Thanks to everyone who left a review last chapter, specifically CommissarBS, Hein117 (I'm honored to be your first reviewee!) and Broman! I really appreciate it! Your support and your comments really help me in my attempts to write these stories, and I hope I'm able to maintain this level of quality all of you have come to expect in the future.

A quick response to Broman as he asked a question that I think some other readers might have wondered about.

Lancelot had his men remove their helmets for a couple of reasons: noise discipline, as you guessed, but also due to weight (they were trying to be stealthy so the less they had to carry, the less they had to worry about,) and better situational awareness (as now they don't have this heavy thing sitting on their heads potentially distracting them.) The last reason is especially important as CH252 helmets in canon are depicted as having integrated earmuffs and while I don't doubt they are electronic earmuffs, there's still the chance they could muffle the sound of say, the footsteps of an Elite sneaking on them (not, that it helped very much, as depicted in the chapter.)

Chapter 35: Interlude

"Bad News"

Covenant ORS-class "Undying Fealty"
Forerunner Designated World: MS 222-53 a
9th Age of Reclamation
12th Cycle of the Planet's Rotation

Shipmaster Iam 'Oteree

Shipmaster Iam 'Oteree stood up as straight as he could while he waited for the connection to form. His armor gleamed under the light, having just been thoroughly washed and polished, to remove all traces of the mud and snow from the planet he had just left. Crawling with humans and all of their filth, the planet alone had almost been enough to make Iam shudder, and under no circumstances would he allow the Noble Hierarchs to suffer from the same discomfort, even if it would be nothing more than an image. Anything that would perhaps convince them to grant him leniency.

There was no other way to put it: Iam had failed the High Prophets. Badly failed. They had entrusted him the safety of one of their kind and yet, despite his best efforts, the Minister of Contentment had been murdered by the thrice cursed humans. The first San'shyuum killed in the Crusade against the humans ever. The first San'shyuum killed on the battlefield in... eons. And it was not even a Demon who had slain the Minister, but a mere human.

Damn that 'Refumee! If only he had had done his duty and remained at his post!

Iam took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

No, 'Refumee had been dealt with already, and as much as Iam would have liked to place the entirety of the blame at the young fool's feet, Iam knew the High Prophets would never tolerate such...sniveling. For, not only was Iam a Zealot, he was also a Fleetmaster. And as such, any actions undertaken by the warriors under his command were his responsibility and his alone. He would face the consequences of his failures with the honor and dignity all members of House 'Oteree were expected to show.

Breath. Tranquility. Iam was a veteran of many a campaign. A master warrior. An expert in his craft. He would show no fear, for he was blessed by the Gods themselves and anointed by the Holy Prophets. With such righteous power guiding his every action, how could Iam fear any evildoers?

His communicator abruptly chimed, indicating a connection had been established, and Iam immediately prostrated himself as the images of the three most Noble and most Holy members of the Covenant appeared before him: the Hierarchs of the Covenant, the High Prophets of Regret, Mercy, and Truth.

"Noble Hierarchs," Iam rumbled without looking up. "In the name of the Ancestors, I greet you. May the Divine Wind carry you swiftly on your Great Journey. May you be blessed with the responsibilities of the great Mantle. Hail to the High Prophets! Hallowed are Thee who Lead the Way!"

Clearing his throat, Iam bowed even lower. "The Noble Hierarchs are both merciful and generous to honor me with their presence, for this one is not worthy of even breathing near your Most Prestigious beings."

With the formal greetings concluded, Iam waited for the Hierarchs to speak.

"Commander."

The Prophet of Truth's gravelly voice seemed to echo through the chamber, and Iam felt a shiver of joy travel down his spine at the sound, however his joy was quickly tempered when he remembered the reasoning for this conference.

"You may rise."

Gratefully, and somewhat awkwardly, Iam rose to his feet as he resisted the urge to massage his knees. The biology of the Sangheili did not quite allow them to prostrate themselves in such a manner, however, wicked be thee who dared fail to pay the proper tribute to the High Prophets.

"Commander," Truth continued as Iam recovered. "You are one of our most faithful servants, and have served the Covenant with great loyalty through the eons. It thus arrived with great shock and sadness when the reports arose that a member of our kind, a holy San'shyuum and one of the Great Ministers of the High Council, was brutally slain while under your protection."

Iam could not help but wince at that.

"However, Commander," Truth continued, "the High Prophets realize the lies of the heretics are boundless and unrelenting. Therefore, we, the Noble Hierarchs, invite you to elucidate the events that transpired during your campaign, in that, the Noble Hierarchs may thus know the truth of the matter."

Iam avoided the urge to grimace. What he had to say would surely not be well received.

Sure enough, as Iam recalled the events that had transpired on the planet but a few cycles ago to the High Prophets, he could see Truth's face become more and more drawn. By the time Iam had completed his report, Truth's face almost appeared to have been constructed of stone.

"So," Truth began, silencing everyone else in the room. "In conclusion, Commander, not only did you fail to capture any of the Demons you were tasked with recovery, you also failed to capture the human who murdered our dear Minister. Our Minister, of whom we, entrusted you, with protecting. Would you agree, Commander, that this is an accurate synopsis?"

