The Webway beacon down below, one of many, had transported the Farseer down to the human base's landing area just as night came. Along with her escort of five Avengers, she surveyed the sight ahead. Civilians were being marched toward medical and sleeping tents by the Marines of the UNSC. Far in the distance, the city still flashed with the signs of combat and energy weapon discharge, tracers flying high into the sky, targeted at the few Covenant strike craft and gunships trying to escape. Among the crowds, the Farseer could make out separated families reuniting, the wounded and the dying, the children whose parents had been felled by the Covenant.
A cacophony of voices and thoughts, weeping and thanking ethereal forces and their soldiers for having survived, mourning and begging, at peace with or afraid of Death. The Realm of Souls gave her a clear view of it all now, more than ever. During combat, she had been focused on listening in for enemies, on utilizing her powers and on defending them and their allies. Now, that she had respite, she felt the distress that resonated from this planet's surface, but also their unwavering will to survive.
Two Marines from the crowd, with their rifles slung on their backs, turned to the Farseer and her escort and smiled, giving salutes to them as she and the avengers walked toward the command building. One of the Marines was a boy, maybe no older than 18 and with an eye covered by a blood-soaked bandage through which the faint glimmer of pink from the powered 'needles' fired by the Covenant still shone. Yet, even with all the pain that boy must've been feeling, he still wore a smile, watching their new ally pass and showing them respect.
Behind him, a young girl waved at them from atop her father's shoulders, beaming brightly at them, while the man looked, curious, but afraid, at them, his wife by his side. Yet even more civilians and Marines turned, watching their almost human allies joining them. From the minor feeling of despair she had sensed as common among these humans, she felt a more powerful feeling emerge.
Hope.
So, as not to ignore them, to show them that they meant to help... If even for just their own sake right now... Faen brought he hand up in a salute similar to that of the Marines' as they passed by, garnering smiles and cheers. It was a small thing, but it was a symbol of desire to build trust. They had a common ground to stand on. She had just figured that out. Under threat of extinction, nearly dead and with how many worlds burned? Yes, they and the humans here shared some qualities.
Entering the main tunnel leading down to the FOB's command center, the woman showed her Avengers to wait outside. She could handle herself in tight corridors, if nothing else. The leader of the squad nodded, but she stopped him before he could turn away. Calmly, she told him, "Help if you think you can find a way to. These people will be the ones we work with for the duration of our stay here. Let us bring them to our side, even if it is but one colony."
"Are you certain?" he asked. She nodded and the man needed no more confirmation. He and his Avenger unit put their weapons on their backs and went to join the human soldiers in aiding the populace, taking their helmets off to reveal their faces. By Eldar standards, the leader of this Avenger unit was a young man, idealistic much like her. She understood why he'd trust her. Alas, no time to think of such things now.
Descending into the innards of the cold, concrete-laden base, the woman was met by the sight of her Exarch walking out with her Banshee unit. The two met in the middle, with the Farseer nodding, "How did initial talks go, Caentys?"
"As well as they could have, Farseer. The humans, although mistrustful of aliens for now, are willing to cooperate. General Koller should tell you as much." She noted, "Now... Do you think we would be needed somewhere? Because I do believe we've secured this planet."
"You may return to the Craftworld, if you so wish. Our forces should be deploying Bonesingers soon, to assist in constructing a Webway nexus here... Our access to the Webway of this galaxy is very restricted and we may need to rely on the humans for capability to travel if we cannot... Expand it." The Farseern explained, arranging her robes, "Alas, find what you may want to do while we talk. I will assume that a General alone will not be enough to... Form any sort of standing alliance outside of this planet's garrison."
"Understood. Take care of yourself, Farseer. We shall see each-other again." Caentys smiled. Faen nodded, before letting the Banshees go. She strolled on further into the base, to the sight of UNSC soldiers and officers wearing both battle dress and white, unarmored clothing with officers' pins. Some whispered to one-another about the Farseer, others looked with suspicion at her and the Marine officers? Well, to say they were smiling at the woman would be an understatement. Ear-to-ear grins, cheers, salutes, you name it, they were doing it.
She nodded to them as she passed by a larger grouping of Marines, before one pointed her toward the command area. Lowering her head as to not hit it on the door frame, the woman entered an armored box made of concrete and titanium and lined with communication stations, radios, officers and a massive holographic table displaying the battle ongoing in high orbit.
