Justice League of Amazons: Halo
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Chapter 7
John woke up early, and he was greeted with the sights of the undersea ocean. A pod of whales serenely swam past and schools of fish darted about. The distant call of whales filled the room. John watched the view for a moment before dressing himself in the Orca. Once the armour was and the helmet locked itself in, John then prepared to leave his room. Submerging himself in the water, he ran the suit's diagnostics again and would continue to do so each time he put it on. All systems were green and John mentally activated the suit's propellers, traversing through the watery corridors. A few of the retainers greeted the Spartan politely and he nodded at them in response. Asking one retainer for the whereabouts of Mera's room, John was given directions to it. John thanked the young Atlantean and headed in the direction of Mera's room.
John soon arrived at the doors to Mera's room, where a pair of female Atlantean guards stood, each armed with a spear and shield.
"Spartan, what is your business?" one of the guards asked John.
"I came to see if Queen Mera has awoken," John replied formally.
"She will be in a moment," said the other guard. "Please wait here," she requested before turning around and knocking on the door thrice. Mera's voice came out slightly muffled through the door.
"Yes?"
"Your majesty. The Spartan wishes to know if you awake."
"I am. Please allow the Spartan into my chambers."
"At once, my queen!"
The guard turned back around to face John who had watched the exchange. "The Queen will see you now, Spartan," she said before standing aside and with the other guard, opened the doors. John entered the queen's chambers where he found Mera reclining on a large bed, her red hair floating about her like a fiery halo.
"Spartan. I trust you slept well?" the Atlantean queen asked John regally.
"I have rested comfortably, Queen Mera. The accommodations you provided me were nothing to complain about," the Spartan said politely.
"I am pleased to hear that, Spartan," Mera said with a regal nod of her head. "Would you prefer to dine in the dining hall? Or break your fast here?" she asked.
"It is your home, Queen Mera. I shall leave it up to you."
Mera gave a slight smile and pressed a button on a nearby intercom and gave some orders for the room to drained of water. Within a few minutes the seawater was drained from the room, leaving it damp but with air. Mera moved a few stray locks of damp red hair from her face and stood up from her bed. She was dressed in a short clingy nightgown that didn't leave much to the imagination. But thankfully, John was a professional and did not look at Mera in a fashion she would deem offensive to her person. Mera looked at John asked, "if you kindly remove your helmet?" The soft imploring look in Mera's deep blue eyes had John relent and remove his helmet, revealing his features to her. A soft smile graced Mera's face as she looked at the pale strong features of the Spartan.
"Come, sit by me while I order us some breakfast," the Atlantean queen said to the Spartan. John joined Mera at a nearby table and within a few minutes, a serving girl arrived with a covered dish that was revealed to have some Atlantean dishes of fish and seaweed. Thankfully the food was clean of saltwater so as not to put off John's appetite. John breakfasted with Mera and they engaged in some light table conversation.
"So, Spartan, what do you think of my kingdom and my people thus far?" the redhead asked him as she picked up a piece of tuna in her fingers before popping it in her mouth and chewed.
"It seems very much advanced from the surface, Queen Mera," replied John as he ate a piece of seaweed and wondered at how it was able to taste almost exactly like fried bacon. "I also profess to be curious of Atlantis's military capabilities," he also said.
"The military might of Atlantis isn't what it used to be, given our losses," Mera said. "But we still boast quite a number of fighters and craft that are still battle ready," she added. "May I ask why you wish to know this?" she enquired.
"Call it being prepared, Queen Mera," John said honestly. "Whilst I am sure that you will not allow any of your military to engage in military action against the surface world, I simply wish to be prepared in the event Atlantis does go to war against the surface," he explained.
"Indeed, that would be the wisest course of action," Mera agreed. "But you remember why I brought you to Atlantis in the first place, yes?" she asked.
"Remind me," John replied even though he knew the answer.
"I brought you here so as to court you so that I may have a child to foster peace between my people and our surface dwelling neighbours," Mera said. "I understand that this may not be what you're used to, but I would wish for the opportunity to court you," she added sincerely.
"And I shall let you, Queen Mera," John replied formally. "I may have been trained for war, but I do confess to desire peace for all living things," he said.
