[Last updated: 05/07/18]
[Okay, just to let you guys know ahead of time, there's some partial spoilers later on in the chapter concerning the Meta for anyone who hasn't seen up till the ending of season 13 of Red Vs Blue; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. If you haven't seen it yet, I'd highly recommend it; you can find it for free at show/red-vs-blue.]
About ten minutes later, everyone was back and had mugs of varying liquids. I reconnected with the display and a stellar system was displayed before zooming in on the fourth planet from the star. The planet in question was covered in verdant deep green forests, high mountains, sparkling blue oceans, and possessed three moons. It had been so long since I had last seen it, even in projection. I looked wistfully at it for a moment before realizing they were waiting on me. I coughed and stared into the projection as memories washed over me.
"Continuing from where I left off … this was the colony of Angerona … my home for the first six years of my life. It was a relatively new colony; we only had one settlement. As such, things were comparatively simple inasmuch as schooling and jobs were concerned. Even though we had advanced technology compared to how our current standard of living was, we weren't able to fully utilize it until the infrastructure that supported it could be built, and naturally, that took time. Meanwhile a large group of the colony, my father included, became hunters to prey on the local wildlife to feed their families; while that was being done, everyone above a certain age left in the settlement that weren't hunting was charged with important civic duties and my mother was no different. Due to her skillset, she was charged with being the settlement's chief communications officer, and until a more permanent place could be built to house the future equipment and personnel, she set up a comms terminal in one of the rooms adjacent to the one I slept in on the second floor of our house. Some people were also put in charge of what one day would have been mining operations. In school, my schoolmates and I were beginning to learn all about mining tools and methods and other things pertinent to mining. It appeared my generation would have been in charge of mineral exploitation and production. It was a pretty good life; I had a group of friends and a loving family. That time … is like a dream from long ago; however it wouldn't last."
"Several hours after I fell asleep on my sixth birthday, I awoke to what sounded like screams and chaos from outside. I got up and walked over to my window to see what was going on. The scene before me was one of tragedy and panic. I saw people running around in a panicked frenzy, several houses were ablaze, there were bodies in the street, and … there were inhuman silhouettes stalking around. I then looked up and was both confused and scared at what I saw; there was a massive void where there should've been stars. Not comprehending what was going on but sensing something was very wrong, I quickly dressed and went down to the first floor of our house. I could see my parents in the kitchen hurriedly talking together in muted tones, my mother was cooking the next day's meal, and my father was finishing up on sharpening his hunting knife, now cleaned after cutting up a fresh kill. They saw me and before I could ask what was going on, there was a hard knock on the front door. My father set his now sharpened knife onto the table within its sheath. He took out a handgun, thumbed the arming mechanism, and cautiously walked to the door. As he neared the door, my mother pulled me aside and began to gently prod me into the nearby closet. I was about to question her, but then I saw her worried expression and complied. Before she shut the door, she pressed my father's knife into my hands, whispering 'Just in case.' Thanks to her instincts, my mother had just saved my life."
"What happened next … I would see replayed in my sleep for years to come. Between the slats of the closet door, I saw my father open the door a crack … but it was enough. A bright purple light came out of the back of his head and disappeared into the ceiling above him, leaving a hole. Things happened quickly from then on. He fell back limp – the smell of burnt flesh following him; my mother screamed his name and rushed forward to him but a leg appeared from outside the door and viciously kicked her away. Four figures walked into sight; I could identify them by what I've seen on the news: they represented two of the races that comprised the Covenant, one Jackal and three Grunts. The Covenant was on Angerona. My mother crawled away on her back as the Jackal levelled his plasma rifle to her head. She looked over to my hiding place and mouthed three words; 'I love you.' He pulled the trigger, producing the bright purple light once more." Several people gasped, some of the others were crying silently.