At said table, a tall woman clad in heavy armor and a man in a Marine's uniform, but bearing four stars on his hat, sat and exchanged small-talk. The supersoldier in the armor set stopped, then grinned at the Farseer. Following her gaze, the general's eyes met the Farseer. He turned to her and offered a warm "Welcome," before going on to speak, "You must be the Farseer. I'm General Koller, UNSC Marines. I must say, your people picked a helluva time to appear over Miridem."
"It was not of our own volition, I must admit." The Farseer nodded, "I am Farseer Faenbryn, of the Craftworld Ilroh'ynn. I trust all is going well?"
"About as well as it could be. Thanks to you, I think we managed to avoid the Glassing and the worst of the Covenant's attacks." The soldier by the general's side said. She placed a hand on her chest, then said, "Hey there. I'm Sheila-065, Chief Petty Officer."
"This is one of the few Spartans command was able to give us for the defense. And she's done a damn fine job of it." Koller placed a hand on Sheila's shoulder plate.
"... Humans are... Not this tall, usually." Noted Faen. Sheila chuckled.
"Your Exarch said the same damn thing when she saw me." The girl responded, "I gotta go, General. Command's probably gonna want be going over to the next world taking a hit ASAP. Probably gonna be linking up with BLUE Team."
"Say hello to the Chief, then." The man nodded. The two saluted each-other and the general dismissed Sheila with a simple nod. He turned to the Farseer just as the Spartan exited the room, putting her helmet back on, then said "Spartans are the best of the best we have. Damn shame there's so few of them."
"They're that powerful?" The girl raised a brow.
"You kidding? Give me an army of Spartans and the war'll be over by tomorrow." The man responded. For some reason, she didn't feel like he exaggerated at all. Maybe Caentys had cooperated with this Sheila, so she could ask her about it. The man motioned to the Farseer to follow him to his office, a smaller room adjacent to the busy command center.
The general offered her a seat just in front of his desk, going to sit himself down behind it. She took the offer, then said "The skies seem clear now. Few, if any Covenant holdouts remain."
"Your people saved our asses..." The man sighed with relief, leaning against his chair, "The Sergeant got lucky that he found you. Was smart not to take a pop at either you or your squad... I had someone debrief him about the first time you and him met."
"Sergeant Reaver, I would presume?" The woman sighed, rolling her eyes. Some humans were just... Weird.
The man chuckled, "I should've known you'd be familiar with our eccentric Sergeant."
"Eccentric does not cover what that man is..." The Farseer noted, crossing her arms, "Alas, he fights very well."
"Would expect as much. The moment his homeworld got burned, the kid grabbed a rifle and joined up without a second thought. His service record spans a few major campaigns against the Covenant." The General noted, "Anyways, we're here to talk business. I've asked the Fleet Admiral to send a message to FLEETCOM on Reach and to Earth regarding you and your people. Only the good bits, though, such as how you helped us defend Miridem and rescue Doctor Halsey."
"I see. And I presume they will send a delegation? Since I am not certain our forces can move at superluminal speeds... At least not yet." She asked. The General shrugged, giving a vague 'possible' as an answer. She sighed, then added, "Very well. I will have to ask our people aboard the Craftworld to test out our Webway transfer capabiliti-..." And she cut herself off, stopping herself before she said anything more just as she realized...
The Webway beacons, though small, worked with the exact accuracy as they would have at home.
The Webway existed here, of course, they had travelled down through it, but... So precise?!
She hummed, falling into thought for a moment. The General waited to see what she would say, pouring himself and her cups of fresh, cheap military coffee. The woman clearly had something on her mind, her focus as she thought about the matter. This 'Webway' seemed to be an interesting concept, but if it was their FTL, then maybe that could prove a boon for the UNSC. Well, that was what talks were for...
The Farseer noticed the hot drink on the table just as her mind was processing, then she hummed. Taking it, she took a sip and almost coughed her lungs out. Swallowing naught but empty air, she looked to the general and said, "Thank you for the drink, but..."
"Coffee's not your thing." He smirked, "I understand. Military brand is the cheapest shit."
She sighed, rubbing her eyes. She said to Koller "Please, do let me know when your delegation arrives. For now, I must go." and she stood up. The General nodded, turning to a tablet in his hand and reading out of it. The woman walked out and toward the corridor, passing by infantry and navy officers simply going about their business. Only when she heard the chuckle of two familiar voices and an unfamiliar one's questions did she stop.
Looking into what appeared to be a Barracks, the woman caught a glimpse of Reaver and his compatriots laughing and chatting, while a woman in a labcoat sat there, listening to the tales they regaled her with, about the Eldar in combat and their cooperation to destroy the jammers and rescue her. Reaver only stopped as he noticed her in the Hallway and beckoned her to come in, a dumb grin on his face.
