a spirit spoke to her, was the fact that the spirit spoke in what sounded strangely like Albish, the language of Albion. Were these fearsome looking ships and their crew part of the Albish Royal Navy? Their martial nature seemed to imply so, but in the back of her mind she couldn't believe that mortal hands could create such gargantuan ships.
"Is something the matter?" The spirit asked. Louise remained mostly silent this whole time and the shock of the spirit speaking to her prompted her to break the quiet.
Her understanding of the language of Albion was passable to say the least, but her ability to speak it was untested. Fearing any possible mistranslation on her part, she bit her lip to ask. "Pardonnez-moi, M'me Spirit." {Pardon me, Ms. Spirit} She asked in her native Tristainian.
"Mais, serait-il possible que vous me parliez dans une langue que je peux parler?" {Could it be possible for you to speak in a language I can understand?} Hoping the meaning of her words were carried across, she crossed her heart internally.
The tiny person in front of her seemed to nod in understanding. "Ah, my apologies, I didn't realize you only spoke French. Not too common in this day and age. But, I do appreciate being able to flex my knowledge of other languages from time to time." The spirit moved as if to clear her throat then asked "Est-ce mieux, jeune fille?" {Is this better, young lady?}
Louise breathed a sigh of relief. "Merci. Puis-je vous poser des questions?" {Thank you. May I ask some questions?} She asked.
"Why, of course. Qu'est-ce que vous aimeriez savoir ?" {What would you ask of me?} It spoke in turn.
/ UNSC Eternity, Bridge, some time later… /
Morgan eyed the holotable in front of him. It showed an overview of the region around the Eternity. With the aid of their long range scanners, it allowed them to perfectly recreate entire sections of the landscape to an astonishing degree. Granting them an unparalleled advantage when it came to ascertaining any developing situations.
Many icons and images floated above the holotable. With some showed live feeds of many of the Marines under his command. Throughout the night they had been busy with creating an additional layer of security around their downed vessel. They combed through the forest, visited various villages, and even eradicated some hostile wildlife and a bandit camp.
The brigands had been hardly prepared even when one of them threatened to use his magic on the squad of Marines who found them. Before he could launch an attack of his own, a shot rang out and pierced his cranium. They fled their camp after such a display.
While the Eternity's point defense systems were capable. Captain Morgan could hardly afford to put himself at ease without having his men properly secure the area first.
With that out of the way for now, the Captain turned his attention to a more immediate matter. One in regards to their new "guest."
A young woman with natural pink hair. When he first received the reports about it he felt incredulous. Having stayed behind to let two of her own flee the scene before the Marines could apprehend them.
A valiant effort. Morgan mused. He'd known many people who made the same kind of sacrifice during the war. If circumstances were different, he'd have commended her for the effort. But, dealing with the aftermath was a whole new headache. While he couldn't just let her go, he couldn't just let her be left onboard either.
She wasn't a UEG citizen. He had no jurisdiction on this planet. Maybe he could charge her with trespassing on a UNSC area of operation? No, that wouldn't work. The area around them doesn't belong to the UEG and by extension the UNSC.
As far as they were concerned, their impromptu fleet of vessels was more of a refugee fleet than an actual military operation. Captain Morgan grimaced at the thought.
They were on unknown lands. With no support coming any time soon, and with the entire UNSC war machine as he knew it being rendered inoperable by Rogue AI. They were all that was left of Earth and Her Colonies.
With going home not an option, he'd have to look into possibly forming a permanent settlement here. Though there was the issue with the lands already being claimed, and by a distant humanity at that. They were at a loss.
Maybe V'tas had a point? Maybe we should just contact these people. At the very least, resolve any potential troubles that could occur in the future.
He'd already received reports from many of the scouts he sent ahead. The natives had sent scouts of their own, but none of them ever dared to move any closer. They'd made efforts to conceal themselves but these were in vain when there was an advanced system of scanners and experienced personnel in place to notice such things.