"The smaller Grunts split up between them. One nudged my father's corpse and nodded to the other while the third went over to what was left of my mother and looked at her, cocking his head. Thankfully, before they could do anything more, a sensor the Jackal was carrying began to make sounds and it looked over to the stairwell I had just came down from and … squawked … to the others and gestured to them with his gun. Soon enough they were all on the second floor; I could hear them rifling through my room. I crept away from my hiding place and silently shut the door to the stairwell. I looked over to what was left of my parents … " I trailed off suddenly. Mirajane started to say, "Jai …" I shook my head, "No. I'm alright. I … I need to tell the story." I took a few breaths and continued, "I remember seeing them through a watery haze and I remember having to stifle a feeling of grief. Perhaps when I got out of there alive and safe … then and only then would I allow myself to think about what had just happened. Fortunately, my father – always the prepper, had trained me for this eventuality; I knew what I had to do. I made my way into the kitchen and gathered food and bottled water into what was my father's hunting backpack before pausing intermittently, checking for movement. It was then that I looked at the kitchen appliances and came up with a plan for revenge – if they came here looking for something and killed my parents and probably most of the colony to do it, then they were going pay for what they've done … to me, to my parents ... and to Humanity. I was going to set a trap for my unwanted guests; I quickly rolled up a paper magazine and inserted it into a simulated analogue toaster and turned it on. After checking that the copper coils were heating up, I went over to the flexible tubing providing the oven with flammable gas and severed it with my knife. That done, I figured I had a few minutes before things heated up. I grabbed the bookcase that was near the door to the stairs and silently pulled it in front of it. With those energy weapons they sported, the bookcase wouldn't hold them for long, but then again, it didn't need to. I looked around and grabbed my family's photo album and after I stuffed it into my backpack, I remember noticing a picture that had fallen out; it was a happy picture of my parents, myself, and my little brother. He was four years younger than me and my parents decided he would be safer with my grandparents back on Earth, in New Phoenix; I could tell they were beginning to think the same for me … or, they were. I stopped by both of them … I kneeled and gently closed their eyes and said my goodbyes. I made my way outside and around the corner of the next house over when the gas ignited, causing the house to explode, presumably killing the four inside and engulfing the house I grew up in with almost everything inside with flames. However, before I could continue, a figure burst forth from the burning wreckage: it was the Jackal. I'll spare you all the description of him; just know it wasn't a pretty sight. He saw me, squawked angrily, and limped towards me attempting to sight his weapon at me; he was trying to kill me. I drew my father's gun and held it like I had been trained, and fired again and again, barely missing him each time in my anguish and horror. The bastard actually grinned at me before he steadied his arm and levelled his weapon at me. I then finally found my mark as I put one through his skull. My first Covenant kill … one of so many in the coming years. For a few minutes after that, I remained near the burning remains of what was once my childhood home, getting covered in ash, and just … I watched it burn. I think a small piece of me broke that day."
"The next hour was spent running to the small spaceport that housed our evac ships. Somehow the Covenant hadn't destroyed them yet. As she ships' engines began to spool up, I fought the jet wash and neared the gangway leading to the entrance for the only other ship left in the small spaceport that was still accepting passengers. I saw a door open on the spacecraft and a uniformed man waved hurriedly at me. He yelled, "C'mon, kid! We're about to leave!" I hurried and boarded as quickly as I could and I could faintly hear the pilots, they were going through the final pre-flight checklist. I had barely made it. I found my seat before a voice yelled my name. I heard hurried footsteps. I turned around and was embraced by my best friend, Emma. Apparently, she had been worried sick because she couldn't find me. We strapped in side by side so we could talk. We asked each other about our parents and found we shared similar stories. We weren't able to talk much more at that moment because the spacecraft launched into the air just then. A few minutes later I looked over to an external monitor of the evac shuttle as the sight of my home planet came in to view. The next ten minutes were the tensest moments I had felt up to that point, you could almost cut it with a knife; we were waiting to see if we were going to be blown out of the sky. Right when we were about to finally break free of the planets' atmosphere, the other evac ship met up with us … although it wouldn't stay with us. A minute after it met up with us, the ship was hit with a plasma beam from a passing ship, blowing a large hole in the middle of the vessel. It seemed to just … hang there, suspended in the rarified atmosphere for a few moments. I even saw several objects begin to float freely of the craft slowly. Then electricity began to arc dangerously as she ships' engines went critical before it detonated, rocking our ship."
"Now in space, I unbuckled myself from my harness and floated up from it. I went over to an exterior window in the ship's wall and looked down over the colony, and what I saw chilled me to the bone: there was a massive Covenant capital ship low over the planet; right over the colony. I could then see a bright purple light begin to emanate from the underside of the large bulbous section that made up the front part of the ship. Someone screamed, others cried. Other people were outraged and muttered and yelled different things around me; they were going to glass Angerona – our home." I paused for a moment and shook my head, caught up in emotion. "Our pilot somehow made it safely through the enemy blockade and made the transition to Slipspace."
"A few days later, our ship eventually dropped out of Slipspace and docked with a friendly space station around a planet I had never seen; but then again, I was six and had never been off-world before. What was left of the population of Angerona colony made a refugee camp, at the graciousness of the station's commander. That night, I wasn't the only one grieving for the lost. A few days later a bald uniformed man came into the camp we had made – he had a tattoo of what looked like a cluster of arrows on the side of his head. He was here to ask the children of Angerona if they wanted revenge on those who had brought destruction to our lives. I stepped forward, as did many others, including Emma. The man then led us to a large naval ship docked on one side of the station. I never saw the other people of Angerona again."