"My husband when he was alive desired the same thing," Mera said softly, a slightly sad smile in her eyes. "Arthur wished for peace between Atlantis and the surface world, although there were many in Atlantis who wished to strike at the surface for their careless and often flagrant disregard for the oceans," she added.
"Your husband's brother Orm being one of them?" John asked neutrally.
Mera nodded in answer and said, "Indeed. Orm paid an assassin to kill Arthur and tried to stage a coup with some Generals loyal to him, and even tried to activate a super-weapon designed to flood the surface world. Orm even tried to kill my son, only for Arthur to sever his own hand to rescue our child and bring him back safely before stopping his brother, with the aid of the Justice League."
"And can I be assured that there are no dissidents of the female variety in Atlantis who would attempt the same thing Orm and his followers did?" John asked calmly.
"There are a few voices in the Atlantean council who have argued that you should not be allowed here, and that your seed would pollute the Atlantean strength," Mera admitted. "But I have spoken with them at length that this is necessary to rebuild our numbers and help foster peace," she said swiftly.
"But there are those who would be xenophobic towards surface dwellers and the offspring born of my seed?" John asked.
"There are, but they are a minority in the long run," said Mera. "But enough of such talk, I wish to know more of you," she added. "What is your true name? And how are you the man you are now?" she asked.
John sighed softly before giving Mera an abridged version of his life. He gave some details of how the Earth of his reality had expanded beyond one world to control over eight-hundred plus worlds, and their advancements such as Slipspace travel. But John also told Mera that where he came from was not paradise by any means as there had been many conflicts in his reality such as the Rainforest Wars, the Koslovics and Friedans, the Insurrectionists to the Human-Covenant War and the desperate alliance with the Sangheili against the Prophets and the Flood. John also told Mera of the Halos and the battle on the Ark; Mera had asked what the purpose of the Halos were, and John told her in no uncertain terms that the Halos were designed to wipe out organic life within a certain radius in order to starve the Flood. Mera had been shocked and horrified at such an extreme measure, but John assured her that the Flood was finished and no longer a threat to anyone, at least that's what he said to Mera.
Mera asked who built the Halos and John had explained to the Atlantean queen that a race known as the Forerunners had built the Halos when they first encountered the Flood, as weapons of last resort, and they had been used to destroy all organic life. Mera then asked John to speak no more of the subject as she was disheartened by the story. John had apologised for ruining the mood, but did say that it was necessary to reinforce the moral and truth of the story to which Mera thanked him for.
Once breakfast was finished, Mera went to change and John offered to give her some privacy, but Mera coyly stated that if she were successful in courting him, she would have no issue with him seeing her naked. With that said, she went behind a changing screen and slipped out of her sleeping clothes and changed into some regal finery. The screen was also somewhat see-through as John could see Mera's silhouette as she changed; despite giving birth to a son, Mera's body was still in excellent shape and form, yesterday's sperm donation had proven that already and today further reinforced that.
Mera stepped out from behind the changing screen and wore her Atlantean finery in the form of an aqua green body suit that had a fish scale pattern with a golden tiara nestled in the locks of her fiery red hair. There was a generous amount of Mera's cleavage on display but not so much as to be considered vulgar or lewd; there was enough of a display to show that Mera was a woman with shapely curves. The bodysuit also emphasized Mera's buttocks which sat high and proud. John did not react but he have a slight nod of approval as he could see that Mera was a certainly fit and healthy woman.
"Do you like?" Mera had asked him.
"It looks nice," the Spartan said.
Mera raised an eyebrow and said, "Is that all you have to say?" she asked. "I'd have thought I'd make more of an impression on you," she added.
"My apologies, Queen Mera," John said respectfully.
"Relax, Spartan. I understand you are a man of few words, the Justice League told me as much and I can see it now," Mera said to him with a gentle smile. "I appreciate your words nonetheless," she added.
"Thank you, your majesty," John replied respectfully.
"Please, call me Mera," Mera requested. "I hope to establish a more informal relationship between us," she stated.
"I'm simply being respectful of your station," said John.
"I know, but you do not need to tiptoe around me like I am some vengeful goddess," Mera pointed out. "At the end of the day, I am a woman. One who would like to form a friendship with you, and perhaps more than that," she said hopefully with a soft smile.
