UPDATE: I just want to give you readers some news. I am gonna be doing some edits to this chapter, I have read some of the reviews and worries. Not gonna lie, I did notice some odd things when reading it myself after reading the reviews. Like I said at the end of the chapter in the Author's Notes, I would love for this fic to be something that as many people would enjoy reading. Maybe I'll even dip my toe into beta readers, which to be honest I have no idea how they work. So yeah... there's that. To conclude, thank you all reading, and thank you for the reviews.
One more thing... should I start answering reviews? I've read other fics who's authors answered/responded to the reviews of their fics. Maybe if I do that, I can clear up some things, or just somewhat actively talk with you about how to further improve on this fic. Hopefully to make this story better in the long run! Anyways enough chat, enjoy the chapter!
"You are not human… at least, not the human we are purging."
Electricity coursed through his body, but Anakin was sadly used to such torture. After all his fights with Dooku, and all the familiar stings of a whip, it was just more pain to overcome. Not that it was easy. Hanging, his wrists anchored above him, an unknown alien species was interrogating him. Taller than the regular human, and with a strange split lips, this sadistic alien basked in Anakin's tortuous cries.
"Wha… What do you mean? Why are you doing this?" Anakin weakly asked. There were too many times in his own life where he was in a familiar situation. The number of times he was caught, and subsequently tortured. Especially a particular case in Naboo, after being exchanged for General Grievous. But unlike his previous times as a prisoner, this one felt completely different. Anakin couldn't place a finger on it, his mind has been buzzing ever since he woke up in this hell. So many things to think about: Padme, Clovis, Scipio, the battle, an anomaly, an escape pod, then… being found.
"We have killed and studied many from your species. Except you and your soldiers are not like what we have previously seen." The Alien grabbed Anakin by the throat, gripping it tight. The chosen one struggled for air, struggled to get out of this vice grip, but nothing would help him. No rescue, no For-
Anakin's eyes went wide with panic. He realized what was missing, what was wrong, what was completely impossible. The Alien saw his panic, a wicked smile, or at least what Anakin could tell was a smile, appeared on its ugly head.
"What is in your blood?" It growled.
Fear is a powerful emotion, and can manifest from a state of panic. His mind, clear from the sudden revelation, was flooded with all sorts of questions and thoughts. While earlier he was in a state of complete disorientation, from a concussion in a Venator, to shock in wherever he currently was. Now, his mind shifted to the most important in the forefront of Anakin, Padme. Where could she be? Is she safe? Is she still alive? Is she being tortured right here or nearby?
Fear for not only his own safety, or the lack of the Force, no. Fear for the one he only loves.
His vision was turning dark, but the Alien showed no signs of letting go. He had to do something, anything. Eyes darting at all angles, Anakin came upon what looked to be a crate of some sort behind the Alien. Force or no, he had to do something, anything, to make sure Padme was safe and within grasp. Although his wrists were cuffed, his hands were still free. With a gesture, and whatever Force he could muster from within, he fought through the pain of suffocation and the lack of the Force to pick up the crate.
Slowly but steadily, the crate wombles a bit. But Anakin was putting everything on the line for this crate to move, with his will projected through what little Force there was. Damn the light and dark side, he used what he could to lift that crate up. Vision darkening, the lack of air threatening unconsciousness, the bruising around his neck, his mind and will doing backflips. It was almost turning itself inside out, complete torture to just simply move the crate. But eventually, it started floating, and Anakin could feel the blood running down his nose.
The Alien in front of him saw the bloody nose, and released its grasp around his neck. Anakin coughed and hacked, sweet fresh air filling his lungs once again. But never once letting go of his control over the crate behind the Alien.
"Pathetic, I have interrogated humans stronger than you." It growled out.
Anakin couldn't help himself, besides the coughing, he just had to quip back. "I don't know if your other humans did this." He flicked his hand back, and the crate came rushing towards him, and the Alien.
To his interrogator's credit, it did realize something was up and turned at the last second, but by then it was already too late. The crate collided hard with the Alien, and something bright flashed around the area the Alien was hit before succumbing to the force of the object. The Alien flew back onto Anakin, with the force of it freeing him from his bindings. Falling and tumbling to the other side of the room, Anakin was spared the brunt of the force with his meaty shield. He took a moment to recover from the strenuous act, as he felt his nose, seeing the blood smearing against his hand.
But a moment was all he had, as he heard Alien tongues being spoken from outside he assumed was the door. He was correct when the door opened, revealing two guards of the same species as his interrogator. By instinct alone, and with whatever strength he had left, attempted a simple Force push. Thrusting a hand at the direction of the Aliens, everything within the cone of the Force flew in that direction. Everything, but the two guards themselves, who looked at Anakin with deadly curiosity. After a moment, the two guards unclipped something from their thighs, and ignited their strange energy blades, causing Anakin's eyes to widen.
"Oh no…" He picked himself up from the ground, ignoring the second nosebleed and pounding migraine. Anakin darted across the room, with his two pursers chasing closely after him. Upon reaching the other side of the room the Jedi saw his belongings on a table, including his lightsaber. Wordlessly, he picked it up, and ignited it, showing the blade off as he stood ready before his opponents. The Aliens stood in their places, also ready for the fight.
"Come on. Either you let me go, or I'll go through you." Anakin narrowed his eyes at the two Aliens, gripping his lightsaber evermore tightly. They chose the unexpected third option: of attacking Anakin, and the fighting commenced. The Jedi at first was pushed to the defensive, deflecting, blocking, and parrying whenever he could, as his adversaries proved to be more skillful than he initially thought.
Blocking an overhead attack, the other Alien charged at him, and he spun to avoid the second blade. As he spun, he used a foot to trip the Alien he had on locking blades, causing said Alien to fall to the ground. The charging Alien continued to press the attack as it went onto another swing, but over extended. Anakin took advantage and flicked his wrist to slice off the Alien's weapon hand. But to both of their surprise, the Alien literally caught the blade with its own hand, as a last ditch effort to protect itself. For a split second both were surprised how it almost worked, with Anakin realizing that these Aliens have personal shields, the likes of which he has never seen before.
But the trick only worked for that split second, as the shield flared out, and the lightsaber sliced off the offending hand. Anakin took advantage, and with a spin, he sliced the Alien's head off.
The Jedi Knight stood there with wide eyes, but that proved to be an error as he saw in the corner of his vision, the oncoming blade of the other Alien. He had little time to react, but it proved useless as the blade sliced off Anakin's right cybernetic hand that was holding his lightsaber. With that, the Alien also shoulder bumped Anakin to the floor.
With a grunt, Skywalker landed on the cold floor once more, his head hitting hard. He knew the Alien was above him, he knew his right hand was once again lost, and he laid there, processing all that had happened. He peered around the room, the blurry disorientation making it hard to make out anything. But eventually his vision lands upon a familiar crate. Knowing he could die at any second, and mustering what little strength he had once more, using his only real hand, he gripped the crate, and with all the pent up emotions he had he thrusted his arm towards the Alien, the crate following his move.
The Alien looked up to see the crate flying dangerously fast at it. It readied his blade to slice the crate in half, but was only partially able to achieve the desired effect. As the crate still hit the Alien, with it losing its shields..
That was Anakin's time to strike, as he went for his Lightsaber. Diving for his weapon, he picked it up, ignited it, and with the Alien about to refocus on him, Anakin impaled the creature with his lightsaber.
With the fight over, the Jedi Knight extinguished his lightsaber, and fell on all fours. He started to cough up blood, his vision was blurry and getting worse. On top of that, he could hear the alarms blaring, he needed to get out.
Stumbling back up, he exited the room where he killed three of those Aliens. The hallway was just as foreign as the room he was in, and decided to pick one direction and to stick with it. He could barely keep himself up, as he heavily relied on the wall to keep him from falling down. But unfortunately, he wouldn't get far.
Out of nowhere, Anakin was body checked hard. He landed on the floor, and without time to even recover an invisible force gripped his neck, and delivered a swift punch that rendered the Jedi knight unconscious.
"Six? Are you fully awake?"
The Spartan-III just finished his Wake cycle, sitting down on one of the cryobay's benches. Still trying to get his bearings, he looked around the room to see who was up, and who was still in cryo. Practically, all of the UNSC personnel on the Gettysburg were up. The majority of them already exited the bay, and were roaming the ship proper. Only he and Polaski were still recovering from cryo, as being some of the last to be woken up. But the rest in the functional bay were the extra-galactics, with all their VIPs still in cryo, and some of their Clone soldiers too.
The number of functional cryo chambers wasn't enough to get everyone to sleep. So with the lack of Cytoprethaline for the majority of Clone soldiers, they had to endure over a month-long journey back to Earth. They wouldn't be alone and unsupervised, as they still had their squad leaders to keep them in check, as well as a rotation of UNSC personnel to keep an eye on them, alongside the AI's of course. From Polaski, Johnson, to the Spartan-IIs and Six himself, they woke up to either supervise the Clones, or repair the barely functioning ship. For Six, it was sadly the latter.
Footsteps alerted the Spartan-III, looking up he just saw Polaski passing by him and towards the exit. She gave him an acknowledging but gentle nod, to which Six returned as well. Now he was somewhat alone inside the Cryo Bay. Looking back showed the Cryo chamber he stepped out of, it was originally reserved for Grace-093, but she didn't come back from Operation FIRST STRIKE. The Master Chief personally informed him that her chamber was his now. Six didn't know how to feel about that.
"I am now." He responded to Kalmiya.
"Can I… talk to you for a minute or two? Please?" Kalmiya timidly asked from her pedestal.
"I have to check on the Life Suppo-"
"Don't worry about Life Support, Six." Kalmiya interrupted quickly. "Fred and a bunch of bored Clones are maintaining it right now with Cortana. I…" She paused.
Six turned over to look at his AI, who nervously stood on her pedestal. "What is it?" He asked in a softer tone. She was shy, her index fingers nervously tapping against each other.
She continued to tap her fingers together, before sighing. "It's just… we didn't get the time to properly talk, you know?" She shrugged. "When I was activated on board the Ascendant Justice, we didn't get the time to even introduce ourselves because you had to help the Spartans repair the ship. Then we had to do a whole list of chores; from helping the Extra-Galactics to repairing our limping ship, then helping Whitcomb and Heverson with First Strike, then sleeping, then waking up only to spend the entire time repairing the ship again." Her shoulders slumped considerably, with her head down in embarrassment and frustration. "I just… I want to have you for myself for at least a minute. I'm supposed to be your AI, I want you to know that. When I look at Cortana, I sort of get envious by how close she is to the Master Chief, and we barely say anything other than talking about the missions and their objectives."
Six titled his head. "I'm sure the Master Chief and Cortana's relationship is much the same."
"But they actually talk with one another when they get the chance. No matter how shallow it was, or mission focused, they actually just talked. Meanwhile, I talk more to others than my own Spartan. I find that unacceptable." Kalmiya said the last sentence in an almost timid voice. Kalmiya hugged herself, uncomfortable with what she put herself into. She didn't even look back at Six, nervous about how he might react to her airing out her own grievances. She knew it was selfish, but she was given a second wind, and she wasn't going to waste it.
For Six, he wasn't sure what to say or react. It's not like he was socially inept, during his time on Reach he'd converse in small talk with Noble team, whenever they found the time that is. But beyond that, there was a reason why he was often nicknamed the Lone Wolf. With so many solo missions, the solitude meant he kept to himself for the majority of the time. But now, times changed, he was without a team and was now alone again. But that was before he had Kalmiya, and now she was there. She was going to be by his side from now on, his own AI, and he barely talked to her outside the mission. But he shifted uncomfortably as well, the majority of Spartans weren't really social, including himself. Glancing back to Kalmiya, and seeing the mirrored stance his AI had, Six knew he had to make the first move. So Six moved closer, much to his reluctance.
Too preoccupied in her thoughts to notice Six sitting closer to her pedestal, she turned back to her Spartan up-close. His helmet was on, and even through the pierced hole in the middle of the visor, it was difficult to gauge his reaction. But before she said anything, Six spoke first, or more accurately: Six sighed first.
"Um…" He slightly looked away, pondering something, before looking back at her. "Uh… what's… your favorite… color?" He asked in an unsure tone.
Kalmiya looked at him funny, with a raised eyebrow and all. Before she burst into giggles, laughing at such a question. Six frowned, standing back up.
"Nonononono! I wasn't laughing at you Six, I promise!" Kalmiya raised her arms up, gesturing to the Spartan-III to sit back down. Six looked at her, returning to his seat next to the pedestal. After calming down from her giggle fit, she sighed happily and looked at him. "It's red, my favorite color is red. Couldn't you tell?" She gestured to own her body, which was a valiant bright red. Kalmiya then looked at him with her arms locked behind her. "What's uh… what's your favorite color?"
Six looked around, this wasn't a question he was ever asked, even in the small talks he had with Noble Team. So with that said, he didn't really have an answer. He looked around a bit, before noticing the color of his armor.
"Black." He turned back to see Kalmiya look at him, with crossed arms and an amused face.
"Really? You know some people believe black is a color. While some other people believe it's a shade." She paused for effect, before continuing. "So… Do you have a favorite color that won't start an argument?"
Six tilted his head. "Depends on what side of the argument you're on."
"Just curious." Kalmiya bounced happily a bit. "But if I had to rephrase, what's your second favorite color?" Six sighed, as once again he looked around for a source of inspiration. He looked back down to see the blue lights emanating from his armor.
"Blue."
Six heard Kalmiya giggle, and he looked back at her. "Is that really your favorite color, or are you just picking something out of the blue? No pun intended."
"Uh…" Six didn't know what to say, or just how to respond. But he did hear Kalmiya chuckle.
"Well, if you say so. Because speaking of blue, Blue team's coming in to wake up your blue friend Aayla, and the other Extra-Galactics. No wonder you like the color blue, even the lights in your suit are blue." She scoffed at the observation. "Anyways, they want your help as well."
Six nodded. "Okay, I'll get whatever towels we have." He got up to move to the storage box, but before he could get any further.
"Six?" He turned to look at his AI. "Call me Kal. You know, Kalmiya for short?" He stood there for a moment, processing it, before nodding.
"Ok Kal." The AI flickered pink for a moment, then quickly vanished out of the pedestal.
Aayla stood on one of the observation windows, overlooking the exterior. She saw Earth, this humanity's homeplanet. She saw how heavily, heavily guarded the planet was. Hundreds if not thousands of ships roaming around in defensive formations, ships bigger than she could even dream of. It was terrifying to conceive that a species this heavily armed and numerous was actually losing. It was even more terrifying to realize that this was their home planet, out of hundreds of colonies, they were pushed back as far as their home planet. After over twenty-five years of fighting, and billions dead, they were losing.
The Jedi Master sighed, gripping the blanket around her usual attire. She was also drinking a hot beverage in her mug. They called it coffee, but it's apparently their version of caf. It tasted almost exactly the same as well.
"Sleep well?" She didn't bother to look back, but she knew who was approaching her.
"As well as I could, Master Kenobi." She said softly as she continued to look at a species preparing to go to battle.
"Yes, I can relate." Obi-Wan stood next to her, looking at the same sight his fellow Jedi Master was looking at. "I'm still struggling to wrap my head around this. Based on the various Jedi texts we've read and studied, this shouldn't be at all possible. Life outside The Force. No… existence without The Force." Obi-Wan shook his head. For the Jedi Master and part of the Council, just looking at the UNSC crew gave him a headache, it shouldn't be possible, and yet here they were.
"Could our teachings be wrong?" Aayla muttered in a haunting tone. Obi-Wan wanted to retort, wanted to quickly remind her how devoted he was to the Jedi way, to his oath and allegiance. But at the mere mention of their teachings being wrong, brought so much doubt to him. He looked over to his fellow Jedi Master, and so did she. Aayla's eyes told him what she was feeling, there was fear in her eyes. Yet, he couldn't find a trace of the Dark Side ementating from what little of the Force she emanated. "Could the Jedi be wrong?"