He'd ordered his men to ignore them for now. Let them think they didn't know they were there. It would be far too soon to show all their cards on hand.
Armed with only swords and what appeared to be 'magical' wands as his men had put it. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of this world. They'd shown themselves to be technologically primitive, but the abilities they possessed was an unknown variable. He hated the unknown.
From the 'magic' that these people could cast to supernatural oddities like the floating island they could see far off in the distance. An island with white sheer cliffs jutting out from its sides. It almost reminded him of his ancestral home on the British Isles. The unique geography was eerily nostalgic to the Captain.
From the island he could see floating ships, smaller than the UNSC vessels, but much more numerous. They appeared to look like the old Galleon's from Earth's 16th Century during the age of exploration. No doubt serving a similar purpose. But for these people to have things such as airships and musketry, yet be stuck in a similar state to Renaissance Europe? It struck him as odd.
They certainly had the capability to advance past this level. But were held back by something. What it was, he didn't know. So far, this planet had proven to be far stranger than he could ever imagine.
A ping resounded from beside him. Alerting the Captain to an incoming message from Monty.
"Captain, I've just received word from one of our secondary AIs." Monty reported. "It seems our little guest has awoken."
Morgan gave a nod in affirmation. "Hold the fort while I'm gone, Monty. I'd like to have a few words with her."
"Aye, aye, Skipper." Monty gave a short salute before dissipating from view.
Morgan made to exit the bridge and headed for the infirmary.
「 Tristain Academy of Magic, At the same time. 」
The red headed Kirche and her usual companion, Tabitha, found themselves on their way to the office of Director Osmond. The Academy's Headmaster.
Their little escapade had not gone unnoticed when a staff member on her routine inspection had noticed three of her students were missing.
When they came back from the forest on the back of Tabitha's dragon familiar. They were greeted with the sight of a very anxious crowd of adults. Commoner Staff and Mages alike were armed and waited in suspense as the two hopped off their mount. Breaths held back as they saw only two of them had returned.
They had been ordered to the Director's office as soon as they had landed. Kirche had felt guilt ridden on the trip back. Feeling that her inviting Louise was the catalyst to all this trouble. For all she knew, none of this would have happened had she left her here instead of insisting that they all went.
Maybe it would have been safer to let Tabitha go alone as she originally intended. She looked to her companion and sighed. As usual her stoic demeanor betrayed any hint of her being in a life threatening scenario just minutes prior.
Before long, they stood in front of the Director's office. The hallways around them being dimmed by the darkness, a telltale sign of the late hour they were currently at. Taking a deep breath, she held the door handle and twisted it to open.
Visible in the room was a dense stack of papers. A shelf of books rested near the wall, and a very tired Director Osmond, alongside the sight of their teacher, Professor Colbert.
"Ah, girls, you've finally made it. Good." Professor Colbert said weakly. From his gaunt expression he seemed to have been dead tired. No doubt a consequence of their actions. The presence of the ships had brought enough stress to the staff of the academy, adding the disappearance of one of their own students caused even more to pile up.
"You wanted to see us, Professors?" She asked after giving a polite bow.
"Yes, we did. We wanted to talk to you about your little adventure." Spoke Director Osmond. His mouth idly puffing on his pipe he had drawn from underneath his table. He gestured for the two of them to sit down. A pair of chairs having already been set before them.
This was going to be a long night. Kirche sighed and took a seat, Tabitha followed.
/ UNSC Eternity, Medical Facility. Louise's Room. /
Louise had been fascinated by the little person who she had been conversing with for the past hour.
With every question she asked, the more she grew curious about these foreign visitors. She learned that the spirit in front of her was a creature known as an "Eyy Aye?" A peculiar name for a species.
It was apparently created by humans, an idea she found ludicrous. No doubt this poor creature was enslaved by these people and made to serve their will. Apparent by its seeming inability to move away from the pedestal it manifested itself on.