Iam closed his eyes and lowered his eyes in shame. There was no denying.

"Yes, your Hierarch," he said. "It is as you say. I have failed you."

There was a long moment of silence, but Iam dare not rise to discover why.

"We are very disappointed," Truth finally said and somehow, that single sentence made Iam feel ashamed of himself.

"Yes, your Hierarch," he miserably repeated. "There is no excuse for my failures. I can only prostrate myself in front of the Hierarchy and beg for an opportunity to redeem myself for this transgression."

"And what would you have us do?" Mercy asked, speaking up for the first time.

Iam slowly inhaled. He was not sure if there was a particular answer the High Prophets hoped to receive, but for Iam, there was but one recourse left for him.

"Please, allow me to continue my campaign against the humans and I will make sure their pathetic world burns in your name."

Iam did his best not to sound as if he was pleading, however there was no denying: the fate of his honor rested in the hands of the Hierarchs. He could only pray they would be merciful.

There was a long stretch of silence where no one spoke, during which, Iam became increasingly nervous. Surely the Hierarchs understood his position? Surely they would be merciful? However, none of the Prophets showed any signs of their thoughts, disapproving or otherwise.

The silence continued, and just as Iam was about to break protocol and plead for mercy once more, Truth abruptly spoke.

"The Hierarchy has heard your plea," he declared. "And will now consider your fate."

The High Prophets abruptly vanished as the transmission was terminated.

As soon as Iam confirmed the transmission had ended, he released the breath he had been holding. At this moment, he could do naught but wait. Wait for the Gods to determine his fate.

As time trickled past, Iam did his best to remain calm. The High Prophets were as merciful as they were wise; surely they would grant him his request.

...but if they were not...? What would become of him then?

Most certainly he would be branded a heretic and forced into exile, if not outright executed. His name would be stripped from his House's saga wall and his clan forever shamed.

No! That could not happen! Iam could not allow it! Surely there would be another way for him to regain his lost honor!?

...how so?

...perhaps as an Arbiter -

Iam laughed out loud. It was a sad, bitter laugh, for Iam knew the truth: there had already been an Arbiter during this Age. The High Prophets would surely refuse to allow a second. No, Iam's fate would be that of death at best, a heretical brand at worse.

...of course, that were to only be true if the High Prophets were less than merciful.

But surely the High Prophets were as merciful as they were wise!?

The communicator suddenly let out a loud charm, stopping Iam before he could repeat his mental argument. Taking a moment to straighten himself, Iam inhaled, and then slowly exhaled, before receiving the transmission.

The images of the High Prophets appeared once again before him and just before Iam prostrated himself, he stole a glance at the faces of the Hierarchs, hoping to gleam a clue as to his fate. None of them, however, showed any signs of their deliberation, and thus Iam was forced to wait.

"Shipmaster Iam 'Oteree," Truth began and Iam immediately straightened, his entire body quivering as he waited to hear what would become of him. "The Hierarchy has heard your plea and have adopted a resolution: we will grant you this boon. You will continue your campaign against the humans. And you will exterminate every single heathen in retribution for the most holy life they have dared to take."

Relief instantly flooded Iam's veins. Praise be the Hierarchs, for they surely were most wise and deserving!

"For every drop of the Holy Eminence's blood they have spilled, I will ensure the humans pay it back a thousand fold with their lives!" Iam could not help but roar in triumph before catching himself. "Hierarchs, I humbly thank -"

Truth held up a single finger and Iam immediately closed his mouth.

"But," Truth continued as if Iam had not said a single word. "The campaign will not continue under your command."

Iam stared at Truth, not quite comprehending.

"I... Noble Hierarch," he stammered, "your words are as merciful as they are wise, however, your humble servant cannot comprehend them. Please, I beseech you to share your wisdom so that I may learn how to best serve the Hierarchy."

Truth loftily stared at him, and Iam felt his euphoria quickly dissipating.

"This... fiasco, was the result of your arrogance," Truth declared, and Iam could not mask his wince as the words cut him deeply. "You must learn humility. To that, you must learn to obey the commands of another."

Iam was stunned. He was to be removed from command? While this was certainly better than death or exile, never in his wildest dreams had this possibility occurred to him.

However, what other choice did he have? He could only hope 'Quetshadee would be capable of the task that was to be presented to him.

"It shall be as you command, Noble Hierarch," Iam finally said. "I shall inform my second in command of -"

"No."

Iam's head snapped up at the sudden interruption, and he glanced at Truth with a growing sense of apprehension. "Your Holiness?

"No," Truth coldly repeated. "You are not capable of learning humility from another Sangheili. But perhaps a Jiralhanae..."

At those words, Iam automatically bristled. A Jiralhanae? A Jiralhanae!? The Hierarchs wished to replace him with a Jiralhanae!? Were the High Prophets attempting to insult -

No. The Noble Hierarchs were as wise as they were merciful, but surely this must have been a mistake.

He glanced up to see Truth was carefully watching him, as if he was expecting a response, and Iam quickly though of some way to protest this decision without resorting to heresy.

"Noble Hierarchs," he began, "that..."