"I'll see what I can do about forming a friendship with you, Queen Mera," John replied reluctantly, feeling a little out of his element in this situation.
"Of course, there is no need to rush. We have time to build on that," Mera said kindly and John nodded in response. "Now, I believe you wished to see the Atlantean military forces?" she asked and John nodded.
"Very well, let us inspect the troops to sate your curiosity," Mera said as John put his Orca helmet back as the room began to rapidly fill with seawater until it full. Departing the room, they were joined by Allira who was fulfilling her duties as Mera's bodyguard. Allira gave a respectful nod at John, but she was alert showing that she took her duties as Mera's personal guard seriously which John silently commended her for. Mera was now the ruling sovereign of Atlantis and she had stated earlier that many families in Atlantis were vying for the throne. It would be a matter of time before one of those families grew impatient enough to hire assassins to clear the way to the throne of Atlantis. It was almost a guarantee that whichever family would take the throne would certainly lash out against the surface world and the Amazons for what happened.
Reaching the training grounds for the Atlantean army, John was allowed to witness the Atlantean forces undergoing the daily training regimen and drills to keep their skills sharp. He saw exercises similar to his own EVA and underwater training from his Spartan Program days, and he also saw the soldiers training with weapons that would almost be archaic such as swords and tridents/spears, along with some more modern weaponry in the form of some kind energy rifle. John asked what kind of rifle the soldiers were firing. Allira said to him, "Those are the standard issue firearms for all out soldiers. They fire a water based projectile that in simpler terms would be hard water, using a combination of science and magic to shape and fire," she explained.
"Hard water… can you please explain?" the Spartan asked.
Allira motioned for a soldier to come forth with her weapon. Allira took the soldier's weapon and showed it to John. John was reminded of the Covenant Type-51 Carbine; a Covenant firearm that instead of firing a plasma based projectile, fire a caseless radioactive projectile and super-sonic speeds.
"This weapon utilises water based projectiles as I said, and serves a long-medium range weapon for all our troops," Allira explained to him. "The internal chamber of the weapon uses sophisticated technology and magic to draw water and moisture from the surrounding environment and shapes the water into a hard water projectile that is then expelled at super speed," she said.
"May I?" John asked. Allira acquiesced and handed John the rifle. John inspected the weapon with great care, nodding his head in understanding as he got a feel for the weapon and he looked down the sights and saw a holographic display of the reticule. John then handed the weapon back to the Atlantean soldier who nodded her thanks.
"A good weapon," John said in approval. "It reminds me of one of the weapons my people's enemies used during the war," he added.
"Truly?" Allira asked in curiosity.
John nodded and said, "The Type-51 Carbine, a counterpart to the UNSC's BR55 Service Rifle or commonly known in laymen terms as the Battle Rifle. Both were staples of the war, and I've used both extensively in my career."
"What ammunition did this Type-51 Carbine use?" Allira asked.
"Unlike plasma based projectiles which were slow at long distance, the Carbine fired a caseless radioactive projectile that could fire at tremendous velocity and was often used as a marksman's weapon and could be used for long-medium range engagements," replied John.
"Radiation? Wouldn't that be harmful to the wielder of such a weapon?" Mera asked.
"The Carbine was insulated for such things so that the wielder would not be exposed to harmful radiation from the ammunition," John said. "But the ammunition often came in a magazine, whereas the rifle your forces use draws in water from the surrounding area," he added.
"Interesting, it seems there are differences," Allira remarked.
"There are," John agreed.
"Perhaps the next time you visit you would bring one of these Carbines for us to examine?" Allira asked.
"Perhaps, but I would not want to risk polluting your oceans if the radiation from the Carbine were to be leaked out," John replied.
"Of course," Allira said demurely. "But I do profess to be curious of your fighting abilities," she added. "No doubt you are a capable warrior on the surface, but what of fighting in aquatic environments?" she asked.
"I have been trained for aquatic engagements and 360 to zero-G combat scenarios, but I'm not a full master, unlike a fellow Spartan I know," John replied, thinking for a moment of his fellow Spartan Li who was the martial artist of all the Spartan IIs and a master of Zero-G combat.