But she couldn't question the ethics of such an action at this moment. She was currently thinking of ways on how to escape her containment. The AI or "Hana" as it preferred to be known as, had spoken at length about the ship she now stood on. A mighty vessel known as the "Yuennesse Eternity" perhaps that was what those letters emblazoned on the outside meant.
She had to admit. The ship felt it more than deserved such a title. The Eternity, while a title of such boastful claims would seem laughable when applied to the airships she knew, the Eternity more than earned it. It was an astonishing ship measuring over 5,000 mails long. Far longer than any of the ships found anywhere on Halkeginia.
Accompanied by a crew of over 19,000 at the moment, she wondered if she could even escape at all. From her room she could see armed guards posted on the outside, armed with those strange black muskets they shot her with.
Wait a minute. She remembered, she was shot! By the Founder! How was she not dead? Maybe the muskets they used were weaker than the noisy and smoke spewing firearms her father had introduced to her when she visited the young Princess Henrietta in her youth, during a demonstration on the effects of musketry in war.
The muskets she knew of were loud, annoyingly so, and they tended to obscure the vision of those around them with a haze of irritating smoke protruding from the end of the barrel where the projectile was shot.
The muskets she was shot with were still quite loud, but not as much as a Tristainian musket. No telltale sign of smoke emitting from its end after the shot was fired either. Though she remembered it hurting.
She thought she would have died then and there. Had she been brought aboard to be tended by a healer then? Did they keep her alive because they knew of her family? Perhaps she would have been made to be ransomed. Such an embarrassing fate would surely kill her reputation even further than being called a worthless "Zero."
Coming from the outside she could hear the muffled voices of the guards. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying but she was prepared to defend herself again if need be.
She reached for her wand, usually hidden inside one of her pockets, only to realize it wasn't there. They must've taken it while she was unconscious. Hearing the door about to open, she turned to her only companion in the room, Hana.
"You've got to hide! Quick!" She whispered.
Hana gave her a polite bow and dissipated.
From the doorway leading into her room. She could see the figure of a man dressed in a strange gray uniform. With a thick coat covering the top, fashioned like a piece of armor a knight would typically wear. With black accents on its shoulders, accompanied by the display of what she assumed to be his rank and an emblem. Was this one of the men who captured her? Had he come here to interrogate her? She didn't know.
"Restez en arrière!" {Stay back!} She shouted at the man in her native Tristainian. Though her wavering voice betrayed her courage. With nothing to strike back with, she was helpless in her current predicament.
A confused look appeared on his face. He tapped something on the side of the back of his neck. Checking up on something unseen.
"Am I hearing this right?" He asked himself.
Louise wondered what he meant by that gesture.
"Could you say that again again, young lady?" He turned to her and spoke politely.
"J'ai dit, restez en arrière!" {I said, stay back!} She shouted once more, this time with a scowl on her face.
He hummed in thought after that outburst. "As I thought. You speak French. At least this makes communication possible."
French? The Eyy Aye she spoke to earlier mentioned that word before, but she didn't pay it any mind. Thinking it was some sort of terminology she was unfamiliar with, and having resolved not to make herself look like a fool in front of her, she ignored it. But the man before her repeated that word. French. She wondered what it could have meant.
"I thought our translators were bugging out, but they seem to be working fine." He spoke again, smiling this time.
"Don't be alarmed" he held out his hand, holding a strange tablet-like device which glowed a transparent blue.
"This should be able to solve any probable translation errors." He gestured for her to take it. Hesitantly, she did so. Gently taking the device in her hands, he heard the man speak once more.
"I am Captain Andrew Morgan. The Captain of the UNSC Vessel, Eternity. I mean you no harm." the device translated to her in her native language. Shocked at hearing the man's voice being repeated back, but speaking another language. She figured it was some strange new translation magic.
The man introduced himself. Though he said he meant no harm, her previous injury had been evidence to the contrary. She looked at the Captain, wondering what she was meant to do next. She hadn't expected to be involved in diplomacy so soon. She was only a student after all.
