Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Iron Cross. Enjoy the 2400-word chapter. I do not own Warhammer or Halo, Gameshop and 343 do.

(Imperial Strike Cruiser, Immortal Flame, January 12th, 2532.)

It had taken 3 days for them to return to Imperial-held space and another 1 to get ready for them to be in talks for now.

Halius had done nothing during these days, nothing besides act more curious and converse with the Spartans as the higher-ups delegated. It was not his place to hold peace talks and war stratagems now, merely to carry out talks he believed they needed to deal with… And seemed to be dealing with back and forth highly.

To him? It was merely conjecture as to how they planned to fight the Covenant… All Halius knew was the war had stalled out after their first year of combat.

Neither side was willing to make a move majorly. The Covenant seemed to be unwilling to move more forces into a strike that could cost them dearly… And the UNSC and Imperium forces were unwilling to strategically cripple their side to attempt to force them.

On the plus side? They had managed to use the time to reinforce their defenses, to research better technology… Something which would have made the tech-priests froth if they were back within the Imperium space.

The problem? Halius had ZERO clue as to their standing. There were talks of plans to drag the Covenant back into the war or simply siege them out.

Yet? Halius was kept out of these problems, simply because he did not know any better… And it bothered him to no damn end now and for good, he was that bothered by the prospect of dealing with such insanity now that he wished to shatter everything.

Now and only now could he be allowed a moment of silence, of peace… That and that alone kept him off the backlines of pain… He drowned in such annoying solitude that did nothing to keep him contained now and for good reason now and forever.

So much pain for so little nothing… He found such a thing odd.

The Thunderhawk finally set down, landing gear hissing as ancient systems finally seemed to find limits. He turned to Linda and the others, knowing Linda's team would soon be here.

She hummed, thinking to herself… Thinking once more, she looked at the city.

The world around her was massively different than any she had seen before… Massive buildings of marble and stone stretched miles and miles into the sky, and plants of all types lined the streets, up and down with citizens in very proper-looking clothing.

Halius looked at soldiers clad in formal armor… Soldiers of the Ultimar Auxilla… They bowed to him only for the Ultramarine to wave them off.

"I do not require loyalty or subservience… Where is the Primarch? The meeting is supposed to occur today." Halius stated, clasping his armored hands as if they were pieces of metal in front of him.

If he was not restrained by armor? Linda almost assumed she might find amusement in it all.

Something about it all had been harder and harder on her mind… She looked around at the planet, too curious as to how they might do something for it all now… An idea of what the Ultramarines were like was burned into her mind.

All of it? All the insanity and such had been forced into her head… Yet? She looked upon this world with a greatness, a madness that she had not ensured herself to be safe from.

"This place is paradise," Linda stated to which Halius hummed.

"It is home… A very good home to us… But a home more… We share it." Halius stated as he looked over to Linda. "This is the center of Ultimar… The center of our empire… Is Earth not like this?" Halius asked with a raised eyebrow.

Linda could not answer for that was to reveal details about the UNSC above her pay grade… But it was a fair question.

Earth was a paradise but it was far and away different than this. She looked at this planet as if it was the most perfect thing in history, the most awe-inspiring thing ever.

If she had known the name of this planet? She might be surprised but to the Ultramarines? Macragge was nothing more than a paradise to them all… Something within them had been harder and harder to think of it all now and for a good reason.

She and he were quiet at the time being… An idea they had not yet dealt with. he chuckled despite himself and looked downwards at the ground, all too interested in something beyond himself.

Still? He wanted to do nothing more than to relax… Then find some way to let it all go to the surface.

Halius looked over at his friends, curious as he paused to think of it all now… Something about it all made him more and more amused. He sighed to himself within a moment.

Halius looked over to Linda before he relaxed, thinking for a moment and he managed to look over to his brothers… This planet, this paradise was all too interesting in it as he paused.

"Also? We know this planet is paradise…. But we do not care. I would be happier back in the frontlines of combat." Halius stated to himself as he sighed to himself.

"Brother, you always wish to fight." Halius heard as he rolled his eyes.

"We are at war, Igaros. I am better at directing soldiers and logistics than I am at discussing the ability of vacation." Halius added as he sighed, cursing something within him.

Igaros said nothing, the pack upon his armor hissing as he prepared to use it. Halius was all too interested in something that he did not know he had been dealing with… The boredom and nervous lull within battles.

Halius hummed…. Too interested in the coming storm… He was all too worried about their ability to fight.

"Rest… I will take a moment to gather myself… Spartan, while you wait for your squad, would you like me to tour you around our homeworld?" Halius asked with interest on the tips of his words.

Linda looked over to the rest of the skyline where dozens of vehicles raced by. Even at its peak? The UNSC was a speck compared to this planet.

'Had the Ultramarines ruled over these planets?' Linda asked before she looked downwards at the time.

Linda decided despite herself it was probably better to relax… To let herself be relaxed for the next mission. She was not going to see combat anytime soon… Something within her was annoyed by that now and for good reason.

Linda hummed and then nodded, guessing they would have very little to see and to do now if they did not find something to preoccupy the time they had built up.