"The Hierarchy has spoken, and it shall be so!" Regret abruptly snapped, speaking for the first time this conversation began and immediately silencing Iam.

"Do you dare disobey a direct commandment from the Hierarchy?" Mercy accused, to Iam's horror.

Iam opened his mouth and struggled to find a response, however with all three Prophets of the Hierarchy staring down on him, Iam found he had no choice but to obey.

"It shall be as you command," he resignedly said.

Truth nodded, as if this was what he had been expecting. Then, just as Iam was about to terminate the transmission, he heard Truth say almost as an aside, "Perhaps the Jiralhanae will be able to accomplish what the Sangheili have not: capture one of the Demons."

Anger immediately surged through Iam's veins but the transmission ended before he could say anything. In truth, it was a blessing as what Iam had been about to say would have no doubtedly resulted in his immediate execution, but then again, perhaps it would have better if he had been killed. At least then he would not need to suffer through the humiliation of being replaced by a Jiralhanae.

Struggling to control his outrage, Iam took a moment to regain his composure before leaving the communicator facility aboard his flagship, feeling conflicted. While he still retained his life and thus, the opportunity to make amends for his failure, the humiliation at being replaced by a Jiralhanae was almost too much to bear.

However, the Hierarchs had spoken, and as their most humble servant, Iam had no choice to obey.

Outside, 'Quetshadee stood, waiting.

"What news Shipmaster?" he asked the moment he laid eyes on 'Oteree.

"I am to continue this campaign against the humans in the name of the Minister of Contentment," Iam began as he struggled to think of a way to break the news to 'Quetshadee."

'Quetshadee swelled with pride.

"Then it is true as they say!" he bellowed. "The High Prophets are as merciful as -"

"But not as its commander."

That gave 'Quetshadee pause.

"You are to no longer be the Fleetmaster?" 'Quetshadee inquired and Iam nodded in confirmation. "Then, it is fortuitous that your wisdom shall remain for I will -"

"You will not lead either."

That simple statement stopped 'Quetshadee short once more.

"No?" he inquired. "Then whom shall...?"

Iam struggled to remove the bitterness from his voice as he spoke. "I know not, only that it is to be a... Jiralhanae."

The effect of Iam's words was instantaneous.

"WHAT!?" 'Quetshadee shouted, catching the attention of a few Unggoy working nearby, though they quickly turned away at Iam's glare. "The High Prophets would dare sent a Jiralhanae here!? And as your replacement no less!? I do not wish to question the decision of the Hierarchs, but perhaps they do not comprehend the sheer dishonor such a decision would cause? Perhaps the High Council -"

"The High Council has no say in these decisions," Iam interrupted. "Furthermore, they would have undoubtedly demanded the Hierarchs brand me a heretic for my failures. The Minister of Contentment was one their brethren, after all."

Iam let out a sigh. "No, if this is the will of the Prophets, then so be it."

'Quetshadee grunted in agreement, before a sly look crossed his face. "Did the High Prophets mention when the Jiralhanae will arrive? If we were able to complete our conquest of this planet before that time, then surely -"

Iam whirled on him.

"We will do no such thing!" he roared, causing 'Quetshadee to jerk back in alarm. "The Noble Hierarchs have demanded my position, and we, as mere humble servants, will obey! No further offensive action is to take place against the humans until the Jiralhanae arrive! All Legions are to hold their positions until indicated otherwise! Is that clear Evocatus!?"

"Yes, sire!" 'Quetshadee bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"Then see to it my commands are implemented!" Iam ordered, before continuing in a much softer voice. "But once the Jiralhanae arrive, we shall measure their worth. And when they are found lacking...

...the Sangheili will resume their place as military leaders of the Covenant!"

XXXXX

Novo Janeiro, Leiria Province, Mamore
May 6, 2545 (Standard Military Calendar)
1323 (Local Time)

Naomi Ichii

Naomi Ichii felt a thrill of excitement as she regarded the math problem her teacher was writing on the board. Naomi might not have been the best at advance calculus, but she was at least able to keep up with the rest of the class. Right now, however, was one of those rare instances where she was pretty sure she knew the answer to the question before any of her classmates did. All she had to do was carry the seven, add the five, and...

"So," her teacher began as she turned around and raised her pen. "Two points for anyone who can solve this problem. Any takers?"

Naomi's hand shot straight into the air.

"And it looks like we have a winner!" her teacher proudly declared, before pointing at some behind Naomi. "You, in the red shirt! Come on up!"

Disappointed, Naomi lowered her hand and glanced behind her to see which one of her classmates had managed to beat her -

Oh of course it was...

Brad Crenshaw came walking down the row towards the front of the class. As he walked by Naomi's desk, he made sure to "accidently" bump into, jostling all her stuff, and when she snapped her head up in annoyance, he turned and gave her a look of absolute smug superiority. Naomi growled under her breath and resisted the urge to leap to her feet and punch him square in the face as he walked past.

Unfortunately, no one else seemed to have noticed their little interaction because her teacher greeted Brad with a bright smile.

"Mister Crenshaw! With the answers, as always! Why don't you show the class how it's done?"

"Well Missus Albright, the answer is simple," Brad said as he began to explain how the problem was solved, however Naomi was no longer listening, not willing or interested in listening to his stupid voice any longer.