She took in a deep breath and sighed. She turned to the man once more and asked. "What do you want from me?" The translator, doing its job as soon as the words escaped her mouth.
"Simple, really. All I want is the answers to a few questions." Morgan paused before taking a seat beside her.
"We didn't come here by choice and our people are a little paranoid at the moment." The device spoke for the Captain as well. The Captain had made several gestures with his hand to accentuate the point around his emphasis on "paranoid."
"Not by choice?" She asked back. That certainly explained why the largest of the ships appeared damaged. An interesting tidbit she thought to report later.
Morgan nodded. "Our ships were in the middle of transit when an explosion of energy sent us here. What we want to know right now, is where we found ourselves."
Then this wasn't an invasion force? Though the troops outside would suggest otherwise. But when he mentioned they came here by accident and his crew being paranoid, she could feel a hint of understanding with their situation.
By the Founder! Things seemed as if they were about to get more complicated. Though, if that were the case. It fell upon her duty as a Noble of the land to help out a person in need, Louise thought.
"Very well." She said as she released an exhale she had unknowingly kept, "You're currently in the Kingdom of Tristain. On the continent of Halkeginia." Louise explained.
The man nodded along, taking the information in stride. His face remained impassive as Louise droned on and on about trivial information. She waited for any sign of recognition from the man. But it became clear that her host was unaware of the names mentioned.
"Do you not know about Tristain? Surely you know about this continent at least!" She asked the Captain, almost frustratedly.
"I'm afraid not, young lady. Like I mentioned earlier. We are lost. As far as we know we're a long long way from home." Morgan said with a hint of worry in his tone. Worry for his men perhaps? Or for his own wellbeing.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot here." He backed off from Louise. "I've already introduced myself. Now how about you?" He asked her after seating himself at a comfortable distance away from the young noble.
Louise was hesitant to give out her name. Her actions here could reflect on not just her family but the country as a whole when it comes to dealing with these people of the Yuennesse.
Louise nodded in turn and curtsied. "I am Louise Françoise Le Blanc de la Vallière, third daughter of the Duke and Duchess de la Vallière. A student at the Tristain Academy of Magic. A pleasure to meet you, Ser Captain." She spoke with as much confidence as she could muster. Hoping to the Founder above that she hadn't embarrassed himself.
"The daughter of a Duke? So you're an aristocrat then?" Morgan hummed in thought.
Seemingly confused at his innocent question. Louise wondered if this man would treat her any better knowing that.
He sighed. Something both of them seemed to be doing often now. "We don't want any trouble. We'll drop you off back to wherever you want to be, but we need your help." He pleaded to her.
"Our ship is stranded and things got out of hand due to our uninformed actions. My men who combed through the forest and region around us have only done so to improve our own security. I wish to speak to your local leaders if possible. To avoid any misunderstandings." The Captain seemed to say as if to appeal to her morality.
Seeing the man look so vulnerable, she felt a bit of pity. With their situation explained she could understand how quickly it could all escalate. All it would take would be one misunderstanding from either side for hostilities to be declared and a bloody skirmish to occur.
"I will." She looked at him as he breathed a sigh of relief.
/ UNSC Eternity, Vehicle Bay. The morning after, October 30th, 2558. 0700 Hours. /
Louise had spent the night aboard the ship. At the Captain's insistence she was moved to a far more comfortable room where she slept far more soundly.
The breakfast they had served at one of the many cafeterias dotted around the ship, while not as fancy as the ones at the academy, was just as filling if not moreso. They were quite diverse in choice, far more affluent than the menu available back at the academy.
She wondered if it would be possible to ask for the recipe of the strange delicacies she had tasted.
After breakfast was done, she waited for the Captain to arrive as she was escorted to their current destination. Having been told to wait here in the "Hangar" as soon as she was done with breakfast. The room was filled with strange objects vaguely reminiscent of insects but with metallic armor and wings dotting the room.
