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Earth

New Mombasa

December 12th, 2552

As the Pelican approached the city, Chief could already tell that things were getting intense. Looking outside of the troop bay, he could see smoke rising from a number of buildings, along with the occasional raging fire on top of one. While he couldn't see any fighting so far, he could definitely hear it: the telltale popping of firearms, as well as the loud crackle of what he determined to be particle weapons.

As they flew along, the Pelican banked to the side, before making a quick descent towards the ground. This allowed him to see a Union DropShip that was also landing in the general area, its powerful engines flaring as it landed on a specially designed landing pad. Moments later, the Pelican itself landed, a muted thump reverberating throughout it's chassis.

Getting up, Chief walked outside and looked around. From what he could tell, they had landed in a Forward Operating Base (FOB) that had been built in what he determined was the industrial district of New Mombasa. Judging by the state of things, the base had been built before the Covenant had arrived, as he didn't see any rubble from collapsed buildings.

He would've stayed longer to observe things, but at that moment, a Marine came up to him. "Sir," the Marine informed him, "General Norman wants you to get your armor refitted before you come by and see him. He's got a new mission for you once you're rearmed and rearmored."

"Understood," Chief replied. Walking down the steps, he looked around the place, with Cortana pulling up a schematic of the base moments later. According to the map, the base was laid out into four quadrants. The northwestern quadrant was where most of the base's Combat Vehicle/'Mech Bays were located at, while it's northeastern counterpart was where the dormitories, mess hall and armory were located at. The southeastern and southwestern quadrants held the power stations required, as well as the administrative buildings, respectively. The entire base had 100m tall walls of Ferrocrete built around the perimeter, with turrets mounting heavy weapons mounted at regular intervals on the walls.

Moving out, he began to proceed towards the armory, which had the necessary gear to rearmor and repair his MJOLNIR suit. As he walked along, he could clearly see that not everyone on the base was a human being. He could see multiple Jackals and Grunts, along with small groups of Elites that were present. Engineers were floating about, urgently heading to areas that required their attention. Hearing a buzzing sound, he spotted a few Drones flying about.

"Strange, isn't it," he heard Cortana remark. "All these aliens working with us instead of trying to kill us. Makes you wonder what might've been if the Covenant hadn't been led by jackasses like the Hierarchs."

"It does," Chief agreed. He still didn't trust the aliens, aside from Xhov's Insurrectionists, but he had a feeling that something had changed. He wouldn't know fully until he reached the command center, but only after his armor was repaired and refitted.

After a five minute walk, he soon reached the armory, walking past dozens of Marines, and quite a few aliens as he did so. Walking inside, he quickly moved past Marines and other personnel that were getting ready for a fight, or were busy heading to the cantina. Eventually, he walked inside of the armory proper.

Here, he could see all the weapons that the SLDF had allowed Misriah Armory to manufacture under license. Rifles, personal defense weapons, anti-material rifles, handguns; name it, and they had it, even down to the smallest of items, like grenades and medical syringes. In the back was what Chief was looking for: a gyroscopic rig that was used for repairing and modifying both MJOLNIR, and Nighthawk L, Powered Armor.

As soon as he approached, a couple Engineers, and a UNSC technician approached. "Good to see you alive and well, Chief," the technician beamed. "When we heard you crash-landed near Kilimanjaro, we feared the worst. Looks like the armor saved your life."

"It did," Chief agreed. "I need rearmoring and refitting."

"We can get that done," the technician nodded. "However, we're going to have to remove the armor plating and you'll need another body suit. The one you're wearing needs to be replaced; it's diagnostic readouts tell me that it's close to failing. We've got another one ready to go for you right now, but getting your armor repaired and replated will take around thirty minutes."

"Understood," Chief replied before stepping into the gyroscopic harness. Robotic arms, along with Engineers, worked quickly to remove the armor that he wore, while taking it away for some much needed repairs. Once the armor was removed, he stepped out, before walking into a private room that held his new bodysuit. Despite advances in the suit itself, it still required five minutes of tugging and pulling to get it off, a downside to a skin-tight suit.

Once dressed in the new bodysuit, he left and began heading for the cantina. As he did so, he thought he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Looking in that direction, he spotted that one Elite that he had questions about. Cortana, who was already in the base's computer systems, said, "Well, looks like Bero wants an audience with you."

