Hello again, everyone, and welcome to the newest short story in my Halo/Star Wars redux.

Thank you all for your support and patience, I deeply appreciate it.

This is the second of a series of short stories that go hand in hand with Star Wars: Odyssey of The Infinity. These short stories fill in gaps in the plot that the main story didn't address. Feel free to share your thoughts in the reviews.

As always, leave a review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Star Wars franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, Disney Films, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to its original composers and/or artists.


UNSC Infinity

En Route to Coruscant

April 17th, 0BBY, 1000 Hours (November 1st, 2558, 1000 Hours)

Life onboard the Infinity could be described as both exciting and uncertain, a combination of traits that Jyn Erso found to be quite interesting. Walking down the hallway leading from her quarters to the tram that would take her to the Science Deck, her mind was abuzz with activity. She nodded and smiled at a few Marines that waved at her, or greeted her in some way, shape or form. I have to admit, being onboard a Star Dreadnought wasn't how I imagined my life ending up, nor did I imagine joining the UNSC.

Her smirk faded as she thought about the things that she was going to have to do. One thing was that she was going to have to learn how to defend herself using the weaponry onboard the Infinity. If my experience at Scarif was any indicator, its that they don't use blasters in their arsenal at all, she thought. That means that I'll have to learn how to use their slugthrowers, which is going to be an interesting experience.

Then there was her ongoing efforts to help Dr. Halsey out. Of all the things she had expected to happen, seeing Krennic being forced to work for Halsey had caused her to feel a strange sort of satisfaction. Now he gets to find out what it's like to work for someone that is as equally unforgiving, if much more ethical, as he is. I never thought I'd smile at the day that Krennic ends up becoming, as they put it, Halsey's 'bitch.'

Entering the tram station, she quickly spotted the tram that would take her from the Crew Quarters to the Science Deck, where Halsey was waiting for her. She was about to step onboard when the datapad she was issued vibrated in her jacket. Pulling it out, she saw that she'd gotten a new message from Dr. Halsey. "Have you visited the firing range?" the message read.

Jyn frowned. "No," she typed back. "I was thinking of helping you continue working in the lab before heading to the firing range. Why?"

"You should get your skills brushed up," came Halsey's reply. "I saw the footage of some of your fighting from the Dumb AI known as K-2SO. Your skills with a blaster are excellent, but your skills with a firearm are unknown. Get that brushed up, then come see me."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you to have what happened to me happen to you," was Halsey's reply. "My left arm was amputated at the shoulder courtesy of an M225 SAP/HE round that practically severed the limb anyways. Had I had a weapon to defend myself, and the skills to use it, I might've come out of that one unscathed. I'd rather not have the same thing happen to you, so before you come to my lab, get your skills with a slugthrower assessed and improved if need be. Besides, Lieutenant Jet informed me to let you know of this change. He was ordered by Captain Lasky to do so, and to make sure you got that training."

Jyn sighed. One thing that she'd learned about Dr. Halsey was that, if she needed someone to do something for her, she could get quite pushy. One thing that was clear, though, was that when Halsey did that, she really was trying to help out in whatever way she could. Oh well, I suppose I should do that right now, she decided. Typing back a message, she said, "All right. How do I get to the shooting range?"

"Take the tram to the War Games and Simulated Environment Deck and speak with Sergeant Major Stacker," came Halsey's reply. "He'll show you the ropes if you don't know them already. Since you are now a member of the UNSC, as well as a member of the Navy, it will be up to him, and a few select individuals, to prepare you for life in the UNSC. Given that the ship was boarded once, you'll also need to be able to defend yourself and be able to defend others if need be. Your locker code in the room is 2591. Now get that taken care of before you forget." The last sentence indicated to Jyn that the conversation was at an end. Sighing, she took another tram that was headed to the deck that Halsey had mentioned…

The War Games and Simulated Environment Decks were, perhaps, one of the best equipped training decks that could be found on any warship in the UNSC Navy, or even in the UNSC for that matter. Designed to allow Marines, ODSTs and Spartans alike to keep their skills sharp, the War Games Simulators were some of the most frequently used simulators onboard the entire ship. In fact, it was mandatory for UNSC personnel assigned to the Infinity to spend some time in the War Games simulators to keep their skills sharp. The Infinity had two such decks, one for the Spartans and a smaller one for the contingent of Marine, Naval and Army personnel onboard, though the Marines could be in the larger one in order to better train and coordinate with the Spartans, along with smaller rooms used for single squads or a single person to use.

