Author's Note: I'm taking some creative liberties with the Prometheans concerning the main Halo canon of the fourth game and attempting to line it up nicely with my own story here. I know timeline-wise I'm a little ahead of the events of Halo 4, but in this fic, I'm working under the premise that UNSC forces are still fighting on Requiem at the moment, and the Didact/Prometheans have not yet reached Earth. Thus, my own characters will find out some preliminary stuff about the Prometheans now, but they will not have the full scope of knowledge yet, like the fact that they're actually Forerunner AIs, and many were produced from humans. These are things they'll uncover slowly as the story progresses.

Chapter Two: Sitrep

Ten minutes later Lieutenant Lloyd and I were strapped into our seats in the troop bay of Willis's Pelican, on our way up to the Affair as ordered. I let out a tired sigh as soon as I sat down and pulled off my helmet, thankful that I was finally able to wipe the sweat from my forehead that I hadn't been able to earlier in the field. It'd been bothering me like crazy that I couldn't scratch the itch, although in combat there'd been plenty else to pay attention to that distracted me from my mild discomfort. The temperature on the island had been pretty balmy, much warmer than the mainland was, so I was sure everyone had been perspiring a lot today - rolling up my battledress jacket sleeves hadn't actually helped as much as I'd hoped.

Now, though, I finally felt able to relax...just a little. I still wondered what we were getting summoned up to the ship for.

Placing my helmet in the seat beside me, I ran a hand through my brown hair then, trying to do what I could to keep busy so I didn't have to think about the fact that I was aboard a transport - or that I was getting sent back to the boat. Saying that ships of any kind weren't my thing was an understatement. There was a reason I'd joined the Marines over the Navy all those years ago, and that was because I loved having my boots on solid ground. Being stuck inside a metal box, unable to do anything in case we were attacked, scared me a lot more than the possibility of getting blown up or shot. At least on the battlefield, I knew I had some experience and a great deal of tricks up my sleeve to try to get myself out alive. Here, I had absolutely nothing. I wasn't too jazzed about those odds.

Although the only other occupant inside the troop bay was the spook, I still tried my best not to make any obvious gestures of nervousness. To keep my hands busy - and also because I was genuinely thirsty after the fight - I pulled my canteen from my web belt and took a generous swig. It was as I was screwing the cap back on that I glanced over at Lloyd, sitting across from me, and noticed his expression. For some reason he had worry written all over his face, his battle rifle lying sideways against his lap. He'd taken off his own helmet too by now, and I saw that he had his head in his hands, fingers brushing over his close-cropped, dark brown hair.

I nudged the suddenly sullen ONI operative with my boot and asked quietly, "Hey. What's with the face?" I grinned briefly. "Starting to hate being on ships as much as I do?"

Lieutenant Lloyd shook his head and released a sigh, still not looking up. "No, ma'am. It's not that. I'm just...worried about why we were called up."

"So am I to an extent, but I know that whatever it is, we'll deal with it. You, on the other hand, look like someone just punched you in the stomach."

Lloyd snorted. "I guess that's the difference between you and me then, Major." He finally lifted his gaze and his blue eyes met my green ones. "I'm afraid this meeting's about my older sister. I hope nothing happened to her."

"Is she deployed right now?"

"Yeah. I mean, yes, ma'am. She's leading her ODST battalion in another campaign here in the Outer Colonies. I usually get letchips from her about once every couple weeks, but now it's almost been a month and I haven't heard anything. I hope..." He swallowed. "I just hope she's okay."

I thought of the spook's only sibling and prayed she was fine, too. Lieutenant Lloyd, only three years my junior, had also been through a lot in his lifetime so far. We'd had several talks together after my best friend had been killed in the mainland fighting, and I found that Cal had had a much rougher past than I would've guessed given his normally pleasant disposition. I supposed sooner or later, it all took a toll on us.

"I'm sure she's fine, Lieutenant," I said. The words felt hollow to me, though I didn't mean them to. I'd lost my own older sister in combat almost eight years ago. I couldn't say the wound was fresh anymore, but it was certainly something I'd never forget. "If this whole thing was just to tell you about your sister, they wouldn't have called me up, too."