"We were taken to another planet they called Onyx. For the next few years, I and the others with me were trained to the limit both physically and mentally. We were slated to become part of the next company of Spartan – III's, called Delta company. During that time, our names were changed: I was known as Jai-D256; the "D" was my company designation, and I was 256th in the company. We were beginning to hear rumors of a new Spartan program: the Spartan IV's. Soon enough, the rumors proved to be true and the remaining trainee's – that would be us – would simply be rolled into the new program. Those that wished would be moved to non-combative roles, but I and most of the others went on to become this new breed of Spartan. I was introduced to my new handlers and finished my training under them. By that time, I was thirteen. I was then told that I was the first among my batch of inductees to receive the Spartan-IV augmentations."
Mirajane then raised a hand to get my attention, "Wait, you said Spartan-IV? Didn't you say they replaced much of those soldiers' bodies?" I thought for a moment the nodded, "Yes. My muscles were strengthened, my bones were lengthened and rendered unbreakable, the joints were reinforced, and pretty much all of my organs were replaced with better, stronger, more resilient versions. Those of us from Angerona being augmented had to of course be monitored medically for quite a while as they didn't know what augmenting a teenager like that would do to them physically. Fortunately for us, nothing unexpected happened."
"Anyway, the rest of the group I trained with – which were by now all Spartan-IV's – were transported to Earth and then into the very outer periphery of the solar system in total secrecy by an ONI stealth ship. What we found there, illuminated weakly in Sol's wan light was a symbol of strength, the vanguard of Humanity's future, and one of the best kept secrets in the history of Human endeavor. Built to defend Humanity from an unstoppable foe, the Immense UNSC Infinity only came into service after the war had ended. It was designed to be the most powerful ship ever created by Humanity, incorporating technology drawn from both the Covenant and the Forerunners. It became our home for the foreseeable future, where we trained, lived, and protected Humanity. Although it was forged in the fires of conflict, the Infinity was christened as a vessel of peaceful exploration, and the expansion of Humanity's place in the galaxy. Nevertheless, this new era not was without peril, and the ship experienced battle on numerous occasions in the aftermath of the war."
"I would spend the next few years climbing up the chain of command until I was able to lead my own fireteam: known as fireteam Indigo. The ship was orbiting a newly discovered Halo Installation to help research station Ivanov transport a Forerunner artifact (Which was so large, the only ship that could transport it was the Infinity) for them to study from the Installation when we intercepted the distress signal from what was left of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn. We finished up our tasks, the captain notified his superiors of where we were going, and jumped into Slipspace towards the signal. What we found was one of the Forerunner's old Shield Worlds – designate Requiem. We got closer and discovered debris of a ship drifting around a portion of the metallic shell of the planet. When we got close enough to scan the debris, we were scanned instead … by Requiem. A blinding light shown onto the ship as a large aperture opened up and we were pulled in by Requiem's gravity well. In the process, the ship was taken over by a hostile force and was forced to put down on Requiem where we were set upon by Covenant remnants and said unknown hostile force."
"The forces we conflicted with on the planet were soon found to be Forerunner in nature." Mira projected an image of a Promethean Knight. "The Promethean Knight is only one of the types of Forerunner constructs we had to fight; it is an advanced Forerunner AI whose prime directive was combat and defense. It was around then that we met up with John – 117, one of the two survivors of the rear half of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn; we learned from him that the Didact was commanding them from the remnants of his prison, a Cryptym. Events unfolded with the Spartan leading the charge and we eventually made it out of the planet." Natsu gawked at me, "What him again?! How long was he in this … whatever you called it?" I chuckled slightly, "The cryptum? He was in there for about one hundred thousand years, give or take a few millennia. Forerunners had long lifespans. Obviously. Plus, it's my understanding that his cryptum kept him in some kind of stasis for all that time."
"Anyway, there was a slight disagreement between the captain of the Infinity, a man named Andrew Del Rio, and the Spartan. He needed the Infinity to help him take out the immense threat that the Didact posed to Earth and all of Humanity … but the captain didn't see it that way. He ordered the helmsman to take the ship to Earth to ready a final defense. John–117 ended up taking a dropship that was supplied by the XO – the position just under the Captain – who agreed with him about the Didact and went to stop the Didact from leaving the planet that was originally his prison. Del Rio would later lose captaincy of the Infinity for abandoning the Spartan – II."