For someone like Jyn, who was practically brand new to that sort of thing, the idea of having a simulator that could realistically simulate the rigors and sights of the battlefield was practically unheard of. As she stepped out of the tram, she ran a hand over the back of her head out of habit. Just where her the base of her head was at, she could feel a hard, metallic numb, which was hidden from sight by her hair and the skin over it.

That nub reminded her of the surgical procedure that she underwent five days ago to have a UNSC Neural Interface installed into her skull. According to Roland, one of the AIs onboard the ship, a neural interface was mandatory for all UNSC personnel, as it allowed them to register on UNSC IFF systems, while also being used to track their location. The neural interface also made it to where simulated sensory information could be fed to the soldier's brain, allowing them to effectively train in the War Games simulators. Thanks to the UNSC's advanced medical technology, today was the first day she would be allowed to use the interface without risking injury to herself.

Walking into the prep room for one of the simulator rooms, she was about to look for her locker when she spotted another man in the room. The man was decked out from head to toe in full body armor that was a matte gray and black color that seemed to absorb all the light that touched it. The man himself was quite hansom, with tan skin, dark blue eyes and a shock of black hair. A row of chevrons with a star in the center identified him as a Master Sergeant, one of the higher enlisted ranks in the military.

As soon as she spotted him, the man also spotted her and smiled. "Hey there," he said to her. "You here to use one of the War Games simulators?"

"Yes," Jyn said. "Dr. Halsey relayed a message from Lieutenant Jet, who said that I should speak with a Sergeant Stacker in order to see what my skills were, and to get started in my training, all on Lasky's orders. Do you know him?"

The man smiled. "Of course I do, Jyn. He's me." Seeing Jyn's shock, Stacker said, "Lasky was right: you really are a fresh faced recruit. Fortunately, I spent some time as a drill instructor in the Marine Corps, so I can get you the training you need. Just keep in mind one thing."

"And that would be?" Jyn asked.

"I will not go easy on you," Stacker said, his voice gaining a hard edge as he spoke. "Where we come from, there are aliens that won't go easy on you if you're a hostile and you're having a hard time. They won't show restraint because you're a woman. They will kill you if they get the chance. My job's to make sure that you have the training needed so that, when you do end up fighting those aliens, you don't give them that chance. During the training that I'll be giving you, I'll push you to your very limit. Today will be the only exception, as I want to see how effective you are with a firearm. From this point on, I'll call you by your rank of Cadet, and you will call me either Sergeant or sir. Am I understood?"

"Yes," Jyn said.

"What was that?" Stacker asked. "I didn't hear you loud enough. Sound off like you mean it!"

"Yes, sir!" Jyn shouted.

"Good," Stacker said. "Now get your gear from the locker and step inside the simulator when you're ready. Tomorrow, we'll get you started with basic training. Right now, it's time to assess your skills."

With those words in mind, Jyn quickly raced towards her locker. Punching in the code she was given by Dr. Halsey, she was rewarded with the locker door swinging outwards. Inside, she found what she recognized was the body armor the Marines wore, as well as a rifle and a pistol inside of the locker. Picking them up, along with what she guessed were their equivalent of power packs, she proceeded into the War Games simulator room.

When she walked in, she was initially confused by what she saw. Rather than a large room that was matte gray in color, she found that she was standing in what she perceived to be an outdoor location. Around her, she could see that she was standing in a large field of grass that stretched as far as her eyes could see. Up above, she could see blue skies, as well as the sun shining overhead. She could also see that the grassland had several buildings nearby, as well as a road leading out of sight.

The area she was standing in particular was what she recognized as a firing range. Twenty booths were present before her, each one facing a series of targets that were directly ahead of her. Range increments revealed that targets were placed at 50 meter intervals, with the furthest being around 400 meters away.

I recognize something like this, she thought. When I was part of Saw Gerrera's Partisans, he had us train at something akin to this, though this is much more elaborate than what he used. Carrying her gear, she moved towards the booths.

Nearby, she spotted Stacker, who was carrying a crate of ammunition and fully armored up, helmet included. "You're ready?" he asked. When Jyn nodded, he smiled and said, "Good. Now, Cadet, I take it you're wondering what it is you're carrying. Yes?"

"Yes," Jyn said. Seeing Stacker cock an eyebrow, she hastily added, "Sir."