The Navy lieutenant nodded at my words. "You're right, ma'am. I'm probably overreacting. But...after our mom was killed getting us off Derranjak as kids, it was just me and my dad and my sister left. Since my mom died only a few months after I was born, they're all the family I've ever known. We're a real close bunch. If something happened to Dad or Grace..."

"I know the feeling," I replied softly. "I worried about my oldest son every day during the war. I kept being afraid that Earth was going to get attacked while I was gone on a mission, and lo and behold, it was. Thankfully my husband was there to rescue him." I had to swallow down the bad memory to continue. "I still worry about all my kids now. I hate every second I'm away from them, and I hate thinking that something might happen to them on Mars, for whatever reason, while I'm away. But we can't live our lives constantly wringing our hands waiting for the shit to hit, Cal. Just trust me. I wouldn't have been ordered up if this had been about delivering some personal news to you. I'm sure this is just about the mission. So don't sweat it."

That finally seemed to get through to him. "Right, Major." He sighed again. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I don't mean to lose composure."

"It's okay. I know how much your family means to you after what you went through as an infant."

"Heh. Not that I remember that, of course, but it's...knowing that it happened that bugs me."

My husband's voice came over the intercom then, interrupting our conversation.

"Cooper, we're three minutes out. Might want to collect your gear and get ready to disembark."

Shifting over to the side, I hit the troop bay intercom in return to reply. "Got it, Will. Thanks."

Lloyd and I didn't exchange anymore words after that, probably in private preparation for whatever we were about to be told. Instead, we each picked up our respective rifles and helmets, scooted ourselves closer to the back hatch, and waited to land inside the Affair.

The moment we stepped out of the Pelican in the hangar bay, a young female ensign approached us.

"Ma'am, sir, Captain Rhodes would like to see you right away," she said. "Please come with me."

At the same time, Willis rounded the corner, just now pulling off his helmet and unzipping the top portion of his flightsuit down to his chest, exposing part of his T-shirt underneath. The sharp-eyed ensign spotted him as well and added, "You, too, sir."

My husband and I exchanged a quick glance as he ran a hand through his short, light brown hair, but I shrugged. I didn't know anymore about what was going on than he did. Instead, we followed Lloyd and the ensign to the captain's personal briefing room several decks above. It only took a few more minutes to get there via the elevators.

Once there, the ensign ushered us inside, then saw herself out and closed the hatch behind her. Being the ranking officer, I stepped up first, stood at crisp attention, and saluted. Behind me, Willis and the spook did the same.

"Sir, Major Natalie Cooper, Captain William Hawk, and Lieutenant Caleb Lloyd reporting as ordered," I said.

The Navy captain, a man who looked to be in his mid-fifties with short graying hair, nodded in acknowledgment and waved a hand at us. "At ease, officers," he replied.

The three of us instantly relaxed our postures.

Standing firm before us, the ship's CO folded his arms across his chest. "We have a lot of important ground to cover in here today, but I want to try to keep this meeting short and informal. I know you all have a lot of work to do and plenty to get back to on the planet's surface. But before you return to your duties, there's some things I'd like to get out of the way."

"Sir?" I asked.

Surprising me, he gestured to Willis first.

"Captain Hawk, would you step forward please?"

"Uh, yes, sir, of course."

My husband moved a few paces ahead of Lloyd and I and came to attention again. For the first time, Captain Rhodes's face broke into a smile.

"At the request of your CO, Major Collins, we'd like to formally acknowledge all the work you've done so far on the surface of Khan, son," the captain said. "Congratulations, Major Hawk."

A grin immediately came across my face as well, although it appeared Willis was simply dumbstruck. If we hadn't been in the presence of others - especially such a high-ranking superior officer - I would've gone over to give him a big hug and a hard kiss. I knew my husband had been waiting patiently for his own promotion to major since Remembrance Day of last year. I felt happy for him knowing that he'd finally made it.

The circumstances being what they were, though, I was forced to simply stand behind him and beam in support.

Finally, Willis found his voice. "Thank you, sir. So much. This is...wow. I wasn't expecting this."

Captain Rhodes clapped him on the shoulder as he handed him his new insignia - a single gold oak leaf. "Don't thank me, Marine. Go thank Collins. She's the one who put in the paperwork."

Willis chuckled. "Right. I'll go find her and thank her myself once the briefing's complete, sir."