"I later read the after-action reports and the Didact found a way to leave Requiem on a large Forerunner ship called Mantel's Approach, stop by the space station we had previously helped, stole their research project – which was a piece of Forerunner tech we found out was called a 'Composer' – before entering Slipspace to go to Earth to use it as a weapon against his ancient adversary. The composer was what the Didact apparently used on his army of Forerunner Prometheans to turn them into the robotic sentries we know today. Through some unknown means, it turns biological life into artificial intelligences, with the cost of their biological form."
"While the UNSC home fleet tried valiantly to protect Earth, the shielding of the Didact's ship was much too strong; but we weren't without hope. John – 117 had made his way from Requiem by hijacking a Covenant ship to Ivanov station, then after the Didact test fired the composer on the station, he took a Broadsword loaded with a nuclear bomb and landed on the outer hull of the Mantle's Approach just before it put up its' shields and entered Slipspace. He then flew through the metallic caverns on the outer hull of the ship, dodging point-defense weapons fire as he did so, and managed to knock out a few of the generators powering the defensive emplacements on the ship, allowing the Infinity to use its' main batteries to fire a hole into the ship, which John – 117 flew down."
"While he was ultimately able to stop the Didact and blow up his ship, he wasn't able to do so before the entire population of the city of New Phoenix – a population of over six million people – was composed … at great personal cost to me, and many others. New Phoenix was where my grandparents had moved to years earlier, and by then had my little brother; he would have been around fifteen years old." I felt a single tear make its way down my cheek. "There … there was nothing I could do after the city was composed. There weren't any bodies to mourn over and bury – they weren't even actually dead, but they might as well have been. They were composed by the Didact and irreparably changed into Forerunner combat AI's along with the rest of the inhabitants New Phoenix. I was now officially the only surviving member of my entire family."
"Before I get to telling how I got to Earthland, I should say that during the war, the loss of lives and planets weren't the only prices to be paid; there was a blood price as well. We lost parts of ourselves to it, both literally and metaphorically." Natsu looked me over briefly with a puzzled expression, "What do you mean 'lost pieces of yourself'? I don't see any missing bits." I snorted softly, "It may look like it Natsu, but there is one part of me that is hidden from view." I reached up and manipulated the helmet's release and set it on the table; they could only look at me and gawk, a few even gasped. "What you see now is the result of a battle between an Elite with an energy sword and my fireteam when I was leading us out of a Covenant ship on a strike mission." I picked up my helmet and turned it around so I looked into the visor; my eyes were silver and gunmetal gray metallic prosthetic spheres that each had a soft blue light in place of my retinas; there was a thick scar going through both of my eye sockets that cut through the bridge of my nose.
"We were tasked with a mission to get aboard a Covenant ship and exfiltrate a package important to our superiors. The rest of my team was farther down the passage we were in laying down suppressive fire as we met a pocket of resistance denying us exit when I was set upon from above by the Elite in question. He was cloaked in the optical camouflage his species are so fond of; he was apparently clinging to the ceiling before he dropped onto me, energy sword first. Unfortunately for me, he caught me when my shields were down, which is probably why he targeted me. I was able to react in time and missed most of his swing – which would have taken off the top half of my head had I not dodged it – and instead, my eyes were bisected as the sword passed along the bridge of my nose. All I remember before I blacked out was excruciating pain. The next thing I remember, it was a couple of weeks later and I could see again. Many other people are like me, missing pieces of themselves … arms, legs – that sort of thing. However, fortunately for us, one of the few good things that came from the war were advancements in biomechanical prosthesis – a necessary field that rose up due to the many civilians and military personnel that had missing limbs in need of replacement."
"As for how I got to Earthland … well, instead of just telling about it, why don't you just watch it from my point of view?" Intrigued, Erza asked how they could do that. I smiled at her and tapped the camera on the side of my helmet, "Just watch, Erza." I put my helmet back on and called up my helmet cam's feed from after I put my armor on. As the field of view panned around, I provided commentary. "This, ladies and gentlemen, is S deck. Welcome aboard the UNSC Infinity; it is a deck of the ship where Spartans train, sleep, and gear up with weapons from a nearby armory and don their armor." The cam captured such a Spartan getting into a machine for his armor. As I knew it would, it eventually showed Spartans gearing up for a mission. "Let me introduce you all to my teammates, this is Fireteam Indigo. Hopefully, you will all meet them properly at a later date." I added under my breath, "... when I find them."