"All right, allow me to explain." Taking the rifle from her hands, he said, "These weapons, along with your armor, will be your closest friends on the battlefield. As your training progresses, you'll learn how to effectively use this rifle, and the other weapons in the UNSCs arsenal. You'll learn how take good care of them, which will ensure that they save your ass when you need them most.

"As such, we'll start with the rifle here. This, Cadet, is the MA5D Individual Combat Weapon System, or ICWS. This rifle was designed by Misriah Armory as the standard issue UNSC Assault Rifle. This bad boy fires a 230 grain, 7.62mm Semi-Armor Piercing/High Explosive-Caseless round that's designed to punch through an enemy's armor before detonating inside of them. Propelling this round is a 40mm long propellant block that gives this round a mean muzzle velocity of one thousand and two hundred meters a second, though we're using training ammo in lieu of the actual round.. It can project an aiming reticule to the user's HUD, but it also comes with built-in iron sights in case that fails. We'll start you with the iron sights first, though, so you can get familiarized with them first."

Picking up the pistol she'd laid on the booth's table, Stacker continued to speak. "This handgun is the M6D Magnum pistol. This is your sidearm, what you switch to if your rifle runs out of ammo in the middle of a firefight. This bad boy can also be smart-linked to your visor, though it also includes a pair of iron sights in case that goes dead. This bad boy fires a 12.7x40mm round that is identical to the round the MA5D uses in function. Depending on how you use it, it's either the world's smallest rifle, or the world's biggest hand cannon. You following me still, Cadet?"

Jyn nodded. Hearing about those weapons was more than enough to send her brain into a spin. "Y-yes, sir," she stammered. "I must admit, it's quite a mouthful."

"It is," Stacker said. "Also, Cadet, when you want to speak, you request permission to do so next time. Given your ignorance of UNSC protocol, though, I will forgive that for today. Now, show me how you use weapons like this." Pulling herself out of her shock, Jyn decided to go with the pistol first. Picking it up, she held it firmly in a singe hand before aiming at one of the targets down range. Out of habit, she pulled the trigger.

The noise that erupted was nothing like she'd heard before. A loud KRA-THOOM assaulted her ears, causing her to flinch ever so slightly. The recoil created was enough that her arm was thrown upwards slightly, while her tight grip loosened enough for the weapon to move in her hand. To her credit, Jyn didn't jump, though the noise resulted in her dropping the pistol onto the table and rubbing at her ears. "Ouch!" she shouted as her ears rang.

"You OK?" Stacker asked her.

"I'm OK." Jyn said. "I've never used slugthrowers before, and even the blasters I used were never that loud!"

"I see," Stacker said. "Also, that's not how you use an M6H2, Cadet."

"How do you use it then?" Jyn asked. "This is how I've used blasters before, and it didn't really hurt anything."

"Yeah, but you're aiming it from the hip," Stacker said critically. "That's a good way to waste ammo, and it makes you look like a dumbass. That might've been acceptable in the Alliance, but here, even looking down the top of the weapon isn't going to cut it. About the only thing you're doing right is the stance, which is excellent. Aside from that, you neglected to put on hearing protection, which I'll give you right now. Let me show you how you use the gun."

Once Jyn had taken up her stance again, and picked up the M6H2 again, Stacker went to work correcting some of the mistakes she had made after helping her put on a few earplugs and noise cancelling headsets. Before long, Jyn found her using both hands in a way that allowed her to firmly grip the gun. "And don't ignore the iron sights," Stacker said to her. "Place the middle of the front post between the tops of the rear notch, and focus on the front sight, not the target. Also, don't try to ride the recoil. That'll only make you miss. There's also one other thing."

"And that would be," Jyn asked.

"Remember the four rules of using a firearm," Stacker said. "The first is to never point the weapon at anything you don't want to destroy. Secondly, treat all weapons as though they're loaded, even if they're not loaded. Third, keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot. Finally, be sure of your target and what's behind it. Also, engage the safety once you're done shooting, even if the gun's empty. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Jyn said. "Also, sir, I've had training in hand-to-hand combat, along with some training in using a truncheon. I've also been trained in code forgery."

"Really? Then we'll evaluate those skills too, at least the combat stuff. ONI can likely evaluate your other skills."

"Understood," Jyn said. This is going to be a really long day.

. . .

As it turned out, it did take a while, log enough to where she spent three hours in the firing range with Stacker. By the time Jyn walked into Halsey's lab, she was hot and bothered enough to where she wanted to throw something. Halsey, noting her angered expression, asked, "My my, Jyn. What on Earth is the matter?"