He stood up as the Farseer walked in, then said "This is her, doc. Farseer Faenbrynn."
The woman turned to face her, then raised a brow. Politely, the woman spoke "How curious. Greetings, Farseer. I am Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey." before standing up. She continued, "The Sergeant was telling me of your cooperation with him and his unit against the Covenant. I must admit, some of the things he and his soldiers have said to me are... Rather hard to believe."
"Oh?" Faen raised a brow, "A pleasure to meet you, doctor... I believe I can confirm or deny what he said. Ask, if you wish."
The doctor arranged her glasses on the bridge of her nose, before asking:"Is it true that you have psychic powers? The Sergeant informed me of you utilizing a lightning blast powerful enough to gut one of the Covenant's Wraith tanks in one direct hit."
"Hmm. That was it?" The Farseer raised a brow, "Yes, I and those of my kin who walk the path of the 'Seer have awakened our psychic potential, providing us the capability to call upon the energy that surrounds all, utilize it to its full extent and arrange it as we wish. I utilized a lightning strike to eliminate our enemies... Twice, if I recall correctly" and, much to her chagrin, the Doctor's eyes lit up.
"Well, you piqued her interest now." Reaver chuckled, "C'mon, we were just sharing a drink for the fallen before Doc decided to join in." and he looked to the good doctor, before asking "Ya sure you don't want a swig?"
"As much as I appreciate the offer, Sergeant, I still have to be sober for my... Studies... Regarding our new ally. Forgive me if it is too much bother, Farseer, but could you join me in my research utilize that attack at some point? I wish to measure some things regarding its potency." The woman asked, sitting herself back down while the Farseer was offered a drink. The woman looked to the doctor, then hummed.
"I will participate in some tests once I and my people have engaged in talks with your own." She answered, seemingly uneasy about the prospect of pricking and prodding. Halsey nodded at that, taking out a tablet and jotting down a note as a reminder. The Sergeant gave the Farseer a cup with a liquid resembling honey in color, with small cubes of ice slotted in.
She looked up, catching a grin from the man as he said, "Jack Daniels vintage honeyed whiskey, from the 2470s. Been keeping the damn thing around since the end of Basic, trying to find a reason to down a few." and he showed the square bottle with the black labels and fancy, white letters. Setting it down onto his footlocker after pouring a few more glasses, the man evenly divided them between his squad. He then raised the glass and called out, jovially "To Humanity and our survival! And to our new friends, the Eldar! Let this be a long, prosperous friendship!"
"Hoo'rah!" Cheered the Marines, raising their glasses too. The Farseer sighed, raising her glass too, before they all took one swig. The girl's drink once again caught in her throat, the combination of sweetness from the honey and the sour alcohol kicking her hard. She coughed harshly, handing the glass to the Sergeant, who laughed at the sight with the rest of his men.
"Can't take a bit of whiskey, eh, Faen?" He quipped.
"Call me that again..." She coughed.
He snorted, "Heh. How was it upstairs? Did the Council seem pissed?"
"The High Warlock was unsure of what to think about our alliance, yes." She sighed, finally managing to calm down the harsh coughing fit she had. She looked at the still 'half-full' glass and hummed as the ice clinked in the glass. She took another sip, before adding "This is... Particularly interesting." as she let the taste finally settle in her mouth. She swallowed slowly, allowing for it to pass and warm up her insides, removing the tension she had felt through this entire day and battle. Sighing, she said "Very well... One human drink that tastes good."
"At'er, girl! You know what's good!" Reaver laughed, while Weiss sat in the back, murmuring something in German and giggling while fiddling with her scope. He looked back, then answered to the words with "Hey, not my fault the only beer command has at the pub is the piss-poor excuses from the British territories and colonies. Hansen's has some good shit, but command doesn't let anything that strong near us."
"What'll they say about you smuggling an ancient brand of Whiskey onto base, then, Sergeant?" Doctor Halsey raised a brow.
"What they don't know won't hurt us." Laughed another Marine, with Halsey looking over her glasses at him. The Farseer hummed, then looked around.
"Any of your men missing, Sergeant?" She asked.
"Some are wounded, yeah. But they'll make it." He answered, setting his glass down onto his footlocker too. He looked to her, then asked back "What about yours? They alright? The Exarch was nice enough to help us get out alive with the Doc."
"Some of our people have already recovered the Soulstones of the dead. They are being returned to the Craftworld as we speak." She sighed, leaning forward. She saw a look of curiosity from the Doctor, then started explaining, "Soulstones were an item created by us to ensure the safety of, well... Our souls... From a vile God that would see us turned into its own personal toys... Or worse... Its food."
