A/N: I figured that after all of the chapters involving firefights and many forms of destruction, that a filler chapter with dialog would have been something of a nessesity. But rest assured, after this chapter there will be much more fighting right around the corner.

I own nothing.

X General POV X

The Solace was unusally quiet. The incident on Zhu's Hope happened a meer five days ago and the survivors were doing very well according to Chakwas. Cortana was put into the ship's systems and was allowed free reign of the databanks on board. Infact she had overpowered the Covenant AI on board and consumed it's data, prolonging her life and making her feel better than she had before.

Dispite the calm atmosphere, everyone on board were far from happy. The events on the small colony had left many shaken, others sickened at the prospect of such a terrifying enemy loose in the galaxy.

The biggest issue being that no one had seen Xero at all. Not even Tali, and the young Quarian was distraught in his absense. The injuries he had sustained would have put even the strongest of marines out of commission. But thanks to his Spartan augmentations and the Ceph nanites in his systems Chakwas had reported that he would be ready to fight by the next mission.

However after his examination Xero had vanished and wasn't heard from since.

"This doesn't seem like him." said Ashley. "Whatever happened down on the colony must have had a harsh effect on him." said Liara. Shepard sat in the Captain's seat of the Solace pinching the bridge of her nose. What happened to Xero?

The door to the bridge opened and the other Spartans and Doctor Halsey entered. "I take it your talking about Xero." said Halsey. "Do you know what's wrong with him?" asked Tali rubbing her hands together.

Sighing, Halsey took a seat, the rest of Noble team sat around her. "There are many things about Xero that you don't know. And was kept from the rest of Noble team." She looked past the shocked Spartans at Jorge. "Except for Jorge."

Everyone looked at the large Spartan who was looking down at the floor with sorrow in his eyes. "All of us Spartans...we were brought into the UNSC at a very young age. 5 and 6 year old kids who had no family, were abandoned, or were left orphaned after the Covenant attacked their home. We were trained, fed, and trained more. Then, we went through the augmentation process. Where the candidates' bodys were made stronger. Bones as hard as steel. Strength that could flip a tank. And speed that could nearly match any ground vehicle."

Jorge looked up at the whole team. "Out of the 300 candidates in the Spartan II program...only 60 lived through the process. Me included." "That's horrible!" exclaimed Kaidan. "You have to understand, Humanity was desperate. We created the Spartan program to give the Marines a fighting chance." said Halsey.

"And where do you fit into all of this doc?" asked Shepard. Halsey looked at the floor, "I'm the mother of the Spartan program." She looked up at the faces of the crew, "They all were bright children, and I cherished them like they were my own. If I ever heard of one's death...it felt like losing a child." she said with a tear streaking down her face.

Jorge set a hand on her shoulder, "We Spartans...we didn't have family. So we stuck together. Like brothers and sisters." He gently patted Halsey's shoulder, "And a mother. We fought for Humanity, ourselves, and each other. We are a family."

After Jorge was done speaking, Tali spoke up. "What about Xero?" she asked. Jorge and Halsey both winced. "Xero was...an unwilling subject." said Halsey. "A man in ONI by the name of Ackerson created his own branch of the Spartan program. The Spartan III's. It was kept under wraps so well that the UNSC brass never got wind of it."

She starred out the viewport and looked at the stars. "Xero was discovered on a remote colony. Beaten and bleeding as though he had been through a terrible accident. I saw a victim...Ackerson saw an experiment. Xero was taken, and subjected to by far the most painful process of becoming a Spartan. From what I've heard, he died four times on the operating table. He was rescued from the fortress by a selected team."

"Who was the team lead by?" asked Ashley. Halsey looked up at Jorge whose mouth was a thin line. "The things I saw...the things Six was put through...it was inhuman. It was a surprise to find that he wasn't a mindless killing machine. He became our newest brother." said the large Spartan.

The crew couldn't even to begin to comprehend what they were just told. Halsey sighed again, "Xero...isn't even his real name. Xero-B213 was the name and number given to him. The procedure he was put through damaged his mind slightly. Causing him to lose some of his memory."

Through the whole discussion, Tali felt her heart clentch tightly with each passing second. "The creature that Xero fought...that was another Spartan wasn't it?" Shepard asked already knowing the answer. "John-117...he was the best out of all of us." said Jorge.

Cortana appeared on the terminal next to them, "John saved our universe from the Covenant and the Flood. He ended the war with the help of the UNSC and the Elites who defected from the Covenant...he was a true hero." she said.

"Killing John must have been like killing a brother to him." said Liara. Cortana nodded, "Xero...I saw a lot in him. Like I did John. He's a born leader, strong, swift and brave." she smirked, "And a good amount of luck."