While she was no stranger to grandeur. The nobility being all too used to such things. The sheer size of the room boggled her mind. One could comfortably fit an entire airship in here and still have room to spare. But they used this area similar to a stable where the Gryphons of Tristain were kept. Perhaps this "Hangar" was used for a similar purpose.
Around her she could see many of the crew milling about. Many working on these metallic contraptions and others running to and fro to get to their stations. It looked almost chaotic.
Before long, the doors leading into the room opened once more. Striding forth from the front of a group was the Captain. He had foregone his earlier gray apparel with a more presentable and clean looking white uniform. Medals emblazoned on his chest and a peaked cap on his head.
From beside him she could see an additional two people as his companions. A man and a woman. The woman wore a white coat and had no decorations, aside from what appeared to be more of the strange letters printed onto her clothing. But what confused her more was her choice of wearing pants.
While not uncommon for most eccentric women, many of the fairer sex still chose to wear long dresses or a skirt to cover their modesty. Whereas the other man wore a uniform not too dissimilar to the Captain but in all black. She assumed him to be another noble.
Escorting the three were a group of armed men. This time, carrying with them the strange muskets that she had been shot with. To her horror, she recognized them as the ones that had apprehended her last night.
She eyed the group warily as she shuddered at the memory.
Dressed in a dark black uniform with some bits of armor strapped to their shoulders, chest, arms, and legs, their helmet being a closed one with a layer of glass that concealed their identity. It gave them a terrifying impression.
Morgan, seeing this, turned to her and said. "Don't worry, they're only here for our security. We won't initiate any hostile actions on our end."
While Louise felt she could trust the Captain. She didn't for the rest of his entourage. But her Mother's Rule of Steel, demanded her to see her promise with the Captain through.
When she visibly relaxed the Captain turned to his group. No doubt to discuss their plans with the meeting she was supposed to facilitate. She couldn't quite make out the conversation occurring among the three of them. What little she did make out, sounded foreign to her ears. With terms being thrown about that she had no context for. Not wanting to harass her mind further she turned her attention elsewhere.
Her gaze went to the other men with them, the escorts, as they were referred to. She could see them in the meanwhile miming to themselves. Did they only talk through gestures? How would they be able to communicate? She stared at them for a while before they in turn noticed her and stared back.
It was creepy to say the least. But she didn't put it to mind as she sheepishly shied her eyes away from them afterwards. It wouldn't do, to be so insulting towards her hosts when her freedom was so close at hand.
After that brief respite, the Captain ended his impromptu meeting with his companions and motioned for her to follow.
He led the group towards one of those metallic beasts she saw flying overhead the night before. Were they supposed to ride this? She couldn't see any possible mounts on it and she couldn't possibly be expected to hold onto the creature outside while it's flying.
Before she could ponder the contraption any longer its rear opened up. Revealing the insides. For a moment she shuddered in fear. Thinking she was about to be fed to this strange beast, only to be interrupted when the escorts piled into the creature and sat on the chairs near its walls.
Morgan assured her it would be safe and helped hoist her inside the creature.
Morgan moved closer to the front, to talk to a person who happened to be sitting inside a bubble of what looked like glass. After providing them with the instructions on where to go he spoke to the group one final time before departing.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to make history."
Ayy, yo there we go! Chapter 3 is done. I don't think I can keep up a consistent length when writing chapters so they might seem inconsistent from time to time, but I'll try to fix that later down the line. Writing all this on mobile is pretty hard…
Anyway, I'd hope to see y'all in the next one, whenever that would be. I'd probably still be editing the already uploaded chapters from time to time before doing a new one.
I've also made a Discord server: /sDgJN8F4tY
If y'all have any suggestions or helpful inclusions I'd be happy to hear ya out. I'm not sure how to actually reply on Fanfiction so I figured Discord would be as good a place as any for these sorts of things.
Anyway, that's all for now. じゃ、またね
Update: Rewrote portions of this chapter.