Obi-Wan froze, he didn't know how to respond. Recent events have shaken him, and disturbed him to his core. From Ahsoka's trial and exit from the Order, to the death of the only woman he has ever-… the loss of a good friend, to now the discovery of life outside The Force. There were so many things making him almost doubt the very Order he remained loyal to, even in his darkest moments, his resolve never wavered. But looking back at it, and how these events lined up so closely to one another, all have happened in the past year, it was enough to get even Obi-Wan questioning.
"I do not know Master Secura. I do not know." He needed time to sort out his thoughts and feelings. Right now, they needed to get back home, back to their own war. The only way they can do that right now, is through the UNSC.
"Attention, would all the Jedi, Republic Officers, and UNSC personnel please meet at the Bridge. We will be arriving shortly." Cortana sounded on the intercom.
The Twi'lek finished her coffee. "From what Cortana told me, we're meeting with their security committee."
"Yes." Kenobi nodded. "Admiral Block will be the leading representative for the Republic, while you and I will be representing our Order. No matter how much we're starting to question them, understand?"
"Yes, Master Kenobi." Aayla sighed, as she continued to look at the planet and its surrounding military ships.
"And… Aayla." At the sound of her name, the Twi'lek turned to face Obi-Wan. "At the very least, remember your training. Our Order taught us how to defend ourselves, and when necessary, how to fight. So even if our teachings are… unreliable at the moment, remember your training."
She mulled over his words, before just nodding to acknowledge what he said. Obi-Wan just returned the gesture, and started to make his way to the Bridge. Aayla stood there, gazing over the planet, wondering what will happen when they get back. She couldn't help but think back to Ahsoka, their talks, and her reasons for leaving the Order. Doubt was slowly, but steadily seeping in.
Ahsoka has never felt this nervous since, well… since her trial.
Standing in a rather crowded elevator with: herself, Aayla, Obi-Wan, Admiral Block, Six, The Master Chief, and Sergeant Johnson, it was a rather tight squeeze. Especially with the two Spartans. How they got here was a rather eventful spectacle, enough to terrify anyone, even a Jedi.
Cortana had contacted the UNSC upon their arrival, and informed them of their special circumstance and cargo. A few hours later, upon docking with the military station, they were greeted with a large contingent of ODST soldiers, all of whom were very wary of the Extra-Galactics. The former Padawan also eyed several of them with twitchy trigger fingers as they walked the halls. Luckily there wasn't any incident, but the amount of weapons pointed at them was enough for anxiety to take place. It was a tense affair to say the least, even with their visors covering their faces, she could practically feel the xenophobic hate radiating from them, she didn't need the Force to feel it.
It unnerved her so much, the faceless soldiers, the hallways devoid of life besides the ODST soldiers by the sides of the hall and the ones escorting them. They looked more like moving spiteful statues than actual soldiers. Ahsoka reasoned it for their lack of color; Clones, even in their plain white armor, had small instances of color. If not color, then symbols or differentiations of their armors to showcase their individualism. The former Padawan smiled at the image of Rex, and his signature blue. But the soldiers around them, the ODSTs felt… foreign, and wrong. They were all black armor, faceless, and radiating hate. Mix that with their circumstance, she felt like the cave they were stuck in for weeks was more hospitable than here.
Eventually they boarded a Pelican, compared to any standard Republic LAAT, it looked rather bulky and big. She understood why though, and she could tell from the look of the Pelican that it had substantially more armor than the LAATs she was used to. Armor used to protect against Covenant Plasma; and from what Aayla has told her about her lightsaber against the plasma, it was no easy task to deflect shots. She described it as being shot by lightsabers, Ahsoka shuddered at the thought.
A tense silence as they descended towards the planet, and upon landing, they were once again met with hallways devoid of life. Security was no joke at the UNSC, and Ahsoka certainly noticed. Even in the empty hallways, besides her company she felt like she was being watched, and rather extensively as well. When they got in the elevator, it was just more silence. She couldn't have spoken more than a single syllable since they departed from their barely functioning ship.
"You may not be human, but I can tell you're nervous."
Ahsoka was shaken out of her stupor by the blue light emanating from the screen mounted on the wall, beside her. Cortana graced her with her presence, giving the Togruta a warm smile.
"I'll be fine. This whole ordeal has just been unnerving." Ahsoka admitted, finding it easy to talk to her. At first she found it strange, seeing a construct look so organic and life-like, with such a clear personality. Not that Droids didn't have any personalities, they did, but at the end of the day, she was always reminded that they were droids. But Ahsoka could easily forget that Cortana and Kalmiya were Artificial Intelligences, it was strange to say the least.
The AI laughed. "Like I said, I could tell. Just whatever you do, say no and don't sign anything."
"Cortana…" The Master Chief chided his AI.
"What? I was just making sure they don't end up in an autopsy or examination room."
"What…?" Ahsoka hesitantly said.
"Cortana, you're scaring them." Half the screen lit up in red, as Kalmiya entered the conversation. She crossed her arms with an unimpressed look.
The blue AI waved her arms defensively. "Just trying to lighten the mood. Everyone was so quiet when they left the Gettysburg. I mean I get it, this meeting will practically determine if you guys are going back home or not, and may even be a turning point for humanity. But let's be fair, going into this with your nerves flared isn't going to help."
There was a moment of silence before the human Jedi Master responded. "She's right." Ahsoka looked at Obi-Wan, who had that signature reassuring smile. Seeing him smile like that always meant that things were going to be alright, it only worried the former Padawan when her old Master would smile like that. "Just think about going to see the Jedi Council, it won't be too different than that."
But Ahsoka frowned. "Last time I saw the council, they apologized for my whole trial and ordeal." The Masters and Admiral Block winced, especially Obi-Wan. Luckily, he wasn't called the negotiator for nothing.
"Then stand by our side." Obi-Wan gestured between himself and Master Secura. "I'll gladly do more of the talking, you won't have to say anything."
Ahsoka nodded, although the gesture didn't reach her eyes, which were still trained to the steel elevator doors ahead of her.
"Hey." The Togruta looked at the blue AI, now the only one occupying the screen. "Everything will be fine, I promise. If you're really that worried, just stand near the pedestal. I'll be by your side throughout the entire thing."
"Yeah, let's just hope that asshat Ackerson isn't here today." Johnson said while rubbing his chin, almost like he wanted to smoke a cigar.
"Colonel Ackerson is unavailable to attend today's council session. He is currently deployed to Mars." A new voice entered.
"Um, who said that?" Admiral Block looked around the crowded elevator.
"I didn't say 'that.' I said Colonel Ackerson is unavailable to attend today's counci-"
"We heard you the first time Lysithea, no need to repeat it." Cortana said, waving off the new voice. "Everyone, this is the AI assigned to HIGHCOM, meet Lysithea."
"Wait a minute, Lysithea." Kalmiya cut into the conversation before the third AI could introduce herself. "If you said Colonel Ackerson is away, that means there's really only two people in the Committee right now."
"Actually there are still three, someone is filling in for Ackerson."
"Who?"
"Someone who is either better, or much worse. Depends on how you feel about them."
There was a significant pause, as the group processed the information given to them. For the Extra-Galactics, the use of the word 'worse,' stuck out to them like a sore thumb. Now Ahsoka can't help but remember Cortana's earlier comment about being strapped to an examination table, while an examination is performed on her. She shudders at the mental image. But for the rest of the occupants of the elevator, one name stuck out as being worse or better than Ackerson. Especially for Noble Six.
"Commander-in-Chief of ONI?" Six asked, as the Extra-Galactics hung to every word now spoken.
"Yup, good luck to all of you!" With that said, the elevator shortly started to slow, and then completely stopped, indicating their arrival.
The doors opened, and the group was greeted by the sight of a long hallway. Both walls show paintings of both historical events, and the various landscapes of colonized planets. The Spartans and Johnson recognized some of the landscape paintings, that of planets they visited or were previously deployed to. Almost all of them were now glassed. For the Extra-Galactics, the paintings were beautiful, and just reinforced the sense of being in a completely alien galaxy, unlike their own. Their paintings showed history, and artistic revel that was unlike what their galaxy has ever produced, they were beautiful in their own right.
But soon, they reached the end of the hallway, now in a T-junction with two other hallways to their sides, the middle being their destination. The double doors guarding the room with the Security Council was closed, guarded by two emotionless MPs, their hands resting on either side, close to their sidearms. Without a word or salute, the double doors soundlessly opened, and the group made their way in.
The room was dark, purposefully dark, and big. It was that of a dome-like structure. Above them were screens, currently empty and blank of anything. The light sources shone enough to emphasize those in the crescent table before them, while about two dozen individuals, from officers to scientists alike, were seated around the room. The crescent table itself had four chairs, one empty, and three occupied.
Major General Nicolas Strauss eyed the arrivals with a pointed, narrow look. It was hard to determine his exact feelings, with his expression being so neutral. But he did eye the ones who were clearly not UNSC.
Next to him and in the middle of the trio is Fleet Admiral Lord Terrance Hood. The sensible man with a smile that confirmed it, he had a more welcoming look in comparison to his colleagues.
But last was the one that drew concern, Admiral Margaret Parangosky. She eyed the non-humans of the group. Parangosky may be one of the more difficult ones to talk to. The Admiral had a reputation of being quite… thorough, yet she was good at the job, but still held a moral code.
The UNSC members of the group saluted, and held their salute. While the others stood straight and looked at those present in the room. Nearby, a pedestal glowed blue, until Cortana revealed herself, she was going to be part of the meeting, talking about their findings before returning to Reach and finding Six. The AI looked around, before seeing Ahsoka, and waving at her. Ahsoka too was looking around the room, feeling surprisingly shy. Spotting the blue AI on the pedestal she slowly made her way to her, making sure she didn't look suspicious. With her rendezvous to the AI, Cortana just smiled sweetly at her then looked at the oncoming meeting.
"At ease." The UNSC members of the group relaxed at Hood's word, especially Johnson. Who without much consideration of those around him, lit up a cigar. The Spartans only really rested their arms at their sides, still standing up straight and strong. Hood then focused his attention at the Extra-Galactics, all of whom looked at him expectantly.
"I would like to take this opportunity to welcome our guests here. I would also like to apologize for the sudden call of this meeting. I understand many of you are quite exhausted from your endeavors, but time is not on our side. The quicker we sort out the details, the better prepared we are for the inevitable battle." The Fleet Admiral looked at the assembled group in front of him. "But where are my manners? I am Fleet Admiral Terrence Hood, I am the Chief of Naval Operations. To my right is General Nicolas Strauss, high ranking representative of the UNSC's army. Last but certainly not least to my left is Admiral Margaret Parangosky, Commander and Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence." He extended a hand towards the Extra-Galactics. "May we get some introductions?"
Master Obi-Wan stepped up, being the one most comfortable talking in these situations. "Of course Admiral, I am Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I am a Jedi Master, and here to represent our Order in this meeting. This is my fellow Jedi here, Master Aayla Secura." The Twi'lek bowed. "Our other representative here is Admiral Block of the Republic Military, sadly we do not have any diplomatic representatives from the Republic."
"Under the circumstances brought up through the reports, it is understandable why. Please proceed." Lord Hood responded with a welcoming attitude. Before Obi-Wan can speak, he was cut off by one of the Council members.
"If the reports are true that is." Strauss said as all eyes looked at him. "There are many species within the Covenant, how do we know they're not one of them?"
"We ran a quick scan as soon as they departed from the Gettysburg." Parangosky said, her voice already sounding authoritative and resolute. "We ran extensive intelligence missions to find out everything we needed to know about the Covenant. Those missions cost many lives, but the intel was invaluable. And there's nothing like them." The ONI Chief looked at the nonhumans in particular, with narrow eyes. "As a matter of fact, the scans did confirm the report created by Halsey and her AI, they truly are from a different galaxy."
The statement from Parangosky sent ripple effects throughout the entire room. Murmurs began to grow within the audience of Officers and scientists alike, as they all eyed the non-UNSC members of the group. Alongside the revelation, looking above them, the screens lit up with detailed reports, dioramas created by Halsey, and other visualizations, all of which centring around the biology of the nonhumans. Datapads all lit up as everyone browsed the information themselves.
For the Extra-Galactics, it was a deeply uncomfortable affair. They felt vulnerable under the gazes of so many. They felt like attractions, being stared and gawked at by many.
"On top of that, the Gettysburg is filled with men of the same DNA structure. Clones, perfected above our own flash cloning." Parangosky finished as she looked into the report and documents centring around the Clone Troopers being regulated within the Gettysburg.
"The Covenant are more advanced in almost every single aspect. I won't be surprised if they too perfected the science behind cloning." Strauss argued.
"Then why clone human soldiers? How do you explain the alien humanoids and their biological impossibilities? Micro-organisms that can only exist through an energy source that has never been found in our galaxy?" Parangosky countered Strauss, as this meeting was now between the General and the ONI Commander.
"Human soldiers used to get our guard down. Lets not forget that these are clones, the use of flash clones is currently in an ethically gray area." He looked straight at Parangosky, knowing her stance on the uses of cloning. "In regards to the humanoids, we live in a big galaxy, most of it being unexplored. I won't be surprised if there's a planet with beings the exact same as those who stand before us." This drew glares from the Extra-Galactics, making the General explain his actions. "I won't apologize for my behavior. But last time I checked, we're up against the corner." He raised his hands and gestured around, indicating everything around them. "This is it, our homeworld. There are no other colonies in-between us and the Covenant. This is our last stand, and we are taking a risk in inviting nonhumans to one of our most secretive and vital facilities in the entirety of the UNSC. We cannot take any chances, our existence is at stake."
Despite the evidence mounting in favor of Extra-Galactics being truly Extra-Galactic, it wasn't enough to sway even some. As with Strauss' statement, a fair amount of attendees started to feel the same. Paranoia was at an all time high, and the UNSC needed to be on top of it.
Hood sighed, before looking back at the Extra-Galactics. "I apologize for the start of this meeting, but it appears despite the evidence, not everyone is in complete agreement. Is there any way you can prove your statements?"
Obi-Wan stepped up with some reluctance. "It's quite alright Admiral. Under the current circumstances, we can understand the need for tighter security." He also understood from experience. Coruscant was heavily militarized and fortified, largely because everyone in their galaxy practically knew where it was, especially the Separatists. The need to keep classified information a secret was a challenge that he was familiar with all too well. "I do have one trick up my sleeve. But I do need you all to understand, I am not trying to attack or do any sort of harm. I am merely showcasing our unique abilities, that might be from beyond your galaxy." He looked at the audience, all of whom eyed the Master Jedi warily. Obi-Wan then looked at Lord Hood, "If I may."
The Jedi was me with tired and aging eyes, yet there was warmth beneath them. Lord Hood looked around, seeing the guarding ODSTs on standby for anything to occur. His eyes then landed on the two Spartans standing all so close to the Extra-Galactics, both of whom looked at him in return.
"Admiral Hood, it is quite alright if I have anything to say. You can say that, it's more of a party trick than anything more sinister, although he may be putting more harm upon himself than to anyone around him." The blue AI that stood confidently on her pedestal next to the orange Alien said to Hood.
"And why would that be?"
"It's been putting more of a strain on him for reasons you may have read on your report. About the microorganisms they call Midichorians."
Hood thought for a bit, he did read the entire report in a matter of an hour. It was a priority read after all, but his instincts made his gaze fall upon the Spartans once more. Knowing there's no group in the galaxy who were loyal not only to the UNSC, but to humanity. Who's very lives were dedicated to the safety and well being of all humans. He trusted their commitment, and he trusted their judgment. So all it took was a simple nod from the Master Chief to agree.
"Then you may, Mister Kenobi."
The Jedi Master bowed. Standing straight up, he eyed the datapad that was on the Fleet Admiral's part of the table. WIth all the Force he could muster within himself, an extended hand and a few seconds was all it took for datapad to start floating right in front of their eyes. All the officers and scientists within the room gasped, all stood up to see the sight. More whispers and murmurs ementated from all around, all astounded by the sight.
"Lysithea?" Parangosky asked, and the AI got to explaining, all for the whole room to hear.