"Perhaps a sparring match is in order?" Allira suggested. "To see how well you can match up against an Atlantean," she said and she looked at Mera and asked, "Of course, if that's alright with you, my Queen?"
"I'd say it is the Spartan's decision on whether to take you up on your challenge," Mera replied and she looked at John. After a moment, John nodded.
The sparring ring was cleared for the match between the Spartan and the acting commander of the Atlantean forces. Both would fight unarmed for this match. Allira floated calmly on her end of the ring, slowly stretching her arms and legs in order to prepare herself for the fight. John calmly waited for his opponent to ready herself, going over battle tactics for the environment and remembering his EVA and underwater training. He knew that as a member of an aquatic race, Allira would have the advantage over him and she was naturally far stronger than a regular human being, so she could lay in quite a few blows. John also knew that while his Orca armour would provide some protection, it was not as armoured as the regular MJOLNIR armour, so he would need to play this smart for the fight.
Mera then gave the signal to begin and Allira zoomed towards the Spartan, but as John's super-conducting nerves kicked in, he began his assessment of his target.
Female Atlantean. Of reasonable age and peak physical health. Prior assessment shows no indication of intoxication. Current assessment of target shows favour of direct engagement, utilising natural Atlantean abilities as an advantage. Armour pieces in vital areas to allow maximum room for agility and protection. Hair is tied back to prevent from obscuring vision. Target hopes to use superior swimming ability to gain advantage.
Contact.
Allira gave a slight triumphant grin as she thought the Spartan afraid, but as she charged towards him, he suddenly shifted to the side at a speed that was impressive, even underwater. He moved to Allira's right-hand side, grabbing her wrist in an iron grip that was painful even to Atlantean and snaked his other arm around her elbow, locking in into place. With a twist, John tossed Allira to the side and she tumbled through the water, going end over end before she quickly righted herself but the Spartan was already upon, swinging his fist into her jaw. Allira gave a grunt of pain as she felt the force behind the blow but she gritted her teeth and grabbed the Spartan's arm and attempted to flip him over and deliver a kick before she would launch an assault on him. But to Allira and everyone else's surprise, John avoided Allira's attack and kicked her in the stomach, knocking her back. Allira's natural Atlantean endurance was the only thing that prevented the wind being knocked out of her and she growled in anger as she launched herself at the Spartan who twisted to the side, grabbing her by the scruff of her armour and spinning around a few times, he threw the Atlantean woman out of the ring. Sand kicked in white clouds as Allira went skidding along it, dragging up a shallow furrow into the seabed.
"The Spartan wins the match!" Mera called out in surprise. Allira was one of Atlantis's best warriors and was her personal guard, to see the blonde be tossed around was surprising to Mera.
John swam over to Allira who was picking herself up. Offering a hand, John helped the Atlantean woman up. "You did well," the Spartan said to her.
"I lost!" Allira complained.
"You had the advantage of being much faster in the water than I am," John said to her. "But you made the mistake of charging in blindly and underestimating your opponent," he pointed out.
"If I see an enemy before me, how could I not take the chance?" Allira asked.
"Part of being a soldier is taking the time to assess your enemy and ascertain any weaknesses they have," the Spartan said. "Another part of this is your pride," he added.
"My pride?" Allira asked in confusion. "What does my pride have to do with this?"
"As an Atlantean, you pride yourself on being stronger and more durable than regular humans, which may be true, but pride can be used against you, particularly in your tactics of charging straight at an opponent without assessing them first."
Allira looked surprised at this, and John then said to her, "Using an enemy's pride against them is one of the simplest and best tactics to use in many situations that are not warfare related. Such a tactic can be used in situations such as politics, and is often used in politics and a variety of other situations."
"How do you know this?" Allira asked.
"Some of the battles I fought in, I used such a tactic to gain an edge over my opponents," replied John. "Other times my enemies underestimated me, and I used that to my advantage," he said.
"So, perhaps next time you face an opponent, you'll remember this and learn to use such tactics," John then said to Allira who nodded and said, "Thank you. I will try to remember that next time. Of course, I will ask for a rematch." And John nodded in acceptance.
