Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Iron Cross. Enjoy the 2200-word chapter. I do not own Warhammer or Halo, Gameshop and 343 do.
(Spirit of Fire, January 15th, 2532.)
Halius hummed and then leaned on the wall before he relaxed for now. He and Linda had spoken for some time, both had to try and deal with it for now.
They talked to each other as interested as possible… Both were all grasped for it.
"We need to go?" Halius asked as Alice walked over to them.
Halius and Linda nodded, gathered up their gear, and placed their helms atop their heads. They walked towards the hanger where a pelican delivered the pod into the carrier.
Halius hummed to himself, he knew more and with more ideas on his mind and both times? They were soldiers and it was clear that it was going to be all too interesting.
Halius hummed and cracked his fingers and then thought of what was growing on his mind.
Part of him? He knew more than it all for now.
All of it? This was a lot for him… It was a lot more than one could claim. A LOT more than one would at all claim.
His thoughts as he walked with Linda were simple. Atriox had made it clear he was a threat, he and his Banished posed a massive faction who were going to get in the way of the war.
His next thought? The Covenant was a threat that they had to be led into a trap. The second they had to strike? They would need to.
Part of him grasped more and more that the Ultramarine warriors and the rest of their people were soldiers. They had fought worse than the Covenant and slayed them now.
Granted? The Covenant was hard to understand. They had fought in odd ways and their powers were skilled but they were not out of the realm of control.
This was a lot more to deal with… He was tired, very tired… And a soldier like him had rested long enough in the cradle of slumber. He was curious as to how it would end.
Now? Now he had better things to deal with… More soldiers he would continue to fight.
Halius knew very much that they would not surrender. The UNSC and Imperium Secundus could not afford it either.
The Ultramarine and Spartan-II finally reached the hangar, confronted with the group who arrived as Halius looked at Linda.
Neither soldier said anything but it was clear they were happy. They had a lot more to deal with as he thought of it all as he relaxed.
Ultramarines like him were too tiresome… They had a lot to try and deal with as he relaxed and then thought of it all as he relaxed for now.
He was all too ready to deal with it for now while he tried to think of it all before now.
Halius hummed, tiresome at the time… They had a lot more to relax for now and for a good reason.
They had a lot more to try and figure out as he thought of it all.
Now? Now he was tired, he was very tired and unable to deal with losing it.
All of them were exhausted… He could not relax… They had a lot more to try and figure it out now.
Chief slowly started to descend from the pod as he relaxed. They had to try and deal with it for the moment and both looked at the ground.
They knew differently, they were soldiers and they knew both times they would fight. It was a lot worse as this crashed down into the ground.
'He reminds me of Captain Titus. All this work put towards fighting and duty and nothing else… We have not been able to see each other often… But he reminds me of him, all this fighting for duty, and not once would we fight for anything more.' Halius thought.
He was too focused on his thoughts, too eager to watch it all come crashing into the ground… Now? Now it had to end or else it might not have had any amount of power.
Something within that level of power was a fighting soldier who was aware of the stakes.
Halius said nothing as Fred rejoined his group and he waited for Igaros and them to rejoin his. he wanted nothing more than to relax as he paused and then thought of it all as a small little trick.
His thoughts fled him as Igaros walked a wide arc around him. Halius looked at his friend and second in command with a nod of respect.
He was tired, far more to try and figure it out… Something within him screamed to come out and screamed to be heard.
He could not for the life of him properly act on his mind. He needed to talk to someone after this, Linda, and another soldier whom he trusted.
The more times they had talked? The more Halius realized he had missed his friends coming back.
'I am happy, I am content to be where I need to relax… I need to find a way to think of it all differently… That way? I know just how I can calm down.' Halius stayed silent as he thought of it differently.
He quieted all thinking for a few moments. He had a lot more time to think now knowing how it sounded.
They needed more now, much more now at the time… He almost laughed at knowing what it would have been like for now… It was something chaotic and something to be cherished.
It was all much more than he had expected it to be like now. Something within him had cut through again and again at the time.
If nothing else? He had a lot more ideas now about what was going through his mind… Something about it all had to try and figure it out.
Something about it all had to deal with for now… They had a lot more to try and deal with for now… It had a lot to end for now.
(Within 2 standard hours)
Halius hummed… Curious as to how the war would turn. Holograms of Titus and Admiral Stanforth appeared as the group processed the data.
"The Banished does exist? Damn, we were hoping those rumors were myths… And what is this about? More soldiers?" Halius heard to which he crossed his arms.
"The Covenant had data which Atriox allowed us to steal… I have been eager to find out what he hid from us…. As for that?" Halius asked to which he hummed to himself.
Both were too interested in it all… They had a lot more to try. He knew more and more that they were tiresome now.