"A 'God'?" Halsey, ever the atheistic pragmatic, started "Pardon me, Farseer, I... Don't follow."
"Our galaxy is different from yours. Our worlds are different from yours. Doctor, If I was to list every difference between our worlds, we would sit here until the end of my life... To you, probably a believer only in science, Gods and creatures of this sort would have no merit. To me? To my people and to the Humanity from my world? These Gods are a constant threat and a blessing... We had our own pantheon, before She Who Thirsts came."
"Huh..." Halsey murmured, "Curious... But... Why would this... 'God'... Want to eat your 'souls'?"
"As I said. A very long story..." The woman rubbed her eyes, "Perhaps, at some point, you will be able to access the vast libraries we have and see for yourself our history and hubris... I cannot promise that now."
Halsey nodded, "I look forward to the day, Farseer. I feel mankind can learn much from your people."
Very well, Faen had to admit, that surprised her. She looked to the Doctor with an almost uneasy stare, but neither saw, nor felt any malcontent. She felt the curiosity of a woman of science and of fact. One of work. Even yet, behind that, she felt reclusiveness, tiredness and sadness at an action she had done in the past. One that, if the good doctor hadn't been so hard to read, she could have found out by now.
It seemed that, while the Realm of Souls was clean, the people here had their own battles inside them. The Farseer understood, simply giving a nod and an answer to Halsey. "And we, from you... Perhaps."
She looked to the Sergeant, watching as he started taking apart his Assault Rifle and cleaning it. The movements of the man seemed almost robotic. They must've been rehearsed a hundred and then a thousand times over. Even so, he sat there, exchanging words with his comrades with a smile on his face. Yet again, the Navy standard-issue boots echoed into the room and the Farseer was greeted by a redheaded UNSC Captain.
"Well... Holy shit..." The woman murmured, her emerald eyes locked onto Faen's deep blue ones, "... Sarge, I think the Exarch forgot to mention their friend would be joining."
"Heh." Reaver snickered, sliding the barrel of his rifle back into place. He looked back, then answered "Well, ya know how it is. New allies, there's some secrets." and turned to face both of them. He motioned to the Captain, then said "Faen, this here is Val McKinnon. Childhood friend, mean bitch and captain of the UNSC Isaac Newton. A Halcyon-class cruiser hanging out above with the rest of the UNSC fleet... And yours, presumably. Val, this is Farseer Faenbrynn. She's one of the leaders of our new allies."
Val hummed, then smirked and tipped her cap to the Farseer, who gave a simple nod back as an answer. Val's eyes then locked on the Jack and she smirked, ordering the Sergeant "Pour me a shot of that, would ya, Mike?"
The Sergeant slid a glass full of the stuff to her, thankful that he'd been smart enough to store ice, before capping the bottle and setting it aside. Val took a seat beside the Doc and face-to-face with Faen, raising the glass. The Farseer remembered that human tradition and knocked her glass lightly against Val's, a sort of 'cheer'. The two took swigs of their drinks, then Val started, "Soooo..." And she smirked, "How'd Mike fare out there?"
Faen looked over to the Sergeant, who raised a brow. Too late, did he realize what Val meant, just as Faen turned to say, "He is the most suicidal human I have ever met in my entire life. And I have met the Death Korps of Krieg on two separate occasions..." and she saw him shake his head rapidly at her. A cheeky grin formed on the Farseer's face. Time for a little payback for the nicknames.
Val looked at him like an angry mother would look at her son, before asking "What did he do?"
"Off the top of my head? Rushed two Covenant gun positions, once with a timed bomb active and in his hand, under fire from their plasma weapons and snipers. He also rushed a Covenant tank with disregard and fought the enemy at close range, despite the much bigger Elites wielding plasma swords of some type and he somehow survived all of that. That was all in one day of my time here." Faen noted.
Despite the stare she gave Mike, Val chuckled, "Yeah, that sounds like Mike Reaver... Kept him safe, I assume?"
"As best as I could." The Farseer quipped, "It's not easy."
"I think all of us can attest to that." Val laughed, with Reaver rolling his eyes and turning back to his gun.
Doc Halsey watched the Captain and Farseer exchange words with muted curiosity. Clearly, since she had gone to sleep in hope of being transferred off of Miridem alive, she had missed very much. She'd have plenty of time to catch up, right now simply watching what was going on. She sighed, taking notes and looking at the various Marines who also listened it, gauging their reactions.
... One hell of a day...