A few of the other Atlantean soldiers asked if they could spar against the Spartan, to see how well they would face against him. The next hour was spent training with the Atlantean soldiers who were eager to face the Spartan in the training ring.
Afterwards, Mera called for a halt to the activity and said to the soldiers that she would like to spend some time alone with the Spartan. The soldiers acquiesced to their queen's command and Mera then took John to the royal gardens where she lead the Spartan to a memorial for her husband and son.
"These are your husband and son?" John asked Mera respectfully. Mera laid a small wreath at the foot of the memorial of her husband and son.
"Yes, I had this built before your arrival and I spend time here, reflecting on the time I had with them," the Atlantean queen said softly, a sorrowful look on her face.
"I'm… sorry for your loss, as well the losses of your people," John said quietly.
"Thank you, Spartan," Mera replied gently as she looked at the likeness of her husband and son sadly. "I should also thank you for bringing Aresia to justice," she then said as she turned to look the Spartan.
"I would've simply killed Aresia, had the… gods not intervened," John said, stilling a feeling a little uneasy with the concept of gods actually being real, but compared to some of the things he fought back home, travelling to another reality where the Greek Gods actually existed wasn't too much of a stretch. But it was still surprised to the Master Chief and it made him wonder what other Pantheons of Earth existed.
"I would've subjected Aresia to every torture imaginable rather than kill her," Mera said gravely. "I would've wanted her to feel the pain and loss that every one of my people have suffered," she added. John nodded in agreement.
"Still, it would not change what Aresia did, nor undo it," Mera said sadly as she looked at the memorial again. "All I can do is hope to rebuild and restore the hope of Atlantis and my people," she added.
"I'm sure you will, Queen Mera," John said simply.
"Please, call me Mera," Mera replied.
"Very well… Mera," John said awkwardly. Mera gave a soft chuckle and said to him, "Not quite a savant with women, are you?" she asked humorously.
"The League has been helping me on that, but the only people I've usually socialised with were my fellow Spartans and military personnel," John admitted.
"Well, I'd like to offer my help in helping you learn to interact with women in a more informal setting," Mera said.
"A friend of mine would certainly encourage that," John said thinking of Cortana for a moment.
Mera smiled and after spending some more time at the memorial, the pair then headed into the palace to have luncheon.
…
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: there! The sixth/seventh chapter of this done and dusted. I hope this made the grade and I know some of you have been pestering me regularly to keep updating this, and whilst I do need a good kick up the backside to keep me writing, I do have responsibilities and other stories and nonsense taking up my time. I'd be dishonest if I said I promise to take the time to write this story more, but I can't make that kind of promise. So to those who have been pestering me regularly, I know you're all eager to see more of this, but please be patient with me, this isn't a full-time job nor does it pay, so exercise a little patience if you please.
In other news, I'm working on a rewrite of my JLoA/Elder Scrolls crossover as it had been approximately three years since I last touched it and when I looked at with refreshed eyes, I saw no other course than to rewrite it. Some people, I won't name them, have rudely said that there's no pointing reading my stories if I rewrite them after three chapters. Maybe they're right, but I am trying my best to present to you all the best work I can possibly do, so take that into consideration please. I've set up a romance poll on my profile for the rewrite of my JLoA/Elder Scrolls crossover, so feel free to leave your two cents.
Another story that I'm thinking of rewriting is my Game of Thrones/Red Dead Redemption story, due to a severe lack of reviews. It has approximately three thousand or so views and it has roughly thirty to forty follows and favourites, but not as many reviews as I would've liked. It may be because of the fact that it's an AU of RDR, or some other factor, but it's gotten me considering rewriting the story and using the canon RDR.
But I won't get into that. In other news, with the whole corona virus/COVID-19 stuff going on, countries are locking themselves down, including many businesses operating on takeaway basis, particularly the hospitality/tourism/travel industry which I'm a part and as of yesterday, I've found myself temporarily out of a job. But I am hopeful that work will pick up again next week, but it seems unlikely, so I'll be looking for another job in the meantime. To anyone else who is suffering a job loss because of the Corona Virus, don't lose hope, keep going forward and don't stop.
And that's about the sum total of things, so I'll just leave this here and I'll see you all in the next one.
Kind regards,
Angry lil' elf.