"The reports by Dr. Halsey are accurate. I am reading a strange energy source coming from the Extra-Galactic man. This energy source seems to be wrapped around the datapad, making it levitate off the table."
"What kind of energy source?"
"Unknown. Nothing in all of our database, not even in all of our time combating the Covenant, have we seen this type of energy source."
The ONI director nodded. "And if the Covenant had these kinds of abilities, we wouldn't stand a chance. Calm yourself General Strauss." The General didn't make eye contact, and merely scoffed, clearly not finished. As he did, Obi-Wan lets the datapad go, with Hood catching it. Aayla is quickly by his side, before the Jedi Master has a chance to collapse to the ground.
"Are you well Mister Kenobi?" Hood asked, seeing the slumped form of said Jedi.
Obi-Wan politely extracts himself from Aayla, before looking back at the Admiral. "I'm fine, thank you for asking. It has been more difficult to use my abilities recently."
"I see." Hood then taps a button on his Datapad. Looking around he sees others doing the same, before the results come back to his datapad. "Fortunately, your stunt was not in vain, as the majority of those present in this session have agreed with the evidence to prove that you are indeed from another galaxy."
Admiral Block raised an eyebrow. "That quickly? You're just gonna trust us after that?"
Lord Hood sighs, with his laced hands and elbows on the hard table. "Desperate times are unfortunately short, and we are running out of options here."
"On top of that, our Fleet Admiral Hood here is known to take a lot of risks. Trusting you is just the most recent one." Parangosky remarked.
"But it is also why we are gathered here today, because of you." The Fleet Admiral stood up, and with his hands behind his back he asked. "So to get this meeting started, what is it that you want from the UNSC?"
"Thank the Force, we're going back home!"
Ahsoka exclaimed, as she laid down on the luxurious bed. It was a grueling four hours of debriefing, and they weren't even finished. The next day would be a day of even more debriefing, negotiations, and interviews. But luckily the Fleet Admiral recognized the exhaustive state of those being questioned, so he halted the proceedings for the day.
The more prominent members of the Extra-Galactic group were escorted to a luxury high rise, and under the protection of ONI, they would reside there for the time being. Luckily the high rise provided all the comfortable amenities, alongside a breathtaking view of the city of Sydney. Although not exactly massive, on the scale of Coruscant, Sydney did have much more green compared to the dense urban environment of the city planet.
"Don't mean to burst your bubble, but I wouldn't celebrate too early." Ahsoka looked at the source of the voice, to see Cortana standing on a lit pedestal, next to the bed. "Even though we have proper experts in the field looking into your high priority case, they still don't know as much as they want."
Ahsoka grimaced, promptly sitting back up. "You're right, I think I got too excited."
"Hey, like I said, I didn't want to ruin your mood." The AI said in a soothing voice. "It's okay to get excited, I just don't want you to jinx yourself." She continued with a warm smile.
"Well, the thing is, Jedi don't believe in those kinds of superstitions. Jinxs or luck." The former padawan thought back to all the times any 'jinxs' or 'good luck' were uttered, and were promptly shut down by any Jedi, minus a few.
But the AI chuckled. "Well, I have a green hunk of muscle that can prove the latter otherwise."
Ahsoka tilted her head at the hologram. "The Master Chief is lucky?"
"Among other things, yes. I would consider him a very lucky individual." She smiled, but it faded when something else popped in her mind. "Lucky and tortured."
"Tortured?"
"You don't get to where the Spartans are naturally. He trained to become a Spartan at a young age, and then they also became Spartans at a young age."
Ahsoka didn't respond immediately, processing the information that was given to her by Cortana. "You know, this is the most I've learned about the Spartans ever since I first met Six on Reach. You're all really tight-lipped about everything regarding the Spartans."
"With good reason."
"Then why are you telling me this?"
"Because I see too much of the Spartan program in your Jedi order, and it's… disturbing to me." There was a pregnant pause in-between them. Cortana's tone made it sound like it was a bad thing. But looking back at her previous experiences with the Jedi Order, Ahsoka was starting to realize something. "I made a vow to The Master Chief. He doesn't know about it because it's more of a personal promise, but I promised to protect him. Protect him from anyone who would harm him, because under his almost impenetrable armor, is someone who has been through so much, and had many things taken from him."
Ahsoka didn't need any more details to piece together what Cortana was implying. "The Jedi don't take children, there needs to be consent."
"That doesn't excuse your order from sending children into battle. And I'm not saying the UNSC is any better, but you said it yourself. You were only fourteen years old when you first started fighting in this war, fourteen. No matter the circumstance, who would let a child fight in a war?" Cortana leaned in closer to her,"Are you a Padawan, or a soldier?" The Togruta didn't put that much thought into it at first, but now she realized that she was quite young when she entered the war.
She remembers the other initiates with her, who she trained with, and those who to this day are still alive. A child died whilst fighting a war, a thought that now began to haunt her. She has protected many civilians while fighting, many were older or hauntingly as old as she was, and she was fighting a war to protect them. And the amount of dead she saw as well, many her age. It was always a tragedy to see innocent victims falling. But thinking about it now, the dead her age were just children, children who had bright futures ahead of them, now struck dead before her. Children like she was, and in a few aspects, she still is. A child fighting in a war.
"What are you trying to get at?"
Cortana didn't immediately respond, the AI just stood there, looking rather forlorn at the former Padawan. "Just watch yourself, okay Ahsoka? But if you can't watch out for yourself, know that there are those who will always have your back."
"Like you?"
"Yeah, technically. I mean, I already lookout for the Chief, what's one more right?" The AI laughs, and the Togruta lightens up and smiles back. "It also helps that you're one of the UNSC's priorities, and must be protected at all costs. So having your back is practically one of my current objectives."
Ahsoka was about to question it, until she once again came upon another realization. "That was a long way just to tell me that you'll be there for me." She smiled, ever since her departure from the Jedi Order, it almost did feel like it was just her against the world. There were those like Aayla who helped her, and it was nice to see people having her back, but Master Secura still had a duty to the Order. Once her favor was complete, it would've been just her against the world once more. But looking at Cortana, it felt nice to know that she had people looking out for her. "Thank you, I really appreciate it."
"No problem, sweetie."
That got Ahsoka's attention, as she looked at the AI with a cocked eyebrow. "Sweetie?"
"What? You don't like it?"
The Togruta thought about it for a bit, before a memory resurfaces, and chuckles. "Back at the Order, there was a Master who called me Little 'Soka." She shrugged. "Just reminded me of him." He was one of the only few Masters who stood by her, when the rest of the Council wasn't.
"That's really endearing, they must've been a good person."
Ahsoka smiles. "One of the best." She then looks at Cortana, who is now seated with her legs crossed. Her features were soft as she looked at the young Togruta. "I.. as long as 'Sweetie' isn't insulting in your galaxy."
"Nooo, really?"
"Your sarcasm has been noted, you should talk to Master Kenobi."
"I did, we get along too well at times."
Both laughed, as their conversations evolved to other topics. But what the former Padawan didn't realize, was that the AI she was talking to, just made another vow.
"Are you well Master Secura?"
The second day of talks ended in a rather uneventful manner, lasting for over thirteen hours. The length of the talks were necessary, as all the right information needed to be shared, and accurate, less they messed up and the Republic reinforcement fleet would've been grossly under-prepared to fight the Covenant. Along with the briefings and intel gathering, there were also the interviews, many by doctors, or specific academics, regarding anything and everything about the Twi'leks and various other species in their galaxy. From biology, to their culture and societies, all the information recorded and kept safe.
It was a grueling day to say the least, reminiscent of the amount of red tape the Republic had to offer. But in the end of the day, it was all necessary, one omission of information could cost the lives of many, and this was the price of returning home. But that rationale didn't save Aayla from the headache.
"I could be better, I'm just enjoying the view." The cityscape was rather visually appealing. But Sydney was still a metropolis, like the familiar city planet, so she just enjoyed the peace and quiet of the room, and the appealing skyline her window offered.
But even the skyline couldn't distract from what's been clouding around in her head, and it partially related back to her conversation yesterday with Master Kenobi. Her Order, the ones who gave her a home, a duty and a meaning to her life. The Jedi Order provided so many things, and yet at the start of their war, the Order she grew accustomed to was starting to tread a different path. It bothered her, wondering if it was always like this, or if the war had swayed the Order to this specific direction. All her doubts stemmed from a friend she's been trying to get through since meeting him.
"Is there something in your mind Master Secura?" Aayla looked at the AI assigned to Six. The Jedi hasn't spoken to many AIs since arriving in this Galaxy. It wasn't intentional, things were either busy or downright hectic, there wasn't much time to talk to the holographic entity that was more alive than any droid she has ever met.
"How much do you know about the Spartans?" She had to ask, it wasn't only to get to know Six, but for reasons she continually grew nervous about.
Kalmiya frowned. "You know I can't tell you, right?"
"What can you tell me about the Spartans? Anything that wasn't discussed in all the meetings I had today?"
"Well, I can tell you everything that the Office of Naval Intelligence has declassified to the public. Yet I have a feeling that won't satisfy you." There was a pause between the two. Aayla didn't have the energy to be frustrated, and her Jedi training screamed at her to not lash out. Yet uneasiness continued to grow within her.
"No, unfortunately…"
"Why do you want to know all of a sudden? Is this a way to get closer to Six?" Kalmiya gently asked, her bioscans showing human changes within the Twi'lek that suggests she is feeling rather stressed and exhausted. "If you're worried about Six being kidnapped at a young age to become a Spartan, I can safely tell you that he wasn't forced to become a Spartan."
"That's not the re- wait, are you certain?" That caught the Twi'lek by surprise.
"Yes, he did not become a Spartan without his consent. I knew that going into cryo without being given an answer can be irritating, but the Spartans are tight-lipped about everything regarding anything about them. No matter how small it is. I apologize if that's the case."
Aayla sighed, at least it was one question that was answered. "While that is relieving to hear, that's not why I want to know more about your Spartans."
"If this is confidential, then I would highly recommend you tell Admiral Hood or Admiral Parangosky."
"No, it's nothing like that. It's more in the barriers within my own galaxy." The Twi'lek master looked out into the Sydney skyline.
"Then what is it? Do you need someone to talk to? Master Kenobi? Ahsoka Tano? Six? If not, I could at least listen to you, I've been told many times that I'm a great listener." Kalmiya lightly chuckled, hell all AIs were good listeners.
Aayla remained silent, unknowing whether to take her up on that offer. But thinking about it more, it made sense that she'd be talking to her. Master Kenobi was still ever faithful to the Order, Ahsoka recently lost her faith in the Order, and Six was a Spartan. She needed to talk to someone who could see it from all sides and none. Finally making her decision, the Jedi Master turned to the AI.
"Okay, I guess I have you. Don't worry, this has nothing to do with the UNSC, The Covenant, or the war. It's more of a personal issue, I suppose. So can you do me a favor, and keep this just between us?"
Kalmiya nodded. "You can count on me!"
The Twi'lek nodded. "Alright..." She hesitated, before spilling her worries. "The Jedi Order has stood for many years, to uphold peace and justice in our galaxy. In order to uphold this peace and justice, Jedi must follow the code. Although the code covers many aspects of our duty, some of its tenets are… complicated. Be mindful of your emotions so they never affect your choices, never form attachments as they may lead to negative emotions which is a path to the dark side."
The AI grimaced, thinking how she would never become a Jedi, even if she wasn't an AI at all. Yet the way she explained the Order and their code, she could tell where this was going.
"I can see where this is going."
Aayla nodded. "You Spartans would have been great Jedis. I wouldn't be surprised if my Order used the Spartans as their example of what a Jedi should be and how they should act." They both share a short laugh, although it was short lived as the Jedi frowned. "And that's what worries me." She looked at the red AI, and saw the holographic woman with a confused face.
"I don't want to be a Spartan." Aayla stated. "I want to fight against injustice, for peace and prosperity, but at the cost of myself? If the Jedi Order continues to go down this path, the Jedi will be nothing more than machines fighting for what is right." She looked squarely at the AI, to emphasize her plight. "It does not help that the Jedi were once peacekeepers, yet now we chose a side and are actively fighting for it. With how our way of thinking has evolved, we are well on our way to become very similar to your Spartans." She couldn't help but think back to her conversation she had with Six, right before going into cryo. To see oneself as a mere number, or worse yet, a statistic. It horrified her.
"When I look at Six, at The Master Chief, I can't help but think about what was taken from them. To look at their own lives almost needlessly, in the guise for the betterment of all." Even if the priority was to the majority, the fact that there was no hesitation for Six to sacrifice himself bothered her. She couldn't help but wonder under all that armor; how much is machine, and how much is man? "Like all lives matter, but your own."
"Sometimes, that is the price." Aayla turned her gaze back to the AI, not realizing she had inadvertently wandered back to looking at the skylines. "I don't like it either, it is my job to protect Six. But it is also my job to protect humanity, and Six has the same commitments. But sometimes the price of those commitments is yourself. Sometimes figuratively, a lot of the times literally."
"I know." The Jedi couldn't help but think back to Master Ima-Gun Di, and his heroic last stand for her people in Ryloth. "The few for the many…"
"Yet I do see where you're coming from." Kalmiya chuckled. "You and Cortana are strangely in sync with each other." Aayla raised an eyebrow. "She told me she has this running gag with the Chief, always wondering who was more of a machine, her or the big green." A small light hearted moment that made Aayla smile, and the AI chuckle. "But you're not the first to come down to the same conclusion. Cortana did as well. Question is now, what does this have to do with knowing about the Spartan program?"
Aayla didn't answer immediately, wanting to have the moment to contemplate her thoughts. "When we were on Reach, I made an effort to know more about Six, and get closer. It was because I knew that he would be intrinsically tied to us, for better or worse. Now with this recent plight, Six has become more essential to me than as a guide in this new galaxy." Stepping away from the window, the Jedi rested upon her bed. Her back firmly on the cushion, as she stared at the ceiling. "If I knew more about the Spartan program, maybe I could help Six. Get through to him, and if I'm successful, just maybe there is hope for my Order. Hope that we won't be machines fighting for good, and hope that it would also help Six at the end of the day." She sat back up, and looked at the pedestal where Kalmiya was. "Well, that's the plan anyways. And it's also what's been in my mind ever since I woke up from cryo sleep."
The atmosphere significantly dulled between the two, as Kalmiya processed what the Twi'lek Jedi was going through. She understood where the Jedi was coming from, and luckily her issue didn't affect the UNSC at all. Well, it did affect one of its assets, that being B312.
"I can't give you anything more regarding the Spartans, I'm sorry Aayla."
The Jedi nodded. "I understand, and thank you for listening." She was about to walk into the bathroom to refresh, before the AI called back to her.
"I'm not done yet." She turned to the still lit pedestal. "Talk to him, he is the center of your issue. And while my lips are sealed, if you do manage to gradually get to him, maybe he'll let you in on a few things. One thing Spartans appreciate is trust. And I would say, trust the process, because I think your instincts are correct. You'll be seeing a lot more of him in the future ahead, fighting alongside each other. I'm pretty sure you'll gain his trust and get to him." The AI smiled at the Jedi. Before she could say anything however, Kalmiya made a gesture that suggested she got a notification. "Heads up Master Secura, Admiral Hood extended an invitation to you."
"An invitation?"
"Yes, tomorrow there's going to be an award ceremony taking place in Cairo Station, orbiting around Earth. Six, The Master Chief and others would be the recipients to the awards. Admiral Hood has extended an invitation to you, saying it'll be a welcome break from all the interviews and coming meetings."
It would be a welcome break, but these were trying times for the UNSC. Said times were also short, as anytime the Covenant could appear in the system, and humanity's last stand would inevitably take place.
"Who is going?"
"Ahsoka said she'll be attending, along with Commander Bly, Clone troopers Nik and Bezel. Master Kenobi will not be in attendance, as well as Admiral Block and Commander Cody." Kalmiya paused, as she looked in another direction for a moment, before returning her gaze to the Jedi Master before her. "Actually Master Kenobi just contacted me, he's asking you to supervise Ahsoka and the Clones."
"And no doubt represent the Order as well." Aayla nodded as it made sense. "Alright, I'll be coming as well."
