Aethyta sat alone in the mess hall.

That is not to say the hall was empty; far from it, as it seemed every Spartan on the post was there. No, she was alone in the same way as everyone else there: alone in her thoughts. Ever since she had returned to Sword Base with Noble and Majestic, everyone was preoccupied with the news that the Covenant were on Reach.

That had meant several things to everyone there. To the Spartans, it meant that the protection provided by the Mass Relay technology to their people was no longer guaranteed. There was some braggadocio about how much more fortified the UTSG was compared to thirty years ago. There was just as much whispering by those wondering if it was enough. Everyone expected an immediate deployment to wherever the Covenant were staging from.

For Aethyta, it meant her lines of communication back to the Citadel were cut off. Only a single general transmission had been sent out following the revelation of the alien presence, before something called the Winter Contingency was enacted. Now, nobody was transmitting from Reach for fear the Covenant would back-trace the transmission to other, more vulnerable systems. It was a cold comfort that the Humans were as isolated as she was.

So there everyone sat, mulling the news, milling out rumors, and waiting for-

"Room; Aten-Hut!"

Aethyta's table shook as the several hundred Spartans all stood and snapped to attention in unison. She stood as well, then climbed onto the bench of her table to see over the sea of supersoldiers. Commandant Norris was standing next to Lieutenant Commander Carter. Both had the stoic mein of career soldiers about to issue orders they personally objected to.

"At ease," the hall shivered again as the Spartans all shifted at once. Dean Norris began pacing as he spoke. "By now you've all heard; the Covenant is here, on Reach."

There was a pregnant pause while Dean waited for something: an outburst, a question, anything from the collection of Spartans. He received the stoic silence of an army awaiting its orders. This only seemed to upset him more as his pacing quickened.

"Higher Headquarters has deemed Sword Base to be a potential Alpha-Priority-Target for the Covenant." He paused in his pacing, not looking at anyone in particular. "As such, neither the Cadre, nor the Training Creche will deploy from this location."

Aethyta could see him pinch his eyes closed at the general din, just before turning to face the irate supersoldiers.

"Who issued the order?" The entire hall fell silent as John 117 spoke.

Dean grimaced and shook his head as if he was fighting some inner demon.

"Halsey," the Commandant jerked at Commander Carter's blunt declaration, while the hall filled with hushed whispering.

Before Commandant Norris could rebuke the Spartan Officer, John spoke again. "Just to confirm, Sirs, the order for the Spartan Corps to not engage, was issued by Doctor Catherine Halsey?"

Dean sighed and swept a hand over his bald pate. "Yes, this order came directly from her lips."

"Understood," everyone shuffled as the Master Chief settled into a parade rest. "Where are we deploying first, Commander?"

Norris surged forward until he was almost against John's chest. "Did you not hear what I just said? Halsey ordered-"

"I heard," John tilted his head towards the unaugmented human officer. "Doctor Catherine Halsey, a civilian specialist outside the military chain of command, said that the Spartan Cadre and training Creche should remain here at Sword Base." He looked back at Carter. "We're not doing that, so where are we deploying first?"

"Now wait a moment," Spartan Sergeant Buck stepped out of the crowd, "if Halsey's here, it's because Higher-Headquarters wants her here; and if HHQ is saying we should all stay put, I reckon they have a damn good reason. Right?" He looked meaningfully towards Dean and Carter.

"So what," DeMarco shouldered his way through the crowd, "we just sit here because Grammy Cathy says so?!"

"No," Locke stood next to Buck, "we clarify our orders, then we act."

Everyone settled into a tense hush and focused on Commandant Dean. The old soldier grimaced and began pacing again. "I don't know, alright!" He spun and faced the mass of super soldiers. "I got my orders from SID Director Udina: this site is of paramount importance. And no," he pointed to Buck and John, "he didn't issue those orders in writing."