"Actually, the rest of the meeting will just be between myself, Major Cooper, and Lieutenant Lloyd, Hawk. But I should warn you now that that new rank of yours comes with a larger responsibility as well."

"Sir?"

"Collins wants you to take charge of both Victor and Kilo Squadrons as you support the ground team, Major. Think you can handle it?"

"Yes, sir," Willis answered emphatically.

"Good. Then you're dismissed, son."

"Sir!"

My husband saluted, then spun on his heel and filed out. I wanted to tell him I'd meet up with him later in our shared quarters aboard ship, but I figured he already knew that. Besides, there was still the matter of the briefing to attend to for Lloyd and I.

The Suave Affair's captain was still smiling slightly to himself when he addressed me. "You must be happy for your husband, Major."

"Very, sir. Thank you." Since we'd been ordered at ease, I raised my hand to my head and scratched it. "If I may ask, though, sir, how did you know I'd pick him when you told me to bring up a pilot?"

"It was the obvious choice. I knew you'd ask Hawk to shuttle you up, so there was no need to order you to bring him directly."

"Yes, sir. I understand."

"Good. Now, we've got some other important matters to discuss. I want this just between you and the spook for now, which is why I explicitly sent for the two of you. Major, you need to know because you're supreme commander on the ground, and Lloyd was requested because he could actually help us with comprehending a few things due to his ONI status." He looked to the spook then. "Lloyd, would you like to fill the major in?"

"Yes, sir," Lieutenant Lloyd responded. He glanced over at me. "Just before we went inside the ruins, ma'am, I uploaded an image of the gun we found on the ground in front of the entrance, dropped by one of those big tall machine things as it disappeared. I also took the copy of your helmet cam feed that you sent me and uploaded that to the Affair as well. I hoped that while we were down there fighting, that might give the crew up here more time to find out what we were up against."

"And?" I asked.

"I sent a message to HighCom once I saw what we were dealing with," Captain Rhodes said. "Rear Admiral Dartmouth responded, and authorized me to open up the intel to you two as well." He looked at both of us in turn. "What we're facing now is brand-new enemy, something the UNSC has fought only once before, and very far from UNSC-controlled space. It's alarming that we've discovered a pocket of them here now, too."

"What are they, sir?" Lloyd questioned.

"ONI calls them 'Prometheans', Lieutenant. All we know about them so far is that they're not organic beings in nature, but more like machines. I suppose the best way to describe them is that they're digital entities in robotic form."

"So they are AIs," I murmured.

"That is correct, Major, but they're not of our making - and not like the AIs we know. They're not old Covenant tech, either, nor were they created by the Storm."

"Do they have anything to do with the Flood, sir?" I wondered.

"We don't know that much yet, Cooper. We still have UNSC forces on the surface of the world where these beings were first encountered a short time ago, and they're looking into trying to find out the answers to these and other questions as well. Namely, who created these creatures, and from where they originate."

"No one knows yet, huh?"

"That's sadly affirmative, Major."

I let out a sigh. This was a lot to take in. "I fought the Flood on Earth, sir, during the last months of the war. The only thing I can say about that is that it was absolutely terrifying. I really hope this has nothing to do with them."

"As do I."

I looked over at Cal then, but he didn't seem to have anything to add. "Anything else I should know about, sir?"

"Yes," Rhodes answered. "We've also gotten some initial intel on the various forms these AIs take. I noticed in your helmet feed that you encountered two of them on the surface. So far, we know of three types total."

"I think we fought the third just now, sir," I said. "Smaller four-legged ones. Looked like mechanical dogs to me."

"That's the one, Major. ONI has classified them as 'Crawlers'."

I snorted at that. "Aptly named, Captain."

"Indeed. The other two you fought, the drones and the taller, bipedal ones, are termed 'Watchers' and 'Knights', respectively."

Nodding, I paused a moment to let the new information sink in. It was nice to finally know what we were up against...sort of. At least we had names and classifications now. I was sure more detailed info on their weaponry and origins would be forthcoming, too.

"All right. Now we know what these things are at least," I said. "So where do we go from here, sir? What does HighCom want from us?"