Nodding, Chief walked over to Bero, who was wearing gold colored armor that was ornate, with sweeping curves and bends that gave it the impression that it was more grown than manufactured. As soon as he approached, he thought he felt a slight buzzing sensation at the back of his head, though it was likely that it was his CNI that was acting up. Moments later, Bero turned around and said, "Demon, it is good that we are meeting. You have questions, and I have answers."

"How did you survive the Flood?" Chief asked, hand slipping closer to the handgun that he had gotten from the armory not two minutes ago. "I've seen dozens of Covenant fall to that particular enemy. How did you survive?"

Bero, to his credit, didn't fall for the emotional bait. Sighing, he sat down and said, "Well, since you have encountered the Parasite, you have the right to know what happened to me. I think it's about time that I share my tale. To be honest, I do not fully know myself. When the Parasite infected me, I thought that it was the end, that my mind would be consumed and assimilated into the madness that is the Flood.

"Somehow, though, I felt a surge of strength that I did not know I had. Something inside of me, I don't know what, compelled me to act, to fight back as hard as I possibly could. The next thing I knew, I was in control once more. I felt this… mass inside of my chest. Given my panicked state, the first thought I had was to pull the creature out of my chest, no matter how painful it was."

Bero squeezed his eyes shut, tears coming out as he remembered the experience. "All I felt was this… agony, this terrible, burning agony, like I was being ripped apart. I could feel myself changing, even as I pulled the creature out. It was a tremendous relief when the pain finally stopped, and before I knew it, I had crushed the creature inside of my chest. Even with my… gifts, I still have a scar where the Parasite got in."

Much to Chief's surprise, Bero seemed to absorb his armor, leaving his bare skin exposed. Just to the left, Chief spotted it: an ugly, circular scar that fully encompassed Bero's lower left torso. The skin there was rough and knotted, as though it was a knot in a tree. Regrowing his armor, Bero said, "To this day, that scar has not fully vanished. It likely never will; a permanent reminder of my survival in the face of impossible odds."

Cortana, who was listening in, said, "That's… that's horrible, Bero. I can't imagine the pain you went through."

"It isn't indescribable, but it was nearly unbearable," Bero nodded. "What was worse was the damage done to my mind. I have vague flashes of memory, particularly of my time in a mental institution. The only emotions that I have are of intense, undiluted rage and fear. According to the healers there, I attempted to kill myself multiple times. It was predicted that I would never recover."

"How did you?" Chief asked.

"My mother came to visit," Bero replied, his eyes gaining a sparkle. "That is the first lucid memory I have of my time there. When she came in, I attempted to attack her in one of my bouts of rage. She immobilized me, prevented me from hurting her. It was also when I began to think clearly. When I recognized my mother, I…" Bero stopped, tears streaming down his face as he stopped.

"I'm sorry," Cortana said to him. "If it's alright, we can leave."

"No," Bero replied, wiping the tears off of his face. "I have to do this. Besides, you have a right to know." Continuing, he said, "When I saw her, I wept, because I realized I had tried to harm my mother. She stayed with me the entire day, soothing my raw emotions and comforting me whenever possible. My aunts also came to do what they could for me.

"Over time, as they visited me, my mind began to slowly come back together. I began to heal, with the trauma of that day beginning to slowly fade away. Eventually, I was able to move on from that day, with my mother bringing me to her home to spend the final weeks of my recovery in the company of family and friends. It is thanks to her that my mind is whole once more, that I am a Sangheili, not some quivering, sobbing and screaming mass of flesh."

"Is that how you also got your abilities?" Chief asked.

"Yes," Bero replied. "The Parasite, in it's arrogance, unwittingly gave me my gifts. I can now shape-shift, as you witnessed earlier, taking on new forms and shapes at will. I can regenerate from wounds that would prove mortal for a normal living being. I can also see the thoughts and emotions of other organisms."

Just as Chief cocked an eyebrow in doubt, he felt that tickling sensation again. Like this, Bero's voice echoed in his mind. Reaching for his handgun, Chief felt Bero hands rest on his own. Do not worry, Demon. I have no desire to control you, nor can I. You are remarkably strong willed; what you've seen, what you've experienced would have driven lesser men mad. I know that I was driven mad for a time.