The AI smiled. "Who knows, this could be your first step in knowing more about Six!"
"The plating was about to fail, there's viscosity throughout the gel layer."
The thump suggests that the Gunnery Sergeant tossed something upon the metal table. "Optics, totally fried. And let's not even talk about the power supply. You know how expensive this gear is, son?" Another thump, followed by the hiss of a Mjolnir helmet attaching back to the rest of its armor.
"Tell that to the Covenant."
Six scoffed, a small smile hidden beneath his new helmet. He too recently just got his very own Mjolnir Mark VI. His armor looks practically identical to his Mark V, yet now with the added Mark VI components. He also had the new function of being able to house Kalmiya in his armor, thanks to the super conductor layer that acted as a memory processor. Now, much like the Chief, he can talk to Kalmiya at any time, and have her accompany him in any mission.
So as the Master Chief was going through diagnostics, the Spartan-III just looked out the window. Observing the Orbital Defense Platforms, and Home Fleet constantly arranging and patrolling the system, ready for an attack that is inevitably coming. A kaleidoscope of moving ships; always shifting, patrolling, on the move to cover their sectors. But never did they move past the barrel of an ODP, always vigilant to punch a hole through a Covenant ship.
Six heard the sound of the elevator door opening, and the familiar footsteps that followed. "That, or they can both hide behind me. You done with my boys here, Master Gunns? I don't see any training wheels."
The Gunnery Sergeant looked at both Spartans, before looking at Johnson. "Their armors are working fine Johnson, especially ONI's Grim Reaper. His Mark V was somehow more banged up then the Chief's here, know how that happened? Did he jump into a grinder?"
The Sergeant laughed. "Found him just like that, tough sonuvabitch. Ain't they?" He grinned widely, looking at the Spartans as if they were his sons.
"They sure are Johnson. They're both fine, and free to go." Six and The Master Chief began approaching the elevator. "Just take things slow, especially you Grim Reaper. I don't want to see you here, means something's wrong."
"Or maybe I want a gun." Six replied.
The Gunnery Sergeant laughed. "Exactly, something's wrong."
"Don't worry, I'll hold both their hands." With that, Johnson gripped both hands of the Spartan, as he led them both to the elevator. Letting go as soon as they turned to face the Gunnery Sergeant.
"So Johnson, when you gonna tell me how you made it back home in one piece?"
"Sorry Gunns, it's classified."
"Huh, my ass! Well you can forget about those adjustments to your A2 sco-" The doors closed before he could say anymore, and the elevator proceeded up to the ODP's tram system.
"Well, he's in a particularly fine mood. Maybe Lord Hood didn't give him an invitation." The elevator stopped on the platform, where an empty Tram awaited them. "Earth, haven't seen it in years." The trio steps onto the Tram, and it starts moving.
Six overlooks the incredible sight that is Earth, and the home fleet guarding it. It's quite the feast for the eyes, hundreds of moving pieces in a work of art. For military enthusiasts, it was a holy sight, for everyone else aware of their position in the war, it was a sad picture. This was it, all that is left between the Covenant and their home planet, nothing else stood in their enemy's way. This was humanity's last stand.
The Spartan-III looked over, to see Johnson just talking, while The Master Chief too looked at Earth, Home Fleet, and the ODPs. He didn't know if his fellow Hyper-Lethal had the same thought process, because all he saw in the golden visor was the reflection of his vision, staring out the observation windows.
The Tram stops, and both Spartans are met with a crowd of cheering Marines, staff, a news crew and their camera drone.
"You told me there wouldn't be any cameras." The Chief said, his tone suggests he was more surprised than actually annoyed.
"And you told me you both were gonna wear something nice! Folks need heroes, Chief." The trio stops in front of the door, and Johnson takes his cap off to smooth out his hair. "So smile, would ya? While we've still got something to smile about." The door opens, and the full reception is realized. As dozens, if not tens of dozens of people in uniforms alike all cheered, as the trio made their way through Cairo station's Bridge.
Walking through the congregation, they made their way to the front, where Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood, and many other Officers, Commanders, and Captains awaited their arrival. Suddenly, Six's HUD glowed red, as in the bottom right of his vision, Kalmiya appeared in a small window.
"Your new friends are here in attendance today as well. Give them a wave." There, an objective marker was placed to the right side of the room. There, a one-way glass panel looked over the entire Bridge of the Cairo. The Spartan-III only gave a small nod towards that window. In the window of his HUD, Kalmiya smiled. "They appreciate it Six, I'm so proud of you!" She winked out of his HUD before he could frown.
At last, the trio arrived at the front of Bridge, right in front of Lord Hood. They all saluted the Fleet Admiral, with him returning the salute.
"Gentlemen, we're lucky to have you back." An Officer whispered something to him, before turning his attention to the Pedestal, where the Chief's AI manifested herself. "Go ahead Cortana."
"Another whisper, Sir, near Io. We have probes on route."
"I apologize, but we're gonna have to make this one quick." Hood addressed the recipients before retrieving a medal.
Cortana looked at Chief. "You look nice."
"Thanks." "Thank you." Both Chief and Johnson glanced at each other for a moment. Cortana giggled before turning her attention to Six.
"You look nice as well, Six." The Spartan-III gave her a firm nod, before returning his attention to Hood, who began to give his reward to him.
"Lieutenant, The Legion of Honor is given to those who surpass their duty through selfless acts of heroism, and through the fires of combat. Your actions throughout the many battles are a merit to your character." The Admiral hands the Medal to Six, as there wasn't anywhere for him to attach it. Six looks at the Medal in the palm of his hand, but as he looks at his Medal, he fails to see Lord Hood with two cases, both of them with the same Medals.
Six looks up to see a somber Admiral. "Lieutenant, your team leader, and teammate action's were in line with the highest traditions of military service. Their courage in the face of impossible odds reflects great credit upon themselves, and of the UNSC. We lost two of our best." He hands over two cases, with the same Medal he has. Both of them with their respective names labeled on the containers.
CARTER-A259
EMILE -A239
'You're on your own Noble… Carter out.'
'I'm ready! How 'bout you?'
Their voices echo in his head, as he looks at their Medals, and their names. Six looks back up to see the somber Admiral still looking at him, more worriedly now.
"I'm sorry, son." He says as he rests a hand on his armored shoulders. "I already gave the other two Medals to Jun." He finished, and with a reassuring smile, he moved down the line, awarding Johnson with his Colonial Cross. Once out of his line of sight, Six returned his attention to the two cases he held. They were the only things he had now to remember them by, besides his own memories.
"Six, you okay?" Kalmiya's voice rang out within his helmet, but he didn't immediately respond. Still looking at where the Admiral was, before looking back down to the other two Medals in his hands. "Six?"
"I'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" Another pause, as the Admiral moved over to The Master Chief.
"Yes."
No one really spoke afterwards, as Kalmiya believed Six needed his space to process his loss. It was undeniable that the loss of his team was something that burdened the poor Spartan. She had access to all his readings thanks to their connection, noticing a sharp change the moment his eyes rested upon the Medals of his fallen teammates.
Looking down the line of recipients, the red AI noticed an addition. Commander Miranda Keyes is now in line with them, accepting her fathers Medal.
"Looks like you're not the only one with the same reaction." She said to her Spartan, with him turning to look down the line.
Like with what happened to him, Admiral Hood placed a comforting hand on Miranda's shoulder, offering her his deepest sympathies with his sad smile. With the Admiral returning to the front of the Bridge, she looked back down to her father's Medal, sorrow apparent on her face. Feeling his gaze, she slowly turned to the Spartan-III. She sees Six holding two similar Medal cases, and gives the Spartan a reassuring smile. Six responds with his own nod.
Their moment is ruined when the klaxons start to blare. Red emergency lights contrast with the pure bright colors of the room around them.
"Slipspace ruptures directly off our battle cluster." Cortana informs the Admiral.
"Show me." The board activates to show the position of a Covenant fleet approaching Earth.
This is it. Humanity's last stand commences.
"Fifteen Covenant capital ships, holding positions just outside the killzone." Cortana reports.
"This is Fleet Admiral Harper, we are engaging the enemy." Admiral Harper was about to move, before Hood belays the order.
"Negative Admiral, form a defensive perimeter around the cluster." Hood then turns to Miranda. "Commander, get to your ship, await the VIPs then get back to the planetside."
"But sir, I can fight." She tries to refute.
"Not with those VIPs." Hood said as he returned his attention back to the board behind him. "You have the MAC gun, Cortana. As soon as they come in range, open up."
"Gladly."
"Kalmiya, I need you to run up on the ODPs defenses and security. If I know their playbook, they'll directly attack our guns, or board them to take them offline."
"Understood Admiral."
Hood eyes the Covenant fleet through their monitor, noticing a discrepancy. "Something's not right. The fleet that destroyed Reach was fifty times this size."
"Sir, additional contacts!" An Officer called out from their station. They linked up their data to the main board, showing the dozens of boarding craft being deployed, and flanking their fleet to reach the ODPs. "Boarding craft, and lots of them!"
"I knew it. Kalmiya, double time it"
"On it!"
"B312." Hood looked at the Spartan-III. "Escort the VIPs and Commander Keyes to the In Amber Clad, you'll have ONI support to help you." Then he turns to The Chief. "Master Chief, defend this station."
"Yes sir." The Chief looks at Johnson. "I need a weapon."
The Sergeant gives him a grin. "Right this way." The two promptly depart, leaving the two grieving souls.
Commander Keyes looks up at the Spartan with determination. "Come on, I know the way."
"Lead the way ma'am."
There was no time for discretion.
Flanked by ONI security forces; Ahsoka, Aayla, Bly, Nik and Bezel were being openly led through the corridors of Cairo station. Marines gave them a wide berth, seeing the non-humans incited hostile or curious looks. They were being led by a blonde female agent in armor similar to that of what Spartans would wear.
"Right this way." She said as she led them to a staging ground, where soldiers were arming themselves to the teeth. Assault rifles, battle rifles, shotguns, DMRs, SAWs, anything they could get their hands on that sprayed bullets down range.
"Why don't we just use the trams? We got here on them." Bezel questioned the agent.
"Those trams are slow. We'll be fish in a moving barrel, and it'll only take one good grenade to impede and kill us." Her strict tone made the usually cynical Clone stand down.
To ease the tension, the former Padwan spoke. "Excuse me, but we didn't get your name." Ahsoka said as she ran up behind her. The ONI security personnel flinched, and reached for their weapons. But without looking at their direction, the agent signaled them to stand down.
"Just call me Dare." She kept leading the group, without even looking back at Ahsoka. They continued to make their way through the staging ground. Reaching the middle was Six, holding an M739 SAW in his hands. Beside him was Commander Keyes, still in her ceremonial wear, but now wielding an M7 SMG.
"Come on! We have to move quickly, we're already getting reports of boarding action on other platforms." Miranda looked at the arriving group, before turning heels and heading towards the corridors of the ODP. Dare followed suit, along with the Clones, and Aayla. Six started moving alongside Ahsoka, who noticed and looked at him.
"This is more your size." He gave her an M6C Magnum.
"I don't know whether I should be thankful, or offended." She replied, noticing how smaller this pistol was compared to the one he gave her on Reach. Hearing her answer, Six reached for her weapon. Ahsoka instantly pulled away from his offending hand. "I can handle it, don't worry."
Nodding, Six ran up to the front of the group, leading the way with Keyes and Dare. The group was about to enter through a blast door when it refused to automatically open. Reaching for the panel, Dare stops when burning sparks come from the gaps of the door.
"They're cutting through, get ready!" Dare calls out, signaling her men to take up defensive positions. A few get on the patios in the corridor with glass railings, while the Clones take cover behind the plants and UNSC deployed covers. "Men! Defend the VIPs with your life, understood!?"
"Yes Ma'am!" They all got ready for the fight, with not a shred of hesitance.
Aayla activates her lightsaber, with Ahsoka readying her magnum, and Six practically standing in the middle, with no cover whatsoever. "Six! Get to cover!" Bly scolds the Spartan, but Six doesn't budge.
"I don't need to." He says, as the door bursts open, and Grunts start to pour through.
Immediately, a torrent of energy shots, bullets, and blaster fire stormed the lonely corridor. Six stood like a mountain, tanking Covenant fire, while never ceasing on the trigger of his massive weapon. Ahsoka was by Bly's side, pulling the trigger of her easier to control Magnum. Precise shots would satisfyingly drop a Grunt dead with one shot. The longer she used her gun, the more accurate she was becoming. The Clones were faring better, as the Grunts would often clutter together, making them a bigger target. But that didn't make it any easier, as they constantly ducked under their green fire.
One particular close incident had Bezel narrowly miss a charged shot. In a terrifying display of Covenant technology, the shot would've been a complete miss at first, if it didn't curve towards the Clone. Bly saw it first, as he tackled the clone to the ground, with the charge shot zipping above them, and to the ground behind them. It sizzled green and melted the flooring away like it was nothing.
"I owe you one commander."
"Then stop pestering Six please."
"I'll take it back." Bly groaned, and returned back to shooting the Grunt horde.
Aayla stayed by the flank, waiting until one of the Covenant soldiers got too close before she could strike them down with her lightsaber. It was only now she realized they were only fighting Grunts, especially when an invisible blur right beside her ignited an Energy Sword.
"Their elites are invisible, be careful!" Aayla shouted out, and with her Jedi training she acted instantly. Locking blades with the invisible threat, before retaliating with her own flurry of strikes. Their blades clashed together with such an alien sound; deflecting, blocking, and supposed lethal strikes were parried away. None of them managed to get an upper hand, with the Jedi understanding how skilled these Elites were with their Energy swords. Preferring quick and direct action, over long duels. It completely caught the Jedi off guard about how aggressive these things were.
A well-timed roll got her out of the way of an overhead strike, and got her in perfect view of a few ONI security guards. Almost immediately, one of them was met with a grisly end when an energy sword was thrusted through their chest. Said Elite saw her engaging with another in a bladed duel, and quickly approached her to finish the job.
Six only ceased the trigger when he needed to reload, otherwise he wouldn't be able to keep the horde of Grunts at bay. Right when he was about to reload, an elite rushed towards him and thrusted a sword towards him. It slashed through the SAW, splitting it into two pieces, with said Elite coming down with an overhead strike. Managing to deflect it by hitting its hand, Six was also able to steal the weapon from his enemy. With a back swipe using the Energy Sword, the Spartan-III decapitates the Elite.
Quickly taking in the fight with his Spartan time, he saw the ONI officer plunge a knife into an Elite's neck, with the Clones and Ahsoka taking care of the Grunts, and what's left of the ONI security force covering and treating the wounded. But at their flank, he noticed a blur coming towards the Jedi Master, who was preoccupied by fighting another Elite with their swords.
So with a glance at his Energy sword, he pulled it back. Ready to throw.
Aayla struggled to keep an eye on the oncoming blur, while also fighting the one she was locking blades with. Until all of a sudden, a light seemingly flew out of nowhere impaled the blur, sticking it onto the wall.
The Elite that Aayla was facing was distracted for a moment, briefly surprised at the demise of its brethren. But it was long enough for the Jedi to parry its blade away and impale her opponent with her lightsaber. The alien dropping dead, the Jedi retracted the still ignited energy sword from the dead elite by the hilt. Finding the button to turn it off, she approached Ahsoka and offered it to her.
"Thanks Aayla.."
Aayla looked at the Spartan who covered her back, seeing him pick up some plasma grenades from the ground. He looked at her, and gave her a nod. She returned the gesture.
"They're pulling back, we have to go! Now's our chance!" Dare yelled out, as she pulled her knife out of a dead Elite. Before she could return it to her sheathe, the whole room rattled. As a matter of fact, the entire ODP shook for a moment.
Spotting a nearby pedestal, Six approached it. "Kalmiya, what was that?" His AI appeared.
"The Malta was just destroyed, right after the Covenant made a hasty retreat off the platform."
"That's not good, all the more reason we need to keep moving." Dare reinforced her earlier comment.
"I know we're in the middle of a crucial battle, but you seem more in a hurry than the rest of us." Nik spoke up for the first time.