It then showed the footage from when I boarded the pelican, and the events aboard the ship. "Hey, you guys remember how I was talking about the ODST's?" It showed me climbing into a pod, the black of Slipspace, then shortly, in space above Earthland, the planet coming up quickly. It was then Lucy made a small gasp. "The day before I met you in Hargeon, there was a huge fireball in the evening sky heading out east …" Her eyes widened in realization, "THAT WAS YOU!?" I nodded, "That, indeed, it was. Also, since I'm talking about that time in Slipspace, I met someone." I filled them in on what I had experienced on my transition to Earthland. I noticed Mirajane's eyes widen slightly in recognition. "What's wrong, Mirajane? Do you know where I was?" She blinked a few times and shook her head, "I don't know for sure, but we know of an island that looks very similar to what you are describing."
I accepted that and continued on, "The girl never did give me her name, instead telling me to know her as 'a friend', which I'm more than happy to oblige … she saved my life, after all. I can however give you a description of what she looked like, if that would help." Erza and Mirajane shared a look before Erza looked to me and shrugged, "Might as well, you've gotten us all good and intrigued now … not that we weren't already." I gave them the best description as I could of her. "That's all I know about how she looked. She greeted me to her home … she had a name for it, but for the life of me I just can't seem to remember the damn name. Anyway, she told me about your world and of the magic she used to bring me here: Dimensional travel magic … which is why I asked Levy earlier." She nodded with a smile.
"She gave me my magic on that island, yes … but she gave me more than that. Since most of my capabilities revolved around lethality – me being a soldier and all – she then went on to make my weapons default to what she called magic ammunition." I materialized a box of M6 ammo and placed it on the table. "You guys feel that weird feeling coming from the box? That's what I mean. I shoot someone with this and it knocks them out; though if they're strong enough, I'll need to shoot them more with this ammo type to keep them under. But as for swords …" This made Erza look directly at me with her undivided attention. "… I have a plasma sword that cuts through pretty much anything I can find to cut, but only on inanimate objects. If I switch it to its alternate mode however, it'll cut through rock, metal, and bone like a hot knife through butter."
"Finally, you should know that I'm not alone here." Loki asked what I meant. "May I introduce you all to my travel companion, Mira." Mirajane looked at me with a confused look. Mira projected herself into one of the empty seats near Lucy and did a little wave, "Sup guys." Lucy jumped slightly at the appearance of my white companion. She looked at Mira then at me, looking for an explanation. I reached back and pulled Mira's chip from its slot and laid it on the table. Gray, confused, looked from the chip to my head, "Hold on, where did you pull that from?" I gestured to the back side of my head, "I pulled her from the slot in the back of my head, where else would I put it?" He just blinked at me for a minute before getting up and walking over to me. "You mind if I … ?" I did a little shrug with one shoulder and leaned my head forward to look at the table. "Just be careful back there." I could feel the tips of his fingers barely graze the area around my neural interface. Gray exclaimed, "Holy crap, guys – there really is a slot in the back of his head!" I looked at the others and sighed, "It's a normal part of the augmentation procedures for all UNSC personnel. Collectively, they are known as neural interfaces. Long story short, the idea behind this was they were surgically implanted onto the base of the skulls in all military personnel upon activation; they give off a special indicator signal that is picked up on radar to identify the unit as 'friendly'. The overall aim being to avoid friendly fire."
"There is also a kind of neural interface specifically designed for Spartans, such as the one I have. In addition to the standard functions of a Neural Interface, the Spartan Neural Interface is unique in that it is designed to allow an AI to directly interface with the Spartan's brain. Therefore, the AI is said to reside both inside the armor and inside the wearer's mind, essentially, in both places at once. The interface allows the AI access to most of the suit's internal systems, though the Spartan has override control if need be. The AI is capable of significantly improving the data transfer rate between specific parts of the brain of the Spartan and the MJOLNIR's processing unit, further improving the Spartan's already lightning-quick reaction time." Gray asked, "So why is it so important for the two of you to be so closely connected?" I let Mira answer that question for him. She appeared behind his chair and leaned on it, "Well, first of all, we are both able to make judgement calls to make up for each other's' weaknesses, second of all, I experience time 205% faster than a Human, which serves to drastically speed up Jai's thoughts and reaction time."
"To everyone who already asked me a question, I believe I've answered them along the course of my tale except for one." I looked at Erza, "I believe you asked where my armor comes from, right?" She blinked for a second before giving an affirmation. "Well, I'll leave that one to Mira, besides … she has a better grasp of the details than I do." She appeared in her seat near Lucy again, and began a detailed analytical answer for Erza.