Since transferring to this school almost a year ago, Brad Crenshaw had been the bane of Naomi's existence. She didn't know what his problem was, but for some reason, he seemed to go out of his way to get on Naomi's nerves. Her mom had once suggested it was because Brad had a crush on her, but Naomi didn't buy that; she had seen how her now brother-in-law had flirted with her older sister before they had started dating, and it had not consisted of him teasing, belittling, and just in general, being one giant pain in the ass to her.

No, Brad clearly felt insecure about his own masculinity, and was taking it out on Naomi just to make himself feel better. Why her specifically? Probably because she was the new girl, the outsider. Prick.

And speaking of pricks...

"Naomi!" Brad suddenly called out, and Naomi just managed to avoid jumping. "I realize this is probably all going over your head, but at least you could pretend to be paying attention."

Brad smirked as the entire class turned to stare at her, and she shot him her best death glare, which he ignored.

"I was paying attention," Naomi reflexively retorted.

"Oh yeah?" Brad challenged. "Then what did I just say?"

Crap.

Naomi did her best to mentally rewind everything that had been said in the last few minutes. She wished she could reach for her recorder, but then she would be admitting she hadn't been paying attention.

"You said…" Naomi began, hurriedly scanning the board for clues. Wait... there!

"You said that the integral of pi equals one," Naomi confidently announced and watched as the smile on Brad's face turned to that of disappointment. That alone was enough to cause Naomi to perk up, but then, as she was thinking the problem over, she realized something else. "But it doesn't. The integral of pi equals negative one."

"Very good Miss Ichii!" Mrs. Albright declared with a smile as Brad whirled around to stare at the board in shock. "I was wondering if anyone would notice! It was a very good try Mister Crenshaw, but unfortunately by forgetting the negative, the formula changes drastically. So, you see, if we change this..."

Albright continued to drone on, but Naomi was no longer paying attention. Instead, she was watching Brad, waiting to see his reaction. He was busy staring at the board, no doubt re-running the math, and Naomi could tell the exact moment he realized Naomi was right because his shoulders sagged and he turned in her direction, looking pissed.

Naomi resisted the urge to smirk or even react at him in any way shape or form. If their positions were reversed, Naomi knew Brad would be rubbing it in her face, but as much as she disliked him, damn if she was going to sink to his level.

Her sister would have been proud.

BRINNNNNNGGGGG!

Naomi let out a sigh of relief as the ringing of the school bell signaled her sweet release from this prison, at least for today. She quickly began saving all her files as she packed up her stuff.

"Alright class, homework for tonight: go to page three thirty-five and do problems twenty through forty!" Mrs. Albright yelled to be heard over the sound of her students packing up to leave for the day. "As always, try to do your best and show your work! We'll go over them when we resume on Friday!"

As her classmates started to get up to leave, Naomi looked up to see Brad headed in her direction with a determined look on his face. He looked as if he was about to say something, but Naomi had absolutely no interest in listening to anything he had to say, so she reached out and hit the power button.

Her hologram projection abruptly terminated and just like that, Naomi found herself back inside her bedroom at her house.

Letting out a sigh, she carefully slid the hologram receiver off her head and placed it back on the charger so that it would be ready for use tomorrow. God, this hologram was convenient, as now she didn't have to wait for the bus to drop her home before she could go do other things. She kind of wished she had it back when she was still going to regular high school, but the regional government had forbade it for one reason or another. Fortunately, not only was Banner High School a private school(1) which meant they could do whatever they wanted, it was also the premier science and technology school on this side of the continent which meant school officials had had to figure out some way to accommodate students who didn't necessarily live nearby the school itself. Naomi, for example, lived a good two hour car ride away from the campus itself.

Of course, the problem with living so far away was the fact that Naomi was never able to really get to know her fellow classmates, as there wasn't much of an opportunity for them to hang out after class. Her hologram projector obviously only worked on school grounds. As such, despite attending there for almost a year, Naomi still didn't have any friends.

Fortunately, she still kept in touch with her friends from her old high school, but unfortunately they didn't get off until three thirty. Coupled that with a twenty to thirty minute bus ride, basically, that meant Naomi had about an hour to kill before she could even think about trying to figure out what she and her friends were going to do today. What was she going to do in the meantime?

She supposed she could have gotten a head start on her homework, but honestly, she needed a break from schoolwork. She probably should have cleaned her room as her mom had been bugging her about it for a week now, but to do that she needed the vacuum, which was noisy, and with her mom working from home today, Naomi didn't want to disturb her, so that was out. Which just really left her with one thing to do: it was time to catch up on episodes of Wormhole Jumper.

Sticking her headphones into her ears, Naomi flicked on the TV she had stolen from her sister's room after she had left for OSUT and quickly selected the newest episode. She was honestly a bit excited. She was hoping to see if Commander Bangeroo would encounter any more clues left behind by the Gamma Killer because honestly, that was turning out to be one of the best plotlines of the season. Plus, it didn't hurt that the actor who played the Gamma Killer was really hot.

The theme song of the show began to play, and just when Naomi was about to settle in, a small window appeared on the bottom of her screen with a small scrolling text that read, "Breaking news: Covenant invade another colony!"