But the ONI agent didn't even bat an eye, as her security team rallied by her. "Our Spartans aren't the only ones with important missions. I need to be somewhere else, and it isn't here." Gun and plasma fire ementated from just ahead of the group. "Let's go!" No else argued, as they all began to move.
They ran down the corridor, passing by debris, fires, and the occasional casualty from either side, mainly their own. Six led the group, as he was practically a walking wall with his shields. It proved invaluable when turning the corner, they were met with plasma fire from a turret, down the far end of the corridor.
"How's it look?" Miranda asked as she readied her SMG.
"Two elites, eleven grunts, one of them is pinning us down with a turret." Six heard it about to turn the corner. One of the elites was about to raise its plasma rifle at them, but suddenly Aayla was quicker and thrusted her lightsaber straight into the chest of the elite. "Now one elite." But before the dead alien could drop to the floor, Six grabbed onto it. "Give me covering fire." He said as he rushed into the corridor.
Using the dead Elite as a shield, he ran straight for the grunt on the turret. Said grunt let loose a hail of plasma, mainly hitting the dead Elite, but at times it did hit Six. But the Spartan received the most fire at the surrounding Grunts, who all were shooting at him. Luckily it didn't last long, as the group turned the corner and started shooting the Grunts as well.
As he neared the turret's position, with his free hand Six activated a plasma grenade. With a lot of effort, Six threw what was left of the corpse he was carrying towards the Grunt manning the turret. And with the speed of a car, the carcass hit and instantly killed the Grunt. Behind the turret, where the other Elite was using its plasma rifle as well, Six threw the plasma grenade at it. Sticking onto its target, the Elite roared, before charging straight at him. But the grenade exploded first, knocking the Spartan back, and taking his shields out as well.
"Six!" The two non-humans rushed to his side. Somewhat dazed by the resulting explosion, he was still combat capable. As he promptly got up, and awaited for the sound of his shields recharging.
"I'm fine."
The rest of the group caught up to where the trio stood. WIth the Clones witnessing the near-suicidal heroics of the Spartan, Bezel descided to voice his opinion. "You sir, are insane."
"That's probably the first compliment I've ever heard you give Bezel." Nik said, as said Clone picked up a plasma rifle.
"Who said it was?"
"Good, we're close to the In Amber Clad, let's hope the rest of the way is clear." Miranda said as she reloaded her SMG.
"Let's hope so. Our route was supposed to be the path of least resistance." Dare checked her weapon with her ever present frown.
Then the sound of SMG fire came from behind them. Everyone reacted by aiming their weapons to the source, hearing the cacophony of fire, along with the occasional plasma fire. It stemmed from one of the corridors that was closed off by glass doors. Said glass doors blew out, and a badly bleeding Elite came crawling out.
"I ain't done with you yet!" A familiar voice said, as the group saw the Elite being dragged back in. Another burst of SMG fire, and all was quiet. Stepping out from the glass mess, was none other than Sergeant Avery Johnson, and a few officers and Marines. The Sergeant was still in his ceremonial uniform, like his fellow Officers, while the Marines were in their BDUs. His uniform was especially unique, covered in colorful blood that wasn't red. "Who ordered calamari!?" The Sergeant gave a smug grin.
Everyone just stared back at the grizzled marine.
"Now who's more insane, Bezel?"
"Calamari? Are the Mon Calamari in this galaxy?"
"Calamari is a kind of seafood in this galaxy." Kalmiya explained.
Bezel laughed. "Don't think a Mon Cal would like that."
The last Grunt fell to their fire.
"Chief, Six, thanks. I'm pretty sure we all owe you one." Miranda said, as she looked down the gangway that led to her ship. As they were all about to run down to board the In Amber Clad, they were ambushed by another group of Elites and Grunts. Luckily The Master Chief coincidentally arrived, and with two Spartans now, they dealt with them quickly.
"Chief, get going. Six and I got the Commander." Johnson said.
"Negative, I have a new objective for you Noble Six." Admiral Hood came up in their comms as the Chief kept moving towards his destination. "Six, Kalmiya intercepted a Covenant transmission. They know that two Spartans are in this ODP, and they also know that the Cairo won't be taken down by their bomb. They're launching fighters to swarm our defenses and destroy the Cairo, that can't happen."
"Consider it done Admiral." The Spartan-III said as he began to move, until he heard a set of footsteps following him.
"I'm coming with you."
"Get back to the ship Aayla." He didn't even turn to face the Jedi, the Spartan kept marching to the nearby hangar bay.
"You'll need my help."
"I have Kalmiya."
"And another head will certainly help you."
"You're a VIP, you need to be protected."
"And you're a Spartan, an invaluable asset."
"You're really stubborn."
"Coming from you."
"Six, I know you've been alone for most of this war. But please, there are people who want to help you. Turning them away will hurt more than anything the Covenant can do." There was a pause, as the Spartan considered her words. "Besides, if they're successful in their mission, we'll be working closely with the Republic. Might as well get some experience in, right?"
"Ma'am, you need to get into the In Amber Clad, now." The Spartan and the Jedi turned, to see Dare looking at Aayla expectantly.
"I'm going with Six." The Twi'lek stood her ground.
But Dare wasn't having it. "No you're not, you're going into the ship."
But before Aayla could reinforce her stance, and Dare could take her arm, Six intervened. "Actually…" Six hesitated, with the ONI agent looking at him intently. With a sigh, he continued, "She's coming with me."
"That's not the mission."
"I'll take full responsibility." He snapped as he led the Jedi away with him. "Plus, I'll die before she can, that should be enough time for you to rescue her." Dare didn't immediately answer, knowing how stoic Spartans can be. But over the course of the entire war, she had learned one thing when it came to Spartans, they lived up to the name.
It wasn't often she trusted others to fulfill her mission, but knowing it was a Spartan, she knew she could rest easy. "Then you better put up a helluva fight, Spartan." Dare got the last word, as she rushed towards the In Amber Clad.
As the duo marched towards, Aayla looked at the Spartan. "Six?"
"Just don't make me regret this."
"I promise." Six only glanced at her for a moment, before they continued their stride to the nearest available Longsword.
The fighter launched out the Hangar Bay, with the cockpit inside rattling.
"Kal, handle navigation, and system operation. I'll do the flying, and Aayla…" Six looked at the Jedi. "...you'll be my co-pilot, you'll do the shooting. Clear?"
"I understand." Looking down at her controls, all she was met with was english. She could definitely fly, like most Jedi, she had her own starfighter. But it was the language barrier that mainly prevented her from flying like she did with her starfighter. Sure, there was also the unfamiliar technology, but she was adaptable and learned quickly. "I…"
"Let me fix that for you." Luckily the majority of the Longsword's UI was touchscreen, the few buttons present were labeled in displays. So with that the English words fizzled out, and were replaced by Aurebesh.
"Thank you Kalmiya." She said, as the Jedi started getting familiarized with her workstation.
"Please, call me Kal. Kalmiya is two syllables too long."
"What about Cortana?" The Twi'lek asked with a smirk.
"Kal sounds a lot cooler than Cor."
"Enough chatter you two. We got bandits incoming." Six put a stop to their small talk, as he maneuvered the fighter towards two Banshees flying in formation with a Seraph. "Engage."
"Copy." Using the provided joystick, and holographic overlay to show two different reticles. One showing where the weapon is aimed, and another showing where to aim to hit the enemy ships. Squeezing the trigger the Jedi felt a slight rumble of the ship everytime the cannons fired. It was a strangely pleasant feeling, knowing such firepower was being put to use.
The first few rounds hit one of the Banshees. It only took a few shots before completely destroying the fighter. Six moved Longsword a bit to the left, for Aayla to quickly switch the other Banshee. But her shots completely missed as the Banshee pulled evasive maneuvers to avoid getting hit.
"Our fighter can withstand Banshee fire, focus on the Seraph." And so she did, whittling down the shields of the Covenant craft. Eventually, the shield all but failed to withstand the powerful cannon. "Finish them off with our missles."
"How do I swit… got it!" Switching their armament to their missiles, Aayla fired two. Both hit their mark when the Seraph failed to lose them. "I got it!"
"Nice shooting Jedi." The Spartan let out a rare compliment, briefing glancing at her.
"I promised that you wouldn't regret it." She had a proud smile, while also taking a brief glance at Six. Before the moment could last any longer, Kalmiya set off the alarms.
"Enemy Banshee on our tail!" Kal called out, and in response the shoot shook from plasma impacts. Six attempted to dodge out of the way from another barrage of plasma fire, but the Banshee proved more agile, and kept up with ease.
"Six, don't know if we can shake them." Aayla looked at what she had on her display. Nothing standing out with the means of countering a Covenant fighter. But before the Banshee could do any real damage, Kalmiya detected friendly tags.
"Six, incoming friendly Longswords! Manta three and Manta five!"
"This is Manta three, engaging the bandit." Looking back at her sensors, the friendly fighters were able to successfully take out the Banshee. An explosion of purple and white lit up her sensors, and out of the fire came the two friendly Longswords. They positioned themselves neatly on both their sides, flying in a V-formation. "Manta three to unknown Longsword, are you our reinforcements that Admiral Hood promised?"
"This is Noble Six, we're your extra support. Were briefed on the situation?"
"Yes sir. Ready when you are."
The Spartan looked over to his two occupants. Kalmiya appeared in the middle of the cockpit, and both the AI and the Jedi looked at him with stone cold determination. Six let out a tiny scoff of confidence.
"Open fire, engage all hostile crafts."
"What did I miss?"
"Our defense platforms managed to whittle the carrier's shields down to its last legs. Won't be long until one of our ships gets to take it out completely." Miranda updated Johnson, as he ran back into the bridge of the Frigate to witness the absolutely massive battle before him.
Ahsoka and the Clones were also by the bridge, right behind Miranda. The space battle was intense to say the least, intense and almost heartbreaking. It was clear that the UNSC's ships were capable and powerful, but they couldn't stand against the Covenant. The amount of debris already floating was astronomical, and they occasionally saw a floating corpse of a poor soul who got sucked out into the vacuum.
"This isn't a battle, it's a massacre." Bly was the first to comment, his helmet still on, paranoid that if their ship was hit, at least he had some time and some air.
"Most of our battles are. We'd only win if we had more ships than them, and even then we'd still have a lot of casualties." Miranda still had her eye on the battle, always on the lookout for enemy small craft to attack them.
"What are we waiting for anyways?" Bezel exclaimed. "I thought we were going back planetside, that's where the action is!"
"Sure, but a short one if we don't have the Chief with us." The Sergeant lit his cigar. "Knowing him though, we'd have front row seats to what's probably gonna be an amazing sight." He puffed out a smoke, and faced the Extra-Galactics looking at him. "You guys got cigars in your galaxy?"
The Clones looked at each other, unsure of how to respond. "I don't know what cigars are, but people do smoke back at home." Nik replied, looking at the Sergeant with a questioning expression.
Before Johnson can say anything, one of the helmsmen updated the Commander. "Ma'am, the carrier's shields are down!"
Immediately Miranda contacted Admiral Hood. "Cairo, this is In Amber Clad."
"Also, what kind of name is 'In Amber Clad?"
"Better than anything you could come up with, Bezel." Nik chuckled at the other Clone's expense.
"The carrier's shields is down. I'm in position, and ready for immediate assault."
But the Admiral looked at his board, his grim expression letting them know what was going through his head. "Negative, Commander. Not against a ship that size. Not on your own."
Then, another voice entered the conversation. "Sir, permission to leave the station?" That caught everyone's attention. The Bridge went silent at the sound of the Chief's voice. Even the Extra-Galactics paid attention whenever he was in the room. Something about the Spartan's behavior and figure just inspired a wave of encouragement and awe.
"I guess he disarmed that bomb." Ahsoka mumbled, mainly to herself. Before returning her attention to the communique.
"For what purpose, Master Chief?"
"To give the Covenant back their bomb." There was a pause throughout the entire bridge, especially the Extra-Galactics. It sounded so simple, yet so heroic that a chill went down their spines. No one really questioned what the Chief was about to do, as they pretty much figured out what he was planning. Ahsoka couldn't help but smile a little, such a line could be said by her former Master.
"Permission granted."
While the two Clones were the most talkative of the group, talking about the Chief's actions, everyone else just kept either looking at the holographic display of Cairo Station, or out the window. Both offered a different perspective of the battle in front of them. At the holographic display, an alert was triggered in one of the hangar bays, it was opening. Before anyone can say anything, they all saw a familiar Spartan, getting aired out of the hangar bay, holding onto a large bomb. The Chief and the bomb was careening towards one of the massive Covenant Carriers.
"Apparently all Spartans are insane! Why go with the bomb?"
"To probably reactivate it once it's on target. Question is, how is he going to get in the carrier?"
Ahsoka couldn't take her eyes off the sight, it was something that wasn't heard of in her time with the Order and the Republic. Sure she went through her fair share of incredible and odd strategies and plans, but that was all because she was Anakin's padawan. That's when it hit her.
"I can see my old Master doing this." She said, with an awestruck smile.
"You mean General Skywalker, right?" Bly asked, as he looked on in horror. A UNSC ship too close to the carrier was absolutely obliterated by just one shot. Its destruction was a sight that the Commander couldn't take his eyes off of. Powerful energy weapons, he couldn't help but wonder if the Republic's ships could go toe-to-toe with a Covenant ship. Thinking about it, they might stand a chance, considering a number of Republic ships have shields. But how good those shields would be against Covenant plasma, Bly could only hope for the best.
"Yeah… it's something that he would do." Bly was brought back to their situation by Ahsoka, to the heroics of one certain Spartan. Before she could say anymore, three fighters came zooming past the Chief and the bomb.
"This is Noble Six, be advised Chief, I'm giving you your opening. Watch the flames." With that, the three fighter bombed the unshielded carrier, creating an opening for the Chief. Pulling up and narrowly avoiding crashing, all fighters zoomed away, dodging and countering the ship's defenses, along with a myriad of Banshees and Seraphs.
With Chief now within the bowels of the Carrier, it was a waiting game to see what would happen. Everyone was quiet, not a sound uttered, as they watched in rapt attention. Eventually, the holographic display showed Chief's IFF leaving the massive ship, and soon afterwards the complete destruction of the carrier. From the inside, the ship blew up, explosions riddled the surface before the ship was consumed by a fireball of purple and blue.
Everyone cheered, one Spartan just took down an entire Carrier. One Spartan killed thousands of Covenant forces by non-other than their own bomb.
The Togruta's smile never ceased, she couldn't get the image of Anakin doing something like this out of her head. And true to her former Master's style, the Chief flew straight for their ship, and ended with a mighty clunk.
"For a brick, he flew pretty good!" While everyone else returned to work, Ahsoka openly laughed at the Sergeant's comment. Said man pointed at her. "See, she gets it."
But Miranda just shook her head, and turned her attention to her console. "Chief, get inside, gear up. We're taking this fight to the surface. Six, we could use the added support."
"Admiral Parangosky!"
The Jedi Master marched through a crowded hall that is HIGHCOM. Ever since the start of the attack, the facility was abuzz with an activity. Officers, analysts, and other staff members were walking in all directions. Looking at screens, giving updates to the current situation, issuing orders, there were so many things happening around that Obi-Wan struggled to find the Admiral. But eventually he did, walking down another hallway surrounded by her agents.
"What are you doing here Master Kenobi? You were supposed to be escorted to a safe bunker." The Admiral said as she still kept walking down the hallway. Her eyes never left the datapad she held, weirdly enough she was making turns to avoid colliding with anyone in her way. If Obi-Wan didn't know any better, he would think she's Force-sensitive. But before looking deeper into it, he set his mind to why he was here in the first place.
"I'm offering you my assistance."
"You already did. And in order to fulfill that offer, you need to stay alive and get to that bunker immediately. Guards!" Her security personnel were about to grab the Jedi, but Obi-Wan insisted.
"I have a hundred and eleven skilled Clone troopers. Their training does not wholly center around fighting droids, but against any competent force, Covenant included-"
"That sounds like a very lousy sales pitch Master Jedi." The Admiral interrupted, her eyes now at him as she stopped. But the Negotiator continued with his talks.