She looked back up, her smile gone. "I saw his memories with the help of Prophet. He may be stronger, faster and more durable than any of his brothers and sisters. But his mind..." she trailed off. "Being a Spartan is both a blessing and a curse." said Jun. "We maybe stronger, faster and tougher than regular Human's. But because of that we have the curse of seeing our comrades die around us." Finished Jorge.

"Xero has seen so many people die around him while he still stood fighting. And if you add in the slight damage the augmentation process did. His mind is fracturing...it's only a matter of time before it could break." said Halsey.

"Is there anything we can do?" asked Garrus. Cortana smiled, "Not we." she looked over at Tali, "Just one."

Tali's eyes widened, "M-Me?" The AI smiled wider, "I saw his memories. You have the biggest effect on him. I also felt his emotions, he would do anything for your happiness. You have somehow tapped into that part of his heart that was lost for so long."

Halsey walked over to the young Quarian and held her three fingered hands in her own. "He loves you so much. And I can tell you love him too...Please...save my son." Tali closed her eyes and squeezed the doctor's hands, her eyes opening and showing determination. "I will."

She headed for the door at a brisk pace. "What will you do?" asked Shepard. Tali stopped and looked back at all of them. "I'm getting him back."

X

Tali stormed down the hallway. With the Engineer, that she had named Vecta, right beside her following. After a few minutes, they arrived at a sealed door that lead into the Captain's quarters, the room that the rest of the crew wanted Xero to have.

"Vecta, can you get this door open?" asked Tali. The bulbous, hovering creature tilted it's head and squeeked before pressing it's tentacles to the doorlock in the center. There was a few discharges of electricity and the red lock turned blue. "Thank you Vecta." Tali said rubbing the creature's head. "Now go be with the others. I can do the rest." The Engineer squeeked again before floating off down the corridor.

Tali looked back to the door and entered the room when the doors slid apart.

The room beyond was a sight to see. After they had first got on the Corvette the crew had discovered that the Elites slept in a similar fashion to humans. However, the beds were much larger. The crew's quarters was large enough to hold 18 people alone.

But the Captain's room...It was amazing by itself. It had a large sitting area with a large table in the middle where a galaxy map could be projected. I large staircase that lead to a loft where the bed, which was twice the size of a king sized bed, along with a bathroom...of sorts. Xero had said something about trying to change a few things to Human standards.

Tali walked across the large room and up to a mantel where the items he had shown her before were displayed, minus Jorge's tags for obvious reasons.

She looked from each of them before picking up Xero's old helmet. Running her nimble fingers over each scratch, dent and crack on the surface. "Keelah...how much did you suffer?" she thought sadly looking at the shattered visor.

I hurt myself, today

To see if I still feel

I focus, on the pain

the only thing, that's real

The sound of music from the second floor caught her attention. Setting the helmet back down, she walked up the stairs to the loft. "Xero?" she called softly.

The needle tears a hole

The old familiar sting

Try to kill it, all the way

But I remember, everything

Reaching the second level, she saw him sitting on the other side of the bed with his back to her. His omni-tool glowing and emiting a Human song that spoke of pain and loss.

What have I become

My sweetest friend

Everyone I know, goes away

In the End

Slowly, she walked around the large bed and approached him. He was bent over, arms on his knees with a set of rusted dogtags hanging from his right hand. His eyes were focused on the floor unblinking. If it weren't for the slow rise and fall of his back she'd think he was a statue.

And you could have it all

My empire of dirt

I will let you down

I will make you hurt

"Xero?" she called again sitting down next to him, he didn't even blink. From here she could see that the dark circles under his eyes could be seen clearly even in the faded light. She reached a hand out and set it on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

Xero's breath halted. His head turned slowly until his red eyes met her glowing ones. "Xero...Talk to me. Please." She pleaded. Her hand's reached up and gently held his face. "I know your hurting. After everything you've been through, and forced to kill your brother Spartan." She glanced at the tags in his hand before locking eyes again.

"You can't keep this all inside. You my be a soldier, a Spartan, and a hero in your own right...But you are also a man. A man who has had to suffer so much. Sacrificing every part of yourself for the sake of others." She smiled under her visor. "It's time somebody saved you. So please...let me in." she said with all of the love she could muster.

At first Xero did nothing. Then Tali saw a lone tear decend his cheek as his face remained still.

His eyes closed and he let out a shuddered breath, "Why...am I always the one left alive..." he whispered. Tali reached out and pulled his head into her chest and held him. The Spartan started to shake with a few sobs that escaped him.