Relaxing, Chief drew his hand away from his sidearm. Getting up, he said, "I believe you. If you attempt to hurt anyone -"

"Perish the thought," Bero nodded. "I would die before hurting the very being that discovered the truth about the rings, while we Sangheili remained blind and ignorant. Besides, we are allies now, and I intend to keep it that way." Standing up, he said, "It has been good speaking with you, Demon. I look forward to they hour that we battle the Covenant alongside each other." With that, he left, but not before nodding respectfully at Chief.

"Well, that went well," Cortana beamed. "That does explain how he overcame the Flood and gained the abilities that he did."

It does, Chief agreed. Until he had talked with Bero, he had thought that the Arbiter had been exaggerating things. Now that he'd spoken with him, he now knew that Bero was an incredibly lucky individual. Reminds me of myself in some ways, he decided as he left the area.

Thirty minutes later, after getting some much needed food and drink, Chief entered the CIC for the base, fully armored up and ready. Moving through the place, he eventually came to the center of the CIC. Arrayed around the center of the CIC were multiple work stations, each one attended to by a technician or officer.

In the center of the CIC was a large holo-table that was displaying a map of the entire city. High ranking officers were standing around the holo-table, each one monitoring the movement of troops throughout the city. Nearby, he spotted General Norman as well as Brigadier General Wright, both of whom were looking at the northern sections of the city, which were highlighted in red. Spotting Chief coming along, Norman looked up and said, "Good to see you, Chief. What's your status?"

"Green, sir," Chief replied.

"Good, because you're going to be quite busy today," Norman replied. Moving the image towards the northernmost section of the city, he said, "From what we can tell, since a small fraction of their former fleet got through, they've been busy excavating large sections of ground in this region. The northernmost portions of the city were glassed and destroyed, but it's what they found that is intriguing."

Pulling up some images, he said, "According to recon drone flyovers, the Covenant WarShips are excavating what appears to be a massive, circular structure underneath the ground in this region. Estimates place the structure at being roughly 100km in diameter. In addition, seismic readings indicate that the structure is quite deep, almost reaching the magma layer in this case."

"What is it?" Chief asked.

"We don't know," Norman replied. "That's the problem that we're looking at. We have no idea what this is at all. Cortana might know, which was why I was hoping that you two would come to this meeting."

"I have an idea as to what it is," Cortana replied as she appeared over the holotable. "According to information I retrieved from the Forerunner Dreadnought, this is some kind of mass transportation device. Given how large it is, I can only assume that it's designed to create a massive portal into Slipstream Space."

"So, it's some kind of portal generator."

"Possibly. Right now, I'm working off of information that I've only started to compile. However, I can say that is my best guess as of right now."

"I see," Norman nodded. "Good work, Cortana. It does explain why they're fighting so hard to defend it, which is where you come in, Chief." Moving the map, he highlighted a few areas and zoomed in. "According to our recon drones, the Covenant are using AA Cannons to protect key areas of the Forerunner device. They're powerful enough that even our larger AeroSpace Fighters are vulnerable, along with some of our DropShips and smaller WarShips."

"What do you need me to do?" Chief asked.

"We need to you lead a strike team into enemy territory in order to help destroy the AA Cannons, which will allow our aerospace forces to move in without fear of being blasted out of the sky. To get there, you're going to have to go through the commercial district in order to get to the occupied zones. In between them, is a large swath of what we've taken to calling 'no man's land.'

"There, the fighting has become the most intense since we've started fighting this war. Recon elements indicate that most of the Brutes are using cloaked units, known as Brute Stalkers, to perform hit-and-run attacks on SLDF/UNSC units in the area. In addition, there are also a number of Covenant Combat Vehicles present there as well. It's a nightmare down there."

"Are there any Combat Vehicles at our disposal?"

"Yes, but the fighting there is very intense. To get through, you're going to need BattleMechs, and there's one merc group that I know can get through that mess. You'll be going with Alex and his mercenaries. He's more used to open combat, but he's received training in city fighting. He'll take you in his Timber Wolf and get you through to the other side. Once you're there, you'll lead a ground team to get inside of some shield barriers that the Covenant erected around the AA Cannons. Once you disable them, our artillery batteries will shell the AA Cannons, and clear the way for our AeroSpace Fighters and WarShips. Any questions?"