"And I know that doesn't sound like a lot," Obi-wan gestured for her to calm down. "But you need everyone and anyone right now. You can't sacrifice troop deployment unless that means leaving the regarded area undefended. But this is your homeplanet, every soldier counts at this point, including some of your priority assets. And though I may be at a disadvantage, I am still skilled with my weapon and capabilities. I am offering you help, help that you cannot turn down."
Parangosky just looked at the Jedi, and sighed. He was right, they were up against the wall, and needed anything they got their hands on. ONI and the UNSC got lucky with these Extra-Galactics, but they were playing too close to their chest that it could cost them this war. Looking back to the man, she raised an eyebrow. It was certainly a risky play, something that Hood would do. But there was a reason why he's Fleet Admiral, and she had to commend him for that. So with a lot of things to lose, she decided to rip one out from Hood's plays.
"Can you get your walkers to Mombasa?"
"We can, but we can use some extra, um… your dropships. I forgot what they were called but, we could use your dropships to get our Clones there. Otherwise our Gunships will just follow your ships to the city."
But the Admiral had other plans. Reading up on the Jedi, with the intel provided by the two and the one former. Highly trained warrior monks with laser swords and an ability they didn't have here in their galaxy. They were often sent on special missions, but their stories always showed that they managed to stay on top of things, with the rare defeat here and there. Again, a risky play, but one that had the potential to bring a devastating blow against the Covenant.
"Actually I was wondering, can your Commander Cody lead the Clones on his own, without you?"
This time, the Jedi raised his eyebrow. "I have full confidence in his ability to lead. Why are you asking me this?"
Might as well play it. "We have something sensitive in the city that we need to retrieve. If I can take your word for it, that you Jedi are truly this skilled, I could use your help." The ONI Commander-in-Chief vaguely explained.
With a raised eyebrow, Kenobi crossed his arms and looked at the woman suspiciously. "What do you need to retrieve? In case you haven't noticed, your home planet is under attack."
But Parangosky was unrelenting. "I do, and this asset is something we need that could potentially turn the tide of the battle. I'm pretty sure you know that information is the most powerful weapon one could wield. And it is this information that we need to retrieve." She stared in his eyes, her datapad tucked in her armpit. "So, the fate of the most powerful weapon is in the hands of a skilled warrior such as yourself. But a skill I've only heard through words; are you in, or out?"
The Jedi sighed. As much as he wanted to help fight alongside his troops, where he would be fighting amongst familiar faces, he too would often go into high risk missions in order to prevail in the battlefield. Whether that be infiltrating behind enemy lines, or being the distraction. So with that in mind, he relented.
"Just me, or can I bring one of my Clones with me?"
"As long as you consider them fit for special assignments and missions, then you may." The Admiral looked at one of her security guards. "Take him and his Clone to landing pad seven."
"Yes ma'am!"
She looked back at the Jedi. "Good luck Master Kenobi, I hope you're ready to fight the Covenant." Said Jedi didn't say anything back, but gave her a simple nod. Turning and walking away with one of her men, she gestured to one of her Officers to come close. "Get me in contact with Captain Dare, immediately."
"Right away ma'am!"
"The message just repeats, 'Regret, regret, regret.'"
Three Pelicans descended towards the city of New Mombasa. Upon reaching the optimal height, the ramp doors opened, to reveal the devastation upon the city. It wasn't anything new for the former Padawan, she has seen destroyed city scapes before. Although the fact she was so desensitized by the sight made her uncomfortable. But that feeling didn't last particularly long, as she looked at the figure right at the opening.
Chief stood tall, like the classic heroes of any story. Like nothing fazed him, and he would always save the day, no matter what happens. Seeing him single handedly take down such a massive ship, even by her Galaxy's standard, it was truly awe-inspiring. Like watching a Jedi Master at their prime.
"Catchy, any idea what it means?" Miranda Keyes said over their communications.
But like always, Johnson immediately took over. "Dear Humanity: we regret being alien bastards…" The marines she sat with laughed, and so did Nik, with Bezel chuckling a bit and Bly still remained as stoic as ever. "...we regret coming to Earth." That provoked a reaction amongst the Marines, as they were becoming hyped. "And we most definitely regret that the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!"
"HOO-RAH!" The Marines inside yelled out in sync, it amazed her how distinct they all were. Especially with how excited they were, or at the very least adrenaline filled, considering that this was their home planet. But nonetheless, these soldiers were motivated, and ready to defend this planet with whatever they had, and Ahsoka couldn't help but feel motivated as well.
"Regret is a name, Sergeant. The name of one of the Covenant's religious leaders, a Prophet. He's on that Carrier, and he's calling for help."
As Cortana finished, Ahsoka heard the roar of an engine. Looking at the back of the Pelican, she saw a massive convoy of Warthogs, Tanks, and personnel, all moving into the city. That feeling of motivation multiplied exponentially, she forgot what it was like to be part of a military operation. Surrounded by soldiers, vehicles, and with a strategy, moving as one to complete their objectives. It was strangely nostalgic, and with Johnson's speech, it made her excited. Adrenaline started to sweep into her system, ready for the fight ahead.
"Hey." The Togruta ripped her attention away from the sight, and to the Marine across from her. "You some sort of Covenant turn coat or something?"
"Turn coat?"
"Yeah, like you betrayed the Covenant to help us out." The Marine clarified. It sadly made sense that they had those thoughts. First contact is always a sensitive event, even back in their galaxy. So with this humanity's first contact being this hostile and violent, their xenophobia made sense.
Ahsoka shook her head. "No, I'm not."
"Oh, so you were fighting against them, right?"
She tilted her head from side to side. "Um… yeah. I mean, we just started fighting them."
The Marine shrugged. "Oh well, better late than never right? Welcome to the Covvie hate club!" Ahsoka smiled, it was those pre-battle banter that the Clones would also go through.
"Glad to be an honorary member." The Marines laughed, dispelling some of the nervousness that still existed after Johnson's speech.
"Hell yeah, glad to see we're not the only ones eager to fight. Especially with how stubborn you were about climbing onto the Pelican."
"This is my fight too, and I won't watch this battle from the sidelines, knowing I can do something to help."
The Marine pointed at her approvingly while looking at everyone else in the Pelican. "I like her."
"Immediate: Grid-Kilo-Two-Three is hot, recommend mission abort." Their comms blared back to life.
"Roger recon, it's your call Sarge." There was a pause, Johnson weighed the options and their ever shortening time frame. They needed to get to that Carrier, and stat.
"We're going in!" The Sergeant looked back, seeing his Marines and the Extra-Galactic support that refused to be left out of the fight. It made the Sergeant happy that these folk aren't afraid to get down and dirty. "GET TACTICAL MARINES!"
Every Marine, including the three Clone troopers, started checking their weapons, their gear, everything they needed for the fight. Even Commander Bly, someone who technically was higher rank than Johnson, followed along and checked out his weapons and gear. It wasn't that he was following Johnson's orders, but what he ordered was something that they all needed to do.
Meanwhile, the Chief still looked out into the cityscape. His eyes roamed the gathering UNSC forces, the ruined buildings, and the flak fire above them. But his sight seeing was interrupted when the Fleet Admiral contacted him.
"Master Chief, get aboard that Carrier and secure the Prophet of Regret. This is the only place on Earth the Covenant decided to land. That Prophet is gonna tell us why." When he thought the briefing was over, Hood continued. "At the same time, keep an eye on Ahsoka Tano. She may be an asset on the ground, but she is still one of our keys to getting help from abroad, protect her at all cost, understood?"
"Yes sir."
While Chief was getting his orders, Bly decided to get more information about the drop zone. "How hot is the landing zone?" Bly said over the comms.
"Unknown, but it's big. Massive discharge of Plasma weaponry, could be a Scarab." Their recon teams provided further information.
The Clone commander didn't like the sound of that. "What's a Scarab?"
As if to answer him, a building ahead of them just crumbled to the ground. From the ruins, appeared a massive machine, extremely reminiscent of the familiar AT-TE, except more curvy and very much bigger. It looked at them menacingly, like an animal pawing the ground, ready to charge. The Extra-Galactics didn't really know how to react, but luckily Nik summed up their thoughts.
"Whoa."
The Pilot's eyes widened. "THAT'S A SCARAB!"
The main gun charges, and fires a shot. Their Pelican turne to dodge the beam, only for it to instantly destroy the Pelican flying at the center of the formation. But they weren't safe from its Plasma cannons. Said Plasma cannons were the ones to actually hit them.
"Everybody, hang on!"
"Scarab." Six said as he flew right over said Covenant vehicle. It's cannons barely missing them as they flew by.
"The dropship! Ahsoka!" Aayla exclaimed. Returning her attention to her controls, she called for the AI. "Kalmiya!"
"Here!" The AI opened up the comms.
"Ahsoka! Bly, NIk, Bezel, anyone hear me, over!?" She looked back outside, as Six was flying over the Pelican that crashed near a courtyard. As he did, she heard coughing over the radio.
"Aayla?"
"Ahsoka! Are you okay? Who else survived the crash?" She looked out the window, only for Six to fly by the crash site quickly. "Six, I need visual confirmation!"
"Negative." The Spartan calmly said. "We're being tailed by multiple Banshees and Seraphs. On top of that, the Scarab is still around, if we hover over the site, we'll be shot down." Aayla wanted to swear, but she reigned her emotions in. Even though her emotions won't reflect her side of the Force, her training kicked in and allowed her to calm herself.
"We're fine Aayla! Just worry about yourself and Six! We have our own problems right now." Ahsoka's voice reassured her, even through the Togruta's end she could hear Johnson issuing out orders to everybody.
"Who's with you?"
There was a moment where the radio was silent, before Ahsoka came back. "The Sarge, Chief and a handful of Marines. The Pilots and some Marines didn't make it. Bezel and Nik got injured badly, a Marine and Bly are carrying them. But we're heading towards a courtyard, and awaiting pick up, especially for our Clones.."
"Don't worry Aayla, Cortana just contacted a nearby Pelican to pick them up. They'll be fine." Kalmiya informed the Jedi, she sighed in relief at the sound of the news. But that relief didn't last long, as the ship violently shook with plasma fire.
"Aayla, the guns!"
"Right, on it!"
"Ow!"
Ahsoka dropped the overheated Plasma rifle, it almost burned her own hand. "You alright there ma'am?" She looked over to see the strangely relieving image of Sergeant Johnson.
"Yeah… nothing I can't handle." She said, picking up the SMG right next to where her plasma rifle fell.
"Good choice. You know, as much as the Covvies weapons are sleeker and just maybe more powerful, I just like something with a little more meat!" Following the statement, he reloaded his sniper rifle. Dropping the spent mag, and the satisfying clicks of the new magazine being inserted. After that, another satisfying sound of the weapon being cocked, it wasn't anything the Togruta to scoff at. Especially when she saw first hand how insanely powerful the rifle was. "Hm-hm, some asmr shit right there."
She raised her eyebrows at that. "Asmr?"
"I can tell ya later when we're not getting shot at!" Johnson looked over their cover, down below to see the courtyard they were fighting in. To the pair's left was a mounted gun which Bly was actually using. But down in the actual courtyard, a few Marines were holding the Covvies off for Bly, Ahsoka and Johnson to pick off. As for their Spartan-II?
The Chief jumped over the Sergeant and Togruta, down to where the Marines were getting pinned. Landing down with a satisfying thud, the Covenant forces all screeched and roared at the sight of the demon. With the Grunts and Jackals charging at Chief and the Marines, the Spartan pulled out his magnum, shooting rounds and hitting or killing the Covenant mob. Eventually running out of ammo, he threw the pistol straight towards a Grunt's head, instantly killing it, before charging towards the enemy.
Sliding to pick up a dropped shotgun from a fallen Marine, he shot and killed a Jackal and a Grunt, before turning towards a Marine out in the open. Getting to him, he shot another Jackal, before using himself as a shield to protect the vulnerable Marine. Turning to the shooter, he fired and the Grunt fell dead, before ducking a pistol whip from a jackal. Standing straight up he pumped his shotgun before disposing of the offending Jackal.
"They're pulling back!" Bly was impressed, as he used the mounted gun to shoot down the Geonosian-like bugs with plasma pistols. It was like watching a Jedi, but instead of a lightsaber, they just wielded blasters, or guns as they call it in this galaxy.
Johnson blew smoke from his mouth, as he killed another Elite who thought hiding behind a wrecked car was a good idea. "That's why the Chief's here." He flicked the used cigar away, and returned to what he did best, killing Covenant. But before he could do that, the sky let out a low rumble, and coming in low a Phantom dropship appeared. It's three cannons started firing, prompting everyone inside. "Come on you apes! Get your asses inside!"
Ahsoka and Bly moved inside the building, with Chief and the rest of the Marines coming inside too. Waiting for them were two other Marines and a medic, looking after the injured, including an unconscious Nik, and a pissed off Bezel.
"Get off me and let me fight!"
"You may be a Clone, but you're still human, pal! Sit still and let me do my job!" The Medic sighed as she replaced the bandages on the injured Clone.
"Sorry if he's a bit feisty." Bly apologized as he moved beside his men.
"I've had feistier, don't worry about me. We all went through boot camp." She smiled at the Clone commander. Bly couldn't help but smirk at the comment.
But before they could say anything else, a loud explosion took place outside. Looking out everyone saw that before the Phantom could even drop off its soldiers, a Longsword fighter swooped by and destroyed the Covenant dropship. It tried to stay up but it swiveled around in the air before it went careening down to who knows where. A distant crash was heard and Ahsoka went for her communicator.
"Thanks Six."
"Copy, over and out."
As if the day wasn't going to give them a chance to breathe, something was banging on the other side of the courtyard's gate. Said gate bulged out with every hit, until it couldn't stand anymore, and broke entirely, revealing a pair of Hunters.
"Hunters!" Cortana exclaimed, as Ahsoka knew that her current armaments wouldn't do anything but piss off the massive beasts.
"Stand back Marines! Especially you Ahsoka, let the Chief show you how it's done." The Sargent called out, but Ahsoka looked at him with surprise.
"But who's gonna help the Chief out?"
But the man only grinned. "I said stand back, little girl. Not, 'be useless.'" With that said, he hefted his massive sniper rifle, and took shots at the massive beasts. The Hunters were too preoccupied with taking down the Spartan, and the other Marines were doing what they could, without hitting the Chief.
But Ahsoka didn't want to stay on the sidelines, no. She needed to be there, to help him. All those times she fought by her Master's side, made her realize how involved she wanted and needed to be, especially in the most dire situations. And with the Chief fighting two massive beasts, she couldn't help but see Anakin fighting the odds alone, like he normally does. No, she wouldn't let the Chief fight alone, not after what she's been through, and not after what she learned about the Chief.
The Chief wasn't alone, not anymore. Just like with Cortana and Chief watching her back, she'll watch theirs too.
Igniting the Energy sword she had, it was unfortunately almost out, but it still had enough juice to take down at least one of the Hunters. Ignoring the calls from Johnson and the Marines, Ahsoka ran towards one of the beasts. It heard her and turned to face the former Jedi, and as it did it swung its massive shield to hit her. But all her years as a Jedi made her nimble, and a simple slide was all it took to narrowly miss the blunt obstacle. As she slid, she happened to get behind the Hunter. All day yesterday she learned all she could in a short span about the Covenant, mainly how to combat them if needed be. And after hours of debrief she learned that the Hunter's weak spot was everywhere that the worms were exposed, especially the back. So as she stood up, she jumped from her prone position after sliding, and swung her Energy Sword right at the exposed back.
It sliced clean through the worms, practically almost cutting the Hunter in half. After a deathly wail, the Hunter fell, leaving only Ahsoka standing victorious.
But the other Hunter roared at the Togruta, and was about to charge at her. She had nothing on her that could help, her Energy Sword was completely out, and her firearms wouldn't make a dent at all. But it didn't matter, because the Hunter's abdomen exploded with bright orange blood. Falling limply down, and just like her the Chief stood with a splash of the Hunter's blood all over him. Apparently, he stuck a grenade into the colony of worms, making a mighty fine mess.