The dogtags fell from his hand as he wrapped his arms around Tali. She ran her fingers over his scalp soothingly, "It was for a reason Xero. You saved countless others because of your bravery. Those who lost their lives didn't die in vain because of you. You avenged them. Don't let their deaths destroy you."

Xero sat up, but kept his hold on Tali. He sighed and looked off to the side, "I hurt Tali. Physical damaged I can handle, but..." he trailed off for a moment before speaking again, "He wasn't my brother anymore. What that creature was...was an abomination wearing his skin. John died fighting till his last breath, an honorable death for any Spartan."

He looked back at Tali, "I'm tired of fighting...tired of war and death. But I have to keep fighting, I will protect the innocent until the day I fall. And maybe, one day, maybe I can finally lay my guns down for good." he said with a smile.

"It sounds like a good future when that day comes." said Tali. Xero raised his hand and gently carressed the side of her visor, "I'm hoping to share that day. After all, behind every great man there's an even greater woman." he said smirking.

The Quarian woman's eyes widened, "Xero...what are you saying?" The Spartan squeezed her hand lightly, "I love you Tali. Since we've met I can't keep you out of my mind. Now...your all I think about. It was thoughts of you that kept me going on Feros, a reason to come back." His red eyes seemed to gleam over with an emotion that Tali couldn't place before he wrapped his arms around her small form and held her.

She wrapped her arms aound him, revealing in his larger form against hers. "X-Xero...I love you as well...You saved me in so many ways, you were there for me when I needed you. You...keelah...I can't even describe everything."

Xero chuckled, "Trust me, I feel the same Tali." After a few moments a thought hit the young Quarian, "Xero, what about...you know..." The Spartan realised what she was getting at, "Your suit." He smiled comfortingly, "Tali we'll figure everything out, I may be a soldier, but I am all yours no matter what."

Tali smacked his arm lightly, "Chivalry will get you nowhere." she said giggling. Xero smirked and gently squeezed the hand that was on her waist. Tali's eyes widened and she let out a moan. His other hand pressed into her back where her spine was and slowly slid down.

"W-What...are you...doing?" She said inbetween moans. "I think I should show you how serious I am about us." Xero said scooping her up and bringing her to the center of the bed. Tali felt as though her body was on fire.

Xero crawled next to her and pressed his hand onto her flat stomach, his other hand snaked under her body, his fingers kneeding into her back.

Tali squirmed, her breath coming out in pants as Xero massaged her through her suit. She felt his hand slide up her stomach and squeeze one of her breasts. Her eyes widened and she let out a loud moan. He switched to the other one and she started to lose it. "K-K-Keelah!...oh Keelah!..."

Her left hand gripped the bed sheets, her other hand gripped his shirt so tightly that she could hear the fabric tearing.

Xero leaned up and gently pressed his body down on her's, she immediately pressed into him feeling his warm skin and muscles through her suit. His hand that was fondling her breasts slowly slipped down, past her stomach...Her eyes widened even more and she let out a loud scream as she felt Xero's hand rubbing her core.

"X-Xero!...Oh Keelah Xero!...D-Don't S-Stop!" Xero smirked and removed his other hand from under her and started on her breasts again as he massaged through the material of her suit with a little more pressure.

Tali's mind was going blank, she had never felt anything like this before, it was like she was on fire. Xero had managed to press far enough into her suit and massage her sensitive skin. It felt wonderful.

All other thoughts vanished when she felt large pressure building in her lower abdomen. "Xero...I'm...gonna..." she let out a scream that was so loud it was a miracle that the whole crew didn't hear it. Xero felt warmth spread out between her legs under Tali's suit as she continued to buck into his hand.

After what felt like an eternity. Tali slowly came down from her high breathing heavily. "K-Keelah...that was..." she said with a sigh. Xero crawled up and laid down next to her, "How was your first orgasm beautiful?" he asked grinning.

Tali wrapped her arms around his neck and tangling her legs with his. "I swear, by Keelah I'll get out of this suit somehow." she said with a yawn. Xero chuckled and wrapped his arms around her form making her shudder a little.

"I came here with the intention on making you feel better." she said as sleep started to creep up on her. "And you did, I just payed you back." said Xero. In moment's Tali fell asleep. Xero leaned down and kissed the top of her visor. "Thank you Tali. I love you." he whispered.

Leaning back, the Spartan fell asleep with his Quarian girlfriend wrapped protectively in his arms.

X

Kat worked on the pelican extensively. Doing anything she could to stay busy, repairing, rewiring, or collecting data was the only thing to keep her from getting bored.