"His armor is the latest variation in the line of powered assault armor known as Mjolnir. It is a technologically-advanced combat exoskeleton system designed to vastly improve the strength, speed, agility, reflexes, and durability of a Spartan-II, Spartan-III or Spartan-IV supersoldier. Originally prioritized and advanced parallel to the Spartan-II Program, the Mjolnir powered assault armor is currently the most advanced piece of tactical military hardware in Human hands. The brainchild of Dr. Catherine E. Halsey, Mjolnir is her attempt to create a powered exoskeleton capable of taking full advantage of the physical capabilities of a Spartan. The battlesuit is constructed in overlapping layers. It is a sealed system, capable of extravehicular and submersible activity or operations in toxic atmosphere. It is hardened against EMP and radiation, and has filters that are completely effective at removing toxins and bacteria from the local atmosphere."
"The armor's outer shell is composed of a multilayer alloy of remarkable strength and has been augmented with a refractive coating capable of dispersing a limited amount of energy weapon strikes. The suit contains a gel-filled layer underneath a thick black armored techsuit. The gel layer regulates temperature and can reactively change its density. The inner skinsuit is made of a moisture-absorbing synthetic material linked to an environment control computer and the occupant's UNSC-issue neural interface. An upgrade to the standard Neural Interface is issued to all high-ranking officers; another modified version of the neural lace is issued to all Spartans in the UNSC. This network translates electrochemical signals to digital code and routes them through an interface connection at the rear of the skull. Through this interface, the user's thoughts command the armor's movement and weapons; and input from the onboard sensors comes directly to the user's mind. The kinesis between machine and mind is so fast that it is almost impossible to chart the reaction time."
"Between the external armor and the internal padding is the most devastating weapon the suit carries: a layer of reactive metal liquid crystal. Woven by molecular tools into a superdense optical computer memory, this revolutionary crystalline layer forms a network, capable of supporting the kinds of Artificial intelligence usually reserved for starships, as a type of piggyback system. An A.I.'s personality and processing matrices can be carried by the armor and delivered to the suit via onboard storage in a crystal data chip no larger than a personal credit chit. Such technology did not exist when work began on the Mark I prototypes. At the same time it is amorphous, yet amplifies force, doubling lifting capability and increasing reaction time by a factor of five. Unfortunately the system is so reactive that normal Humans cannot use the suit without severely injuring themselves. Only Humans who have carbide ceramic ossification – a skeletal augmentation – such as a SPARTAN-II's and IV's, can safely wear the suit."
"The suit also possesses other features that enhance its wearer's abilities. It has numerous clips, belts, and magnetic holsters for the attachment of additional weapons and ammunition; an advanced Heads-Up-Display (HUD) linked to sensors in the gloves to detect the type of weapon and devices held, and to project shield strength, ammunition count, a targeting reticle, waypoints, a radio uplink for communication, health monitoring and other helpful data. With an onboard AI using the human mind for parallel processing, the SPARTAN/MJOLNIR combination is designed to be the most devastating intelligence tool ever created."
She then displayed blueprints for a special armor set I knew well. "These are blueprints for the M374 Hephaestus Combat Suit. During the war, the UNSC formed a top secret program called Project Freelancer; its overarching goal was to ensure the security of Humanity in a harsh and violent galaxy. It would pair AI with highly trained soldiers to give them a greater chance of surviving the Covenant. However, one of the benefits of this program were something called armor enhancements. Armor enhancements give soldiers temporary superhuman abilities. (Even more so if the soldier is a Spartan) Now, they were difficult to manufacture and so a limited number of them were produced and in the field; one of the many sub-goals of this program sought to find a way to fix that. Project Freelancer produced many different types of armor enhancements, but they each needed an AI to run properly. Events transpired that ended up with almost all of the soldiers in the program dead, and their AI and enhancements stolen and integrated into one suit by an entity that called itself 'the Meta'. This entity was later killed by a bunch of idiots when it was tied to a car and pushed off a cliff into the ocean below, and due to battle damage its suit had sustained, it drowned."
"After the Insurrectionists (At least the ones who were fighting with the soldiers of Project Freelancer, anyway) were defeated, a UNSC destroyer was eventually found drifting in space. A man by the name of Malcome Hargrove apparently used his position of political power to covertly seize the ship and use it as a mobile command center for his company, called Charon Industries. He would at some point rechristen the ship – whose previous designation remains unknown – as the Staff of Charon. The Meta's helmet (Which presumably held all sorts of data) would later be reclaimed by him and studied. The Meta's original suit was claimed by a group of soldiers when the Staff of Charon was raided in other events concerning a colony planet that was cut off from the UNSC. After the Staff of Charon was re-seized by the UNSC, the blueprints of this suit – along with improvements – were found in the ship's memory and reproduced using the latest Mjolnir version: the Mark VII. Needless to say … this suit – while wildly successful – is extremely experimental in nature; and as such, some things aren't fully completed."