But the Chief didn't even flinch, he stood straight and tall, looking at the empty battlefield, then at Ahsoka. He approached her wordlessly, and as he stood tall right in front of her he reached down to give the former Jedi a gentle pat on her head.
"That was reckless… but good job." Was all the Master Chief said. Afterwards he stoically made his way down where the Hunters came from. The Marines followed suit, along with their injured carried in stretchers.
"He's starting to like you, like his own." The familiar and comforting voice of the Spartan's AI spoke to her.
"Like his own?" Ahsoka asked.
"Yeah, like a ward I guess. By the way, you got incoming."
Two sets of footsteps approached her, as she remained still after the gesture from the Spartan. "Commander Tano, that was reckless and you know it." Bly's voice came first, turning to see the Clone still wearing his helmet.
But on the other side was Johnson with a smirk. "Reckless? Sure hell it was. But that's some instinct you got there little orange. If you were human, you'd make a pretty good Spartan."
"Don't encourage her, she's a Jedi, not a Spartan." Bly reminded the UNSC sergeant.
"Hm-mm, what's the difference?" But before they could continue, their radios came to life.
"Sergeant, I need you on that bird." Miranda's voice came through.
The trio began walking to where the Chief and the Marines went through. "Ma'am?" Johnson replied.
"My Pelicans are going to start airlifting armor and reinforcements into the city. Once I get your injured on board the In Amber Clad of course. But they'll need an escort that isn't afraid of a little hostile ground fire." The trio were in the clearing, where a hovering Pelican was in wait. Around it were the rest of the Marines and the Chief, who were waiting on them. Without a second to lose the Sergeant was by the Pelican's ramp.
"Understood, I'll keep an eye on them." He looked at his unique company, "Chief, Bly, little orange."
Ahsoka scoffed. "Old man."
But Avery just chuckled. "Good luck." With that said, he hopped into the Pelican, and it flew away without any hassle.
A moment later, the Chief looked at the Clone commander. "How good of a shot are you?"
"Proficient in Blasters, not sure about your guns." The Chief held out a Covenant beam rifle towards the Commander. "I could make it work."
"Mayday, mayday, we are hit and are going down!"
Kalmiya called out in their battlenet, but it was filled to the brim with various other distress signals and chatter about the battle of Mombasa. As she continued her efforts, Six fought with the controls to level the rapidly descending Longsword. Their onboard Jedi made sure no one would ensure their deaths, doing her best to shoot down any Covenant craft that saw their crashing ship as easy prey.
"Hold on." Six ordered, as their crashing ship leveled out at the last second. Skimming the water before hitting the shore. The crash tore a hole through and into the cockpit, allowing an easy escape for the Spartan and Jedi, with the rest of the instruments either dead or dying. Sparks flew from their consoles, broken glass littered what was left of the floor, and whatever system was still working wouldn't let up when it came to their insistent beeping. As for the occupants, they were luckily alive. Especially Aayla, who barely made it with more than a few scrapes, cuts and bruises. But for the Jedi, it wasn't any different from her previous missions in her galaxy, where she has certainly endured much worse.
As for the Spartan, he placed his hand over the Pedestal where Kalmiya was. Then the strange cooling sensation flowed through him, of his AI inhabiting his armor. Knowing she was completely safe, the Spartan got to work in extracting himself and his VIP from their crashed ship.
Getting himself out of his seat, he shifted his focus to his non-human companion. "How're you feeling?" He said as he looked over her condition. Besides said injuries, she could still function in a combat sense. Not without proper bandaging and medical care.
"I am still alive, Six. Although the stings do hurt." Aayla winced, and shifted in her seat as Six unbuckled her. Then going to a nearby compartment, he got the nearby medical kit, and applied the necessary bandages on her.
"Relatively stable condition, although with your motion sensor detects oncoming hostiles, she's practically combat ready." As Kalmiya spoke, sporadic Covenant fire started to hit their crashed ship.
"We need to move, they already got us pinned down." Six moved to the pilot's seat, getting the stashed SMG out of its holster. He then moved to extract Aayla from her seat, but the Jedi raised a hand for him to stop. Although injured, she could still move on her own.
Getting off her seat, and moving to their exit, the Jedi looked back at her companion. "Ready?"
Six nodded, and both of them exited their crashed ship. Upon exiting, they were met with a torrent of Covenant fire, all gunning for them. The duo took cover behind a chunk of surrounding debris from their crash site. Barely getting a chance to peak out and return fire, the Spartan/Jedi pair were heavily pinned down. With only an SMG and a lightsaber with them, their odds didn't look good. Six glanced back at his Jedi companion, realizing how preventable all this was.
Aayla recognized his glance. "I don't need a face to know what you are thinking, Six. I wanted to be here." But Six shook his head at the comment, and returned his attention to the Covenant coming down on them. "Six, listen to me. I was in that same cave back in Reach, okay? I wasn't asleep, I heard everything you said." Six looked back at the Jedi, but didn't say anything. "I'm so sorry about your team, and I'm sorry that being around the Clones, Ahsoka and I reminded you of them so much. But before I jumped into that Longsword I made a promise to you of all people. Please, don't push me away." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "You are not alone Six, not anymore. You had a team, and at the brink of death you had us. I know it's your job to watch over me, but who's going to watch over you?" She stared at his visor, searching for his eyes. "Please don't push us away."
Six could only look for so long, before turning away from her gaze. It disappointed the Jedi, but that disappointment turned to surprise after what happened next.
Six snatched her lightsaber from her hand, pushed her behind him, and ignited the weapon to slice the hand off an Elite that came too close. It roared in pain, before being promptly decapitated by the Spartan. In his offhand was his SMG, and he sprayed it upon the Grunts and Jackals who followed closely behind their dead Elite officer.
An empty SMG made Six return the lightsaber to its owner, then reloaded his weapon afterwards. "They're rushing us, get ready."
The Jedi shook off her surprise, and reignited her lightsaber, now ready for the fight ahead. Both the Spartan and the jedi were about to rush out of cover to meet the Covenant head-on, but a low rumble and a familiar sound of a Pelican hovered right behind them.
"You thought you could come to my planet, UNINVITED!?" Johnson blasted out the speakers as the Pelican turned to reveal Johnson on a mounted gun. Squeezing the trigger, he gunned down all the Covenant ground forces in the area, from the Grunts to the Elites, nowhere safe from Johnson's line of sight. Any sign of the Covenant was blasted away by Johnson's bullet hell. When all was set and done, Johnson looked down at the Spartan and Twi'lek. "Need a lift?"
The duo glanced at each other, before looking back at him and nodding. "Did you see us crash?" Aayla said as Johnson helped her board the Pelican.
"Among other things. Was in the neighborhood, about to pick up a package for the Chief." He looked over Aayla, noticing her injuries. Looking back in the Troop hold, he eyed a certain medic. "Medic!" As the medic rushed to treat Aayla, Six hopped onboard, and gave Johnson a courtesy nod. "You Spartans have a habit of falling from the skies?"
"Couldn't help myself." Johnson chuckled, as the Pelican began to rise and fly.
Aayla was seated, with the medic beside her looking over her injuries. She looked at the Spartan in question, who was looking out of the Pelican's open ramp. He then turned to meet her gaze. He didn't immediately react to it but instead, much like Johnson, gave her a small nod. The Jedi only gave him a brief smile, before Six returned his attention to the open ramp, and the destructive scenery of a war-torn city.
"It's a start, Aayla. A good start." The Twi'lek's communicator quietly spoke to her only. It glowed red, knowing who was speaking to her.
"You gotta teach me how to hijack one of those hover, thingies. What are they called?"
"Ghosts."
"Yeah, those things."
Ahsoka was riding shotgun with the Chief driving, and Bly on the gun. They rode with another Warthog and a few stolen Ghosts, with Marines manning them. They rode up, back to surface from the tunnels they were driving in for a while. There they stopped at a checkpoint that led to a bridge, where the Scarab was currently crossing. Chief hopped out of the Warthog, and approached the two Marines stationed there. By his flank was Bly and Ahsoka, who also approached the two Marines.
"It blew right through us! Fifty-cal, rockets, didn't do a thing!" The female observer said as she looked back at the Chief, and noticed the non-human beside. "Chief, beside you!"
But the Chief was quicker, and moved in front of Ahsoka. "They're with me, they're friendly."
It took awhile for the Marine to lower her battle rifle, but eventually she did. "Whatever you say, Chief." She eyed Ahsoka, before a low rumble came down close to them. A Pelican carrying a Scorpion tank hovered above, before dropping said tank. The lowered down even more, dropping off its occupants.
"Master Secura, you're alive!" Ahsoka rushed ahead to meet the Twi'lek Jedi. Smiling, the Jedi Master placed a hand on her shoulders. "I heard you were shot down, we were worried for a bit until we realized you had Six with you."
"Thank you for your concern Ahsoka." Aayla happily replied.
"General, good to see you all well." Bly said as he approached his general.
"You too Bly, how are Nik and Bezel?"
"On board the In Amber Clad, and receiving medical treatment. Should be good in a few hours."
"That's good to hear."
"Where's the rest of your platoon?" Johnson said to the two scouting Marines, attracting everyone's attention.
"Wasted sarge." The female Marine said with disappointment.
"And we will be too sir, if we don't get the hell out of here!" Before the other Marine can book it to the Pelican, a hand for the sarge stopped him.
"You hit Marine?" Johnson said with narrow eyes,
"N-no sir."
"Then listen up!" The Sarge exclaimed, looking at everyone around him. All the assembled Marines gathered around, listening in to the game plan. Ahsoka had to suppress a smile, all these soldiers leaning in while listening to the plan had her adrenaline pumping. It also made her nostalgic, remembering the past battles she had fighting alongside her Clones to victory, it felt similar. "When I joined the Marine Corps, we didn't have any fancy-schmancy tanks. We had sticks! Two sticks and a rock for the whole platoon - and we had to share the rock! " Johnson looked at the distressed Marine. "Buck-up boy, You're one very lucky Marine!"
"But what does that have to do with that Scarab?" Bly raised the question.
But Johnson gave him a relieving grin, if such a thing existed. "Don't worry Bly, we ran the simulations. They're tough, but they ain't invincible!" He turned to go back to the Pelican. "Stay with the Spartans, they'll know what to do." Putting the cigar back in his mouth, he moved towards the Pelican.
"Sir, yes sir!' The contingent of Marines all yelled out, and Ahsoka couldn't suppress the grin any longer. It felt good to be part of a unit again.
"Thanks for the tank. He never gets me anything." Cortana said in all their radios, earning a giggle from the Togruta.
As the Sarge climbs onboard, he mounts the gun and slides its charging handle back before releasing it, ready for battle. "Oh, I know what the ladies like." That comment alone had the ladies in the group rolling their eyes, before returning their attention to the situation in front of them.
As the Pelican flew away, the Master Chief started issuing orders. "Six, get in the Warthog with Commander Bly and General Secura, follow behind us and take down any Banshees that come close. I'll be on the Scorpion with Tano, clearing us a path to that Scarab."
"Copy that Chief." Six moved to the empty Warthog with Bly and Aayla. "Bly, get on the gun. Aayla, you're riding shotgun with me, clear?"
"Understood!"
"You got it Six."
With that said, everyone got to where they needed to be. Six climbed aboard the Warthog's driver seat, with Bly climbing onto the back, and the Jedi Master hopping on shotgun. Ahsoka climbed on top of the Scorpion's back left tread, closest to the Chief, while the other Marines got on anything that they could. The two scouting Marines climbed on the front treads of the Scorpion, one of them having a rocket launcher of all things. The other marines climbed on board the other Warthog, or one of the empty Ghosts that they brought from the tunnels. Nonetheless, they all moved behind the Scorpion, as the Chief began driving the tank towards the bridge.
The Marine in front of Ahsoka looked back at the former Jedi. "Hey alien girl!" She called out, gaining Ahsoka's attention. "Cover your ears!"
But the roar of the engine was a bit too loud, and the Togruta only gots snippets of what she said. "Cover my what!?" As she said that, the Chief shot one round from the main gun, hitting a Wraith that sat in the middle of the Bridge, in full view of them. "Nevermind, I know what you just said!"
The female Marine laughed, before turning back and seeing the oncoming Ghosts. "Incoming Ghosts!"
"Got you covered!" Bly called out, as he squeezed the trigger of his mounted gun, and began firing at the oncoming Ghosts. Every Marine that had the capability to shoot, began letting loose onto the oncoming Ghosts, none of them getting close enough to engage the convoy of armor. As for the Master Chief, he kept driving forward, kept shooting the Wraith until it was destroyed, he then focused his attention on the oncoming Ghosts, along with everyone else.
"Hey, that was my kill!"
"You snooze, you lose!"
"What are you? Twelve?"
The Marine banter was something else for the Extra-Galactics. While their homeplanet was being invaded by a near-unstoppable force, they still managed to banter and have a bit of fun. For the Clone commander, it was mildly irritating, wanting everyone around him to take this more seriously. The only ones he could really rely on to do so were the super soldiers, hence the mild irritation.
"Incoming Phantom and Banshees, from your six o'clock people!" Kalmiya informed everyone. All the Warthog's turrets, including the Scorpion's main gun all turned to the incoming dropship. It was carrying a Wraith, and everyone began to open fire. The three cannons were the first to get destroyed, and then after flying directly above them, it was too much for the ship to handle, and it exploded mid-air. The fiery wreck descended upon the bridge, hitting the side before going over the bridge and towards its watery grave.
"Still got those Banshees!" A Marine called out. The Banshee flew in low and quick, unfortunately quick enough to shoot out a fuel-rod cannon. The green ball of death flew down towards the other Warthog. Upon impact, the fiery wreck of the vehicle shot out, hitting the back of the Scorpion, unfortunately killing a Marine that was sitting too close to the back. Ahsoka flew forward, only barely hanging on when the Marine in front of her managed to catch her.
"You okay alien girl?"
The former Jedi grumbled. "Can you stop calling me an alien girl? My name is Ahsoka."
"Eh, you're no fun."
The Chief, ever so efficient, still managed to shoot down the Banshee with the Scorpion's main gun, with the destroyed ship joining the Phantom down below. But the other Banshee and another Phantom were still attacking, already destroying a couple of occupied Ghosts. Everyone else also switched targets to the other Banshee, which was swiftly destroyed. The Phantom fly by, barely managing to escape the Scorpion's main gun.
"Ahsoka! Are you alright?" The other surviving Warthog drove up to the Scorpion, with Aayla standing on her seat to look at Ahsoka.
"I'm fine, but we gotta keep moving!"
"Agreed, we got more Ghosts coming for us." Cortana warned, as looking down the rest of the way showed even more Ghosts coming for them.
"Get settled in everyone, it's going to be a bumpy ride!"
"You see why these vermin need to be vanquished? Ripping dangerous holes on the very fabric of our galaxy, and being unable to close them properly? It's a miracle these humans haven't driven themselves to extinction!"
"But the real question remains, dear Truth. What have the humans found?"
"Isn't it obvious Mercy? Those crystalline shards the humans thought they destroyed were brought back to us. Even more of a sign that we were the true inheritors of the ancient's mantle! A key to our Great Journey! But the humans have sullied it, tampered with it, and created such an ugly deformity in this patch of space."
"But what is this anomaly that these humans have created? And why does it react so strongly with these shards? Our experts and scholars believe it is some sort of gateway, leading somewhere."
"To one of the Ancient's rings? Another site of their once expansive empire?"
"If so… then this deformity in space was not an accident at all."
"If that is the case, then where would this anomaly go? Where will it take us?"
"Another galaxy perhaps? Have the humans been researching how to escape our Covenant? To an untouched galaxy? Untouched by our ancient's divine grace?"
"Perhaps it could be the origin of the same non-humans who were aiding humanity on the planet below. What do they call it? Reach?"
"If so, they are enemies of our Covenant."
He opened his eyes, the Force showed him something… sinister. A threat was coming to their galaxy, and this threat has found the door, and key to it.