It had been harder and harder to deal with it all before it came crashing now at the time being, she had to deal with it all now and for good reason.

Halius hummed, pausing before motioning for the Spartan to follow him. it was clear more and more that he had to deal with it, for now, they had something that they could crash to the time being.

She looked at him before both started to think of it all they walked. Halius hummed, brushing off his armor as the gleam of buildings around them brimmed off his armor, the shining luminance was something he was used to… By a much longer shot than usual.

Something about it all was clear, it would be much more clear than usual… An idea that was burrowing into his armor like a worm. He was a soldier; he would continue to be a soldier at the end until he was not needed.

She would continue to deal with it for now as she paused to think of the next move. Linda looked at the massive buildings, art which seemed to stretch on for miles and miles, so much that it almost hurt her brain.

Whatever this planet was? It was insane, wild… Something about it had driven her crazy now… She and he walked through dozens of blocks of city… Each step reminded Linda she was upon an alien planet, one which teamed with the life she had not seen.

Halius did not look at the planet as anything special. Why? He had been here before… He had been too eager to think of battle strategy, not on the beauty of this world.

It was odd, very odd… Something about it all had been harder and harder to understand. He? He knew that this planet was odd, that his home was a paradise but to him? Halius loathed being here while it was under threat.

The galaxy begged for soldiers to fight. Instead? He was here, being forced to do things like relax or wait lest he break in half.

Halius hummed, thinking to himself before he looked downwards at the time. he cracked his fingers and then thought of each little measure he could throw at the problems inside his mind. Now? Now he had to be better, he would be better… Something within him was aching for him to fight.

And yet he was here… He was on the home of the Ultramarines… Waiting, hoping, and praying that he was allowed back into the fires of war.

Part of him questioned how many warriors would come to this galaxy. Would all the legions be reunited? He supposed that might be part of it… Along with the fact that he had better issues to attend to now at the time being.

Something about it all had made him eager to snap and break…. If he could and would break? He would have to have since he was later ready to snap into pieces with each moment.

Halius hummed, rubbing at the edge of his nose. He had been quiet… He had no idea what was growing on his mind before he sighed, something about it all had been harder and harder to deal with now… Something about his homeworld made him sigh.

He had been too interested in it all before now. The Lieutenant cleared his throat before he looked over at her, tapping on the wall next to him as he paused, tired… Something about it all made him interested in more.

"You should know very well that this planet is the heart of my brothers and legion… We care much for it and we have fought centuries to protect it." Halius added before he crossed his arms over his chest.

He was silent… Much more than before did he relax… Much more than usual did he strike. Something within the Ultramarine made him sigh, angry at the idea that he was not helping more.

"I sense a fact that you'd rather not be here," Linda stated as she paused to think to herself.

"I do not like being reminded of the cost and the stakes of combat… Each day we are away from the battlefield? The more time the covenant must batter us to nothing. I would like to be home… But my home is in danger the more I stay here." Halius stated as he closed his eyes.

"You feel like you're spitting on them by not fighting more," Linda stated as Halius hummed.

"Correct… I am sure you Spartans wish to return to your home, Linda. Yet? I can guess that you would much rather be protecting the UNSC as well." Halius stated with a sigh as he paused.

Linda hummed, not once realizing that she had been exhausted but she shared a similar sentiment. Being out in the thick of combat was where she excelled and being away from the edge of combat.

Something about it all was much harder to deal with… Chaos within her madness that she had struggled to deal with for now… Something about it all was odder and odder.

She looked at Halius as he paused, looked over at the groups of buildings around them… They were works of art more than buildings.

Halius had never focused on Macragge as a planet… Not in the way he had seen it before. No, now? Now it was much more amusing to it all than before, something about it all was easier said than done… Easier than ever now.

This planet brought up memories. Something buried inside his mind, something about it that made him chuckle back and forth in place, rocking on his metallic heels as he thought of every single little idea.

He led her deeper and deeper into the groups of buildings around them… Reminding him that home was as much a cage as before. It would remain a cage more and more often with each passing moment he remained on this rock.

Halius looked upwards and into the depths of the sky, something within him had been harder and harder to think of now when it was all said and done.

Something about that sort of chaos… Something within him was all too thrown off for now… She looked all around and this planet was harder and harder to think of now and for good reason… Something within her had been much too amusing.

Halius found this planet nice… But his home was alien to him during war… It would never be home while war waged around the Ultramarines.

With a silence that haunted the planet? He led Linda into the throes of people who seemed more ghosts to him than usual.

Author Notes

Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out that the next chapter will be in 2-10 months… A few things.

I am aware Halius might come off as a dour 'I hate normal life!' Sad man… I am trying to show Halius and the Spartans as soldiers who have trouble with things like normal life and Halius focusing on the war over his personal life.

I am aware the Covenant would not stop that easy. This is not a ceasefire; it is them strategizing how to fight the Ultramarines.

I plan to adopt at least Halo 1 and Reach to a degree.

The next chapter will be 900-6500 words and set up the next battle, Linda and Halius bonding and a crucial part of the war. Until the 900–6500-word chapter, Lighting Wolf out!