"No, sir," Chief replied.

"Good to hear. Get armed and head out. This is going to be very intense fighting that you're heading into. Good luck."

. . .

At the northwestern quadrant of the base, Alex was getting his Timber Wolf IVb ready for combat as well. The seasoned Clan MechWarrior was watching as a new ER Large Pulse Laser as installed into his 'Mech, the older version having been destroyed during the intense fighting at the no man's land region. The fighting there is some of the most intense that I have ever seen, he thought to himself. I wonder if that is how it looked during the Succession War.

His thoughts were interrupted when heard someone walking towards him. Looking in that direction, his heart nearly skipped a beat when he saw the person coming towards him. Almost immediately, he remembered the woman from the locket he wore with his dog tags. "Anna?" he asked.

"Is there another Anna?" the woman replied. Alex walked up to her, expecting a warm hug. Instead, he recoiled when a fist smashed into his jaw, nearly dislocating it. "That," Anna Kerensky snarled, "was for pulling the stunt that you did." Before he could respond, she took his head in her hands and kissed him full in the mouth. Pulling away, she said, "And that is for staying alive."

"Kissed and punched me," Alex smiled, a slight bit of blood coating his teeth. "I never thought that would happen." After a good thirty seconds of silence, he frowned and said, "I did not mean to cause you that much distress, Anna. I was deeply worried about you."

"Worried, I was worried sick about you," Anna replied. "Do you have any idea, Alex, any idea, of how worried I was? I was practically chomping at the bit in order to head there myself, but my Star Commander repeatedly refused my request to go there myself. If you pull that kind of a stunt again, I will glue you to myself and keep you from leaving."

"I will do the best not to do that again. Honestly, though, there was nothing we could do. You know what happens when -"

"I know. I was giving you a hard time, Alex. You can be so dense, you know. I guess that is why I fell in love with you: you are dense enough to survive having one of your arms ripped cleanly off."

"I guess," Alex shrugged. Looking at his Timber Wolf, he said, "So, I take it you have the same assignment as I do."

"Yes," Anna nodded. "Both of us are to assist in escorting noble freeborn warriors to the AA Cannons so that they can get inside and destroy the shields protecting them. Those Covenant are such cowards, to erect dishonorable means of defense."

"Not quite, Anna. If we had the technology, we would have employed it in the same manner as they have. The difference is that the UNSC does not have this technology, giving the Covenant an advantage. Besides, both you and I know that fighting wars through Trials of Combat is a very foolish way to win a war."

"True, but they were made to make war a more civilized affair."

"There is no such thing as civilized in war. Only less barbaric."

"I see that the Inner Sphere has changed you."

"I have to admit, it has. It rubs off on you after a while. What is stranger is that I like the change. I guess I am not as much of a clan warrior as I -"

A meaty SMACK echoed in the 'Mech Bay as Anna slapped Alex in the face. "You are more of a clan warrior than any other warrior in this place has any right to be," she corrected in a polite voice. "Do not doubt the strength and purity of your genes. Still, I can see why you would like the Inner Sphere: there are not as many restrictions there as in the Clans. Strangely, though, I find that is probably what we need: someone that can work without the restrictions of our society."

"That is strange, but I will take it wherever I can get it." After a moment, he spotted someone coming along. "We will chat later. Right now, our charges are approaching." Walking over to Chief, he said, "Master Chief, it is good to see you again."

"Likewise," Chief replied. Looking at the Timber Wolf, he asked, "When will it be ready?"

"Right now," another voice said a moment later. Walking over to Alex, an SLDF technician said, "Sir, repairs have been completed. A new arm has been attached to your 'Mech, with the same weapons loadout."

"Good," Alex nodded. "That is what I like to hear. Carry on, technician." As the SLDF tech left, Alex said, "The SLDF's technicians are some of the best out there. Only those in the Clans can outmatch them, and even then, only by a very narrow margin." Looking at Chief, he said, "It is time to head out, Chief. Once we leave the base, we will enter no man's land."

"Agreed," Chief nodded. With that, they headed for the BattleMechs. It wouldn't be long before the Brutes got a taste of 31st Century combat.