The sound of footfalls echoed behind her, she didn't have to turn to know who it was. Two taloned hands wrapped around her middle making her pause from the work she was doing. "Hay." said Garrus. Kat smirked, "Garrus."

"What are you doing?" asked the Turian. "The pelican took some damage back on Zhu's hope. If we want to use it again I have to fix it." replied Kat. Garrus clicked his mandables, "You need any help?" Kat looked over her shoulder, "What makes you think I need help fixing the ship?"

Garrus widened his mandables in a smirk, "I wasn't talking about the ship." he said nuzzling the back of her neck. Kat closed her eyes as she held his hands that were around her. "Maybe, I could use some help." she said enjoying the feeling.

"Oh?" said Garrus interested. She cast a glance with a smirk over her shoulder, "My armor's been giving me trouble. Can you help me remove it?" she whispered.

Garrus' eyes widened a fraction and his mandables clicked off his face. "Sure...just lead the way." he said lowly. She grabbed his hand with her cybernetic one and lead him into the back of the pelican. Onboard, she hit the switch that closed and locked the hatch.

Across the hanger, Emile and Wrex had watched the whole thing. "Knew it." said Emile. "There mating was inevitable. They were almost as obvious as Xero and the Quarian." grunted the warlord.

X

Soap looked over the needler before him. He had to admit, the armory was full of nice stuff. But he was having trouble in how to use them properly. Hense, why he was in the cargo hold to do a little target practice / experiments.

Picking up the weapon and aiming it at the target as if he would an SMG, he squeezed the trigger. A volley of glowing pink shards flew from the front and struck the target with almost perfect accuracy. The shard's shattered in a small explosion ripping the metal target where they hit.

"Damn. I think I might wanna try this in the field." he mumbled to himself. He set the needler back down on the table and picked up a plasma repeater. "Having fun?" Soap turned and saw Ashley approaching with a small smirk. "Yeah, thought I would test out the alien tech since we might be using it soon." said Soap standing behind the line and aiming the plasma weapon at a new target.

He pulled the trigger and plasma blasts flew out of the barrel in quick succesion. The recoil was strong, but he managed to keep it under control. When he was done, he popped the hatch on the gun and allowed it to cool down. The target was covered in black burns where the shots hit.

Ashley watched the display impressed, "Wow, I better try a few of these out." Soap motioned to the table covered with each kind of weapon in the armory. "Take your pick."

She approached the table and picked up the smallest weapon. "Plasma pistol." she said to herself. "Been doin your homework?" asked Soap with a chuckle. "Cortana gave me the run down on all the weaponry since I'm Gunnery Chief." said Ashley as she stepped up to the line.

The plasma pistol fired a few green rounds into the target before Ashley charged a shot and fired a bigger blast that scortched the bullseye. Soap nodded at the good display before picking up a spike rifle. "Your a damn good shot." he said firing off a few spikes into the target.

Ashley put down the plasma pistol and picked up the focus rifle. "Alliance runs in my veins. I was born a Marine, I'll die a Marine." she said aiming down the sights of the rifle and firing the beam that went straight through the target and burned the wall of the cargo hold.

Soap chuckled before leaning against a crate with an MRE in hand, "Feel the same way. My grandad was in the military, so was my old man." he said tearing into the freeze dried meal. Ashley put the weapon down and hopped up on the crate next to him with her own MRE.

"What was it like, fighting in your dimension?" she asked. Soap starred at the far wall blankly. "Ever since I joined the 141 I've seen a lot of horrible things. Fighting for country and the world when it was needed. Lost some good friends too." The thoughts of Gaz, Ghost and Roach all came to mind.

Ashley looked at Soap with a mixture of sorrow and understanding. "I lost good friends too. I lost my whole squad when Eden Prime was attacked. They were like family." Soap looked over at her and smiled, "Guess we're more alike than we like to admit." Ashley laughed lightly, "Guess so."

A silence flowed through the both of them. Ashley leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. So much had changed since the Eden Prime incident. Christ, they were on a large alien ship from another dimension, and more than half their crew was from different dimensions themselves. Everything felt so strange.

She felt something shift and opened her eyes to see Soap leaning over her, hands on both sides of her legs. "Something I can help you with?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. The ex-141 agent smirked, "I know what goes on in your head these days Ms. Williams."

Ashley smirked back before wrapping her arms around his neck, "Oh? And what is that?" she asked. "Somethings that would be against regulations." Soap said starting to grin. Ashley smiled back, "Considering all that has happened...forget the regs."

She leaned up and pressed her lips to his. Soap wrapped his arms around her and kissed back.