His soldiers were preoccupied… Most of them were busy fighting in the field and he? He had plenty of experience in the field.
Titus looked at the group. He knew them and he knew Halius would not lie… He was eager to get back into the field.
It was something else, something chaotic now… Often? The battles would continue, they would fight and they would die in combat.
The rest of the soldiers in the Ultramarines were open but not at the time being… It was a hard thing to know…. And for him?
Halius seemed to be dealt with as he sighed and then looked over towards Igaros. Both were quiet as Halius turned his attention back towards the table.
He had a lot of things to discuss when it came down to him and his friend… Titus had to talk to him sooner or later.
Granted? Both he and Titus were two different people but it was clear that both were too interested at the time.
He had a lot more to try and figure out as she looked as he looked downwards as he thought of it.
Ultramarines were too interested at the time… He relaxed, for now, he wanted nothing more than to ask where the strategy was… But it was clear they had little now.
Still? Neither of them would have surrendered. It was harder and harder to think of what was growing in their minds.
All of it was all too much. She and he thought of it all as a game, Linda was pushing through it all before it came down to it.
She was all too interested in the next move. Ultramarines and Spartans were too interesting for either of them to back down, and the idea of them was too much for now.
He and she looked at each other as he seemed to ponder the idea as he looked downwards at the ground.
He had a lot of different ideas in his mind… Something about it all had to try and think of it all as he cracked his fingers.
Halius seemed to be dealt with as he cracked his fingers. They were too tired at the end of the day.
Something which he had to try and deal it.
Titus stayed silent before he looked at the ground. They were all too interested at the time being… Something like this was amusing the group.
"We need to continue pressing the Covenant and Orks on all fronts… They have far too many ships to fight them easily." Halius stated to which Titus hummed.
"Yes, but fighting them easily? It is harder to do than it seems…. We are fighting them on several fronts. Naval warfare is becoming tedious with their tactics." Titus stated as Cutter hummed.
"The Covenant does not want to rule the galaxy. They want to kill us as far as we know… It makes conventional war harder with them constantly pulling force." Cutter added before he looked to himself.
There was a moment of mercy, a moment of chaos as they looked downwards. They were all too interested as he cracked his fingers and then looked at the ground.
They were too interested in what the strategy was… It was a lot more to try and figure it out.
Ultramarines were too interested in a war for now but it was clear they all had their work cut out for them.
To be fair? They were soldiers, they were bred for little more than war. They were bred to be soldiers, they were bred to be nothing more than warriors and scholars and such, it was no massive an honor then to fight and have fought on the frontlines.
They were too interested as it came crashing down to the ground. Halius hummed and then looked towards the wall.
It was clear they had to debate more… Halius hummed as he looked and then sighed towards himself.
All of it was more than he could relax. He silently excused himself and then turned to Captain Titus.
"Permission to be excused?" Halius asked to which Titus nodded. "I will be ready for any missions, Captain… My plan stands if there is a stratagem. There was a lot more to this." Halius added as he looked to the side.
He had a lot more to try and figure out as he looked to the side. Halius seemed to relax once more as he marched towards the end of the room.
They were too interested in it… An idea like this was much harder and harder to figure out now… It was a much more tiresome manner. It was clear that they held such an idea that even if he pushed himself towards such a thing.
Halius knew he did not want a part in this sort of thing. He had a lot more on his mind as he glanced towards her and it was harder and harder to focus on the war when it came to strategy.
The others were all too skilled at it… Halius was aware of it but he was also aware pride wounded them, it made them easier to deal with.
Something within him was more content to be fighting than discussing how to fight. Perhaps it was the portion of Halius that remained a regular Astartes, he was not bred for glory, was not raised for any divine purpose.
Granted? Halius could not say that for certain but it was clear…. It was clearer than anything that would become of it all now… Such a small idea.
They had a lot more to try and deal with. Halius was tired and he thought of it all and he relaxed.
Something about it all was curious at the end of it. He thought of it all as he cracked his fingers. They had more soldiers at the time and he thought of it all as he sighed and then thought of it.
They were tired at the end of it… Soldiers were too distracted as he looked to the side.
Halius sighed as they talked for a second.
(With the others)
Both Igaros and Chief looked at each other. Both were curious.
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! A few things.
I am not slaughtering the Covenant… I told you this is the IMPERIUM SECUNDUS, not the Imperium which is driven by xenophobia and kills everything. I am not killing Arbiter. Second? The Secundus is run by Guilliman, not the emperor.
I apologize if the chapter felt light. I am having trouble with what to type.
This chapter marks the halfway point of the Human-Covenant war arc.
The next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will show more of both Halius and his group along with the next few battles. Until the 900-6500 word chapter, Lighting Wolf out!