Aethyta watched for a few seconds as the Spartans began forming opposing camps: those who wanted to head out to war, and those who wanted to 'hold the fort'. There didn't seem to be any unifying theme; the older Spartan II's and Alpha Battalion Spartans were just as divided as the Spartan IV's she had spent the last several months training. She'd seen more than a few units in her long life torn apart by such divided loyalties, and had no wish for a front row seat to another.

"Whelp," she hopped down off her bench and marched through the crowd, "if we want clarification of these so-called 'orders', we won't get them here." She parked herself in front of Dean, fists on her hips and elbows akimbo. "Take me to your leader."

The Commandant was gobsmacked at the brazen request, but when he looked around he saw every Spartan in the room looking on with the same anticipation.

"You know what, fine," he threw his hands up in frustration. "I wouldn't mind some damn answers myself, and she sure as hell can't boss you around."

Aethyta, Commandant Dean, Master Chief Petty Officer John, as well as several other Spartans chosen by unspoken vote, made their way to a non-descript door under the Admin Building. There was a sense of unreality for the Matriarch, when the doors closed and canned music played from a speaker set in the roof.

She was on the verge of Warping the offending contraption, when the elevator stopped and the doors opened with a cheery ding.

She stepped out into a corridor decorated with an unfamiliar triangular icon.

"That's new," she opined as she looked around. She was mildly alarmed by the strained, even outright angry expression on some of the Spartans' faces.

"No, it's not," John stepped out and looked at the Commandant, who simply pointed down the corridor.

The group made their way to a fortified door, with two guards that, while heavily armed, didn't look like they liked their odds.

Dean gave them a sharp look. "You stand relieved, on my order and authority." There was a heartbeat of hesitation on the guards' part. "I've got questions that need answering, and you have a report to file; which will be much harder to do after somebody travel-sizes you." The guards left without a second look.

They entered a dark room, with a single transparent barrier that Aethyta could feel was a Mass-Effected Cold Plasma wall. sitting at a desk with a single computer terminal was the old woman she had first rode down with.

"Well well," she shut the terminal off and spun around in her seat, "first a real time conversation with Donnel, and now a personal visit. It must be my birthday." Her eyes were as hard and calculating as any Matriarch or Dalatrass Aethyta had ever met. Those eyes softened for a moment. "Hello John."

"Ma'am," the dour Spartan nodded to the apparent prisoner, though Aethyta could hear just the faintest hint of familial emotion in his voice.

Doctor Catherine Halsey regathered her facade and looked directly at Aethyta. "We've not been formally introduced, though I imagine we both know quite a bit about one another," she pushed herself up out of the chair. "At this point, the only commonality that matters, is that we are both separated from our children: me, by SID orders and this," she flicked an errant bit of pocket lint at the barrier, which sparked momentarily, "and you by your assignment here and subsequent Winter Contingency.

"So, what brings you before the Great and Powerful Doctor Halsey?"

Spartan Kat shuffled slightly, gathering Halsey's attention. "We've been advised not to leave the base, while Reach is being invaded by the Covenant. Your name was dropped. Convince us not to ignore that suggestion."

Catherine frowned slightly, then turned to her terminal and entered a short sequence. One of the other walls in the room raised up, revealing an ice cavern filled with pre-fab buildings, machinery, and a half buried structure.

Dean staggered over to the window. "I-is that..."

"A Forerunner ship, yes." Catherine settled back in her chair. "ONI stumbled on it 45 years ago while excavating for Sword Base."

"And no one bothered to inform anyone else," John shot the woman a suspicious side eye.

"You'd have to ask Udina about that; he was part of the first team that explored down here," she shrugged, "or at least, that's what he said. Given what we now know about Covenant objectives, you can understand why SID wasn't too keen on Admiral Hood's pogrom against all things Forerunner, so they decided to shore up Reach as much as they could."

Aethyta huffed and leaned against a wall. "Which is why the faux training center is here, that always has 300 Spartans on hand."