Naomi immediately felt her blood run cold. Obviously, with it being the largest and most destructive war in human history, everyone knew about the Human-Covenant War but not only that, just about every family in the city had at least one family member or friend serving in the military today. Everyone had a personal connection to the war and as such, any news about the progress of the war instantly caught everyone's attention.

Pausing her show, Naomi reached out and clicked on the small window. Right away, a clip from her local news channel began to play.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen," one of the news anchors was saying. "If you're just joining us now, we have just received word here at the studio that UNSC officials have confirmed earlier reports that the Covenant have once again invaded another colony. We go now live to a press conference the UNSC is holding at FLEETCOM Headquarters in New Alexandria, on Reach."

The scene shifted, revealing a very somber looking naval officer standing in front of a large lectern.

" - can confirm," the officer was saying, "that at oh eight hundred hours local Coordinated Universal Time zero zero, Winter Contingency was declared on the colony of Actium. At approximately ten hundred hours, Covenant forces were able to make landfall."

"At this time, United Nations Space Command is working in conjunction with the Actium government in order to ensure all available measure are being taken to defend the colony and her citizens. All available UNSC military units are currently being rerouted to Actium, though for operational security reasons, I cannot tell you who those units are, or where they're being routed from."

"I can however confirm that the UNSC is taking heavy casualties in orbit and on the surface, however a casualty list has not yet been made available as we are still in the process of notifying families."

"At this time, I will be taking questions."

At that point, a lot of people began speaking and while Naomi couldn't hear what was being said, obviously the officer could because he suddenly said, "No, unfortunately we do not know how the Covenant were able to discover Actium, though I assure you that is being looked into right now. Next question."

The reporters began shouting again and the officer cocked his head.

"What was that? Numbers? No, I am not authorized at this time to release the estimated number of Covenant attacking at this time. Yes ma'am, you in the front."

Someone stood up and temporarily blocked the camera, though she obviously wasn't mic'ed as Naomi couldn't hear her question.

"Ma'am," the officer said as the woman sat back down, "we have every reason to believe that the Cole Protocol is still working. If it wasn't, we would be losing colonies at a much faster rate than we already are."

Naomi couldn't help but shiver at that. Colonies were being lost at a frantic rate already, though admittedly not all of them were the result of the Covenant. To think that losses could be much higher and coming at a faster rate? The thought was almost too frightening to even think about.

Naomi suddenly decided she was done and switched her TV off, too bothered by the news to continue watching. Nothing good had ever come out of the war.

After a few moments of thought though, Naomi changed her mind and switched her TV back on. Instead of returning to the news though, she quickly logged onto Waypoint instead. She had never heard of Actium, which was hardly surprising given how many colonies there were, but now she wanted to know more.

For obvious reasons, Actium was number one trending on just about every single search engine, so Naomi clicked on the first link she saw, which brought her to some encyclopedia article. She quickly began browsing. Okay... Actium, only colonized planet in the Ambracia System... gravity at 0.8g... 35.5 hour long days though citizens use a 36 hour day calendar instead. Fell under the command of FLEETCOM Sector Seventeen which in turn was command by one Admiral Lukas Spaatz and Force Master Chief Petty Officer Kojo Massoud…

Uh-oh.

Naomi highlighted the sentence she had just seen to make sure she had read it correctly the first time.

"Due to the large amount of iron ore located within the planet's surface, Actium host the fifth largest UNSC shipyards just behind Reach, Mars, Earth, and Meridian, and is one of the largest producers of ground vehicles for the UNSC."

"Fifth largest," Naomi repeated to herself as she leaned back in her seat. "Oh, that's sooo not good."

For a few moments, Naomi just sat there, pondering the affects losing the fifth largest shipyards would have on the UNSC war machine when another thought occurred to her. Her sister's division, the 222nd Airborne Division of the UNSC Army. Last she had heard, they were on Newsaka, fighting the Covenant invasion there. Surely her sister wouldn't have been one of those units that had been routed to Actium?

Sitting back up, Naomi quickly began typing.

"How far away is the colony of Newsaka from the colony of Actium," Naomi muttered to herself as she typed. As she worked, she suddenly heard the doorbell to the front door ring, but she ignored it in lieu of waiting for the results to her query. Her mom would get it. It was probably for her anyways.

Her computer let out a small ping as a star chart popped up. Naomi sighed. Astronomy was never her strong point but then again, how else was she supposed to figure out where Actium was in relation to Newsaka.

She was just about to start when suddenly -

"NAOMI!"

Naomi hastily ripped her headphone off at her mom's shout.

"Yeah mom?" she yelled back.

"Naomi! Come quick! There's someone to see you!"

See her?

Naomi glanced at the clock. Could that have been one of her friends? No, her friends had just gotten out of class. They would still need another twenty minutes before they got home.

Then who could it be?

Feeling mystified, Naomi left her room. She could hear her mom talking to someone in the living room. As she walked down the stairs, she could see someone standing in the room wearing a military uniform and her heart started to beat just a bit faster. No... could it be...?

Naomi dashed into the room to see -

"AJAX!" she squealed, both in surprise and delight. Her brother-in-law whirled around in time to catch her as she hurtled herself at him in a hug.