X

The Normandy was quiet. Save for a few crew members that stayed behind to maintain the ship's systems. The rest were on the Solace getting use to the new technology.

Shepard sat in the briefing room looking at a map of the galaxy. She had given her report to the council about what had occured on Zhu's Hope. They were horrified when they read the data and saw the recordings from their omni-tools. They immediately sent out a broadcast to all military factions about the Flood and to be on the look out if any more hives were to pop up.

She sighed, "At least the bastards took that information to heart." "That's government for you." Shepard looked up and saw Jorge's large form intering the door frame. "How are you doing Jorge?" she asked the heavy Spartan. Jorge shrugged, "Much better. You'd be surprised how good you feel after lifting several hundred pounds." he said smirking.

"You Spartans truely are unique. The Alliance would give up every cred just for one of you." said Shepard. Jorge grinned, "We are unique, but it doesn't come without sacrifice." Shepard nodded, "Yeah...I'm sorry that all of you had to go through all of that."

Jorge gazed out the viewport at the stars. "When I was a kid training with the other Spartan IIs, I always wondered what the stars were like up close. After fighting the Covenant for so long...I just hope that we can find peace when there is no one left to fight."

The Commander looked at the man and could almost see the little kid with a bright future he once was. "I'm sorry...about John." she said quietly.

Jorge nodded and breathed out a sigh, "He died fighting Commander. He was a true hero, and he went out like one. Me and Jun couldn't be more proud to have known him and everything we did together. We overcame a lot when we were in the war."

The Commander nodded in understanding, "I know what that's like. A few years ago me and my squad joined a small battalion on a planet called Akuze. The problem was that it was a trap. We were on a Thresher Maw nest. Large blood thursty subterrainian creatures."

Shepard winced at the memory, "We fought for days. The Threshers wore us down, killing us off everyday. On the last day...I was the only one left. When I was picked up I had suffered burns from the creatures' acid."

She lifted up her shirt and showed a large patch of warped skin on her left side. "I was lucky, or so says the Alliance higher ups. I still have nightmares from those days. Seeing my squad and comrads die around me..."

Jorge reached out and held her hand, "I know the feeling. Believe me. All of us have things we want to forget, but it's those moments that truely define us. We're soldiers, Shepard, the galaxy relies on us to show them that it takes good people to stand for what's right and the sake of peace. But that shouldn't change who we are at heart."

Shepard smiled and squeezed his hand. Jorge was a walking tank, but she could tell that he had a good heart under all of that armor. A slight fluttering in her chest made he smile widen a little. Jorge smiled back.

X Xero's POV X

I entered the bridge shocking the rest of the crew. I couldn't blame them, considering I've been locked away for five days straight. "I take it your okay now?" asked Jorge. "Yeah, sorry to worry you guys." I replied.

Jorge smirked, "Just don't do it again. Or I'll go in and drag you out." I rolled my eyes, "Love to see you try big guy." I said walking around him. I saw Shepard looking at the large galaxy map in the center of the room in deep thought. "Any idea what our next heading is?" I asked standing next to her.

"We have to go to the Ciradel to resupply the Normandy. I think we'll have to seperate for a little while since we can't just pull this thing into Citadel space without causing an incident." she said in all honesty. "That's understandable. We'll head off and do a little recon to see if we can pick up on Saren's trail." I said looking through the map.

The door to the bridge opened and Garrus came in. The odd thing was that he was limping. "Garrus? You okay?" asked Shepard. The Turian shook his head and mumbled something about crazy strength. The door opened again and Kat came strolling in. She had a wide smile on her face and was lighter on her feet than usual.

"Kat?" I asked confused. "Hmm?" she asked back. "You...okay?" I asked. She smiled a little wider, "Never been better." she said walking off. As she walked by I took notice of what looked like healing puncture wounds on her neck.

"That was...odd." said Shepard. We heard Joker laughing his ass off from his spot next to Dana. I shook my head and turned back to the map when the door opened again. This time, Ashley and Soap walked in, both wearing grins.

"What's up with you guys?" asked Jorge. Neither one of them spoke, but Shepard made an observation. "Ash...what's that on your neck?" The Gunnery Chief's grin vanished and she quickly placed a hand over the spot she spoke of, "Nothing Skipper!" she said before spinning around heading for the armory.

Price walked up to Soap and patted him on the shoulder, "Good for you mate." he said smirking.

I looked at Shepard, "Just what the hell have I missed since I've been away?"

A/N: Xero and Tali are together. And I decided to keep the Kat/Garrus and Soap/Ashley couples while trying to build something between Jorge and Shepard. If there are any other couple ideas you guys may have let me know and I'll see if I can add it in.