Realizing that Halsey had picked up on her irritation, Jyn said, "Nothing… Just upset at myself."

"For what?"

"That I'm a piece of poodoo when it comes to using slugthrowers!" Jyn snarled before sitting down. "It took me three hours, three, to be able to use the damned things, and even then, my accuracy was lousy! I couldn't hit the broad side of a bantha even if I tried!"

Halsey smiled sympathetically. "I understand the feeling. Did Sergeant Stacker finish his assessment of you?"

"Yes," Jyn said. "I thought I was lousy."

"His report says as much," Halsey said. "However, he did state that, given the fact that you've used blasters before with some level of proficiency, you've got potential. We just have to break some of the bad habits that you've had when it comes to using blasters and replace them with good ones." Noting Jyn's irritated expression, she said, "Cheer up. There's no need to be irritated by the fact that you're not good at something you've never tried before. You're bound to make some mistakes."

Jyn sighed. "Yeah, I know. You're right about that. Any advice on how to do better?"

"Let Stacker help you. He's one of the best Sergeant Majors within the UNSC, aside from one that, sadly, passed away, and he's been a drill instructor before. It's his job to take untrained recruits and to make them the finest soldiers that can be made. Plus, at one point, he was just like you: an untrained, raw recruit. All of us started out like that."

Jyn nodded, her irritation all but gone by this point. Halsey had made some excellent points, which were even more relevant given her current situation. Yes, she had never used slug throwers before, and it was clear that, due to her inexperience there, she was going to have to learn to use them right. Plus, as Halsey had pointed out, she did have some bad habits concerning the proper usage of weapons. "OK," she said. "That's good advice. Thank you. You mentioned something about another Sergeant Major. Who was he?"

"Sergeant Major Avery Johnson," Halsey said. "He was one of the best soldiers I've ever known. Hell, he and Chief were very close friends."

"How did he die?"

"He was stabbed in the back, quite literally, by a rogue AI. He kept Cortana safe, though, from that AI, so through his death, he helped save humanity," Halsey said.

"Oh. I see. I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's all right. I've had years to process what happened That being said, there was something else I wished to speak to you about."

"Oh?" Jyn asked.

"Why did you leave the Rebel Alliance and decide to work with us instead?" Halsey asked. "Aside from the Rebel Alliance not doing its job, what were your other reasons? To get revenge against the Empire for killing your father, or for the death of that man you mentioned, Saw Gerrera? Also, why didn't you tell me you were planning to join?"

Jyn had to admit, those were good questions, and ones that deserved answering. "I guess I just wanted to know that what I was doing was actually worthwhile, rather than just a waste of time," she admitted. "Plus, I just wanted to get away from it all. I've got nothing left, and I want revenge against the Empire for killing my father. It reminds me of something that happened more than a year ago."

"Oh?" Halsey asked. "Do tell."

"About a year ago, I fell into a bit of a funk with this criminal kingpin," Jyn explained. "I owed him a lot of money, so he had me forge documents for this group of slavers that he hired. At some point, I was taken to the cargo hold where they had all of the slaves."

Her face hardened as the sour memories came back to her. "They had them in these cages, like they were animals being taken to a slaughter house. It was filthy in there; all of the slaves were literally festering in their own feces because the slavers were too lazy to take them to the 'freshers. They were also malnourished and all they got to drink was a bit of dirty water. Worse still, the slavers would use shock pikes and prods to torture them, all for their own sick and twisted amusement. Worst still, they had children in there, as well as their parents."

"What happened next?" Halsey asked. Already, feelings of shock and hate towards the slavers were growing inside of her, though she kept it underneath a cool expression.

Jyn's hands clenched into fists. "When I saw what they were doing, it made me angry, so angry that I thought I was seeing red. Eventually, I decided that I had enough, so I devised a plan that would allow me to free the slaves and to get revenge on the slavers. On the last day of our journey, I cooked up a considerable amount of food and then invited the slavers to eat.

"Those… bastards were about to eat when I grabbed one of the prods and used it to knock the Captain, and then the rest of the crew out, after which I dragged them to the cargo hold. I then let the slaves out and told them that there was food for them to eat, and I even told them that I had forged them documents that made them free people. There was also this one mother that I met. I told her she could do what she wanted with the slavers as they could be released into the vacuum of space with the push of a button. When I left, she ejected those slavers into space. About a year later, I ended up being taken to an Imperial labor camp, which is where the Rebel Alliance picked me up."