"Hey Naomi!" Ajax cheerfully declared as he pulled her in tight. "Guess this means you're happy to see me...?"

"What do you think, dummy," Naomi said with a grin as she broke away from the hug. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming until next week?"

Ajax shrugged.

"You know how unpredictable slipspace can be. Somehow got here a week early, didn't know what to do with myself, so I figured I would go ahead and surprise you. And mom. And dad."

"Don't lie Ajax," Naomi's mom jokingly said from behind her. "We all know you just came back to do your laundry."

"Well, that too," Ajax admitted with a grin. "But mostly to see you guys!"

"Uh-huh."

"Seriously!"

"And I believe you," Naomi's mom replied with a twinkle in her eye.

As she watched her mom and her brother-in-law interact, Naomi couldn't help but feel a swell of pride at how far Ajax had come. She was old enough to remember when her dad had first brought Ajax over to stay in their house while the government tried to figure out what to do with him. Back then, Ajax had been just another war orphan refugee, another victim of the Covenant's rampage across human space. With his entire family having been killed by the alien invaders, Ajax had been a scared, traumatized, and very angry boy. Now, standing here in the room clad in his Air Force dress uniform, it was clear that Ajax was now a happy, healthy, young man.

"Oh! I need you call your father!" Naomi's mom was saying. "He's going to want to see you!"

"Oh, you don't need to do that mom," Ajax said. "I know he's busy at work and I didn't want to make this a huge deal."

"Are you kidding?" Naomi said, reentering the conversation. "Dad's been looking forward to this day ever since you told us you would probably be able to get some leave this month. He's been talking about it non-stop!"

"Has he really?" Ajax asked, glancing down at her, and Naomi could see a slightly bashful look on his face. Naomi snorted.

"Of course! But don't tell him I told you that 'cause, like, he will never admit to it."

"Oh don't worry, you're secret is safe with me," Ajax told her, tapping the side of his nose.

"Ohhh, this is so exciting!" Naomi's mom declared, practically bouncing up and down with joy. "Oh! Let me go call your father!"

Naomi and Ajax shared a smile as she hurried from the room.

"She seems excited," Ajax noted.

Naomi rolled her eyes. "Come on dude, of course she's excited. Her son just came home. How else was she going to react?"

Ajax shrugged but Naomi could him barely hiding his delighted grin.

"Hey! So, you hear from Piper recently?" Naomi asked, changing topics. "Any idea when she's coming back home?"

Ajax nodded. "Yeah, I spoke to her couple weeks ago; her division was making preparations to leave Newsaka. Plus, I also got a message from her on my way in, though I haven't had a chance to look at it. Probably just a message letting us know she's back on Skopje. Should be another week or so before Pip is able to get leave."

"Sweet! In that case, you mind if I talk wedding stuff? I've got this idea that I think would be really cute for you guys to do," Naomi asked, staring at Ajax with her best puppy eyes. Despite being legally married, her sister and Ajax had yet to hold a formal ceremony, which was something they both had agreed would wait until Piper got back from her deployment. Naomi, in the meantime, had been making a lot of plans, most of which she hoped her siblings would adapt.

Ajax took one look at her and burst out laughing.

"Okay Squirt," he said, using the family nickname for her. "I have a feeling if I were to say no, you'd burst. Let's hear it."

"Great!" Naomi brightly said. "It's up in my room though. Come on!"

Grabbing his arm, Naomi dragged Ajax over to the stairs.

"Mom, we're going up to my room real quick!" she yelled as she ran by.

Thundering up the stairs, Naomi burst into her room and activated her TV.

"So, what's this 'great idea' of yours that you can't wait to show me?" Ajax asked as he followed her in at a more sedated pace. Naomi glared him.

"Hey, I heard those quotation marks!" she accused. "I resent that! Shouldn't you know by now all my ideas are great?!"

Ajax snorted.

"This coming from the girl who thought trying to make napalm in their parent's kitchen was the best idea ever?" he asked, arching his eyebrows.

Naomi could feel her cheeks starting to burn as the memory. It had been a science project she had been attempting to do back in middle school. She couldn't even remember what the project had been about, but somehow, she had accidently created a very weak version of napalm. Weak or not though, when she had accidently ignited it, it had been enough to almost burn down the entire kitchen. Piper had been able to help her put it out, but there had been no way to hide the damage from their parents.

"Shut up," Naomi mumbled. "I thought we swore never to talk about that again."

She suddenly cocked her head. She thought she had just heard someone knocking on the front door downstairs.

"I don't believe Iever was part of that deal," Ajax teased, drawing Naomi's attention back to him. Must have been her imagination. "Besides: it's my favorite story. It's a story that needs to be preserved for the ages. Your kids are totally going to be hearing about it from me when you have them."

Naomi growled under her breath.

"Anyways, what were you about to show me…?" Ajax prompted and Naomi brightened.

"Oh right!" she began. "Well, since you and Piper are both part of the military now, as are most of you guys' friends, I was looking up some military weddings and I was thinking –"

"AJAX!"

Naomi reflexively jumped at her mom's terrified scream. She and Ajax shared one look of concern before sprinting down the stairs.