"That's where things get tricky, Major," Captain Rhodes replied. "Enlisting the help of Lieutenant Lloyd here, Admiral Dartmouth has given me express orders to relay to you to carry out. Now that we know what they are and that they're there, we need to keep those ruins from falling into the Remnant's claws again should they reappear. We also need to find a way to discover where the Prometheans are coming from out of those portals, and to destroy them if necessary to prevent additional enemies from emerging."

"Tall order, sir."

"Yes, it is, Cooper. But I can't think of any other unit more suited for the job. And you'll be getting more help soon, too."

"Sir?"

"The admiral sent me another message just today. We've got another UNSC ship coming in to support."

I furrowed my brow. "How did they know we'd need the extra hands? We've only just encountered these...Promethean things today."

"Admiral Dartmouth dispatched them after she received the initial reports you and Major Hayden composed of the fighting on mainland Khan. This was when you'd first began your assault on the human rebel forces' HQ, only to have a very large number of Storm troops intervene. It was then that the admiral decided to procure us some reinforcements."

"And they're here now, sir?"

"No. But they should be arriving within the next few days. They'll be placed on standby in orbit, and will come down planetside only at your request. You're still at the helm of this operation, Cooper."

"All right."

Captain Rhodes turned to face Lloyd then. "Lieutenant, in this case, I don't think I need to spell out your own orders for you. Essentially, we need to gather all the intel we can on this new enemy, and also anything you can garner from the ruins themselves. A team of the UNSC's best civilian scientists are aboard the reinforcement ship as well. Make good use of them."

"Yes, sir," the spook replied.

"Excellent. You're dismissed now, Lieutenant."

"Sir!"

Lieutenant Lloyd repeated the motions my husband had and exited the room. That left just Rhodes and I inside.

"Before you go, Major, I had an additional item or two to discuss with you in private."

"Sir?"

"Firstly, I know that things groundside have gone belly up a few times since we've arrived. I know about the loss of Colonel Dwight and Major Hayden, which has now left you in sole command of the two Marine battalions left." He gave me a pointed look. "I also know what kind of heavy burden that must be for you. And I've got to say, based on how you were able to defeat the Storm so quickly on the mainland, then plan and execute the assault on the island today to eliminate the ex-Covies left, you've handled it all remarkably well."

"Thank you, sir."

"To that end, I'm proposing a couple of promotions for your men. With your permission, I'd like to give Captain Warfield, currently in charge of the 904th Infantry Battalion, the rank of major, and I'd like to give your XO, Captain Shawn Harris, the same. That way, both can officially head the battalions they now de facto command."

"I think that's a great idea, sir. Both are deserving of it, and it would definitely fill our command vacuum." Though I refrained from mentioning aloud what that meant for me if my battalion command was getting taken away and handed over completely to Harris. Was I being pushed out?

The Navy captain's expression, however, assured me otherwise. His slight smile returned as he pulled a small box from his inside jacket pocket. "I believe that leaves just you to figure out, Cooper. I've gotten the go-ahead from Rear Admiral Dartmouth, and we think you're owed something for your own performance here on Khan as well." He opened up the box, and inside was a single silver oak leaf. "Congratulations, Lieutenant Colonel. Now your job description of supreme ground commander fits the rank."

I stared dumbstruck at the box in much the same fashion as Willis had earlier. I'd only just made major a little over a year ago. And now, already I was looking at yet another notch up. A lump formed in my throat as I thought of Hayden - and how if he'd been alive, I'd hoped to see him get his soon. Instead, because he was gone, it was me.

"Wow. Thank you, sir. I..." I laughed a little nervously. "I can't think of anything to say that my husband didn't say himself just now. This is..."

Captain Rhodes patted me on the shoulder as well. "You deserve this for your expert handling of the Marines planetside, Cooper. Take it. I know you'll do fine."

I did as commanded and took the box in my hands. Slowly, and with steady hands, I pulled off my major's rank insignia from my battledress uniform and replaced it with my new one. The silver oak leaf of a lieutenant colonel. It still felt surreal.

"Again, sir. Thank you for this."

The captain chuckled himself then. "Like I told Hawk, don't thank me for it. The rank comes with its own costs, as I'm sure you well know by now."

I nodded.

"And Colonel Cooper?"

"Sir?"

His smile tightened. "Welcome to the hard part."