"I see," Halsey said. "It makes me happy to hear that you dealt with those animals. So the reason why you want revenge on the Empire is because they're no better than those slavers, but you also want to get away from it all."

"Yes," Jyn said. "If they're allowed to run around like those slavers did, they'll just end up enslaving people, all for their cause. They call it 'eliminating dissenters.' I say that it's slavery, nothing more, nothing less. You can paint it any color you like, but a pile of poodoo still stinks. Plus, getting away from it all will allow me to finally have peace. As for why I didn't tell you I would join?... I guess I'm just a naturally shy person, and I likely forgot about it too. Plus, my mother was killed, and I was abandoned as a child soldier at the age of sixteen."

"You were a child soldier?" Halsey asked, surprised.

"Yes," Jyn said. "Saw Guerrera trained me as a child soldier since I was eight."

"I see," Halsey noted. Almost immediately, she was reminded of the Spartan-IIs and the circumstances of their recruitment. "Did you join because of Cassian?

"Something like that," Jyn said. "We might meet again some day, but certainly not now. Besides, he hid from me the fact that he was ordered to assassinate my father. He's in a little hot water because of that."

"I see," Halsey said. "Either way, those are wise words, words that I agree with fully. To be honest, I was surprised when you joined the UNSC. You didn't seem the type to hang around in one place for very long. Now that I know why you've joined, I can say that I applaud your decision. I also applaud the speech that you gave to the Rebel Alliance during that council meeting."

"You do?" Jyn asked, surprised.

"Yes," Halsey said. "You called them out for their actions, especially the possibility that you would end up in a prison cell even if you did what they asked of you. That being said, Lasky's speech was even more impressive, as well as his 'dressing down' as Roland and the others call it. What was your reaction upon hearing his words?"

Jyn smirked. "I loved it," she said. "I loved every word of it. He tore them down and called them out for what they were doing. Plus, he exposed how disorganized and stupid they were being, especially given how they were running things there. When I had a moment to myself, I started hollering and cheering. What about you?"

"What about me?" Halsey said. "I smiled at his words, while clapping at the same time. Roland got a kick out of it, though. Whoever thought that an AI would be rolling around on the ground, laughing his head off. I never thought that was possible, yet it happened. Even Gabriela and K-2SO thought it was amusing."

"Really?" Jyn asked. "I thought AIs didn't have a sense of humor."

"They do," Halsey said with a smile. "They're based on human beings, so they definitely know what humor is and how to make jokes." After a moment, she asked, "Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

"Yes," Jyn said. "I never thought you'd make Krennic your… how did the Marines describe it? Your 'bitch.' Correct?"

"Yes," Halsey said. "And I can understand your confusion. Krennic is certainly an interesting man, though given his bluster and pride, it wasn't too hard to break him down and make him more cooperative. All I had to do was have Cortana tell him a few stories of some of my… misadventures as it were."

"And he folded that easily?"

"Yes," Halsey said. "Jyn, when you're being watched 24/7 by an organization that prides itself on being the 'boogeyman' of the galaxy due to your actions and what you know, you tend to earn a reputation for that sort of thing. Besides, I've seen things that are far more intimidating than anything that Krennic could make. I've seen supeweapons that can cleanse the entire galaxy of all life. I've seen megastructures that surprass anything that the Empire or UNSC can build. I've seen life forms that defy what we think is possible in terms of biology. In short, I've seen so many terrifying things that a simple person isn't enough to intimidate me."

"You definitely are old enough to have experienced all of that, if the rumors are true," Jyn admitted.

"Now now, young lady, watch who you are calling old," Halsey said half-jokingly. "I might be in my late sixties, but I can still do some terrifying things. This old bitch has a few teeth left." Noting something around Jyn's neck, she asked, "What's that around your neck?"

"This?" Jyn asked, holding out a teardrop shaped crystal on her necklace. "It's a Khyber Crystal that my mother gave to me before she was killed. Her last words were 'trust in the Force,' before I had to flee."

"I see," Halsey said. "That must be something special for you."

"It is," Jyn said. "Thanks."

You're welcome," Halsey said, noting the name in her mind. Interesting, she noted. That's a material used in the Death Star's main weapon. "Now, since you've calmed down from your earlier irritation, we have some work to do. Agreed."

"Yes," Jyn said. "That we do."