"Mom?" Naomi yelled as she ran. "Are you okay?"

She reached the door to the living room and stopped short. Her mom was standing off to one side, looking absolutely terrified. Standing on the opposite side of the room were –

Oh… no…

Two somber looking UNSC Army soldiers wearing dress uniforms stood near the door, standing straight as a board.

Without a word, Naomi slipped into the room and hurried to her mom's side, grabbing her hand, as Ajax walked up to the two men with a confused look on his face.

"What the hell is this all about!?" he demanded to know.

The two soldiers glanced at each other, before turning to him.

"Airman Ajax Savrog?" the higher ranking of the two soldiers, a 1st Lieutenant by the looks of it, asked.

"Yes…?" Ajax cautiously confirmed.

The Lieutenant sighed and somehow stood up even straighter and just like that, Naomi knew. "Airman, the Secretary of the Army has asked me to inform you that your wife, Corporal Piper Poblede, has been reported missing in action on Actium since ten hundred hours local time this morning. When we receive more information, you will be promptly notified. The Secretary extends his deepest sympathy to you and your family during this trying period."

…wait, what?

Naomi exchanged a glance with her mom. Missing in action? That… while that wasn't good news, it wasn't exactly what Naomi had been expecting, if she was being honest with herself. She wasn't sure if she should have felt relieved or not. At any case, Naomi was more concerned about how Ajax would take that and she look over to him, only to see him… laughing in relief?

"Airman?" the Lieutenant asked, clearly just as confused by Ajax's reaction as Naomi was.

Ajax quickly cleared his throat.

"Sorry, sir," he said. "I realize that's probably not the most appropriate action, but fellows… I think you got the wrong person."

The two soldiers exchanged glances, and Naomi could see the other soldier, a regular Sergeant, pull out a data pad.

"You are… Ajax Jaroslaw Savrog? Of the UNSC Air Force? Service number seven five nine three zero dash nine three one two eight dash Sierra Alpha? And your wife is Piper Meghan Poblede of the UNSC Army, service number six four seven eight three dash one five eight zero nine dash Papa Papa?" he asked. Ajax frowned.

"I am," he confirmed. "And that is her. But… Pip's not an E-4. Nor should she be anywhere near Actium. She's on Newsaka, which is… very far away from Actium!"

"I'm sorry Airman," the Sergeant said apologetically. "I don't know what else I can tell you. This is the information we've been provided. I'm very sorry."

Without another word, the two soldiers slipped out the front door, leaving everyone very confused and very worried.

As the door quietly shut, Ajax slowly turned around and Naomi felt her heart break at the sight of how lost he looked.

"But… she's on Newsaka," was all he could say.

Naomi reached out to him but before she could do anything, the door abruptly opened again and she felt her heart leap, hoping upon hope that it was those two soldiers coming back to apologize, to say they had gotten the wrong house, the wrong person, or… something! But unfortunately, it was only her dad.

"There he is!" her dad said with a large grin on his face, but then stop short at the sight of his family just standing there. "Are you guys alright? Did… did something happen?"

xxx

Later that Evening

"…and they just said she was missing in action? No other details?" her dad asked again for the hundredth time from his spot at the kitchen sink, where he had been standing there, unmoving, for the last few hours.

"That's all they said," Naomi confirmed as she held her stuffed elephant toy, Mr. Snugglepolis, against her chest for comfort. "They gave no other details."

"I don't… I don't understand," her dad said again. "How could she have gone missing in action on Actium? Wasn't she supposed to be on Newsaka?"

"But she's only missing, right? Not dead. That means there's hope, right?" her mom pitifully asked from her position at the head of the dining room table.

"Yeah mom, you're right: there's still hope," Naomi said, trying to force a smile on her face but internally, she wasn't so sure. Piper had told her once about her original squad leader, Staff Sergeant Wilbert Tanner. About how he had gone "missing in action" over the skies of Newsaka, only, everyone knew he was dead and he was only labelled "missing" because there wasn't enough left of him to identify. Naomi couldn't help but wonder if this was a similar situation.

"I mean, we still don't even really know that was her," her dad pointed out. "'Corporal?' Squirt, did Piper ever tell you she'd been promoted?"

Naomi shook her head. No, last she heard, Piper was still a PFC.

CRASH!

Naomi jumped at the sound of something breaking coming from upstairs. Alarmed, she and her parents surged to their feet and dash upstairs.

"AJAX! Honey? Are you alright!?" her mom called out from behind her.

Dashing into the room where Ajax had been hiding out ever since the soldiers had left, Naomi arrived in time to see Ajax driving his fist into the wall once more.

"No no no! Ajax, don't do that!" Naomi's mom blurted out, running over to Ajax and pulling him into a hug. At first he started to resist, but upon recognition of who had grabbed him, he relaxed and started sobbing, allowing Naomi to look around. The room was a mess. It was clear something had very clearly upset Ajax greatly.

"Ajax, shush, it's going to be okay," her mom was softly saying into Ajax's ear. "Please don't do this to yourself. Everything is going to be okay. Those soldiers are going to come back tomorrow and tell us this was all one giant mistake, okay? It couldn't have been Piper."