Erza, who had been intently listening, commented, "So, in summary: the suit you're wearing is a marriage of the Mjolnir with experimental blueprints of this … heavily modified combat armor. But, why would this need to be done? Mjolnir sounds like an amazing accomplishment as is." I thought for a second before replying with a small shrug, "To be honest … it was done out of simple curiosity. We had blueprints and possible upgrades for an armor system capable of things many thought impossible. For example, a single soldier could typically only operate a single enhancement at any given time; however, this suit was modified to contain what are called enhancement slots – of which it has two."
Levy asked, "So, if a single enhancement gives a soldier superhuman abilities, what could you do with two that you couldn't do with one?" I nodded and replied, "So you're asking for possible scenarios then? Very well; for example, if I were put into a scenario where I had to infiltrate a building without being detected, I would employ the use of one of two types of camouflage enhancements with an enhancement that amplifies the capabilities of my sensor array; that way, I could get in, retrieve the package, and exfil out. Another example would be pretty much the polar opposite: I could employ the use of strength and speed enhancements for obvious results. And lastly, if I were put into a position to protect something, I have access to a small number of shielding enhancements, one of which I wouldn't be able to move much, if at all, during use."
"Furthermore, since I've arrived in Earthland and began using magic, I've realized I can merely switch the different enhancements in and out as I please using requip, making things considerably easier on my part. However, the suit …" I was about to say more when Natsu interrupted excitedly and asked, "So, if these slot things make you able to do more things at once, why not put in three or four; you know, to really get a fire going?" Gray frowned and yelled at him, "Shut up, flamebrain! It's not nice to interrupt people! He was probably about to say something like that!" I couldn't help but agree with him, "Ahem. Well … yes. He did make an interesting point, though. While the installation of more slots could conceivably allow for more creative uses of enhancements, the suit is currently only able to utilize two slots and stay stable."
Mirajane asked, "'Stay stable …'" She widened her eyes in realization, "You don't mean …" Mira appeared next to her, prompting her to look up to my companion who nodded, "Yes, you're right, Mirajane. The addition of one or more slots to the suit as it is currently would most likely destabilize the powerhouse the second a third enhancement was equipped, effectively turning the suit – and thus Jai and I – into an improvised high-yield bomb." They shrunk back slightly as I sighed, "It's ok, guys. That's only if I were to attempt a third enhancement, which I wouldn't anyway even if I could. Running two at a time is pretty much all I could ask for; three or more would just complicate things unnecessarily … not to mention the blowing up part. Yeesh."
Erza was silent for a moment before asking, "Alright, that's all well and good, but how was it that you came to possess this suit?" I looked at a gauntlet for a second before I responded, thinking. "Remember how I said how I worked hard until I was able to lead my own team? Well, my unit was eventually noticed by command for our quick, efficient, and successful missions. So, in recognition of that, I was offered to have myself and my team outfitted with similar experimental tech; at the time, it was the kind of tech that Spartans could only dream of. So I talked to my team, and we agreed."
I was then asked what my plans were currently. I drew in a measured breath, thinking carefully. "I guess since I have no way to return and rejoin the UNSC in the defense of Earth and what remains of her colonies, I guess the only option left to me is to live out the rest of my life here, in Earthland; as well as put Fireteam Indigo back together. I would also like to get used to and practice magic with Fairy Tail, as well as to get to know you guys much better … that is, if you would have me." I laughed nervously and rubbed the back of my neck self-consciously, "I guess I didn't exactly make the best impression when I first joined, did I."
After a short silence, Erza stood up and came over to me with a confident expression, "Nonsense. You did what you felt was right. You found yourself in an unfamiliar world, with the only people you knew were Lucy, and then later on Natsu, and Happy. After you joined the guild, you didn't have to go with Natsu and Lucy to help Macao, but you did it anyway." I nodded. "Of course, it's what I do. I fight for those who can't stand up for themselves, and I protect those who need defending. That's what it means to be a Spartan, a soldier … a Human." She smiled, "Well said; I could say the same thing for wizarding guilds in general." Lucy said, "Don't feel like you need to keep secrets around us, you're surrounded by friends, ok? We're not going anywhere Jai." I nodded, happy that they were being so receptive and took what Lucy and Erza said to heart.
