Hi guys, sorry for the delay but Infinite is awesome and has given me a lot of ideas. I was also suffering from problems with anti-biotic pills that I was taking. But that's cleared up now. Other than that, this will be the last chapter for this year and the last story I'll update this year, unless I get bored. So Merry Christmas or whatever you celebrate. Stay safe out there.

A horn sounded and the people stopped their toiling and turned to the castle on the hills. Lightning crashed around it and people made their way to their homes. Inside the castle several silver armoured Spartans stood around a holotable looking at a map of their galaxy. Behind them stood several stain-glass windows each one had the Forerunner mark of the Mantel. All of them had it on their armour as well, but their attention focused on the ever-shifting territories of the warlords.

"It seems that someone found something they shouldn't," one said as he pointed towards a flashing dot.

"That is the Mars/ Empire frontline," another said. "The Empire has been pushing on that front hard. It is said that they found him,"

"Indeed, that is the same report I've been getting as well," one with a female voice added. "But that shouldn't change anything. Relics of the past need to remain forgotten. That are meant to be forgotten,"

The head around them nodded and he map zoomed in the war-zone. "The banished are also approaching the world," another noted. "If we are to commit, we need to do it now,"

"All those in favour of cleansing this world?" the group pulled out their steel swords and raised them high before lowing them toward the map. "So be it, the world will be cleansed,"

The group then walked out of the room and made their way into a large metal hall. All of them stood on a balcony watching over rows of tables as men and women were going though the Spartan procedure. All off of them were restrained as they had their arms and legs removed, only to be replaced by mechanical ones. None screamed as pain ad been removed from their bodies.

Their eyes blank as ports were attached to their bodies, ready to accept their new role.

OOOOO Forerunner structure.

Six watched as the hologram in font of her moved though a series of images. A planet, ships, an evacuation, the flood, experiments and more. As she watched the Elite contingent moved to secure the unknown aliens. There was a few dozen of them, but all of them seemed to be docile and cooperative. Either it was the strength of the Elites or the guns, either way they were escorted to the lift and waited until the hologram finished telling its story.

As soon as it was done, Six picked up the alien she had and ran over to the lift. Once on, Lufam hit the key and the lift began to move taking them up to the surface.

"What was that?" Lufam asked as he approached Six.

"If I'm not mistaken, we have a problem. A very big problem," she looked to her friend. "Something worse than the flood,"

"What could be worse than the flood?"

"I don't know. But from what I've seen, whatever they are they need to stay lost forever,"

OOOOO Alpha Base.

Cortana looked around as marines, Spartans and support personnel began to pack up the base. She shook her head and took a swig of water. This body of hers, new, untested, unused. Something that she needed to use in order to get used to. For now, the doctor suggested light work, if she was planning to do anything. But until she got used to this body of flesh, there was a feeling of uselessness.

She set the cup but and looked at her skin. It had finally settled with the markings she once had. Her skin was pale, but where her markings were on her AI body were now darkened patches of skin. A smile crawled across her mouth as memories returned to her. As they did a dull pain shot though her mind making her wince.

Grabbing her crutches, she pulled herself up and made her way towards the medical bay. A few of the doctors were taking out some of the non-essentials. Fredrik looked up from his work and smiled.

"Ah Cortana," he stood walking up to her. "It's not time for our session yet,"

"I know, but I want to do something. I feel useless," she said.

The doctor just laughed a little and nodded. "I understand. But I don't have anything to do. But why don't we move up your treatment?"

"That would be nice," she smiled as the two of them made their way to the gym.

OOOOO

"This is all the intelligence we managed to get from the area where Zeta is," Parisa said as she showed John a map of the area surrounding the ring.

The Chief looked at the information not showing any emotion, but he could see the problem he was going to face. The area was one of the most heavily defended area's he's ever seen. It was almost like Earth or Reach's defences times by 10. Mac platforms, bases and one large fleet. Inwardly he gritted his teeth, this was going to be a problem.

As he walked around assimilating the information, Parisa stayed silent as she watched John think. Soon he stopped and looked up at her.

"You have a plan, I assume," he said.

"After a fashion," she admitted and typed something off-holo. "If we leak some of the information and let the Banished know where Zeta is, they've been looking for it for a while now, we can effectively pull a large chunk of Imperial forces from Zeta. That way we can move in and secure Hive, maybe even destroy the ring. The latter has been standard practice with all the other Warlords. In fact, I've helped the GHR with Victorian Union and the Swords destroy Delta Halo,"

"It's a plan, but the question becomes what happens when they find what they want," he nodded.