Catherine nodded. "If the Covenant comes here-"

"When," Kat cut in, "when Covenant comes here, which they will do sooner rather than later when they figure out all of Humanity's 'Demons' aren't deploying." She shot Catherine a sour look. "They're religious zealots, not idiots. At a minimum, this will be a prime target for glassing, and that's not something we can stop."

There was a tense silence before Dean pushed off the window. "We can't leave the site unprotected, but we also can't leave the planet undefended." He swept his eyes over the gathered Spartans. "Kat's right about drawing undue attention by not deploying. Keeping the entire Creche and Cadre here is just paranoia on Command's part. Master Chief," he squared his shoulders and turned to John, "how many Spartans would you need to guard this place?"

"No more than a Company, Commandant."

Dean nodded. "Alright; I'll issue the orders to divide by companies: one on active Bivouac, one in Reserve status, and one deployed in support of Planetary defense. If Donnel wants to get his panties in a bunch, he can explain it to the citizens of Reach."

The group turned towards the door to head back to the surface, when Halsey stood up. "John," the Spartan stopped without turning, "it was good to see you."

Aethyta watched as several emotions the Spartan had never been taught to deal with, warred with each other across his posture.

"Likewise, ma'am."

The Matriarch had never seen a more defeated person before that moment, as the elderly Doctor retreated to the cold comfort of her work.

...

Councilor Tevos was reviewing a report on a Salarian project, codenamed: Exodus, when her terminal pinged. She confirmed the note, then shut the terminal off and waited for the door to open.

Tevos stood and gestured to one of her more comfortable chairs. "Matriarch Irissa, welcome. Please have a seat."

Tevos' oldest political rival settled in. "While I respect your position in galactic politics, do not think you can casually summon me or any Matriarch. You are the Republic's representative on this deliberative body, not its overlord."

Tevos ignored the censure as she poured them both tea. "I believe you will find your perspective on that matter changing in the very near future." She turned and set the tea service on a low table, even as sparks danced across Irissa'a tendrils.

"Nothing like that, I assure you." She handed her fellow Matriarch a cup and sat back down. "I simply mean that, by this time next year, you will be the Republics' representative on the Council."

Irissa paused and gave Tevos a skeptical look. "I can assume this has to do with the current chaos, and the ouster of the Hanar?"

"Indirectly, yes," Tevos sipped her tea while looking around her office. "The last thirty years have been marked, and marred, by multiple misjudgements on the part of all members of the current sitting Council." She turned her full attention back to Irissa. "We, collectively, have decided to step down and allow a new Council to lead our respective peoples forward. Valern and Sparatus are likewise meeting with their respective replacements as we speak."

"So, you make a hash of Galactic politics, and then just dump it in our laps, is that it?"

"Hardly," Tevos gave Irissa a patronizing frown. "We are currently in the process of clearing up that 'hash', as you so indelicately put it. By the time the one-year power transition has finished, the matter with Saren, the Hanar, and even relations with the UTSG should be stabilized."

"Feh, that's a tall order for a single newly minted SPECTER and his rag-tag crew." Irissa leaned back in her chair and sipped her tea. "As for the Humans, how can you expect them to just resolve whatever madness is happening within their borders in your timetable? We don't even know what's going on in their space."

"In point of fact, we do." Tevos set her tea down, and activated her office's central holographic projector. "The Salarians have been working on a project for some time, based on rumors coming from human space." She frowned slightly, remembering the recent report from the newest SPECTER. "Rumors which have recently been proven true.

"Ostensibly, the program is meant to provide real time monitoring and early warning of any unusual UNSC fleet movements. Those movements are currently focused around one of their Core worlds, called Reach. It seems this Covenant they have been fighting has finally succeeded in breaching their interdiction."

"Well, that's it then," Irissa set her cup down and looked at the hologram of a ringed garden world, "the UTSG is done, and we need to prepare for war."