"No they won't," Naomi heard Ajax sob, "Because it was her."

Naomi stiffened.

"Ajax, you can't know that for certain," Naomi cautiously said.

In lieu of a response, Ajax merely pointed his desk where his TACPAD laid. The device was active, and it was clear Ajax had been watching a video as there was simply a 'replay' on the screen.

Nervously approaching the device, as if it would suddenly come alive and bit her, Naomi cautiously reached out and hit replay. Immediately, Piper's face appeared, and Naomi was stuck by the sight of how tired she looked.

"Hey babe," she began, sounding exhausted. "I know I told you that… it would probably only be a couple more weeks before I could get some leave but… god, I don't know how to say this so I'm just going to say it: something has happened. Something bad. The Covenant… the Covenant have hit another colony. Someplace called… Actium."

Naomi felt her blood freeze at that. No…

"We don't know too many details, but from what Division is telling us, it… it sounds bad. Really bad. They need help and they need it now. So… we're getting rerouted. Me, my squad, the entire division…" Piper suddenly let out a loud scoff. "Well, at least, what's left of the division. God… I don't know if this is a good idea…"

Piper suddenly stopped and seemed to force a smile onto her face. "Good news is, I finally managed to pick up Corporal! So, yay?" Piper laughed, but there was no joy in it, only a sense of sadness and bitterness. "God babe. There is so much I want to tell you but…there's never enough time, is there?"

Piper abruptly looked up, and in the background, Naomi could hear someone saying over the intercom, "All infantry: report to Hanger Bay One for immediately loading process."

"Look," Piper said as she turned back to the camera. "I don't have enough time left and there's still a lot I need to prepare for. I just want to say, I hope to god by the time you get this, you'll have another message from me saying that I'm alright, and that you can delete this and never have to look at it. But, in case something happens to me, in case… in case I don't make it, I just want you to know: I don't regret any of it. All the time we had together, all the ups and downs, all the screaming matches, all the arguments, all the snuggles and all the kisses… I don't regret any of it. I only wish we had more time. I love you. With all my heart."

"I know they're your family now too so this really goes without saying but… can you please take care of my parents for me? I'd include Squirt here too, but we both know she's one spunky bitch and she can damn well take of herself."

Naomi couldn't help but laugh along as a genuine smile crossed Piper's face, though it was fleeting.

"Anyways," she said. "Mom, dad: if you're watching this, I just wanted to say: thank you. I know you guys told me I would never have to say it, but thank you. Thank you for taking me in when my parents died on Arcadia so many years ago. Thank you for being there for me when I needed you guys the most. You guys are angels and I will always forever be grateful for what you did for me."

"Naomi?"

Naomi looked up at the sound of Piper calling her name, and for a moment, Naomi was convinced the video had somehow turned into a live connection as Piper seemed to be looking right at her. But no, it was still only a recording.

"Ah Naomi, you little Squirt. You were a very annoying little brat, just so you know… but you were my sister. And I wouldn't have given you up for anything else in this galaxy. I know I always told you to ignore him but… next time you see Brad, make sure to sneak some of that napalm of yours into his lunch. That ought to teach that little shit for messing with my sister."

At that, the tears Naomi had been fighting against finally won, and she could feel them trickling down her cheeks. With only a whisper of a noise, her dad reached out and pulled her into a hug, one that Naomi refused to resist.

"I love you guys. I hope I'll see you again," Piper was saying, before she kissed her fingers and pressed it against the camera. At that, the recording abruptly ended, and Piper's image faded away.

And just like that, Naomi felt her world fall apart.

General Notes

The first half of this chapter is basically the other side of the conversation that took place in the second half of the epilogue for Missing in Action. For those of you who don't remember and don't wish to go back, that chapter dealt with the repercussions of the mission that resulted in the death of the Minister of Contentment, as portrayed in chapter 30 of this story. As stated in this chapter, it was the first time a Prophet had been killed in the war against the humans, however I do want to note that I don't actually believe this is canon. I couldn't figure out for sure either way, but given that this story takes places twenty years into the war, I find it a little hard to believe that a Prophet hadn't actually been killed by UNSC forces yet. However, for the sake of the story, that's what I ultimately went with.

The second half of this story deals with, again, the aftermath of Missing in Action. Piper Poblede is actually one of the main characters from that story. In that story, we see her getting killed (as we also did in this one; see chapter 33,) but given that the only person (human, that is) who witnessed the event ended up in a coma for a month, it couldn't be confirmed hence the missing in action label.

One of the reasons why I wrote this (okay, there were actually many reason,) was that I wanted to explore what it would be like from the civilian side of things, the sense of confusion and uncertainty one might have if their loved ones had gone missing. The idea of not knowing, and thus not being able to move on... I'm sure quite a few you reading this now could probably imagine how that would feel.

Originally I was going to make this one of the 'one-shots' I had attached to the end of MIA, however I realized it would take more than a single chapter to portray the things I wanted so I decided to save it. It probably could have been a standalone story by itself, however I didn't have that much material and so I felt it was best to attach it to this one.

However, given that this story already has far too many characters in it, I'll just be using Naomi Ichii's viewpoint for "interludes" like this one between Books.