Pulling out his holo-communicator, activating it revealed a dark skinned Jedi Master. "Master Windu."
"Master Yoda, what is the purpose of this call?"
"Speak with Chancellor Palpatine in person, I must. A grave threat, I have just foreseen through the Force."
"Sith?"
"No, no… more dangerous, this is."
"We already have a fleet of three Venators stationed right where your missing Jedi Masters have vanished. If we station more there, we have the potential to lose even more. What is happening, is something coming Master Yoda?" Palpatine laid his back on his seat, already trying to think ahead with his star pupil missing. His plan so far has changed to stall the war for as long as it takes, while his personal researchers are conducting an investigation on what happened in that specific part of the hyperspace lane.
That point has already been dubbed by the Republic higher ups as the Vanishing Point.
"But risk we must take, it is." Yoda stood his ground.
"Master Yoda, it would be very helpful if you elaborate on why we must reinforce this space. So far, you have refused to tell me what. Is it an ambush site set up by the Separatists? Do they truly have your missing Jedi?"
But the Grand Master only sighed, shaking his head. "Believe me, you won't."
"I have seen many things in this Galaxy, both in person and as the Chancellor." He leaned in, towards the Grand Master, with his hands clasped under his chin. "Try me."
Yoda looked straight into the eyes of the Chancellor, unknowing whether he should inform the Chancellor of such a threat. But at the end of the day, informing the Chancellor himself could save the lives of many, knowing of the threat before it struck. Sharing this knowledge now could give them extra time to hopefully prepare.
"Arriving, a grave threat beyond our galaxy is."
Passing by the wreckages of Wraiths and Ghosts, the Gauss-Hog comes to a complete stop in front of a UNSC holdout. Stepping off the passenger seat, Aayla looked back in front to see their Spartan compatriots no worse for wear. Coming up from behind her and off the Gauss cannon, Bly ran up to her, looking at the Spartans as well.
"Those two kept up like it was nothing." He commented, as he saw them interacting with the Marines inside.
"Indeed, as fast as the warthogs themselves." Before the Jedi master said anything more, the Spartans gestured everyone to get inside.
"The Scarab is approaching, we have to get in position." Six answered before anyone could question, and without hesitation everyone funneled inside.
There they were met with a contingent of Marines, all ready for a breach, and wasn't expecting reinforcements to arrive. They looked warily at the Extra-Galactics, but didn't question it as they were also in the presence of two Spartans. One of them being the main UNSC figure of all Spartans, The Master Chief.
"The Lieutenant got hit as soon as we dropped in!" The Marine who they were following explained their current situation.
"Who's in charge now Corporal?" Cortana asked the shakened Marine.
"Uh, Sergeant Banks, ma'am. He's pinned down up top. Come on, I'll show you." The Marine took the group up to the top of their building, where each landing had a turret emplacement in case of a breach. They were ready for a fight that wasn't coming. Once they got on top, they were met with two Marines, overlooking the street they were fighting in just a few minutes ago. In the street, a Pelican was dropping off a Scorpion to aid in their attack.
Sergeant Banks looked back to see the unique group in front of him. "When I asked for reinforcements, I didn't think they'd send a Spartan. Much less two." He finished as he gave a relived smile to Six. But looking at the other clearly non-UNSC personnel with them, he noticeably raised an eyebrow. "And friends." But before he could ask, a loud crash and steady quakes signaled the arrival of their target. "We got trouble!"
Pulling his battle rifle out, he crouched down behind the concrete cover. He was followed by the Spartans, and the group, who also placed themselves behind the same cover. All of them watching the street, and seeing the massive beast of a Scarab, rounding the corner, and marching towards them. The Scorpion tank took a shot at the Scarab, doing nothing but getting absolutely obliterated by the Scarab's main weapon.
"Now that's a walker." Ahsoka was impressed, and mildly concerned at the sight of such a weapon.
"How are we supposed to take that thing down?" Bly asked anyone in particular, but wasn't replied back. Instead the nervous Marine behind the turret spoke.
"See this look? It's terror!"
"Marine, did I ask you to bitch?" With that said, the nervous Marine was about to fire, but Six interrupted him. Grasping his hand before squeezing the trigger. The soldier looked at the Spartan, with his anxiety multiplying ten-fold.
"You'll just make it notice us. It'll walk past us." As he said this, the Scarab did walk over them, and threatened to take down a radio poll.
"Six, armor lock!" The Chief ran in front of said pole, with Six running beside him. As the Scarab walked past, it hit the radio pole quickly, threatening to hit and potentially kill those on the balcony. Luckily the Spartans locked their armor, and the poll just hit them, essentially shielding those behind them for the flying poll.
Sergeant Banks wasn't happy at all, openly glaring at the Scarab that passed by them. "That thing is really starting to PISS ME OFF!" He looked at the Spartans, the Extra-Galactics, and his Marines. "Soldiers! Time to kill us a Scarab!"
With that, all the Marines climbed up, all running towards the walking Scarab. The Spartans and the Extra-Galactics followed closely behind, all running to danger, towards a massive walking target. Once again, a strange sense of nostalgia washed over Ahsoka as this happened. Seeing all these excited soldiers, all charging into battle against an overwhelming enemy, she had that same consistent feeling throughout this entire battle.
She looked over to Bly as they ran up a series of stairs. "Same druk, different day, am I right?"
The Clone commander let out a rare smirk. "You have no idea Commander Tano."
With that said, they exited and came upon a set of catwalks, all overlooking a shallow basin of water from the dam closeby. It was in this shallow basin, where the Scarab was currently walking through.
Looking down, Ahsoka couldn't help herself. "We have the high ground!" A random Marine boo'd her.
But the Spartans acted before anyone could. Running down one of the catwalks, they picked up the stashed UNSC weapons, with the Chief picking up a sniper to compliment his battle rifle, and Six picking up the rocket launcher. Running back to the catwalk parallel to the Scarab, the Chief looked at Extra-Galactics they were in charge of protecting.
"Let Six and I deal with this, stay on the catwalks, clear?" His voice was final, and everyone nodded to his request. At that, the Spartans looked at each other, and got to work.
Running in parallel with the Scarab, the two Spartans began raining down hell upon the Covenant soldiers on top of the war machine. The Master Chief was picking off high ranking Covenant soldiers, such as the various Elites and counter sniping Jackals. While Six managed to disable the plasma turret on top of the Scarab and was currently obliterating large pockets of Grunts and shielded Jackals.
By the time the Scarab went under the last bridge, the deck was clear for the two Spartans to jump down in. The Master Chief looked at one of the Marines following the two, and gestured for his SMG. The Marines eyes went wide.
"He wanted my gun!" He said excitedly, trading his SMG for the Chief's sniper rifle. With the trade done, the Chief now dual-wielded SMGs, and a battle rifle on his back. While Six still had his rocket launcher, but now had equipped himself with two magnums on both hands.
Wordlessly, the two Spartans jumped down onto the deck. But as they did, another group of Covenant came up. More Elites and even more Grunts and Jackals arrived on the deck, and the Spartans just so happened to land right in the middle of the group. Upon impact the aliens just stood gawking at the Spartans. Before one of the Elites shouted at them.
"Demons!"
The Spartans got to work.
Shooting a torrent of bullets all around them, never ceasing on the trigger. The Chief sprayed bullets on the defenseless Grunts and Jackals, as Six used his Magnums to keep the Elites at bay. One Elite got too close to Six, and attempted to hit him hard. But the Spartan-III swiftly dodged the attack, kicking its plasma rifle off its hand, and shoving one of his magnums in its mouth. It only took a few shots to dispel its shields, before one final shot to blow its brains out. Before the body dropped, Six threw the empty magnum at a poor Grunt trying to run away from the Spartans, and used the Elite corpse as a shield with his other magnum.
The Chief continued to spray his two SMGs at anything that got too close to them. One Elite found that out the hard way when it approached the Spartan-II, only for him to never cease on the trigger. The Elite lost its shields in seconds, and blue blood sprayed all over the Chief's golden visor.
"Chief, amor lock now!"
"Six, armor lock now!"
Their respective AIs warned their Spartans, and simultaneously, they got down in the armor lock position, slamming their fists on the ground.
Before the Covenant could press their advantage, a hail storm of bullets came from above. The Marines and Extra-Galactics were all shooting down, covering the Spartans and relieving them of their Covenant problem.
"RAIN DOWN HELL ON THESE BASTARDS! MAKE THEM REGRET SETTING FOOT ON OUR PLANET!" Sergeant Banks commanded, and the Marines proudly followed.
Seconds ticked by, and the firing ceased. Both Spartans came back up to see the carnage they left behind. But their sightseeing lasted only a moment, and with a quick glance to their allies above, both Spartans descended to the bowels of the Scarab.
Inside, they both went separate ways to cover each other's only flank. Six saw two Grunts ready for him, and aside from taking some plasma fire, he managed to take those two Grunts down with relative ease. Meanwhile the Master Chief came upon an Elite Ultra, with an Energy raised against him. But Chief had other plans, he tossed a plasma grenade onto the Elite. It roared in panic, before making a break towards him, just as Chief planned. As it got close, the Chief dropkicked the charging Elite, making it go flying and hitting one of the Scarab's Elite pilots. As it did, the grenade exploded, killing both Elites. Before the other pilot could even retaliate, it was hit by two rockets coming from Six, effectively destroying not only the cockpit, but also the entire Scarab.
The Scarab roared and exploded, dropping down in a heap of advanced junk. But through the flames, two Spartans had risen up like phoenixes, looking at Regret's ship in the distance. But behind the two, a Pelican descended, showing Johnson and the other Extra-Galactics inside it.
"That's right you mothers, run!"
But way above the Pelican, the In Amber Clad soared past them.
"Not if we can help it, sergeant." Miranda reminded the enthusiastic sergeant.
"Extract the Spartans and our visitors from abroad, and return to the In Amber Clad." Miranda ordered the sergeant.
"Roger that, ma'am."
But the commander got an incoming transmission from the Fleet Admiral himself. "Status?" He asked.
"Sir, the Prophet's bugging out! Request permission to engage!"
But Hood wasn't having it. "Negative! Get the Jedi, Tano and the Clones back to Sydney! I'll vector two heavies for starside intercept." But Keyes wasn't backing down, especially now that Regret's carrier started a slipspace jump right in the middle of the city.
"Ma'am, slipspace rupture off the target's bow! It's gonna jump, inside the city!" One of her officers informed the commander, and she returned her attention to the Fleet Admiral.
"There's no time sir!" She saw hesitation in Hood's eyes, and defended her actions. "We have two Spartans sir, and one of them is the Master Chief. I can guarantee their safety, but please sir, I promise you that this gambit will work. I'll guarantee it."
There was still hesitation in the eyes of the Fleet Admiral, but time was short and he knew it. "Don't let them die Commander." Keyes nodded, all her sincerity showing in her eyes. "Greenlight! Greenlight to engage!"
As Hood said that, another officer spoke up. "Ma'am, Johnson's Pelican has safely docked, their inside!"
But with no time to answer back, Keyes now focused all of her attention to the fleeing Covenant ship. "Punch it! Get us close!" Right when she said that, the light-frigate sped towards the slipspace rupture, right where the carrier was just entering.
"Ma'am, without a destination solutio-"
"We are not losing that ship!" Keyes was stubborn, not taking her eyes off the rupture. It was only a few moments later that the In Amber Clad had barely made it, and entered into slipspace.
"Where's Admiral Yularen!?"
"He's dead! He died when these things started attacking!"
Captain Rex and Lieutenant Jesse had gone through the forest, under heavy attack, all for the squad he was trying to regroup with to give him the bad news. He was effectively in charge of what was left of their ship. They still had some working AT-TE's and a few AV-7's, that brought back some memories of Christophsis.
But now, they were under heavy attack from all over. Their enemies' weapons were powerful, and more deadly of all, varied. They attacked from all angles, and were continually pushed back the moment they started attacking. The only advantage they had was before the fighting started, they managed to set up defensive lines a fair distance away. Unfortunately they were continually pushed back.
"Lasted a week on this ring, and now you're in charge. What do we do now Rex?" The Captain looked to his right to see Jesse by his side.
Rex weighed his options, options that were running out quickly. If they wanted to play the long game, long enough for reinforcements or help to arrive, they needed to go into hiding. Luckily from whatever scouting they could do, there were enough pockets all over this ring for them to hide in.
"Evacuate our position in the Resolution, and we need to hold out until that evacuation is complete!" Before they could keep talking, a massive explosion of blue and white wiped out a chuck of the squad, and one of the enemies' hover tanks appeared. "Fall back to the second line, we need to hold out until we're done with the evacuation!" Rex called out, with the surviving Clones all going back, some providing covering fire, while others were running back. Both the Captain and the Lieutenant were running towards the secondary line.
"At least the senator is fine, all healed up and helping out as much as she could. Although the general's astromech isn't leaving her side at all." Jesse said, as he ran while firing a few bolts behind him.
"With good reason Jesse." Rex just focused on not getting hit, and avoiding the explosive barrage of the enemies' wrath.
"At this point, I'm just hoping help will actually arrive. And as soon as possible."
"Me too Lieutenant. But for now, let's just focus on staying alive."
"You got it R-"
A crystalline sniper round went straight through Jesse's head. The Clone's body slumped down on the ground unceremoniously. Rex stopped to find his friend's dead body.
"Jesse!" But more fire came by, missing by just mere inches. There was too much fire, and the enemy was getting too close. "I'm sorry Jesse…"
Rex ran, burdened with guilt.
"I can see that it is a priority message, but I am in the middle of an important meeting."
"I apologize Chancellor, but this is a serious development that requires your immediate attention." Both Yoda and Palpatine leaned in, watching the hologram carefully.
"Go ahead."
"We just lost contact with the fleet overwatching the Vanishing Point." The Chancellor looked at the Grand Master.
"See Master Yoda? It is too much of a risk to send more ships to watch over that point."
"That's not all…" The two both looked back at the hologram.
"We also lost contact with Scipio."
Author's Note: I'm back! Sorry for such a long delay in the chapter. I made it up by practically squishing two chapters here.
As for the reason for such a long period of time, in short, just life honestly. Between classes and some other issues and problems, I didn't have a lot of time to work on this fic. But for now on, I'll try to return to that schedule of a chapter a month. Key word is try, I'll try to make that happen.
As for the chapter itself, I hope you enjoyed it! Tbh, in my eyes it looked a bit rushed, only because I'm going on a trip and I wanted to get this chapter out as soon as possible. And before you wonder, no this won't just be a fic where the Star Wars characters are tagging along and experiencing the Halo story. The fact that they are here means things have effectively changed, and those changes will be present in the fic. So while yeah, it'll follow the overall structure and direction that the plot of Halo 2 and Halo 3 went, it'll also show the changes that their presence had made.
Also, I have seen concerns regarding plot armor, and tbh I don't really know how to resolve it? Lol I don't know if that's a bad answer but I'll try to make sure people don't have excessive plot armor. Because here's the thing, it's a war and people will die. It's also part of that whole thing about the Star Wars character's presence making changes to the original story. So yeah, people will die, but right now the story is just starting, and I just want specific characters to get involved in specific scenes. Like I've always imagined that regret scene with Johnson, but with the Star Wars characters listening in. It felt like those episodes in the Clone Wars that revolved around a massive military operation; like the second battle of Geonosis, or the Invasion of Umbara.
One last thing, I wanted characters to have a specific reason for being in the story. Like I didn't want a specific character to be in the story, just to be another character's romantic interest, no. I wanted them to have goals and motivation, other than just making it through this story alive, although that is not a bad motivation thinking about it now as I type this.
Overall, or tldr, I'm trying my best. I know this story won't be for everyone, but I want as many people to enjoy this story, and I'll be doing my best to do so. So with that said, again I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully I can type the next chapter, which will definitely be shorter than this chapter, next month. Keyword is hopefully. Also, I apologize if you find any grammatical or spelling errors, I know those can take you out of the immersion. Lol well, hopefully you're immersed in my story.
Until then, see ya next time! Peace out!