Tevos chuckled and sat back. "Part of the reason I, and my fellow Councilors are stepping down, is our repeated underestimating of the Humans: both their audacity and tenacity in the face of impossible odds. I have every confidence they will survive the coming storm, as they will have something they have never had before."

Irissa gave the Councilor a hooded look. "Oh, and what would that be?"

Tevos tapped a control, and the hologram shifted to show a combined Citadel Species fleet. "Allies.

"Speaking of which, I have a call to make." She activated another control, and the hologram showed the familiar 'awaiting reception' icon. "You may remain and listen, though I ask you to do so in silence; the recipient is likely still quite perturbed by the attack on her people's colony."

The icon was replaced by the visage of a stern Human female in crisp military attire. She seemed to weigh several factors in her mind before speaking. "I'm Rear Admiral Kastine Drescher of UNSC Expeditionary Forces Ship Matterhorn. I presume you are Councilor Tevos of the Citadel Alliance?" Tevos silently nodded, allowing the clearly irate woman to spend her anger. "I simultaneously owe your people for both the attack on, and saving the Eden Prime colony."

Tevos nodded again. "Yes, and I greatly regret the first. I know it will be of little comfort to you, but both the Hanar and Citizen Saren Arterius have been declared a Rogue State and Agent by the Council. You have our sympathies, and whatever aid you may require in these trying times."

Tevos waited as another set of emotions warred across the veteran soldier's face. "I'm tempted to say something very impolitic, but the truth is we'll need that help in the cleanup. There are literally metric tons of dust-form Eezo saturating the colony's ionosphere, and we're already seeing spikes in incidence of cancer among survivors."

Tevos internally sighed in relief: if the Admiral was willing to accept aid, then peace was not yet out of reach. "I will notify the Elcor and Volus Ambassadors; their peoples have significant experience in dealing with industrial Eezo accidents, and the Volus are already well acquainted with UTSG culture. I think they will be the least likely to offend under such tense circumstances."

"My thanks," some of the tension ebbed out of the Human, before returning. Tevos was certain about what would be asked. "Now, about this 'Rogue Agent' of yours-"

"You are about to ask to be allowed to pursue Saren through our space." Tevos saw Kastine's jaw lock. "You know I cannot grant carte blanche for an armada of Human warships to run roughshod over our systems, any more than you would permit the Hierarchy to dispatch Patrol Squadrons within your borders." She paused, and was pleasantly surprised to see Admiral Drescher waiting, as if sensing that Tevos had a conciliating offer. "I can provide you with a frequency and secure cipher to contact and be contacted by the ship we have set on this task, as long as the response force is of a moderate nature," she almost mirrored the Admiral's snort, "relatively speaking of course."

Kastine rocked slightly as she thought before nodding. "I think I have the Command in mind. I will assign one of our Light Cruiser Squadrons: Two Destroyers, three Heavy Frigates, and the Piper at the Gates of Dawn under the command of Fleet Captain Pressly. He was our officer assigned to the first Officer Exchange, and has more experience with Citadel races outside of our Merchants Stellar."

Tevos bit back a grimace at the idea of one of the Human 'Dread-Nots' loose in citadel space, but the compromise was necessary to maintain the peace. "This is more than acceptable." She saw sparks dance across Irissa's frill, but was thankful for her fellow Matriarch's continued silence. "I will forward you the contact data, and hope this bodes well for a burgeoning future peace between our peoples."

After a few minutes of platitudes, the link was cut, and Irissa all but exploded out of her seat. "Just like that?! You're granting them permission to swoop in and out of our space?"

Tevos huffed at the younger Matriarch. "Yes, 'just like that'. Now, we have an agreement with them, and knowledge of where they will deploy, rather than the Admiral sending her Scout Ships out to act as a vanguard for her wrath. You may be a Matriarch, but you have always dealt with our own people. You must now learn to compromise, in order to guide our people through this new future."