"I agree, but I plan to leak the news to all the factions. They will pounce on the news as they see it as away to get an upper hand on the Empire. And other Warlords, but we will have the advantage. We have the information to find for the HIVE. Everything else is secondary," she took a deep breath and looked to the map. "The main objective is to secure all HIVE subjects and destroy the main base. That way their communications and intelligence network goes down. They will be vulnerable to everyone,"

"We'd need to iron out the details, but fundamentally it sounds ok," he muttered as Six joined the call.

"Co… Ho sorry Madam president," she said saluting to Parisa.

"Six, what do you have?"

"Me and Lufam found the Forerunner base, what we found there…" she trailed off. "We found and unknown alien species, non-hostile, but that's not the problem. When we found them, something… appeared before us. It was pointing to a planet, I'm not sure, but it seems like there was something there. Something that wanted to be found, released,"

"Something tells me that's a bad thing," Parisa said.

"Lufam is looking into it, we have a location we'll let you know if we have something,"

"Thanks, what about the aliens?"

"We're planning to send them back to Mars as soon as we get the chance. Hopefully they can help out,"

"Understood, do what you can,"

"Yes ma'am," Six saluted before the holo shut off.

Parisa shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "More problems more headaches," she muttered.

"Are you ok?" John asked.

"As about as fine as a Warlord can be. I'm trying to coordinate several fronts with generals, deal with politicians and CEO's, try to make everyone's lives easier, get more troops resources… fuck this job is not easy," she looked up at him. "Sometimes I miss the days of being an ODST,"

John simply nodded. "I think I understand," he shrugged. "But I've always been a Spartan, nothing else,"

"I know, it's such a distance," her lips then curled into a slight smile. "Which I hope to reduce, I'm joining the Infinity, temporarily of course, so that we can start closing that distance,"

John blinked, but nodded. "What did you have in mind?"

"A meal, nothing fancy, just us two eating a well-cooked meal. Talking chatting, random things. Little military talk. War stories are fine, but outside of that no military talk. Agreed?"

"I will do my best," he said nervously.

"I hope so, see you then," Parisa smiled before the holo shut off leaving John to stew with his thoughts.

OOOOO Mars, Kenosha.

Alex waited outside the room, pacing up and down waiting impatiently for the doctors to do their work. It felt like an age since Kelly's water broke. So, all he could now, is wait. Blisters began to sting at his feet, but he didn't notice them. His mind was too focused on his wife and child in the room in front of him. A man walked past, but all Alex noticed was his presence before the door opened. The doctor said something, but what she said was lost on the man as he pushed past her and walked over to the room where his wife and child where.

Looking inside, he saw Kelly cradling a small baby in her arms, tears dripping down her face. His own tears fell down his cheek as well. It was the last thing he felt before a white light took him from Mars.

OOOOO

Kelly groaned as she began to wake up seeing a white room around her. Blurry, but her eyes quickly adjusted and she managed to look around to see herself in a room full of people, burned, wounded, some even had no limbs. She quickly blinked her eyes, where was Alexia? Sitting up bolt upright the medical equipment around her and the pain that shot up though her sent her back down. Even a Spartan could only take so much before being sent down.

Groaning, she lay back down and fell back to sleep dreaming a dreamless sleep before she was awoken again. Her eyes opened and a dark-skinned doctor sat next to her checking the machines connected to her. With some effort, Kelly sat up but was forced back down by the doctor.

"Easy," she said. "Easy, you've been out for a week,"

"Wh.. what happened?" Kelly asked.

The doctor swallowed. "A… a terrorist attack. They attacked the hospital you were in. They were trying to take out Spartans and their families,"

"My… my baby… my husband…" emotions began to flow though her like a dam breaking.

The doctor looked away before placing her hand on the Spartans shoulder. Kelly didn't hear anything, the dam broke and she broke into tears before curling up into a ball weeping all day and night, until she couldn't anymore. Her new baby, the love of her life, both dead, her life turned on it's head once again.

A day or two past by before a visitor came. Kelly didn't look at the visitor, just looked away looking at the sky beyond the window.

"How are you holding up?" Parisa asked as she took a seat.

"I've lost my baby and husband what do you think?" the Spartan shot back. "How are Athena and Jacob?"

"Sophia is taking care of them with help from one of the other Spartan mothers. They are worried about you,"

"I know, but I cannot come home and tell…" she trailed off and pulled herself into her pillow.

Hand lightly tapped the Spartans shoulder. "I know, take as much time as you need. But those kids sill need their mother even if their father is gone,"

Kelly nodded and Parisa stood. "Get well soon,"