Macao spoke up then, "You've given us all so much to think about …" He looked over to his empty tankard, "… not to mention drink about. But … thanks, Jai. For opening up to us. As for your family …" I looked over to him, curious. "Well, if we've learned anything from the old man, it's this: Fairy Tail's one big family. Your previous family may be dead, and that's horrible. However, you joined Fairy Tail. I …" He trailed off with a vague gesture into the air before sighing. "I'm not very good with emotional speeches like he is. I think what I'm trying to say is this." He raised his hand in the gesture I saw them all use the first day Lucy and I joined the guild: back of the hand facing me while clenched in a fist while the pointer and thumb are extended, pointer finger pointing up. "Welcome home, Jai." One by one the others mirrored the gesture. I couldn't help but smile at the sight as a strange feeling permeated my chest. Is this what it feels like to have friends? I had almost forgotten what it felt like. Friends.
Everyone eventually filed out of the room to do whatever else they were going to do for the remainder of the day. Lucy came up to me and asked how my last job went. I told her the short version about what happened. "Oh, so you have money then?" I nodded, "Yes, I was thinking on buying a house or something with some of it but …" She smiled and finished for me, "You don't know how to yet, right?" I smiled weakly and nodded sheepishly. "Yeah … I've never really owned anything like a house before. I've mostly resided aboard naval vessels." She thought for a moment, "So … where are you staying at now, then?" I shrugged and replied, "Under a tree here, a bridge there. It's ok. It's not like the elements can touch me." She shivered as she processed that information. "Well … why don't you stay at my place until you find one of your own?" I blinked for a second. What. "C'mon! It'll be fun! I've always wanted a roommate! Plus, I want to show you around Magnolia at some point; it really is a remarkable city." My brain finally caught up with what was going on, "Wait, are you sure? I don't wish to impose …" A hopeful smile grew on her face as she looked at me, "Well, I don't know quite what to say. But I appreciate the offer, and I'll take you up on it." She was delighted.
An hour later, I found myself inside her apartment. It had a really quaint old-worldly feel to it. It was a spacious apartment – judging from what little I actually know of them – that had a stone block bath in the bathroom. The main room apparently held many titles as it held a dresser, a bed, a large writing desk, as well as a few tables, chairs, and bookshelves that looked like they would be better at home in a properly sized living room. Lucy sat on her bed and looked around, "Well? What do you think?" I nodded in approval, "It's a nice place you have here." She looked over to a clock, "Holy crap! Is that really the time?! We need to get to sleep before we begin our mission tomorrow! Wait a minute …" She began looking around with an increasingly frantic look on her face. I also noticed she was blushing slightly. I asked her what was wrong. "Where are you going to sleep? I only have one bed!" Oh. I gently nudged a couch out of the way with a foot and laid down a thick mat that I had found in storage with a blue flourish. "There. That should do for now." She shrugged and we got ready for bed; she went into the bathroom to change. I laid down on my mat.
After she turned out the light in the room, I heard Lucy ask in a sleepy voice, "So, now that you've got all that off your chest, how do you feel Jai?" I was silent for a few seconds before I replied, "I'm feeling much better, Lucy. Thankyou. I guess … I just needed someone to listen to me." She yawned and replied in a drowsy voice, "You're welcome. G'night Jai." I could then tell by her measured breathing that she had fallen asleep. 'Thanks to you too, Mira. You've been a great help. I'm glad we met and became friends.' And I as well, Spartan. I as well. Get some sleep, I think we'll have a full day tomorrow.
A battlefield strewn with bodies; the living fighting one another while tripping on the dead as they fight. Weapons fire and smoke litter the environment of a ruined city. I get thrown to my side by a Brute chieftain as he raised his gravity hammer for a finishing blow with a smugly confidant expression. He brings it down on my face.
I opened my eyes to see the inside of Lucy's apartment. It was just past dawn and the sun was just beginning to brighten things up. I sat up, took off my helmet, and set it by my side before I rubbed my eyes and sighed. I had never really dreamed before, and now this. Although … given my past, I guess it kind of makes sense that I'd have some pretty fucked up dreams. I looked over to Lucy and could see her chest rise and fall slowly as she slept. Well, it's good to see at least one of us is going to be able to get to work tomorrow with a full night's sleep. Ugh. Jai … you need your sleep. You've only slept two hours tonight … Not to mention you haven't slept all that much since we arrived in Earthland … You're beginning to worry me, you know. I put my helmet back on and responded, 'I know, Mira. If these damn dreams could just leave me the fuck alone, then perhaps I'd be able to sleep more than an hour or two at a time.' I ended up laying there, staring at the ceiling, ultimately getting no more sleep. Again. With not much else to do, I watched the sun rise.
[And here we have the sad backstory of Jai, as well as some of his capabilities. This boy really needs to get some sleep.]
